The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival

OK, so I have an invested interest in this particular post, however my entry comes from a completely relevant place- film is food for the soul...or something like that.

The London Film Festival runs from 14-29 October, a little under a month away now. With so many great films, docos and shorts to choose from, you'll need one of those fancy delegate passes to manage them all. For the plebs among us, you'll just have to settle for my recommendations.

In the interest of saving time, below is my top ten films for the LFF...bearing in mind my tastes may not be your tastes, rendering this post useless.

An Education60s, Peter Sarsgaard seducing a bored school girl, smokey bars and supper clubs. Look out for Peter at the Gala screening, and hopefully the beautiful Maggie G as well!

La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet
An insightful behind the scenes glimpse at the Paris Opera Ballet. Decidedly beautiful.

Mother
A South Korean gem, telling the story of a mother proving her son's innocence of a brutal murder.

No one Knows About Persian Cats
Tehran indie scene? Who would have thought.

Precious
I cried at the trailer. Chances are, I'll cry throughout the whole film, though at least I'll be prepared. An African-American teenager's journey to leave her abusive background behind.

Lourdes
More than a pilgrimage, it's enlightenment. Nominated for the Golden Lion at Venice.

Alexander the Last
An honest study on relationships, intimacy, deception. Produced by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Life Aquatic) makes me intrigued.

Eyes Wide Open
A Jewish Orthodox gay love story. So voyeuristic.

Shed Your Tears and Walk Away
The West Yorkshire community is seemingly idealistic, though is laden with unemployment, alcohol problems and drug dependency. A very personal exploration.

Adrift
A Vietnamese tale of sexual dependency and liaisons.

New York Fashion Week S/S 10'

I wasn't going to comment on NY Fashion Week, instead I will concentrate on London Fashion Week (time permitting).

Ridiculous work schedule restricts me from blogging my little heart out, though I promise LFW is on my radar, as it happens around me in this great city.

Of course, I'll pop along to the London Fashion Weekend with the rest of the fashion filly plebs, and document what I can for this very blog.

If you wish to take a look at what NYFW offered, click here.

Real models take the catwalk

A stylist walking out because of a designer's decision to use a figure that resembles more than 50% of the population, rather than an idealistic, child-like female form thought up by a market run by mainly gay men.

What world are we living in?

How is a size 12-14 size model threatening, apart from force the guilty-conscious to look at what they are promoting?

Careful, the bodies will become a bigger focal point than the clothes. And yes, this is a massive PR coup, though who is actually talking about Mark Fast' frocks?

What is interesting is that the use of these models makes you place yourself in the knits that Fast has created. Instead of seeing the clothes from a aesthetic side and deconstructing them, one can image themselves at a dinner party et al, purely because three of his models have a body like yours. Perhaps that is what is threatening- no longer will clothes be elitist.

Side note: the models were hot shiz. Let's see more Joan Holloway's up on the catwalk.

The sea, the sea

As a Piscean, I've always been attracted to the sea.

That's possibly an ambiguous statement, as when I was a little girl I was more fascinated, then attracted.

I remember large waves, going over my heart and splashing into my eyes. I couldn't hold onto my dad's neck tight enough. Then one Summer I learnt to swim. I remember my nana standing at the other side of the pool, as I free styled (a 5 year olds version that more resembled dog-paddle) across. I was so proud, as was she.

Because of this pull, it's fortunate that I grew up in Australia. The pool in the small country town where I lived from aged 5-11, was my hub. I spent weekends there, met friends there after school and celebrated Christmas parties there. In Winter when it closed, it looked like a sad clown, covered and stripped of its sunshine. The Summer was a season where it reapplied it's makeup and made the children laugh.

Having the beach accessible is a blessing to someone like me. Feeling the body of water flow over your skin, the salty sea waves crashing on your belly, feeling the bubbles that were created burst at your feet, are all feelings I now crave.

Living in London, I have not seen the sea in months. I have not been in the sea since last Christmas. I miss it and the peace of which it creates; it is medicinal, the Victorians (not the state, but the period) agree with me.

With Winter approaching I seem fixated on the idea of sinking my toes into the wet sand and slowly letting my body be enveloped in the flowing waters. The sad thing is, I have no idea when I will see the ocean again, or feel it's touch.

Sad

Watching the news seemed once like a place to be informed, a place to keep up with current events and affairs. Partly this is true now, though sadly as the world become more hostile (toward one another) and externally displays rage, the news has become somewhat of a spoiled side salad to my dinner.

I get home around 7pm, cook my meal and naturally switch on Ch4 news. I like to see John's wacky ties, though I also like his journalistic capabilities as well.

As I was preparing my meal tonight, a very sad and disturbing story caught my attention- it was the South Yorkshire case of the two little boys (who are brothers), essentially torturing two other little boys, aged just 9 and 11.

The torturers were known to police, they've had a criminal record since they were ten. Living in foster care and under social workers guard, they'd seemingly slipped through the cracks when they led the two boys away into a field. They stamped on them repeatedly, threw bricks at them, then forced them to perform sexual acts on one another. They then left them for dead.

The youngest lad eventually managed to leave the field to raise help.

The trial begins for the torturers who are now aged 12 and 10, under the adult judicial system.

Of course with this level of controversy, a case like this breeds opinions far and wide. Why weren't the boys properly supervised? Why weren't they in gaol, considering their previous convictions? Why weren't they closer assessed, and why weren't their obviously perverse backgrounds noticed before?

Hats off to foster carers, they are one of the silent hero's who deserve honorary medals (not celebrities, politicians and the like), though tell me, who is raising these children? Their parents, the very people who bought them into this world, where are they? Obviously not fit to raise children, I refuse to believe these two brothers had anything less then a hellish childhood, the result being them taking it out on the world. Were they abused as children? It's likely. Sexually abused? More than likely, given how cyclical abuse is.

It breaks my heart that children, so fresh and innocent, can be broken so young and left to suffer the consequences for their inevitable actions when all goes wrong.

I'm not blaming the 'system'. Too many people point the finger at social services, but there must be thousands of cases similar. Under paid and over worked as the saying goes. Under staffed is the outcome.

I know there are good people in this world. Equally, there are bad people. I'm an optimistic person and I really want to believe that with love and guidance, these boys can perhaps make amends in their young lives- though it would take time.

Join the craft movement

Attention crafters living in London!

On my quest to find crochet classes, I came across The Make Lounge, Islington's answer to Meet Me at Mikes'.

Located off Upper St, The Make Lounge runs small crafty classes that are conveniently priced and should suitably fit into most schedules. Classes include Cupcake Decorating, Candle Making, you can even make your own knickers!

Frustrated with the lack of choices that were available, former magazine journalist Jennifer Pirtle started up The Make Lounge and hoorah that she did- the competition is slim for what she's offering. Capitalising on the 'craft is cool' movement, was also another good idea!

Check out the website and get your craft on. Plus, Christmas is coming and I bet your grandmother would love a pair of knockout knickers.