November 17th, 2011
We Need To Talk About Kevin is an absolutely wonderful film I saw very recently in the cinema. The film concerns a mother who has a psychotic son who commits the heinous act of killing a large number of his class mates. The film is about the relationship between the mother and her son, whether it’s the mother’s fault that her son came out the way he did, or whether there is such think as being innately evil. The film begins with the mother’s life in ruins, we know something bad has happened but we know not what. The film tells the story in the form of memories that the mother, Eva, reflects upon. Through this way, we are shown the events that led up to her son’s violent criminal act, starting from before her son was born.

It is a fantastic film in which the time old question of nature versus nurture is called upon. The mother’s failure to bond with her son is evident from his very birth where she had post-natal depression and later could not stop him crying. Yet can one blame his violent actions on an absent relationship with his mother? I can’t wait till it’s released onto our televisions, I will go straight to sky.com/hd and watch it!
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November 2nd, 2011
Yellow has become a colour loaded with cultural associations. The ancient Mayans associated yellow with South, the Maya glyph for ‘yellow’ meaning, not ‘gu10’, but ‘ripe’ or ‘precious’. The Manchu Five Races Under One Union new flag of China was yellow as was the flag of Manchukuo. The first ever emperor of China was known as the Yellow Emperor and members of the royal family in China were the only individuals permitted to display the colour in vestments or in buildings. During the Han Dynasty, the Daoist sect that executed an extensive rebellion, were called the Yellow Turbans.
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In politics, yellow has often been appropriated by different parties or movements. The People’s Alliance for Democracy in Thailand were referred to as the Yellow Shirts. A yellow god Democrat in the USA refers to a Southern voter during the late 19th and early 20th centuries who doggedly voted Democratic due to a continuing resentment against the Republics dating to the Civil War period.
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September 7th, 2011
I've always loved the look of more rural Italy, I've been to Rome and it was fabulous, but very touristic.
I loved The Talented Mr Ripley film and how glamorous Italy looked, in Ischia, the island they live on, San Remo where Tom and Dickie Greenleaf take an ill-fated (for Dickie) day trip, and beautiful Venice where Tom spends more time after assuming Dickie's identity.

All these places look so gorgeous, I want to go and explore the country for a month or so. I want to drive, but take my own car rather than a rental, so I need to figure out how my car breakdown cover would work, I obviously can't just ring up the AA when I'm in Sicily!
I actually need to renew my car insurance soon, so when I'm looking at different car insurance quotes I'll have to inspect their European and holiday cover!
But what better way to explore a new country? No restrictions to walking and public transport or tour guides - the open road all yours!
Photo: GaAs (Flickr)
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August 25th, 2011
The classic Superman we know and love had undergone a radical revamp for the new 'Superman' film 'Man Of Steel'.

The official press shot for the upcoming film cleverly hides the superhero's crotch area with shadow, but photos from the set have emerged on the movie's dedicated Superman Facebook fan page showing his redesigned costume without the signature Superman red pants.
The 'Superman' comic book series recently dropped the red over-under-garments in their newest publications, so the movie is clearly set to tie in with Superman's 'new' look. The comic book is being rebooted and will release new 'first issues' of 52 comic series including Superman, which will see a complete revision of his character's history.

The outfit is also particularly skintight, showing off actor Henry Cavill’s rippling muscles - I'm sure he doesn't mind that too much!
The film is due out in summer of 2013 after being pushed back, so it'll be a long wait for Superman and cinema-lovers to find see the pantless Superman's new adventures. It'll be interesting to see how people react!
Photos: Superman: Man of Steel (2013) Facebook Page
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July 26th, 2011
Killer heels have gone on trial in New York, as Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin went head-to-head over the rights of the trademarked red sole.
In April, Louboutin filed a lawsuit claiming that shoes created by YSL for Resort '11 infringed on the red-sole legal trademark that Louboutin established in 2008.
YSL’s attorney David Bernstein argued that the fashion house has used red as a signature colour since 1962, and that characters including King Louis XIV of France and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz wore red-soled shoes. He said that no designer has the right to ‘a monopoly’ on a colour, questioning why the trademark was ever granted.
I can't say I ever expected a court battle like this! I could see a fashion house getting sued for their ridiculously high heels leaving some poor girl having to use a stairlift, but I wouldn't have predicted them fighting over the right to a sole colour! A legal decision has yet to be made.
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