reviewqueen-sewbizzie

Bank Vault or Pandoras Box?

2011-05-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

Below is a film review for the Bank Job, a brilliant film which is well worth watching, enjoy my review....

Terry Leather owns a car show room and he is also a petty criminal. He owes money and is on the verge of loosing everything if he cannot pay the money back soon. His luck changes though when he meets up with old friend Martine Love who has an interesting proposition for him.

She suggests that they rob a bank, she has details of the security system which is going to be off line for a few days and thinks it is the perfect crime. Little does Terry know that she has an ulterior motive for wanting to rob the bank.

Terry gets his team together to rob the bank and they make a start, things seem to be going very well but will Terry discover the ulterior motive Martine has and if they are successful just what lies ahead for them?

I have only given a very brief plot outline for this film so don’t be put off by it being basic as there is so much more to be discovered from watching as a few good side line stories which all blend into a very entertaining outcome. I was really looking forward to watching this film as the trailers made it look good and there was also the act it starred Jason Statham and I am a fan of his. Both me and hubby were not disappointed at all by this film, it had a great storyline which was made better as this film is based on a true event which happened. I have to say at the start of the film I did get a little confused as we met several different people from gangs and I really struggled to see how they all connected and fitted into the story but don’t be put off by this and keep at it as it does all soon come together.

The acting from all involved was very good. Jason Statham took the lead role of Terry and I felt he did a great job. There was not much difference from the usual hard type characters he played but for me the added element of his wife and children made us see a softer side of him and I did think this was a good inclusion in the film. He delivered all of his lines with ease and I felt he was great in the action scenes and was effortless in the fighting scenes. He worked well with all of his co stars and in particular Martine Love. There was a constant chemistry between them both and I felt this added to the story as I also had the feeling of will they get together or not. Martine was played by Saffron Burrows and she too was great in her role. She was strong and independent but she always came across as hiding something and I enjoyed seeing how this unfolded on screen.

All of the co stars were entertaining and easy to watch, we had a good mix of people and I found them all to be likable and the actors did a good job in their roles, some of the actors included, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mayes, Michael Jibson and Richard Lintern.

The setting for the film was the 1970’s and I did find this to be a good choice. The clothes we got to see were fun and quite funky but not over the top, there was a subtleness to them and I did find this worked very well. The props and sets were all very good and in keeping with the era of the film. I did find the cars to be a good highlight of the film as they were quite funny to see the style of but I did have to suffer hubby telling me the names of them all. I think this film would have been just as good set in the present day but I did enjoy the setting we got as there was a distinct lack of modern technology and equipment and I felt it was more fun to watch them struggle and work with the basic things they had.

There is some action in the film, this is mainly towards the end, it is not the usual action packed film you would expect from Jason Statham but I think the film would have been slightly far fetched if more was included, it was a good balance how it was. There were a few small special effects used in the film and they did fit effortlessly into the film and were very subtle. I think the soundtrack was good and enjoyable and worked well with the story but I would have perhaps liked a few more of the more popular songs from this era to have been used. I would not personally buy this soundtrack but I felt it worked for the style of film.

I liked how basic the film came across and think this helped me to believe that it was based on true events. I also enjoyed the fact that at the end of the film we got to read about the outcome for the real people involved in the back job. I felt this was a very fitting end to the story and for me it helped with the realness of what I had just watched.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 111 minutes and when watching I thought it was going to be quite slow as the bank job seemed to happen quite quickly but after this initial thought I felt it moved at a good pace as there was so much happening and if it would have been speeded up I would have lost track of the events. The rate is a 15 and I do agree with this, there is a lot of swearing and some of the scenes do involve mild torture and brutal violence. The DVD is widely available and can now be bought for under £5.

I am more than happy to recommend this film and give it the full 5 stars. The storyline was great and this was helped with the fact it is based on a true event, the acting was also of a high standard. This is definitely one for all Statham fans to watch as we do get to see a softer side to him and also for those who are not fans of his, this is still a great entertaining film.

It's now a pleasure to do the dishes!

2011-05-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

It is quite funny how I came to buy this washing up liquid as I had recently bought some new red accessories for my kitchen and when looking for my usual brand of washing up liquid I spotted this one and as it is red thought it would match nicely with my kitchen. Fortunately though it was on offer! What I came home with is Fairy Pomegranate and Honeysuckle washing up liquid.

~~PACKAGING~~

The washing up liquid comes in a clear bottle which is sort of tear shaped. It is clear which means we get to see the red liquid inside and this also allows us to know exactly how much we have left in the bottle. On the front of the bottle we have a round label in the middle which has the Fairy name across the centre and the product name below this, the fairy baby is to the side and there is also a small picture of a pomegranate and some honeysuckle too. The back of the bottle had a label containing all of the directions for use, ingredients and warnings on.

The bottle top is red plastic and this is simple to use as it is just the standard flip style one.

~~USE AND RESULTS~~

It is very simple to use the washing up liquid and as with all other brands this just needs to be squirted under a running tap. It is simple to do as the top of the bottle just flips open and the liquid comes out with ease when it is squeezed slightly. I would warn that you really only need a little of the liquid as it makes a good lather and when I used too much I ended up with bubbles all over my sink and draining board.

There is a scent to the liquid which is noticeable as soon as you flip the lid. It smells very sweet and pleasant. I noticed how floral it felt the first time I smelt it but after this I was able to pick up on the pomegranate side of the scent too. It is nice to be able to smell this when doing the boring job of washing the dishes and it always brings a smile to my face. The scent lasts for a good amount of time and even when I have left the water in the bowl for about 15 minutes and returned I have been able to smell it still. I am pleased with the fact that the scent does not linger on the plates or items which have been washed up in this liquid. I hate nothing more than eating food of a scented plate as it puts me off my food.

I noticed how clean my plates and pots were and how much easier it seemed to be to get rid of dried in food. I also found my glassed seemed to shine more. I am lazy the majority of times and leave my pots and plates to drain instead of drying them up and I can report that they did not have any soap or bubble marks on them when they dried.

~~INFO~~

The bottle size which I have is 740ml and one bottle lasts in my house for a good three weeks, I was pleased with this as I do have a lot of washing up and a bottle usually only lasts just over 1 week. A smaller bottle size is available but it does not seem worth while buying.

The product ingredients are:-

15-30% anionic surfactants, <5% non-ionic surfactants, methylisothiozolinone, phenaxyethanol, perfumes, butyphenyl methylpropional, hexyl cinnamol, linalool.

A full break down of the ingredients can be found on their website at www.fairydish.com.

There are some warnings on the back of the bottle and these include storing the bottle in a cool place and out of direct sunlight. Rinse hands after use, avoid prolonged contact with the skin and caution is advised if you have broken or sensitive skin. Contact with eyes should be avoided and it should be kept out of reach of small children.

The bottle is 100% recyclable.

~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~

I was lucky when I bought my bottles or this as I got 2 bottles for £2. The full price when not on offer is around £1.50 which I still think is fairy reasonable as it lasts and a little goes a long way. This washing up liquid can be bought from all supermarkets and some local stores but it may be slightly higher priced in small stores.

~~RECOMMENDED?~~

I am more than happy to recommend this washing up liquid as it cleans the dishes and pots very well and means I don’t have to scrub them, it does not leave water or soap marks on glass when they are left to drain and it has the added factor of the lovely scent. I will definitely be buying this again when I run out as it also matches my kitchen accessories! The full 5 stars from me.

Which path will you take at the Junction?

2011-05-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

My latest post is a film review for Cemetery Junction, enjoy....

In Cemetery Junction in the early 70’s we meet three best friends who are about to come of age. We have Snork who works for the local railway station and he is happy with his life but dreams of finding a girlfriend. Freddie has high ambitions and starts working for a life insurance company donning a suit and tie each day for work and he is trying to make his life better than that of his families. The third member of the group is Bruce, he is slightly different from the others and is quite content spending his time drinking and fighting and getting in trouble with the police. He talks a lot of moving away from Cemetery Junction but never really does anything about it.

The three boys spend their time together getting into scrapes and having fun but will any of them really make anything good of their lives and will any one really leave Cemetery Junction?

I was not overly keen to watch this film but once it came onto the movie channels both me and hubby decided to give it a go, mainly due to the fact it was a Rickey Gervais film and was have liked his previous ones. I did have mixed feelings about this film and despite the slightly slow story line it was quite entertaining.

The characters were good and I did like how different the three boys were, we had Snork who was happy to plod along in life spending his time trying to get a girl and he did bring some humour to the story. I felt he was put upon a lot and made to be daft which was not always what the story needed. He was played by Jack Doolan and I think he did a good job which delivering his lines and making us all like him. Freddie was played by Christian Cooke and he too was good. I liked the bit of drive which he had and felt he was the strongest of the bunch. He seemed to want something from life and he did make an effort to go out and get it. He had some good one liners when it came to being on screen with his family and I enjoyed seeing this little side to him as it did bring some depth to the story. Bruce was an all together different character, he had issues which his father and I liked how this was a big part of how he acted and came across. He seemed slightly lost with his life and although he knew he wanted out of Cemetery Junction he never got off his butt and did something about it. He was played by Tom Hughes. I felt he did a great job of showing his emotions and dealing with his issues and came across as a very good actor.

We had some very funny support roles in the film and for me the one which I felt was the strongest was that of Freddie’s father. He was played by Ricky Gervais and I loved the humour and wit he bought to the film. I would have liked to have seen more of him in the film though. This is British film and all the way through I sopped a lot of well know actors and they all played good small roles. Some of the names included, Ralph Fiennes, Steve Speirs, Anne Reid and Emily Watson.

The setting for the film was the early 1970’s and I did enjoy this. The old way of life was shown in a great way and I did love the fashions which we got to see. The small community where the boys lived was very suitable for the film as it came across as a little depressing and I could quite see why the boys wanted to leave. I don’t think this film would have had the same impact and the story would not have been as good if this was set in the present day or in a larger town. The costumes were all good and all fitted very well with the year and feel of the film. As a result of the year we did have some great music throughout the film. I loved the old tracks which were played and enjoyed how they were all well known ones. I did find I was toe tapping and singing along to some of them much to hubby’s disapproval!

There are no special effects in the film and no action so I don’t recommend you watch if this is what you want from a film. We did have a few small fight scenes which added to the drama of the film but no effects were needed for these. I don’t think the film needed any CGI or effects and if any were used it would have taken away from the effects and year of setting.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The DVD can be bought for around £5 from a variety of places. The running time of the film is 95 minutes and I felt this was quite long enough. We had the story moving at a steady pace from start to finish. The rate is a 15 and I do agree with this as there are some scenes which contain drugs, drink and there is a lot of swearing throughout the film.

I am going to recommend this film as long as you don’t expect too much from it. The acting from most was great and the story was interesting. There seemed nothing new to the story but I did still enjoy watching. This is certainly not the strongest film from Gervais and as a result I can only give it 3 stars. I would say try to catch this for free on the TV instead of buying the DVD.

Rescued in more ways than one!

2011-05-16T02:48:00.001-07:00

I recently read another book by my favourite author Nicholas Sparks, The Rescue and I hope you enjoy my review of it....

Denise is a single mother of Kyle, he is 5 years old but has speech problems. He is very underdeveloped and she longs for the day he tells her that he loves him. She has moved from her life in Atlanta to the house which her mother left to her in Edenton. She spends her evenings working in a diner and the days teaching Kyle to talk and visiting doctors. Denise really does live a quiet and lonely life since her move.

Her life is about to take a drastic turn when one evening she is driving home from another doctors appointment when she has an accident and comes off the road. She is rescued by volunteer fire man Taylor but it soon becomes clear that Kyle has gone missing. Denise is reluctantly taken to hospital and Taylor vows to find Kyle. Kyle is soon found safe and well and Taylor delivers on his promise.

Taylor too has a troubled life and since the death of his father he has not really known what to do with his life. He befriends Denise and they start to spend a lot of time together but can they both overcome their pasts and make their friendship more and will Denise ever here the words she so longs to hear from Kyle?

I am a big fan of Nicholas Sparks and so I was very eager to red this book. I loved it right from the start. The story was great and very moving at times. I have only given a very brief outline of the story above and there really is so much more to be discovered from reading the book. I found it was very easy to read and enjoyable and packed full of emotions. The way the story was written was great as it gave lots of details about the characters and places but not too much to make me get bored. As a result I was able to build up a good mental picture of the characters and feel that I really got to know them all and the places they lived and visited. If I had one criticism then it would have been to have heard more about the town they lived in as it was so laid back and I think this would have been interesting to find out about.

I found the two lead characters were lovely. Denise came across so different throughout the book. She was strong and dependant when it came to Kyle and his speech but we got to see the vulnerable side of her too and how she needed company. I loved how these aspects of her blended together and so made for an all round nice character. Taylor was slightly more complex. He was always coming across as hiding something and we did soon learn what it was but it was not fully revealed to us to the end of the book and I felt this added a little mystery to him and enjoyed it as it made him different from other straight forward characters. He was strong when needed and also a dare devil when it came to working for the fire department. He was very nice and pleasant and I loved how he always tried to help people. He never came across in a bad way and I did connect very well with him. We did have a few other characters in the book and despite being connected to the lead characters they did have small side stories of their own. This gave the story some depth and they were all very likable and fitted well with the story.

The setting for the story was in a quiet town in North Carolina, I think this was a great choice as the slow paced way of life seemed to add to the story and the distinct lack of technology was great. I don’t think this story would have had the same impact had it been set in a big city. We did get some good details about the area but I would have liked slightly more.

When I was reading the book I did get very engrossed at times and had trouble in putting it down, therefore it did only take me two days to read. I think this was due to the fact it had me feeling so many emotions. I was happy for the majority of the book as things were blossoming and Kyle was happy but there were times when I would get sad and quite emotional for the characters. The story started off very dramatic and I think this is really what got me into the story as I had to keep reading the first three chapters to see what happened to Kyle and after this I fell in love with the characters so did not want to stop reading. I have to admit this is the first of Nicholas Sparks’ book which had not made me cry but I don’t think this is a bad thing as it is more of a happy story than other books. It is still a great read and full of emotions.

The book which I have is the paperback edition and this has the retail price on the back cover of £7.99. You can buy this for under £5 on Amazon but I would be willing to pay the full price as I love this author and all of his books. The book was published by Sphere.

I am more than happy to give this book a high recommendation and the full 5 stars. The story is excellent and moving and the characters are all so easy to get to know and understand. I think it would make a great escape read and one which will make you thankful for the little things which you have. This is definitely another strong book by Nicholas Sparks.

Back to Narnia for round 3!

2011-05-11T06:45:00.001-07:00

I'm back with another film review and this time it is for The Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.....

Lucy and Edward have been sent to live with their Aunt and cousin Eustace during the war and they are not happy about it. They dream of being able to return home or to Narnia. Their wish gets granted when one of the paintings comes to life and the three children find themselves in the sea.

They are all rescued by the Dawn Treader which is being captained by Prince Caspian. He is sailing to find out what has happened to the peace in his Kingdom when he suddenly discovers a green mist which takes people away.

Prince Caspian, Lucy, Edward and Eustace now face the task of solving the mystery of the mist and returning peace to Narnia but can they do it? Also can Eustace actually believe that he is in Narnia and it is not all a dream?

I was really looking forward to watching this film as I have liked both of the two previous film, unfortunately I did feel slightly let down by this one, maybe as the full cast was not returned and we had only 2 of the children and also a new addition. I felt the story was good but it did get a little dark at times and I thought it was not suitable for the whole family as the previous film have been. I did find the story was very easy to follow though and we did have a few very good characters and creatures to help tell it to us.

The acting from the majority in the film was to a high standard. The roles of Lucy and Edward were played by Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes. I found they were both very good and made their roles believable. There was a good connection between them both and I felt they genuinely got along which showed on screen. I did at times feel Lucy became a little too posh but thinking back to the year this was set in then it did actually make sense with the way she acted and spoke at times. I did think children may not get the things she says at times and will think she is very snobby though. I also felt the role of Caspian was a strong one, he was played by Ben Barnes. He showed strength and courage throughout and he delivered all of his lines with ease. I felt I got to know a lot about him in this film, more so than in the previous one.

There was one outstanding role in the film for me and that was Eustace. He was superb and I felt so many different emotions towards him. At the start of the film he was very spoilt and stuck up and I enjoyed watching him grow as the film moved on. He delivered all of his lines with good conviction and ease and he did actually bring a lot of humour to the film. The young actor, Will Poulter who played him was excellent and I hope he has a bright future ahead of him as I would love to see him in other films. We also had a lot of support role including, Gary Sweet, Tilda Swinton, Billie Brown and Laura Brent. They all played quite different characters and I felt that they helped to bring some difference and depth to the story.

There is a lot of magic and mythical themes in the film and therefore it is packed with special effects. I felt they were all made to a very high standard and fitted into the storyline very well. The appearance of some of the creatures was also very good despite some of them being a little strange and I loved how it had a very storybook feel all the way through. I think this aspect of the film is what will make it appeal to children and the brightness of the clothes and characters will help to keep them interested for the running time. I enjoyed the setting and felt it worked well with the whole theme and idea of what we were watching and there is no way this would have worked so well had their been a different setting.

I did have some issues with the film and these were mainly to do with how dark it got at times. There really isn’t many scary parts and they certainly did not scare either me or hubby but I feel that the PG rate for the film is appropriate. Children over the age of 8 will be fine watching this but I do advise that if you want younger children to watch then give it a watch yourself first. There is some mild threat and fantasy violence which may be a little too much for the very young.

The music throughout the film is very well produced and fitted effortlessly into the film. I loved the classical and orchestral feel it all had and felt it helped to keep the story light and enjoyable. There were a few parts when I thought the music also got a little ark and maybe this made the tension a little too much for children. Overall though it is an enjoyable and excellent soundtrack.

The running time of the film is 107 minutes and I did think this was a good length with the story moving at a good steady pace from start to finish and I do think there is enough to keep children entertained throughout. The rate is a PG and as I said before I would advise caution for children under the age of 8. The DVD can be bought in all good stores now. We paid just under £10 for ours from Tesco and I do feel this is slightly too high. I would suggest waiting for the price to drop before buying. There are bonus features on the DVD but I have no interest in watching them so this is a film only review.

I am happy to give this film 4 stars, I was thinking about 3 as there is a lot of threat and fantasy violence which I think should see this film having a slightly higher rate. I went for the 4 stars as taking everything into account it did merit them. I did enjoy it and the story was easy to follow but for both me and hubby it was lacking some of the magic the previous 2 films had. This is certainly a film to watch but wait for the price to drop first.

Magical!

2011-05-10T23:26:00.001-07:00

My new post is a film review for The Sorcerers Apprentice......

Balthazar Blake is a sorcerer who has spend centuries trying to find the chosen one to defeat the dark forces which threaten the world. He was once an apprentice of Merlin and when Merlin was killed he captured the evil wizards and locked them in a special nesting doll where they will stay until some one can destroy them.

Dave is an ordinary 10 year old boy who goes on a school trip to New York where he stumbles upon a strange shop which gives him the fright of his life. He meets Balthazar who discovers he is the chosen one. Unfortunately an evil wizard is set free and after a fight they both get locked in an urn for 10 years. Dave his the next 10 years of his life trying to forget and get over the fright he had that day. That is until Balthazar is released from the urn and he tracks him down.

Balthazar now has to convince Dave of his power and the fact he is the chosen one and the only person who can destroy the evil wizards. Can Balthazar make Dave understand this and if not what will happen if the evil escapes and takes over the world?

I have been looking forward to watching this film as the trailers made it look good. I do enjoy Disney films and the added bonus to this one was the fact Nicholas Cage starred as Balthazar and I find he is always very good in his roles. This film was very enjoyable and both me and hubby loved it. I felt the story was great and despite having not seen the original animated version of this I was easily able to follow the story and felt it was modern and quite realistic. The story did not get overly far fetched and I felt it was kept quite down to earth and simple for the younger audience to be able to follow it with ease.

The acting was great, the role of Balthazar was played by Nicholas Cage and he was brilliant in the role. He was strong and determined throughout but we did get to see flashes of another side to him when he gave a few one liners which made both me and hubby chuckle. He worked well with his magical abilities and I felt he took the role to a good depth and made his character very believable. There was a good connection on screen with his and Dave and I felt at times he was a father figure to him. Dave was played by Jay Baruchel and I felt he was a great choice. He was a normal 20 year old male who was having issues getting ladies and I felt this was a good inclusion in the film as it gave the story some depth. He was able to make me feel a good amount of emotions. I was sad for him when he was young and then felt amused and happy for him when he was older. He too worked well with the magical elements and I again thought he was very believable in the role. I did think these two actors were a good paring as the comedy timing from them both was perfect and this meant the film had a slightly lighter note throughout.

We did have some good support actors in the film, including the likes of Alfred Molina, Toby Kebbell, Monica Bellucci and James A Stephens. They too were all very strong in their roles and played very different roles which helped to bring the film to life.

As you can imagine with this film being about magic there are lots of CGi and special effects right from the start of the film. The effects were all made to a very high standard and I felt they were not overly produced so they fitted effortlessly into the film and looked very real. I found the actors worked exceptionally well with all of the effects and stunts which were included. I did not notice any added backdrops or parts which looked fake and thought a lot of time, money and effort went into the effects. There is also a lot of action in the film which was also well made and added in to the film.

There are a few parts to the film which I must advise caution to parents over. We do have the lead roles in danger at times, being chased by evil wizards and dragons but none of this goes over the edge and it is all fantasy violence so I think children over the age of 7 will be fine with it all. I would suggest that if you are going to be letting younger children watch then give it a viewing yourself first as you will be able to judge for yourself then over the suitability of these parts.

The music throughout the film was great and fitted very well. The dramatic parts of the story were given slightly classical and orchestral scores and I loved this aspect of this film as it helped add to the drama of the scenes. I liked the few modern songs which we got and I have to say I noticed immediately when the Fantasia track was used and I am pleased it was again used in this re make. I felt the setting for the story was good and felt it worked being in the modern time. I thought he costumes and props were all very good and consistent throughout the film but I also enjoy the element of old which Balthazar bought to the film too.

The running time of the film is 105 minutes long and I did find this to be a good length with the story moving at a good pace from start to finish, I think children will be able to watch for this length as there is enough to keep them entertained throughout. The rate is a PG and I agree with this. We bought the DVD for £5 in Tesco and I think this is a great price. The DVD does have some bonus features but as I have not watched them I cannot make comment so this is going to be a film only review.

I am more than happy to recommend this film and give it a good solid 4 stars. It is a good family film and children will easily be able to follow the story. I cannot comment or compare it to the original as I have never watched it but for me this is a great film which is modern and up to date and well worth the price tag.

P P P P Perfect!

2011-05-10T02:53:00.001-07:00

I am finally back with a new post, this one is a film review for The Kings Speech, enjoy....

Bertie is the second son of reigning King George V. He knows he is not going to be crowned King as that falls to his elder brother Edward but soon Bertie realises that all might change when his brother falls in love with an American woman who has already been divorced twice. Bertie feels he is not able to make a good King as he has a speech problem. He has suffered from this since the age of 5 and despite seeing many doctors he has not been able to over come it.

After the death of his Father his brother become King and Bertie feels even more pressure as his brother is not a suitable King due to his lifestyle. Bertie’s wife Elizabeth is trying to help Bertie and his speech problem when she discovers a new Doctor who has a very good success rate at curing speech problems but his methods are a little strange. Bertie reluctantly agrees to visit Lionel and he soon starts to help Bertie talk in the correct way and without a stammer.

What faces Bertie when his brother threatens to not be crowned as he is not believing in his own ability and will he ever be able to loose the stammer and talk with authority?

I am not a cinema person so have been waiting for a good few months now for this film to be released on DVD so I was so pleased when I got it yesterday. I had been looking forward to seeing the film and thought it looked interesting, the fact it has won so many awards was another bonus and I was just hoping it was not another over hyped film. Fortunately it was not and both me and hubby loved this film right from the start to the very end despite it being a true story and the fact we already knew what the outcome was going to be. I did find it hard to write a brief plot summery to the film as I was unsure on how much of the plot to give away but I think it is a fairly well know story in our Royal history so I think I have given just the right balance. There is a lot more to the film which I have left to be discovered when you give it a watch.

Collin Firth played the lead role of Bertie and for me I felt he was excellent. I thought he did an amazing job playing the role with the stammer and speech problems and felt he must have worked so hard to perfect this style of talking. He came across in many different ways, at times I felt he was weak and needed to be told to toughen up but at other times he showed courage and strength and I felt there was a good balance between these personas. He was a loving man and this was apparent when he was talking to his children but with the rest of his family he was the opposite and became a quiet bullied little man. I did fall in love with his character and felt proud when he did finally start to make progress with his speech. Despite being of Royal blood and very posh spoken I felt he bought a lot of humour to the role. This was apparent when he was working with Lionel and I loved how he made Bertie more normal and down to Erath. I felt there was a lovely genuine connection between him and Lionel, played by Geoffrey Rush and they were great when on screen together.

Geoffrey Rush was another very strong actor in the film. I loved how he spoke to Bertie and never dealt with him any differently despite being a Prince. He seemed genuine and strong and he was a joy to watch. He also bought a few good laughs to the storyline. Other good stand out roles came from Helena Bonham Carter, she played wife Elizabeth. I felt she was a good choice and took well to the role. She did at times come across in a very good way with how she wanted to help her husband but I felt there were a few times when she seemed to try to bully him. She and Bertie showed great love for each other and they were easy to watch and they had a genuine affection for each other. I did also enjoy the role of Edward which Guy Pearce played. He was the odd one of the family, in that he was loud and wanted to have a fun life and he did not seem keen on the royal duties. We also had some very good support actors which bought some depth to the story. I did not find a single weak actor in this film and thought it was all of a very high standard.

The setting for the film was the 1930 and the country was on the brink of war. I loved this setting as we got to see some lovely clothes and I loved the slower paced life of the city and the old fashioned vehicles and technology. I am glad that this film was set as the original true story was as I don’t think it would have had the same appeal or strength if it had been bought into the present day. I felt the setting made it easier to watch. The Royal aspect of the film was also a joy to watch as we got some splendid scenery from the Palace and the regal clothing looked amazing.

The soundtrack to the film was lovely and really did fit in very well. It was all very classical and orchestral and I am so glad it stayed this way throughout the film. For some reason I felt it made the film more royal and interesting. I will say the musical director deserves a lot of credit for the whole soundtrack to this film. It helped with the tension and emotions and also the drama of the parts in which it was used. I would not personally buy this soundtrack but hubby would but for me it was well suited to the story.

There were no special effects in the film and none were needed, there is no action or fighting and some may find this puts them off from watching. I have to say that my Mom found this film very boring and did not enjoy it at all, she says it was very slow and nothing really happened. I will warn people that they too may find it slightly slow but for me it was an excellent pace as we really got to see the work Bertie had to do an if it would have been shortened I think it would have lost a lot of the depth and impact of his problems.

I do have the DVD which has a lot of bonus features on it. As I have not watched these (according to hubby we will be) I am not able to make comment on them so this is going to be a film only review. The running time of the film is 113 minutes and for me this was a good length with the story moving at a good steady pace from start to finish. The rate for the film is a 12 as there is a lot of swearing but comes out when Bertie is having speech therapy but I think children aged over 10 would enjoy this film and personally I would encourage them to watch it so they get to know of the countries history. The DVD can be bought for £9.97 and I do think this is a very fair price.

There really is only one rate which I can give this film and that has to be the full 5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this film from start to end and I found the acting to be excellent from all involved. I think it definitely deserves all of the awards it has and I recommend his film to all. Go buy it, watch it and then make the kids watch to learn some history!

Disappointing

2011-04-07T23:00:00.001-07:00

I recently bought the Boold 2 in 1 gel with pomengranate and orange blossom scent which I found was a complete waste of money. Here is my review for it...

I was not able to get my usual washing liquid on a recent shopping trip and could not decide which one to get instead. To be honest I was swayed to this Bold gel with pomegranate and orange blossom as it was a similar use to the one I usually use and the fact it was on offer.

~~PACKAGING~~

The liquid comes in a white plastic bottle which is shaped sort of like a tear drop. On the front we have an orange label which has the Bold logo on and the product name, on the edge of this is some pretty flowers and a claim that the freshness of this scent will last for 12 hours when wearing the clothes. On the back of the bottle we have the directions for use and the information about the washing liquid.

The base of the bottle is orange and this is what it stands up on. There is also a small flap on the very bottom which is the part where you remove the gel from. The design of this is good as it means your liquid is always ready to come out of the bottle.

On the left hand side edge of the bottle where is a clear plastic strip running the length of the bottle. This allows you to see just how much of the liquid you have left in the bottle.

~~USE~~

It is very simple to use the washing liquid. The top corner of the bottle is to be removed and the gel squeezed into the inside of this, this is then to be placed inside the washing machine drum with the clothes and not poured into the dispenser. The amount of gel to be used will vary from different load types. For an average load of lightly soiled clothes than ¾ of a capful is enough but for more soiled clothes and a full load then the full cap full it needed. If you are using this to hand wash then only a small squeeze is needed.

I did notice how much thinner the liquid was compared to my other branded liquid and I felt it was very easy to pour too much out of the bottle due to this. As a result I must warn not to squeeze the bottle too hard or you will end up with the liquid going everywhere.

~~RESULTS~~

I did have high hopes for this liquid as it is a well know brand, unfortunately they were not met. I found the liquid was very simple to use, it is to be used in the exact same way as my usual brand, Ariel excel gel and I liked the look and colour of the liquid. I did notice when I poured the liquid out that there was a lovely light orange scent to it which I hoped would intensify once it met the water and clothes. Unfortunately this was not the case. I did notice I was able to slightly smell the orange scent when the clothes were in the machine washing but once they had been removed and dried it had completely gone. I don’t know how they can claim to have a 12 hour lasting scent when the clothes are being worn as the scent does not even make it as far as the wardrobe. I was greatly disappointed by this.

When I took the clothes out of the washing machine I did initially think they were all clean but when I came to have a closer look I noticed that they were in fact not clean. This liquid was not even able to remove the school water based paints from the school jumpers. As a result I am now having to use a stain remover in my wash whilst I still have this liquid left.

The colours were fresh and none of them ran from this liquid but for me this is not a big point as the liquid was not good enough to clean the clothes. The clothes did feel soft after being washed in this but this is really the only main plus point.

I have not noticed any irritations to my families skin from using this, hubby has sensitive skin and it has not affected him so maybe another slight plus point for the liquid.

~~INFO~~

The washing liquid which I have comes in a bottle size of 667ml. This according to the front of the bottle lasts for 18 washes, I am in fact ion wash 16 and still have a good ¼ of the bottle left. I have not been adding extra liquid to the washing as this has no effect on the ability to remove the stains at all. You can buy this is a larger size too.

There are some warnings on the back of the bottle and these include:-

- avoid contact with eyes
- In case of contact with eyes rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advise
- If swallowed seek medical advise and show this label
- Rinse and dry hands after use
- People with sensitive or damaged skin should avoid prolonged contact with the product

The washing liquid should be stored in a cool dry place and away from sunlight. The packaging is fully recyclable.

This liquid is not suitable for use on wool or silk according to the back of the bottle, I have washed woollen jumper with it and have not had any bad results from doing so. I would advise using it on these materials at your own discretion.

This liquid can be used on washes at a variety of temperatures, ranging from 15 deg. C. all the way to 95 deg. C.

~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~

I was fortunate to buy my liquid on offer in Asda, I only paid £3 for the bottle and I am glad I did not pay the full price which is way over £4. I feel this is very expensive for a washing liquid that cannot even remove the smallest of marks. I suggest looking for the offers if you are still interested in trying this.

~~RECOMMENDED?~~

Unfortunately I am not able to recommend this washing liquid. The initial smell is good but it does not last, it is simple to use and the bottle design is pleasant. I was let down by the lack of cleaning ability and the high price tag when not on offer. I have given this 2 stars as the scent is nice. I might suggest trying this if you do not have children and only tend to have washing which needs freshening up and not a full proper wash.

What a Night!

2011-04-06T22:55:00.001-07:00

My new post is a review for the film and DVD Date NIght...

Claire and Phil Foster are a normal married couple with a happy family and busy working lives. They muddle through their lives but make a point of spending Friday nights as date night. They usually end up spending the night talking about the kids and work and never really have any excitement. When they both hear the news that their best friends are splitting up due to the fact their lives have become boring and predictable they both decide to make changes to their own relationship.

Date night sees Phil taking Claire to the city for a meal and a top restaurant but when they are unable to get a table they steel someone else’s reservation. Unfortunately this is not a good choice as they get mistaken for other people and are soon being hunted down by dodgy cops with guns looking for a flash drive.

Claire and Phil have to try and clear their names but with a lack of police on their side and no idea what the guys want will they be able to do this?

I was really looking forward to watching this film as the trailers made it look good and I do find that Steve Carell is usually quite funny in his roles. Unfortunately I was left slightly disappointed with this film. The story was good and it was quite original on some level but when watching I kept think about the film Did You hear about the Morgan’s as this had a similar story. I thought the way the actors handled themselves was quite good too and did help the story along.

Steve Carell took the role of Phil and he did a good job. He was a down to Earth Dad and husband who spent all his time working and when at home he spent his time with the children. He seemed to be in the shadow of his wife and was never trusted to help do job around the house. There were times when I felt he needed to be stronger and stand up for himself more but this was not the case and I did feel he was hiding behind his wife for the majority of the story. There was a good chemistry between him and on screen wife Claire. Claire was played by Tina Fey and I felt she did a slight better job in her role than Steve Carell. She seemed harder and more able to accept what was going on. I could sympathise with her with the way she felt at home and completely agreed with how she was so exhausted after looking after the children all day. I felt she delivered all of her lines with ease and was easy to get to know and warm to.

We did have some good support roles including actors, Mark Wahlberg, Jimmi Simpson, Common and William Fichtner. They all played quite different roles and bought some depth to the story.

The setting for the film was in the present day in Manhattan and I felt this was a good setting. We got to see a good few places around the city and central park and I loved them all. The costumes were also very fitting for the film, although no real effort was needed for them as they were just normal modern clothes. I did like the way me never stayed in one place and moved around as this gave the film depth and the travelling to the places at times was quite fun. There are some special effects in the film and I thought they were all made to a very high standard and fitted effortlessly into the film. The soundtrack was also good and quite mixed, we had some very modern and up tempo songs used throughout the film and in between this we did have some older more well known ones. I felt it was all very suitable for the places and scenes in which it was used.

The film is a comedy but for me it was lacking overall in big laughs. We did have some quite funny one liners and visual gags but they were used over and over again throughout the film and they did become boring. I felt that Steve Carell did struggle with come of the spoken jokes he was given and he did come across as quite wooden at times. I know he was giving the effect of being scared and out of his depth but for me it just did not work very well. Some of the support actors did bring the better laughs to this film. There really was a lot of potential to the laughs which we could have had in this film but sadly it was not reached.

The DVD does have the bonus features of a gag real but it is not worth buying the DVD just for this reason as there are a lot of gags shown on the closing credits and personally I did not find them very funny. There is also a digital copy of the film included on my DVD which allows you to download the film with ease and watch it on you mobile devises. I have not personally used this but my best friend has and found it straight forward to do. The DVD which we have cost me just under £5 and I felt this was a good price. I would not be willing to pay more to watch this film. The rate is a 15 and I do agree with this due to the fact there is moderate sex references and some strong language. The run time is fortunately only 97 minutes and I did find this was long enough.

I am going to recommend this film but only if you are able to get the DVD for a good bargain price or even catch it on TV for free. I am only able to give it 3 stars despite the fact it is watch able and we do have some laughs but for me it was overall lacking in big gags and I felt the full potential of the story was not reached or realised.

What a witness!

2011-04-06T06:29:00.001-07:00

After re watching the film Turner and Hooch I felt it was time I gave it a review...

Scott Turner is a small town cop who has his sights on moving to his new job in a big city. He spends his days training his replacement and dealing with mundane cases such as bike theft. Scott is called to investigate claims of noisy neighbour by old Amos who lives in the docks next to a factory he suspects is doing dodgy deals. Scott goes to talk to Amos but first he has to deal with the dog. Hooch is a massive dog who looks vicious and constantly drools.

Scott talks with Amos and finally leaves, that is after the dog has attacked him and pinned him to the floor. His partner thinks this is hilarious but is about o change his mind when Amos gets killed and Hooch becomes the property of Scott as he is a witness.

Scott takes Hooch home and soon discovers his perfect house is not suitable for a dog and they come to blows. Hooch is curious and as a result trashes the house and Scott goes mad.

Can Scott and Hooch learnt o live together and can Hooch help him solves the case of how killed Amos?

I have seen this film several times over the years and have always enjoyed it a lot. I find the story is very good and is actually quite believable. I think the story works so well as Hooch is just so lovable and Tom Hanks works very well with him. The story is slightly predictable but the ending did come as a shock to me the first time I ever watched this and I did think it was rather sad but over the years I have come to realise how feel good the ending actually is.

The lead role of Scott Turner is played by Tom Hanks and for me he is the perfect choice/ He manages to bring the character to life and I love how perfect he comes across. He deals with the upheaval of getting Hooch in a very fun way and this makes for some good fun viewing. I did think he managed to show a very good bond with Hooch and they seemed very at ease on screen together. He managed to deliver all of his lines with ease and I really cannot fault his character in the slightest. If I did have to pick him up on something then it would be his choice of underwear, as we do get several scenes of him just in his pants and they are not exactly nice ones. Hooch was amazing and so well trained. He really came to life and I did start to think of him as human with some of the expressions he pulled and the way he understood what was being told to him. He looked so cute and cuddly despite his size and even the drooling was overlooked by me after the first half of the film. Hooch bought a lot of comedy into the film and for me he was the real star of the film.

We do have a few good support roles in the film and some of the actors included, Mare Winningham, Craig T Nelson and John McIntire. I felt they all played very diverse and different characters and this did give the film some depth.

The film was made back in 1989 and this is very apparent right from the start of the film. We have a distinct lack of technology and the clothes are very fitting for the year. I found the setting for the film was very good and worked well with the story. Despite this being an old film it certainly stands its ground in today’s market. We do have some special effects in the film and they are well made and produced and I felt they fitted effortlessly into the film.

The one thing which I think could have been slightly improved on in the film was the soundtrack. We had a lot of massive hits back in this decade and I felt a few more of them could have been used in this film for the more memorable scenes. I did enjoy the soundtrack we had and felt it was good but a few more big songs would have made it perfect.

There is a lot of humour in the film but this does not take away from the serious side of the story. The humour mainly comes from Tuner and Hooch, they have an excellent connection on screen and this adds to the humour and the fact they do not get on well at the start. I felt Hooch was able to make me chuckle from the noises he would make and the facial expressions he gave us. He did an amazing job at making both me and hubby laugh with very little effort as he seemed so natural when doing this.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 97 minutes and I felt this was a good length with the story moving at a good pace from start to finish. The rate is a PG and I do agree with this. There are some nasty scenes for the very young viewer, involving murder and mild threat but I think children over the age of 7 would love this film and easily be able to follow the story. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now from online shops and I do think it is worth this price tag.

I am more than happy to give this film a good solid 4 stars. The story is very good and so to is the acting. I felt Hooch was amazing from start to finish in t he film and he made this film the hit it really was. It is old so the fashions are dated but the film is able to stand up to today’s market. Well worth watching even if you are not a dog lover.

It's ace!

2011-04-05T23:01:00.001-07:00

I have found a new stain remover which I have found excellent on all level, review is below....

I was unable to buy my usual brand of washing liquid which always gets rid of the stains in my laundry so I bought a cheaper brand and spotted this on offer so decided to give it a go. The bottle came with 100% extra free so this was more of an incentive for me to try it. I also feel that with the summery weather on its way I want my boys school tops to look clean and white and not have any nasty marks on. I really did have high hopes for this stain remover.

~~PACKAGING~~

The stain remover comes in a green plastic bottle which has a cut out handle shape at the side. On the front we have a nice bright colourful label which contains the product name and the fact that this is approved by woolmark. On the back we have the directions for use and product information.

The top of the bottle is green plastic and screws off easily. There is a large funnel part which sits on the inside of the lid which doubles up as a measuring cap.

~~USE AND RESULTS~~

It is simple to use this stain remover. For a normal sized load of washing which is only lightly soiled then half a capful is to be used but for more stained clothes then one cap full is recommended. Personally I always use one capful in my load as I know it will fully remove all the stains this way and not result in me having to re wash anything. The liquid is to be poured over the clothes inside the drum of the machine and not added to the soap dispenser. If you are using this for a hand wash then only 10ml of the liquid is needed.

The liquid does have a faint scent which I find quite pleasant, it is hard to exactly describe what it smells like but to me it reminds me of a light washing powder. The smell is not noticeable on clothes when they have been washed.

I have used this on clothes which has grass stains on (from my boys not me!) and ketchup and everyday school pen and paint and have always found the stains fully come out with no effort needed. Using this in my washing has had no effect on the way the clothes look or feel after being washed apart from the fact they look exceptionally clean. I have found that when bleaching whites in the past they have dried and felt quite stiff but this is not the case with this.

I do find that when having white clothes which have a lot of stains, for example baked beans and ketchup I tend to give them a small soak. To do this I fill the sink with warm water and add half a cap full of the liquid into the water. I leave the clothes soaking for about 5 minutes and when I return I am easily able to rub gently at the stain and it fully comes out of the clothes. I have found this is very effective for keeping whites clean and crisp looking. They then only need a quick wash after doing this.

No one in my family have had any effects on their skin from me using this stain remover on the clothes. My hubby does has sensitive skin and it has not affected him at all. I think this is gentle enough to use in every wash on all types of clothes and you can then always guarantee clean stain free clothes.

~~INFO~~

The bottle size which I have is 2 litres but mine has 100% extra free so the normal bottle size is 1 litre. Depending on how often and how much you use in your wash will determine how long a bottle lasts you. I have been using mine for nearly 3 weeks now and still have a quarter of it left.

There are some warnings on the bottle and these include:-

- do not mix with detergent in the same dosing ball or in the detergent draw
- if accidentally spilt then mop up immediately
- keep away from babies and small children
- wash hands after use
- do not expose to direct sunlight
- do not use on carpets or on dry clean only products
- causes irritation to skin and eyes if not used correctly
- do not mix with bleach

The product ingredients fro those wishing to know are:-

5-15% oxygen based bleaching agents, <5% anionic surfactants, non-ionic surfactants, phosphonates, perfumes, benzyl salicylates, butylphenyl metylpropional, hexyl. Cinnamal.

The packaging is fully recyclable.

~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~

I was lucky enough to get my bottle with 100% extra free for just £1. I have noticed since in Tesco that the standard sized bottle is only £1 still. It is widely available from all supermarkets and is usually around the same price. I have not noticed this in any of out pound shops or discount shops but for the £1 price tag this is no loss.

~~RECOMMENDED?~~

I am more than happy to give this stain remover a high recommendation. It cleans clothes well and removes even the toughest stains. I feel the use of hand washing is a bonus as it means I can ensure my whites are sparkling and my boys do not go to school looking like tramps. This stain remover is definitely worth trying for the price tag. The full 5 stars from me.

Softness for the whole family

2011-04-05T06:34:00.001-07:00

My new post is a product review for Imperial Leather softly softly bath foam...

My latest bath foam was one which I was initial undecided about trying, I have bought 2 others in this range and liked one and not the other. This one did sound good from the writing on the front of the bottle and for the price tag I decided to give it a go, I am very pleased that I did.

~~PACKAGING~~

The bath foam comes in a clear plastic bottle which is a wavy shape. It has the Imperial Leather logo on the top and a pattern in the middle of pink hearts, the product name and scent is written below this. On the back of the bottle you can find all of the product details and the directions for use.

The top of the bottle is white plastic and fit very snugly onto the top of the bottle. I have found it is quit tricky to get this on and off and even more so if you have wet hands.

~~USE AND RESULTS~~

It really is very simple to use the bath foam, that is once you have managed to get the lid off, a small amount of the liquid needs to be poured into running water. I have noticed the liquid is a good consistency so I don’t have to stand for ages waiting for it to come out of the bottle and neither do I get lots coming out when I only want a small amount. The bath foam instantly starts to work and lather once it mixes with the water. I am pleased to say that the bath foam does not change the water colour which is good as I think it would be slightly off putting getting into a murky bath. We do also get a lot of lather and bubbles from only using a small amount of the liquid. The bubbles and lather are white and are soft and light and they do last for a good length of time. I have still had some left in the water after having a good 15 minute bath.

There is a scent to the bath foam and it is classed as jojoba and vitamin e according to the bottle. Personally I find it smells just like a sweet soap. I know this may be a bit of an obscure description of the scent but I cannot think of anything it resembles. The scent is light and very pleasant and I do think it is suitable for the whole family. Once I had gotten out of the bath and dried off I was still able to smell the scent on me for a good few hours and even hubby commented on how nice it was. He to has had the lingering scent after using this and does not feel that it is overly feminine.

I found my skin was left feeling very soft and moisturised after bathing in this and this feeling lasted for a good few hours. I hate having a bath and then feeling like my skin is dry and tight. I had lovely soft skin which was a delight and I felt very clean. I did not have any patches of dried skin from using this and even hubby who has sensitive skin has had no reactions from using it. I have allowed my boys to use this in their baths and I have noticed that the scent and softness does last for slightly longer on their skin. They have their baths before bed and I am still able to smell this on them the following morning.

~~INFO~~

The bottle size is 500ml and if you only use a small amount in each bath you should get 10-15 baths from the one bottle. It lasts in my house for about 1 month as I do have so many bath foams to choose from.

The bath foam has skin friendly pH, is mild enough for the whole family, dermatologically tested and 100% soap free. I do agree with these claims which are on the back of the bottle, especially the soap free one as when my boys got bubbles and lather on their face and in the eyes it did not irritate them like it would have if it contained soap.

The ingredients for the bath foam for those wishing to know are:-

Aqua, sodium laureth sulphate, cocamidopropyl betain, sodium chloride, glycerine, polyquaternium-7, parfum, styrene / acrylates copolymer, tocopheryl acerate, simmondsia chinesis, sodium benzoate, lactic acid, tetrasodium glutamate diacetate.

The shelf life of the bath foam is 12 months. The bottle is fully recyclable too.

There are no claims on the packaging at all as to whether this bath foam has been tested on animals or not.

~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~

I bought my latest bottle of this bath foam from Asda and it cost me just £1. this can be bought in all supermarkets and usually comes at the same price. I think this is excellent value for money.

~~RECOMMENDED?~~

I really am more than happy to give this bath foam a very high recommendation. It smells great and leaves skin soft, moisturised and clean. The price tag is another bonus so I say it is definitely worth a try as it is suitable for the whole family. The full 5 stars from me and my family.

I do, I do, I do!

2011-04-04T22:53:00.000-07:00

My new post is review for the DVD confetti, a British comedy and well worth watching.....

Confetti wedding magazine is looking at improving their reading figures. They come up with an idea of holding a wedding competition with the most unusual weddings being involved. The winner of the competition will win a house. They start auditions for the contest and soon arrive at their decision. Three couples are chosen to take part.

We have as nudist wedding, a tennis themed wedding and a musical wedding. They are all given help and a large budget to work with but cracks soon start to appear when the couple cannot decided on how their weddings are going to go and how with family members interfering it is never going to be easy.

Who all three couples survive the arranging and make it to their weddings and if so just who will win?

I had looked at this DVD several times in Tesco before finally deciding to buy it, I was swayed by the fact it is a British film and a comedy. I am pleased that I did buy it as I thought it was very good and the story was quite original. I felt it was going to be similar to the film four weddings and a funeral at first but I was so far off the mark. We are shown three couples who are all different and they handle their weddings differently and this does make for a good entertaining story. I did however think that the film was a little predictable and had worked out who would win from near enough the start of the film but never the less I enjoyed seeing how we got to this outcome.

The acting from all involved was great, the couples all worked well together and they seemed perfect matches. We had a lot of differences between all of the character and they each gave a completely different element to the film and this is what made it so good. They all did great jobs with their roles and made them believable. I did find two of the character were not all good as the others as I did not feel I got to know much about them but this is what they were trying to get me to feel so it did work. The three couples were acted by Martin Freeman, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Meredith MacNeill, Robert Webb and Olivia Coleman. I do felt that the latter two actors had the hardest roles in the film as they played the nudists and were naked for a lot of screen time. They managed to do this with pride and not come across as embarrassed by the fact they were naked.

We did have a few other very good support roles in the film and the few actors who stood out for me included, Jimmy Carr, Alison Steadman and Jason Watkins. They bought a lot of humour to the film.

The film was set in the present day so no real effort was needed for the sets or props. We got to see a good amount of places and they all looked good and fitted well with the story and feel of the film. The costumes were also fitting but no real effort was needed with these as they were just normal everyday clothes. I did find the sets for the weddings were good and looked lovely and a lot of thought had gone into these and overall they were enjoyable and nice to see.

The soundtrack for the film was actually a little disappointing. I know one of the weddings has a musical theme and so I would have liked more popular musical numbers which I would have been able to sing along to. The remainder of the soundtrack was actually very unmemorable and given this film was only made a few years back they could have used some good up tempo and modern songs.

This film is a comedy and the DVD cover has at the bottom ‘British comedy at it’s best’. To be perfectly honest I do have to disagree with this. Don’t get me wrong there are a lot of laughs in the film and some good fun parts but I have seen a lot better home made films which are much funnier. We do have a lot of dry humour in the film and this comes from the one liners the couples have. We do have some visual gags and personally I found these were much funnier than the spoken ones. There are some laughs but not enough to make this the best British comedy film.

The DVD does not have any bonus features on but this is no loss to me as I am not a fan of them anyway. The DVD only cost me £2 from Tesco which I felt o be a good bargain price. The running time of the film is 95 minutes and I found this to be a good length with the story moving at a steady pace throughout. The rate is a 15 as it contains strong language and nudity and I do fully agree with this.

I am surprised to be recommending this film and giving it 4 stars as it was better than I expected. The story is good and so to is the acting. I would have liked a stronger soundtrack and a less predictable ending to have been able to give this the full 5 stars. It is certainly one to watch if you too can get it for £2 or catch it on the TV for free.

Take a dip into the past!

2011-04-04T05:50:00.001-07:00

My new post is a film review for the comedy Hot Tub Time Machine, enjoy...

Adam, Nick and Lou are all old school friends and now they are men they are all suffering from problematic and boring lives. Lou has an accident and ends up in hospital where the doctors think he tried to kill himself and as a result his friends have to step in to help him.

The trio along with Adam’s nephew Jacob head off on holiday to a resort they last visited in 1986 and try to relive some of the memories. They make use of the hot tub which the suit has but things go wrong and they end up going back in time to 1986. They soon learnt hat they must try and make sure they do things exactly the same way as they did before or they face changing the course of history.

Can the men try and relive the past or will they alter their futures and what will it mean for Jacob who is not yet even born?

To be perfectly honest this film never really appealed to me but hubby quite fancied it so I decided to give it a watch. I was actually quite surprised by the film and found some of the parts quite funny. The story was good but nothing very new and original. I think it was helped along with the humour and some good acting. I think I would have liked a little more from the story though because as it stood I did find it was very predictable and I had worked out the ending from half way through the film. This may be a good thing for some as it means you don’t have to concentrate fully on what is going on but for me I would have liked another twist or big event to have happened at the end of the film.

The acting was pretty good. John Cusack played the lead role of Adam and I felt he did a good job. He came across in a good way and was easy to get to know. I liked his way of living and felt he handled the whole time travelling very well. He seemed at ease with his lines and even the humour and he did give me a good few chuckles. The role of Nick was also a strong one, played by Craig Robinson, he came across as quite weak at times with what was happening in his life but he acted this way very well and I did at times feel sorry for him. I like how he was also able to take the serious nature away from his problems with his comedy timing. There was the role of Jacob which I did enjoy too, he was played by Clark Dude and he seemed the only sensible one in the film. He was strong and I loved how he would be shocked by some of the antics which went on. I though he handled the comedy timing with ease and think he has a bright acting future ahead of him.

There was one role which I really did not like in the film and that was Lou, he was played by Rob Corddry. He was always drunk and full of self pity. I hated him right from the start of the film and could not warm to him at all. I think they played too much to his weaknesses and maybe if he was made slightly stronger and more caring I would have got to like him. He did also have some very good support actors in the film and I felt they were good and gave a little depth to the story.

The film was set in the present day at the start but we soon moved back to 1986 and I did enjoy this aspect of the film. The clothes were hilarious and the appearance of the men was also very funny. I loved how the old fashioned ways were shown and how there was very limited technology. I felt they were able to bring a lot of laughs from the year of this film and don’t think it would have worked as well had this been set in a different year. I felt the props, sets and costumes were all very fitting and worked very well indeed. I have to say that due to the year of this film we got an excellent soundtrack. I felt the modern songs were all good and lively and then when we moved to the older soundtrack I had to ask hubby to stop toe tapping and singing along, this was his era, as it was quite annoying. I did enjoy all of the tracks used and feel this would be a very good soundtrack for all fans of the 80’s music.

I did find the humour a little mixed. We had a lot of spoken gags which all had perfect timing and the actors were able to bounce of each other with ease and this all worked. Then we moved to the visual gags and some of them did not work. I felt the majority were good and fitting for the film but one or two, the ones which involved the character of Lou were a little out of place and not needed. I felt they made the film go towards a teen comedy film and they were a let down. The projectile vomiting scenes really was not needed and it did actually make me feel sick rather than make me laugh.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 101 minutes and I felt this was more than long enough. The rate is a 15 and I do agree with this as there is a lot of swearing right from the start, nudity and sex also feature a lot in this film so it is certainly not suitable for the younger audience. The DVD can be widely bought and is priced at around £7. The film is currently being shown on Sky Premier and Anytime TV so try to catch it there is you can.

I am happy to recommend this film and give it 4 stars. I enjoyed the story and had a few good laughs. I did however feel some of the gags were not fitting for the film and there was one weak character. The ending is good but very predictable. Overall this is a good film which deserves a watch but try to get the best possible price or catch it on sky for free.

She's not Nanny McPhee!

2011-04-03T23:30:00.001-07:00

My new post is a film review for Keeping Mum...

When a pregnant woman boards a train she soon gets found out as a murderer, she hacked up the bodies of her husband and his lover and put their body parts in her large trunk which she has on the train. She gets found guilt of their murders and sent to prison. The child gets bought up by nuns.

Many years later me meet reverend Goodfellow who is so busy trying to write the perfect sermon for his upcoming conference he has failed to notice the problem facing his family. His wife feels neglected and is having her head turned by her golf instructor, his 17 year old daughter is going through men like they are going out of fashion and his young son is being bullied at school.

Things for the family are about to change though when their new house keeper arrives, Grace Hawkins is the lady in question and she has a novel way of sorting out problems. She starts by taking on the neighbours dog with a shovel and then sets about sorting out the family. Can Grace save this family and just where did she come from?

I was quite looking forward to watching this film as it was advertised and seemed to look funny and have a good cast. I did enjoy this film and felt the storyline was very good and I think it was only enhanced by the setting. The film was set in the English countryside in a small village and for me this is what made it more believable and realistic. I don’t think the story would have worked very well if the setting would have been a large city or even in America. I loved the way we got to see the village life and how they all knew about everyone’s problems and difficulties and just how nosey some people are. The village was called Little Thump and I thought this was a very appropriate name due to what Grace got up to. The film was actually shot on location in Cornwell and I found all the views to be lovely and enjoyable to watch.

The acting was very good, we had a mainly all English cast and it was great to see some of our better actors showing just what they are capable of. The role of Reverend Goodfellow was played by Rowan Atkinson and I enjoyed the fact he moved away from his Mr Bean and comedy roles. He tried to play this character as having a more serious side and I think he did a great job. He did have a few wobbles with silly faces but overall his character was good and I felt I got to know a good amount about him. His wife, Gloria was played by Kristen Scott Thomas and she again was another great strong character. I felt I got to know loads about her and understood how she was feeling and thought about things. I did feel different emotions for her as the film moved on, I hated her for carrying on behind her husbands back but as we got to know more about their relationship I understood better why she felt the need to do it. She did come across as a very good mother and I felt there was a good connection with her and the on screen children. The children were played by very good young actors and I felt they did bring a lot to the film.

Maggie Smith was an excellent choice for the role of Grace. She was a dotty old lady who seemed so innocent and pleasant until someone annoyed her or did something to the family which she did not approve of. She managed to show a good hidden side and I liked how she managed to come across as having a split personality. This is the first time I have seen Maggie playing a role like this one and I think she did it justice. There was a air of mystery always surrounding her and I liked how she tried to keep her past life secret from the family. We also had a great character in the role of Lance, Patrick Swayze played him and I loved how different he was. He was so out of place living in this small village and he did bring some good one liners and fun to the film.

There were some elements of comedy to the film and these were split between visual gags and the spoken ones, I felt all of the cast members did a great job in delivering these laughs and played it very straight. I think the comedy for me worked so well as it was not played for big laughs but in a more subtle way. I think the nature of the story would have seemed a little lost had this been more funny. The music was good but nothing special and I felt a lot could have been done with this with the way we had the setting for a sleepy village and the added inclusion of murder but as it was it was all fitting but nothing special.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 103 minutes and I felt this was a good length with the story moving at a steady pace from start to finish. The rate is a 15 and I do think this is very suitable as there are some scenes of nudity and swearing. I also need to point out that we get to see Patrick Swayze in a red leather thong and this may be off putting for some despite the fact he has a great body!

I am more than happy to recommend this film and give it a good 4 stars. I think had the soundtrack been slightly better then it may have gotten a higher rate. We have a good story with great acting and some very beautiful scenery throughout the film. I think this is one to watch but maybe wait for it to be shown on the TV again instead of buying the DVD.

Nut up or shut up!

2011-03-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

Zombieland is a film which did surprise me and I did enjoy it, here is my review of it....

America has been taken over by Zombie but a young boy called Columbus has survived. He lives by his 30 rules and travels in search of finding other humans and some of his family. He is quite a shy boy and lacks power and strength, he spent most of his college days before the zombies in his room too scared to make friends.

Columbus manages to find a car and sets off in search of family but along the way he has an accident and meets Tallahasse, another human who hides from the zombie. Tallahasse is ruthless and hard, the total opposite of Columbus but they do strike up a friendship and they decide to stick together. The pair set off again on their travels, Tallahasses is on his own mission, he needs a twinkie, and soon they arrive at a supermarket and decide to go inside to get some supplies.

It is at the supermarket that they meet with a frightened girl who says her sister has been bitten by a zombie, the men go off to investigate and soon discover that one of them has to shoot the younger girl before she turns into a zombie.

Can they really shoot this young girl and if not what will the outcome be. Will any of the humans ever find a safe zombie free place to live?

I had never really been interested in watching this film but as it came on the comedy film channel and I needed a good fun film to watch both me and hubby decided to give it a go. I was actually surprised by the film and ended up quite enjoying it. I found that the story was good, although there seemed nothing new about it at all and it was lacking in depth but I found it worked well with the comedy that was added to it and I enjoyed what we had on offer.

The acting was good and the lead role of Columbus was played by Jesse Eisenberg. He was a good choice for the role as he had a good geeky look which suited the type of character he was trying to portray. He managed to deliver all of his lines with ease and I felt I got to know a good amount about him. I like the way we got a few flash backs to before the Zombies took over as this gave his character a little depth. He came across at times as a frightened little boy and I felt he turned to the role of Tallahasses to be a father figure to him and I think this worked well. The role of Tallahasses was played by Woody Harrelson and I found him to be a great addition to the cast. He looked mean and moody and I found the appearance was good. He managed to show other sides as the film moved on and he handled them all very well. He did sort of take on a fatherly role of Columbus and it was nice to watch at times. I did have a few issues when he was fighting and dealing with the zombies as he seemed a little unsure with the weapons but for me I think this helped with the humour of the film.

We had two other very good strong roles in the film and the stand out one for me was that of Abigail Breslin, she took the role of Little Rock, she was very old for her age and I loved how she had adapted to the new way of life. She certainly is turning out to be a fine young actress. I found the surprise appearance from Bill Murray was also a nice one and I felt he bought a lot to the film.

The setting for the film was America and we travelled around a lot. There was a lot of the film set on the road and as a result we did get some lovely scenery shots, these were slightly disrupted with abandoned cars and accident at times but overall I enjoyed them. We do go into a few places, including a supermarket a house and some outside areas and I found the sets to be of a good high standard and fitted well into the film. We do also have a lot of make up effects and CGI in the film and it was all great and enjoyable to watch. I did find the appearance of some of the zombies to be quite horrid at times but once I had seen a few of them they all seemed to look alike after and did not scare me. I did also jump a few times when zombie shot out from behind things and hubby found this hilarious.

The music was good and fitting for the film but it was nothing exceptionally special and not a soundtrack I would buy to listen to without the film. I felt it could have been stronger and a few more well known tracks played. I did enjoy the Ghostbusters theme being played and found this fitted in very well with the scene it was in.

This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 88 minutes and I did find this to be a good length, the story moved at a steady pace from that to finish and although it seems a short film I felt it would have been dragged out too much had the run time been lengthened. The rate of the film is a 15 and I do agree with this, we have lots of scenes of zombies eating people and killing and I think some of them do actually look quite scary, there is also a little swearing and I do agree with this rate. The DVD can now be bought from on line for under £5 and I do think this is a fair price.

I am going to recommend this film as both me and hubby enjoyed it. The story was good although not original and nothing very special, the acting was good and I felt there was just enough humour to give this film a good 4 stars. I would not recommend paying more than £5 for the DVD or even better would be to catch this for free whilst it is still on Sky movies.

Cheap and effective

2011-03-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

My newest post is a product review for Asda Chesty cough syrup...

Whenever I am suffering from a cold I always end up with a cough to go with it and it always ends up being a chesty one. I think having whooping cough when I was young means I am prone to getting the chesty cough rather than the tickly one. After watching a programme several months ago about medicines and the ingredients in them I learnt that the own brand drugs are just as good, if not batter than the named ones. Therefore I had no problem in buying the Asda own brand cough medicine.

The medicine comes in a 300ml bottle which is made from glass and a very dark brown colour. There is a white screw top on the bottle but this is not child proof. The label on the bottle is a white and deep pink colour and it has the Asda logo and the product name on the front and the directions and warnings on the back.
The medicine is supposed to be cherry flavoured, there is a faint hint of cherry but no where near enough to make this actually taste nice. I know they say what tastes bad is good for you but this really is bad! The dosage for children over 12 years of age and adults is 1-2 5-10ml spoons every 2-3 hours. No more than 4 doses should be taken in every 24 hours. Children under 12 should not take this medicine.

I have found that the stated does is good. I have 2 5ml spoonfuls at one time and I am finding that this dose will last me for about 5 hours and only then am I needing to take more. Hubby has had the same results and he sometimes does not need to take another dose for even longer. I find that this is ideal for taking about half an hour before bed as it means I get a good nights sleep and am not waking up from coughing all of the time.
The medicine is very easy to take, the liquid is a good consistency so very easy to pour but it is not overly runny so it all dribbles off the spoon. The smell is slightly off putting but if you try not to think of this you should be able to take the medicine with ease. I do instantly feel is putting a smooth coating down my throat as it goes down and this does actually feel quite nice for the few seconds it is there before I have to have a drink to get rid of the taste!

The ingredients for the medicine include:-
Guailenesin 100mg per 5ml, Glucose, Methylhydroxybenzoate E218, Citric Acid, E330, Sodium Citrate E331, Sodium Saccharin E945, Carmoisine Red E122, Caramel E150c, Cherry Flavour, Ethanol and Purified Water.

The bottle does contain several warnings and some of these include not giving this to children under 12, not to be used if you have a sugar intolerance or alcohol problem. Pregnant and breast women should seek advise before using. I do strongly recommend that you fully read the back of the bottle if you suffer from any medical condition before using this cough medicine. There can be side effects from using this medicine which may include gastro-intestinal discomfort, nausea or vomiting and if you do suffer from any of these then you should see your doctor.
The bottle does last for a good amount of time and the one which I last bough a few days ago has just under 3 years on the best before date. The medicine is an Asda own brand so it is only available to buy in their store. You can buy this on the shelf and not have to go to the pharmacy. The 300ml bottle will cost you £2 and it currently is the only size they do.

I a happy to give this product the full 5 stars despite the taste. It works extremely well and after only a few minutes of taking it, it means I can get a good nights sleep, and I can just about put up with the taste. A great cheap alternative to the branded named medicines.

Thought Provoking

2011-03-29T06:24:00.001-07:00

My new post is a film review for The Green Mile....

It is the 1930’s and Paul Edgecomb works in a prison, he is in charge of death row which is a hard job to have and takes its toll on him. He sees men coming in and he and his team are faced with keeping them until their time for the electric chair comes. Paul has a hard job as he sees how sad these men are knowing what is coming and he does find it a hard job. Paul’s life is about to be turned around though when a new prisoner comes in.

John Coffey is a very large black man who is on death row as he is believed to have killed to little girls. Paul instantly feels he did not do it and rather likes John. Paul is about to have a massive shock when he gets ill from a urine infection and when John touches him he takes the pain and virus away. Paul does not talk about this to anyone but his wife and tries to find out about John’s past. His investigations lead him to a dead end but he does not give up.

Can Paul discover just what power John has and will this change his fate or will John go the same way as the other men on Death Row?

I have looked at this film over the years and never really fancied it but when I spotted the DVD for the bargain price of £2 I decided to give it a go. I thought from the cover of the DVD and the appearance of Tom, Hanks that it was going to be connected to the military but how wrong was I. I did actually enjoy the story and felt it was touched up in a very emotional and powerful way. I thought it was an original idea and I know this is based on a book but as I have not read the book I cannot make comment on how well or badly this has been transferred to the screen. The short plot outline which I have given really is only a basic one, we have other smaller side stories happening involving some of the other prisoners and guards but I felt that these are best left to be discovered by watching the film. I did enjoy the inclusion of these as they gave some depth to the film and overall story.

The acting for me was superb. Tom Hanks played the lead role of Paul and he did an excellent job. We got to know just enough about him to understand his mind and how he though about things and I enjoyed seeing a bit of his personal life as well. He was hard and strong for the majority of the film but I also liked the softer more sensitive side which did come out. I felt he did justice to the role he way playing and showed what a hard job he had. He formed a wonderful connection with John and even though John was a prisoner I felt they formed a good friendship. John was played by Michael Clark Duncan, I have to confess that the only other film I know him from is the role of Bear in Armageddon and I did not know what to expect from him. He gave the best performance of the film for me and I had so many different emotions forming from his performance. He looked quite dumb and sad for the majority of the film and as if he was suffering. When he spoke I felt sadness and loss from him but there were times when he showed a little strength and he did give me one or two small chuckles. He looked powerful and intimidating but he did not come across this way when he spoke or talked to Paul.

We had some very good support actors and I felt they too all played very good role, some of the actors included, David Morse, James Cromwell, Michael Jeter and Sam Rockwell, they were all very different role, some stronger and louder than the other but they all bought some magic to the story in their own different ways.

There was really only two settings in this film for the majority of it, we had the green mile, the wing of the prison where the prisoners on death row had their cells and the room with the electric chair. I found the settings to be good and thought the way of life for them back in the 30’s was shown well. I found it looked and fitted the era and the lack of technology and moderness of it all was shown in a good way. We did get one or two outside shots and these were a good little relief from the other settings. I thought the costumes were also good and in keeping with the theme and year of the film.

There were a few places in the film where I did have to look away as they were stomach turning and a little scary for me, I must confess though that I am a wimp! I though the parts when the prisoners were being placed in the electric chair were unsettling and also some of the things which John did turned my stomach. The DVD claims that there is some horror in the film and although I felt quite jumpy at parts O would not class them as horror. There are some brutal parts involving people dying but they are not overly gruesome or bad. We do have some swearing in the film and so the 18 rate which this has is one which I agree with, I also think a younger audience will not truly be able to follow this story. The one downside to this film is the run time, it is 181 minutes long, I do think this will put a few people off from watching but I have to say once we got into the story I lost track of the time and never felt as if it had been going on forever, I think it could have lost about 30-40 and still have been as powerful as it was.

I did think the ending was very powerful and it did actually reduce me to tears and this is where I would have liked the film to end. At the very start we see Paul when he is an elderly man in a nursing home and we return to this point at the very end of the film. Both me and hubby felt this was taking it a little far and making it a little far fetched with what he told us, I would have liked this to have been left out of the film. I did enjoy seeing one certain little member of the cast again.

I have stated that I bought the DVD for just £2 but as I have not watched the bonus features on it then I am classing this review as a film only one. The DVD does range in price depending on where you shop for it so make sure you too get a good bargain like I did.

I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars and a very high recommendation as it was an amazing film. The story was excellent and not only was it sad and emotional but we had a few good little fun parts which gave us some light relief, the acting from all involved was powerful and strong and I think this film should be watched by all over the age of 18 despite the running time as it has had a very powerful effect on me and I do still keep thinking back to the ending even a week after watching it.

Rude and crude but oh so funny!

2011-03-28T22:50:00.001-07:00

Get him to teh Greek is a film which I found hillarious, read my review for it....

Aaron Green works for a music company which is struggling and needs to come up with a big idea to raise money. Aaron comes up with the suggestion that they get old rocker, Aldous Snow to do an anniversary concert at the Greek. Aaron gets the gig and soon finds himself travelling to pick up Aldous for some press conferences and then the concert. Unfortunately Aldous is a typical rocker and is not impressed with being told what to do.

Aaron has a hard task ahead of him as all Aldous wants to do is party and have sex with women. They miss their first plane and have to fly in late to America to following day much to the disgust of Aaron’s boss. Aaron is warned that if Aldous does not get to the gig then he will loos his job.

Can Aaron get Aldous to the Greek and just what will he be subjected to along the way?

I have only given a very brief outline for the plot as I feel giving too much away will spoil it for those who may not have seen this film yet, but please do not think the film is as basic as I have made it out to be as it really isn’t and there is a lot to the story and an awful lot happens in the film. I did enjoy this film a lot of felt it was very funny. The story was good, not very original and the story is nothing exceptionally special but the way it is told to us with the humour is very entertaining and both me and hubby laughed out loud so many times when watching.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of Russell Brand and do find him very annoying but for some reason whenever I have watched him in a film I have found him to be excellent and easy to watch, this film was no exception. He played a great character who really did have a lot of issues, he was drugged up for the majority of the film and I felt this helped to add to the humour and he seemed to at easy playing the role. I liked the depth we got from him and thought it was good the way he did express emotions and felling as this made him easier to get to know and understand. He worked very well with Jonah Hill who played Aaron. He was a very different character, he was straight and wanted a simple life and had his world turned upside down by Aldous but he handled it all very well. I liked the way we got to know some background about him as I felt I got to know the way he thought and felt about new things. The chemistry between the pair was great and they had a good comedy timing when together on screen.

We did have some other very good actors in the film, P Diddy played a good role and I was quite surprised by how well he did, Elisabeth Moss played Aarons suffering girlfriend and the role which I was not keen on but was played well was that of Aldous’ father played by Colm Meaney.

There is a lot of humour in this film and I must say it is not going to be to everyone’s taste. It all involves drink, drugs and sex. There are times when we get a few good one liners but the majority of the humour comes from these three things. There are some very crude parts to the film which I was not overly keen on but for me the laughs did out weight these so I would not let them put you off from watching. I felt the comedy timing from all involved was excellent and they helped to make the gags more funny. We did have a lot of visual gags which were all done very well and I loved how Jonah Hill dealt with the ones he was given and felt he was a perfect choice for this role. He managed to try and play them straight faced which only added to the delivery.

The film does contain a lot of bad language and drug and sex references, we also have a few sex scenes so I do advise caution if you are easily offended or do not like watching people being sick on themselves. I do have to agree with the 15 rate on this film and say it is not at all suitable for the younger viewer. The running time of the film us 1 hour 45 minutes and I did find this to be a good length with the story moving at a steady pace throughout. The film can be bought on DVD fro around £5 now and I think this is a good price. This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about.

I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars despite the few issues I had with it. I really can’t remember the last time a film made me laugh as much as this one did. The acting was great and Brand really did surprise me again by being so good. This is certainly a film to watch if you are not easily offended but again I advise caution if you are.

Sparks does it again!

2011-03-28T06:31:00.000-07:00

Theresa is a divorced Mom who is in her 30’s, she is happy with life but does get a little lonely so her friend Deena invited her along on holiday. It is when she is on holiday running on the beech that her life is turned upside down. She finds a message in a bottle which when reading reduces her to tears as it is no emotional and well written. Theresa talks the message back to Deena who suggests that she publishes it in her column on the newspaper.

The letter gets published and soon she gets inundated with letters about it. One person in particular shocks her by saying she also found a letter and sends her a copy. Theresa is shocked to discover that it was written by the same person. Garrett is the author and he is writing to his dead wife Catherine. Theresa is intrigued by the letters and soon Deena comes up with the idea of tracking him down and meeting him.

Theresa is persuaded to go and find Garrett after they tracked him down to Wilmington where he owns a diving shop. When she arrives she is pleasantly surprised by Garrett and they end up going sailing together where they strike up a friendship.

Just how far will their friendship go and can Garrett ever get over Catherine and will Theresa ever confess her real reason why she met Garrett?

I had no problems in picking this book up and buying it as I am a big fan of Nicholas Sparks and have loved all of his other books I have read, they are all packed with lovely moving stories, great characters and a lot of emotion, this one was no exception. I must admit this was another book which I was unable to put down though as I just got so into the story and fell in love with all of the characters and the places they visited. The story was very good and although it was quite basic the fact it was full of all this emotion and feeling just made it so interesting and moving to read.

I loved the setting, we were again on the coast in America, the actual town was Wilmington. I have noticed that all of his book seem set around this area and I do kind of like this as it makes it all sound familiar and easy to fall in love with. It was a slow paced town which was so unlike Boston which is where Theresa came from. I don’t think this story would have worked as well if it had been set in another place as we would not have had the same effects and the talks of the ocean and the stillness of the air and peace and quiet. I felt I got a good idea of the town by how it was described and I was able to get a good mental picture of the places they visited.

All of the character were easy to get to know and understand. The lead character of Theresa was good and I felt I got to know a good amount about her and her life so I got a good idea of the way she thought and dealt with things. She was a normal woman who just wanted some company and to love and protect her son. She came across as genuine and wore her heart on her sleeve which made me feel so close to her. Garrett was also a great character and I felt so many different emotions about him. I felt he was a lovely honest man who had big issues. I liked the descriptions we had and he seemed a nice simple man. He did have problems when it came to his dead wife and I felt this was handled in a very good way and not one which was overly sentimental or unrealistic. I felt we had a very good balance. The support characters were also very good and I felt we got to know just enough about them to understand their part in the story but not too much so we lost focus on the main storyline.

There were times in the story when the character of Garrett would go into a dream world and sort of daze and talk of dreams about Catherine and at first I did find it quite hard to separate this part from what was happening in the main story but after this happened a few times I was able to understand it better and I did actually think this was a great addition to the story as it made me understand more and Garrett. These parts were always quite touching and moving and I did have a few times when I did have tears in my eyes from the emotions in them.

I loved this book from start to finish and felt it was very easy to read and understand. The writing style was great and for me the ending was a shock. I thought I had worked out how it was all going to end and hoped it would but I was so far off the mark. I felt it was a lovely ending but one I was not expecting. I think Nicholas Sparks has a good way of seemingly writing a predictable book only to throw a massive unexpected twist and this is one of the things I enjoy about his books. This book has been made into a film but I have not watched it yet and am unsure if I really want to as it will never be a patch on this book with the level of feelings and emotions it has.

The book which I have is the paper back edition and the retail price of this is £7.99. It can be bought for under £5 on Amazon though. I have to say I would be prepared to pay full price for this thought as it is a great book. It was published by Sphere and has a total of 347 pages. At the very end of the book, as with all of the others by this author, we get a chapter from one of his other books, I do quite enjoy this as it gets me interested in other books and wanting to read them too.

I am more than happy to give this book a massive recommendation and the full 5 stars. It has a lovely story with a twist at the end, the characters and places are all easy to get to know and like and it is packed full of emotion and love. Definitely another one to add to me favourites books list!

Handy at Protecting hands

2011-03-27T23:12:00.001-07:00

New post is a product review for some bargain rubber gloves I found...

My friend has started doing nail art and as I am her guinea pig I decided to invest in some rubber gloves to help protect my nails when doing dirty household jobs. I have never bought rubber gloves before so did not know what to look for in a pair of them. The ones I opted for were the Tesco Value rubber gloves as they seemed to be decent enough and for the amount of times I would be wearing them (I mean I don’t often clean the cooker!) they seemed suitable.

The gloves comes in a white plastic bag which has a red banner on the top with the product name in, above this is the Tesco value logo. On the back of the packet is all the information about the gloves and some small warnings.

The gloves are bright yellow in colour and do look very summery. They are a decent size, the packet claims that they are a medium sized glove. They seem to fit very well onto my hands and I am an average sized person. The gloves are soft to the touch and are made from rubber. On the inside they do have a very thin flock lining which is very soft on the skin.

I have found the gloves very easy to get on and off, even when they are wet and have had great success wearing them. There is a small pattern on the inside of the glove, this is a small indented pattern which means you will still be able to grip items such as glass when they are wet and you wont risk dropping anything.

The fit of the gloves is very good and I do feel they fit snugly around the finger without there being too much excess material in between, the gloves do come a little way up the arm and I would say this is about 4 inches up from the wrist. I like the length here as it means I can put the whole of my hand in a bowl of water and not risk getting any water inside the glove.

I have done some very gruelling jobs wearing these gloves and they have held up well. I gave the oven a much needed scrub which involved using brillo pads and they did not tear rip or even become thin on any areas despite all of the scrubbing. I have also found these great for using when hand washing and bleaching white school tops. The bleach does not affect the colour of the gloves or the rubber. I have also found that my long nails do not pierce the tips of the fingers which is a bonus for me.

There are some warnings on the back of the packet of the gloves and they include not wearing these gloves when using petrol, mineral oil, paraffin or turpentine substances. I have had no reason to use them on these products so cannot comment on the reasons behind this. The gloves are to be dabbed dry when they have been used and stored out of direct sunlight and away from moisture and heat. The gloves are lasting and even after some very mucky jobs I am still on my first pair one month after buying them. You do get two pairs of gloves in each packet so this is good value for money.

These gloves are a Tesco value product so they are only available to buy in their stores, they are price at just over 50p per packet of two pairs which is very cheap compared to branded gloves being nearly £2 for just one pair. I am more than happy to give these gloves a high recommendation and the full 5 stars. I would say thought that they do seem more suited for the female market as the fingers are a snug fit for me so chunky man fingers may find these gloves too small or tight. For the price they are a great investment in keeping hands and nails safe when doing the dreaded dirty jobs.

Relegated to cooking!

2011-03-23T23:51:00.001-07:00

My newest post is a review of Ryelands milk chocolate...

Chocolate is a treat in my house, both me and hubby are trying to loose a little bit of weight but we do both agree with the having the odd treat. When we were last shopping we spotted this Ryelands chocolate which was on offer so decided to give it a try. We have had a lot of success in the past with the Tesco discount brands so did not hesitate in giving this one a try.

~~PACKAGING~~

The chocolate comes in a deep blue foil packet which has a white oval shape in the middle with a picture of 3 of the chocolate squares. Above this picture is the Ryeland logo and the words ‘milk chocolate’. The bottom right hand corner has a brief outline of the nutritional values for 4 chocolate squares. On the back of the packet we have all of the details about the chocolate including ingredients, full nutritional values and allergy warnings.

~~TASTE AND APPEARANCE~~

The chocolate is nothing special to look at and it is a rich brown colour. The large bar has small rectangles on it which helps to break it into smaller pieces, there is no pattern on the top of the chocolate. There is a nice pleasant smell to the chocolate which is not overly sweet and really makes you want to eat some.

I found it was very simple to break the chocolate into the small pieces due to the design of it and found that they were good bit size pieces and found I fitted each one into my mouth with ease. When I first placed the chocolate into my mouth I noticed that it did not start to melt straight away but required me to start sucking it slightly for this to happen. I did feel it was a effort to get the chocolate to melt and ended up biting the large square to make it easier to eat. The chocolate seemed to be quite thick and not as light as the branded ones. I did find that once it was melted it seemed to be very heavy and it all seemed to stick to my teeth. The initial taste was good and it just tasted like any other milk chocolate but once I got through the first 3 squares I noticed the taste started to change. It became an effort to eat anymore and I was left with a horribly aftertaste from the chocolate. I also felt like I had fur all over my teeth and did have to have a large drink to help remove this. I did end up having to brush my teeth to get this feeling to go away fully.

The chocolate left a quite nasty aftertaste in my mouth which I did not like and I was completely put off from eating any more of the bar. I have tried it again after leaving ht chocolate in the fridge to harden it up but I have had just the same results from it. Hubby did not have such a bad experience with this chocolate as I did and he did manage to eat a good half of the bar although he did get a nasty after taste from it.

I feel that for the price this chocolate would be ideal for cooking with. It would give a good taste to rice krispie and cornflake cakes but I feel it may be a little too heavy too add to any sponge cakes and may cause the sponge not to rise as well as it normally would. Stick to the basic children’s cakes with this chocolate.

~~INFO~~

The chocolate comes in a bar size of 200g and this is a good sharing size.

There are some allergy warnings on the packet and these include the fact that this chocolate contains milk and soya. There are no nuts in the recipe and it has been made in a nut free factory but Tesco cannot guarantee that all of the ingredients are nut free.

The ingredients for the chocolate are:-

Sugar, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, cocoa mass, whey powder, dried skimmed mil, milk fat, emulsifier (soya lecithins), Natural flavouring.

The milk chocolate contains: cocoa solids 27% minimum, Milk solids 20% minimum.

For each 4 squares of the chocolate the nutritional values are:-

Energy – 155 Kcal
Protein – 2.1g
Carbohydrate – 17.6g
Of which sugars – 17.1g
Fat – 8.0g
Of which saturates – 5.0g
Mono-unsaturates – 2.5g
Polyunsaturates – 0.3g
Fibre – 0.5g
Sodium – trace
Salt equivalent – trace

These are not the best values but as this is chocolate this is only to be expected.

The chocolate must be stored in a cool and dry place and out of sunlight. The shelf life is pretty good and the bar which we bought one week ago has a shelf life of 1 ½ years.

~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~

The Ryelands brand is only available to buy in Tesco stores, it is their new discount brand. This chocolate come priced at just over £1 but there are usually offers on with 2 bars for £1.80. I think this is a good price but such a shame that the chocolate does not taste better.

~~RECOMMENDED?~~

I was looking forward to my chocolate treat but felt very let down by this brand. I felt it is worthy of 2 stars as it is good for using on rice krispie and corn flake cakes. It has a reasonable price and I must say this is the perfect bar for dieters as you can only eat a small amount before it gets sickly ad the horrible after taste starts. A disappointing discount brand product.

Can Holmes solve the case?

2011-03-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Latest post is a film review for Sherlock Holmes enjoy.....

Sherlock Holmes is on a roll when he and his side kick Dr Watson finally bring down serial killer Lord Blackwood. In doing so they uncover some very dark magic. Holmes starts to take a downward turn and spends all his time in his room trying to invent new gadgets and weapons. He makes an appearance though when called as the last request by Blackwood to the prison where he is being held before his hanging. Blackwood tells Holmes that he is in over his head and there will be further killings before his task is complete and that he will not be able to stop them.

Holmes thinks it is all over when Blackwood is hung and buried but unbelievably he comes back from the dead and starts to wreak havoc over London. Holmes and Watson are back on the case and they soon discover the use of Black magic and dark times ahead. Can they work together to stop Blackwood and the predicted murders before it is too late and can London be saved?
The main reason for me wanting to watch this film is the two lead actors, I had expected it to be good juts on their strength but it still managed to surprise me. I have never seen anything to do with Sherlock Holmes and the story did surprise me. I was not expecting the use of black magic and so much darkness and for me it made for interesting and at times edge of the seat viewing.

The acting from all involved was faultless, Robert Downey Jr took the lead role of Sherlock Holmes and he was excellent. I loved the way he came across as eccentric yet he was so cleaver and experienced at his job. He showed great intelligence when I was least expecting it and this was shown in a great way. He did manage to add a lot of wit and humour to the role and this was needed as it took away the more seriousness of the character. I did have the feeling at times that he needed a good shave and bath but this did add to his eccentric and strange look. He worked very well with Jude Law who played Dr Watson and they had a fantastic on screen chemistry which seemed so natural. They bounced off each other with ease and seemed more like brothers than just friends. Jude Law was also superb in his role and came across as very different from Holmes. He was able to bring some depth to his character with the inclusion of the fiancé and this was good. He showed great intelligence and strength with the way he handled himself on screen. The British accent was natural from Jude as he is British and I also felt the accent Downy Jr gave Holmes was very good.
We has a lot of great supporting actors in the film and the one which really stood out for me was the role of Lord Blackwood, he was played by Mark Strong. He was powerful whenever on screen and he gave a constant air of mystery to his character. He looked evil and powerful all in one and there were times when he did actually make me jump when he would just appear on screen. We also had good roles from Rachael McAdam, Eddie Marsen, Hans Matheson and James Fox. They all played a variety of different characters and they did give the film a little bit of depth.

The film is a mystery and crime one but there was just the right mix of these elements, there were times when I thought the story was getting a little far fetched but Holmes or Watson would give us one of their witty one liners and this would bring the film back down to Earth and make it seem more real. The humour is not over the top and there certainly are no laugh out loud moments. I found the way Holmes spoke to and treated some of the police officers to be the best an funniest of the film.
The film is packed full of special effects and CGI which I found to all be of a very high standard. The fighting scenes were superb and looked so real, both me and hubby winced at some of the punches being delivered. There were a few scenes towards the end of the film when we did notice some added backdrops but we did not let this put us off as we had enjoyed the film so much we overlooked it. The props and sets which were used were also very good and very inking with the year and feel of the film. I thought the way London was shown back in the early 1900’s to be interesting but very dull, there was a distinct lack of brightness and colour. Everywhere seemed so dull and grey. The costumes were also very good and fitting for the film.

The music throughout the film really did help with the feel and emotions of the story. At times it was quite light and happy but then in the next scene it would become very dark and powerful. I really did enjoy the soundtrack and though a lot of effort and time must have gone into making it work as well as it did.
The DVD which we have does not have any bonus features but this is no loss to me as I am not a fan of them anyway. The DVD can be bought now for just £7 in Tesco and I think this is a very good price for such a great film. The running time is 123 minutes and the rate is a 12A, I agree with the rate due to the nature of the story and there is some violence.

I am more than happy to give this film the full 5 stars despite the few weak backdrops towards the end of the film. The acting is of a high standard and so to is the story. I would highly recommend this film to all who like a film with a good story which is packed full of action and wit.

Great little balls!

2011-03-23T07:18:00.001-07:00

New post is a product review for Tesco's cotton wool balls....

Since I was a little girl cotton wool was always a product which was in the house, I never really knew what it was used for until I started to wear make up and nail varnish and since then I have never been without a bag of it. I find that the Tesco’s My Baby bag of cotton wool balls seems to be one of the best I have been able to find.

The cotton wool balls come in a clear plastic bag which has a small white rectangle on the front, in this there is a cute picture of a baby elephant on a cloud and the product name, there is also the Tesco my baby logo here too. On the back of the bag there is another white rectangle which has all of the product information in. The cotton wool inside is white in colour and they are small balls.

Each ball is a good size and almost round in shape, each individual one does slightly differ. They are nice and fluffy to the touch and very soft. I have found that the balls can actually be opened up and the cotton wool can be used flat in a sort of pad if needed, I have never really had to use it this way as the balls are perfect for what I tend to use it for. The thickness is good and I find they can hold a lot of moisture.

I tend to use these for makeup removal, I find by just putting a small blob of baby lotion on the ball allows me to fully remove all of my eye makeup, one ball is needed for each eye. The cotton wool is very soft and does not irritate the delicate skin and I find I don’t have to apply that much pressure either to get it all off. I also use these for removing nail varnish. The thickness of the ball means that I am able to get enough of the varnish remover onto a pad so they manage to remove one complete set of nails with just one ball.

I did use cotton wool on my boys when they were babies. When bathing them as new born I always wet the balls and used them on the face and delicate eye areas, they were great in this job, the cotton wool does not break or fall apart when wet and it does firm up enough to be able to remove dirty marks and even small amount of sleep which had formed in the corner of babies eyes. They are very mild on the soft skin and do not irritate at all.

The cotton wool balls are made from 100% cotton which means they are pure and soft and ideal for delicate or sensitive skin. Hubby has on occasions used these and has not had any reaction on his sensitive skin.

There is a warning on the back of the bag for the balls which states that the bag holding the balls is made from plastic so must be kept away from small children and babies. Unfortunately the packaging is not recyclable. The cotton wool balls need to be placed in the bin when they have been used and not flushed down the toilet. My boys have flashed a couple of them and they do take a good few flushes to go down.

The bag size gives you roughly 300 balls which lasts me for a good 2 months and this is with me using them daily. The value for money is great and this bag comes in at just under £2. I do find that if you look at the cotton wool bags in the make up isle in Tesco it is a lot more pricey then the ones in the baby isle so do check there when buying this.

I am more than happy to give these cotton wool balls the full 5 stars as they are great for so many jobs. They are good value for money and the bag size means they last. For the price of them I also have no problems in letting my boys use them for craft projects and they are easy to stick to pictures and make good fake fur and snow! Highly recommended by me.

Can anyone tell me what happened???

2011-03-22T23:51:00.001-07:00

New post up which is a film review for 2001 A Space Odyssey..

At the start of the film we are witnessing the birth of man and who they came to be, what we watch is how they find a strange object in the Earth and what effects it has on them. We then move to thousands of years later when space travel is the norm. A Doctor is travelling to the moon on a mission to see what they have discovered. They too find a strange object with powers and different abilities.

Later we see a new mission travelling Jupiter, this shuttle has the high powered computer HAL helping the crew member on their way. HAL is intelligent and tries to control the mission but the crew member get wise to this. Just what will the crew find on Jupiter if indeed they get there and what is the significance of the objects they have already found?

I have to say I have found it very hard trying to write a plot summery for this film as it found it a very strange film indeed and I felt there was a complete lack of story and it was all very disjointed. The few little stories we had were very poorly told and I just could not follow them and to top all this off the ending was absolutely rubbish and both me and hubby had no idea just what was going on.

We did have a few actors in the film but none of them really made a stand out performance. They all came across as wooden. Some of the actors included, Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester and Douglas Rain as the voice of HAL. I felt they did not know where they wanted to take their characters and they gave the impression of reading their lines from the scenery. They were trying to give the impression of being in space and having to walk wearing gravity boots but they made this look awful and they all looked like they have had an accident in their pants and as a result had to walk this way. None of the characters really stood out to me and they were all pretty weak and poor. We never got to see any of them develop as we did not get to know much about them or their past and for me this was disappointing.

This is a very old film and due to this fact the special effects were pretty awful. I suppose they would have looked amazing in 1968 when this film first came out but they would not stand up to even the worst film of modern times. We had a lot of space scenes and they were not the worst effects of the film but they seemed very cheap. The appearance of the space rockets was poor and I am sure there were a few times when I spotted a small piece of wire moving them. The appearance of the planets was quite good and I liked how old they looked compared to the images we have today. The sets were also quite cheaply made and I could not work out what effect they were going for. I imagine from the title of the film they were trying to make them look futuristic but the overall feel which both me and hubby got from them was from the 1960’s.

I had to laugh at some of the costumes, the women looked like they were wearing mushrooms on their heads and it just looked daft, this did give us both a chuckle though. The space suits also looked strange and slightly out of place. The crew did not manage to get the effects right with the appearance of living and walking on a spinning ship. The tried hard but it just did not happen and they slowness they gave was very dull and off putting. The whole film seemed to move so slowly. We got a shot of a ship moving towards the moon and it lasted fro a good 15 minutes, I did at this point go for a cigarette and when I returned it had still not got any closer. I felt this was overly played and this did happen a lot throughout the film. The length of the film could have been reduced to half an hour if these scenes would have been speeded up and maybe I would not have lost interest so much if this had been the case.

The soundtrack for the film was the best part and I found it to be excellent. The music was all orchestral and very powerful. All of the songs used seemed to be known by me already and I was able to place some of them in other shows I had heard them in. The only problem with the soundtrack was that it did not seem to fit. We would have a lovely orchestral piece playing and I could imagine people dancing around on stage to it and not the boring space ship travelling through space that we got. I think this was very badly placed in the film and it happened a lot. There was one track which we heard a few times in the film and I felt it was a good choice and fitted in well. I think the sound track sometimes did help add to the drama of what we were seeing.

I have to talk about the end of the film, I don’t feel I will be giving anything away by doing so as I have no idea what actually happened. It seemed to go so far fetched and unbelievable. We felt there was no story to the end and this was no really very surprising considering the story throughout the film. If anyone does know what the ending was all about then please do feel free to message me and let me know.

I am only reviewing the film so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is a whopping 141 minutes and I felt this was way too long and everything seemed so drawn out. The rate is a U but I don’t think children would enjoy this film as there is no real story and they will not be able to work out what is happening. The film can be bought on DVD for just a few pounds but I would advise against wasting money on it.

I am not able to give this film a recommendation and I can only give it 2 stars. I have given both of these stars for the soundtrack although the majority of it did not fit the film. I really would recommend spending your time either watching the grass grow or paint drying instead of watching this film.