Chilly Times

As you know, it's been snowing a lot in London. Even if it it has temporarily stopped, I'm making the most of it. Hot chocolates, staying in bed all day reading and writing, yoghurt smoothie face packs (I've got one on right now), excess sleep, taking baths with leftover Lush bath bombs given to me for Christmas, cooking food that takes slightly longer to prepare than usual, listening to whole albums, getting some errands done for uni and finishing off work in bed. It even gives me the opportunity to cuddle up to Ernest, my penguin hot water bottle.

I love watching films during snowy weather. Especially girly films! Sometimes a cheeky episode of SATC just isn't enough to satisfy a girly day spent inside, hiding from the snow. So if you have a couple of hours to spare inside this weekend, put on a jumper and some jogging bottoms, and climb under the duvet with a hot chocolate and some marshmallows. Here are some recommendations:

1. Legally Blonde (2001)

This is one of my favourite films just because A. It's hilarious, B. It shows that being ditsy and liking the colour pink does not mean you can't be intelligent (I know that mens rea is Latin for 'guilty mind' now that I've seen this), and C. It shows a woman who is at first submissive, letting a man 'walk all over' her and making her feel beneath him, and she ends up 'walking all over' him by the end! Plus she meets a really lovely person while she's there! It's brilliant.

2. 13 Going on 30 (2004)

 13 Going on 30 is the perfect rom-com for anyone who is a fan of the 80s. A young girl who turns thirteen during the 80s wishes that she was thirty on her birthday. Guess what happens next? She's thirty. The film explores her future as an adult, and the person that she becomes. It's really funny at certain points, particularly when she's dancing to Michael Jackson's Thriller at the magazine event!

3. An Affair To Remember (1957)

If you like old romantic films, this will be the one to choose from the list. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr star in this classic. It follows two taken people who meet on a boat, and fall in love with each other, promising to meet once again six months later at the top of the Empire State Building. You'll never guess what happens!

4. The Parent Trap (1999)

The Parent Trap is one of those films that is full of fun and laughter. There's also some sentimental moments stuck in there, and it makes you really appreciate the relationships that you have with your parents. I always get a bit teary-eyed when each twin goes to see their mother or father for the first time in years. It's so sweet.

5. A Walk To Remember (2000)

If you like films that make you cry, then you should enjoy this one! You'll probably go through a whole box of tissues if you don't know the storyline. It's very cheesy in some bits (the 'Only Hope' performance, for example), but every girl needs a bit of cheese in her life sometimes.

6. An Education (2009)

This film makes me respond in two different ways. It's a bit like Lost in Translation, in the sense that I can understand why people think it's incredibly boring, but on the other hand I appreciate it for its subtleness. Jenny is a sixteen-year-old girl living in South West London during the sixties, she meets an older man and he whisks her off to Paris (the best bit of the film) and then afterwards she discovers something about him that she doesn't quite like!

7. Amelie (2001)

If you love France, you must see this film. Amelie is a quirky romantic comedy that follows a young girl wandering around the city of Paris.

8. Marie Antoinette (2006)

This film is visually stunning. It follows the life of the French Queen, Marie Antoinette, and it gives a more sympathetic perspective to the end of her life. I think Kirsten Dunst did a really good job in portraying her character, and as a young woman myself it definitely made me feel sorry for her. She was too young to be in such a high position, and it was unfair that she was made to marry someone she didn't like. It's all doom and gloom from the beginning when her puppy is taken away! However, it makes history fun! I've been reading up lots on Marie Antoinette since the film was made, and it's made me fall in love with French history. It's fascinating. The soundtrack is also very good, and features my favourite band (need I say?) The Strokes.

9. Breakfast At Tiffany's (1964)

This film has everything a girl needs. Fashion, romance and Audrey Hepburn.

10. Matilda (1996)

Like the majority of protagonists in Roald Dahl's stories for children, Matilda is a victim of neglect. In this story, a young girl named Matilda resorts to books as a source of friendship. She eventually goes to school, discovers her own magical powers and then all sorts of crazy things happen! The film adaptation is as equally wonderful, quoting snippets from Dahl's book. Miss Honey is also an adorable character in the film.