Scotland on Screen {part III, Highlands}

First of all, YAY WORLD CUP! Totally gutted that I can't be in Germany where everyone's is partying like crazy.
So anyhow, last year I started a little series of posts about Scotland in movies. We have part #1 with Edinburgh, then part #2 with Glasgow, and now this is going to be the final post featuring films that were filmed in the Highlands (& islands).

1. Local Hero
This is a quite old film and I remember watching it for a class here at uni. It's about an American business man coming to a tiny tiny village in Scotland in order to secure a deal with the locals. Obviously everything goes wrong from here.


2. Harry Potter
This is clearly not a surprise and I think it was only through Harry Potter, that the world became fully aware of Scotland and its beauty. This is just a small clip where they talk about how it was filming in the Highlands.


3. Skyfall
I am not really a James Bond film and I haven't seen this one either, despite the hype when it came in to the cinema. Anyways, part of it takes place in Scotland and it just looks gorgeous. When I went to the Highlands last year, we drove to the area where this was filmed. Just as beautiful in real life, is that's even possible.


4. The Decoy Bride
This is definitely not the most successful thing David Tennant has done, and it is not a really mind blowing piece of film.It is also shot on the Isle of Man, which is not Scotland, I admit. However, it looks very similar and in the movie they pretend that it is Scotland.So it counts for me! Again, the highlands look absolutely stunning and it just makes me want to live on on of these deserted islands where everything is just a little bit different.

EIFF Closing Gala Impressions

The Closing Gala for the 86th Edinburgh International Film Festival took place yesterday and was a full success. A beautiful venue in the Edinburgh College of Art with various rooms with beautiful decor and all a little French themed, hand in hand with the closing film, We'll Never Have Paris. (Go watch it if you have the chance!)
I absolutely loved the film, it is hilarious and well written by Simon Helberg himself (or probably better known as Howard Wolowitz). He and his wife attended the party as well and he even joined the jazz band in an impromptu session on the piano. I have the most respect for this guy, let me tell ya.

So here just a few pictures of the evening.

(see me in the coral dress?)

Thinking about Texas and all.

Right now, everywhere I go is Texas. Or Austin.
Either in the location of the films I watched (Something, Anything or We gotta get out of this place), when talking about SXSW with Film Festival delegates, or in the TV show that was recommended to me (Friday Night Lights) or when Elijah Wood mentioned that he recently bought a house in Austin because he loves that city so much.
It makes my heart feel heavy and tight.

I love Austin. I love Texas.

Before going there, I was not really sure what to expect of Texas. Yes I know all the stereotypes, good and bad. Yes I was worried about crazy gun people, rednecks and those right wing conservatives I definitely cannot empathize with. And on top of that I am at a catholic school, where I am anything but religious.

But all of this does not matter.

It doesn't change the fact that the people there are by far the nicest I have EVER met. This so called Southern Hospitality is something I really really miss.

Let aside the politics and all that stuff, Texas is really such a fun place. It has crazy weather where you experience all 4 season within one day, but at its best, it has the bluest skies and warmest days that will just warm your heart and make you so so happy. I have no clue how I survived the long Scottish winter, with no sun for such a long time.

Austin is an amazing city, so healthy and so fit, trying to be environmentally friendly, so beautiful, loads of things to do in warm weather, great bars, restaurants, FOOD TRUCKS, a huge student city... it feels exciting and new to walk these streets but also like home.

Scotland on Screen {part 2: Glasgow}

So here we go, part 2.
This time: Glasgow.
In the last couple of years there have been quite a few production in the city, even Hollywood one's.

via x

Not Another Happy Ending (2013) was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival and even though it felt really special to be among the first to watch it, I didn't like it that much. It was very clichee, very predictable. However, it looked beautiful and Glasgow makes a great setting for this film.

via x

Now on to another kind of film. This picture shows Glasgow, however completely americanised: Different street signs, cars on the opposite site of the road and yellow cabs. It is a scene out of World War Z, which was partly filmed in Glasgow but is supposed to be in Philadelphia.
Strange, if you ask me.

via x

Cloud Atlas is slightly different. It uses Glasgow as a location and dresses it up as San Francisco and London, but it also shows Edinburgh, as you can see in this pretty picture.

via x

This is such an absurd and funny Scottish film: The Angel's Share.
Typically the angel's share is the bit of the whiskey that evaporates during the aging process, but here it is a film by Ken Loach that takes place in Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Highlands. Despite the crazy mission they go on during the film, it feels properly Scottish with their accents, outfits and whatnot.

EIFF Closing Party

So the Film Festival is officially over (except for our staff party tonight) and I wish it could go on just a biiiit longer. It's been so great to meet all these fun people and know that we have this one thing in common: a love for film.

Before the party we were invited to watch "Not Another Happy Ending" in the fancy Festival Theatre (see picture) and walked the red carpet in a very unspectacular way. The film was a really beautiful film set in Scotland, however the story was a bit predictable. 
After that we celebrated one more time with filmmaker guests and everyone else who was invited. There were free drinks, free food and dancing in underground caves. It was totally crammed until the end but after midnight we finally had space to dance until the very last song.

I had a great time and will definately miss these kinds of parties.

Films I watched so far {EIFF 2013}

I feel like my days consist of working and sleeping and nothing else. Which is not true, but I definately don't spend that much time in front of my laptop anymore.

I feel that so much has happened during these last couple days that I cannot fit it into one post.

So to start with, here are the films I watched.

I went to the first public screening of The East and it was followed by a Q&A with the 

director, so that was preeetty cool. I loved the film, it was intense and thrilling and makes 

you hate the world a little bit. The cast was brilliant and the director explained how he 

and Brit Marling lived in this sort of community (thats portrayed in the film) for a whole

summer!

Magic Magic- I watched it last night because I like Michael Cera- this is so different
than what he has done before. It is set in Chile and very very beautiful, but such a
strange film! 

Frances Ha- We watched this as part of our staff training (how cool is that?) and I liked
it- it's in black and white and about a girl who is kina stuck between being young and
careless and growing up.



You and Me Forever- Now this is a Danish film and belongs to the strand of "Not
Another Teen Movie"- It's about two best friends and what happens to their friendship
when another girl moves into town and gets in between the two. Quite nice, although for
once I just felt that I am so happy not to be 16 anymore. 

Mister John-
I haven't heard amazing reviews from the others about this film,
but I wanted to see it anyway because I quite liked the story: It's about a guy
who goes to Asia where his brother lived and suddenly died. He kinda "slips"
into his brother's old life. It's a really slow film, only little dialogue. I imagined it
way more thrilling and full of action but I still liked it.

Shooting Bigfoot

Omg, this film was hilarious! It was the premiere and the director was sitting in as well. It's such an interesting documentary, mostly because of the characters in it. I loved every bit of it and would love to see it again - definately my favorite so far!

Film recommendation: Perks of being a wallflower

Couldn't wait so I just watched the movie after lectures today. So sweet, I think Logan Lerman is perfect as Charlie and Emma Watson is perfect no matter what (loved her room in the film so much).

Go and see (and read) it!

 

 

via

glimpse of the weekend

 

From now on, we have weekends off. No campers from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. 

Woop woop!

This weekend was by far my favorite: we went out for such a nice dinner on Friday night and then went to see 'Magic Mike' (the stripper film with Channing Tatum). I was a little bit disappointed by the movie, but Channing Tatum is still my future husband and no film ever changes that (haha).

 Saturday was tanning time, followed by a TRAIL RIDE (FINALLY!!) with the horses- It was the perfect afternoon, being back on a horse was pure bliss. 

We went out for dinner again that night and went to a house party afterwards. 

Cannot wait for the next weekend  ♥

21 Jump Street

Since I am hopelessly in love with Channing Tatum, I just watched 21 Jump Street and 

I don't know why but this film is so freaking funny, 

I almost died of laughter!

♥