World-Class Katy Perry!

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Review of Katy Perry's Prismatic World Tour 2014 at the O2

WOW! I went to see Katy Perry in her Prismatic World Tour at the O2 Arena (London) on Wednesday night and was absolutely gob-smacked by her performance! She was just outstandingly incredible and the show she put on for us was crazy! Totally unbelievable: from neon light displays; Egyptian Gods; fire-shooting-mid-air-guitar-soloists; pyrotechnics galore to multiple mid-air stunts...not to mention the 3 times Perry herself was lifted 25ft above the crowd as she whizzed around the O2!

Before she even took to the stage I was blown away by her support act, Icona Pop, the Swedish girl duo who are famous for their no.1 smash hit “I Love It”. I loved this song when it first came out so much that I subsequently bought their whole album. A truly fun and excited act as they stormed the stage at the O2 with a complicated light show and general incredible performance – it was great to see how they were genuinely enjoying themselves from “Then We Kiss” to “We Got The World” to one of my particular favourites “Girlfriend”. Leaving “I Love It” for last which was a true show stopper as the whole arena chanted together, the base booming loudly with everyone jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs.

Then Perry herself arrived but this is Katy Perry, so everything must be done in style. Surfacing from a gigantic hydraulic prism, she leaps into her empowering opening number, “Roar” using the fantastic triangular shaped TV screens behind her to embellish the song with jewelled lions continually roaring in combination with lasers and other light displays – such as Perry herself! A marvellous costume of strategically placed LED strips that outlined her outfit so that when the lights blacked out she continued dancing in a multi-coloured outline. Accompanied by LED-illuminated Spartan soldiers, all sporting flashing mohicans to truly embellish the creativity and flare of the show made for a fantastic beginning, followed by brilliant performances of “Part Of Me”, “Wide Awake” and “This Moment”/”Love Me”.

As the lights went down, the screens transported us from a launch pad into outer space until we found ourselves back in time to ancient Egypt. Perry then emerged from the stage on a faux golden horse singing her latest hit “Dark Horse”. Decked in fantastic glittering Egyptian costumes, the whole procession carried out precisely themed choreography including acrobatics from several dancers on a cleverly crafted diamond-shaped metal structure that spun madly above the stage, culminating with Perry herself being lifted into the air...whilst singing!

Once we’d jetted back to what feels like ‘normality’, Perry reappeared, having adopted a full feline pink cat suit, heels to match. She then performed a jazzier, slower rendition of “Hot N Cold” which suited the theme perfectly in the fun atmosphere of an enlarged cat play-den, swinging tails and all. This ‘Cat-oure’ section even had a feline-inspired cat-walk, which led to Perry and her dancers strutting down the treadmills of her triangular stage to Madonna’s "Vogue" wearing cat-inspired get-up – from sparkly over sized tuna cans to Perry’s own cleverly designed sparkling fish bone dress. This show was fantastically playful, well thought-out and superbly extravagant – making us feel extremely spoiled with at least 10 costume and set changes.

 As this entertaining and light-hearted part of the show came to a close, a ginormous umbrella shaped canopy of sunflowers unfolded from the ceiling to cover the stage. This was where Perry really ‘spoke to us’ and gently sung adaptations of her slower songs, for example “By The Grace Of God” which I honestly find to be one of her most beautiful songs as you can appreciate the heartfelt nature of the piece as Perry references her divorce from Russell Brand in its courageously personal lyrics. She then acoustically sung “Unconditionally” which culminated in a subtly striking performance – demonstrating her true skills and talent as an artist.

Perry brought the party back with “Walking On Air” as she was yet again suspended in mid-air with a large billowing sheet of clouds behind her. Considering she’d used such basic techniques – literally a piece of cloth and a fan when on the ground (admittedly when suspended, there are limits to how simple you can be) – she achieved fantastically stunning results whilst the light show continued behind her which ensured a truly exhilarating, party, feel-good vibe.

Continuing in this feeling of euphoria by belting out “TGIF”/“This Is How We Do”, one of her latest Prism tracks, Perry really showed off the fun of her pop-star life as huge inflatable lit-up balloons bobbed around the standing audience with Perry and her ‘pals’ bouncing around the stage in a blow-up pink convertible. This perfectly slided into “California Gurls” as bright palm trees and a multicoloured Hollywood sign filled the stage.

Then onto “Teenage Dream” and “Birthday”, where she had the whole arena in the palm of her hand as party balloons, confetti and a rising, spinning birthday cake platform rose from the stage. A true showman – everyone was up, everyone was dancing and everyone was belting out the songs with her. The atmosphere was incredible.

Then, just when you think you’ve seen it all, she ended the show with “Firework” – perhaps the most empowering and ‘feel-good’ of all her songs, finishing off with a fantastic firework dress and real fireworks exploding on stage.

Overall an unbelievable night! Perry is an absolutely wonderful performer – a true delight to watch...and sing along with! I can’t wait until her next tour to see what more surprises she can pack into her awe-inspiring routines!

Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/katyperryprismaticworldtour/photos_stream + Own editing on Paint; https://www.facebook.com/katyperry/photos_stream + Own editing on Paint; Own taken

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Profound Prezzo

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Restaurant review of Prezzo

Another wonderful evening out this week but this time to Prezzo – the modern, Italian influenced restaurant – which turned out to be quite an unanticipated but exquisite meal. Obviously I wasn’t expecting an amateur performance from the food but the flavour and panache of the dishes was something I couldn’t quite prepare myself for. The atmosphere of the restaurant set the tone perfectly:

 Originally a very elaborate house, now converted into small, separate dining rooms, the restaurant provided the intimacy of dining at home without losing that restaurant buzz of a busy night out.

Unfortunately, despite a very friendly welcoming member of staff, our main server was a bit distant and lacked the proper seasoning of good personality, however the fantastic food she served more than made up for this minor defect. After analysing their extensively appetising dinner menu, I finally selected a delicious starter “Baked mushrooms” (£5.50), a dish consisting of mushrooms “Stuffed with grana padano and mozzarella cheese, garlic, onions, mushrooms and breadcrumbs”.

 I thought the dish was beautiful although the flavours may not have been quite pungent enough – the essence of the cheese, garlic and onion seemed somewhat marred by the bread crumbs. However, I often find that using mushrooms as the base of a dish like this can sometimes allow the natural, wonderful flavour of the mushrooms to be lost whereas the mushrooms (6 in a portion) in this dish were spot on – soaked in their own gorgeous juices, saturating the mouth with every bite was absolutely delicious, particularly as this kind of tribute to the flavour of a mushroom is so rare.

For my main I had “Wild mushroom Girasole” (£10.75) which was served “With buffalo mozzarella, basil pesto, cherry tomatoes and fresh rocket”.

I felt this main was perfect! The ultimate Italian pasta dish! The pesto was salty but not overpowering, complementing perfectly with the juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes. The girasole (basically large ravioli) themselves were fantastic – obviously homemade with a wide collection of rich mushroom treasures stuffed inside. What I also enjoyed about the dish was the fact that there wasn’t too much of it – quality rather than quantity was obviously the priority which I find is always the best way to serve pasta, particularly at this high standard – flavours are much more important than feeling stuffed and bloated so instead I finished the platter with a sense of deep satisfaction and contentment.

For my dessert (I know – how cheeky!) I had “Honeycomb smash cheesecake”, an old favourite of mine and my brother’s who described it as the world’s best cheesecake! (£5.25) The cheesecake was “blended and topped with crunchy honeycomb pieces coated in chocolate”.

This wonderfully rich, creamy cheesecake was quite simply pudding at its best. Every mouthful felt like a soft taste of luxury as the cheesecake was so incredibly smooth and velvety. Not only had it got a lovely short biscuity base, it also had exciting little nuggets of chocolate covered honeycomb which added an extra dimension and crunch to this already splendid dish.

Overall, the whole night was a wonderful success – with everyone left feeling full yet satisfied. I shall be returning, I’m sure, very soon to see what more culinary delights Prezzo can conjure up!

Pictures: http://www.prezzorestaurants.co.uk/restaurant/Harpenden; Own taken in restaurant (15 Leyton Road, Harpenden, AL5 2HX) 

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Fantastic 'First Position'

 

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Film review of ‘First Position’

After having a quick flick through Netflix this week, I stumbled across a true gem of inspiration.

Following the journeys of multiple dedicated young ballet dancers ranging from 9-19 years old from Sicily to Columbia to California, the film/documentary ‘First Position’ looks at the lead up to the Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York – one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.

The work these dancers put in is absolutely unbelievable! Miko (12) conveys to viewers the sorts of sacrifices that must be made in order to succeed: “I think I’ve had the right amount of childhood and the right amount of ballet”.

Working from beyond 9am-5pm, 7 days a week, the dancers unreservedly surrender the fun of any sort of social life. Furthermore, they often use almost medieval contraptions for foot shaping and strengthening, working through blisters, torn ligaments and other excruciating injuries in order to be the best and fulfil their potential – if they don’t, someone else will. One dance. Three minutes is what it all comes down to. With scholarships, work contracts and dreams in the balance, this film (documentary) perfectly captures the brutal, sometimes heart-breaking yet gritty truths of life as a professional ballet dancer – it’s certainly not all about sequins and princess tutus.

What I couldn’t cope with was not only the children’s work ethic but also the pressure and dedication from parents and coaches too. Even moving house and work in order to accommodate the young professionals’ dancing needs.  As you follow Aran (11), Rebecca (17), Joan Sebastian (16), Miko (12), Jules (10) and Michaela (14) through their inspirational yet emotional stories, you can honestly appreciate what these professional dancers must have in order to compete in this cut-throat industry.

Aran, a ballet dancer from 4 who after showing us his ‘BB’ gun, goes on to demonstrate his foot stretcher, the medieval-looking device to strengthen his feet and mould them into the perfect shape for his ballet career. His talent is extraordinary; in one of his routines alone he performs a 10 turn pirouette with outstanding control and precision.

Michaela, a survivor from Sierra Leone’s 12 year civil war, was adopted to America. After watching her own parents being shot dead and the mutilation of her teacher by rebels she lived at an orphanage until she was ‘rescued’ by her American parents. Against all the odds, she has become an incredible dancer. Born a true fighter, she continues with the competition despite a horrifically injured Achilles heel which could, at any moment, tear and ruin any hopes for a future career in dancing.

Rebecca, from America is probably the most ‘normal’ of these dancers, for example she has friends OUTSIDE of ballet (I know – shocking!) However she then goes on to describe herself as flexible as Barbie and you can see why:   ... This is almost gymnastics!

Miko and brother, Jules make sacrifices from a very young age (as does the rest of the family) on vacations and TV to family time and the simplicities of childhood – like school. After their demanding coach insists, their obsessive mother removes both children from school and are given home-schooling in order to be able to focus on being better at ballet. Despite her daughter losing her friends, Miko’s mother is more than happy to support this exhausting routine in order to give her child the best opportunities possible. But it makes me wonder: what will she look back on in ten year’s time – a fun childhood of dancing? Or a manic waste of time – all resting on whether she will be spotted for a career to make it worthwhile? The truly sad thing in my opinion is the continued pressure that in particular Miko suffers with and the worst is that the film is an unbiased documentary – they tell their routine to camera with a sheepish smile on their faces as though it’s not a big deal to lose your childhood – these are real people, not made up characters to make the profession look unobtainable, this is the reality of this beyond brutal industry.

Joan Sebastian from Columbia lives without his family in a new country (America) to fulfil his dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer where a scholarship may change not only his but his entire family’s future. This highlights another problem of ballet – the expense! One scholarship alone can be over $50,000 and when this is put into harsh perspective by Joan Sebastian’s family – the monthly wage in Columbia for them is only $250 a month – it enables us to truly appreciate the pressure to attain a successful career in dancing.

As an avid dancer myself but by no means at all a professional – only for my own recreational enjoyment (ISTD Grade 6 Tap and Modern) – to see such determination at such a young age is truly awe-inspiring.

Overall: 5 stars.

I thoroughly recommend to anyone to watch this incredible film, whether a dance fanatic or not, this film is truly satisfying and honestly amazing! Thank goodness they decided to divert from the usual cliché of solely portraying the profession as a pathetic gossipy trade and instead focused more on the incredible ability, talent and drive of these young individuals by truthfully conveying the stunning career they have chosen.

Pictures: http://www.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=70230564&trkid=50000128 + Own editing on Paint

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Discovering London

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Although I’ve been to London many times, I recently went for the first time to Canary Wharf and to see the Olympic site (as well as a small but mesmerizing trip to the British Library – just next door to Kings Cross St. Pancras – it’s absolutely astounding and I wish I’d had more time to relax and enjoy the books but the day was busy enough without getting too stuck into some beautiful literature classics (maybe I’ll save that for another time!)).

 

 

After a short ride on the tube and DLR – the impressive, driverless train – we arrived at the heart of Canary Wharf.

 I must say, the place amazed me – built around the 1980s, it inspires a futuristic type feeling as though I’ve been transported 40 years into the future as the endless glass skyscrapers towered enormously above us – it was a stark contrast to the Victorian architecture I’m so used to in London which probably made the whole place look even more extraordinary.

 A quick look around the beautiful Jubilee Place shopping centre and into the stunning Jubilee Park – velvet green carpets of grass amidst natural-looking rock water features – even some ducks to top it off in the middle of this marvellous metropolis – it felt like a mini city all on its own – forget the rest of London!

 

Cool street art too.

Finally we went to Stratford and to the beautiful Olympic Park.

 Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get tickets to see the games themselves and until now had not really seen the site but I must say it didn’t disappoint – talk about impressive! The park itself is stunning and surprisingly quirky:

 

 Furthermore, just outside Stratford station is Westfield shopping centre – it's HUGE! I love it – especially with so many of my favourite shops that are so rare to find in other places.

 Overall, a fantastic day out and it was great to see the perhaps more modern side of London although for me I still think it will never truly replace the heritage it is so famous for.

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Perfect Panini

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What better way to enjoy a relaxing holiday afternoon than with a delicious, fresh lunch? Here’s one of my all-time favourite sandwiches...but of course it’s much more than just a “sandwich” – it’s a Panini.

This beautiful delicacy (despite how fabulous it tastes) is really easy and quick to make:

 Just cut a few red tomatoes and fresh mozzarella into slices (around 3-4 slices of each per Panini).

Then cover with a gorgeous layer of salty Parma ham and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil. Season to your liking and add beautiful flecks of green basil to enhance these fantastic Italian flavours.

You can either munch away as it is (which is my personal preference as I simply can’t wait any longer to dive in) or you can pop it in the oven for about 3 minutes or so – just enough to allow the mozzarella to melt and infuse its flavours with the Parma ham and tomatoes (this also helps if the tomatoes need using and have perhaps gone a little soft) then you’re ready to indulge in this fantastic treat....ah bellissimo.....

This delicious lunch, is not only great as a small self-indulgent treat but is also great to serve with friends. Either serve as it is or add small bowls of olives and plates of Italian salad (alternate slices of tomatoes and mozzarella (often laid out in a circle) with a sprinkling of basil).

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Jaw-Dropping Divergent

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 Film review of ‘Divergent’

SPOILER ALERT!

– based on Veronica Roth’s worldwide bestselling novel, this thrilling movie of love, war and breaking away from the constraints of a twisted society in a distant, post-apocalyptic future is fantastic and a definite must see!

WOW! After reading Veronica Roth’s fantastic first novel in the Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant series I was blown away by the originality in the becomingly popular sci-fi/fantasy teen genre. And I must say that the film certainly did her proud. Director Neil Burger produces a fantastic film sticking extremely close to the highly acclaimed novel about a distant future where the population is divided into “factions” depending on each person’s aptitude for certain personality traits: Selflessness (Abnegation), Intelligence (Erudite), Bravery (Dauntless) Honesty (Candour) and Kindness (Amity). No expense has been spared it seems when it comes to fantastic special effects as you experience the numerous serum-induced “simulations” that test (in often brutal ways) our heroine, Tris (Shailene Woodley). We watch (often on the edge of seats) her struggles to fit into her new world of bravery which is made that much harder when she discovers a life-threatening secret – she has an aptitude for more than one faction, i.e: she’s divergent..... dun dun dur!

As if this profound news isn’t enough, she’s suddenly thrust into the dangerous world of her new faction and the confusion of love interest, Four (Theo James). What is great about this sub-plot love story is that the conflict is finally not centred in a love triangle but more focused on whether the often cold dauntless leader has actually fallen for our infallible heroine or whether he is trying to discover her life-endangering, scandalous secret.

Furthermore, the setting that’s created is absolutely fantastic – it may not be all that much to look at on screen but as far as staying true to the book goes, the film feels like it’s been plucked out of my own imagination.

But I must say that I couldn’t help but feel a tad concerned when seeing the trailer and movie posters, not that the film didn’t look epic, but I was sadly prejudiced against Shailene Woodley (I hadn’t known of her before seeing Divergent) who plays Tris. As the lead part in one of my favourite trilogies, I felt she had a lot to live up to and excuse me for saying this but I felt she may have been just another “pretty face” (after seeing Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Transformers: Dark of the Moon and her pathetic attempt at “acting”) I was worried the film had perhaps made a similar mistake here as in the books, Tris only refers to herself as quite plain (of what I can remember). Obviously I knew she’d be more attractive than “plain/ordinary” but to see Shailene Woodley, I did have my doubts. But I’m happy to say I’ll eat my words - hats off to Woodley, she performed fantastically and not only blew away my preconceptions (which I’m feeling very guilty about now), she blew the whole cinema away in her professionally outstanding performance...I feel another Jenifer Lawrence in the making.

Another thing I must add is that I was pleased the film wasn’t afraid to be quite brutal in some scenes – there was no feeling that they tried to protect younger audiences too much which I’m thrilled about as it shows the producers were more focused on delivering a true representation of the novel, rather than a family-friendly money making machine (thank goodness). There was no shortage of often cold bursts of violence yet I’m pleased this didn’t consume the film that is more about breaking away from conformity.

Finally, I’d also like to say how thrilled I was by Kate Winslet’s performance. Yet again a perfect portrayal but this time of the control-maniac, Jeanine Mathews, as she two-facedly turns into the unlikely villain of this story. I can’t wait to see her subtly twisted performance in the sequel (bit worried about how wrong that may sound but I can’t help it when her performance was so brilliant and truly reflective of Roth’s creation).

Overall: 4 stars.
 
A thrillingly epic, well made film but not quite enough for me to recommend to everyone but if you’re a fan of The Mortal Instruments series or The Hunger Games, I can’t recommend highly enough. Stays honestly true to Roth's novel and with great performances from the whole cast, I highly anticipate its sequel!

 

Pictures: http://www.cineworld.co.uk/assets/media/films/7081_poster_iphone.jpg + Own editing on Paint

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A Long Way Down?

 

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Film review of ‘A Long Way Down’

SPOILER ALERT!

Based on the novel by Nick Hornby four people dissuade one another’s suicide attempts on New Year’s Eve from London’s tallest tower block.

More like a long way to the credits! Pierce Brosnan and co-star Toni Collette’s new film ‘A Long Way Down’ was a sore shocker and bitter disappointment. From each point of view this desperately trying to be bitter-sweet ‘comedy’ has totally lost the plot – much like its characters! Jess (Imogen Poots)  – the daughter of a politician with ‘invisible’-sister trouble is entirely thoughtless as she starts off the film based on Nick Hornby’s 2005 Novel by uncaringly approaching delicate subjects such as mental illness, cancer, drug addiction and sex abuse with about as much compassion as a school bully. I can’t say I’ve read Hornby’s book but I hope he handled these issues better than this – the film made the issues seem flippant and forgetful. Her character unfortunately barely diluted Breaking Bad star, Aaron Paul’s offensive JJ. Little do we know about his real reasons for suicide apart from of course his failed dreams of a 'grunge' band which audiences only discover after his bogus brain cancer ploy – how heart warming! Furthermore, the whole movie felt distinctly unrealistic which was a complete disappointment after high expectations from ‘About a Boy’ –  this should have only come out on DVD or better yet some random sky channel at 2am, not a film supposedly fit for cinemas with a fee of £7.90! (Cineworld)

 One point that must be made however, is the film must somewhat be congratulated on finally pulling together a half-decent, minor, touching storyline of Maureen’s (Toni Collette)  cerebral palsy sick son – a true wave of sympathy washed over the cinema’s audience I’m sure as we glimpsed a look into how hard carer’s lives are and their unrelenting generosity and kindness. Although I’m not too sure what real-life carers would think of this section of the plot – was it truly touching or unrealistic and insensitive like the rest of the film?

On the other hand, we still don’t know why she (or the others for that matter) were up on the roof in the first place – was JJ in fact just delivering pizzas (another pathetic attempt at ‘comedy’) as he sure didn’t have brain cancer? Maureen said she just felt ‘helpless’ – about what? (after finding out it’s not her son!) and Jess – was it your sister or just media pressure and a desperate cry for attention? At least with Martin (Brosnan’s character) it was obvious yet still not enough to pull the heart strings as he indelicately tries to defend his raping of a 15 year old girl (thinking of the Savile cases, this is a poorly picked film...at anytime, let alone now!) through sympathy calls of divorce, being fired and being alone and humiliated – these things can happen to other people without the stimulus of such a disgusting crime and they don’t come to this selfish character’s conclusion...but then we’re supposed to feel sorry for him – I can see now why they’ve branded this as a comedy – the plot’s a total joke!

You never know, I may be totally missing the point here in the fact that someone who is that desperate may never feel ‘ok’ to tell anyone about the real reasons that drive them to their decision. Maybe that was the point of this ludicrous film although from the trailer I feel exuberantly mislead if this is the case. Forget promises of a heart-warming tale of four strangers who help and support each other and know this bizarre and jumbled up film is hardly worth any credit at all. With my only question being: Why did these brilliant actors and actresses sign onto the unnerving project in the first place?

Overall: one star.

A disappointment at best but thank God for at least one vaguely touching storyline despite the unrealistic nature of this bizarre film.

Pictures: http://www.cineworld.co.uk/assets/media/films/7069_poster_iphone.jpg + Own editing on Paint

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