Sense and Sensibility

by Jane Austen

Summary 20-28 chapters

Edward Ferrars visits Dashwood in their cottage in Barton Park, but looks miserable and depressed. Elinor is afraid that he is feels nothing towards her. However, she didn't allow anyone to see her in grief. She feels herself obliged to her mother and sisters, as they worship upon Edward and firmly believe in his love for Elinor.

Anne and Lucy Steele, a rather forward and uneducated Lady Middleton's cousins, arrive in Barton Park. Sir John jokingly tells Lucy that Elinor is in love with Edward. This encourages her to tell about her secret engagement with Edward, which took place four years ago. Although firstly Elinor blames Edward mentally, later she realizes that Edward was engaged to Lucy when he was very young and naive and perhaps he made a mistake. She thinks and hopes that Edward doesn't love Lucy, but he isn't able to hurt or humiliate her breaking a promise. Elinor hides her disappointment and strives to convince Lucy that she has no feelings towards Edward. It is very difficult because she sees that Lucy doesn't love Edward and will make him miserable. Lucy tells Elinor that Mrs. Ferrars will be certainly against this marriage, and they plan to wait until her death, if Edward will not find another way to support his family without parental help.

Elinor and Marianne spend the winter in Mrs. Jennings'es house in London. Marianne writes many letters to Willoughby, confirming sister's suspicions about their engagement, as only a engaged young people can write so openly. However, Marianne's letters remain unanswered. During a meeting at the ball he treats her with a cold neglect. Later he answers for Marianne's letter, and returns all her letters, all evidence of love, including a lock of hair, reporting about his engagement to Miss Gray, a woman of high social status with great fortune of 50 million pounds. Marianne is in depression and avows Elinor that she have never been engaged to Willoughby, but she loved him, and he convinced her that he loved her too.

RENDERING 11

Horror: the genre that refuses to die

The author of the article is Robbie Collin. It was published on 18 April, 2013, on the web site www.telegraph.co.uk. The article provides the information about the ever-changing face of Horror as an everlasting genre.

In the beginning of the article the author gives us the statistics of Horror films over the past 12 months. According to the article most of 57 new films were variations on well-worn themes, but the best one was The Cabin in the Woods by Drew Goddard.

The critic Robbie Collin says explains that watching a great horror film is like participating in a kind of rite, in which we can enjoy feeling unnerved, shocked and revolted. He also points what sets great horror cinema apart. It is the game we enter into with it, the temporary period of play-madness, can long outlast the experience of watching the film itself.

Further Collin says that The Cabin in the Woods is a remake of the grandfather of all cabin-in-the-woods films, Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead (1981). Raimi’s original film was a shoestring and wasn't popular until its new screening in 1987. It is the best horror film. Collins adds that if The Cabin in the Woods sounded the death knell for the all-American scary movie, then The Evil Dead is the first truly global horror film.

Robbie Collin tells that horror as genre flourished in Britain after the Second World War, with The Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster; then the scariest blockbusters like God or the rule of law; The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975). Collin also adds that New European horror is deadly serious, socially conscious and often ultra-violent.

In conclusion the author says that yet there are some intensely spooky territories that remain as-yet uncharted. The films of the Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul are good examples, where we can see the relationship with the supernatural that gods and demons. And Collin suggests that The Evil Dead would be re-remade.

Well, I am a big fan of horror films. I agree with Robbie Collin that Horror is an undying genre. These films are so exciting, and The Cabin in the Woods truly creates an unnerving atmosphere. Today with the technique development, such films are becoming more and more frightful; and it is great for me as a fan!

Sense and Sensibility

by Jane Austen

Summary 10-19 chapters

One of Mrs. Dashwood's cousins​, a rich Sir John Middleton, offers her and her daughters a house in his estate, Barton Park in Devonshire, and they accept the proposal. Sir John warmly welcomes his new neighbours, and persists in their frequent visits to dinner with his family at the park. In the house of Sir John and his wife, also lives his mother-in-law Mrs.Jennings, a rich widow, and rather vulgar, but still kind and funny. She intends immediately to find husbands for Dashwood sisters.

During one of visits Sir John Dashwood's introduces his old friend, sedate and quiet gentleman Colonel Brandon. It soon becomes obvious that the Colonel like Marianne, and Mrs. Jennings teases them. However it isn't to to Marianne liking, as she believes that the Colonel was too old for his 35 years and he forget how to love.

While walking Marianne falls in the rain and twists the ankle. Fortunatelly, a young attractive man, John Willoughby, who is staying nearby at his rich aunt Mrs. Smith, comes along and carries Marianne home. Soon he wins her favour by his appearance, and especially by his awareness in music, painting and poetry. He comes to Marianne every day and her mother and sisters begin to suspect a secret engagement.

Elinor is perturbed by frank expression of sister's feelings in Willoughby's presence and warns her, but Marianne doesn't want to hear it. During a picnic a couple leaves the others to see the estate, which Willoughby would inherit from his aunt. Elinor is strongly worried that Marianne went to the unknown house without any escort. However Marianne is angry with sister's interference. The next day, Mrs. Dashwood finds Marianne in hysterics after a Willoughby's morning visit. He informs them that his aunt sends him to London on business and that perhaps they can't see each other for a year, and then he disappears quickly. Marianne is very upset and seek consolation in playing tunes, the notes for which Willoughby had given to her, and in reading the book they had read together.

Rendering 10

Olga Kurylenko: the accidental Bond girl, interview

The author of the article is Robbie Collin. It was published on 11 April, 2013, on the web site www.telegraph.co.uk. The article provides the information about a French actress and model Olga Kurylenko.

The article begins with the talk of the author and Olga. The author consideres she is backlit to perfection. The 33-year-old actress and model is tramping down the publicity trail for Oblivion, and she has the phalanx of scribblers who wanted to talk to her. As we get know Olga plays a mysterious woman called Julia, who crash-lands on Earth in a life pod at some undetermined point in the future. Kurylenko explains the author what she love about sci-fi. According to the text it is that such films are based on what people know at that point in time, but then they discover new things, do their ideas.

Further the authot gives some information about Olga's personal life. As she tells, she lived with her mother Marina, her father left them early. Olga is twice-divorced and now she is in a relationship with the actor Danny Huston.

Then Robbie asks her whether she had harboured ambitions of modelling or movie stardom since childhood, she quickly shoots down the idea. Well, she answer no, because she knew she couldn’t. When she was 13 she could experience culture first-hand; and later she had money for expensive purchases. Her mother was proud of her.

In the last paragrahps the author describes Kurylenko's life after a move to Paris, about her higher-profile modelling jobs and her roles in some films, such as Hitman, Max Payne, Empires of the Deep. In conclusion Kurylenko adds that it’s harder to be a girl in this world because we’re the weaker sex.

Well, I considere Olga Kurylenko a fascinating and talanted actress and a steady person. Despite of the fact during her youth Olga had the humbling experience of living in poverty, she was able to built her career and her fate. I think it's great!

Rendering 9

RyanGosling interview: 'I got to rob banks on a bike'

The author of the article is Will Lawrence. It was published on 4 April, 2013, on the web site www.telegraph.co.uk. The article provides the information why Ryan Gosling agreed to star in a new film, The Place Beyond the Pines.

The article begins with the talk about Ryan's latest film. He says that in childhood he saw a motorcycle rider knocked down by a car, and instead of swearing off motorcycles Ryan decided that he wanted to have a motorbike. As we can see from the article this love of motorcycles has remained with him across the years.

Further Ryan comment his role in the film. According to the text he has been thinking about a bank robbery his whole life and he enjoys the robbery experience in The Place Beyond the Pines. He describes shooting with great pleasure.

What is more the author reports that Cianfrance’s stories always dive into family relationships; for example, in such films as Brother Tied and Blue Valentine. So, The Place Beyond the Pines coveres a 15 years piece of some generations.

In addition Will Lawrence correlates Gosling’s character, who suffered a troubled past, with Ryan's real life. Gosling had a difficult childhood, despite a loving family he regularly fighting with his classmates. His first entertainment job was as a member of TV show and he proved that he is the most natural actor today.

In conclusion the author writes that Gosling likes working with people he knows and he thinks he makes good use of the time.

To my mind Ryan Gosling is an amazing and talanted actor. In The Place Beyond the Pines he tryes to play a character with tangible inner life and he does it perfectly. 

Sense and Sensibility

by Jane Austen

Summary 1-9 chapters

Old Mr. Dashwood, the owner of a beautiful manor in Sussex called Norland Park, died. His estate fell to John, his only son, the child of his first marriage. Mrs. Dashwood, his second wife, and their daughters, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, got rather modest means of subsistence.

On his deathbed, Mr. John Dashwood demands a promise from John to take care of his half-sisters. However, John's selfish and greedy wife Fanny convinces her weak-willed husband that he has no financial obligations towards them. As a result, neither girls nor their mother doesn't receive a penny. John and Fanny move to Norland immediately after the death of Mr. Dashwood and come into their own of rightful owner. Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters clearly realize that they are not welcome. They begin looking for a new home. However, it is not an easy task due to the limited livelihood.

Fanny's brother, Edward Ferrars, a pleasant, humble, intelligent and discreet young man, who comes to visit Norland. There is a mutual sympathy between him and Elinor. So, Mrs. Dashwood hopes for a quick engagement of her eldest daughter. However, Fanny alludes to her that their mother, Mrs. Ferrars, a wealthy widow, wants her son make a career and get marry a woman with a large fortune and high social status. Aggrieved at these words, Mrs. Dashwood decides to leave Norland as quickly as it possible. Although Edward is attentive to Elinor, because of his reticence she hasn't a clear idea of his feelings and expectancies. Her mother and sisters hope for the marriage in the near future, and Elinor doesn't like it. Though at heart she is waiting for a marriage proposal.

Review 2

“The success”

It is a Soviet film directed by Konstantin Khudyakov in 1984.

The Plot: A young director Leonid Filatov, whos wife leaves him, go out of the capital to begin his career in the peripheral theater, where he desides to make a play by Anton Chekhov called "The Seagull." Leonid has a difficult character, that's why he always has difficulties with the troupe of the theater The eminent actress refuses to play a role in the play, the actors are offended and Filatov replaces them. Eventually the director achieves a success. However this film is with an “open” end. Each viewer can decide what Leonid Filatov will going to do: whether he decides to stay in this theater, the actors of which got used to him, or to abandon them because of more paying proposal. 

So, the film “The Success” is a good example of typical theatre. We see rehearsals of the play "The Seagull", we are introduced to a group of one of the provincial theaters. Leonid Filatov has gradually overcome the natural distrust of the troupe. He has to prove violently his vision of Chekhov's plays, his point of view, to insist, to entreat, even to beseech.

"The Success" is a film of different actors. There is no unambiguous characters, straightforward plotlines. Thus Alice Freyndlihz is not only arrogant and self-confident person, but also an actress with a sharp wit, caustic irony and true talent, she does not want to be just a puppet. Leonid Filatov is not an ordinary man. On the contrary, he is sociable, touchy and sometimes rude. He is sure that thete is no place in art for compromises.

This film is not only about the narrow professional problems of theatrical art, but also about the art as a whole, about those price we all pay for our own success in life.

Well, this is one of my favorite Soviet movies. The great acting of Leonid Filatov is so good, strong and truthful! Rehearsal process is shown in such details and nuances, that not for a minute doubt that you are present at the birth of the real art. This is the movie, which makes think over itself and over the time.