Thoughts

Ha I had almost forgotten that this blog existed. Goddamn exams! Anyways, I am back now. Here's what my thoughts have been to film-related news of the past couple of weeks.

1) So Quentin Tarantino has announced that he is thinking about retiring after he is done with his tenth film, which if you count the two Kill Bill movies as one, is three films away. The reason he has given is that he wants to leave his career at a high. While the reasoning is somewhat logical, all I have to say is this- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! 
I need more Tarantino movies, like hundreds more. Obviously that's not possible, but he can at least increase his stupid limit. I honestly think he's a genius, so I don't know what he's worried about. Although the fact that he has kind of planned his life as if it were a movie, makes me love and worship him even more.

2) Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy may be starring in the Wikileaks movie together. Cumberbatch has already been cast as Julian Assange and McAvoy will probably play the disillusioned Wikileaks spokesperson Domscheit-Berg. Both of them have already starred together in Starter for 10 and Atonement. I am obviously incredibly excited by this new project and for seeing these two very talented and gorgeous, pretty-eyed and sexy-voiced British actors working together.

3) So The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel continues to cause me distress. The role of Harry Osbourne is now up for grabs and vying for it are people like Dane DeHaan, Alden Ehrenreich, Brady Corbet, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Sam Claflin and Boyd Holbrook. DeHaan, Ehrenreich and Redmayne are among my favourite young actors at present (haven't seen Ehrenreich in a film yet, but he's so pretty in the Sofia Coppola-Natalie Portman- Dior perfume ad). As it is I will probably watch the idiotic sequel because of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and Shailene Woodley if she accepts the role of the goddawful Mary Jane, but it becomes so much harder to hate these films with such wonderful and good-looking talent involved. Burn Spidey, burn.

4) There is a Jackie Brown prequel in the works, which will be based on the book 'The Switch', written by Elmore Leonard. This book is a prequel of 'Rum Punch', which Jackie Brown was based upon. It will be about the characters Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, who were played by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro in Jackie Brown respectively. The prequel will star Mos Def and John Hawkes in these respective roles. It will also star Isla Fisher as Maggie, who was played by Bridget Fonda in Jackie Brown. I am intrigued by this project and love the inclusion of Hawkes, who is a fine actor.

5) John Hawkes was among the many people interviewed in this year's batch of The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar Roundtables. I wait eagerly for these, though this year has been a bit disappointing so far. The Writers was kind of terrible because I just thought it was so odd to put Judd Apatow and Michael Haneke in the same room together. The Actors was rather good and maybe the most professional of the lot. The best was the Actresses, even though the interviewers suck at asking them the important questions. Still, Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt, Naomi Watts, Sally Field, Marion Cotillard, Rachel Weisz (yaay!) and Amy Adams in one room together is too much brilliance. The Directors isn't out yet, and it is usually the one I enjoy the most.

6) Aaron Sorkin has announced that his script for the Steve Jobs biopic will be very unconventional- it will consist of three scenes of thirty minutes each, shot in real time. The three scenes will take place in the backstage during the product launches of Mac, NeXT and iPod. It sounds really novel and cool and I have trust in Sorkin (when he's not being too American) and cannot wait for this film to be made.

7) Did you know that I made a Bollywood syllabus with SDG for Ryan at The Matinee? SO EXCITED!!

8) Lots of trailers- World War Z which has quite an exciting trailer and Brad Pitt and fast zombies, who look a bit too CGI-ey but I'm sure it will be fine in the film. Still, the zombie movie I am more excited for is Warm Bodies, which looks hilarious. I mean, it's a zombie romcom people- a zomcom! The whole story is evident from the trailer but I love Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer is very pretty. The other supernatural Hoult movie with a trailer out is Jack the Giant Slayer, made by Bryan Singer and co-starring Ewan McGregor and Mark Strong. This looks a bit unfortunate, just like the other upcoming fairytale movie, Oz The Great and Powerful. This has a good cast- I am especially loving Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams in this mix, but god too much is going on in the trailer and if the film is like that, we have a guaranteed technicolor headache, people :/ Speaking of, now that Twilight is over, there are many movies that want to target that whole demographic and some of them have trailers out. First of all, we have the trailer of Stephenie Meyer's very own The Host that has Saoirse Ronan (why Saoirse, why), Max Irons (next RPatz maybe? Though with definite Jeremy Irons genes), Boyd Holbrook and Diane Kruger. I will say it looks less painful than Twilight. Next, Beautiful Creatures actually has Jeremy Irons in it, along with the likes of Emma Thompson and Viola Davis. The reason I mention them first and not the protagonists played by Alden Ehrenreich (pretty :-) ) and Jane Campion's daughter Alice Englert, is because this trailer is an absolute monstrosity and I don't understand how people of their caliber are starring in this movie. It also has Emmy Rossum, remember her? The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones stars Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower and looks okay-ish. I have heard good things about the books though, so we'll see. Jean Dujardin's next Mobius looks like a painfully predictable and stereotypical action-spy movie. Also I like seeing him happy- too much smouldering going on. A few comedies are also in the works- The Heat is made by the Bridesmaids folk and stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as cops. The trailer is quite bad, but I like the people involved. Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are two other people who I like a lot and they are starring in Admission, which looks sweet. Parental Guidance has Billy Crystal and Bette Midler playing Marissa Tomei's visiting parents. I think I will watch this when it comes on TV... at some point. One of the better trailers that I have seen is of Steven Soderbergh's next and possibly last theatrical feature *sniff* Side Effects. Love Rooney Mara being a crazy person, and Jude Law looks good too. Goddamn Channing Tatum continues to get good roles though, so that sucks balls. The king of trailers this week is Now You See Me, which has quite an excellent cast headed by Jesse Eisenberg, who I love like shit. There is also Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Dave Franco. The trailer and the premise looks intriguing enough, but I will say that there is a huge possibility of the film being really terrible, or conversely really good. Finally in the world of television, we have the trailer to the David Fincher- Kevin Spacey Netflix series House of Cards which looks fantastic. Only Fincher can get me excited about a show on US politics. It also stars Robin Wright, Kate Mara and Corey Stoll. And then we have the trailer to Doctor Who Christmas special The Snowmen, which will have Richard E. Grant playing the baddie and the introduction of the new companion Clara, played by Jenna Louise-Coleman who I have started to like a lot already. Accio Christmas!

9) Liked/loved The Cabin in the Woods? See this article on the its awesome opening titles.

10) Finally, just when you thought there possibly could not be anymore pictures of Ryan Gosling posted on this blog-

It's actually not sane how attracted I am to this poster. Reasons- 

a) Ryan Gosling

b) Nicolas Winding Refn

c) The beat-up face that reminds me of Fight Club

d) Beat-up Ryan Gosling

e) The fact that their previous film together was Drive

f) Ryan Gosling

I hope to blog loads now that exams are over. Tata!

Before they were BEAST, BANSHEE, MYSTIQUE and HAVOC....

My god this looks good. I have such a thing for Nicholas Hoult and James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender that this film might (hopefully) be the death of me.

1) Just so Beautiful- MARIE ANTOINETTE versus A SINGLE MAN

So I have decided to write blogs comparing two or more films which are inter-related. When the idea came into my head, it was only because of two films. However as I thought more about it, hundreds of comparisons popped into my brain (okay not hundreds but enough to make a really long post). So I decided to post 1 comparison at a time.

Now to be truthful, I had not thought about this topic at all, forget making it my very first one. I just finished watching A Single Man, a film I watched on an impulse. And it was just breathtakingly beautiful. Before this the only other really beautiful film I had seen was Marie Antoinette. I called it the most beautiful film ever. However after A Single Man, I have a slight doubt about this title.

So basic facts about both- One’s made by Sofia Coppola, daughter of the legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. The other is made by the ex-designer of Prada, the quite dapper Tom Ford. The former is based on one of the most famous or rather most infamous queens in history. The latter is based on a homosexual English professor recovering from the death of his soulmate. The first is set just before and during the French Revolution, in Versailles, while the second is set in early 60s in Los Angeles.

Both films are actually quite different from each other. The only way they are similar is their cinematography. Marie Antoinette starts out in soft colours, like the character itself who is a blooming girl of fourteen, full of innocence and hopes as she is sent from Austria to France to get married and bring about a political courtship between the two countries. Then, as she starts her partying days to fill the void in her marriage, the film becomes bright and colorful and delicious. In the end of her life and happiness, the film becomes grey and pale. Almost similarly in A Single Man, the protagonist George is always in a dullish light, except when he notices the beauty in people and things magically become vivid and warm.

    The thing is that both the films are extremely beautiful in their own way. Marie Antoinette changes one’s perceptions on films about monarchs. It’s fresh and lovely. It is about a princess, who is played just stunningly by the equally stunning Kirsten Dunst- her life, her struggles, her clothes, her hair, her desserts, her lovers, her family. The resplendent French castles and gardens and rooms, the gorgeous dresses, shoes, materials and jewelry, and the scrumptious food and wine, all in a laid-back, fun-filled atmosphere with post-punk music playing in the air- ah the life that never was. But even with all that, one feels for the ill-fated monarch more than ever in this film. Marie in this film isn’t someone who ordered to have cakes given to the poor. She is a lonely young girl who just wants to make everyone happy. She is a teenager and goes through similar problems like many of us today but obviously on a much larger scale. She wants her husband to want her, her mother to respect her, and her country to love her. She is a caring mother and wife by the end of it. I have written it before, and I repeat- this film is a film in which I would spend my entire life.

    A Single Man on the other hand, is a film that shows the fascinating world of exquisite, sensitive men. Colin Firth in his best role ever, quite challenges Dauphine Marie herself, as it is too about his dream-like house, his handsome suits and dazzlingly divine love-interests. His misery, only heightened by afore mentioned lighting and also the chilling and alluring music, is touching and poignant. His relationship with Jim, played by the ravishingly sexy Matthew Goode, is that full of true love and oneness. There is no doubt that they were made for each other and though it was slightly heartbreaking to see the two hunky British men kissing and flirting, it was very sweet. But his relationship with Julianne Moore’s character Charley, the only main female character of the film, is what (according to me) makes the film awesome. She looks incredible, her make-up and clothes and hair. While all women, including the little neighbor girl, looked extremely pretty in the film- Charley was the most bewitching. She is the quintessential lonely woman of the sixties. She drank and smoked and danced. She was brilliant, and her friendship with George is enjoyable and provoking. George’s next relationship is with that of Nicholas Hoult’s character Kenny. Kenny is the confused, good-looking boy who develops an interest in his professor George. Theirs is a more suggestive affair. Though I did not really like Nicholas Hoult’s sweater or hair or accent or the tan a lot, he has one hot body. And his eyes are just enchanting. Lastly, George has a brief meeting with a Spanish male prostitute Carlos, played by Jon Kartajarena, with whom he shares a cigarette or two. Now he was someone I wasn’t aware of and the sheer magnetic beauty of Carlos took me by surprise. With all these people, the emptiness of his life and the brightness of his vision, the one day in his life makes one captivating movie. All I can say is that never before did I want to be a gay man this bad.

    So my final verdict is that there are technically no winners in this category, but Marie Antoinette is the bigger favourite of the two. Still, I repeat that they are both beautiful in their own ways and salutes to Sofia Coppola and Tom Ford for making these beauties.

WE CAN BE HEROES JUST FOR ONE DAY

The Oxford dictionary definitions of a hero are - “1) a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage or outstanding achievements- a person of superhuman qualities. 2) the chief male character in a book, play, or film.”

Now three weeks ago I had a completely brilliant weekend, filled with heroes! However, I was too lazy or busy to write a post on it. Until now… *insert loud triumphant classical music*

They are:

1)      About A Boy- this follows the second definition more or less. I thought this was Hugh Grant’s best performance. He generally plays the charming elusive bachelor, but he perfected that image in this film. In addition, it is Nicholas Hoult’s first film…and he is sooo adorable. He is the other hero in the story. Hugh’s and Nicholas’s onscreen chemistry makes this story of a lonely man and a lonely boy and their relationship an absolute pleasure to watch. Hugh’s character Will thinks of himself as an island, until he meets Nicholas’s character Marcus. Marcus, with his suicidal hippie mum, played superbly by Toni Collette, finds in Will the missing father figure he needs in his life. With hilarious incidents that follow- like Will’s and Marcus’s crushes, a profane hip-hop CD, and Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly, their relationship deepens as each of our heroes find happiness and contentment in their lives. Their co-narration too is quite funny and enjoyable. They are both heroes in each other’s eyes and hence I consider this to be a hero flick. This is a classic example of sheer British comedy brilliance and I would recommend it to anyone with a sense of humour or a Hugh Grant/Nicholas Hoult lover. (I happen to be all of them)

2)      The Shawshank Redemption- First! This film has the highest ratings in IMDB. Why? Because it is one of the best films ever made, and one of the best I have ever seen. It tells the amazing story of a man, Andrew "Andy" Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, who is sent to Shawshank prison for the alleged murder of his cheating wife and her lover. There he meets Morgan Freeman’s character Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding along with other inmates. He also meets the diabolical and bigoted Warden Samuel Norton, played by Bob Gunton, who believed in two things: discipline and the Bible. Andy is no ordinary inmate, as Red, who is also the narrator, understands first hand. He was an educated banker and because of his persuasiveness and accounting abilities, he is able to rise in the prison. He does all kinds of things in the prison and Red, who is his right-hand man and also the supplier of all things needed inside the prison helps him always. Andy spends nearly two decades in the Shawshank prison after which he does something that no one expects and gets brilliantly away with it. I really don’t want to tell what happens in this film, as it HAS to be watched. It is based on a book by Stephen King but I can’t imagine it being any better than the film. Tim Robbins’ acting is so awe-inspiring. He is one of the best heroes ever portrayed in the silver screen. He is brilliant and idealistic and such a complete leader and role model. He makes one want to be like him, or be friends with him. Morgan Freeman is a good sidekick too. I get such happiness out of films like these because they are masterpieces. They teach and inspire and give us hope and make life brilliant. MUST WATCH!

3)      Ironman 2- Again First definition but especially focussing on the ‘a person of superhuman qualities’ part. Ironman is not only a hero, but a superhero and a brilliantly funny, careless, reckless and narcissistic one at that. But it works. Why? Because Robert Downey Jr. is Ironman. Robert Downey Jr. is the coolest actor to ever walk on this planet. Ironman would be nothing without him. And the world would be nothing without Ironman. It is the best action super hero movie franchise that has ever come out. I love Batman etc. but the level of Awesome that exudes from every shot…I do not have words. Plus the remaining cast- Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson and John Favreau is GENIUS!!! The action, the dialogues, the effects, the Ironman suits and drones makes this film an action gem and I don’t want to give the synopsis because everyone must have watched it already. If one hasn’t, he or she must because it is THE CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE! Blogs cannot describe it.

4)      One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest- it is sort of both the definitions, except the fact that he is absolutely mental. And if any actor can play a mental hero, it is the seraphic master of acting Jack Nicholson. If you don’t believe this description, just watch the one-minute long shot in the film which just focuses on his face. Emotions and expressions ooze out of every little square millimetre of his face. It’s breathtaking to watch. And the film is just so good. It is about a man Randle P. Murphy who is sent to a mental institution after numerous criminal offences to be examined. There he meets all the other inmates, especially Chief who was the narrator in the book. Also, he meets his adversary, the chief nurse Ratched, played by Louise Fletcher. He is loud and different and clever, she is calm and tyrannical and clever too. He wants to make other inmates feel good about themselves, while she undermines and controls everyone with perfected subtlety, except Murphy sees through it. Their clash of wits and trying to suppress each other’s authoritative influence is what the film is mostly about- with all the insanity around it. It has an excellent ending. I love the fact on how the hero and the villain have the characteristics of each other- McMurphy is a rebellious criminal and Ratched is an excellent nurse. The film is among the only three films to have won the Big Five at the Oscars- Best Film, Best Director for Milos Forman, Best Actor for Nicholson, Best Actress for Fletcher and Best Screenplay for Laurence Hauben, Bo Goldman. Again a Must Watch!

So with this my hero weekend ended. I also watched Schindler’s List a day later. I think I’ll write a review about it sometime later. The reason why I did not include it in this list is that even though Oskar Schindler is a hero, a real-life one no less and Liam Neeson is spectacular, I was in love with Ralph Fiennes in this film. And he played the evil, apathetic, cruel, murderous Nazi Amon Goth- not a hero, but a complete villain. But his performance, which is considered to be one of the best ever, just like Nicholson’s, was so chillingly good that I cannot help but hero-worship him. And also Ralph Fiennes’ face was made to be seen in black and white, it is just that gorgeous! This too is a must watch film.

HEROES FTW!!!

SKINS-ICAL ME!

    Okay...Skins rocks the entire fucking universe!! Notice how I just used a swear word...it's all because of that glorious, brutally honest, uncensored, smokin' hot show! After a month and a half of undying devotion, tonight I finished watching all the episodes of Skins. I can even tell you when I started- 25th of February- the weekend before my final exams. 42 days- 37 episodes and this is my verdict. (Spoiler Alert!)


    Let's go character-wise first.


Gen 1:


    1) Tony- The Guy Who Could Do Anything; Skins starts with his face and his infamous blanket. Nicholas Hoult as Tony Stonem might very well be the protagonist of the first generation of Skins. Tony is gorgeous, popular, smart, manipulative, evil, caring and brilliant. He is one of my most favourite characters ever. I do have a thing for bad boys and while he wasn't technically a bad bad boy like Cook, he was the good guy with the evil side. I love the fact that he could do almost anything he wanted. It's admirable- his instant "leadership quality in the wrongest things possible", whether it's selling spliff or stealing a coffin. And he is the best looking of all the characters...which helps. Oh the days I have spent dying over his dark hair, his light eyes, his perfect mouth, his occasionally kiddish face, and his amazing body. Also his voice and his genius mean comments are pretty kick-arse. He is pretty much the God of the series.


    2) Cassie- She's thin, she's blonde, she says WOW an awful lot; Again one of my most favourite characters ever and probably the most original one of the series. Nothing like Cassie has ever been seen...and Hannah Murray plays her brilliantly. Cassie, who is introduced to us as the girl with wide eyes and an eating disorder, turned out to be so much more. Not only was she the most profound one, her character is the one with the most complexities and depth. And also she is, in her own words, quite lovely. She probably had the best fashion sense in all of the show and with her fairy-taley voice, she is the quintessential girl who seems ethereal and believable at the same time.


    3) Sid- The Lovable Geek; okay so he wasn't the most original character. A similar geek who is desperate to get laid can be seen everywhere- Seth Cohen in the OC, everyone in Superbad etc. But with a manipulative best friend like Tony, an intense love for Tony's girlfriend Michelle and the presence of Cassie, sets Sid quite apart. He is the guy everyone feels for. With Cassie, Sid (who is played by Mike Bailey), makes the best couple of the whole series. I mean he is amongst the only characters I can identify with...almost.


    4) Chris- The Hero; Now I am going to use this describing word and more appropriately later again, but Chris was a sort of hero. He was the one who made us laugh the most and in the end cry the most. It was awful when he died! His love for Angie first and then for Jal was adorable and endearing. He, played by Joe Dempsie, is the hero of this generation because of his ability to say "Yes" and "Fuck it". Very few people can truly do that and I, as well as the gang salute him for that.


    5) Michelle- The Real Girl; Sure she was called "Nips" and had the longest legs ever, however Michelle was more of a normal girl than anyone in the show. She was the one who was pretty, had genuine boy problems and came out as a cool and fun person throughout. I would put up for Tony and Michelle one of the hottest couples in the series. We all loved their scenes together and didn't exactly mind the Sid affair either. Michelle wasn't just the dumb pretty girl, but she had a realistic role and was played very appropriately by the very hot April Pearson.


    6) Maxxie- The Gay Best Friend; Okay everyone I know loves Maxxie, played by Mitch Hewer. I liked him, no doubt, but he wasn't my most favourite character ever. But his dancing talent, his innocence and his character was very admirable. I think the scene between him and Tony, when Tony "gives him head" scared me shitless but it was okay. I love his and Anwar's friendship! And the way he is described by Tony, "He's a bit new, he's a bit cool, he's a bit gay."


    7) Jal- The Talent; she was one of the most boring characters for me in the first seres, with the mental mobsterish family but I really liked her towards the ending of the second series. Her speech for Chris is epic and the fact that everyone was crying was very believable. Also I liked her friendship with Michelle a lot, especially in the unseen episode. Jal was played by Larissa Wilson.


    8) Anwar- The Muslim Boy; Okay he was my least favourite character except Sketch. But I guess I could identify a lot with his whole Muslim condition. I liked him the first series but the whole deal with Sketch was creepy. However I like how he ended up leaving her and going with Maxxie to London. I couldn't believe Dev Patel, who portrayed Anwar was this ready to get naked ever.


    9) Effy- The Mysterious girl; I quite liked her in the first generation. I liked her attachment to Tony and her way of doing things. However, the second generation pretty much changed that opinion of mine.




Gen 2:


    1) Cook- The Hero; What a character. Since it's only been hours since I saw his last scene, I can't help but be in complete awe of him. I hated him in the beginning, his constant drinking and laughing and hogging and fucking...but he turned out to be so much more than that. I loved him and Effy together- their whole Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen thing and I do secretly hope that they will get together. I think they are the hottest of all the couples. His friendship with Freddie and JJ, his ability to seduce every girl, his kiddish qualities mixed with that of nothing less than an action hero is incredulous. And he has such a cute face, along with a killer body. Also the way he says "I'M COOK!" is just brilliant. He is another one of my most favourite characters ever. He is played by Jack O' Connell.


    2) JJ- The Adorable one; I just love him. And I also know for a fact that no girl can resist loving him. He is soo cute, with his childish face and hobbity hair. I love his singing and his ukulele and his devotion to Lara and his magic. Also the way he is nervous and then so sure of himself. Everyone wants a friend like JJ...just because he is one of the most caring characters ever.


    3) Naomi- The Perfect Girl; She was such a brilliant character. I love her love for Emily. She's strong, smart, beautiful and played by Lily Loveless (ironic). Her hippie mum and surname are hilarious. She is quite fun. I actually secretly also wanted her and Cook to get together but her declaration of love in the end to Emily is just so heart-wrenchingly beautiful.


    4) Thomas- The Real Gentleman; I took an instant liking to him from his first scene. With the whole African background and a strong sense of responsibility, he was one of the most admirable characters of the show. I really like his strength and honesty and his love for Pandora. Also Thomas's (played by Merveille Lukeba) musical talent adds to his incredible character.


    5) Emily- The Pretty Redhead; I have a thing for redheads and though it may seem a little weird saying this about a lesbian, I really don't care. I found her adorable and the whole Naomily thing was real nice. They too were one of the hottest couples. She was a very pretty character and was played by Kathryn Prescott.

    6) Katie- "I'm Katie Fucking Fitch, who the fuck are you?"; I pretty much hated her in the first series but with that line, there was an instant respect for her. She grew up in the series and became a very nice person. I like her big sisterliness thing and she too is a real woman. She is played by Megan Prescott. 


    7) Pandora- NOT Useless; I loved Panda ever since the first generation. I guess I can sort of identify with her too. She's cute, confused and innocent. Her love for Thomas is really sweet. I love how trustworthy she is and her ability to make a fool of herself and not even realizing that. She is played by Lisa Blackwell.


    8) Freddie- Gone; So before I started watching this entire generation, I was told that he'll die. So I never really attached myself to his character, unlike Chris. But then again, I really think I wouldn't have liked  him any ways. Sure he was very hot and made the last hot couple with Effy, and was very caring too, I just found him very boring. His death was rather unfortunate and scary, but what else was there really to expect? He fell for Effy for Pete's sake and didn't have a strong character like Cook or JJ. He was played by Luke Pasqualino


    9) Effy- The Psychotic Freak; My description might seem a bit harsh but it is totally true. Of course she is totally gorgeous and played by the divine Kaya Scodelario, but when she goes crack, she really goes crack. And of all the people to go for counselling, she goes to the almost equally cracked John Foster. I got really scared of her towards the end and think she is the creepiest character in the whole show after Sketch and John Foster.


    Other characters that I liked were Angie, Sid's dad, Johnny White, James Fitch, Anthea and Karen.


    As a whole I liked the first generation more as they were less dramatic but then again felt like I really knew everyone from the second generation more. I love the fact that almost everyone sings ( I don't think Dev Patel can sing). And I cannot wait for the third generation along with the film with all three generations!!!


    Skins is a groundbreaking show with an excellent storyline, brilliant characters, talented cast, amazing soundtrack, and unexpected turns and twists. It is entertainment as it's best, as not only is it funny, dramatic, young, scary and a whole lot of other things, it is also an eye opener. I would include in the list of the most life-changing movies/shows for myself.