The Film Club #1

The Film Club #1

I've decided to introduce something a little 'new' to the blog- The Film Club...and everyone's a member (#cheesy)! Being a film student I'm seeing lots of new films all the time and I recently became a member of the FACT (read more about FACT here), my local cinema, where I can get discounts of films, see one free film a month and more...as my maw said, it was a no brainer to join really, with cinema tickets being so expensive these days- memberships are the way forward for avid cinema-goers. Anyway I figured my blog would be a great place to share my love for film.

So, every so often, I'll share with you some films I've seen that I've really enjoyed and I think you should see too. Here's to the film club #1!

The Hateful Eight

Already a big fan of Tarantino's work, I was of course so excited to see he was bringing out his eighth film and jumped at the chance to see it. It was everything I expected from Tarantino and more - blood, violence, a perfectly chosen cast and great cinematography. In my opinion, it was quite a slow starter and was heavy on dialogue but the story picked up the pace towards the middle and kept you on the edge of your seat till the very end. Jennifer Jason Leigh was by far my favourite character who's Oscar nomination is so well deserved. It was funny, disturbing in places and bloody.

Room

Intense is the word I used to describe Room the most. I'd only seen the trailer prior to viewing and didn't quite know what to expect from it but it completely blew me away. Room had my heart racing in moments, which I think is the first time a film has ever done so, it had me nearly crying at times and laughing at others. It was a beautiful representation of the novel by Emma Donoghue which leaves you feeling more grateful for the world and people around you. Jacob Tremblay, only aged 9, is one of the best child actors I've ever seen. Prepare for an emotional rollercoaster!

The Danish Girl

The Danish Girl ticked all the boxes- acting, cinematography, story, dialogue, costume, set- everything was spot on. As many know it is the true story about Lili Elbe, the transgender women previously known as Einar Wegener and her journey of becoming a woman and the struggles she faced. It is both a beautiful and tragic story which showed the difficulties Lili faced in admitting the truth to her wife and those around her about her change of identity.

Lobster

The film title itself is weird, right? Then I watched the trailer which re-affirmed how weird I thought it sounded, but I was curious to know more. The film was in fact, as bizarre as the title and trailer suggested but so much more enjoyable than I had expected. Yorgos Lanthimos's English language debut Lobster told the story of David, a widowed man, who lives in a dystopian future where single people are taken to "The Hotel" where they must find a romantic partner in 45 days or must choose an animal in which they will be transformed into and sent off into the woods. We follow the journey of David's 45 days in "The Hotel" and the people he meets and it is wickedly funny and sarcastic. Lanthimos pokes fun at the stigma around being single and in a couple and leaves you seeing things in a completely different light. The whole audience were in hysterics, a must see.

A Berlin Travel Guide: Where To Eat

A Berlin Travel Guide: Where To Eat

Zuckerbaby Café and Deli - Richardplatz 12

One of the many pleasures when travelling - trying out all the different cuisine, obviously! We kept dining out to a minimum because money and because we're students with student budgets yada yada yada. Though on the occasion we did, we found some right little gems! i.e. Zuckerbaby! On a snowy morning (yes, it was that cold), this place drew us in with it's candle lit windows - it just screamed, "I'm warm, cozy and serve lots of nice food and hot drinks" to us, so going here was too hard to resist. We settled on the French toast served with syrup, fruit and almonds along with a cup of tea and coffee - delicious! I of course eyed up the rest of the menu and wish I could have bought one of everything. Gorgeous interiors, even more gorgeous food and the perfect place to while away a couple of hours.

Dunkin' Donuts - in a metro station somewhere in Berlin

 I just had to include this, I don't know if they have Dunkin' Donuts anywhere else (obviously I'm not cultured enough...) but damn the donuts were so good I just had to mention them. And they were cheap too.

Schiller Burger - Neukölln (but also other chains all over Berlin)

Delicious burgers of all kinds with delicious chunky chips and cool drinks to choose from. Need I say more?

Unfortunately, these are the only photos of food I managed to get, however, I do also recommend:

- Lagari

- and Cafe Dritter Raum: aka the croissanterie, for the best triple choc (white, dark and milk) pain au chocolates you've ever tasted.

- oh, and pretzels. Eat as many pretzels as you can.

A Berlin Travel Guide: Where To Shop

A Berlin Travel Guide: Where To Shop

Berlin is such a huge city so it's important to do some research before embarking on your travels so you know where's worth visiting, and where it actually is. Luckily my super organised friend likes making lists and kindly put one together of all the shops we wanted to see during our trip including many vintage stores and bookstores - here are my favourite of the lot!

Fashion, clothes & vintage shops

Sing Blackbird - Sanderstraße 11

Sing Blackbird was everything I'd ever hope for in a vintage shop - beautiful interiors, a lovely owner, vintage clothes galore, chilled background music AND a cafe serving hot and cold drinks - all in one, making for a totally enjoyable shopping experience. I bought a vintage Mango jacket (pictured above,  yep, the photo where I have my eyes shut) but fell for many other things in the shop. They had a room at the back with even more vintage clothes from coats, to dresses to Levi jeans and flannel shirts. L-O-V-E!

Kaufladen - Friedelstraße 28, Neukölln

If you're after some unique jewellery, accessories or clothes, then Kaufladen is the place to go. Kaufladen supplies pieces from lots of different designers making each item special. I loved having a wander round this beautiful boutique and lusting after the gorgeous garments.

Kreuzberg Buyers Club - Friedelstrasse 38

Similarly to Sing Blackbird, Kreuzberg Buyers Club combines vintage clothing with a coffee shop. So before or after shopping you can take a chill out and enjoy a tea or coffee in the lovely interiors of Kreuzberg. The shop has a sweet shop feel with bright pink and blue pastels all around with the walls dripping with jewellery pieces and accessories. A shopaholics dream.

Books and 'Zines

Die gute Seite - Richardplatz 16

A cute little book store just a 2 minute walk away from our air b n b where you can get English books as well as of course, German and enjoy browsing over a hot or cold drink (apparently Berlin put cafés in all their shops?).

Soda - Weinbergsweg

If you're into magazines and the 'zine' then Soda will not disappoint. There's a magazine for everything from fashion to photography to tattoo art to travel and much more. They sell those one of a kind, hard to find zines that will inspire and look great on your coffee table.

And music...

Heisse Scheiben - Ohlauer Strasse 44

Music lovers will love Heisse Scheiben even more. Tucked away in Neukölln is this quaint record store with everything from vinyl's to cd's and tapes. You can have a little listen of the record in store and while away some time here getting lost in the music (cheesy I know).

That's all for my guide on shopping in Berlin - next and last of the guide, where to eat in Berlin!