Must Watch, Must Read - Zarah

Favourite Book :  The Book Thief 

My favorite book is definitely the book thief , it's one of the best books I've ever read. It's narrated by Death, who tells the story of Liesel Meminger an illiterate girl in 1939. It has also just been made into a movie which I can't wait to see.

Favourite Film :  Pretty Woman 

Favourite movie has to be Pretty Woman. It's such an easy movie to watch; I've seen it countless times.

Must Watch, Must Read - Samio

Favourite Book : Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I've always gone for crime thrillers when picking my genre of the book but last year my friend lent me the book, Will Grayson Will Grayson and I loved it. It's completely different to anything I usually read and it is written by two authors. The book is written like a journal and each chapter switches between two teenage characters, each named Will Grayson. Author John Green writes as one Will Grayson, whilst author David Levithan writes as the other. Eventually the two characters meet, and this has a huge affect on both their lives. There are lots of ups and downs along the way between the two characters and their surrounding friendships. In the end, the reader feels happy yet sad that's it's over as there's a familiarity with the characters.

Favourite Film :  A Clockwork Orange

The film, A Clockwork Orange, is an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name, written by Anthony Burgess. A Clockwork Orange explores many themes both social and political that can still be related to today. The film chronicles the story of the main character Alex and his gang (or as he likes to call them 'droogs') as they take to the streets and even evade people's homes, causing horrific and disturbing crimes. Eventually after having been arrested, Alex is taken to a rehabilitation facility where they try to reverse his psychotic violent nature using new and extreme psychological conditioning. Two weeks later, the therapy comes to an end. Alex is considered 'cured' and is he released. But will Alex ever fit in with society or is he destined to act on his disturbing and violent urges? The film can be shocking at times, but the screenplay is well written and Malcolm McDowell's take on his character Alex, makes it worryingly believable. The film is in a genre of its own and gives you a lot to think about in regards to how people act and society's reaction to it.

Must Watch, Must Read - Christina Ionno

Favourite Book : The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

Usually I read a lot of non-fiction and just about every rock star autobiography, but this book fell into my lap at just the right time and unexpectedly helped me power through a tough time I was having in my personal life. It combines some truly inspiring quotes from many philosophers, such as Baltasar Gracian, and it contains examples of powerful figures throughout history expressing similar traits to our own or traits we would like to covet. It can be used as a guide to turn to at any stage in your life for advice on achieving inner strength.

Favourite Film : Her 

I'm a big fan of the director Spike Jonze and his alternate perceptions of reality, but his latest film, "Her," stole my heart. I find it to be a masterpiece. It's a story in the not-so-distant future where a man falls head over heels in love with his artificial intelligence operating system, Samantha. With the sexy, flirty and cool voice of Scarlett Johansson, it's not entirely difficult to believe.  Sounds cold and robotic, but if you're honest with yourself, this is already becoming a near possibility in the ever progressing world of technology our generation is living in. I felt a deep connection to this film and it's twisted, bittersweet and sincere romance. The actors possess such genuine emotions that you almost have to pinch yourself at the end to snap back to reality. Some of the scenarios the couple(s) -- there is another character that falls for her operating system as well -- find themselves in, are ones that we can all relate to. Joaquin Phoenix is astonishing and I find his character to be strangely erotic - key word being 'strangely'.

Must Watch, Must Read - Lucy Garvie

Favourite Book : The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003)

This story follows the character Amir and is mainly set within Kabul, Afghanistan. I love novels that have a historical context, and the author’s descriptive writing makes the book come to life. It begins by recalling his comfortable life in Kabul as a young boy and focuses upon the relationship with his Father, Baba and his servant but also his best friend, Hassan. The story follows the deterioration of Amir and Hassan’s friendship due to the inability of Amir to save him in an act of cowardice. The novel closes with Amir seeking redemption through rescuing Hassan’s son, Sohrab. Although this novel portrays the brutality of human relationships, I find this novel thought provoking and universal.

Favourite Film : Romeo and Juliet  by Baz Luhrmann

This film is based upon the classic love story, and I’m a big fan of a good romantic movie. The lead role is played by Leonardo di Caprio, which makes the decision easier too! However, it is the distinctive style of Baz Luhrmann that makes this film my all time favourite. His use of cinematic production to capture the theatrical aspects of what was originally written to be performed upon the stage sets this film apart from the rest. I think it’s a style that you either love or hate, but I’ve enjoyed his other films such as his adaptations of both Moulin Rouge and more recently, Great Gatsby. For me, it’s no wonder why Baz Luhrmann has been called upon to reproduce these classic stories.

Must Watch, Must Read - Amanda T

Favourite Film : Two for the Road
My favorite movie of all time will always be Two for the Road starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. I remember seeing this movie for the first time when I was a kid with my mom and loving everything about it. I am a huge Audrey fan, I have always loved her as a style icon and over all have admired the way she lived her life. This was the first movie I saw with Audrey and it will always go down as my favourite. The relationship Hepburn and Finney share can be comparable to real life the two travel the world going through stages of love and stages of separation all to be together in the end. The main reason I love the film is because it reminds us that love isn't perfect, people in relationships have ups and downs, but when you know the person is the right one you take the downs with them over ups with anyone else. Watch the film it's a great one.

Favourite Book : The Beautiful and Damned by F.Scott Fitzgerald 

This book is one that I have read over a million times because of the whole vibe. The time frame of the story is set during the Jazz Age in New York City and explores an Elite group of eastern individuals. I read the book for the first time when I started modeling in NYC, it made me appreciate the city so much more because of reading how things previously were in NYC compared to what I was seeing around me each day. Fitzgerald will always be one of my favorite authors because of his language and realness that comes through in each novel. The Beautiful and Damned is believed to be based on Fitzgerald real life relationship with Zelda Fitzgerald, which is adorable.

Must Watch, Must Read - Shivani

Favourite Film : The Lord of The Rings 
(All 3 but mostly Two Towers) is everything I could ever want in a film. I'm a nerd I know. It's fantasy, it's funny, it's sad. He created a whole new world, well, worlds. I like movies that take me somewhere different. I like movies that teach me something, and movies where I can see character development. This movie has all of those things. The story is beyond brilliant, interesting and mesmerizing! I think the story at the core is about power, and how it can effect people's personalities, actions etc. What's also amazing about LOTR is the detail included in all of these different worlds, like the languages he created and the specific cultures between say; the elves and the hobbits. Also, Orlando Bloom with a bow and arrow doesn't hurt.

Favourite Book : Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (1959) 
I'm very picky with books. But this book in my eyes is flawless. It's a story that follows a mentally challenged man through his journal entries. Essentially, an experiment is done on a rat which drastically improves his mental capabilities. When this experiment is then tried on the man, he improves drastically (you can tell through his journal entries). It follows him through his journey of life, love, curiosity and adventure. It's amazing because the journal entries are written the way he would write it. In the beginning there are spelling errors, no punctuation, exactly the way someone who struggles with mental capabilities may write it. It's beautiful to see how his writing improves as his life improves. The climax is when the rat starts deteriorating and eventually dies. What happens to the man?