Remembering all soldiers, past and present.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Review: Emma (1997)
This was the first version of Emma that I saw. It was on Masterpiece: Classic one weekend a couple of years ago, so my mom and I sat down to watch it.
Synopsis
Synopsis taken from Emma (2009) Review
Characters
Kate Beckinsale was okay as Emma (though not my favorite as Emma and even though I thought her imaginings were getting to be too much), but to me, Mark Strong is not Mr. Knightley. He seemed to be always yelling whenever he got upset, like he was going to throw a chair or something. I mean, was it really like Mr. Knightley to start yelling when he heard that Frank Churchill went to London to get his hair cut? I could see Mr. Knightley making a sarcastic remark about it, but to actually start yelling?
I didn't particularly care for Samantha Morton's Harriet. In the book, she is supposed to be a pretty looking girl, and I don't think that she was pretty enough. Olivia WIlliams's Jane Fairfax I liked. She was elegant and pretty, as she is in the book. I particularly disliked Frank Churchill in here, though. He just seemed too full of himself and he really irritated me (well, more than Frank Churchill usually does).I also thought that Miss Bates was too old. When I picture Miss Bates, I see someone in her late 30's or in her 40's; this Miss Bates could have been in her mid fifties or later.
Some of the acting I thought was forced and not "real". It just seemed like some of the lines were just said... It seemed like there were some spots where there could have been a little more emotion or if an emotion was expressed, it came out fake.
Scenery
Music
Some of the music is very light and bouncy (like the theme song and dance numbers), but there were times during Emma's imaginings that the music got very serious and completely unlike the tone of Emma. Overall, the music is kind of a hit and miss.
Overall: 3/5
I didn't completely hate this version of Emma, but I much prefer the 2009 miniseries to this version. The acting wasn't the best and the scenery could have been a lot lighter and more fitting to the tone that the book had. If you don't have too much time to spare and want to watch a version of Emma, this version or the Gwyneth Paltrow version are both okay, but if you really want a good sense of Emma and have the time to spare, watch the 2009 miniseries.
Emma is available on DVD. It runs for 107 minutes.
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Poster/Box Art |
Synopsis
Synopsis taken from Emma (2009) Review
"Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich" is a woman living in the English town of Highbury with her father. After making a match that lead to the marriage of her governness, Miss Taylor, and Mr. Weston, Emma (Kate Beckinsale) had fancied herself to have a knack for matchmaking. She is determined to make a match between Mr. Elton, the local vicar, and Harriet Smith (Samantha Morton), much to the chagrin of her father and her brother-in-law, Mr. Knightly (Mark Strong).
Both Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong are fairly well known, but you might recognize some of the cast in Emma. Samantha Bond (Mrs. Weston) was in one episode of Downton Abbey and Lark Rise to Candleford and was also in Mansfield Park (1983). Samantha Morton (Harriet Smith) was in Jane Eyre (1997). Olivia Williams (Jane Fairfax) was also in Miss Austen Regrets. Lucy Robinson (Mrs. Elton) was also in Pride and Prejudice (1995). And I believe Raymond Coulthard (Frank Churchill) was also in He Knew He Was Right.
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Emma Woodhouse with Frank Churchill (Left) and Mr. Knightley (Right) |
Kate Beckinsale was okay as Emma (though not my favorite as Emma and even though I thought her imaginings were getting to be too much), but to me, Mark Strong is not Mr. Knightley. He seemed to be always yelling whenever he got upset, like he was going to throw a chair or something. I mean, was it really like Mr. Knightley to start yelling when he heard that Frank Churchill went to London to get his hair cut? I could see Mr. Knightley making a sarcastic remark about it, but to actually start yelling?
I didn't particularly care for Samantha Morton's Harriet. In the book, she is supposed to be a pretty looking girl, and I don't think that she was pretty enough. Olivia WIlliams's Jane Fairfax I liked. She was elegant and pretty, as she is in the book. I particularly disliked Frank Churchill in here, though. He just seemed too full of himself and he really irritated me (well, more than Frank Churchill usually does).I also thought that Miss Bates was too old. When I picture Miss Bates, I see someone in her late 30's or in her 40's; this Miss Bates could have been in her mid fifties or later.
Some of the acting I thought was forced and not "real". It just seemed like some of the lines were just said... It seemed like there were some spots where there could have been a little more emotion or if an emotion was expressed, it came out fake.
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Jane Fairfax (Background) and Harriet Smith (Left Foreground) and Emma Woodhouse (Right Foreground) |
Scenery
There are some nice outdoor scenes, but I thought that some of the overtones were a little dark for Emma. Emma is a light-hearted story, so the scenes ought to be light and vivid, but the scenes were dark. Scenes take place outside either in Highbury, out on the country roads, or outside of Hartfield or Donwell Abbey, or inside the different homes of the characters.
Costumes
Some of the costumes I liked, others not so much. I never really liked the extra high neckline, so when Harriet had a white dress with a really high neckline, I didn't like that dress. I also thought that they over-did some of the neck kerchief frills: the ones without the frills were much better. The rest of the gowns, overall, I thought were good.![]() |
Harriet and Mr. Elton married?! One of Emma's many imaginings... |
Some of the music is very light and bouncy (like the theme song and dance numbers), but there were times during Emma's imaginings that the music got very serious and completely unlike the tone of Emma. Overall, the music is kind of a hit and miss.
Overall: 3/5
I didn't completely hate this version of Emma, but I much prefer the 2009 miniseries to this version. The acting wasn't the best and the scenery could have been a lot lighter and more fitting to the tone that the book had. If you don't have too much time to spare and want to watch a version of Emma, this version or the Gwyneth Paltrow version are both okay, but if you really want a good sense of Emma and have the time to spare, watch the 2009 miniseries.
Emma is available on DVD. It runs for 107 minutes.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tournament: Round 4
- John Thornton (North and South)
- Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)
- Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit)
- George Knightley (Emma)
- Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)
The top four heroes will move on to the fifth round! The hero with the least votes will be eliminated. Go and vote for your favorite!
Tournament: Round 3 Results
Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel) -- 25 votes
John Thornton (North and South) -- 51 votes
Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility) -- 27 votes
Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) -- 57 votes
Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit) -- 38 votes
Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility) -- 34 votes
George Knightley (Emma) -- 56 votes
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables) -- 24 votes
Poll 5
Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion) -- 37 votes
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Last day to vote in Round 3
This is your last day to vote in Round 3 of The Period Drama Hero Tournament! If you haven't voted yet, do so now!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Working on Some Big Changes!
I've been busy the past few days working on some changes to Elegance of Fashion. I've felt for a while now that I needed to change up Elegance of Fashion a little bit. Don't worry, I'm not changing anything in the way my blog is run: there are still going to be reviews, tournaments, banners, etc. I'm just trying to make everything look nicer and neater. I'm planning on some awesome changes, so stay tuned for some exciting new things! I'll announce when I'm going to release these changes.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tournament: Voting Progress
The voting is about half way done. Here is how everyone has voted so far! Leaders are underlined.
Poll 1
Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel) -- 21 votes
John Thornton (North and South) -- 39 votes
Poll 2
Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility) -- 20 votes
Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) -- 45 votes
Poll 3
Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit) -- 27 votes
Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility) -- 30 votes
Poll 4
George Knightley (Emma) -- 44 votes
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables) 20 votes
Poll 5
Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey) -- 27 votes
Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion) -- 31 votes
You only have three more days left to vote! If you haven't voted yet, do so now!
You only have three more days left to vote! If you haven't voted yet, do so now!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Review: Miss Austen Regrets
I had heard about this a while ago, but I didn't watch it until yesterday. I know only a little bit about Jane Austen's life, and I hadn't really seen a biopic of Jane Austen (excepting a couple of scenes from Becoming Jane), so this would be the first movie about Jane Austen that I have seen all the way through.
Synopsis
Miss Austen Regrets chronicles the later life of Jane Austen and her relationship with her niece, Fanny Austen-Knight. Jane councils Fanny on her choice of husband while Fanny tries to get the romantic side of Jane out.
Characters
There are a couple of actors/actresses that you may recognize in Miss Austen Regrets. Olivia Williams (Jane Austen) was seen in Emma (1997) as Jane Fairfax. Hugh Bonneville (Rev. Brook Bridges) was seen in Daniel Deronda as Mr. Grandcourt and also in Downton Abbey as Robert Crawley, Lord of Grantham. Phyllida Law (Mrs. Austen) was also seen in Emma (1996) as Mrs. Bates and is also known as the mother of actresses Emma Thompson and Sophie Thompson. Greta Scacchi (Cassandra Austen) was seen in Emma (1996) as Mrs. Weston.
I really didn't like the way Jane Austen was portrayed in here. I know only a little about Jane Austen's life (I haven't actually read the letters that she has written to her sister, Cassandra, or to Fanny), but I never pictured her as someone who indulged too much in wine, flirted with nearly any man in her path, or was constantly in ill-humor. It seemed that some of the characteristics that she had in this movie were what she condemned in her novels: the real Jane Austen ridiculed the flirtatious behaviors of Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice and of Isabella Thorpe in Northanger Abbey and would have most likely have looked down upon women walking around at night, drinking wine, and looking into windows from bushes outside. Her sour attitude in here could almost resemble Mary Bennet's in Pride and Prejudice. The screenplay writers and producers were probably trying to make her appear more human, but there are other ways of doing that and keeping her in "sync" with what she wrote and believed. I'm not convinced in this portrayal of Jane Austen
The whole story focused more on Jane's relationship with Fanny, her niece, rather than Cassandra, her sister. I would have liked to see more of Cassandra in this movie; she was in there for a couple of scenes, but not nearly as many as she should have. I didn't like how the Jane/Fanny relationship was portrayed: it seemed like they were reduced to a couple of giggling girls: I really couldn't take either one of them seriously after a while, especially Fanny. Fanny seemed overly romantic and emotional where it got to the point that it was just irritating.
Scenery
The scenery was nice. The outdoor scenes look lovely, and the indoor scenes in the houses were nice too. There was one scene that had a blue overtone when Jane Austen was running through London: I didn't like that they had the blue overtone. But Miss Austen Regrets does afford some nice views of the English countryside.
I liked the costumes. I noticed that Jane had more bold colors than Fanny, who wore mostly white and lighter colors. I think that in the Regency Era, older women wore more bolder colors, while younger women wore lighter colors. Jane's gowns were very nice. Her dresses consisted mostly of jumpers with gauze sleeves. I wasn't particularly fond of a turban (I think it was a turban) that Jane wore for a lot of the movie. Overall, this movie could give many costumers an idea of what style of Regency dresses they would like to make.
Overall:1.5/5
I'll admit the costume and scenery were nice, and the music was quite tolerable enough (though it really didn't stick with me long enough), but I am not convince with this portrayal of Jane Austen. If seemed as if she had the bad qualities of her characters that she created. If a movie can't get the main character right, it doesn't have a good chance of succeeding.
Miss Austen Regrets is available with the DVD version of Sense and Sensibility (2008). It runs for 90 minutes.
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Poster |
Synopsis
Miss Austen Regrets chronicles the later life of Jane Austen and her relationship with her niece, Fanny Austen-Knight. Jane councils Fanny on her choice of husband while Fanny tries to get the romantic side of Jane out.
Characters
There are a couple of actors/actresses that you may recognize in Miss Austen Regrets. Olivia Williams (Jane Austen) was seen in Emma (1997) as Jane Fairfax. Hugh Bonneville (Rev. Brook Bridges) was seen in Daniel Deronda as Mr. Grandcourt and also in Downton Abbey as Robert Crawley, Lord of Grantham. Phyllida Law (Mrs. Austen) was also seen in Emma (1996) as Mrs. Bates and is also known as the mother of actresses Emma Thompson and Sophie Thompson. Greta Scacchi (Cassandra Austen) was seen in Emma (1996) as Mrs. Weston.
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Jane at an evening with her friends. She seemed to have been holding a glass of wine through at least half of the movie. |
The whole story focused more on Jane's relationship with Fanny, her niece, rather than Cassandra, her sister. I would have liked to see more of Cassandra in this movie; she was in there for a couple of scenes, but not nearly as many as she should have. I didn't like how the Jane/Fanny relationship was portrayed: it seemed like they were reduced to a couple of giggling girls: I really couldn't take either one of them seriously after a while, especially Fanny. Fanny seemed overly romantic and emotional where it got to the point that it was just irritating.
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Jane (foreground) with Fanny and Cassandra in the background. |
Scenery
The scenery was nice. The outdoor scenes look lovely, and the indoor scenes in the houses were nice too. There was one scene that had a blue overtone when Jane Austen was running through London: I didn't like that they had the blue overtone. But Miss Austen Regrets does afford some nice views of the English countryside.
Costumes
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Fanny and Jane traveling. Here Jane is wearing the turban that she wears for a good portion of the movie. |
Overall:1.5/5
I'll admit the costume and scenery were nice, and the music was quite tolerable enough (though it really didn't stick with me long enough), but I am not convince with this portrayal of Jane Austen. If seemed as if she had the bad qualities of her characters that she created. If a movie can't get the main character right, it doesn't have a good chance of succeeding.
Miss Austen Regrets is available with the DVD version of Sense and Sensibility (2008). It runs for 90 minutes.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Tournament: Round 3 and Wild Card Winner
First, I'd like to start with the wild card. The poll has closed and the Wild Card is... Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit).
There are the polls! Go out and vote! You only have one week!
And now for Round 3. Here are the polls:
Poll 1
Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel)
John Thornton (North and South)
Poll 2
Poll 3
Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit)
Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility)
Poll 4
George Knightley (Emma)
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables)
Poll 5
Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey)
Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)
There are the polls! Go out and vote! You only have one week!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Another Banner
Just made this banner. This was suggested by Tasha from History Back in Time.
Also, make sure you vote in the Wild Card round of The Period Drama Hero Tournament! There are only a few more hours left to vote!
Also, make sure you vote in the Wild Card round of The Period Drama Hero Tournament! There are only a few more hours left to vote!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tournament: Wild Card Poll!
Before Round 3 begins, we need to decide a wild card. The Wild Card will be a hero that has already been eliminated: he will be brought back to compete. This poll will last only three days. Here are the heroes that you can vote for (you can also select more than one!):
- Alf Arless (Lark Rise to Candleford)
- John Bates (Downton Abbey)
- Adam Bede (Adam Bede)
- Professor Friedrich "Fritz" Bhaer (Little Women)
- Thomas Brown (Lark Rise to Candleford)
- Charles Bingley (Pride and Prejudice)
- Charles Carson (Downton Abbey)
- Sydney Carton (Tale of Two Cities)
- John Chivery (Little Dorrit)
- Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit)
- Gabriel Cochrane (Lark Rise to Candleford)
- Matthew Crawley (Downton Abbey)
- Robert Crawley (Downton Abbey)
- Daniel Deronda (Daniel Deronda)
- James Dowland (Lark Rise to Candleford)
- Thomas Gibson (He Knew He Was Right)
- Osborne Hamley (Wives and Daughters)
- Roger Hamley (Wives and Daughters)
- Septimas Harding (Barchester Chronicles)
- Dr. Frank Harrison (Cranford)
- Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)
- Thomas Holbrook (Cranford)
- Sherlock Holmes (Various Stories)
- Will Landislaw (Middlemarch)
- Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Little Women)
- Silas Marner (Silas Marner)
- Robert Martin (Emma)
- Sir Timothy Midwinter (Lark Rise to Candleford)
- Paul Montague (The Way We Live Now)
- Nicholas Nickleby (Nicholas Nickleby)
- James Percy (The Inheritance)
- Philip "Pip" Pirrip (Great Expectations)
- St. John Rivers (Jane Eyre)
- Edward Rochester (Jane Eyre)
- Hugh Stanbury (He Knew He Was Right)
- Robert Timmins (Lark Rise to Candleford)
- Louis Trevelyan (He Knew He Was Right)
- Oliver Twist (Oliver Twist)
- Sydney (Lark Rise to Candleford)
- Westley (Princess Bride)
- Jack Worthing (The Importance of Being Earnest)
The hero with the most votes will come back into the running. If more than one hero is tied to come back, they will be randomly selected.
Go and vote! You only have three days to vote!
Tournament: Round 2 Results!
Voting for Round 2 has ended! Thank you everyone for voting! Here are the results for Round 2; winners are bolded.
Poll 1
Westley (Princess Bride) -- 18 votes
John Thornton (North and South) -- 38 votes
James Percy (The Inheritance) -- 6 votes
Poll 2
George Knightley (Emma) -- 58 votes
Septimas Harding (The Barchester Chronicles) -- 0 votes
John Chivery (Little Dorrit) -- 6 votes
Poll 3
Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit) -- 26 votes
Gabriel Cochrane (Lark Rise to Candleford) -- 6 votes
Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel) -- 33 votes
Poll 4
Nicholas Nickelby (Nicholas Nickelby) -- 13 votes
Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey) -- 40 votes
St. John Rivers (Jane Eyre) -- 6 votes
Poll 5
Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion) -- 31 votes
Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Little Women) -- 23 votes
Dr. Frank Harrison (Cranford) -- 13 votes
Poll 6
Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility) -- 44 votes
Silas Marner (Silas Marner) -- 7 votes
Robert Timmins (Lark Rise to Candleford) -- 9 votes
Poll 7
Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility) --40 votes
Robert Martin (Emma) -- 14 votes
Philip "Pip" Pirrip (Great Expectations) -- 9 votes
Poll 8
Thomas Holbrook (Cranford) -- 10 votes
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables) -- 46 votes
Charles Carson (Downton Abbey) -- 5 votes
Thanks again to everyone for voting. Stay tuned for the wild card poll!
Another Banner!
Made another banner awhile ago! What do you think?
This banner was suggested by Tasha from History Back in Time.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Check Out Character Doubles at Austenitis!
(Thought I posted this before, but I think that when Blogger went down, this post went away, so I'm reposting it).
I always have fun while I watch period dramas picking out actors and actresses that I have seen in other period dramas. Charity U at Austenitis has complied a list (with pictures!) of different actors and actresses with their different characters from different period dramas.
Actor Doubles
Actress Doubles
I always have fun while I watch period dramas picking out actors and actresses that I have seen in other period dramas. Charity U at Austenitis has complied a list (with pictures!) of different actors and actresses with their different characters from different period dramas.
Actor Doubles
Actress Doubles
Some more garments added to "The Pride and Prejudice Wardrobe"
Since I didn't do a review this week, I thought I would do a long-overdue addition to "The Pride and Prejudice Wardrobe". Added are the following:
Elizabeth Bennet's White Summer Gown
Jane Bennet's Grey Pelisse
Jane Bennet's Pink Summer Gown
Mrs. Hurst Blue Morning Gown
Elizabeth Bennet's White Summer Gown
Jane Bennet's Grey Pelisse
Jane Bennet's Pink Summer Gown
Mrs. Hurst Blue Morning Gown
Elizabeth Bennet's Summer White Gown
Full Front View: The fabric is partially see through, so a petticoat is required for this dress. There is trim at the bottom of the dress that runs perpendicular to the design of the fabric (more on the fabric design below). The sleeves are 3/4 sleeves.
Front View: The lines of the fabric run vertically on the dress. There is not much of a puff to the sleeve.
Back View: There are four buttons to fasten the back together. The back of the skirt is gathered.
Partial Side View/Front View: The front of the bodice is gathered a little bit.
Jane Bennet's Grey Pelisse/Gown
This grey pelisse (or gown?) of Jane Bennet's can be seen while she is inside Longbourn or outside (which I think is a little unusual since pelisses are usually worn outside). It seems to have some of the qualities of a pelisse (like the buttoned bodice), but it also has some qualities of being a regular gown (it was worn during a meal).
Front View: The front has a buttoned down bodice. There are two buttons going down the bodice, but then at the empire waist, there are two more buttons to hold the dress together. There's also a separate collar that comes out at the neckline.
Details of the collar: There's a lot of fine white embroidery on the collar. The edge is not a straight edge, but has a fancy "zig zag" detailed edge. This picture is also a screenshot from a meal time at Longbourn.
Back: The back resembles a classic pelisse. There is also a puff to the top of the sleeve.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
One more day to vote... Information on Wild Card for Tournament... and Some Announcements
First on the list: there's only one more day to vote in Round 2 of "The Period Drama Hero Tournament", if you haven't voted yet, go do so now!
Wild Card: After Round 2, there will be a three day poll to decide the "wild card" for Round 3, which will bring back one hero that has already been eliminated. So if your favorite was voted out in a previous round, this is the opportunity to bring him back! You will be able to select more than one hero (if there are two or more heroes tied for the wild card, I'll randomly select one).
Other Announcements: I hadn't had an opportunity to write a review for this week, so there will be no review tomorrow. The week after, however, there should be a review. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Remember how I mentioned that at the blog Austenitis is doing a series of posts about Period Drama Actor/Actress doubles? Well, Charity U at Austenitis has put up another addition, this time with actresses. If you've seen such period dramas as Emma (2009), North and South, or Wives and Daughters, you will easily recognize the actresses that are presented in the new post. To view it, click here!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Round 2 - Voting Progress
Here's how the voting progress has been going!
Poll 1
Westley (Princess Bride) -- 15 votes
John Thornton (North and South) -- 28 votes
James Percy (The Inheritance) -- 4 votes
Poll 2
George Knightley (Emma) -- 44 votes
Septimas Harding (The Barchester Chronicles) -- 0 votes
John Chivery (Little Dorrit) -- 4 votes
Poll 3
Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit) -- 19 votes
Gabriel Cochrane (Lark Rise to Candleford) -- 4 votes
Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel) -- 27 votes
Poll 4
Nicholas Nickelby (Nicholas Nickelby) -- 10 votes
Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey) -- 31 votes
St. John Rivers (Jane Eyre) -- 4 votes
Poll 5
Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion) -- 23 votes
Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Little Women) -- 17 votes
Dr. Frank Harrison (Cranford) -- 9 votes
Poll 6
Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility) -- 35 votes
Silas Marner (Silas Marner) -- 4 votes
Robert Timmins (Lark Rise to Candleford) -- 5 votes
Poll 7
Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility) -- 32 votes
Robert Martin (Emma) -- 9 votes
Philip "Pip" Pirrip (Great Expectations) -- 6 votes
Poll 8
Thomas Holbrook (Cranford) -- 7 votes
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables) -- 36 votes
Charles Carson (Downton Abbey) -- 3 votes
There are four more days left to vote! If you haven't voted yet, go do so now!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Ordering Fabric Online?
Finally, I'll be able to get back to my sewing again! Hopefully this summer I'll be able to finish the projects that I've been working on (and post pictures!).
I've been wondering how people feel about ordering fabric online. I never tried to order fabric online: I am a little skeptical. I know it's best to inspect the fabric before you buy it (to make sure it's what you want), but sometimes when I go to JoAnn Fabrics and I can't find what I want. I almost want to consider buying fabric online, but I'm still very hesitant to do so. So I was wondering:
1. How do you feel about ordering fabric online? Has it been a positive experience for you or negative?
2. Where do you look for fabric online? Any particular websites?
3. Do you usually find what you are looking for?
4. When you buy fabric at a brick and mortar store, where do you usually shop?
5. Are there any tips that you could offer to anyone buying fabric online? Or even in a regular store?
If you would like to answer these questions, please leave a comment. I would also like to do another post about what some of your comments are in case other readers might be wondering the same thing I am: I'll give you credit and a link back to your blog.
Thank you!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Review: North and South
I heard about North and South from various places: Amazon recommendations, other blogs, even some of my followers recommended it. A while ago, my mom and I were at Barnes and Noble, and we picked up North and South along with Downton Abbey. We finally got to watch North and South last week. Here's what I thought.
Synopsis
When Mr. Hale, a clergyman, has a matter of conscience on his mind regarding his position, he uproots his family from Helston in the south of England to Milton, an industrial town in the north of England, to become a tutor. Mr. Hale's daughter, Margaret, takes an immediate dislike to Milton: she witnesses an employer of a cotton mill mistreating one of his employees. Margaret soon finds out that her father has taken a new pupil, Mr. Thornton, the same employer that witnessed mistreating his employee.
Characters
There are a couple of members of the cast that you might recognize: Mrs. Hale was played by Lesley Manville who was Mrs. Rose in Cranford; Nicholas Higgins was played by Brendan Coyle who was Robert Timmins in Lark Rise to Candleford and John Bates in Downton Abbey. Frederick Hale was played by Rupert Evans who was Frank Churchill in the latest adaptation of Emma.
For about 75% of the miniseries, I really disliked Mr. Thornton... and even by the end, I only got to the point where I admitted that he was "okay". It seemed like he couldn't control his temper most of the time, or he would be extremely rude. By the end, when he started to get along with Nicholas Higgins, a former union leader, and how he started to take interested in the newly orphaned children that Nicholas was taking care of, he started to get a little more humanity to him and became a little more likable. To me, it was a bit difficult to like his character throughout the entire miniseries.
It took me a little bit to like Margaret, but it didn't take too long. For a while, I thought that she took any opportunity of butting her way into conversations between Mr. Thornton and her father, which kind of caused me to think that she was looking for any chance to argue with Mr. Thornton. By the second half of the miniseries, she stopped that and even started to like Mr. Thornton. Overall, I like her character, but like any character in literature, she has her faults like the rest of us.
Scenery
I didn't like the scenery very much throughout 95% of the movie. Most of the scenes took place in Milton: since it is an industrial town, there are a lot of gray colors (due to smoke). Milton was not pretty to look at, which was probably the angle that the film-makers were going for. The country scenes were very pretty! Whenever scenes were in the country, the colors were very bold and popped out at you. The scenes in the country were few though, so there are only a couple of scenes where you get to see the vibrant colors.
Costumes
I thought the costuming was good. I liked some of Margaret's outfits. My favorite one has to be the white blouse with the dark green skirt. Some of her dresses I really didn't care for (like the dress she had during the final scene at the train station: I really didn't like that one), but for the most part, I liked her dresses. Some of Fanny Thornton's dresses were also nice (but I disliked her character).
Music
The music was mostly very serious since the story was a serious story. Most of the pieces were slow moving and had a lower tone to them.
Overall: 4/5
I liked North and South, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite. Spoiler Towards the end, it seemed like characters were dying off one by one. At least four prominent characters died by the end and one was about to die in a short while. End of Spoiler I tend to like more lighthearted stories, so it can be difficult for me to like a more serious storyline, but I did like it. It kept me interested throughout the entire miniseries. There are some implications, violence and people do die in this miniseries, but other than that there really isn't anything too bad in this miniseries.
North and South is available on a two disk DVD. It is 235 minutes long and has four episodes.
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Box Art |
Synopsis
When Mr. Hale, a clergyman, has a matter of conscience on his mind regarding his position, he uproots his family from Helston in the south of England to Milton, an industrial town in the north of England, to become a tutor. Mr. Hale's daughter, Margaret, takes an immediate dislike to Milton: she witnesses an employer of a cotton mill mistreating one of his employees. Margaret soon finds out that her father has taken a new pupil, Mr. Thornton, the same employer that witnessed mistreating his employee.
Characters
There are a couple of members of the cast that you might recognize: Mrs. Hale was played by Lesley Manville who was Mrs. Rose in Cranford; Nicholas Higgins was played by Brendan Coyle who was Robert Timmins in Lark Rise to Candleford and John Bates in Downton Abbey. Frederick Hale was played by Rupert Evans who was Frank Churchill in the latest adaptation of Emma.
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Margaret Hale (Right) and Mr. Thornton (Middle) in Milton: notice the grey overtones. |
For about 75% of the miniseries, I really disliked Mr. Thornton... and even by the end, I only got to the point where I admitted that he was "okay". It seemed like he couldn't control his temper most of the time, or he would be extremely rude. By the end, when he started to get along with Nicholas Higgins, a former union leader, and how he started to take interested in the newly orphaned children that Nicholas was taking care of, he started to get a little more humanity to him and became a little more likable. To me, it was a bit difficult to like his character throughout the entire miniseries.
It took me a little bit to like Margaret, but it didn't take too long. For a while, I thought that she took any opportunity of butting her way into conversations between Mr. Thornton and her father, which kind of caused me to think that she was looking for any chance to argue with Mr. Thornton. By the second half of the miniseries, she stopped that and even started to like Mr. Thornton. Overall, I like her character, but like any character in literature, she has her faults like the rest of us.
Scenery
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Helstone in the South |
Costumes
I thought the costuming was good. I liked some of Margaret's outfits. My favorite one has to be the white blouse with the dark green skirt. Some of her dresses I really didn't care for (like the dress she had during the final scene at the train station: I really didn't like that one), but for the most part, I liked her dresses. Some of Fanny Thornton's dresses were also nice (but I disliked her character).
Music
The music was mostly very serious since the story was a serious story. Most of the pieces were slow moving and had a lower tone to them.
Overall: 4/5
I liked North and South, but I wouldn't say it's my favorite. Spoiler Towards the end, it seemed like characters were dying off one by one. At least four prominent characters died by the end and one was about to die in a short while. End of Spoiler I tend to like more lighthearted stories, so it can be difficult for me to like a more serious storyline, but I did like it. It kept me interested throughout the entire miniseries. There are some implications, violence and people do die in this miniseries, but other than that there really isn't anything too bad in this miniseries.
North and South is available on a two disk DVD. It is 235 minutes long and has four episodes.
Tournament: Round 2
Round 2 of The Period Drama Hero Tournament is up! Here are the polls!
Since he had the most votes in Round 1, Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice) has immunity in Round 2 and immediately qualifies for Round 3.
Poll 1
Westley (Princess Bride)
John Thornton (North and South)
James Percy (The Inheritance)
Poll 2
George Knightley (Emma)
Septimas Harding (The Barchester Chronicles)
John Chivery (Little Dorrit)
Poll 3
Arthur Clennam (Little Dorrit)
Gabriel Cochrane (Lark Rise to Candleford)
Sir Percy Blakeney (The Scarlet Pimpernel)
Poll 4
Nicholas Nickelby (Nicholas Nickelby)
Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey)
St. John Rivers (Jane Eyre)
Poll 5
Captain Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)
Theodore "Laurie" Laurence (Little Women)
Dr. Frank Harrison (Cranford)
Poll 6
Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility)
Silas Marner (Silas Marner)
Robert Timmins (Lark Rise to Candleford)
Poll 7
Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility)
Robert Martin (Emma)
Philip "Pip" Pirrip (Great Expectations)
Poll 8
Thomas Holbrook (Cranford)
Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables)
Charles Carson (Downton Abbey)
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