What Carly thinks

Thor review

2011-05-02T23:49:00.002+01:00

Thor. Who could resist? A film based on a comic book based on an ancient Norse god. A film with geeky action for the boys (well generalising but you know) and A BLOND NORSE GOD for the girls (and quite a few boys...). So with eager anticipation, release day saw me skipping down to the local Cineworld, purchasing a large drink because I knew it was going to get hot in there and settling in to watch the film I've been babbling on about on Twitter for about 6 months.

Ok, so I might have been excited about the promise of Chris Hemsworth in all his muscular glory, but realistically, Thor looked like an exciting and fresh Marvel film opening the gates to Hollywood's flood of comic book and superhero movies over the next three years. Seeing that Marvel seems to be gaining a bigger audience after the X-Men and Iron Man films and their introduction of super A-List celebs, the calibre had to be better.

And my pre-viewing notion was correct. Kenneth Branagh's delivery of Thor is beautiful, humourous, silly and memorable. But don't be fooled, it wasn't all glitter and wet t-shirts.

The film has several distinctive themes: emotional growth and maturity, war, family secrets, revelations and rivalry, deception, romance, honor...the list goes on. You'd think that with so much going on it wouldn't work or that it would feel bitty but it you'd be wrong. However, it did have it's slight inconsistencies.

The film is set in three different, distinctive worlds: Asgard - the beautiful world that Thor belongs, Jotunheim - the dark, icy world of the Frost Giants and New Mexico, Earth - yeah. Each was beautifully presented and provided a sense of place, making this somewhat complicated (yes, I know - I'm using the word complicated while talking about a Marvel film) timeline, space travel and tangents easier to follow.

We follow Thor, the son of Odin on an emotional and physical journey. We watch the history of Asgard and Jotunheim unfold, revealing the upset and feud between the two worlds ending in the defeat of the Frost Giants by Odin. The Frost Giants are never a problem until the day that Thor is to be made successor and king of Asgard. During the ceremony, Frost Giants break in to the vaults of Asgard obviously angering the people of Asgard and disrupting the ceremony. Thor shows his arrogance and thirst for glory seeking out the Frost Giants with his warrior companions and brother Loki. It is due to his brash behaviour that Thor is striped of his powers and banished to Earth leaving Loki as the only son and heir to the Asgard throne. But Loki is not what he seems.

The plot itself is fairly generic and at times inconsistent. There are moments when you think you know and understand all the characters but then something will happen and it feels like you've missed a scene or that the character is a complete schizophrenic (which is possible). There aren't many moments of revelation and you can pretty much predict everything that's going to happen but as a whole, it's fully acceptable and entertaining.

The script on the other hand, that's a completely different matter. There are moments of absolute genius in the script: Thor going in to a pet store and demanding a horse or "a large dog that I can ride on" is a personal favourite. But there are also some gaping holes and eye rolling moments.

The costumes are pretty spectacular. And I'm not just saying that because they made everyone beautiful but because it really echoed the comic book and immersed you in the world of Asgard and the mythology. There is a moment when Thor becomes the God of Thunder again and I promise you, you will get goosebumps.

The acting was surprisingly good. Chris Hemsworth's first leading role was executed with confidence and stature. I usually watch a film and think "this person would have been better" but I honestly don't think I could have picked another actor. Anthony Hopkins, you can't really say much can you? It was a bit hammy and a bit old school but it worked. The fact that you have instant respect for him kind of helped his role of King. Tom Hiddleston probably had the hardest job in this movie. Loki was possibly the most complicated and inconsistent character but he made it work and I must admit, I would like to see more from him. There's quite a trend now for famous, respected actresses to take the leading role in comic book movies but I generally find that there's an air of arrogance or "supreme-being" about their performances but Natalie Portman did nothing of the sort. She brought a sense of naivety and questioning leaving the spot light on Hemsworth. I will admit that I don't usually like her, but I think she did remarkably well in this role and I look forward to seeing more from her.

As a whole, Thor was beautiful, fun, entertaining and epic. It had its obvious flaws and will not be everyone's cup of tea but I will not spare a second thought about watching it again. Some may view it as tacky or corny or that the script was poor or that it's too juvenile but I just want to remind you that it is a comic book movie and it wouldn't be the same if it was perfect and if it wasn't a little goofy.

I can't wait until it's on Bluray and I can't wait for the Avengers. A decent 4.5/5 from me.

Top Ten Tips for spring and summer!

2011-04-27T20:04:00.002+01:00

It's summer! Well, no actually. It's not. But it sure is feeling like it (on most days) and we're all dressing like it's the height of August. So with this in mind, I thought I'd do a post on my top ten tips for spring and summer. These are mainly for girls but you fellas might pick up a trick or two.

I won't do them in order because, let's face it, we all prefer or need different things when it comes to body care and beauty.

1. I'll just state the obvious now. A decent sunblock/sunscreen and aftersun lotions. This just goes without saying not only from a health point of view but also a beauty point of view. If you do like sitting in the sun and tanning, then get a decent sunscreen so that you go a nice golden brown rather than lobster red. If like me, you don't like the sun and look terrible with a tan, get a good sunblock. SIMPLE! And for any times you're caught out, get a decent aftersun cream so that you don't have to run around boots praying that people don't come near your red raw shoulders.

2. One of my favourites for year round body care and beauty would have to be the body gloves. So these are really good during the summer due to a couple of things. Firstly, they are great exfoliators; just pop a bit of shower gel on them and give your body an all over scrub and as if by magic, you've had a deep and consistent exfoliation all over. I've even been a bit naughty and used them on my face and they were great! Second of all, They are really easy to take on holiday. If you're off to a sunny location and want to make sure you're all smooth and dry skin free when you're next to the beach, take a pair of these rather than lugging around ANOTHER tub or tube of exfoliator, it'll work just as well, trust me. And lastly, they're super cheap! A pair costs anything from a quid to £6 and they last for ages. I got mine from Body Shop which are a little more expensive but I've had mine for 6 months now and love them to pieces.

3. This may seem obvious but it's not what you think. Hair conditioner. Now, you may be thinking "Carly....we know how to use hair conditioner." but please bare with me. During the summer you will be de-fuzzing left, right and centre. Whether you wax, epilate, shave, use hair removal cream or those new wonder pad things, hair will be coming off your body like nobody's business. And if you do shave, whether it's your legs and underarms or just underarms, you'll be so thankful for this tip. Instead of using shaving foam which is something like £4 a can (if you're lucky), lasts a month and still leaves your skin irritated, use some hair conditioner. I know I always have 3 or 4 different types of shampoo and conditioner in my shower just because I like to change it up a bit, so any I haven't used in a while gets slapped on to my leg when I shave. You'd be surprised to know that it leaves your skin soft, smooth and obviously smelling lush! Give it a go!

4. Waterproof makeup. It's a god send. I know it's not very ladylike but during the intense heat, especially if you're traveling on the tube, you will, shall we say...glisten a little during the hotter months. And we've all seen it. We've all seen those girls on the train with eyeliner down their faces and streaky foundation and eyeshadow in the creases of the eyelid. It's so worth spending a couple quid on some waterproof options if you don't already have them - just in case that little git running around the park decides to squirt you with water. I generally go for a waterproof liner and mascara and I use Barry M's waterproof eye khol and Christian Diors waterproof mascara. I use a light powder foundation which is really good at clinging to the skin but as the weather gets hotter or I have the option of a beach holiday, I will probably go a little more fool proof.

5. This one will need some explaining so again, bare with me. Clear nail varnish. I have two clear nail varnishes; a cheap, generic one and a more expensive one. My more expensive one is nail envy and I use it mainly as a bottom and top coat. Or if I'm not putting colour on my nails, this is what I will generally use. I don't usually believe in nail hardeners or strengtheners etc but this does seem to work for me. It's a bit pricy at £17 but it lasts a long time and will make your nails healthier as well as stopping any colour bleeding in to your nails. The cheaper one is for a little trick I learnt in the states. If you have an eyeshadow you love using and it matches your dress perfectly but you can't find a matching nail varnish...have no fear! Find an old CD case or an old magazine that you're thinking about throwing away and pour a little of the clear nail varnish on to it. Then take some of your eyeshadow (works best with loose powder but you can always scrape some off a compacted brand) and then mix together. SIMPLE! It lasts a long time too. The last time I did this, it lasted 2 weeks without chipping. Another little tip with nail varnish, if you keep it in the fridge, it stops it from thickening so you get to use it even longer.

6. Body buffer brush. These are great to stimulate circulation in the skin. You just need to grab the brush and rub it in small circles around your body. It not only improves circulation meaning it combats cellulite but it leaves you smooth and glowing as the blood is brought to the surface. Remember to always do it in an upwards direction. These are really cheap from Body Shop and last years.

7. This is a bit of a gross one but it has to be covered. Ped Eggs or foot files. It's summer so you'll want to wear flip flops and fancy sandals and the like so you have to take care of your feet. There's nothing worse than seeing someone with really pretty shoes and then cracked heels or hard skin etc. If you have time and the money (and the stomach) I would recommend going for a fish pedicure as it's relaxing and rids your feet of any horrible, persistent callouses.

8. With all the heat and grime and bronzer that'll be torturing your face causing pimples and the like, I would recommend a good face mask or deep cleanser. My absolute favourite is Liz Earle's Cleanse and Polish. I've been using this for years and it's awesome! It smells great and leave your skin feeling amazing. It's quite cheap, £13 for the Cleanse and Polish and 2 muslin cloths. All you have to do is pump some of the Cleanse and Polish on to your finger tips and work it all over the face, rubbing in little circles and then let it just soak in for a few minutes. When you're ready, run one of the muslin cloths under warm water and then use the cloth to remove the mask and all the dirt on ya face!

9. Ever feel a bit gritty and dirty while walking around in the sun? Then why not carry around a spritzing bottle? These are great to freshen your face. You can get pre-made bottles with cucumber extract or pure water etc but why not make your own by picking up a spray bottle from somewhere like Muji or Superdrug, fill it with a mix of water and toner and then just keep it in your bag as and when you need it. Just a little spray in the face or over the body to freshen you up.

10. WATER! Not only should you be drinking 2 litres a day, but you should keep hydrated during the summer. Fainting in the street is not a good look and believe me, the more water you drink, the more healthy your skin will be. And you'll just feel better in general. Why not ditch your daily latte and swap it for a bottle of water and let the sun wake you up during the summer.

And that's it. It's a bit longer than I thought it would be but I hope it's useful.

The Adjustment Bureau

2011-04-06T18:15:00.002+01:00

The Adjustment Bureau has been advertised as a suspenseful, alternate reality, fantasy thriller with a passionate story-line between two beautiful, successful people. But did it fulfill it's expectations?

Well, initially, the plot is fairly fast paced as we watch David Norris (Matt Damon) run for a seat in US Senate in modern day New York. But things unravel as his youth and immaturity causes questions to his political career. In a moment of weakness, Norris meets Elise (Emily Blunt), a mysterious, free willed dancer. They form a connection like none other, an encounter neither could forget.

However, the question of free will, chance and a predestined existence is exposed when Norris sees behind a curtain that he shouldn't have known existed. We meet the Adjustment Bureau, an organisation that control the paths of everyone's lives.

Can Norris carry on his life knowing what he does and not fight for what he wants? Well, you'll have to watch it to find out.

So, it sounds like a mix of Dark City, Butterfly Effect, Matrix and City of Angels, and it is. It's really not the most original story and it's not a clever retelling but it is entertaining. However, it is a little cheapened by the heavy religious implication.

That aside, the film as a whole was fairly entertaining with a consistent pace throughout. It was a little choppy in the plot but that's to be expected with the nature of the story.

However, the tension that built throughout the film was not justified or resolved. Though it keeps the pace, suspense and interest building, the tension made you finish watching the film with a lack of fulfillment.

Highlights included Damon's and Blunt's performances. They were engaging and had a spark that made you get caught up in their story, really willing them on. Blunt really has come on leaps and bounds since her Devil Wears Prada days. She was elegant and lively with an intensity which was far beyond expectations. And Damon, Damon gets better and better each time I see him. He made this role seem easy and made you really empathize with him. There was never a moment of frustration with his performance which is rare.

Though the film is a bit strange, a bit preachy and a bit jumpy, it is entertaining and makes you wish you had that sort of connection with someone or look at people in fedoras with a watchful eye.

I would recommend watching it but with low expectations. It won't blow your socks off or change your life and it certainly won't be on anyones favourite films list, but it is worth giving a go.

I give it a steady 3.5/5

Tache Mob!

2011-04-01T09:21:00.004+01:00

Don't know what to do with your Saturday afternoon? Got a couple hours spare and want to do a good deed? Why not pop down to the Ministry of Stories and help us raise money?

Tomorrow afternoon, I will be filming a tache mob. That's right, a tache mob. I'll be making a short video focusing on people's favourite books to promote the charities favourites book fund. The plan is to have people walking around the local area with fake mustaches, reading and then everyone stating their favourite book to camera. Simples!

So if you do have a bit of time tomorrow, pop down to 159 Hoxton Street from around 2.30pm and join in the fun. If you have fake mustaches, a monster costume or even just a copy of your favourite book, bring it with you and hopefully we'll be able to make a difference. If you can't make it, then please donate the cost of your favourite book to the charity and hopefully we'll be able to inspire and help more children in the local area.

YAY Polka!

2011-03-24T15:27:00.007Z

So I'm happy to report that Polka Dots are back in fashion! This makes me very happy. I always like a good ol' spotted dress or top and the fact that it's in fashion again means I don't have to walk around with my head hanging in shame, not just because I'm ashamed of my dots but so I can look at them too.

Most High Street retailers are doing some form of black and white combo which is not only fresh and lively for spring but neutral enough to pair with a bold coloured cardigan. And there's always my favourite brown and white combo which I always associate with running around the Mediterranean.

Easy to dress up or down, this chic theme will work with a nice pair of heels for a wedding or a great pair of sandals for a casual look.

So if you go for the more uniform or the slightly wacky spots, I'm certainly going dotty this season!

Ideal Home Show - Earl's Court

2011-03-11T17:25:00.000Z

Are you looking for something to do on a day off? Ideal Home is back in Earls Court until the 27th March and well worth a visit.

The annual show is fun and busy with lots to do for people of all ages. If you're in to interior design, gadgets, cooking, beauty, gardening, or anything else to do with everyday life this would be a great day out for you.

As you can imagine, the Ideal Home Show has hundreds of suppliers ready to show you the latest gadgets and tools to make your life a little bit easier. These include the expected paint pads and magic drills to the surprising and quirky products including an egg you place in a toilet to prevent splashback (bizarre I know). But as well as these live action infomercials, you have show homes, shopping (some at a discounted show price), beauty demonstrations and more.

The show is broken up in to different themes and I highly recommend the Ideal Food section. They have live shows from celebrity chefs giving you hints, tips and recipe ideas which will make you salivate, all in only half an hour. And once you've watched one and teased your taste buds, there's a whole host of food to choose from in the surrounding area. The food ranges from Thai to Fish and Chips and they even have a pick and mix milkshake stand. I personally went for some ice-cream from Farmer Gosden's Dairy which was reasonably priced and delicious so I highly recommend paying them a visit.

The show also has an Ideal Woman section with a catwalk showing hourly fashion shows which are a little contrived but fun to watch. They have demonstration stands for hair products, exfoliators and makeup and even have a couple Doctor Fish stations which I am a huge advocate of.

There are also talks from people like Linda Barker and George Clarke in the How To Theatre which are informative and interesting.

You really can spend a whole day at the show as there is so much to do and you'll find something new each time you pass through an area.

There are themed days including Cake Decoration of the Year, Climate Week Eco Day and Home Inventor of the Year so if you have a particular interest, aim for one of these.

My top ten sitcoms of 2010/2011

2011-03-09T17:01:00.003Z

Who doesn't love a good sitcom at the end of a busy day? I know I certainly do and this year, a few oldies have returned in full force while others have fallen flat and we've also been gifted with some great new shows.

So with that in mind, I'm going to do my Top Ten Sitcoms to Watch from 2010/2011. (Most will be American. Sorry guys)

10. Episodes

Episodes was a great fusion of British and American comedy. The series sees the return of Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan as a (happy) couple. The couple are successful, BAFTA winning, British comedy writers who is approached by an American producer who wants to make their show. We follow the couple as their shows falls to pieces starting with casting Matt LeBlanc as the head teacher of an elite boys school.
Though it is not roll on the floor funny, it is different and parodies character stereotypes and relationships well. It was a little awkward at times due to the juxtaposition of the two very different comedy styles but all in all, it's well worth watching.

9. Better WIth You

A new comedy this season following three couples within the same family. We see parents Kurt Fuller and Debra Jo Rupp as a stereotypical, quarreling but comfortable couple after 35 years together. We see older sister and partner Josh Cooke and Jennifer Finnigan as an unmarried but happy couple who have been together for nine years fighting to authenticate their life choice. And lastly we have the new couple played by Joanna Garcia and Jake Lacy. We watch as they discover more about each other and plan a life together.
The show is fun, light and easy to watch. Kind of similar to Modern Family in subject but executed very differently. You won't find it remarkably clever but you will laugh and appreciate the different representations of the relationships. I think it does appeal to a wide audience due to the balance of age and gender. Some situations are ridiculous but you will relate to others. I'd give it a watch if you're in a mood to just switch off and feel a bit sappy but it's really not for everyone.

8. Raising Hope

Another new show for this season. Raising hope shows a 23-year-old man take responsibility for his baby, conceived during a one-night stand with a woman who is put on death row. We watch as his disfunctional, lack luster family mature and take responsibility for the child and her well being.
The show is quite reminiscent of My Name Is Earl in style and the not so well hidden moral message at the end of every episode. But it's still fun and has the hilarious Maw Maw (the great grandmother suffering with Alzheimer's) which still makes it worth watching. The cast work really well and the writing is fairly snappy and the whole show is just light hearted and silly. It is quite apparent that they kind of loss interest in the idea of raising a baby as that is really on the periphery of the story, but it still works. It's a great slapstick comedy which will make you laugh and feel great about your current situation.

7. Traffic Lights

So at the moment there are a lot of new shows about couples and relationship dynamics, mainly focusing on the man's perspective and Traffic Lights is one of them. Based on an Israeli show of the same name, adapted for an American audience. We see the married with kids Mike played by David Denman trying to grasp on to his independence, Adam played by Nelson Franklin move in with his girlfriend and adjust to the lack of freedom he's used to and Ethan played by British actor Kris Marshall who is perpetually single with no intention of becoming attached. Rather than themed episodes, it settles for the three story line structure making it feel a bit more relaxed and fun.
The reason this series works better than Perfect Couples or even Better Than You is that it is less stylized and have more extreme situations. The casting is pretty much perfect and they work really well together. They have a great balance of predictability and surprise with some surprising jokes. It's not a laugh out loud constantly type show but it's really enjoyable.

6. Come Fly With Me

Matt Lucas and David Walliams returned this year with a reality tv style mockumentary based in an airport very much spoofing shows like Anything to Declare and Airport. The show had Wallaims and Lucas dressing up as different, stereotypical and somewhat offensive characters during the everyday workings of the airport. It was a six part series which is now available on DVD and will be returning later in the year for a second series.
I did go off Lucas and Walliams after the second season of Little Britain. I found the series lost pace and became a little too coarse for the setting and subject. However, Come Fly With Me managed to grab my attention. Though some of the characters were offensive and the show was a little repetitive at times, it was more approachable as an audience member because you had a reference point from the original tv shows. Everyone has their favourite characters and there are plenty of lines to quote. There are still a couple clips I rewatch on youtube time and time again.

5. Mike and Molly

Set in Chicago, Mike and Molly is about a couple of people who find love in Over Eaters Anonymous. Mike, a cop who lacks confidence in some areas but has no sense of reality in others, tries to keep up with Molly, a strongly opinionated teacher who knows what she wants but lives with her crazy mother and sister. We watch as they fall in love and learn how to compromise.
The nice thing about this show is that it's relaxed and different. But it's not different for the reason you think. It does follow a couple of morbidly obese people but it's not entirely about that. It's not constantly talking about diets or self pity, it's just fun. The extreme personalities within the show does make it fairly unrealistic but it is just a heart warming show that leaves you happy and content.

4. The League

In it's second season, The League follows a group of guys in a fantasy football league and the ridiculous situations they get themselves in. We see the dynamic group of friends getting themselves in to stupid situations and trouble. The completely unrealistic moments are highlighted by the outrageous, attractive, singing Taco and the cute, easily impressionable, little girl Ellie.
This show is amazing. The jokes are extreme and well written. The characters are so exaggerated and full of faults that you can't help but laugh at each of them. If you get offended easily, I wouldn't recommend it but if you don't mind a few anal jokes and a young girl calling a cuddly toy the kegel elf then you'll be fine.

3. 30 Rock

It never fails. Even in it's fifth season it's fun, witty and different. If you've never seen the show before, 30 Rock is about a tv writer called Liz and her crazy life. We watch as love passes her buy, her actors do crazy things and the respect from others fluctuating every couple of minutes. Written and starring Tina Fey and produced and starring Alec Baldwin. If you haven't watched it yet...what have you been doing with your life?!
Season 5 has guest appearances from Jon Hamm, Matt Damon, Elizabeth Banks and many more making this season just as exciting as previous ones. The character profiles have shifted slightly and the comedy has become a little more mature (as mature as it can get at least) so there's no sign of it going stale any time soon. I've loved the development in Jack's character as well as Tracey and though we don't see Kenneth as much anymore, he still provides the heart warming humour you expect. If you've never watched it before, please give it a go.

2. Community

High power lawyer Jeff is sent to community college to gain the degree he claims he already has. While there, he forms a Spanish study class to win the heart of a girl. But what he doesn't expect is that the group of odd balls would get along and become friends. Now in its second season, Community is silly, funny, bizarre and somewhat sexy. There is no sense of realism or expectations so you can just sit back and watch as the show unravels itself before your eyes.
Community has to be one of the best comedies out there at the moment. With the extreme characters and stereotypes, it appeals to a wide audience and leaves you asking for more. Some scenes will make you cry and some will make you angry but it's open references and homages to other shows and films will give you a connection and reassurance that other shows won't. It's almost like an American version of Spaced...set in a school with adults. I highly recommend it and I dare you not to fall in love with Troy and Abed.

1. Modern Family

Modern family is a semi mockumentary about a contemporary family. You have the standard couple, married with three kids, the gay couple that have just adopted a vietnamese baby and you have an older gentleman who has married a woman twenty years his junior adopting her young, flamboyant son. This family unit gets itself in to trouble frequently and hilariously making it fun for all to watch.
On it's second season now, Modern Family has really settled in to a working pattern. The extreme stereotypes are so perfectly balanced that you don't really notice that the boundaries have been pushed while watching. The use of extreme characters and somewhat realistic scenarios makes the show surprisingly relatable and make you appreciate the characters plight. The show is easy for all to watch and shouldn't cause offense to anyone. It's still fresh and feels airy while you watch. As it is becoming more popular, more and more familiar faces are creeping in, so keep an eye out for them. If I did have to pick one show to watch this year, it would be this.

So that's my top ten. Other notable shows that can be classed as comedy but I wouldn't necessarily view them as such are Being Human which has it's finally this week and The Big C. Both quite dark but very entertaining.

So if you have cable or you're in the states or have access to an American server (at work for example) why not try a couple out?

Room by Emma Donoghue

2011-03-07T16:36:00.002Z

You may have seen the posters up in the tubes or the title being featured on the TV Book Club on channel 4, and after seeing so many people reading it, I thought I should write a review on it.

Inspired by the Fritzl case, Room was bound to grab the public's attention and become the perfect book for a struggling writer to break out in to the public eye. A little contrived? Maybe, but it wouldn't have been successful if it didn't have some emotional attachment.

Room is the story of a five-year-old boy named Jack who lives in a locked room with his mother, known only as Ma. The narrative is by Jack who is very eloquent and has a wide vocabulary for a boy of his age. We follow him and his Ma on an emotional journey and watch as their lives go from the mundane and repetitive to scary convention.

I feel that that is all I can really say about the narrative without spoiling the story so I will move on to the critique.

Though the use of Jack's voice is an interesting device and does bring an innocence and understanding to the story, it is quite frustrating to read. I know some people who have said they had to stop reading after 30 pages which I totally understand. I however, did find it a little hard to grasp and within the first 50 or so pages, I did find that it took me a long time to read sections because I kept trying to reword things in my head and rereading parts because it didn't really make sense. But, you do eventually get used to it and you can speed through the book pretty quickly.

The story itself is very sad in content but it does feel like Donoghue was trying a little too hard. While reading, there were moments where I felt a chill or uncomfortable or extreme sadness but overall, it didn't hit the mark I was expecting. It may have been the point of the book seeing that it is the voice of a boy who has never known anything but the life he's living, but in my opinion, it didn't entirely work. You would have to be heartless to feel nothing while reading this book, but it doesn't strike the emotional chord that it should have. But, there was a lot more scope for making us emotionally attached to Jack or to feel that his life is a lot worse than it was portrayed or to make you feel the pain and almost pity you should feel reading this sort of story, but it was lacking.

I do think that there were a few clever details that made you feel the claustrophobia and the distance from real life but these were few and far between. A thing that kind of worked but made the book confusing is that the dialect and tone seemed very British. While reading the first third of this book, I was almost convinced that it was in the English countryside but it is then revealed that it was in the States and it kind of gave it a sense that this could happen anywhere in the world but also had a jarring sensation which did not help Donoghue's reception.

There were a few things that just felt a little off and unnecessary too. Making Jack seem as though he was on the autistic spectrum just made me feel a little confused purely because it was never really addressed and it felt a little unnecessary. To be fair though, Jack's whole personality and highly developed skills seemed a little strange after the extreme state of the Fritzl children. I know that the children in that case were worse off due to inbreeding and other complications but having a boy that has such a wide vocabulary, can spell like an adult and has set routines of counting was a little artificial and uncomfortable.

I think it was an interesting perspective seeing that it's more about the adjustment and rejection of the real world rather than the need and want for freedom. It was on the realm of unbelievability as mentioned previously, due to Jack's intellect and adjustment to things. It did all seem a bit too easy and flowed too well for it to really work on an emotional level.

I do believe the Donoghue did miss a big opportunity to become a serious, well known author with this book because she left too many questions and didn't really strike a proper balance between storytelling, narrative and source material. After reading a book like this, I expect to be a little broken inside and with a tear in my eye, but it didn't leave any real psychological scarring or any proper emotional attachment to Jack. It is a book like no other but that doesn't necessarily mean that it was executed well.

People have been liking Room to The Lovely Bones but Suzy has seemed to have stayed with me since I read the book where I'm quite happy to forget about Jack and read a proper non fiction book about this rather than think about Ma's situation.

I guess, if you strip it down to the bare bones of the story it does strike you as a highly emotional, compelling, uncomfortable book. The fact that it's about a 19-year-old girl getting kidnapped, spending seven years getting raped repeatedly by her kidnapper, giving birth to a baby with no medical attention in a 12 by 12 room where she will have to raise the boy effectively on her own. But the padding just didn't work and made you ignore those issues.

I wouldn't say this book is terrible. There are sections that you can't put down and really draw you in, but as a whole, it doesn't do what it should. With that in mind, I would give it a 3/5 but I would not think about rereading it in the future.

Here fishy fishy fishy - Garra Rufa Fish Pedicure

2011-02-04T19:06:00.003Z

Roughly three months ago, the in vogue fish pedicure came to Whitely's of Bayswater and this week, I plucked up the courage and jumped in, feet first.

The pedicure involves little garra rufa fish nibbling (well sucking) off the dead skin off your feet. The process usually lasts about 15 minutes and is supposed to leave your feet silky and smooth.

So, as I removed my shoes and socks, hopped up on to the bench and got my feet sprayed by the girl who seemed utterly uninterested in being there, I was feeling a little anxious about sticking my feet in to a tank full or skin eating fish. But eventually I bit the bullet and plunged in to the deep water.

The water was surprisingly warm and the filter provided a sort of pleasant massage sensation on my leg (which fairly quickly became irritating) but I was not prepared for the next sensation.

As soon as my feet were dangling and almost still in the water, the fish happily swarmed my feet and started nibbling.

To say it was an odd feeling is an under statement. It wasn't unpleasant and it wasn't painful but it was a bit of a shock. The fish instantly attach themselves to you and you can feel little pressure points where they were eating your dead flesh. Once the shock and unease subsided, it just became ridiculously ticklish. The fish will nibble anywhere they can...on the bridge of your foot, between your toes, your ankles, everywhere. And if you're anywhere near as ticklish as I am, you will be giggling like a little school girl for at least the first 5 minutes. But once you get past the tickling, you manage to relax and just enjoy the sensation of tiny massages all over your feet.

You'd think that a 15 minute session of unchanging treatment would be boring, but it really isn't. And it highlights where your dry skin is and where you should focus yourself.

At the end, I had kitchen roll thrust towards me and was left to dry my feet and get out of there. I'm sure that if you went to a proper spa they will towel you off and give you a massage but I can't really expect much more from a pop up spa.

So, to the nitty gritty. There have been health warnings on the internet about the treatment involving nicks and grazes from the fish and the non chlorine treated water etc but I didn't receive a single nick and so far...no gross foot fungus. My feet felt relaxed and smoother but you could also see the lines where the fish had nibbled. If it is something that you're interested in trying, I would bear in mind that you would want to do it a couple of times to get the flawless feet you're looking for.

It is a little weird and I don't think it would be for everyone, particularly the squeamish but it's a nice, non-intrusive way to get a pain-free pedicure and it's ridiculously affordable.

I am planning on going again in a couple weeks and possible to make it a regular appointment in my diary.

Tangled

2011-02-04T18:30:00.001Z

Over the last 75 years, Disney has brought us memorable movie moments which have touched our hearts forever. Whether it was Snow White coming to life after the prince's kiss or Ariel getting legs so she could spend her life with Eric, we all have that Disney moment that makes our skin tingle and eyes well up and makes us wish we were in a Disney movie.

And this time, Disney didn't disappoint. Tangled is Disney's animated retelling of Rapunzel with a touch more comedy and a more contemporary twist. But is it all magic and cute animals that make the film or is Rapunzel a new classic Disney Princess for the new generation of Disney watchers?

The film opens with a single drop of sunlight which makes a flower with the power of life. We watch as an old woman, Gothel, regains her youth and beauty by singing to the flower and selfishly hiding it so no one can take it away from her. A nice twist on the original tale.

Elsewhere in the kingdom, the queen is pregnant and dying so the king sends out a search party to find the legendary flower to save her life. When it is brought back to her, it is boiled and she drinks it ending up giving birth to a beautiful little girl with golden hair.

Gothel breaks in to the castle and discovers that the child's hair is as magical as the flower and kidnaps her, taking her to a tower and locking her away from the world.

Seems fairly similar right? Well, not really. Though the main concept of the story is the same, the roles are kind of reversed. Rapunzel is somewhat like Sleeping Beauty, a princess living the life of a peasant girl loving a woman who treats her badly. We also have Flynn Rider who is supposed to be a prince winning the heart of Rapunzel but is a bit like Aladin, a charming thief who happens upon Rapunzel by accident and is almost blackmailed in to helping her.

There are so many changes to the story that it really does make it more fun and enchanting to a new audience. Making Rapunzel that little bit more independent (in her attitude at least) and making Flynn more resistant, falling for her gradually rather than the fairy tale "love at first sight" which makes it more acceptable and believable for a contemporary audience.

The characters themselves are amazing. Rapunzel is a great example of a young, ambitious, naive, creative girl who wants simple things but doesn't realise how special she really is. Flynn is fun, arrogant, slightly irritating but genuine deep down, his character is a little annoying but you start to love to hate him and then love to love him. Gothel is a skin crawling, horrid creature that makes you really root for Rapunzel and Flynn to succeed in their quests.

Other additional character that made the film for me include: Pascal, a silent but hilarious chameleon who brings the most humour for me personally, Max, a horse from the royal guard who is out to find and bring Flynn to justice and a whole range of thugs - my favourite being a short, grey, bearded man who dresses up like cupid and makes me giggle every time I see him - that provide a humorous "we're thugs but we have soul" side to things.

The voice acting was brilliant. Zachary Levi made you completely forget about Chuck and made you buy in to Flynn's character completely. He brought enough humour and arrogance that you were completely absorbed, forgetting that you were watching animation. Donna Murphy made you want to punch Gothel in the face multiple times and really took you back to hating Cinderella's stepmother so all I can give her is praise. And Mandy Moore...Mandy Moore wasn't the strongest in the film but brought a real innocence to Rapunzel. It was also lovely that Rapunzel had a natural, normal ranged singing voice that we're familiar with rather than an operatic, soprano or utterly clean voice that feels false.

The 3D was nice and subtle. It made some of the scenes magical and beautiful but it didn't constantly make the point of "We can make things fly in to your face" like films such as Monsters vs Aliens did. It really did add an air of wonder rather than being a focal point and I can't commend Disney enough for achieving this beautiful balance.

The actual setting and animation itself was wonderful. They really have tried to go back to the original Disney settings with beautiful stone towns, lush forests and magical lighting. The characters themselves looked a little odd but you quickly stopped paying attention to the size of their heads or how far apart their eyes were and appreciated the world we were thrust in to.

I think Disney has managed to get back to their winning standard and what they do best. Though Rapunzel may not be for everyone, it has brought back the magic, wonder and heart felt moments (and some amazing role reversal). They really have made a lovely story tale come to life and closer to the 21st Century.

It's not exactly original and it's not exactly breaking the boundaries but it's beautiful and fun and I can't wait for it to come to Bluray. If you want a good cheer-me-up film which has a bright, fun atmosphere, this is the film for you.

I give Tangled a well deserve 4/5.

Mad Men Season One

2011-01-03T18:06:00.001Z

When trying to describe Mad Men to someone, it’s hard not to make it sound generic and boring: “It’s set in 1960 in an advertising firm and the dynamics and relationships between men and women.” Yawn right? But Mad Men is anything but boring.

Brought to us from the writers and producers of The Sopranos, Made Men is a fast paced, witty, ridiculously well written show which will have you in tears one minute and laughing the next.

Even though Mad Men is a thirteen-episode season, the amount of information you get makes it feel like it’s a twenty-four-episode season. And it’s amazing how it’s achieved, as you never feel as though information is being shoved in your face or that too much is going on. The balance is just so incredibly right that you can just sit there, wanting more and be able to follow the story, which has just been laid in front of you.

One thing that struck me is the humour in the show. It’s amazing how the writers managed to achieve a subtlety to the humour but also make it so they’re the moments you remember. The humour is mainly drawn from the cultural differences between 1960 and present day, which gives the show a slightly relaxed feeling and an authenticity, which is required while watching it.

There are moments when you forget that it’s a period piece and not a show that was originally from the 1960’s just because everything on set is just so perfect that you have no niggles of “really? Is that right? Surely that didn’t happen in 1960?” The attention to detail is beautiful but overlooked as it just provides the ambience in which the actors draw from to create these amazing, period characters.

One thing that has to be mentioned is the costumes. Everything is so specific and tells the story of each character before they’ve even opened their mouth. And the attention to detail is amazing. There are moments where you see the outline of a girdle or the hem of some stockings and you know that they are kitted out from head to toe in 1960 clothes, just to make it that much more real.

And now on to the acting, which is almost flawless. This relatively unknown cast was selected so well that the interactions between characters are so seamless and you feel like you know these characters as soon as you see them.

Jon Hamm who plays Don Draper, the central character of the series gives a consistent and beautiful performance. Even in moments of weakness you can see that he is hiding something and trying to be number one all at the same time. He brings a charm and elegance to the role, which is necessary for us to like him and forgive all his wrong doings. He also brings a certain vulnerability and confusion to the role, drawing us in to his story and allowing us to get more involved. Hamm does an amazing job bringing the character to life and allowing us to see all the sides to Draper without any falter.

Other notable performances come from Christina Hendricks who plays the curvy and sexy Joan. Hendricks brings an air of command and revolution to her character showing the ways in which women started controlling the men in the work place without them even realising it. Though her prime reason for being there is to be domineering, sexy and glamorous, Hendricks never makes Joan cheap or hateful. Hendricks does a marvellous job of letting us see Joan’s brain ticking behind her eyes and opening up her vulnerable side making us love her rather than hate her.

January Jones - who plays Draper’s wife Betty - is a little type cast and behaves as she would in most roles but thankfully, it works in Mad Men. This nervous and self-conscious character is played with an innocence and fragility that makes us warm to Betty. Jones does sometimes miss the mark not very often and I’m looking forward to seeing what else she does with the character in the following seasons.

And my favourite character Bertram Cooper, the founder of Sterling Cooper played by Robert Morse. Morse plays the wise yet eccentric character with such poise and conviction that even when he’s not saying a word, you notice him and giggle. He strikes a magnificent balance of humour and maturity and makes you respect him even when he’s running around with no shoes on.

Season one shows us the battle between men and women and the constant struggle between right and wrong. This sexy representation of 1960 makes you really thankful that you’re living in a world of mobile phones, facebook and suspicion as even the most loving and devoted husband could be sleeping with their secretary behind your back. We see the battle of power between men in the work place and the envy, which causes men to take desperate measures. We see the delicate balance of family life and the secrets that form a personality and a man’s world.

All in all, Mad Men season one is stylish, beautiful, witty and suspenseful. Each episode leaves you wanting more and each episode provides a myriad of emotions and intrigue. It gives us a glimpse in to post war life but doesn’t dwell on it and shows us the dirt that was covered up by proper behaviour. Season one leaves us with few cliff-hangers but it still leaves you wanting more. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story and a bit of sexiness. A well deserving 4.5/5.

Glee Karaoke Revolution for the Wii

2010-12-30T22:19:00.002Z

Being a SingStar fiend and enjoying the little singy numbers in Glee, I got quite excited by Karaoke Revolution's Glee game for the Wii. And lo' and behold, on Christmas day (well Boxing day) there was a copy under the tree with my name on it. But was my excitement really justified?

The game comes in two forms: with mic and of course, without. If like me, you didn't previously have a microphone, you're shedding out a whopping £15.00 plus extra (and considering the game has multiplayer functions, it's a little excessive). If this doesn't put you off, the track list is quite impressive and gives you the opportunity to sing amazing show tunes like Defying Gravity and Don't Rain On My Parade as well as the now cult classic Don't Stop Believing and a whole list of amazing songs. So I guess worth your money? Well it would be if the actual "gameplay" wasn't so irritating.

The game itself is easy to set up. The mic(s) are USB so you can just plug them in to the back of the Wii and the leads are long enough to take a few healthy steps from the screen but if you're dancing around or have people walking past the screen...just make sure you don't whip the Wii on the floor.

There are three modes of play: Scrapbook, Quick Play and Shooting Star. And two of them don't make sense! The Scrapbook mode is described as followed "Create your very own "Scrapbook" based on themed Glee items that are unlocked after you accomplish achievements during the game." I played this and unlocked many levels and nothing changed. I don't know if I did anything wrong or if I was supposed to do anything else because there are no other instructions. The only difference from the other modes was that it was split up in to characters but then several songs were under each character and you still had to sing all the parts.

The Quick Play mode was what you would expect from the game. It has options to sing all the songs either solo, co-op or as a duet. It scores you, it lets you duel and that's it. Nice, clean, simple. That's all I wanted and asked for.

The Shooting Star mode made me want to gauge my eyes out. It's basically the same as the Quick Play mode, but it has hundreds of gold stars flying around the screen blocking the words and notes from view. Their presence is so that the game can be a six player...yes six player game so two people an sing and then four can try and hit the stars. To be honest...I think it's inconvenient and irritating beyond belief.

So now on to the actual gameplay. As a whole, it's what you expect, you sing when it tells you to and you get points. But as it's for the Wii, it feels a little dumbed down. If you just hum a singe note, it will try to adjust the cursor to hit the notes and if you speak, it basically hits every note.

If you are trying to sing the songs, there a couple of niggles which do ruin the game. Firstly, the bonuses and golden notes make some really annoying sounds and visuals. When you hit a certain amount of bonuses, the game screeches "GLEE" like in the show when there's a dramatic scene change. When you're doing well, there are little dancers on the screen which can be mildly distracting but after the first song you learn to ignore them. And when you miss a bonus or phrase etc it either has a lightbulb smashing or it boos and throws a slushy at the screen. All these little quirks do kind of ruin it but not enough to stop playing the game and eventually you start ignoring them.

The most annoying thing(s) is that you have to sing every single part. So if you're singing a duet you have to sing both the male and female part leaving little room to breath at times and having to jump octaves, guess harmonies and miss a lot of notes the first time round. And related to this is the Glee arrangements. As they are slightly different from the original songs, you can sometimes get a little carried away and miss cues and the like.

All in all, the game is fun. I enjoyed playing it on my own (with my boyfriend's commentary) and I'm sure it will be fun with friends but there are a lot of things that bother me. It really does feel like a cheap version of SingStar and it makes it feel like they tried to warrant the expense by adding the extra modes which seemed irrelevant and actually made it feel cheaper. It's nice watching all the best bits of Glee without any of the poor jokes or storylines (not that Glee is all bad...just some of it).

I think it's a fun game which has the potential to be a great party hit and it really is great to get some amazing songs to sing to your hearts content, convincing yourself you're great because it tells you, you were 99% accurate. With this in mind, the game deserves a decent 4 out of 5 but in comparison to other karaoke games, it's a lowly 3 at best.

The Kids Are All Right

2010-11-15T10:37:00.002Z

The Kids Are All Right is a comedy-drama depicting the family life of a lesbian couple and their two children thrown in to turmoil when said children get in touch with their biological father.

And yes, that basically sums up the whole 106 minute film. This attempt to show a somewhat unconventional family situation felt a little cheap and a little dated - you could certainly tell that this film had been waiting for the green light to be produced for a few years. But surely, a low budget film with a lesbian couple and their children's struggle to not only meet their father but get to know him should be quite an attractive synopsis shouldn't it?

The essence of the film really wasn't as controversial as you'd expect and the main reason for this is because it really did miss it's window of opportunity. If this was made a few years ago when the world was still getting used to gay marriage and child adoption (and we're talking quite a few years ago now) it would have worked. But, with contemporary culture as it is today, the taboos of the situation have completely dissipated leaving us with what should have been an intriguing family life with a stereotypical and relatable family.

The controlling, always right, very successful doctor and head of the family, Nic (Annette Bening) is a stereotypical, almost neglectful type who seems to keep the family on the straight and narrow. Jules (Julianne Moore), on the other hand, is the modern day unemployed hippy, who is laid back and just wants some love and attention. The pair strike a nice balance, but nothing we haven't seen before except...hold on...it's two women! The children, Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) are almost like Bart and Lisa Simpson where the sister is very studious, serious and content with her life and the brother is rebellious, care-free and trying to find his moral compass. And then we have Paul (Mark Ruffalo), the laid back, down to earth, "doer" of a man whose donation created the children. Though his presence with the family provides a staggering amount of awkward silences and cringe worthy moments, his transformation from guy about town having a good time to a man just looking for love and acceptance is from the character's growth handbook 101.

The film has some semi interesting, kind of surprising situations due to the initial setup but it's not as ground breaking as it may seem on the surface. The idea that a lesbian woman who is desperate for attention reaches out to a man who obviously finds her attractive is surprising, maybe a little confusing but not exactly new, especially given some of the explanations about sexuality throughout the film. It's not as if the film isn't interesting or funny or that it's actually boring, it's just not as original as it may initially seem. If it came out when it was first written, it would have been a bit more controversial but for a contemporary audience it's not exactly setting itself apart from the rest. But saying that, as a family drama with some witty jokes, dramatic pauses and very energetic sex scenes, it is entertaining. It has a very natural flow to the film and has that underlying "something big's going to happen" but doesn't reach it's full potential.

The whole film could have been about a liberal straight couple and it wouldn't have made a difference to the actual film. Now, I don't know if I find that a good or a bad point purely because, well why shouldn't a lesbian couple be exactly the same as a straight couple but surely, this was the only angle which set it apart for other Hollywood titles giving it more appeal to an audience - thus making the concept a little cheap and very dated. The way in which the film was marketed, it made it feel as though it would be more about Nic and Jules and the balance of their relationship while their children got used to the idea of a potentially conventional family, but that story-line was overshadowed and it just didn't quite get there.

If you're expecting something fast paced but poignant and meaningful, I really would give this a miss. The plot is a bit superficial and definitely not original and it has that unresolved "we're moving on with our lives" ending so many low budget films try to pull off. The Kids Are All Right didn't have the shock value it was maybe aiming for but it's worth a watch if you want something a little bit funny, a little bit sad and fairly easy to watch.

Dinner for Schmucks

2010-11-11T05:08:00.002Z

We're all unfortunate enough to know that one weirdo who not only has an embarrassing hobby but is also remarkably ditzy (to put it nicely). But, in Dinner For Schmucks, this statement is pushed to the extreme.

Dinner For Schmucks follows Tim (Paul Rudd), an ambitious business man planning to move up in his company as quickly and efficiently as possible. After an impressive display of research, knowledge and determination; Tim is invited to a special dinner by his boss. However, this isn't your run of the mill fancy, fat cat meal...no, each person has to invite a remarkable person; a person that pushes the boundaries of belief...a remarkable idiot.

After discussing the meal with his almost fiance, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), he tries to get out of the dinner due to it's moral instability. However, fate makes him literally run in to Barry (Steve Carell), an IRS, taxidermist who is quite unaware of social convention. As fate seems to be talking to Tim, he "befriends" Barry to take him to the meal causing friction and destruction in all elements of his life.

Dinner For Schmucks isn't what you would usually expect from either Rudd or Carrell as a film but considering it's a remake of the French Le Diner De Cons, they really did make it their own through their performances.

Steve Carell played a stereotypical idiot who is crazy but harmless unbelievably well. It was a little over the top and a little reminiscent of Brick from Anchorman and even Michael Scott from The Office, but I think for this kind of comedy which is slapstick without being overly physical, it worked. It made it so it was slightly detached from reality making it easier to laugh about him and the situation as a whole. Carell gives us the perfect balance of empathy, innocence, humour and frustration. While watching him you don't know if you should cry out of pity for his personality and past or if you want to punch him in the face because he's just that stupid!

Paul Rudd is really in his comfort zone with this role. He plays a typical man, over stepping his lifestyle and expectations, getting angry every-so-often and having moments of physical incapacity leading to "funny" jokes. It wasn't really a push for him and due to that, he really just became an enabler for the other actors to create the hilarity.

David Walliams gave quite a memorable but typical performance as a Swiss business man. He was more subtle than he usually is but it really worked for this role. It was really nice to see him take a step back from the comedic lime light and support Steve Carell's performance.

Another amazing performance was given by Jemaine Clement. Clement plays an overly sexual artist who has a business relationship with Julie. But due to his "animal, sexual magnetism", it makes Tim feel that there is more going on than what's on the surface. Clement gives a really convincing performance which is over the top but completely believable. He takes on the role of arrogant, successful, progressive artist really well and really does make you see another side of him and his acting ability. Even though his performance is one of, if not the best, in the movie, he really does know how to take centre stage and then step back when needed. It was really quite a remarkable performance.

Lucy Punch was the only memorable female performance but possibly for all the wrong reasons. Even though she plays an over sexual, crazy, OTT, stalker ex conquest of Tim's, she really did not have any moment of believability and just felt a bit cringe worthy throughout.

The last performance that the mass audience will notice is from Zach Galifianakis. Playing another potential idiot and Barry's arch nemesis, he shows, once again, his vast range of ability to play a wide array of idiots. Unlike any other idiots I've seen him play, he was quite remarkable in this role.

The film as a whole is a bit chaotic and tries to cover a few too many situations and relationships. It sometimes doesn't flow as well as you would hope and sometimes you think "why did they do that?" but when you think of things in the grand scheme of things, it all makes sense and it all balances out.

It can be quite hit and miss with the jokes but as a whole, it really works and has some real laugh out loud moments. There have even been moments where I have laughed in real life, relating back to the film.

I do think it's a film you have to take with a pinch of salt. If you go in with high expectations and want a typical Carell film, you will be disappointed. If you want a film that will make you laugh, think about all the stupid things you've heard people say or seen people do, you will enjoy it. It's not a film that will win any awards or be a cult classic, but it is a film I would watch again and would recommend to people.

All in all, I found it fun, entertaining, chaotic and fairly fast paced. It has something for everyone and a fairly impressive cast. If you're in the mood for something light and easy going one evening, I would highly recommend watching this film.

I give this a healthy 3.5/5

Hereafter review (spoilers)

2010-11-03T16:34:00.001Z

I had high hopes for Hereafter seeing as it starred Matt Damon (he seems to be getting better with age) and Clint Eastwood directing - a reasonable expectation I think. But I was wrong...so, so wrong.

Hereafter follows three people as they deal with their relationships with death.

We follow Marie; a French reporter who is in Thailand during the Tsunami, surviving the devastating disaster but never feeling the same after.

We see twin brothers Jason and Marcus living a turbulent lives in London. We see the boys get separated by Jason's death and how Marcus deals with it.

The last person we follow is George. George used to be a psychic in San Francisco, giving readings from the dead. However, due to the high demand and how it affects his life/mentality, he resigns to have a normal life. We see him reconnect with his past and how he tries to create a new life for himself.

So, the concept seemed fairly interesting; three associations with death and the potential afterlife. It has so many possibilities and potentially a good debate - but it failed miserably.

The first thing I want to mention is the fact that the composition of the three stories was atrocious. It was effectively three short films that have a loose connection which unsurprisingly meet at the end for a terrible, terrible cliched ending.

The story about Marie is probably the most interesting on paper. That may be because they have a massive action sequence building tension and anticipation with the Tsunami (which kind of felt like the beginning of Saving Private Ryan due to the amount of violence and action). The story has it's massive faults: ie. Marie's boyfriend survives the Tsunami even though he was in a hotel facing the sea and thus the Tsunami, Marie was drowned and then dragged out of the water and brought back to life (the two guys ignoring all the other dead people and potential survivors around them). But ignoring that, her reaction after the event and the way that she dealt with her experience was interesting. It was a bit annoying and a bit predictable, but it had some depth. Cecile De France was fairly convincing and gave an empathetic performance. She was elegant and sophisticated even though sometimes, she was a little OTT. The story itself did have some elements of disbelief (everything just seemed to fall in to place) but it wasn't unreasonable for this type of film.

The story about the twins was god-awful! The setting made it feel like it was in the 80s. The premiss was ridiculously stereotypical and obvious but poorly executed. The accents were stupid! They were either verging on cockney rhyming slang or saying "what, what" constantly. The dialog made me feel like I was watching Oliver Twist and the acting...OH MY GOD THE ACTING! I was cringing right the way through watching it. It was embarrassing. The Mclaren twins were so awkward and just awful, it's hard to explain how awful. Let's just say that during a scene with Matt Damon, Matt Damon seemed like the best actor in the world in comparison to the boy. It was dire. The story itself would not have been interesting on its own and could have been written and executed with so much more heart and sympathy, but it honestly felt half arsed.

George's story has the most Hollywood appeal. It has the most mystery and intrigue about it as well as suspense and potential romance. There were times during these scenes where I was waiting for something bad to happen. With every crossing of the road, slicing of a tomato, I thought that something terrible was going to happen due to the lack of actual death in the story. George is definitely the most empathetic character in the whole film. Matt Damon was exceptional and gave the movie a shine to it. He really provided the necessary intensity and familiarity to appeal to a western audience.

I really want to cover the story based in London. It was one of the worst things I've seen in my life. I couldn't believe the fact that every single person was grey, almost sickly looking and ugly. There was no subtly in the filming or the story. The acting was appalling for the most part; the twins looked confused and sounded bored, the foster parents acted as if they were on Doctors and the extras just...oh it was just stupid. The idea of rush hour on London tubes was unrealistic. The whole thing was just infuriating.

I found the fact that they used two major events from recent years a little insensitive. They were just vehicles to tell a poor story. They barely acknowledged all the death and destruction the Tsunami caused and instead just focused on Marie. The London tube bombings we referenced just to make a magical, mysterious point about the twins. I found it cheap and disrespectful.

I couldn't believe how poorly the film had been together. It was quite obvious that someone had the idea for three short stories, couldn't finish them, so thought "oh I'll combine them and make a feature length film" - awful! I would have been interested to see a film about George and I think the premiss of the other two stories had potential but were just written and executed poorly.

And it's surprising because writer Peter Morgan is responsible for films such as The Other Boleyn Girl, The Queen, The Last King of Scotland. You would think that someone of his calibre would be able to produce something with a little more substance and tension. It may be because he's trying something a bit more mystical and controversial, based on fiction instead of history but it was very weak.

I was very surprised with the direction also. I think it was supposed to be a bit gritty and realistic but it just didn't work. It honestly felt like this should have been a straight to DVD or TV movie.

I am very sad that this film was so disappointing. I honestly thought it would have a lot of potential and a good combination of cast, director and writer. But I could not have been more disappointed. I honestly tried to be optimistic while watching it, but after the third revolution in the cycle, I just lost all faith and couldn't wait until it was over.

If I was going to rate each story and then averaged them, I think the score would be 3.5/5 but seeing as I have to judge the film as a whole, it has to be 2/5.

The Social Network review

2010-10-30T17:22:00.002+01:00

The Social Network is the live action interpretation of the book The Accidental Billionaires depicting the story of Facebook's creation. The film is directed by David Fincher and stars Jesse Eisenber, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake.

The film shows an interpretation of events which led to not only the creation of Facebook but also the lawsuits against Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) in later years.

We follow the story of Mark, a young, socially inept genius from his want and need for acceptance and notoriety from the elite (clubs such as Phoenix) to enforcing his intelligence and superiority over those around him. We watch all the ups and downs of Mark's relationships with his friends, women and Facebook itself.

We then delve in to the creation of TheFacebook and the two legal cases against Zuckerberg; one against the IP of his creation and the other over the division of shares of the company. The film then jumps between the three timelines throughout the film.

We see Zuckerberg being approached by the Winklevoss brothers (annoyingly being played by one actor Armie Hammer) and their lackey/business partner Divya Narendra to make the Harvard Connection, an exclusive dating website only open to Harvard students.

We then see the site grow and follow the story of the separation between Zuckerberg and Severin, the intergration of Parker into the business and the growth of the company. We see the pain and suffering that everyone suffers due to the websites success and the way in which money completely changes everyone's perspective of each other expect for Zuckerberg.

The Social Network is a fast paced, well crafted and extremely relevant to contemporary society. This film could be telling the story of any IP battle or business lawsuit and not have as much appeal. The characters are engaging and interesting and people we have all heard of. It's a situation we can all relate to and appreciate as it is essential a part of our lives. The timing of the film was spot on and mutually beneficial to Facebook and The Social Network.

The way in which the narrative is split between the court cases and the backstory of the creation and growth of Facebook so beautiful making the pace of the film exactly right giving each tale equal weighting and importance. The court cases are almost the comic relief in the movie due to the witty one liners and some of the revelations made in the court room.

The characters are written amazingly well. We love and hate Zuckerberg, we pity (both good and bad) Severin, we feel sorry but hate the Winklevoss brothers and we both idolise and question Parker. The dialog is spot on. The jokes are subtle for the most part, sometimes obvious but the right amount in the right places.

It is bizarre that this is a David Fincher film as it doesn't have the usual feel and visual to it - apart from one scene marking the turning point in the film which seems like a commercial for Cambridge. But, even though it is not stereotypical Fincher, it still bores his brilliance.

The acting was, for the most part, spot on. Jesse Eisenberg gives such a brilliant performance that I will be amazed if he doesn't win a number of awards. He plays the aloof, socially awkward, eloquent, egotistical, somewhat naive genius so naturally that you forget that he is not actually Mark Zuckerberg. He brings a charm and child like innocence to the character which makes you believe in the character and his beliefs. His delivery of the one line jokes are pure perfect comic timing and his physical acting (though sometimes not totally consistent from beginning to end) draws us in to his character more.

Andrew Garfield's performance is a bit wet and potentially should have been stronger. He did make us pity his character and the situation he was in, but also make us feel as though he should have stood up and looked after himself a little better. This could have easily been done with an adjustment in tone or even volume of his voice because he just sounded mopey and sorry for himself for most of the film. Otherwise, it was a fair performance and let Jesse shine, I guess the most important thing in a supporting role.

Armie Hammer (really?! that's his name?!) did a surprisingly good job of the Winklevoss brother in such that they seemed dumb and you couldn't relate to them and you didn't want them to win. Which was the whole purpose of their storyline and the moral to the story. I think there are far too many stories in the papers at the moment of a "they stole my idea I want compensation" these days that this film just makes you realise "if they invented facebook, they would have made facebook" (one of the best lines in the film). Though I hate it when a film has one actor playing twins, I will admit that Hammer worked this and gave a good performance.

Justin Timberlake was very much a crowd pulling name and that's about it. He did play the sleazy, questionable character very well but I don't think that he belongs on the silver screen. There were a few scenes where his character was quite extreme so he managed to pull it off, but on the whole, he doesn't really get the subtle acting thing and most of the time just delivered his lines. Sad really.

As a whole this movie just works. It has a level of understanding for everyone, it has humour, it has a "life's a bitch" ironic element to it, it has everything.

One thing I love about this film is that it's not about the rock and roll lifestyle that people expect it might be. There are no real female characters except for Erica Albright (Zuckerberg's girlfriend at the beginning of the film played by Rooney Mara). It doesn't make the statement that men are better than women either because there is a very poignant moment at the end of the film where a young, female lawyer makes an intelligent statement to Zuckerberg making him realise what went wrong with his decision and why people won't see it the way he does.

One thing I hated was the beginning when it explains how Zuckerberg made FaceMash. It was just a bit condescending and shouting "look how smart this guy is" and went on a bit too long. But seeing as the film is 2 hours long and this was the only bad part...it's not really saying much.

People keep going on about the wrong sentiment of this film. It's very straight forward. It's ironic that he has millions of online friends but can't keep his real relationships alive. That's it. That's the ironic statement in the film. That's the revelation of the film. For success, you have to make sacrifices and that was his.

I could go on for hours about this film, and after I see it again, I probably will but I will round up the review now.

The film is witty, relevant and well crafted. It appeals to a wide audience and covers a ridiculously contemporary subject which will be relevant for years to come. I think this movie is a complete must see and as I mentioned, I will be watching it again very soon.

I give this a well deserving 5 out of 5 and will be surprised if it doesn't get a load of awards this year.

The Social Network review with complete synopsis

2010-10-30T17:19:00.002+01:00

The film shows an interpretation of events which led to not only the creation of Facebook but also the lawsuits against Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) in later years.

Zuckerberg breaks up with his girlfriend and blogs the whole situation which (after a couple of beers) leads to the creation of a HotOrNot-esque website called FaceMash rating the girls from all the houses of Harvard using an algorithm supplied by his best friend Eduardo (Garfield). After crashing the servers and getting the attention of not only the whole student body but also the academic board. After a disciplinary hearing, Zuckerberg is put on a six month academic probation.

Zuckerberg then starts planning a social networking site for Harvard students only; a site where they can share their personal and social information securely across all the houses in Harvard. The idea starts snowballing in to site where you can show you sexual interests and availability etc. Zuckerberg approaches Severin to provide the money to launch the website.

Once the website is up and running using Severin's email list from Phoenix (the elite club in which Severin has been invited to) spreading the word throughout the university. The website then grows at an experiential rate stemming out to other elite universities. Obviously the growth, execution and website itself grabs the attention of the Winklevoss brothers leading to the eventual court case claiming the IP for Facebook.

When the website eventually reaches the West Coast Stanford, Sean Parker (the co-founder of Napster played by Timberlake) notices the site and through a friend of a friend, sets up a meeting with Zuckerberg. After a somewhat unconventional business meeting, Parker suggests that they should drop the The from Thefacebook and just make it Facebook.

We then follow the story of the separation between Zuckerberg and Severin, the intergration of Parker into the business and the growth of the company. We see the pain and suffering that everyone suffers due to the websites success and the way in which money completely changes everyone's perspective of each other expect for Zuckerberg.

As a whole this movie just works. It has a level of understanding for everyone, it has humour, it has a "life's a bitch" ironic element to it, it has everything.

I could go on for hours about this film, and after I see it again, I probably will but I will round up the review now.

I give this a well deserving 5 out of 5 and will be surprised if it doesn't get a load of awards this year.

The Runaways

2010-10-27T20:27:00.002+01:00

The Runaways is biofilm about the all-girl rock band from the 70s The Runaways. The film follows the story of Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) through the good and bad times of being in a famous rock band, the rock star lifestyle and sexual exploration.

The film starts off with a statement about the two young women. The young Cherie and her sister Marie (Riley Keough) are on the side of the road when Cherie starts her first period, after running into the toilet of a fast food restaurant, Marie give Cherie her underwear and then run out to meet Marie's older boyfriend. In the car, Marie tells her boyfriend that Cherie got her first period where he proclaims that she is now a woman and to combat the embarrassment, Cherie tells him that Marie isn't wearing any underwear. It then shows Joan in a store looking at mens clothes, when told where the ladies clothes are, she says she wants the outfit the guy in the store is wearing and then she runs out. We then see her running around town, attending guitar lessons where she stubbornly demands to learn electric guitar and just being the rebel she wants to be.

We follow the two stories converge as Joan meets Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) at a club, proposing the idea of an all girl rock band. After some terrible rehearsals, we see Kim and Joan looking for a pretty, blonde lead singer. Which they find in Cherie at a club. They ask Cherie to prepare a Suzi Quatro song to audition with. Cherie picks Fever, which is not approved of and after Kim throwing her out of the trailer, Joan writes Cherrybomb for her to audition with.

Once the band is formed, they start doing local gigs - being stiffed by Kim - and then finding themselves on tour and slowly being in magazines and sell out shows.

We see the girls dabble in cocaine, pills and goodness what else. We see a romance bloom between Cherie and Joan as well as Cherie exploring her sexuality not only physically with both men and women but also stage costumes.

We see the band fragment as Cherie becomes the main focus in the media and when her wild lifestyle gets a little too much. After the band breaks up, we follow Cherie in a downward spiral ending her acting career and life as she knows it. Joan on the other hand, is more successful and explores her potential.

The film is a generic biopic. It has a healthy dose of teenage angst, family issues, sex and drugs. However, the timeline feels a bit choppy and rushed but it still has a boring undertone. It all felt a bit samey and all the issues addressed felt too similar and were dealt with in the same manner.

The acting was quite varied and quite hit or miss.

Fanning did quite well for the most part. She brought an innocent vibe with a want for excitement and peer pressure but her extreme, wild child performance was quite contrived and unbelievable. The last couple of scenes where she was drugged and playing a "diva" was completely unbelievable and was somewhat harmed when she went back to a normal, quiet, girl-next-door at the end as it showed that she will never be able to pull off the hard rocker chick ever again.

Stewart was atrocious. You couldn't tell the difference between her performance in Twilight and this one. There's a particular scene which made me cringe; Cherie is attempting to reach her first orgasm in the shower with Joan coaching her. When Joan realises that Cherie is in to girl, she gets excited and stabs a wall with a retractable knife. It was so unbelievable and so awkward and felt like a school project performance that I almost switched the film off. And that kind of sums up her whole acting ability.

Shannon gave a very impressive performance. There were moments of genius where you believed that he was a sleazy, creepy dude who wanted to just take advantage of these girls. There were also moments where he was demonstrating how Cherie should perform which were just gold! His performance brought all the comic relief and quality acting.

The musical performances were quite disappointing because the vocals were weak to say the least. I know Cherie was supposed to improve throughout the film, as she did, but it wasn't to the level of the real Cherie Currie.

As a film, it kind of felt like a TV movie which documented a D list band rather than being the film it could have been. It was disappointing because the sex scenes which should have added a bit of fizzle in the film and a controversial topic in the film fell completely flat, not just because Stewart is completely incapable of producing any heat or emotion or that Fanning just seems too innocent, but because Fanning was 17 during filming so they had to be really careful how they filmed it.

It was just quite a generic story of jealousy, growth and lack of control. It didn't provide anything that any other biopic about any other band didn't provide and it was just quite empty and dull.

If you're thinking about watching this, don't. The wikipedia page on the band does a better job than the film does. If you want to watch it because Fanning and Stewart "get it on", it only lasts 30 seconds and they barely kiss.

I would probably give this a 1.5 out of 5 and that's purely for Shannon's performance.

Kingfish, San Mateo CA

2010-10-27T19:18:00.001+01:00

Kingfish is not what it sounds like. I thought it would either be a seafood restaurant or maybe even Chinese but the name Kingfish has nothing to do with the food, it's short for "Eat like a king, drink like a fish" and believe me, you can.

The restaurant itself is very large and takes up a whole corner in San Mateo, right next to convenient parking and valet parking. It's well decorated in a warm and welcoming dark wood and black wrought iron theme with open fires and big, comfortable chairs. There are cute, unusual paintings on the walls which makes the atmosphere even more relaxed and child friendly. The staff are friendly (a bit too upbeat for my liking) and efficient. Within minutes of sitting down, we had ice water served to us before taking our drinks order.

The menu has a wide selection of dishes. From oysters to wild mushroom ravioli, sashimi of tuna salad to truffled mac 'n' cheese. It's mainly hearty american food with a cajun twist. We ordered some starters to share and with 2 items, it was enough to feed the six of us with some left over. I ordered a BLT roasted chicken salad which had two types of dressing, plenty of chicken and bacon, lovely baby plum tomatoes and it really made you feel satisfied after. All the ingredients were fresh and of good quality. Other people in the party enjoyed the wide range of burgers which looked really filling (THERE WAS A LOT OF FOOD ON THE PLATE) and from the sounds around the table, everybody seemed to have enjoyed it. I tried the fries and even though they didn't look great, they tasted amazing. They were fluffy, crispy and had a great seasoned coating. After the meal, we were all full to bursting but the dessert menu sounded so good, we all had to get something. We ordered a banana bread pudding to share between two of us and it was delightful. It was rich with a light texture served warm with a good quality vanilla icecream. The caramelized bananas were still fruity but smooth with a beautiful, light, golden sauce. I don't think someone could eat a whole one after a main meal seeing as we left a third of it. We were given some complimentary sweets (apricot flapjacks and chocolate and balsamic vinegar brownies) but it was just too much to eat.

The food was amazing in a very homely, comforting way. It wasn't pretentious or intimidating. It's just good, tasty and fulfilling food. I felt welcome and comforted and completely at ease with the situation and my surroundings. The only bad thing (except the chipper staff) was that the portions were massive...BUT I don't agree with complaining about that because it's been that someone's intake is their choice rather than not giving them enough.

I wouldn't say that this place is a must see but if you are in the area and fancy something hearty to eat or with a big group of people, it would be ideal. I think for the situation I was in, it was ideal and that if I was a local, I probably would visit it once in a while, even if it was just to pick up some dessert.

I would give this a well deserved 4.5 out of 5. It would have been a 5 if I felt the compelling need to go again but I think it will be a place I'll pass by next time and think..."yeah, maybe."

The Crepevine, Burlingame CA

2010-10-27T02:43:00.001+01:00

Seeing as I'm in California at the moment, I thought it would be a good idea to review a couple restaurants and areas etc for any of you that might visit one day.

First off:

Crepevine, Burlingame.

The Crepevine is a small chain specialising in...wait for it...crepes.

The Burlingame restaurant is in a cute location opposite a cupcake bakery and an Apple store. It has both an indoor and outdoor seating area. It's quite spacious with a wide range of crepes, sandwiches, burgers, salads, pastas and beverages. It doesn't look fancy and it doesn't look pristine but it looks quaint and cool and like somewhere teenagers would hang out with their friends or twenty somethings will go on a date or thirty somethings would go for a quick lunch. The staff are super friendly but not exactly on the ball (seeing as the girl missed out some of our order but ho-hum).

As it was raining really heavily, we were really wet and sat outside on the patio under the heat lamps which did dry us out a lot. The food came out quickly and the waitress was quick to refill our glasses and make sure our order was correct (we didn't complain).

The food was more than plentiful. I had a savory crepe with spinach, feta cheese, ham and olives. It came with a decent side salad and new potatoes. The crepe itself was cooked well and about the right thickness. The filling was tasty and there was plenty of spinach and ham meaning you really didn't feel cheated. Everything was well seasoned and complimented each other. My one big complaint about the crepe itself was that it was a bit wet. The spinach hadn't been drained properly and the ham had released a lot of liquid so I just had salty, green/brown liquid running all over my plate. The small complaint I have is that it may be a possible that there was a bit too much filling for the crepe as it felt more like a frill rather than the main attraction and you can't really taste it. The potatoes were tasty but undercooked and somewhat unnecessary as the crepes were so big and filling.

It may sound like I'm complaining but I did really enjoy it. I think you need to go there with a reasonable expectation. When I was told about it, I thought it was a fancy restaurant which was just a bit quirky, but it's not. It's just a cute little eatery which is relaxing and fun and a bit different.

The food is fairly cheap, our bill came to about $25 for both of us, it's really tasty and it's easy. I would highly recommend visiting if you are looking for something quick and interesting. I would give the food a decent 4 out of 5. But I really wouldn't recommend using the toilet.

Cyrus

2010-10-26T01:25:00.004+01:00

It seemed like quite a generic concept that provided a lot of room for cheap jokes and laugh out loud moments...it seemed to fulfill half of that brief. Cyrus stars John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill making me believe that the film would be a fast paced comedy but I was sorely mistaken.

Cyrus is about the awkward divorcee John (Reilly) trying to move on from his ex-wife who about to remarry. At a party, John meets Molly (Marisa Tomei), a beautiful and open woman who seems to be completely at ease with John's issues with his ex, honesty and tendency to expose himself in the bushes. After a wild night, John and Molly start dating and things progress quickly leading to John meeting Cyrus (Hill), Molly's twenty-two year old son who is more than close to his mother. The story of the unlikely, bizarre and slightly crazy trio unfolds for the next hour and twenty minutes.

I think it's safe to say that I was not expecting what I saw. The film is ridiculously slow to the point where I thought things were just about to kick off and then the credits started rolling. I found myself day dreaming while watching it and I think I laughed a total of three times...internally. I was expecting to get jokes every three minutes and to see something really inappropriate to happen...but no. No. It was just a slow story about a passive aggressive battle between a lover and a son biding for a woman's affection.

It really was one of those films an actor does to try and prove they can act...but they can't. Reilly was so awkward that initially, it felt like that was his character, but it just got worse and worse and the whole thing just felt disconnected and uncomfortable. Hill did a better job making his character a little more unstable and unpredictable but still a bit dull.

It's really hard to comment on this film because it was really predictable, ridiculously slow, uneventful and just boring. The story of mother and son makes you feel quite uncomfortable. The relationship between John and Molly is quite unbelievable and moves far too quickly in a manner that is creepy and unrealistic. John and Cyrus has the most believable relationship, but that doesn't say much.

I cannot express enough how disappointed I was with this film. I honestly think this film is a testament that Hill and Reilly should stick to what they know and not attempt a "deep and meaningful" film again. The writing wasn't essentially bad but the premise of the film didn't have enough context or even padding for the dialog to pack a punch.

I really don't recommend watching this film. I think it's a complete waste of 90 minutes of your life which you will never get back. I don't think it even falls on a 1-5 scale and should be avoided at all costs.

The Joneses

2010-09-22T14:46:00.001+01:00

The Joneses is one of those films you think is worth a watch because it has a decent cast, seems like and interesting (ish) idea and must have more to the trailer...wrong.

The Joneses is about a bunch of sales people posing as a family to promote and sell products using a technique known as "stealth marketing". They seem perfect on the outside with their big screen TVs, state of the art golf clubs and straight off the catwalk clothing but things aren't what they seem. Between a rookie sales man finding it hard to distinguish real life from the sales pitch and a nympho "daughter" and everything in between; this movie leads us through a very generic story which of course leads to a dramatic peak and then falls in to a predictable self involved ending which is supposed to be uplifting and feel good but it really isn't.

Demi Moore looked beautiful and gave a semi-convincing performance but to be fair, the character didn't have any depth. David Duchovny gives it a fair jab. His character is the only one with depth and you do feel a sort of empathetic attachment to him but unfortunately, you forget it as soon as the movie is over. No one else really has any notable qualities and their performances were quite generic and inconsequential to the plot. But to be fair, the writing was so poor that the no matter what the actors did, the plot could not have been improved.

While watching the film, it's kind of engaging. It throws you a couple of curve balls that peak your interest but to be honest, if you've seen the trailer, you didn't really need to watch the film. The person I watched it with hadn't seen the trailer so was constantly trying to work out what was happening in the first 30 minutes and then when he was clear, lost interest very quickly.

I don't really know what audience this film was made for. It was supposed to be light hearted, maybe a love story but in reality it was dark, depressing and shallow.

I honestly watched this and felt empty inside afterwards. It felt unresolved, rushed, shallow and static. After such a big emotional peak which is the only substance throughout the whole film, the ending was ridiculously glossy and boring.

I think there was supposed to be some depth in the idea of these people supposedly having an amazing and beautiful life but everything being broken blah blah blah but it was really a massive miss.

I don't think I could have been more disappointed with this film. It was dull, long (even though it was only 93 minutes long) and unmoving.

If I had to give it a star rating, it would be a measly one out of five.

The Other Guys

2010-09-21T15:02:00.002+01:00

How could anyone resist a film about the under-dog cops with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg? I certainly couldn't! So on opening weekend, I made my way to the local cinema to watch it.

If you don't know what it's about...listen up:

In a New York Police Department where the two main detectives are practically celebrities, what happens to the other guys? Who ever thinks of the guys stuck behind a desk, sorting out the paperwork? No one...until now.

Detectives Hoitz and Gamble are partners and the office joke. Gamble (Ferrell) is a cowardly nerd happy to fall behind and pick up for anyone just to stay in the office. Hoitz (Wahlberg) is a hotshot cop who lost his chance of being a well known name due to an accident (which I won't reveal).

When there's an opportunity to take the title of New York's favourite heroes...a fight breaks out in the office, but who will win.

The film follows Hoitz and Gamble stumbling in to a big case and the troubles they have to face.

I don't really want to give away too much because part of the charm of the film is the little surprises along the way. But I will do a round about review for you guys without spoiling anything...I hope.

Ferrell's performance was a stereotypical Will Ferrell performance. He had his usual moments of outrage coupled with his moments of confused naivety. I think it's hard to say that Ferrell isn't type cast but that's why people love Will Ferrell films, because you know what to expect.

Wahlberg was surprisingly good. He's not exactly the best actor in the world and his comic timing is not always spot on, but I do think his venture into comedy will be beneficial to him. His physical performance was near perfect, his moments of vulnerability were more than comical and when he hit the timing, he was hilarious.

The film as a whole was a bit disappointing. The main plot was generic and predictable and the jokes didn't really make up for that fact. In all honesty, comparing the first half to the second was like watching two completely different films (the first being funnier). There were a couple running jokes which got a bit boring about three quarters of the way through and there were some very America-centric jokes weren't very appealing to an international audience. Some of the jokes seemed quite misplaced and only inserted for a quick cheap laugh and sometimes the cuts were a bit dubious, again just trying to accentuate a joke. The plot was a bit inconsistent (massive flaws in the character relationships) and though it wasn't complicated, there are a few too many bits of unneeded information thrown at you which were only there to either make a random joke or try to beef up the plot.

The casting was fantastic and I honestly believe that it made the film. If it wasn't Ferrell and Keaton and Coogan and to a certain degree Wahlberg the film would have been a massive flop.

Cheap jokes, poor story line and inconstancies aside; I was entertained. I did chuckle every two minutes of so and there were some laugh out loud moments. However, the jokes could have been used in a sketch show and the plot was a bit too loose for the details to stick.

I probably wouldn't watch it again. I probably wouldn't recommend it as a must see. But I would say that if you are a big fan of Will Ferrell, you may want to give it a chance or if you're really bored and enjoyed the likes of Blue Streak, you might enjoy it.

All in all, I give it 2.5 out of 5.

Bunny and the Bull

2010-08-23T14:13:00.002+01:00

It's hard no to compare Bunny and the Bull to The Mighty Boosh, purely because they've cast two bizarro look-a-likes to play the main characters. Not only does the cast look similar to the cult classic but the art and sets used have an air of Boosh about them.

Bunny and the Bull is about an OCD sufferer - Stephen, bound to his home, endlessly collecting and catagorising everything in his home (including his wee). One day, when he is infested by mice, he finds the need to leave his home and step out in to the real world for the first time in a year. Unfortunately, panic sets in and he refuses to leave and starts reminiscing about his friend Bunny and a trip they took around Europe.

We follow the odd pair - Stephen (Edward Hogg); cautious and kind, Bunny (Simon Farnaby); gambler and sex fiend - through their journey. We see them meet a wealth of people on their travels but the most important is the beautiful and liberal Eloisa (Veronica Echegui). It is because of Eloisa, that the boys go to Spain and the dynamic of their relationship is changed forever.

It's hard not to do a full essay on this film. I would love to spend a page on the significance of colour between Stephen's memory and the real world. Or the relationship between Bunny and Stephen or even the fact that Stephen is so afraid of being the star in his own show that his life story is called "Bunny and the Bull". But I can't, so I will crack on with the appraisal.

The most amazing thing about this visual masterpiece is the wide range of medium used to build the sets. Each part of Stephen's memory is depicted by things in his house: a mountain from a snow-globe, a Russian highway made of old newspapers, a bar made up of bottles of urine. Everything is so beautifully made and makes it so distinct from the real world that you can't help looking at it with wonder. It's so well done that half the time you don't notice that the background is a projection of a stop animation or that they're sitting in a restaurant made of pencil drawings. It all just works. This application of set and props makes the film so magical and wondrous without you even realising that you've been sucked in to this little world. It makes the story more engaging and gives an added layer of depth. One thing I found I was doing was pointing out the obvious when it was presented to me: a lake lined with cellophane, a fire made of newspaper etc. If nothing else makes you watch this movie, the sets should.

The acting was what you expect from this genre of film. It was a bit obvious, it was a bit lazy but it worked. I can't say I went in to the film expecting an award winning performance from the two leads but I did leave feeling satisfied and convinced. Edward Hogg and Simon Farnaby were an impressive match for the film and had the same rapport as Noel and Julian, just with a dorkier edge.

Veronica Echegui's acting was not exactly ideal for this role but it worked. It was a little wooden and I think some of the jokes were lost in translation for her but again, it just worked due to the dream landscape. It was refreshing that it was a story about a normal girl with just above average looks charm these two men. And to be honest, if her performance was too polished, it would have probably detracted from the film.

I was very disappointed with some of the cameo roles. Richard Ayode was type cast as a museum tour guide which had the potential of being funny...if it lasted longer that 45 seconds. I can't describe to you how much my heart sank when I realised he wasn't coming back and kept hoping he would make another appearance at some other random point during the film.

Noel Fielding was his usual bizarre, OTT, bad accent character which was both expected and accepted. I don't think anyone else could have played the character nor do I think that Paul King had written it for anybody else.

And lastly, Julian Barratt. Julian was by far my favourite performance from this film. He makes you feel uncomfortable and disgusted and confused and even makes you forget that under the tramp outfit, it's Julian Barratt. I was thankful that his character makes several appearances throughout the film as he was the one actor that shone amongst them.

One thing that disappointed me was the fact that there were no twists in the plot. I was expecting a Fight Club style twist or for something amazing to happen at the end, but instead, we were presented by a beautiful dance and a predictable conclusion. However, it is safe to say that the plot isn't the most important thing about this movie and you have far too much to keep you entertained to really care about the intricacy of the plot (which to be fair is quite predictable).

Paul King really did triumph for his first feature long film and even though there are connotations of The Mighty Boosh and The Science of Sleep, it really doesn't matter. I found the fact that it wasn't completely original negligible because it was just too beautiful to care. The film as a whole was funnier than The Science of Sleep and it was prettier and made more sense than The Mighty Boosh. King made a film that showed us his imagination and ingenuity which far out ways any comparison that could potentially be made.

All in all, I found Bunny and the Bull beautiful, funny, magical and well worth multiple watches. I found myself wanting to be part of that world. I found myself empathizing with the characters. I was pretty much, completely engaged with the film. I don't think it would appeal to a wide audience but it would appeal to a diverse audience. People who are interested in sets and props would love it; people who are interested in cinematography would be intrigued; people who love silly jokes and visual humour would be rolling on the floor; and people who just want to lose themselves for 101 minutes will be more than satisfied.

I literally could go on about this movie for pages and pages but I will leave it with my rating. I give it a solid 4 out of 5 and I purely won't give it 5 out of 5 because I know it won't appeal to everyone.

Whip It Review

2010-08-22T02:02:00.004+01:00

Whip It is Drew Barrymore's directing debut and what a debut it was. Though the film as a whole lacked depth and originality, I think you'll find that it was a well-rounded achievement with an impressive cast and a light hearted nature.

Whip It is set in Texas about a young woman called Bliss (Ellen Page) who is forced in to doing beauty pageants by her mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) slowly rebelling and doing what she wants to do; a recent discovery: Roller Derby. While she toughens up - not only physically but emotionally - we see Bliss turn in to Babe Ruthless for the Hurl Scouts, the leagues worst team. Soon she becomes one of the best scorers in the league. Bliss has the fight not only on the ring, but at home, trying to keep her secret "celebrity" life from her parents. Bliss experiences love for the first time, both on skates and in the heart. She makes some friends and loses some, but everything will work out in the end right?

The story itself is very reminiscent of The Mighty Ducks, Dodgeball, Baseket Ball and even A League of Their Own. A bunch of misfits in a league, coming last and are almost proud of it. One inspiring person changes their opinion, they start working as a team and somehow make it to the championship finals. Throw in a bit of teenage angst, a bit of sex and a bit of a BFF situation gone wrong (just to make sure it really is a girly movie) and you have Whip It.

The most impressive thing in the movie is the cast. Not only do you have the up and coming Ellen Page who is slowly but surely taking over Hollywood; but you have a whole cast of well-known stars: Juliette Lewis, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Kristen Wiig and Drew Barrymore herself. Though the cast could be considered to be a little trashy, it suited the film quite well. The acting was OTT and the delivery of lines was obvious, but when you're watching a film that obviously has a low budget, has some Hollywood starlets beating each other up and showing some skill on roller skates - you don't really care.

The screenplay which was adapted by Shauna Cross from her own novel of the same name achieved what it set out to do. It makes us love and hate Bliss. It makes you back a team and an impossible victory. It makes you hate the "baddy" and it makes you remember falling in love for the first time. What it doesn't do is build empathy. Though you like these characters and you do want them to succeed; when it comes down to it, you don't really care.

For Barrymore's directing debut, it was a valiant effort and a successful attempt. I fear that placing herself within the film and for her character to be so ridiculous may have taken some credibility away from her directing skills. The film itself was clean and atmospheric - with a slight nod to Napoleon Dynamite in setting and style - making the movie a contender to be a cult classic.

I think Whip It is worth a watch, even if it is pure curiosity about Drew Barrymore's ability to bring a film together. Ellen Page is as strong as usual and the film just works; it probably shouldn't, but it does. It's one of those films you'll watch once, like, remember and then probably never watch again unless you're currently 15-years-old and this is your Mighty Ducks. There is potential for a sequel but I highly doubt they will do it. And if they do, it will be down the same route as Bring It On were none of the original cast (or probably crew) will be on board.

Overall, I give it a 3 out of 5 but I wouldn't give it a second watch.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

2010-08-20T14:17:00.002+01:00

Being a big child, I was really looking forward to seeing The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Growing up, I didn't give two sausages about the origins of the story or who originally came up with the concept of a sorcerer's apprentice; I just liked Mickey Mouse dressed as a wizard in oversized robes summoning some mops to clean up his mess and it all getting out of hand. And once you go to Disneyland and see the live show...that image is stuck in your head for an eternity. So, when it came to a live action version of the tale being told 70 years after the cartoon was made; I was more than excited.

So, how did they turn this 5 minute cartoon in to a 111 minute feature length film? BADLY!

We are thrust in to the movie by a stereotypical backstory. An old, powerful, British voiceover telling the story of an ancient wizards, old rivalries, powerful spells, death and destinies with stupid made up words like "Grimhold" and "Prime Merlinian" thrown in just so that we could follow the story easily without them having to spend time actually developing these ideas. We are then led through a quick and ridiculously pathetic journey through the centuries to contemporary New York.

The never aging Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) is the only loyal, good sorcerer from Merlin's teachings left to find the Prime Melinian and defeat Morgana (Alice Krige) and her minion Horvath (Alfred Molina). He spends the next millennia searching the earth with a dragon statue (the statue will signify the Prime Merlinian when they make contact) testing boys from all around the world to see if they are the chosen one. Eventually, Balthazar meets a young boy named Dave, a quirky, smart boy who accidently finds himself in Balthazar's shop after chasing a love note around the streets of New York. Surprise, Surprise; Balthazar tries the dragon on Dave, it turns into a ring and we've found the Prime Merlinian - yay! But as always, something goes wrong and Horvath is released from his prison; a Russian Doll-esque object that can trap people's souls (the Grimhold), there's a massive fight, Balthazar and Horvath are locked away for another 10 years, Dave is now an outcast and grows up to be a Physics geek.

We then see the return of Balthazar and Horvath, Dave acknowledging his magical powers, finding love and fighting the terrible Morgana.

THAT'S IT! I even got bored writing the summary.

Ok, so let's start with the fact that when the film started, I genuinely thought I was in the wrong theatre until Nicolas Cage came bounding on to the screen. Similar to all his recent roles, Nicolas Cage is wooden, detached and looks almost bored. He seems to have gotten to the point where he can make which ever films he wants and has enough money that he doesn't need to put in any effort.

The storyline was generic and old. Man fighting for good and love has to train someone who will be one day better than him to fight not only the most evil person in the universe, but also his old friend who turned in to his enemy because of a girl. PASS THE BUCKET! The whole thing was just tired and long. And it really was long. The movie could have easily been 80 minutes (that probably still would have been too long) but it was so evident that the story was rubbish, that they had to add in a few ridiculous flourishes like a mirror world and a British magician and car chase and a Chinese Dragon man/thing.

The acting was subpar. Other than Nicolas Cage, Alfred Molina really gave a terrible performance, making it seem almost desperate for approval. It really feels that since he took on the role of Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2, he has been struggling to get roles that can do him any justice. He was a shadow of the actor he was in Chocolat and his performance was almost stagelike rather than a film performance. Monica Bellucci was awful! Even though she had a very minor role, I was angry whenever she was on screen because it was THAT terrible. It was wooden and like a GCSE performance in some instances and ridiculously exaggerated in others. It may have been the type of performance you would have wanted in the days of silent movies or melodrama but it really was just a joke. Toby Kebbell who played the ridiculous British magician was surprisingly one of the better actors but that's possibly just due to the fact that his character was supposed to be OTT and a joke.

Jay Baruchel gave a fairly good performance but it was very Jay Baruchel. His well-known voice and awkward demeanor was perfect for this role and I don't think he had to try very hard to play Dave.

I think a great casting for this film was Jake Cherry who played Young Dave. He was cute and looked enough like Jay Baruchel for the pairing to work and he was just quite good in the role.

The best scene in the whole film was undoubtedly the mop scene but I would put that more down to nostalgia than actual performance.

I don't think the film was suitable for young children and surprisingly, there was only one child in the audience when I went to see it. It really does have a small window for the age group that would appreciate this movie. I would say that 9- to 13-year-olds would find it entertaining but might struggle with the length but it's just a bit too violent and complicated for the under nines and a bit too lame for the over thirteens.

When you have children's films like Toy Story 3 out there and (I can't believe I'm saying this - the film must have been bad!) Twilight and Percy Jackson, Sorcerer's Apprentice is more than disappointing.

I really wouldn't recommend watching this movie; it's slow and unoriginal and I couldn't wait for it to end. The climax is short and dull and the lead up is long and uninspired.

I give it a 1 out of 5 and I wish I could give it less.

It's A Wonderful Afterlife

2010-08-20T13:20:00.002+01:00

I had heard terrible things about It's A Wonderful Afterlife but I still wanted to give it a go. From the trailers and the posters, it looked fun and silly and entertaining. I wasn't expecting any depth or amazing plot twists; I just thought it would be a relaxing movie to watch. So I ignored everyone's opinion.

It's A Wonderful Afterlife is about a woman's (Mrs Sethi played by Shabana Azmi) search for a husband for her daughter. Her daughter, Roopi (Goldy Notay) is not traditionally attractive; a little overweight, a slightly big nose, doesn't wear makeup etc. and is trying it hard to find a man and hold down a relationship which will end in marriage. Mrs Sethi tries her hardest using all her contacts to find a man who can look after Roopi, but unfortunately, once they see Roopi, they're not too helpful and become quite rude. Mrs Sethi reaches the end of her tether and starts killing the people who are mean about her loving, caring daughter.

Hilarity pursues as the ghosts of the murder victims start following Mrs Sethi and a murder investigation is launched and Roopi and her mother are suspected. But an old contact returns in the form of DS Murthy (Sendhil Ramamurthy), a good looking, friendly detective who is asked to go undercover to investigate Roopi by posing as her boyfriend. But can he differentiate his cover with real love?

From the opening, where a man (Sanjeev Bhaskar) is fed lethal curry and his stomach explodes in A&E, you know that you have to take everything with a pinch of salt and that it's going to be full of slapstick comedy. And once Linda/Gatali (Sally Hawkins); a young English woman who is very much into spirituality and numerology, looking for love with her predestined soulmate, is brought in to the picture, the real comical element of the movie was revealed.

I loved how light hearted it was. It was just fun. The ghosts were poorly done and ridiculously hideous, but it made the movie that little bit more fun and made it so you couldn't even attempt to take it seriously. The same can be said for Linda and the next door neighbour, Mrs Goldstein (played by the fabulous Zoe Wanamaker); they were so stereotypical and satirical that it just made the film have that little lift in the atmosphere.

The acting was reminiscent of The Kumars at No. 42 in the sense that it was all over-the-top and silly. It was not supposed to be taken seriously and it was not supposed to have any hidden layers. The film moves swiftly and efficiently through a generic story line which does what it was intended to do: entertain. Even Sendhill Ramamurthy's usual wooden, "I'm hot so I don't need to try" style of acting worked - because it made the film more light hearted and approachable.

I guess, knowing director Gurinder Chadha's mixed directorial past, you can be forgiven if you go into the film expecting some cultural statement, but in truth, you're getting more Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging than Bend It Like Beckham. There is a hint of a social statement; "you don't have to be thin and beautiful to be a good person and to find love" but seeing as 1. Goldy Notay is not considerably overweight nor ugly and 2. it's the most ridiculous motive for 5 murders kind of dulls the impact of the message.

However, I think Chadha managed to make a seamless film which did have one absolutely ridiculous and meaningless scene in it. But none-the-less, it was everything you could want on a day you didn't want to think or if you just wanted something to entertain you rather than press you.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to those who like films like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, St Trinian's or Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

I give it a decent 3.5 out of 5.

Walking Rules of London

2010-08-13T00:06:00.001+01:00

Walking around London can be quite stressful. II find it hard not to shout at people on a daily basis. With this said; I am going to state some rules which should be issued to all those embarking on a journey in our countries capital.

1. Don't walk slowly

- if you are young and able, do not drag your feet

- if you are elderly or have mobility issues, veer off to the side instead of the

middle of the pavement

2. Don't walk in the centre of the pavement - ever

3. If you are overtaking a slow walker, make sure you do it in a fast and timely manner - don't take up even more room on the pavement

4. Do not abruptly stop in the middle of the street - ever!!!

5. While weaving through foot traffic, judge spaces and don't force yourself into gaps you can't fit in to

6. If there is a group of you, don't take up the whole pavement, walk in pairs or threes at most

7. If there are people walking faster then you; give way

8. Don't stand in the middle of shop doorways'

9. If you are a couple holding hands down a narrow street, let go of each other for 30 seconds and walk in single file if someone is walking in the opposite direction, I'm sure you'll survive not touching each other for a short amount of time

10. If you are a couple, don't stand in the middle of the pavement face raping each other

11. If you step on someone or accidently hit them, just say "sorry" - it doesn't matter if you mean it or not, it's just one word which makes everything that little bit nicer

12. If you need to walk across the pavement (across moving foot traffic) do it quickly: don't walk slowly and wonder why people are getting annoyed at you; people walking in a straight line have right of way

13. If it is raining and you have an umbrella:

a) be aware of other people around you

b) don't walk under any covered pavement where people who don't have

umbrellas are trying to either shelter or walk

And lastly: If you are a tourist, don't take a photo of an arbitrary telephone-box, lamppost, MacDonalds etc on Oxford Street during rush hour - go to a quiet street and stop interrupting my journey home!

There are probably dozens of others I haven't remembered (but will no doubt experience tomorrow) but these are the ones I saw this evening in London Town.

I think the underlying rule of all noted above is: be considerate...simple!

Before I Fall review

2010-08-11T18:05:00.002+01:00

After being recommended Before I Fall on Amazon and reading the blurb I was quite excited to read it on the hopes it had echoes of The Lovely Bones. But I was somewhat disappointed.

Sam Kensington is a young girl who is; popular, care free, dating the hottest guy in school (apart from Mr. Daimler the Calc teacher) and has some wild but well meaning friends. She's on the top of the food chain at her school and we are introduced to her on Cupid's Day, 12th February, where people send roses the their friends' and crushes. Obviously, the more roses you have, the more popular you are. Sam, Lindsay, Elody and Ally are all excited about the annual affair, seeing how their practical jokes play out, Sam losing her virginity to Rob and the big party at the school's weirdo Kent McFuller - an old friend of Sam who now makes her feel very uncomfortable. The day pans out like any other day for Sam. She hangs out with her friends', ditches class and gets a cheating boy in trouble with his girlfriend, get drunk, drive to a party, humiliate the school "psycho" Juliet Sykes and then get in a terrible car crash and die.

The next morning she wakes up feeling disoriented and confused. Was last night a dream? Or is today? Throughout the day she doesn't know what's real and what's not. She makes little changes to the day but ultimately ends in the same way.

THe following morning, Sam realises that she is stuck in a groundhog style loop. Bound to live the same day again and again, trying to find out what she has to do to make it right so that she can either live again or die peacefully.

The cycle lasts for seven days with her finding out the truth about her friends, her boyfriend, Juliet Sykes and about her real desires. She finds out what exactly why Lindsay is the way she is, the truth behind the people they've bullied for so long, she feels remorse for the things she has done over the years and she finally falls in love, but is it enough for a life time?

Though the premise is similar to The Lovely Bones, it is in a very loose sense. Instead of a young girl mature through watching the people she loves grow both as people and acceptance of what happened, we see a girl mature (to an extent) and realise that she can't live the life others want her to live rather than what is right.

The prose is very immature and reads the same way all teen novels do, which surprised me. I was really hoping for something a little more substantial and deep but was wildly disappointed. I do read my fair share of teen novels, but this was a little much. It was extremely self involved and one dimensional. From the first day, you can guess 90% of the following days and once you've read a bit more, nothing is really a surprise in the final chapter.

I thought that the story would at least make me shed a tear - I mean a story about a 16 year old girl dying after realising who she loves and all she wishes she could do with her life, but no. The last chapter is so rushed and contrived and just repeats so much information that it's almost deflating. I'm sure that it's supposed to be uplifting because she's "doing the right thing" and everything works out for the best but it just falls flat.

I think one element Lauren Oliver achieved was the love story. It was rushed and stumbling and more than irrational but her writing really does encompass you and you feel the butterflies Sam feels and understand the desire she feels. But that is heavily contradicted with some of Sam's actions and selfish behaviour.

It felt like Oliver was trying to cover too much ground; from popularity to eating disorders, from bullying to underage sex, drug use, suicide, divorce, underage drinking, drinking and driving, make up, inappropriate teacher behaviour, you name it, it's in there. I know that a school full of different children would lead to a multitude of problems, but was it really necessary to cover them all in book (which is only 340 pages long).

I must admit, I did struggle to read it at times because it was just so repetitive that I just wanted to skip to the end and read the final chapter.

For a younger reader, it may be worth a read to understand what makes a bully a bully and how it feels (and the danger) to be bullied. The book really is a testament to understanding and realisation rather than story.

I really wouldn't read this book if you are used to a sophisticated narrator and prose or if you are looking for a moving story which is reminiscent or said "similar" books.

All in all, I don't really know what else to say without giving away all the details of the book because I would love to rip in to individual elements or characters in the book but this isn't a literary analysis, it's a review. So all I can say is, leave it on the shelf if you're looking for something substantial or give it to a young cousin or sister or daughter to read as they may get more out of it.

As a whole, I give it 2/5

Inception Review

2010-08-11T13:37:00.000+01:00

When I first saw the trailers, I thought that Inception looked like one of those films that would either be amazing or ridiculous. Once people had started to see it, I was faced with Twitter posts and Facbook feeds saying how amazing it was. And that left me in a predicament; get excited due to people's opinions and have a big chance of being disappointed or ignore them, put my fingers in my ears, avoid the internet and wait patiently until I had the time to go and see it.

Obviously, ignoring people wasn't possible so I was faced with statements such as "it's the most original film since The Matrix" and "it will blow your mind". Seeing as The Matrix wasn't that mind blowing or original or thought provoking, I managed to strike a good balance between anticipation and preparation for disappointment. I was told I would have to concentrate throughout, that I will want to see it again and again and may have to, to understand it fully. So, I was pretty prepared to see it.

The film opens on Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) lying face down on the shore of a pebble beach, disorientated and practically immobile. He sees two children playing in his periphery before being accosted by armed Japanese soldiers. He is led (more like dragged) to a mysterious meeting with an elderly Japanese man who makes some cryptic statements and plays with a tiny, metal spinning top before the film properly kicks off.

The real start of the film jumps straight to a beautiful Japanese room where Cobb introduces the concept of "Extraction" and the importance and potential of ideas to Saito (Ken Watanabe) with the assistance of Arthur (Joseph-Gordon Levitt). Within the first 3 minutes, we are cleverly told; what extraction is, how you can defend yourself against it, the goal of extractors and that Cobb is the best there is. We are then led to a small apartment which is surrounded by exploding cars, rioters and general disruption. It also shows that Cobb, Arthur and Saito are asleep, being monitored by a shady looking man. We then jump back to Japan where we meet Mal (Marion Cotillard), a mysterious femme-fatale who seems to be the "bad guy" of the story. Within minutes, we are told that if you die in a dream, you wake up but if you are hurt in a dream, pain is in the mind, so you will very much feel it. We also see that the circumstances of the world you fell asleep in will affect the circumstances of the world you are dreaming, i.e. if there is a bomb in the first world, you will feel it in the second. We are then shown that all four characters (including the shifty monitor) are asleep on a train, with a young boy monitoring them and introducing Non Je ne Regrette Rien, to the shifty man through a set of headphones. Saito falls to the carpet and realises himself that he is not in the real world but in another dream and thus, we are introduced to the idea of the "architect". Within the first 15 minutes, we are introduced to almost all the fundamental elements of the execution of dream walking and part of Cobb's psyche.

In following scenes, we learn that Cobb has two children that he cannot visit and that their mother is "not here anymore" with a flash of Mal, putting a few puzzle pieces together. We are then shown that Saito wants Cobb to carry out a job for him. And this is where we are introduced to the concept of "Inception" and why it is not as possible as "Extraction". Saito convinces Cobb to carry out the job with the promise that Cobb will be able to go back to his children if he does this one job for him.

And thus, the heist film begins. We follow Cobb as he assembles his team for the job including a young woman called Ariadne (Ellen Page) who is a very talented and imaginative Architect, Eames (Tom Hardy) who is known as a Forger and can project images of anyone in a dream world, making a person believe that they are seeing a friend or a beautiful woman etc, and Yusuf (Dileep Rao) who is a chemist who is a very talented alchemist who can provide the potent compound which will allow a dreamer to fall into a deep sedation making several levels of dreams possible.

We are introduced to the subject of the heist, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) who is the heir to a company which is in direct competition with Saito. Fischer is a young man who feels belittled by his father and is desperate for his love. The group decides to utilise this fact to implant an idea into his head causing "Inception".

We are then led on an almost caper journey through the subconscious mind of the characters and a tense "will they, won't they" tale revealing more and more about Cobb's past and the resolutions he needs to make to live a normal life once more.

The movie is quite elegant in it's story telling. We are fed information in quite a blatant fashion without being obvious i.e. the subconscious figures in a persons mind and how they react to dream manipulators. It really is quite an elegant and fast paced script which doesn't feel patronising or as if it's laying the tracks for the story. The style in which the information is relayed suits the genre and atmosphere of the movie making it seamless and intriguing. It also had enough comic relief to release the tension that had been built throughout (though there were a few moments of unintentional comedy which I will mention later). It also had a tragic love story which didn't feel out of place or unnecessary, making it a rounded and complete film.

The delivery of the plot is not solely with the screenplay, it is also very much in the acting. It was almost flawless. Leonardo DiCaprio gives one of, if not the best, of his performances making you more than empathetic toward his character. Joseph-Gordon Levitt gives a mature performance with a slight comic edge which is both surprising and impressive. It is the first time I have seen him and didn't think of a bumbling fool, though he did have a slight Keanu Reeves edge to it (but maybe that was just the visual similarities). Ellen Page still seems like a child to me, though her performance was acceptable. She did falter at times but it was solid enough not to impact the film. Tom Hardy was amazing and I personally think it was the performance of the film. His comic delivery added a much needed relief within the plot and played off Joseph-Gordon Levitt beautifully. Ken Watanabe also delivered quite an impressive performance, though it was slightly wooden which was somewhat needed. Marion Cotillard gave a moving and beautiful performance showing an impressive repertoire of characters and her execution was spot on. And lastly, Cillian Murphy who was probably the most disappointing of the cast. Though he was supposed to be an insecure, frightened, almost childlike character, his performance was quite contrived and frankly quite poor.

I was a little disappointed that the world bending effects were only minimally used as I thought (from the trailers) that it made the film a little less wondrous and less mind blowing than I was expecting. However, saying that, the visuals that were used were breathtaking and impressive. The few unnecessary flourishes were used well in the storyline to justify them and created a world of intrigue. The range of settings was circumstances really did make it feel like anything could be possible, which I guess means more than showing it.

The heist element was pretty much the best part of the film. After being led to believe that the film was deep and meaningful, making people discuss the complexity and symbolism of the story for days after, I was quite disappointed and yet relieved that it was actually quite a shallow film which taunted you with ideas of depth and intrigue, but really, it was a heist film being told in a somewhat interesting way. The complex structure of the dreams, relationships and backstory, as well as the goal of the heist was what built the film. I don't think it was original. I don't think it was deep. I think it was clever and fun and impressive but not ground breaking.

I do think that there were some elements that drew a few too many parallels to other films. There were certain lines and concepts which were very reminiscent of other Leonardo DiCaprio films, including a line which reminded me of the final scene in Titanic where Rose "will never let (him) go" and then lets him go, making me laugh out loud and getting strange looks. It also had an element of a more sophisticated Ocean's 11 due to the amount of characters and planning process but that didn't really hinder the story telling.

All in all, I think the film was more than enjoyable. It didn't seem to last 180 minutes and there was enough going on that the faults and plot holes (and there were many...believe me) didn't seem to matter. I don't think it's as mind bending or confusing as some people are led to believe and even if you're not completely paying attention to some of the more complex (though not that complicated) elements, there was still something to enjoy and entice you. It really was a movie for all and will last better than The Matrix as it wasn't really pretentious and didn't try to make a statement.

I would definitely watch it again, but I am quite happy to wait until it comes out on Bluray/DVD and watch it at home.

Despite its faults and the not so original ideas, I give the movie 4.5/5 and say that this is one film that lives up to its hype in one way or other unlike some others in recent past.

Spinach, Tomato and Feta Omelette

2010-08-09T17:41:00.002+01:00

As I'm on a vacation week and I didn't get up until 10.30 this morning (oops), I decided I'd stroll down to the supermarket and make a nice, Spanish style omelette for my boyfriend and I.

After going through a few websites I saw a recipe that looked good as a base, but I wanted a little more kick and something a little more colourful so I made this instead.

Ingredients:

400 grams Fresh Spinach

150 grams Baby Tomatoes

1 Large Potato

1 Leek

100 grams Feta Cheese crumbled

10 eggs

1 tsp Minced Garlic

1 tsp oil to cook

Serves 6-8 people

1. Even though I bought pre-washed spinach, I'm a little bit crazy and re-washed it anyway. After it was clean, I placed it in a colander and poured a kettle full of boiling water over the spinach to blanch it without over cooking it. I immediately ran cold water over the hot spinach too cool and retain the colour. I immediately paced it in a bowl lined with kitchen towel and placed extra kitchen towel over the top to draw out and extra water.

2. While the water is draining out of the spinach, finely chop the leek (or onion if you prefer) and place in a hot, decent sized, non-stick frying pan with the minced garlic and oil. While the leeks are cooking, wash and slice the potato into very thin disks and place in the frying pan. Season and lower heat so that the ingredients cook through but don't burn. Leave for about 10 minutes to ensure that the potato is cooked. Wash and slice the tomatoes into halves and added to the pan, stirring all the ingredients together to make sure everything is cooked evenly.

3. When the potatoes are soft, place the spinach in the pan ensure that it is dry. Stir in the spinach so that everything is evenly spread and let some of the tomato juice and other flavours soak into it.

4. Crack all the eggs into a large bowl, add salt and pepper to taste and whisk thoroughly. Add feta cheese into the eggs and stir further.

5. Add the eggs to the other ingredients in the pan and stir. It'll be a tight fit but it will fit, you just have to be confident and careful. Stir occasional until the eggs start setting, when they do, lift the edges carefully to let some of the raw egg flow underneath and cook. When you are satisfied that the eggs are stable enough to move, get a large plate and slide the omelette onto it keeping it in one piece. Carefully place the frying pan over the plate, ensuring to use a towel to avoid burns, and flip the omelette back into the frying pan to cook the other side. If you have a grill or would prefer to bake it, you can, however, it won't achieve the same seal or shape as doing it in the frying pan.

Once cooked, place on a plate and serve with salad. If you don't have 6-8 people with you, it's great to keep in the fridge until dinner or tomorrow's lunch.

Even though it has cheese and eggs, it is rich in iron and vitamin C and uses very little oil. It sounds quite complicated and that there a lot of steps, but it's really simple and the timings are quite hard to mess up. Prep can be done during cooking so the whole process takes roughly 35 minutes.

Nutrition per 1/6:

299 Calories

19g Fat

14g Carbs

17.5g Protein

4g Sugar

And a bucket load of Calcium.

I really enjoyed it and so did my boyfriend (he had at least 2 helpings) and it's a great way to get people to eat spinach and tomatoes without them thinking about it.

Toy Story 3 review

2010-08-09T17:05:00.001+01:00

Toy Story 3 was a concept I wasn't sure about. I didn't really enjoy Toy Story 2 and I wasn't really sure what could be done with it or what could conclude the story. But, following the crowd and being a little pop culture sheep, I was getting quite excited about seeing it.

The plot follows Woody, Buzz and most but not all their gang trying to cope with Andy growing up and moving to college. After some deliberation, arguments and miscommunication, the toys go on a misguided adventure to the local play school where they meet a whole new troop of toys, dozens of children who want to play with them and a whole new lease of life. But is all as it seems? Will Woody and the gang find comfort in the arms of these new youngsters or will they miss Andy too much? Can Andy really leave all his memories and friends behind?

And that really is the main story. It's not that deep, it's not that detailed, it's just a cute, fairly moving story about acceptance and understanding.

The film opens on a very fun and exciting scene depicting Woody, Jesse, Buzz, Slinky and Bullseye fighting the evil Potato Heads, Aliens and the Evil Dr Porkshop on a runaway train. It then zooms out to show that it's a home video of Andy playing with the toys. The opening is so fun and engaging which is needed for the following plot. The following 20 minutes or so is quite heartbreaking as we watch the toys desperately making one last attempt to get Andy affection and to go to college with him or at the least be sent to the attic instead of the trash.

The rest of the story follows a similar line - the toys get a lift and then are dashed to the side, the toys feel optimistic and then their hopes are stamped on. And that's really the only really story telling used in the film. From start to finish, the only reason the film isn't entirely boring is due to this yo-yo from happy to sad.

Story line aside, we do meet some new and exciting characters. My personal favourite is Mr. Prickle pants, a cute little Hedgehog who is reminiscent of Patrick Stewart in his own little way. We also meet a big, old, pink bear that smells of strawberries called Lotso, the most important addition to the character list and the main instigator of the secondary plot. One more notable character is Ken, Barbies counterpart. He's quite fun, brings quite a lot of humour to the story and adds a little twist to the story to spice it up a little (though it could have done with a massive glug of tabasco sauce).

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the movie because I did. I thought that it had some moments of absolute genius but it was also foiled by some moments of sheer unnecessary flourish, showing off Pixar's techniques rather than focusing on the story.

I think that the film could have easily been 20 minutes shorter and still achieve the same affect and impact. I think the ending had enough tension and enough love and enough loss that the rest of the film was almost justified. But it still felt like something was lacking but I still can't quite put my finger on what it was - maybe a second viewing will amend that.

I think the animation was pretty much faultless (as Pixar usually is) with a few too many impressive features including element based animation and a playful look for Mr Potato Head. But with that aside, it was bright and colourful making it pretty to watch for all. Their character design was spot on, introducing toys I remember having as a child (tugging on my heartstrings making me want to revisit my own toybox), newer recognisable characters such as Totoro and brand in toys that kids the world over (and some adults) will want to own.

The voice acting was on the ball, there wasn't a single character who had a voice that didn't belong to them and even a surprise Spanish visitor is fried gold when it comes to acting, comedy, storyline and all out execution.

I think that it was good for the last in a trilogy (and a trilogy that only really has one trick). It was better than Toy Story 2 and it gave us a chance to say goodbye to some well loved characters that we all know and enjoy. My only hope is that they don't attempt to do a Toy Story 4 or turn it into a TV series or something and ruin the spirit that was initially created with Toy Story but Disney being a business machine has left it open for another visit even though the conclusion that was made left me reaching for my tissues and gave me a sense of closure.

I would watch it again if it was a rainy afternoon and I wanted something enjoyable, cute and easy (though not exactly light hearted) to watch. I think for children, some parts maybe a little inappropriate or even a little scary but nothing that they can't handle considering the film as a whole.

I don't really want to give it a score out of 5 or even a grade because my head and heart say two completely different things. But if I had to, I would give it a solid B with the potential of being a B+ if Mr Prickle Pants was in it more.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir fry

2010-08-06T23:28:00.002+01:00

Ok, so I thought I'd do a recipe blog seeing as I was trying something new and it was going to look ok.

Seeing as I bought some broccoli the other day and hadn't used it yet and I had some chicken in the freezer, I thought a chicken and broccoli stir fry would be ideal. I popped down to the local chinese market and bought a few cupboard essentials and threw the following together.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts

1 Cup of sliced Broccoli

1 Cup of frozen peas

1 tsp minced Ginger

2 tsp minced Garlic

Sesame oil and Vegetable oil to cook

Batter:

1/4 cup potato flour

4 tbsp corn starch

2 eggs

pinch of salt and white pepper

water for consistency

Sauce:

2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

4 tbsp Hoisin Sauce

1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

1 tsp Light Soy Sauce

1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp Tabasco Sauce

Water

Ok so the first thing I did was mixed the sauce for the stir fry. I took the Oyster Sauce and Hoisin Sauce and mixed them together slowly adding the other ingredients to the mixture to make sure the consistency was stable and didn't have to deal with too much liquid. The sauce is quite adjustable to taste, so if you prefer it a bit sweeter, take a little Oyster Sauce out and add a little more Hoisin Sauce, if you don't like a touch of spice, leave the Tabasco out. Once all the ingredients are added, mix in a little water to make it loose enough to run off a spoon, it needs to be fluid enough during the cooking process.

Then, I mixed the batter for the chicken. Mix all dry ingredients in a small to medium mixing bowl. Add eggs and mix with a fork until the batter is yellow in colour and all ingredients combined. Add water to make the mixture a little looser, until it's the consistency of whisked yogurt.

Heat some sesame oil in a wok on gas mark 6 and ad the garlic and ginger. Fry until the garlic and ginger starts to turn golden, then turn the heat down to 4 and add the broccoli. Toss the broccoli in the oil then add a touch of the sauce plus a splash of water and stir and let the broccoli cook and absorb some of the flavours.

Slice the chicken breasts into small strips. Add the chicken to the batter and the fry in a normal frying pan with some vegetable oil. Turn the chicken every-so-often until the chicken is golden brown.

Add chicken to the broccoli and add about half the sauce. Keep stirring and add the peas and the remainder of the sauce. Keep tossing the ingredients until you are happy that everything is coated with the sauce and the peas are cooked through.

Serve immediately and sprinkle some sesame seeds on the top for decoration.

Nutrition facts:

390 cals

21g fat

56g carbs

33g protein

21g sugar

I think the great thing with this is that you can just throw a few other ingredients in like cashew nuts or peppers and it would just give it a whole new dimension. Also, I just threw the sauce together trying to make it both sweet and savoury without being too over powering so it should be quite easy to play around with it and make something that you personally like.

Shutter Island

2010-08-05T14:53:00.002+01:00

Shutter Island was one of those films I was afraid to watch. I had heard so many good things about it and it had so many legendary elements to it that I was afraid to watch it with high expectations and then hate it all. Luckily, I was not disappointed with the film.

So, the movie is quite well known already, but I'll do the general synopsis anyway:

Edward "Teddy" Daniels (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is a US Marshal assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, Boston. Daniels is partnered with Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) with the help of Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley) to find Rachel Solando, a woman who murdered her three children. It is believed that Rachel escaped from her looked room, with no shoes, averting all guards and escaping into the forest.

While on his quest to find Rachel, Daniels comes across his own problems; firstly he suffers from headaches and migraines, followed by intense nightmares and hallucinations.

The film follows Daniels in his fight with the authority in the prison, his nightmares, the weather and his military past, while trying to uncover the secrets of this eerie prison. But what will be uncovered?

So, the first thing I'd like to comment on is the fact that the film is set in 1954 and from the way it is filmed, the cinematography, the costumes, the set, the props, everything makes you feel like you are watching a cleaned up video from the fifties. The mistiness of the film, the dim lighting, the styling, it all made sense and completely engulfed you in the atmosphere and the tension and the era.

What also impressed me was the acting. I don't usually like Leonardo DiCaprio and I even skipped Blood Diamond because I don't think I could cope with 2 hours of his poor South African accept but in Shutter Island, I started to understand why he is rated quite highly as an actor. It was really nice hearing him do an accent with conviction and believability. It was also really nice to see him embody a character without having an edge or parody or an underlying sense of acting essentially. Throughout the whole 2 hours and 40 minutes, you believed his character, you were engaged in his journey and you really did empathise with him.

Mark Ruffalo is one of my favourite actors, even though he is usually type cast and doesn't have a huge range which again was challenged in this movie. His usual aloof, disconnected, nonchalant style of acting was placed (not thrown) out of the window and he put forth a convincing and engaging performance which really was a true example of what a supporting role should be, taking a step back and letting the "star" do their stuff...which is quite fitting for the plot.

I would say the movie was a little long, it has an interesting and intriguing plot with a somewhat mysterious subplot but maybe not enough to keep the interest and tension at a high level making the film lag a little in the final third. There was enough twists and turns for a feature film, but maybe if half an hour was shaved off of the film, it would have had a perfect balance.

All in all, I think the film was interesting, beautifully made and had an interesting but maybe not the most original twist in the end. I think it's definitely worth a watch when you're in the mood for an eerie thriller.

I give the film a solid B+ and possibly a second watch.

Chemistry and nakedness...oh my!

2010-08-04T17:36:00.000+01:00

When did we become a society where parents push their children to have cosmetic surgery and/or model instead of studying?

Over the past couple of days, I've watched a couple of shows which have terrified me. I think I wouldn't have had such a reaction to the first if I hadn't seen the second, but unfortunately...I did.

So the first show I saw was a Baby Beauty Queen documentary. I think that I was perturbed by the parents and their attitude towards the children and the fact that they were effectively living their dreams through their 6/7 year old children. One mother even said "I've always wanted to be famous and looked at the people on TV and thought 'what do you have that I don't?' I have more than they do." She was so self confident and almost deluded that it made me worry about her children. The little girl was allowed to pick her own clothes (no matter what whether it be short skirts, jewelry, baring her stomach or spraying her hair gold), she had her hair straightened and was allowed to buy lots of glittery makeup while her mum said "I don't like her wearing too much makeup" - she was wearing more than I do.

I think the biggest thing that bugged me was that the little girl did a dance "routine" which included her grinding, shaking inappropriately and writhing on the floor. Firstly, if she were my daughter, it may be fun for her to dance how she wanted at home but I would never allow her to dance like that in public. Second of all, she was wearing hot pants and a crop top. Third of all, the mother said "I hope they don't think I taught her that, she made it up all on her own. I've never seen a six-year-old dance like that, have you?" AND SHE WAS PROUD!!!! When I was six, I went to dance classes every week, could tap, jive, samba, tango etc but would wear a leotard with thick tights when performing. GRRR I wanted to slap that woman and say "STOP LIVING THROUGH YOUR CHILD!"

The second show really upset me. It was about a semi famous glamour model and her 14-year-old daughter.

Georgina is the daughter of Alicia, a glamour model who is famous for topless modeling and sleeping with "celebrities". The opening statement of the show was "My name is Georgina, I'm 14-years-old and when I grow up I want to be an Architect, Actress or Glamour Model, but I haven't decided yet. My mum wants me to be a glamour model..." and my heart sank. Georgina is a smart, pretty girl who values her studies and achieving something with her life, however, she finds it difficult to concentrate on her studies as her mother always tries to distract her or telling her not to focus too hard on things like Chemistry because that comes naturally but talent (like playing the piano or singing) needs to be worked on and is more important. Even when it comes to her further education, Alicia wants Georgina to opt out of sixth form and her A-levels (meaning university also) and go to stage school instead. Thankfully, Georgina is quite strong willed and has the support of her God Father so she knows that she can choose what is right for her.

Alicia is completely obsessed with cosmetic surgery. She has had fifteen breast augmentations and many more surgeries including fillers in her face, botox and makeup tattooing. Alicia is currently trying to convince Georgina to get a "boob job" at 16-years-old like Britney. Again, it's thankful that Georgina is strong willed and surprisingly grounded and is standing up to her mother about it.

Due to a detached implant while traveling to California, Alicia goes on a hunt to find a surgeon who will fix her breasts, however, it takes days to find a surgeon willing to touch them due to the multiple surgeries. However, this isn't the tragedy of the story, the tragedy is that Georgina is supposed to be at school for her GCSE prep but they will have to stay in the States for a longer period of time so that Alicia can fix her breasts meaning that Georgina has to miss two weeks of studying. When she emails her teachers asking for the worksheets from class, she can't understand any of the maths equations because she hasn't been to the classes covering trigonometry and could potentially fail her Maths GCSE because of it.

The part that really broke my heart was when Alicia said "how can she be my daughter? She's the squarest person I know. She would much rather go in there and study Biology and MacBeth rather than modeling. She came out my womb...how can she be so different? She's not my little girl; my little girl likes bikinis and would like to be a model." It was so sad and disappointing that Alicia couldn't accept her daughter for what she was; a bright, clever, conscientious young woman who was more considerate of her mother's life and feelings than her own.

Thankfully, toward the end, Alicia did realise that glamour modeling may not be the way forward in life and started seeing Georgina for her own values and beauty.

I think what made me sad in both cases is that the mother's were trying to push the children into something they wished they could do. They didn't believe that they were influencing their children but thought they were doing what was best for them. I think the most upsetting thing was that the children were confused and didn't know what they wanted and were doing things for their parents rather than for themselves.

I believe that parents should support their children and at most advise them on their choices. I think that if a child tells their parents that they want to be a glamour model, they should discuss it with them and then if they're still interested in being a glamour model, they should be supported, knowing they have the love and support of their family meaning that if they fail, they will have a safety net and have a way to stand up on their own two feet and start again.

I also think that we should nurture and encourage children who want to learn. It's so rare to find children who would rather finish their homework before playing with their friends rather than take the easy option and rely on their looks or just plain be lazy.

All in all, I think children should be able to do as they wish but with guidelines and support. I think at a young age, their should be some limitations for their own safety and innocence. At a slightly older age, they should be allowed (within reason) to make their own decisions and their decisions should be discussed so that everyone understands all perspectives and what will be the outcome of the actions.

I know I am not mother and I know that I have yet to put these words in to action, but I hope that I can open up a world of possibilities to my children so that they can feel rounded, talented, smart and loved and know that they can choose what is best for their future and their growth.

I Heart New York

2010-08-02T15:19:00.001+01:00

Traveling to and from work on the tube requires quick, easy reads that don't need complete concentration due to the hustle and bustle, loud speakers and short bursts of reading disrupted by tube changes and escalators. I Heart New York was perfect for that.

I picked up I Heart New York mainly because I bought I Heart Paris when it was in a promotion in WH Smiths and then realised it was part of a series when I got the book home. Being a fan of the trashy Sophie Kinsella novels, I thought "why not? it seems fun" and I was right.

I Heart New York follows Angela Clark, a 26-year-old freelance writer who moves to New York after finding her fiance with his pants around his ankles with his tennis partner, in the back of their car at her best friend's wedding. After making a scene, breaking the groom's hand and being pitied by all (seeing as everyone else knew) Angela runs to New York to avoid facing the aftermath of the situation.

While in New York, Angela makes new friends, gets a new style, starts dating multiple men and gets a step closer to her dream job. All in all, moving to New York is the best thing Angela could have done and she's slowly learning how to trust herself and her decisions.

The book opens up with a very familiar vibe, to the point where I thought there may have been a book I missed. The first few pages feels like the obligatory recap which is sad but mandatory in all sequels; telling us who the main character is, who their best friend is, who their boyfriend is and how much weight they've lost recently. I usually appreciate a story which jumps in and doesn't take five chapters to develop a relevant story line or a relatable character but this was a little much. It practically became list like, ticking off bullet points rather than emoting and storytelling.

After the initial revelation and some peeing in a travel bag, the concept and plot seems to settle into a fast paced, feel good but far fetched story. The fact that Angela makes an overly generous and enthusiastic friend, one hour after finding a random hotel to stay in followed by her getting an amazing new hairdo, wardrobe and makeup style all within 24 hours shows the nature of this whole book.

Angela's story is fast, sexy, inspiring and depressing. While reading parts of it, I really wondered what I was doing with my life. Having a very similar background and almost exactly the same aspirations as Angela, her story made me feel like my dreams were reasonable and attainable as well as making me feel like I have no chance in reaching those aspirations as I'm already 26 with no experience. This unsettling feeling was highlighted at several points during the story but once you get used to the overall sense of fantasy and disbelief, the story is very carefree and relaxing.

Angela's love life is like an extract of a Carrie Bradshaw article. The sudden ease in which Angela has in getting male attention while all other attractive, young, fashionable New York women surrounding her get little to no attention is once again, unbelievable but fitting with the book. The way in which Angela's "will she, won't she" tale is told leaves little to no questioning as to who she will end up with and how her story will be perceived by those around her.

Obviously, all of these downfalls, plus the fact that the character is a little schizophrenic and pitiful, comes with the genre of the novel, however, it's a fun, easy read which is quick and pleasant to read on the public transport.

One big thing I would like to say about the book is that the editor should be fired as I almost got out a red pen to note down all the missed spelling mistakes, duplicate words and grammatical errors and send it back to the publishers to show them what they have done.

All in all, it's a nice read for people who want a break from real life, real novels and six babies crying, 2 teenagers swearing and one dude listening the loud metal on the tube.

I give it 3/5

Super Mario Galaxy 2

2010-07-04T12:40:00.004+01:00

After being completely addicted to Super Mario Galaxy, I was immensely excited about Super Mario Galaxy 2. After seeing adverts with Yoshi and level clips my anticipation was building and I was getting ridiculously impatient for its arrival.

When the day came, my boyfriend went and bought it for me and we started playing.

The opening is the same as usual. The familiar, loveable Mario is on his way to meet his girlfriend Princess Peaches when Bowser comes along and kidnaps her. And like the first Mario Galaxy, Bowser also steals the Luma’s galaxy stars. Mario is backed by the Lumas and sets on his journey to regain all the stars and save the princess. The plot isn’t exactly riveting or original but it really doesn’t have to be. The fact the story is so weak and unnecessary means there are less cut scenes and less fluff so you can just concentrate on the game and have fun exploring the many galaxies.

I must admit, I was very disappointed with Mario’s new mode of transport between galaxies. I know it’s good to bring in new things but the Mario Starship was cute but weak. The hub world used in the first Mario Galaxy was cute, bright and fun to run around. It brought everything together and provided a back story if you actually wanted there to be one. I found that the most entertaining aspect of the starship is that you can dress Bank Toad in new outfits when you deposit money. However, once you actually start playing levels and getting into the game, the mode of transportation really didn’t matter as long as it got you where you want to go quickly.

The levels start basic, as you would expect, and don’t really differ much from the first Super Mario Galaxy, even having similar bosses. But in all honesty, you can overlook the lack of creativity because you’ll be thankful for the refresher course (or for the slow progression for new players) and soon enough you’ll get moments where you want to throw the controls at the screen and call Mario names.

There is definitely a lot of overlap in the gameplay from the first game. A lot of the same devices and gimmicks are used - i.e. fire flower, spring suit, boo suit and bee suit (my personal favourite) – but with the introduction of the drill, rock suit, cloud suit, flying levels and Yoshi, there are more than enough new tricks to keep you entertained.

Yoshi is by far the most exciting addition to the game especially as there are four iterations – i.e. normal, fire, light and floating. Each gives a new element of gameplay and they really do differ from each other. Playing with Yoshi can sometimes be frustrating as it was so easy to lose him but he did give the Bee Suit a run for its money.

Though they did have a couple of hits with the new devices, they did kind of fall flat with a couple of the new ones and some of the returning ones. I found the Rock Suit quite lame and boring and I really did try to rush through the levels and likewise, the Boo Suit felt pointless as it was only in one level toward the end of the game and the level wasn’t exactly the most enthralling.

One thing that was a little more fun was player 2’s input. This time, player 2 could control the environment around Mario a lot more and you did feel like you were playing as a team rather than one person taking on the role of older sibling letting the younger child join in but not effect the game. This time round, player 2 can collect star bits, coins, lives and 1-ups as well as hold and harm enemies, hold platforms and generally get Mario out of any sticky situation.

The new levels were very interesting and held some gameplay that I’ve not seen in a Mario game before. One of the bonus levels after completing the main game not only has a fresh concept but requires a lot of skill making you jump, spin and wall jump all at the same time leaving you feel really good once you’ve completed it.

But on the flipside, a lot of the bosses were either similar or not as challenging as the first game. The game introduced very few new bosses and even repeated them within the game instead of creating even more new ones. One of the bonus levels is fighting all the bosses from the previous game making them all slightly easier, thus making the comet star which requires you to complete the level within 5 minutes more than attainable. To me, this contradicted what the game should be about. As a sequel, there should be some overlap but innovation and increased difficulty should be something that reins supreme when it comes to bosses.

One thing I would like to mention is the accompanying DVD, which was provided in Japan and Europe. I found that it was not only condescending but also ruined the game. Not only did it tell you how to hold your controller, it showed you all the little tricks you need to defeat parts of the game. For me, part of the fun is working out how to do things, trying and dying until you get it right. Luckily I watched the DVD after playing the whole game right up to the Grandmaster Galaxy so my gameplay wasn’t impeded. I highly recommend not watching the DVD unless you want a woman who calls Yoshi, Yawshi talk to you like you’re a five-year-old and make you feel like you’ve played the game before you’ve even put your disc into the wii.

As a game, it provided familiarity, innovation and fun. It had levels that you couldn’t believe were over and levels that you couldn’t believe took so long. The way they have set out the bonus levels, green stars and comet stars made you feel as though you were getting a lot more gaming than you were expecting and challenges you to play a lot harder than you thought you could.

All in all, Mario Galaxy 2 is fun, cute and exciting. I spent well over 40 hours playing the game and going back replaying bits so I could unlock all the levels and I enjoyed almost all of it.

I think the game would appeal to people of all ages, genders and expertise. For a new player, the learning curve is fairly reasonable and for a returning gamer, the initial levels are quick enough for you to slam through to get to the interesting stuff.

Mario Galaxy 2 has it’s flaws but overall it’s a success and if Nintendo decided to release Mario Galaxy 3 in another 3 years, I think I’ll be more than ready to continue the saga.

Marked by PC Cast and Kristen Cast

2010-07-03T20:37:00.001+01:00

Zoey Redbird is a 16-year-old girl living in a world where vampyres are real and she has been marked as one. After her marking, always a controversial and outcast worthy feat for any teenage, Zoey has to make her way to the House of Night to develop and (hopefully) survive her vampyric change. But Zoey Redbird isn’t like other teenagers going through the change…Zoey Redbird’s mark is that of a fully-fledged, adult vampyre.

Not only does Zoey have to get used to the fact that she’s now a vampyre and may die before she leaves school, but she has to deal with a new school, new friends, new enemies and new boys as well as dealing with elements of her past life.

Can Zoey keep her morals and deal with the speedy changes in her life as well as fit in and stand up to the bitch from hell Aphrodite and her crones?

Well the answer is yes…obviously. Marked is the first in the series from PC Cast and Kristin Cast. Another series jumping on the Vampire band wagon. I’m not really complaining, I do enjoy my vampire stories but there are definitely good parts and bad parts to this novel.

One thing I really liked about this novel is that it started running as soon as it started. I hate novels that take 100 pages to start the real story (like the Twilight series). From the first line, we know what’s happening and the first dramatic element of the story has been executed. And from then on, it’s very rarely slow.

One thing I really hated was that the tone, language and references used were desperate. The narrative itself was ok but when there was dialogue or external characters, you could just hear the writers saying “is this cool? Are we pulling this off?” And unfortunately, nine times out of ten, they didn’t. They even went as far as having a stereotypical, token gay guy who they couldn’t decide if he was extremely camp or just an openly gay young man. They had “twins” (a white girl called Erin and a black girl called Shaunee) who used slang every second word and are almost offensively pigeonholed. But above all, the most grating thing was the references. Every couple of pages are laced with references which I’m sure are supposed to make teenagers feel at ease and engaged in Zoey’s life but it just felt a bit dirty and cheap.

I did enjoy the story, it was very predictable and quite basic but I did enjoy the twists on vampyre culture and the way in which one would become a vampyre.

It’s quite a quick read and it does leave you wanting more but it really isn’t anything profound or special.

All in all, worth a read if you do like trashy, teen vampire novels but don’t get your hopes up. 3/5

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

2010-07-03T18:41:00.002+01:00

I must admit, I am quite partial to the Confessions of a Shopoholic series and other stereotypical “woman literature” so I was quite looking forward to reading this.

Twenties Girl is about Lara Lington, a young woman who is slightly awkward, average girl stuck in a dreamland. She’s just started a head hunting company with her best friend (who seems to be on the ball and ahead of the game, it’s just a shame she’s beggared off to Goa) and broken up with her long-term boyfriend Josh. Lara doesn’t realise how much of a mess her life is until she attends the funeral of her Great Aunt Sadie.

The story kicks off at Sadie’s funeral where we meet Lara and her bizarre family. Uncle Bill and his family are a big talking point within the book as he is a multi millionaire who owns a Stabucks-esque coffee chain and a life coaching course (with books and DVDs) based on how he made his money from “two little coins”.

While at the funeral, Lara is deflated by Uncle Bill and the atmosphere in the sad farewell to the 105-year-old aunt that Sadie only met as a child. Through all the guilt and misery, Lara notices a young girl by the window, a young girl no one else seems to see. Once they both acknowledge each other, they realise that the young girl is actually the ghost of Great Aunt Sadie and they have to stop the funeral.

From there, Lara and Sadie’s bond spirals into a story of: love, lust, loss, success, failure and discovery. We see Lara helping Sadie reach peace and we see Sadie help Lara attempt to get the life she wanted back on track and then the life she was meant to lead in focus.

When I first started reading Twenties Girl, I must admit, I felt as though some details weren’t necessary or too stretched out but once the story started to unfold, I realised how necessary the information was (though it could have been cut down slightly).

The beginning of the story felt a little awkward and uncomfortable at first. It was a little slow and a little disjointed making it feel like Kinsella was trying to cover too much ground. However, as the story progressed, I found it easier and easier to read. I found myself really caring for the characters and wanting each of them to find a happy resolve.

It was so easy to relate to the characters. I mean, obviously it was hard to put yourself in their positions – a girl who can see her 105-year-old aunt as a 23-year-old ghost and vice versa – but the characters really came alive and the empathy you felt for them was boundless. The relationship they built was fun, sassy, sad, frustrating and beautiful. There were real moments of anger towards both characters as well as love.

Kinsella really has a way of making you become part of the story. I must admit, when I was reading it, I did keep thinking “I should see my nan more and I should know more about her life” as well as thinking about my relationship with my boyfriend, family and work. I was even getting annoyed at the characters and rooting for the guy etc. By the last 100 pages of the book, I had to pause every 20 pages or so to keep myself from crying, as the stories (yes plural) told were so touching, emotional and even beautiful that I was finding it hard to carry on reading.

One major criticism I have about the book is that Lara does draw a lot of parallels with Rebecca from the Shopoholic series. They both tell white lies to get their way, they both have awkward but adorable characters, they both over think things and come up ridiculous plans to get out of a muddle. This is only a criticism due to the fact that I have read a lot of Kinsella and had to stop myself making the comparisons or thinking “oh she’s going to start buying ridiculous amounts of 1920s clothes and get in trouble with Luke…I mean Josh…I mean Ed”.

A minor criticism is that it was a little predictable. I say it’s a minor criticism because it didn’t really impede on the actual storytelling. There were a few surprises toward the end, but as a whole, you can pretty much guess what’s going to happen in Lara’s life.

The story is filled with slapstick moments, love, hate, friendship and ridiculously outrageous situations. But it’s also filled with romance, yearning, bonding and growth. The writing style is very stereotypical and almost tacky but the story will leave you warm inside and make you think about your life and the people around you. And it will certainly make you consider what you’re going to leave behind when you leave this world.

I would recommend it as a good, easy read…but don’t read the last part on the train whatever you do.

I give it a rating of 4 stars out of 5.

review on body scrubs

2010-06-29T23:42:00.002+01:00

I did some reviews for body scrubs for a magazine and didn't want to post this until it was out but now it is so I can:

Flaking It from Soap & Glory:

With its candy pink tub, banner style fonts and retro, black and white photo on the lid, Flaking It is the most attractive and fun looking product. Once opened, it smells nice and looked nice and was quite an exciting product. It has more of a solid, waxy texture when you first start using it and it slowly dissolves into a nice exfoliating paste. It’s not too harsh on the skin and you don’t need as much as it says in the directions. However, after I washed it off, my skin looked good and initially felt good until I noticed that it left a waxy layer on my skin, which I could literally scratch away once dry, my boyfriend even said that “it doesn’t feel like skin anymore”. 3/5

Dove:

The Dove soap bar gives you a really mild exfoliation. It lathers up really nicely, the same as the regular soap, and is gentle enough to comfortably use all over the body including your face. The grains are very small and sparse but still leaves the skin soft, clean and removes light patches of dry skin. I wouldn’t recommend it as a sole source of exfoliation but as a daily soap to not only clean but also have a light exfoliation, which won’t harm your skin. I found that it’s also great to leave in the shower so that your boyfriend will use it and exfoliate without even knowing it! Great value for money 4/5

Body Scrub from Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden:

This product looked nice and sounded lovely, but once I flicked the lid, my opinions changed. It smells very synthetic and feels even more so. It has a very thick and sticky texture and the grains are quite harsh but not dense. You have to use quite a lot as it is so thick and doesn’t lather making it quite hard to spread. It’s quite a stubborn product, which requires more work to remove than others. It left my skin feeling sticky and not as clean, leaving stubborn patches looking as though they hadn’t been touched. Wasn’t very nice to use. 1/5

Brazil Nut Body Scrub from Boots Extracts:

The packaging isn’t very attractive and almost looks like the labels have just been thrown together rather than designed. Once opened, it does smell and look delicious. It looks rich and smooth like a yogurt and even smells like one. I was very disappointed while using it. It has a very thin, almost runny texture and is quite slippery on the skin. I couldn’t use it for as long as I wanted to because the law of gravity was too much for the consistency and it just kept dripping off. For the pros, the grains were small but didn’t dissolve so they weren’t harsh on the skin as the others because they didn’t need to be. After rinsing and drying, the skin already felt like it was moisturised. It’s a real shame that it’s so loose because that is the only thing making this a disappointing product. 2/5

Good For You Body Scrub:

With it’s simple, clean packaging, this product does look expensive. As soon as you open it, you are hit by the overwhelming smell of lavender and essential oils, which was a little too strong for my own personal taste. The product itself looks expensive and similar to a Liz Earle product in: colour, texture and smell. Once on the skin, the product melts quite nicely after an initial harshness, which is quite uncomfortable. The grains slowly dissolve letting you know when the job is done making it easy to rinse away. It did leave my skin quite pink and a little irritated after due to the initial harshness but the skin was smoother. After I dried the skin, it felt a little rubbery and tight, definitely requiring moisturizer. It did provide a deep clean but I would only want to use it on special occasions. 3/5

WHY I HATE PEOPLE

2010-06-18T20:43:00.000+01:00

I went to WH Smiths in Notting Hill today to buy some cards for Sunday. I thought it would be nice and simple, meaning I wouldn’t have to venture out again after I dropped my things home.

I WAS WRONG!

In the 15 minutes I was at the store, I wanted to shout at least six people. That’s an annoying person every two and a half minutes! Two and a half minutes! I take longer logging into my email than that!

The first thing that annoyed me was a German lady who tried to push me away from the cards then started speaking quite aggressively in German.

The second was one of the members of staff whose job seemed to be; whistling random notes, touching cards without moving them and edging closer and closer to me, stopping me from looking at the cards because I had to eventually move. He was so bloody useless that he picked up one of the many cards that were misplaced looked for the correct place for the total of five seconds and then put it back where he found it.

The third was a mother who let her two children ride around the very small store on their scooters even though they got in everyone’s way.

Fourth…you’ve guessed it, the kids who got in everyone’s way and then gave you attitude because they ran over your foot.

Fifth, a man who was annoyed that he had to pay £5.50 for some pens when they were marked as £4.89. Not only was he spouting off about how it was illegal to sell it for a higher price than advertised (which it’s not) but he kept on pushing to the front of the queue to argue with the lone cashier, interrupting the line which was growing quickly AND THEN had the cheek to say, I feel embarrassed because there’s all these people here and I don’t want to stop them shopping. I then over heard him talking to the manager saying “and you only have one person on the till which means there is a massive queue” – which he was partially to blame.

And lastly, there was a lady that kept trying to edge her way into the queue ahead of me. Apparently people don’t understand the concept of social etiquette or just plain manners.

This is just a 15 minute window into my day. I generally have 3 hours of anger toward the human race in any given day I leave the house. If it’s not people pushing in from the side to get into the lift at Queensway Station, it’s people hitting you with their bag and then giving you a dirty look. If it’s not people trying to one up you on your problems, it’s people picking up the last bottle of milk while you’re reaching for it.

There’s so much wrong with the mentality of this so called civilized culture that slowly, slowly, people are going to start pushing people in front of trains and buses just to get their way.

It’s gotten to the point where I hate going outside. It makes me feel like moving to a tiny little village and having babies and telling the contemporary world to shove off.

Britain’s Got Talent Semi Final – Night Five

2010-06-10T12:04:00.000+01:00

It took a while for me to write the following reviews, I think mainly because the shows weren’t as inspiring or as interesting as the other semi finals. However, I still have my two cents to chip in so here we go:

The Chippendoubles:

When they were first on the show, I thought they were hilarious and clever but that was purely due to the reveal. This time, I was expecting them to fail and guess what…they did. The dance off was boring, nonsensical and as witty as Louis Walsh. The new addition of Amanda and Piers didn’t work because they looked nothing like them and I was expecting something like that happen. The Queen on the other hand – I honestly laughed out loud at that, but it wasn’t a big enough redeeming factor. I was really hoping that they would have different people and a bit more inventive. There really was no way they could go through.

Liam McNally:

Liam was probably the cutest person in the competition. He was genuine and natural and he was a proper little boy. His performance was pretty much perfect. I had goose bumps every second bar of music and when he sang the high note, it felt the hair on the back of neck were standing on end. I didn’t particularly like the song choice but that is more to do with my issues with Westlife. I think he did need to do a more popular and contemporary song to get through to the final and luckily he did. I love the fact that he did seem to love doing it but more for himself than for the act of being on TV.

Alesia Vazmitsel:

During the auditions, I wasn’t so sure about letting a pole dancer through to the semis was a good idea. I must admit, when I think of pole dancing, I think of tacky, seedy clubs or of women dressing slutty in nightclubs trying to get attention. However, Alesia’s performance wasn’t exactly pole dancing, more a display of how a pole can be transformed into a piece of gymnastic equipment to depict the amount of balance, flexibility and strength a person has. The moves weren’t as fluid or elegant as previous but at that height, it’s not surprising. Her performance hasn’t changed my mind on pole dancing as a whole but I do think that her performance was well worthy of a semi final position and on another night where they didn’t have so many cute acts, she would have gotten into the final.

Myztikal:

First of all, the name makes me quite angry. Secondly, I lived Blackheath for a year and used to go to Tescos in Lewisham pretty much every day, walking through the car park to get to the store and I never saw them. I don’t like people putting on the sympathy act, it just doesn’t work on me. But now to the act. I think it’s a bit cheap. There’s nothing impressive about singing and dancing, it’s a standard for all the solo artists and groups out there. And let’s face it, they did focus mainly on the singing this time. Rachel, the girl who has the only good voice in the group, was actually out of tune and didn’t give an impressive performance unlike her audition. The songs that were sung were boring and almost unattainable. I just wasn’t impressed at all. I could carry on listing all the things that were wrong with it, but I won’t. All I have to say is that I don’t have one positive thing to say about it.

Dance Flavourz:

Would they really have gone through if they weren’t half naked? NO!! They may be bright and “fun” but they’re not interesting and they certainly aren’t a show of Britain’s talent. I saw a similar act of America’s Got Talent and they were basically forced off stage. I didn’t see the point in the elephant, the singing (which was terrible), the wife (who seems to be there just to keep an eye on her husband). It was awful. It felt like a cheap carnival act. The singing is what really bugged me. It was awful, why sing during such an act? Why is he even in the performance, it makes it even cheaper.

Father & Son:

Again, I hated this act. The song choice was awful and cheap. The song choice made it seem as if they were lovers rather than father and son. The outfits were ridiculous. The father was terribly out of tune and just a terrible singer. The son seemed to have more talent but took a backseat. I really don’t know how they made it through to this stage of the competition. It was probably just the emotional gimmick rather than any show of talent. Boo them and boo the judges for putting them through.

A3:

Another act that shouldn’t have been in the semi final. They were probably in the semis because they’re brothers and they show a raw side of dancing but they aren’t a proper dance act. Their dancing isn’t polished, it’s not technical and the routine was too frantic. The youngest one hurt himself quite badly on the first jump so couldn’t do the full routine ruining some of the group moves. Now, it’s not his fault that he hurt himself but if this were an official dance competition, they would have been marked down because of it. I found the act boring and almost schizophrenic in some instances. It’s nice to see three brothers having fun together and doing something together as a team but they aren’t worthy of Britain’s Got Talent.

Kieran Gaffney:

Another cute kid, showing that hard work can pay off. He’s genuine, passionate and talented. My only issue with the act is that for 2 minutes, it gets a bit boring. If he didn’t have the levitating stage and a popular song, he would have really struggled to keep people’s attention. I think tipping the stage showed how focused and skilled he is and it was nice to actually be able to see exactly what he was doing but it just wasn’t entertaining enough. I think that if he didn’t have the back-story with the failures that laced his path to the show, he may not have been in the final. I’m pleased that he did get through because he was determined and wasn’t afraid of failure but I don’t know how much the act actually deserved it.

I think that there were only three acts that could have possibly made it to the final and I am still sorry that Alesia didn’t get the public behind her (which isn’t surprising considering the demographic that votes for the show) but I am pleased that we didn’t get a completely ridiculous act into the final.

Britain’s Got Talent Semi Final – Night Four

2010-06-04T09:27:00.002+01:00

Last night’s show was really quite disappointing. After the previous nights show a lot of the acts impressed me and I wanted to go through or even had the opposite effect, at least making the show entertaining. Last night I was quite bored and didn’t really care who went through.

Ice:

The group tried to have an androgynous feel with the style of dance and costumes, which was contradicted by the little flourishes the girls added. The opening was quite odd and confusing: the girl being flipped into the back and someone being catapulted to the front at the same time was counterproductive and just didn’t work for me. The routine itself was very much an observation of street rather than street itself. The canes were boring due to the fact that we’d seen them before and they didn’t really add anything to the routine other than “hey, look, we have canes”. The final move of the routine kind of summed the whole thin up for me; when they lifted the girl by her ankles and arms, swung her up and then launched her over one of the other dancers, all I could think was “don’t attempt things you can’t pull off”. When the attempted to stop the momentum of the swing, they all started to wobble and it looked bizarre and awkward and when they launched her, it seemed unnecessary and cheap. It was almost as though they had seen Spellbound and thought, “we need to do something like that too” and then failed miserably.

Tyler Patterson:

I really wanted to like Tyler more than I did. I liked the fact that he really did look like a 10-year-old and that he behaved like one and I thought it showed how nice and honest he was when he didn’t burst out and cry at the end of the results and just walked off stage. But the problem with Tyler was that, firstly, we as a nation has been spoilt and can’t see how incredible it is that a 10-year-old can dance like that and secondly, that he is on a show where we have so many dancers to compare him to that he falls behind. His dancing is nowhere near polished or mature but he did have talent and he was impressive but for me, I was one of the spoiled watchers and wanted that little bit more from him. I wanted the routine to be a little more original and concrete and I wanted him to push it that little bit further. All in all, I think that Tyler, like Chloe, has shown that we as a public don’t take age into consideration anymore…we do just want talent.

Emile Harris:

Oh dear this was cringe worthy. I don’t know if it was nerves or just the song but he was out of tune, boring and seemed to go on forever. It’s a hard one because I don’t think he would have gotten through to the semi finals if he hadn’t performed his own song in the auditions but he really shouldn’t have performed an original piece tonight. Saying that though, I don’t think that would have helped him either. His voice wasn’t great and he didn’t seem to have control of it. All in all, it was probably the worst performance of the night.

Twist and Pulse:

They’re not exactly my kind of act because I don’t really like the music and I don’t like listening to 3 seconds of 20 different tracks during a performance. Their dancing is fun and at times extremely impressive. There were times where it looked like they were on fast-forward and there were times where I thought, I can see why people like you. But there were times where they were really messy, the moves weren’t finished properly and where they weren’t executing the moves in the same style, which made it look a little messy. I did like the fact that their shirts had baggy sleeves so at times it looked as though their arms were moving in impossible ways and I did like that they had a fun element where they didn’t seem to take themselves too seriously. It was one of the best performances of the night, but if they were on, on any other night, they wouldn’t have gone through.

Mark James:

I really don’t get this act. I think it’s fun and different but to me it’s just bizarre. I found the makeup and the fact that he self tanned half his body and even shaved his chest more entertaining than the act. The singing wasn’t great, the spinning made me feel a little sick and I was worried he was going to fall over in the platforms. All in all, the two minutes went really slowly and it felt like it was an act to fill a space rather than something that could stand out on its own.

Team Shaolin:

Messy, not as accomplished as it should have been, disjointed and weird. The only part I liked was when about half way through, two of the older guys did a 10 second fight, which looked quite impressive, the rest was contrived and predictable. Before it even started I said, “I bet they’re going to have a bed of nails” and surprise, surprise they did. Their last attempt to do something dangerous and impressive kind of fell flat as it was so rushed and unnecessary. It was a “look what we can do” and not a solid piece that flowed. It was very disappointing and boring.

The Fusion:

I hated The Fusion when I first saw them. This time round, I still didn’t get the appeal but you could certainly see the difference between their performance and Ice. I think it all seemed a bit pantomime to me and that’s the reason I can’t say that I liked it. But I acknowledge that it was different and they are one of the more solid dance acts with good technique and a finished product. I wasn’t left thinking “oh I wish they did…” it was a complete routine with a proper story. I have to admit that the two minutes went very quickly but I can’t say I’m sorry they didn’t go through and there is no way I think they could have won anyway.

Janey Cutler:

Everyone loves Janey, it’s hard not to. She’s cute, fun, impressive and cheeky. I love that she was brought on stage by two male escorts and wasn’t fazed by the lights or the audience or anything. She made it seem, as though this is what she does every day of the week. Her performance wasn’t the best of the competition but it was certainly powerful, engaging and great to watch. To me, Janey is was a contestant should be; she’s a character you remember, she’s got talent but in an approachable capacity where you can look beyond the faults and you can see her as a normal person on a talent show, not as a product. I loved her performance and look forward to seeing her again.

I think there were really only 2 acts that could have gone through tonight and the second only got through because a second act had to go through. It was a really disappointing show and I almost feel as though the producers did it like that to get certain acts through to the final…but who am I to speculate. I hope tonight’s show has a little more razzle dazzle and is a bit more entertaining as a whole.

Britain’s Got Talent Semi Final – Night Three

2010-06-03T09:23:00.001+01:00

All of last night’s performances were extremes in the spectrum. They were either brilliant or almost unwatchable. I have mixed feelings about the results and may have even had a little pout but that doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is what we saw on the night.

Starburst:

A group of small children named after sweets…quite appropriate as it was bright, colourful, overly sugary and sweet but left a slightly bitter taste in your mouth. The dance routine was messy, again mainly due to the fact that they have too many people in the squad. It was too much of a “look how cute we are” routine, which, let’s face it, was the only way they could have received votes and the fact that they released enough balloons to hide their dancing was the highlight for me! I know it’s mean because they’re only little but it was just a bit of a mess. One thing I liked though is that they only used one piece of music quite is quite unusual for dance troops at the moment.

Chloe Hickinbottom:

I think parents are cruel. I don’t understand how they can push their 10-year-old child into the spotlight for them to face one of the biggest rejections they’ll ever face. Bless Chloe. I don’t think she has the best voice of the youngsters we’ve seen on shows like this and her lack of control on her accent was a little bit of a problem as it did sound like “moan reever”. It’s such a shame she picked a song that was a bit wishy-washy song (no ones really done a stand out performance even though it’s a classic) as it wasn’t a wow performance. I think it’s also went against her that she doesn’t look 10, she looks and acts a lot older so lacked the cute factor. I agree with Simon, she would do well in the theatre world when she’s older, but not in this sort of competition.

Philip Grimmer:

Well, what can I say?! It’s another one of those, “how the hell did you make it through” acts. I must admit, I thought he look and performed a lot better than he did in the auditions, but to be fair, that doesn’t say much. I do think the man has balls (considering we basically saw them, the comment’s not too shocking) to come out on stage to 20 million people and dance and act how he wants to but the act itself was…cringe worthy. The male dancers looked quite unhappy about the whole situation too. All in all, I think he’s a brave man, who has achieved his dream but should leave the dancing to his living room.

Paul Burling:

Oh I’m so happy for Paul. He did so well! It was strange because the act was brilliant but I always find that comedy acts, no matter how good they are, always feel a bit slow on this kind of show because the singers and dancers are so in your face and all action off the bat, it can be really hard for this sort of act. But his impressions were spot on – the fact that he looked different with every impression he did was amazing. His jokes were also very, very funny. His Simon crack made me laugh out loud…though his Simon is probably the weakest of the bunch. I’m very glad he got through. He really deserved it.

The Arrangements:

This is the act that made me really sad. I loved them. I think they’re funny, talented and different. It is a bit of a one trick pony because we know what to expect but I think their performance was brilliant. I could watch it over and over. The singers delivery of some of the lines had me in stitches to the point of me randomly saying “I can shut my eyes, then I can’t see!” for the rest of the evening. I loved the fact that the songs were different enough for Simon not to know what was being performed. I also love the fact that it almost had an X-Factor theme. It is a shame that the musicians are actually over looked because they generally did give a good performance and people may have forgotten that they are still kids. I also love how geeky and honest they are. I loved them and I hope we see them again somewhere.

Jimmy Forde:

Ok, another “what? Why?” act. But all I will say is that it is amazing that a 75-year-old man is as active as he is. I do think that he is an inspiration for the pure fact that he shows that keeping active can keep you young. However, I could barely watch the act and I did get really bored! Even though the act was less than 90 seconds. I think that he’s a sweet man and I’m glad he had fun, but I’m not sorry he won’t be on the main show.

Christopher Stone:

I really liked him in the auditions, but I think the thing is, I liked him more than I liked his voice. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have a good voice, what I’m saying is that he doesn’t have a polished voice and he’s not exactly the most approachable voice. I was a bit worried that the audience wouldn’t really get him, especially as the songs he sings are quite lulling rather than exciting. I don’t think he can win, he was definitely my number 3 of the evening, but I am happy that he’s been given the nod from the audience and the judges. I think he does have a chance as a stage performer if he gets a little more confident.

Peridot:

This is a tough one. They are probably the best technical dancers in the competition (so far), however, it was just a show case of technical moves and tricks without a fluid line throughout the dance. I also agree that it should have been more uniformed and together because it was a bit of “ooo it’s my turn, let me show you what I can do” so it was quite disappointing. I did like some elements of the routine like the fact that they put in a phone call, which looked and worked really well. It was quite a slick routine but I did find it lacking.

So there we have it. My thoughts on the last nights show. I am really upset that The Arrangements didn’t get through but I can understand why. I’m also glad that the audience seems to be voting sensibly and that we’re not going to be seeing and weird and wacky performances on Saturday.

Britain’s Got Talent Semi Final – Night Two

2010-06-02T09:27:00.001+01:00

Ok, so last night saw the second round of Britain’s Got Talent’s Semi Finals. Definitely more interesting than the first night and a little more anger enabling. Here’s what I thought.

Taboo:

When I first saw Taboo, they were a smaller dance troop on Got To Dance, and I liked them. I was quite sad that they didn’t make it to the live finals. However, on Britain’s Got Talent, I was wondering HOW they got into the finals. Though a group of 34 dancers may seem impressive, there are many complications involved. The sheer fact that the stage can barely cope with all of them makes the routine look manic and confusing. The fact that they tried to make the little ones seem cute and innocent then introduce a bit of sex to the older ones didn’t work. There were a few synchronization issues where people had different styles of doing things so it didn’t quite work. And lastly, which may just be for me, the candy striped costumes made it a little difficult to watch as my eyes started to hurt from watching the lines moving erratically on stage. All in all, not the worst performance I’ve seen but far, FAR from the best.

Neil Fullard:

I really like Neil. He’s genuine, he’s not cocky, and he’s a normal person who found a hidden talent that just wanted to sing. He didn’t have any hidden agendas or intentions. He just wanted to sing. I think his performance was far from polished with a few vocal issues but it was solid, appealing and I wanted to see more. He’s probably the most likeable person in the competition and if he had gone through, I would have been pleased to see him win. I must admit, I was quite sad when he came third. I hope he continues singing.

The Ruby Girls:

What a waste of time! They’ve got no hidden niche, even though they think they do. If you have ever seen Kimberly Wyatt dance, you know what dancing in 4 inch, thigh high boots should really look like! The only impressive part was the forward headsprings at the beginning. The rest was boring! I found the music schizophrenic, having each clip lasting 20 seconds at most. The outfits went down the Kandi Rain route, which may be sexy but cheapens the act. The ballet bar was unnecessary and cliché. All in all, it was cheap and unoriginal and the choreography was messy. Piers said it himself “you’re not the most technical dancers and not always in sync but with what you are wearing I didn’t care.” Not really what I want to represent Britain.

Kev Orkian:

During the auditions I loved his performance. I thought it was funny and clever and his piano skills were very good. This time round, it was cheap, tacky and sad. It was such a shame. Some of the jokes were funny and his singing and piano playing were ok but the act itself was embarrassing. He really did have on good performance in him for this sort of show and we had seen it. I really did like him and he seemed like the nicest guy in the world, but he couldn’t go through.

Connected:

Well, what can I say? Five 14-year-old boys…singing. There was no way they weren’t going through, which disappointed me. This performance wasn’t great. They really struggled at the beginning. They managed to tune up once the music started but it didn’t have the same shine as the first audition. Their harmonies weren’t as finished and they were ridiculously nervous. A couple of the boys sound like their voices haven’t broken yet, which may pose a problem later down the line. And I must admit, I did feel like I was thrown back into the late 90’s. I think that if they were given a couple of years, they may do ok, but on the other hand, they have the young cute factor at the moment and I don’t think they’ll be good looking enough to have that sort of appeal later.

Tin and Chandi:

My heart melts every time I see this act. The pure love between them is amazing! The dog is a bloody wonder! She doesn’t seem to be taking many commands from Tina and actually knows the routine. It was so detailed and different and controlled…it was amazing! She made maybe three mistakes in the whole routine, which is astounding for a dog. And it was a completely different routine from the last audition. It was no surprise that they went through and I wouldn’t be surprised if they won. AMAZING!

Michael Payombo Snr& Jnr:

This is going to be really short. Hated! Junior was dancing too fast and was out of time with the music. The routine was generic and repetitive and boring. Senior looked tired and as if he was struggling. It was boring and cringe worthy and all in all, unimpressive. THE END!

Maxx Oliver:

Why?! I don’t know how he got into the semi finals. It was a bit of a joke really. Why would an impersonator get into the Royal Variety show? Particularly one whom is impersonating a current artist that was on it recently? The production may have been impressive (though cheap compared to Gaga) but that’s all it was. It was all the fakery around him that made the performance barely bearable to watch. His singing was off, his dancing was terrible, the costume was questionable, his wig kept on falling off and what was the keyboard about?! Seriously people! This kind of act is ok for your mates or for a club act but not for the Royal Variety.

All in all, I enjoyed the show and was very, very sad that Neil didn’t get through. Hopefully we’ll see him again one day.

Britain’s Got Talent Semi Final – Night One

2010-06-01T13:40:00.001+01:00

I’ve never watched Britain’s Got Talent before this year, but this year I thought…Why not?! So after watching and cringing over all of the auditions, I was quite intrigued to watch last night’s Semi Final.

Here’s a quick over view and review of each performance:

ThreeBee:

Though Bollywood and Indian dancing is something that we lack knowledge of in our culture, I feel that firstly, ThreeBee lost the wonder and authenticity of the style due to using western music and even some western dance moves. Some of the dancers were far from polished. Within the first 20 seconds, two of the girls at the front almost lost their balance. In all, the dance was messy, confusing and lacked a certain shine that is required in this sort of competition. Maybe if it was a smaller dance company it would have worked better but when I compare them to the Bhangra Heads from Got To Dance, I was extremely disappointed.

Olivia Archbold:

Though it pains me to say this because she seems like quite a cute 14-year-old girl, she made the wrong choice of song. It sounded as though she struggled with the range, it made her sound a bit whiney and the key change really wasn’t her friend. It’s a shame because she seems like a nice, likeable girl who has confidence without being arrogant but choosing a random Kate Winslet song, which just didn’t suit her voice was a fatal mistake for her.

Stevie Starr:

This guy makes me feel physically sick. I can’t watch him without looking away at least once! But his talent is amazing! The whole act was scary and crazy and exciting! The fact that Amanda Holden didn’t seem to have a clue what he was going to do made his trick seem even more remarkable. I feel that his act is one of the more impressive talents but that the audience just can’t vote for him because of the uncomfortable feeling while watching him. I wish he had swallowed some sugar and water and brought up the dry sugar but alas, it was not meant to be.

Kevin Cruise:

Though he’s fun and fairly entertaining, he has no talent! His props and the backing dancers made the show bearable. I think the whole point of his show is for him to prance around on stage having a laugh rather than showcasing any talent. He looked pissed for most of it tbh. And the fact he couldn’t remove his trousers…made the show seem even less polished and crazy. It’s a no vote from me unfortunately.

Josh Barry:

I hate this kid. I really do. I think he was too arrogant and thought he was going to win. Again he chose the wrong song; it was boring, challenged his range and showed that he needs a lot of work on his vocals. Some parts were almost cringe worthy. I found myself watching the dancers more than him, which is always a bad sign. I was even a little annoyed that he didn’t even learn a bit of the choreography, anything he did do was half arsed and uncommitted. Glad he’s not going to back it in the real world of entertainment!

Tobias Mead:

I loved Tobias in the first round. I thought that his dancing was inventive and different even though it wasn’t the most polished I’d ever seen. Last night, I was disappointed. It all seemed a little gimmicky. The floating ball took away the focus of the act and created a distraction from his dancing because he focused more on how the ball was reacting to his movements rather than the movements themselves. Even his entrance showed that props led his performance. The fact that he jumped off an elevated board, which seemed impressive but in fact wasn’t, kind of sums up the whole routine. I think it’s a shame and I still like him, I just hope he actually does more dancing and less tricks next time.

Sean Sheehan:

Oh bless Sean. I think he was adorable and a really nice guy but what was this act about? I think that he would get a vote due to the fact that would want to give him a cuddle and have afternoon tea with him but the actual act was a big no no. The poor guy was so nervous that the chopping didn’t exactly go well to the point where he had a block of wood stuck on his cleaver but he still kept going. It was hard to watch but I still think he deserves a hug.

Spellbound:

Oh my goodness! I remembered Spellbound from the auditions and they were the group I was most looking forward to seeing. I don’t know anything about Gymnastics or Sport Acrobatics but for the average viewer I was blown away! Last nights performance made me shout “did you see that?” to my boyfriend last night. I think the costumes were great, the pyrotechnics were exciting and the music made it all seem quite exciting and almost urgent. I think it’s a shame that the editing wasn’t exactly ideal; I’m pretty sure there were some remarkable and interesting moves that weren’t captured for the audience at home. But all in all, it was breath taking and beautiful and I can’t wait to see them again.

All in all, I think last nights show was interesting and had the same kind of vibe as the auditions did. I must admit, it is nice to see more variety acts than I presume we’ve seen in previous years, I just hope that the Lady Gaga impersonator doesn’t get through.

Kick Ass or Suck Ass

2010-05-31T14:38:00.001+01:00

Though the title may sound like a bucking donkey to an English person; I was very excited about Kick Ass after seeing the initial trailers. The short glimpses were funny, witty, unusual and made it seem like the film had a good balance of parody and originality. But, like always, the funniest lines and the plot twists were all revealed in the 60-second clips leading you into the cinema rather than keeping you there.

After a myriad of people telling me how awesome Kick Ass was, I was extremely excited about seeing it. So I skipped down to the local theatre expecting the next 2 hours to be amazing. But alas, I was beyond disappointed.

The opening joke (and probably the funniest one) sets the general tone of the movie. A squeaky voiced teen boy narrating a story, which is essential about him explaining the interesting storyline as a periphery tale.

Ok, before I go into the critical analysis of this film, I’ll do the quick synopsis, which is obligatory in a review:

Dave Lizewski, a gawky, geeky, unnoticeable teenager with hardly any social skills and no hand eye coordination lives his boring life with his 3 geeky friends, reading comics, jacking off and watching the pretty girl of the story from afar. One day, after hanging out at the local comic shop/coffee house, the group gets mugged by 2 stereotypical looking thugs while a man watches from his window and does nothing. Dave gets angry that no one takes a super hero stance to defend people who can’t defend themselves and orders a SCUBA costume to take on the role of the local super hero. When he tries to stop the same pair of thugs knock over a car, he gets so beaten up (and even gets run over by a car WTF!?) that he ends up in hospital where he has a lot of metal pins and rods put into his body and loses a lot of feeling in his body due to broken nerves. And thus begins Kick Ass the super hero.

Meanwhile, the local mob is discussing an attack on one of their deals by a Batman type guy. Obviously no one believes the guy who claims he saw a super hero stop their cocaine deal go through and they believe he stole it, killing him as any stereotypical mob would do.

A third and seemingly unrelated story starts between a straight laced father and a sweet but bad mouthed daughter who have a loving relationship but shoot at each other while practising their weapon skills. Their relationship and story is the most interesting and poignant part of the film but is probably the tertiary story of within the plot.

The film slowly spirals from there; intertwining all three story-lines, but unfortunately, not really achieving the flow that was intended.

To me, the plot felt schizophrenic in nature. There were too many characters and too many sub plot lines and too many red herrings to make the film what it could have been. The fact that the main storyline about Dave had no real baring on the interesting story, which was the father, daughter duo Damon and Mindy, made it feel like Kick Ass was a vehicle to drive the plot as the writers didn’t have enough steam to write the story they really wanted. Damon and Mindy’s back story is explained through a comic strip that Damon has been working on since he was let out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit, which is an interesting way of telling a story but I kind of wish the film was about them and Kick Ass being the comic book. However, I don’t think the story line that they had developed was detailed or different enough to make they film they were hoping for.

To me it just felt like they were trying to cover too much ground to make everyone like it. It had elements of a typical teen movie like Loser and elements of the new trend of self-deprecating teen movie like Superbad. It then has a ridiculous and pointless love story, which isn’t even worth comparing it to any other film. It has a comic mob element, comparable to Mickey Blue Eyes attempting to be Lock Stock (even borrowing some of the actors). And last but by no means least, Mystery Men! Why does no one make that comparison?! As mentioned, the only interesting and the most original storyline in the whole film is Mindy and Damon who collectively only get about a fifth of the screen time.

The film is so disjointed and pointless with so many tentative connections. It sometimes felt like the plot was written around jokes rather than the jokes written into the plot. It was also a little sad that one of the biggest links to our culture and a recurring feature in the story was Myspace, a reference which would have worked 7 years ago and been highly relevant but felt quite misplaced and desperate. Which, I think is my feeling about the whole film.

On the up side, the acting wasn’t entirely terrible, except for Nicolas Cage, and the climax of the film did evoke some sort of emotional reaction which I think gave the film some form of credibility no matter how low it may be.

I just wish that they made the film half an hour shorter, took away the love story, made Kick Ass the tertiary story and updated the references. Then maybe, just maybe, it would have been an OK film.

Certainly not buying it: 2/5

THE LOVELY BONES BY ALICE SEBOLD

2010-03-08T20:07:00.001Z

A young girl is raped and murdered in a local cornfield by a local man and tells the story of her friends and family dealing with her passing and their attempt at moving on with their lives while she watches them from heaven.

Alice Sebold writes from the perspective of Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl in the 70's who is tricked by her quiet neighbour, George Harvey, on her way home from school. Harvey (a man in his mid 30s who lives alone and makes dollhouses for a living) preys on Susie's curious nature and convinces her to venture into an underground lair he's made in the cornfield next to their neighbourhood. Within the opening pages, Susie is raped, losing her virginity in the most gruesome way possible, and accepts her fate as she quietly awaits her death.

On her way to her own personal heaven, Susie brushes past the local odd-girl Ruth. This brief, other worldly interaction ignites an unknown and impossible bond between the two girls, a relationship that is a heavy focus in the story. After Ruth feels a presence, which she can only conclude is Susie, her life is changed forever.

After hours of waiting for Susie to come home, her parents report her missing. A detective called Len Fenerman takes on the case, having to also face and accept some of his own demons while trying to find the neighbourhood's monster. The family and Len develop a long, complicated relationship spanning the life of the book and affecting the lives of the family he was trying to help but essentially led them in a different direction.

The family find it hard to acknowledge the possibility of Susie's death until a local dog finds Susie's elbow and brings it home with him. As there is no body, the family always has the belief and reassurance that "nothing is ever certain", resting all their hopes on that statement. Can their daughter, sister, life really be over without a body to prove it?

Crazy with grief and hate, Susie's father, Jack, launches a one man investigation into her disappearance and the local weirdo, Mr. Harvey. His obsession makes more than one part of his life fall apart.

Lindsey, Susie's sister, finds it hard competing with Susie, even in death and even though she is smarter, sportier and more popular than her absent sister. She desperately wants to grow up and stop being compared to or seen as her older sister, pushing some limits to prove to herself that she is different.

The novel follows all the people that Susie has touched both in life and death and her emotions towards those she cares about. Through her family she experiences many levels of love and hate. She experiences the touch of first love and undying friendship. She experiences everything she wanted to on Earth with the help of the people she wishes she could touch and talk to.

Though the novel is innovative and original, it poses a few undesirable and excessive side effects.

Due to the nature and detail of the book, Sebold touches on a few too many characters and jumps between timelines a little too frequently. The brief, and sometimes seemingly pointless mentions, makes the book lean slightly to the chaotic and cheapens the growth and understanding of an adolescent girl who will never see womanhood.

The controversial and inconsistent vision of heaven could potential cause ripples in a more religious reader as well as the love story between Susie and her never-could-be Ray.

Despite the novel being set in an unworldly, almost unbelievable environment, the twist into the supernatural is practically ignored until it breaches the realm of acceptability. Sebold almost crosses a line which takes the book from beautiful, "what if", conceptual afterlife to a twisted and somewhat creepy scenario which violates not only the lines between life and death but also the line between observation and intrusion.

The first half of Susie's story is remarkably engaging and relatable, creating a world you feel lost in and a part of. However, the story starts to drag when she not only tells her back story and George Harvey's but also the stories of irrelevant characters and situations.

I would recommend reading The Lovely Bones as it is a book that will move and haunt you long after reading it, however, don't think it's plain sailing all the way through.

I give the book a solid B with the potential of a B+ dependent on your openness to the supernatural twists.

The ugly truth about "The Ugly Truth"

2009-08-13T23:55:00.001+01:00

The ugly truth about “The Ugly Truth” is that the title says it all. Don’t expect a heart-warming love story but anticipate another hybrid of teen movie vulgarity and chick flick love story.

It’s hard not to put labels on this film. It’s a specimen of the new sudo- romantic comedy genre, which can also be found in films such as “Knocked Up” and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”. Though there are many laugh out loud moments, this is not a film for the easily offended. The language is crude and crass bordering on obscene but if you can live with the cringe worthy moments and ensure that you won’t be in the same room as your parents whilst watching it, give it a go.

Abby (Katherine Heigl) is an up tight, neurotic news producer, great at her job but terrible at finding a man, well, terrible at keeping him around after meetings organised over the internet. Mike (Gerard Butler) is a rude and abrasive call in presenter who doesn’t believe that men can fall in love. As you can see, our protagonists are complete opposites; the control freak verses the spontaneous rebel, the romantic verses the cynic. After a rocky start, the two engage in an experiment and soon learn that they’re not as unbearable to each other as they first may seem.

Once again Heigl plays a down to earth, somewhat innocent, successful woman, however, it seems that she is stepping away from the meek and uncomfortable characters she’s become used to playing over the past couple of years and has decided to push the boundaries including an orgasm scene reminiscent of “When Harry Met Sally” with a little more awkwardness and comedy. It is a shame that there was this minor change to her usual characters as it wasn’t pushed quite enough to make enough impact, leaving it feel a little cheap and inconsistent with the back-story we have been told.

Likewise, this is a very peculiar role for the “300” star Gerard Butler. Where we are used to seeing Butler play a physically strong, powerful man, this role shows us his attempt at a comedic, stubborn man who seemingly possesses no redeeming qualities to the outside world. There is no doubt that his, and even Heigl’s, comedic timing is perfect for this movie but it is very hard to accept him fully as the character.

The screenplay was written by three women, (Nicole Eastman, Karen McCulleh Lutz and Kirsten Smith) which may explain the somewhat excessive and unnecessary clichés and bad language as an over compensation to rival other films in this new subgenre. There were times when the language seemed misplaced or forced and though a slapstick element was surely intended, “The Ugly Truth” really did milk it for all it’s worth.

On the whole, the movie was exactly what you’d expect from a romantic comedy but with all romantic comedies you have to expect the predetermined formula. However, if it didn’t have the formula we’re all so used to, we’ll all question if we preferred it that way.

“The Ugly Truth” is a worthwhile watch, just don’t expect any real character growth or development or heart warming feelings at the end.

Stupid little girls

2009-08-12T10:30:00.006+01:00

Like most evenings, I read the status updates on Fabebook 2 nights ago, just to be nosey and find out what everyone was up to and guess what…one of them (and the following thread) made me so furious I had to wait over 24 hours to post anything about it!

The conversation went a little like this:

This exchange didn’t just disgust me but reaffirmed everything I thought was true!

I’ll tell you a little bit about myself: I have always had issues with my weight. I have been all different kinds of sizes but for most of my life I have been further along the plus size than I would like to be. I have dieted; fad diets including: Atkins, Lemonade, Baby Food, GI, 3 day diet etc all miserable failures after the first few week. I have tried exercising; I used to do 4 dance classes a week until I was 15 (before a car accident which prevented me from doing anything too physical for over a year), went to the gym for over an hour a day (when no one was there), yoga, pilates, the list goes on and on. And, regrettably, for 2 years, I had eating disorders.

I dropped 5 dress sizes when I was “being silly” as my mother puts it, but slowly, since then, it has been creeping back up and then after visiting California, I gained even more weight. Recently, I have been trying to diet sensibly; eating healthily, keeping an eye on calories (roughly 1,200 a day) and exercising daily and luckily I have dropped a dress size in a month and I’m still going, the aim being to be healthier rather than worrying about what I look like.

The reason I say all of this is because, even though I’m trying really hard to lose weight and exercise, I refuse to go to the gym because I am terrified of people judging me. There’s nothing more demoralising than trying to do something you’re proud of and having people laugh at you. And unfortunately, that’s what these shallow, spiteful, immature girls above were doing.

We’ve all been in the situation where we’ve had to hold our breath walking past someone in the tube, supermarket or nightclub, but lets face it 1. These are situations where people shouldn’t really smell, 2. You don’t make a big song and dance about it unless you’re pushed into their armpit and 3. It’s generally not brought up unless they’re overweight or attractive and that was off putting (both scenarios highlighting people’s shallow nature once again). With this in mind, surely sweating and smelling in the gym is the most acceptable place for such uncontrollable body functions? The place where you are told to build up a sweat!

I think it’s despicable that people are judged for trying to improve themselves especially while in a place designed for self-improvement and fitness.

I’m sorry that some superficial, self-involved, closed minded people ruin this concept for a lot of people, believing that over weight people should probably stay at home so people don’t have to see them and then wonder why they let themselves be like that. It’s because of people like the girls above who make people like me feel ashamed for trying hard to improve my lifestyle and health and state of mind as well as body. I gave up smoking (even the odd one every so often because of stress) and drinking a while ago and I’m even more adamant to keep away from both now because it would undo all my hard work for such stupid habits.

It’s funny because I went through the pictures of the two girls I know from the above conversation and found sweat patches, cigarettes and booze (including cans of Strongbow! Classy!)…all obviously the height of glamour and not creating any sickly odour at all! I’m pretty sure they’ve all been sick after drinking at some stage in their life from drinking too much or flicked their hair whilst in a club, spraying unsuspecting victims with their sweat.

I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t complain if it was a 6’2” guy with massive muscles sweating on them or if they were in a hotel swimming pool whilst on holiday.

I think it’s a shame that people are so caught up in themselves and want to feel better about their own insecurities that they’re too quick to judge and worry about their own minor, minimal discomfort that they can’t think of others, their achievements or determination or (God forbid) feelings!

I just urge people to take 2 seconds to register what people are attempting rather than pointing and laughing that they might be sweating excessively or are red or out of breath or even jiggling. Spiteful looks, little giggles, sighs, whispering or insensitive comments on social networks/blogs stunt peoples progress and is, lets face it, childish and inconsiderate and suggesting a shower after exercising is obviously genius and a new concept (some people are just so stupid – I think that comment pissed me off the most and I don’t even know the girl).

I’m hoping that this has made the above girls ashamed, as much as the woman who smelt would feel if she stumbled upon the conversation.

Oh and a word of advice for everyone…please shower after exercising! Whoever you are!

Coco Before Chanel released 31/07/09

2009-08-05T17:47:00.004+01:00

“Coco Before Chanel” is the charming rags to riches tale of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel (Audrey Tautou) and her revolutionary attitude toward women’s fashion. However, take the title literally! If you’re looking for a fast paced, glamorous, shoes and bags filled film, watch “Sex and the City”. If you’re looking for a young woman’s struggle with her individuality and social status, this is the film for you.

The film opens with a flash back to Chanel’s dark past. The young Gabrielle and her fictitious older sister, Adrienne (Chanel had 4 siblings in fact; 2 sisters and 2 brothers) are left at a Catholic orphanage by their father. The heart breaking hope and determination of the young Gabrielle in this short opening sequence outlines the strength of her character, which appears throughout the film. Though this starts our voyage into the emotional story of Gabrielle it also hints at her inspiration for simple, functional clothes with the nun’s practical ensembles.

The main story begins 15 years later in a café in Moulins where she performs with her sister. The naive Adrienne (Marie Gillain) introduces Gabrielle to her lover’s friend, Etienne Balsan (Benoit Poelvoorde), a relationship that will flourish into an unlikely affair. This meeting and phase of her life is plonked together in it’s own distinguishable section and it is here we first see her flare for sewing at her day job in a tailors as well as Gabrielle’s attempts to make their performance costumes more comfortable and easier to move in despite Adrienne’s reluctance.

Writer and Director Anne Fontaine has chosen an odd angle; focusing not only on Chanel’s relationships but also on her short-lived acting career. It is true that Chanel adopted the nickname “Coco” during a short stint as a Café singer but this storyline is embellished in the film, making acting her life long dream and design merely a consequence and sometimes a hassle.

Fontaine’s depiction of Balsan is also not as close to truth as it could be. In reality, Balsan was a mere 3 years older than Gabrielle but is depicted to be some years older making him more forceful and controlling of Gabrielle.

After their encounters, Balsan goes back to his estate near Paris, where, of course, Gabrielle follows. During her stay, her rebellious nature shines and she learns how to ride a horse, meets influential people and manages to become a permanent fixture in Balsan’s house. This is where her designing begins; not only making dresses but also trousers so she can ride like a man.

Gabrielle becomes friends with actress Emilienne d'Alençon (Emmanuelle Devos), one of Balsan’s other lovers, who is intrigued by the young woman’s elegance even when dressed “as a boy”. Her corset-less, small frame is looked upon as masculine and she is constantly told to be more feminine while she constantly tries to convince others that women need to breathe. Gabrielle (now known as Coco) also comments on the overuse of accessories and feathers and encourages Emilienne to take her own plain hat instead of wearing the over-embellished one the actress currently has. Eventually due to this action, attitude and friendship Coco builds a client base and the start of her career.

It is not long until Coco meets Arthur “Boy” Capel (Alessandro Nivola), a young Englishman fluent in French and intriguingly confident. Short exchanges soon form a love affair, which teaches Coco not only what love is but how painful it can be.

The character development is, at times, shallow and abrupt. Gabrielle/Coco herself is subject to a bumpy evolution seeing her go from; outspoken independence, to subservient acceptance, to vulnerable lover, to determined entrepreneur. But, as this is about a girl growing into a woman, you can forgive the inconsistencies. But, Fontaine attempted too much as she hints at Coco’s rumoured love affairs with women, through a wasted passing commen, as well as her inability to discuss the truth of her past, which is again merely skimmed.

Balsan’s personality also suffers with sudden change going from egotistical brute to understanding, loving provider. The change is extremely rapid and, to a degree, confusing due to events leading to his final, almost confessional outburst. Not only is Coco “not his type”, but also his willingness to give her to Capel as well as take other mistresses makes his apparent intentions questionable. Fontaine may have been attempting to make Balsan a likable character but these acts are out of selfishness making the attempt null and void.

Tautou could be considered a little old for this role but her age reflects the real Coco’s claims of being born in 1893 rather than 1883, a comment is even made early on that people “can’t put an age to [her]. Can’t tell if she’s 16 or 26”. Other than that, Tautou portrays the ever-changing moods of Coco remarkably well and brings the feminine strength she usually does. Tautou’s renowned presence exudes, making Coco come to life with exceptional grace.

Though this portrayal of Chanel’s early life isn’t exactly word for word truth nor does it focus on the events leading from her aspirations to eventually becom an influential haute couture designer; it does identify the key events of her young life that led her to becoming the designer we know today. Though the story is researched thoroughly, there are notable adaptations of events, which were necessary to make her a likable character. I’m sure that if there were a scene showing Coco paying off her brothers to disappear rather than embracing her sister in life and business, Coco would not have been as elegant and chic.

The film itself is beautiful with both extravagant and simple costumes and beautiful landscapes and though the film is not overtly about fashion and design, the film is stylish and pleasing to the eye. The use of medium close-ups and close-ups on Coco highlighted her isolation and uniqueness especially in times of distress or discomfort.

All in all, the story is broaching on formulaic but certainly not a standard biopic. If you are more interested in fashion and expect more about her life as a designer, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for an insight into the remarkable woman and her early life, this is the film for you.