my 7 deadly sins in film

I was scrolling on Tik Tok the other day and saw someone do this trend, so, I thought I’d participate although I am not much of a cinema expert (spare me if you are) but I am trying to expand my movie palette. I have watched mostly common movies since I typically just love to rewatch what I already know. But anyways, the "7 Deadly Sins in Film" trend is a creative way for people to show their movie taste by assigning films to each of the seven deadly sins. Instead of using the sins literally, each one represents a different viewing habit or emotional connection to a film. Anyways, here is my version!

Lust

Movies I watched because of a specific actor.

• Hot Summer Nights: I watched it for Timothee Chalamet of course, but the storyline was surprisingly good and I loved the 90s summer vibes.

• Saltburn: You can probably assume who I watched for lol. Irregardless, I did enjoy it, I like a thriller that is not too gruesome or psychological, just a total mind fuck.

• Tristan & Isolde: I watched for Henry Cavill and was disappointed that he did not get too much screen time, but at least it was James Franco filling the rest of it. Oh, and the movie was good too!

• Frankenstein: I was anticipating the release of this as I love the story of Frankenstein and heard Jacob Elordi’s performance was fantastic. He exceeded my expectations, as per usual, as well as Mia Goth’s performance, which was definitely underrated and did not get hyped up enough. Her characters costumes and shots being reflected upon real life art was the cherry on top and the overall gothic vibes were killer.

• Gia: I watched for Ms. Angelina Jolie and her performance was showstopping to say the least. Her ability to immerse herself into her roles is one of the many reasons why I love seeing her on my screen.

Greed

Movies I wanted more of.

• Wuthering Heights: A heartbreaking ending to an already heartbreaking story. We all wanted more for Cathy, no matter how wretched she was. I will say I preferred this movie to the actual book, which is definitely a hot take so please don’t hate me for this. I just like how the movie focused more on their love story whereas the book was based on an outside perspective of it for half of it, complete with Heathcliffe grieving Cathy for the other half of the book.

• Coraline: A movie that felt unfinished. The ending had a feel to it that gave the impression that what occurred was not entirely over. Which was then confirmed in the final scene with that damn cat.

• Brokeback Mountain: We wanted answers! How did Jack die? Did his wife know? What became of Ennis? But, sometimes the best movies leave you with so many questions left unanswered. And you can create your own endings.

• Call Me By Your Name: I feel that the ending of their story was so abrupt, but it needed to end that way. After reading the book, the timeline they got was way too short for what they had but the ending was very clarifying and gave us closure, I’d just selfishly love to see more.

• Edward Scissorhands: I wished for there to be more for Edward, as a life spent in exile for eternity was not what he deserved.

Envy

Movies I wish I lived in.

• Harry Potter: Definitely pre or post Voldemort era, but to go to Hogwarts would actually be a dream. Hogwarts feels very comforting to my soul.

• Twilight: Going to high school in 2006 in Forks, Washington, a small, yet mysterious town? Sounds like a dream to me! Meeting someone and finding out they are a vampire or werewolf? Not so much.

• Cinderella: I have pretty much cooked and cleaned like Cinderella all my life, so throwing in a royal ball where I meet a prince and become a princess overnight because my foot fits in a glass slipper? Sounds great.

• Shrek: I really don’t know how to explain this one, but I just want to spend a day in Far Far Away. Going to Farbucks for a coffee, followed by some shopping at Versarchery (yes, these are real names from the movie lol).

• Alice in Wonderland: Not only is it my favourite movie, but the vibes of Underland are unmatched and very comforting to my soul. Nothing making sense but making sense all the less is my kind of place. I’d definitely live in the same village as the Mad Hatter.

Pride

Movies I will never stop talking about.

• Beautiful Boy: This movie is focused on a very deep topic that many people deal with everyday, whether it’s themselves or someone important to them. It also portrays a message that change is possible - that you can beat those odds and come out the other side.

• Waves: A movie showing the story of a teenage boy under immense pressure, which leads up to a bad decision when cracked under said pressure, resulting in one second of anger being his lifelong sentence. The second half shows the grievances of his family and how they deal with this, while also learning how to move on with their lives and all the consequences they face from him.

• Lion: Truly such a beautiful movie that I could only watch once, but has impacted me deeply. Everything about it is so sad, from the way the movie began but also so incredibly beautiful once his journey is complete.

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower: The power of kindness and how that can change someone’s life. How simply reaching out a hand can be the action someone needed to come out of a slump. This movie kills my soul every time though, I wish I could give Charlie a big hug.

• Silver Linings Playbook: This one means a lot to me. The story of two people struggling with their mental health and finding comfort in each other. Definitely a movie worth watching if you haven’t already.

Gluttony

Movies I will never stop rewatching.

• The Hangover: I do love me a good comedy movie and this one never fails to make me laugh.

• Corpse Bride: A comfort movie for sure. I love all of Tim Burton’s animation films, something about the spookiness was always enticing to me.

• Fifty Shades of Grey: Any woman who claims they don’t secretly love this one is lying.

• The Batman: I love all 3 hours of this movie. The storyline. The vibes. The acting. I will sit my ass down and not say a word if this goes on.

• Dirty Grandpa: Don’t put this movie on around me because I will quote every line for the entirety of it. It gets funnier every time I watch it.

Sloth

Movies that rot in my watchlist.

• Mysterious Skin: I attempted to watch this, but turned it off within the first 10 minutes because it was disturbing. Nonetheless, have heard great things about this movie, just don’t know if I can stomach the darkness behind it.

• Casanova: This one is literally a classic that I know I need to watch. There is no explanation to why not, I’m just lazy as shit.

• Moulin Rouge: I started watching and fell asleep after 5 minutes, but never attempted it again. The plot does sound like I would love it, I just need to be in the right mood for it.

• Little Miss Sunshine: Another one I have heard to be really sad and ‘life-changing’, but like I said it takes a lot out of me to watch a new movie, but this one is high on my watchlist for sure.

• Atonement: I have heard this one is really heartbreaking, so have been avoiding it for that exact reason. All the edits I see look really beautiful however, and any romance movie starring Keira Knightley I know is about to be fire.

Wrath

Movies I disliked. Not for particularly bad reasons, but more so one and done due to the disturbing nature of it or was just bored of it halfway through.

• Midsommar: This movie was fucked up. I was forced to watch this one against my will, and it was way too disturbing for my liking. No further explanation.

• Requiem for a Dream: I could not finish it due to the feeling it gave me, words cant even describe it but I guess the closest thing is that I felt disturbed? I ended up searching up the ending on Tik Tok, debating whether I should just continue watching, but the many comments of people saying it was traumatizing was enough for me to close the tab.

• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I had been meaning to watch this for a very, very long time and was mentally preparing for it since everyone said how heartbreaking it is. To say I was underwhelmed hurts my heart for sure since I love Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. The story was just confusing for me. It was overall good, but I do not think I could watch it again.

• American Psycho: It was so good that it was bad? I don’t know how to feel about this one to be completely honest. I can watch it and be entertained but I think it’s plot is kind of stupid (oops).

romanticize your life

Romanticization is the act of treating a subject as more desirable or attractive than it is in reality. It means shifting your mindset to find joy in everyday routines, turning boring and repetitive chores into rituals, and appreciating the beauty and simple pleasures of your day-to-day life. Now, you do not need romanticization to lead a happy life. Nope, not at all. Romanticization is just finding the beauty in everything, even the most boring of tasks. It doesn’t mean it will necessarily make you happier, you will just find a bit more joy in doing things.

Now, moving on to the next point, have you ever heard of these two common sayings: “La vie en rose” or “living life in black and white?” Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t. But these two sort of go hand in hand with romanticizing your life (if you bear with me here). Two other important terms to keep in mind are optimism and pessimism.

We all know people who are optimistic and will say things that are so positive it can sound slightly delusional. We also all know people who are so pessimistic that even if you yourself are slightly pessimistic, their negativity towards life makes you look at life in a more optimistic manner. The people who are optimistic live life in rose coloured glasses while those who are pessimistic live life in black and white. Realists live in shades of grey. You are probably wondering how does this even relate to romanticizing your life? Optimism relates directly, however, in my opinion romanticizing is an indirect way to outgrow a pessimistic behaviour. At least, that is what worked for me.

Those who are optimistic almost always see the beauty in life. They will look at the world around them and see past the details: that scrawny tree over there? That tree grew from just a tiny seed. To a pessimist however, that’s just a scrawny tree that needs more water. Changing this viewpoint is very important if you want to achieve romanticization. The first step is looking at the world around you. Everything about Mother Nature is beautiful and worth philosophically thinking about. Everything around you started as a small seed or clump of cells and has grown into something beautiful; whether it is a tree that blossoms in the spring time or a human being who grew from a little baby to a full adult. As someone who used to have no care at all for nature (which is crazy to think about) the first step I used in appreciating it the way I do now is by going on drives and listening to my favourite music while I stare at the nature. When your mind is in a positive mood (due to listening to your favourite music) you will look at the things around you with a positive attitude as well. Like I said, this is the first step. Associating things that make you feel positive with situations in which you do not feel as positive.

The second step is to almost glamourize even the most mundane, boring, routine tasks. Almost like pretending there is a hidden camera that is filming you 24/7. Taking a shower? Light a candle, set the mood, get a cute towel and robe ready and play some music. Make it fun! Cooking dinner? Adjust the lighting, put on your favourite music or show, and pretend you are on a cooking show and have an audience. Studying for the most boring exam? Get a cute outfit on, go to the library, grab a coffee, and pretend you are in a 2000’s romcom. This is my favourite one: going to bed? Put on a cute pyjama set, do your skincare, light some candles, put on your comfort show and relax in your space for a bit. Then you can wake up and have a morning routine. The little things eventually lead to big things.

Maybe another thing that could work for you is personalizing things to your liking, reflecting you and your personal style. Make your belongings a reflection of yourself. I love to buy cute random knick knacks I find online or in person and put it in my room because everything has a meaning behind it and it is also a reflection of me and my tastes, adding to my personal collection. Turning a room into your little safe haven is an important aspect to do in order to have a space to recharge when needed. And to almost serve as your own happy place.

Once you start to pour time and energy into yourself, everything feels romantic. Your daily routine can start to look a little bit different with a more positive manner. And while I cannot offer much advice on how to romanticize working (since I simply cannot), the little things around it can be romanticized. For example, driving to work, you can admire the nature surrounding you as you listen to your favourite music. And then there is always the anticipated drive home that I think about my entire shift - thinking about what songs to add to my queue.

When you look past something you find to be boring or annoying and realize how lucky you are that you got to wake up and actually do it, life starts to sound and look a little different. The birds that woke you up at 5 am because their chirps are so annoying start to sound like a beautiful melody. The sun streaming in your room early in the morning and waking you up starts to look like a beautiful picture that you’d see on Pinterest. Your older brother waking you up to the sound of him stomping around the house because his footsteps are so heavy? That is the sound that he is home and alive (this one still annoys me slightly). Life is not worth looking at with pessimism because despite the 1 in 400 trillion odds, you made it here.

maddy knew who she was from a very early age

Welcome to the world of madelemoiselle ;)

For my first post, I wanted to introduce myself and do a little get to know me so you know what you’re getting into. My apologies in advance for all my grammatical errors and extreme disorganization. My name is Madeleine (Mah-da-lyn) and I am an Italian-Canadian woman in my 20s. I was born on July 27th to my parents Vilma and Gino, and I have two older brothers and two fur babies, Xavi and Stella. If you are an astrology lover, then my big 3 is Leo sun, Taurus moon, and Pisces rising. I am a university student currently studying Psychology, hoping to study for my masters degree abroad after I graduate. Still figuring out what I want to do exactly with said degree and if I want to get a PhD, but probably therapy or research. All I know for sure is that I want to help people and make them feel heard, while learning as much about the brain as possible.

I have always excelled in the language/English/history realm of school. I love writing and I was particularly good at French and took it until grade 12 - I regret ever stopping in university, but figured learning another language on top of my program would be similar to a jail sentence. I decided to go more on the route of Classics and Ancient Civilization, which I find to be one of the most interesting subjects aside from Psychology. Learning about the world and how humans lived thousands of years ago is rather fascinating. Specifically, I love learning about the dark ages as well as ancient Mythology - specifically Greek Mythology. My personal favourite mythology figures are Aphrodite, Artemis and Medusa.

I love to travel and although I have only really been to Italy (many, many times), the US, and Canada, I would love to see so much more of the world and learn more about cultures, especially the food. My goal is to travel to as many places as I possibly can while I’m still young, but also do the same thing after I’ve retired. My top 3 dream travel spots are France, Japan, and Australia, specifically Paris, Kyoto, and the Whitsundays. 3 completely different vibes. So very like me.

I would describe myself as very shy, reserved, a bit mysterious, and quiet - on the outside. Those close to me would not describe me that way; I am sarcastic, curious, definitely funny, feisty, and slightly stubborn (maybe the opposite of slightly). I have a very thick shell that takes a long time to crack. But once that shell is cracked, you will forget I was ever shy and quiet. I have been told many, many times that I am not what someone expected me to be. I suppose my RBF does not do me much justice. I also cannot describe my ‘vibe’ for the life of me, somedays I want to give Parisienne, other days more whimsy goth, some days y2k diva. So I just go with the flow and do what I want. Create my own vibe.

Rapid fire of my favourites (but I state multiple because I can’t pick one):

1. Favourite movie: Harry Potter & the POA or Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton)

2. Favourite book: Harry Potter & the POA, Twilight New Moon, A Court of Mist and Fury

3. Favourite tv show: Euphoria or Sex and the City

4. Favourite food: Anything made by my nonna Dora

5. Favourite director: Tim Burton

6. Favourite makeup product: Brown eyeliner or my rhode lip liner in twist

7. Favourite drink: Italian or Mexican coke with a ripe lime (oddly specific) or a Blood Orange Aperol Spritz

8. Favourite color: Pink, black, and blue

9. Favourite holiday: Halloween

10. Favourite animal: Black cats or red foxes

11. Favourite artist: Lana Del Rey

12. 5 favourite songs: Cherry Flavoured, Girl of the Year, West Coast, Each Time You Fall In Love, Beyond Love

13. Favourite albums: Depression Cherry, Ultraviolence, House of Balloons

Although I totally ripped this title off of a quote from Euphoria, it does hold true for me as well. Ever since I was younger, I had a very strong sense of self and what I knew I wanted from this journey called life. I have had expectations and morals that I created for myself that have stuck with me for years and have always known what I want and what I need. What I have always believed in most was that if one really applies themselves, you can achieve whatever your heart desires. That if you believe in yourself, no matter how much or how little support you have, you will succeed because you are the key to your destiny. You are your greatest asset.

I have always picked the ‘diva fashionista’ or ‘soft-hearted’ characters like Cleo DeNile, Jade, Silvermist, Flora, Cinderella, Martha May, Sharpay, Carrie Bradshaw, Maddy Perez and Poison Ivy as my diehard favourite characters. I am a strong believer that a girls favourite characters in books and movies is a way of describing herself (stay tuned hehe). I have always shared the same interests as I had when I was a kid. I loved trying on my mom’s heels and clothes, now I am a shopaholic with a large collection of heels and an extensive amount of clothes that I have to push down so they fit in my drawer. I loved fairy tales and dolls and always believed in anything whimsical, like fairies and mermaids are real (still do). This has followed me into adulthood, with my deep love for reading fantasy and romantasy. I also have a deep appreciation for nature and celestial bodies. I love the moon and learning about the planets - I also have a knack for astrology, although I am not sure if I believe in it, but it’s still interesting to read about because sometimes its scarily accurate.

My favourite thing to do is go on drives in the country with the windows down and my favourite songs playing, typically my monthly playlist filled with Lana and Beach House, with the hopes of my parents stopping at a gelato shop on the way. I also love sitting in my bed and scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram (specifically the girly/whimsy side) listening to my favourite tunes or reading a good book. I enjoy cooking, typically Italian food and baking when I am in the mood to make a mess, which is rarely ever, but I love to indulge in the food of course. I also really enjoy singing, especially when nobodies home or in the car so then I can be loud.

A typical night with me is sitting in bed with a cute Brandy Melville set on, my candle warmer is blasting on a vanilla scented candle, Sex and the City is on repeat, while I down a pint of Half Baked Ben & Jerry’s. If not that, I will be watching general knowledge trivia or some sleazy reality show in the basement with my boyfriend or with my friends doing god knows what. Throughout the week, I try not to cancel my pilates classes two hours before they begin, while I try to go to the gym at least twice a week. But with my serving job it is a bit hard to manage so much physical activity without burning out (something I need to give myself more credit for lol)!

Now, I’d be lying if I said Carrie Bradshaw wasn’t the inspiration behind this blog, but this is also something I have been wanting to do for awhile. It has taken me many months (more than I’d like to admit) to finally be able to post this but with the support of those around me, I’ve been able to push myself to do something that I know I’d enjoy. My goal with this blog is to be my truest self. I feel as if most blogs stick to a certain theme, like travel or cooking, but I am going to write whatever comes to my mind, whether its philosophical, psychological, girly, deep, fashion-related, or even about a good old historical tale. I seem to be most inspired when I am doing something random, like showering or washing a dish and just get swept away by the most random thought and will talk to myself about it for the next 40 minutes. So, I am going to put that here instead of saying it to the shower wall.

I definitely did not cover everything I wanted to and will realize in a couple days that I missed something, but here goes! I have many ideas for what I’d like to do with this blog, but if anyone has any feel free to send me a DM. It would put a smile bigger than the Cheshire cats on my face. So happy to be here and hoping this is just the beginning of a nice, long journey doing what I love best.