Fifty Shades Of Grey (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

I'm not as excited as everyone seems to be about the "Fifty Shades Of Grey" film, I haven't been fond of the books either. But I do actually really, really like the soundtrack.

I was especially thrilled to hear new music by Ellie Goulding, because I really like her. "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding is the title song to the film and it's a catchy pop song. But a bit repetitive if you ask me, but that's the case with loads of songs. It's still a tough song and it gets stuck in your head immediately - a real Ohrwurm, as the Germans would say.

99 Francs

This was definitely one of the oddest films I have seen in a long, long time. The film should be satire on the modern advertisement industry, but it felt more like an endless drug trip. Not that I know how that feels, but that’s how imagine it to be like.

The film is about the advertisement designer Octave Parango, who’s played by Jean Dujardin, who you might know as the Oscar winning actor from “The Artist”. He has a very highly paid and easy-going job, which allows him to have a life full of parties, drugs and one-time sexual relationships. But he starts to rebel against himself and his life and kind of destroys everything or not. I didn’t really get it and the film’s got two endings, so that’s been confusing.

The good thing about the film was definitely the acting. It was totally believable and I wasn’t sure if they weren’t really on drugs. But I didn’t like the story line, even though it might show how insidious the marketing industry is.

So feel free to watch it and tell me I’m wrong with disliking it, but don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.

Coming Up For Air - Kodaline

New music alert. A few of the songs have been released already some weaks ago, but the rest of it just came out this Friday (in a lot of countries at least).

It's the Irish band's second album. They can already look back on two years of success after releasing their debut "In a Perfect World" in 2013. And I'm sure there's a lot to come with this brilliant new album.

It still sounds like them, it's got the typical Kodaline choruses and vibes, but the general sound got altered a bit. There are more synthesizers on the tracks, therefore the melodies got more electronic and the songs got more dimensions and depth. To be honest, I'm not sure if I really appreciate that. Don't get me wrong, I've listened to the album a few times now and there's loads of great songs on there, I just feel that they lost a bit of their special tone and are going for a sound that's more mainstream and going in the direction of Coldplay.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Here's to another Oscar nominated film from this year's list. Surely not as important as the last one I told you about ("The Imitation Game") and you can't compare these two films at all, but I'm happy that the makers of "Guardians Of The Galaxy" get recognised for their work. It's nominated for "Makeup and Hairstyling" and "Visual Effects".
I am happy to see that, because for me it is the second best Science-Fiction-Comedy I've seen so far. I have to say second best, because "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" will forever be my favourite in this genre.

Marvel's "Guardians Of The Galaxy" is telling the story of Peter Quill alias Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Racoon, Groot und Drax the Destroyer. They meet because they're all after an artefact which is called the orb. Every one of them wants it for a different reason. They are soon to find out, that they have to form a team to save the galaxy from an evil common enemy. They're something like the misfit Avengers if you ask me.

The Circle by Dave Eggers

Today I want to add a new section to my blog. As I've been writing about what I saw or heard for the last - well - years actually, I thought it's time to add a section about what I've been reading. I'm talking about books of corse not all the magazine articles, Tweets and Facebook posts I'm reading, even though that could be funny as well. But I reckon you've got more from hearing about books I liked; then you can read and enjoy them yourselves.

The most recent book I finished reading is "The Circle" by Dave Eggers. I wanted to read it for a while, because I heard people talking about it and that it's the new "1984" and a good read. And now I've read it I've got to say it is in a way a similar story to the dystopian novel by George Orwell, just in the even more modern world and with a bit less necessary imagination.

Here's the blurb so that you get an idea of what it is about:
"The Circle runs everything - all your internet activity in one easy, safe and visible place. No wonder it is now the world's most powerful and influential company. So when Mae Holland lands a job at its glittering California campus,
she knows she's made it. But the more her ideals and ambitions become aligned with those of the Circle, the closer she comes to dicovering a sinister truth at the heart of an organization seeking to remake the world in its image..."
The book is definitely a good read. The story is well told and you want to know what's really going on, because there's always a secret to be found out about. And what I think is best about the book is, that it is upsetting and it makes you think. It makes you think about your own internet behaviours, the social networks, the power the companies who own them have and if that is right.

The story of the Circle is so near to the truth and yet so far away and it makes aware of the problems we might face in the future with all the knowledge we can get access to through the internet. And don't gt me wrong, I love the Internet, I love the Social Networks and I wouldn't want a world without them. But I think we should be a bit more attentive of what you or others can do with it. And we should be aware, that there's always a bad side to a good side.