Film Favourites | Girls' Night In

With the colder weather coming in now I don't know about you, but I've been opting to stay in a lot more these days. There's just something super satisfying about being wrapped up warm and cosy inside when it's cold and rainy outside, for me anyway. As such I've been really enjoying snuggling up with some of my favourite chick flicks this month so I'd thought I'd give you a little breakdown of some of my favourite ever girly films!

1// About Time (2013)

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Basically 'About Time' is just my favourite film ever, I could literally watch it over and over again forever and never ever get bored, I just love it so much. The plot simply follows the life of one somewhat nerdy socially awkward guy who on his 21st birthday discovers that he, like all of the men in his family for generations, has been gifted with the supernatural ability to travel back in time to any point within his own life. Of course though, his only real concern when he discovers this bizarre family secret is how he can use it to nab himself a girlfriend.

Among the many things I adore about this movie, namely its lovely quintessential "Britishness" and the fact it stars Bill Nighy (aka my favourite human being), I think my favourite thing of all is how beautifully life-affirming this film is. Its fundamental message of appreciating each and every day is a testament to the beauty of living that never fails to reduce me to a blubbering wreck by the time the credits start rolling.

2// 500 Days of Summer (2009)

Everyone's favourite "anti-love story", '500 Days of Summer' has basically become a modern cult classic. It's "a story of boy meets girl" we are told, as professional greeting card writer, Tom Hansen's life is changed forever when he falls head over heels for the enigmatic, free-spirited new girl in the office, Summer Finn. 

I think a lot of this film's popularity, aside from the fact that Summer is just that one cold fictional movie bitch that everyone just wants to be (I mean, I know I do), is due to how this story of lost, or rather, unrequited love is so universally easy to relate to.  Moving but still quirky and light-hearted, if you fancy something a bit different from your conventional romcom, I would give this film a go. It's like a breath of fresh air!

3// Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

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In this film you've got Pat (played by Bradley Cooper), a former high school teacher who's just recently been released from a mental institution after attacking a man he finds with his cheating, and now estranged wife. Amidst his attempts to win his wife back and reassure her that he's back on the right path he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who has become a sex addict in the light of her own husband's recent, untimely death. In exchange for her helping him to win back his wife, Pat agrees to be Tiffany's partner in an upcoming dance competition.

One of my favourite things about this movie is how messed up and confused the two main character's lives are- or rather how "messed up" they have been dubbed by the rest of society, I would argue- yet this is a story of triumph. I don't know if I've ever seen a film positively addresses the social stigma surrounding mental illness the way this film does, and for that this film makes me very happy indeed. There's also the fact that it's hilarious, featuring two excellent performances from Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper.

4// Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

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I think this is probably one of my favourite concepts for a movie ever. I feel like, for anyone who's been through a bad breakup, you've probably been able to relate to the feeling of just wishing you could erase that person from your memory at one time or another. In this film, after discovering that his girlfriend has undergone a procedure to erase all memory of him after a breakup, Joel Barish decides to also have the procedure done so that he too can move on. However, as all the memories of their time together are destroyed one by one, he realises that perhaps he has in fact made a terrible mistake.

I watched this for the first time quite shortly after a breakup when I was younger and it gave me serious serious feels. It's a beautiful film and really well made.

5// Like Crazy (2011)

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Anna is an English international student studying in the USA when she meets Jacob in one of her classes. After she writes him a letter confessing that she has feelings for him, the two begin an intense, whirlwind relationship that quickly becomes very complicated when Anna ends up overstaying her student visa, ultimately leading to her not being allowed back into the country on returning from a trip to visit her parents back home. The film then follows the ups and downs of their turbulent long-distance relationship over the course of a few years. 

It's not exactly a very light, fluffy watch but I just find films like this that examine people's relationships so fascinating. Plus, it's so candid and romantic and I love love love Felicity Jones.

6// Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

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This film centres around Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn. From the outside she appears to be a beautiful and sophisticated New York socialite who spends her days living lavishly from her tiny city apartment, hosting wild parties full of eccentric guests. However, when a mysterious young man moves into her apartment building, her strong and confident façade begins to unravel and details of a complicated former life begin to come to light.

Holly Golightly as she is portrayed here is seriously one of my favourite fictional characters ever. Audrey Hepburn is just the absolute epitome of class and just brings so much humour and vulnerability to the role.

7// The Vow (2012)

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After suffering a brain injury as the result of a car accident, Paige (Rachel McAdams) wakes up from a coma unable to remember her husband, Leo (Channing Tatum) or anything about their life together and instead believes she's still in love with her ex-fiancée. Despite this, however, Leo is determined to win Paige back and rebuild their marriage. 

I basically love any film with Rachel McAdams in it, I just think she picks really good movie roles, and this is no exception. It's just a super cute movie and Rachel and Channing seem to have really good on-screen chemistry together as well. Would definitely recommend if you haven't seen it already.

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think? What are some of your favourite girly movies?

Note: Apologies! I couldn't find the source for the '500 Days of Summer' gif set, if it's yours please let me know!

Winter Wanderlust | Tenerife *

As some of you may know, particularly if you've ever read my first ever blog post which was on my experiences working as an au pair in Spain, I am a freaking Spanish nerd. I love the language, I love the culture, and I especially love all of Spain's weird and wonderful customs and traditions.

 With the weather getting colder by the day now and my thoughts drifting to dreams of warmer climes, I thought I'd talk a little bit about the things I love about Spanish culture, particularly in one of my favourite Spanish islands, Tenerife.

1: You can siesta all day, and fiesta all night

If one thing is true of the Spanish, they love to party. In fact, Spain is home to more bars and pubs than anywhere else in the world. The Spanish penchant for parties was something I took a little while to get used to on my first visit to Spain, what with me and all my granny-ish tendencies (early nights are kind of my "thing"). On my arrival I suddenly found that lunchtime had become dinnertime, and bedtime? Well, there's really no such thing. In Spain, partying literally until the sun comes up is standard practice, and fortunately, so are very lazy mornings (and by "mornings" I mean "mornings, but also well into the afternoon").

Image courtesy of First Choice

Tenerife in particular is one Spanish island known for it's buzzing nightlife, especially in the infamous Playa de las Americas, a popular party destination for Brits for its bustling stretch of bars and clubs. However, if like me you prefer a taste of the more traditional Spanish nightlife, there's the unassuming Puerto de la Cruz where when the sun goes down, its quiet streets and plazas become a hub of night-time activity.   

2: I genuinely believe Spanish dance music is a wholly superior listening experience

This may be just me, but it would seem that with the ability of the Spanish to host a most excellent "fiesta" also comes, in my opinion, it's ability to produce some of the worlds most epic dance tunes. Spanish music makes me want to dance like my life depended on it (I mean, everyone loves a bit of Enrique in their life though, don't they?) Also, excuse what may well be my poor taste to a more attuned ear but while I was working in Spain the two little girls I was looking after introduced me to Abraham Mateo (who as far as I can understand is basically Spain's answer to Justin Bieber) and now his song "Señorita" will forever bring me back to times spent dancing along to it in the apartment's living room with the girls.

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3: Churros (for breakfast)

Just in case you're unfamiliar with what churros are, they're basically long, thin donut-type pastries, (often coated in sugar and eaten with hot chocolate) and in Spain, not only is it normal to eat them for breakfast, it's encouraged. 

Now if that doesn't sell you on the joys of Mediterranean living, I don't know what will!

4: Spain has the most outrageous festivals

Spain is the mother ship of celebrations and there are an absolute multitude of festivals and holidays held all year around (some being stranger than others). My personal favourite is 'La Tomatina', a giant tomato fight held each year on the last Wednesday of August in Buñol, Valencia, and then there's the 'Running of the Bulls', where crazy folk volunteer to be chased by angry bulls through the streets of Pamplona. Though really you can't have a proper festival without building a castell (i.e. a giant human tower), which is common practice at various festivals throughout the year in the region of Catalonia.

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Like most other Spanish regions, Tenerife also has its fair share of annual celebrations. In fact, it boasts one of the world's largest carnivals, Carnaval de Santa Cruz de Tenerife (The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife), held each February in Santa Cruz, the island's capital. The festival is a dazzling display of music and colour which lasts five days, ending on the final day in an enormous and spectacular parade.

5: The lush landscapes

Spain is rich in beautiful and diverse natural landscapes, from golden beaches in the south to striking mountain ranges in the north, not to mention the picturesque towns and cities featuring an abundance of awe-inspiring architecture in between. Tenerife is no exception to this rule, as a volcanic island it boasts a contrast of rocky volcanic mountains, forests and natural beaches. Teide National Park is popular with those hoping to experience the most rugged of the island's landscape. The national park is also home to El Teide, the 3rd largest volcano in the world.

Image courtesy of First Choice

6: El Corte Inglés

The ultimate shopping experience. That is all.

For more information on holidaying in Spain or Tenerife visit the First Choice website.

Disclaimer: this post has been contributed by First Choice though all opinions expressed have been my own and do not represent the views of  the company.