New post is a review for the childrens film Aliens in the Attic.
Tom is having a hard time at school as he is brainy so decides to mess his grades up to try and fit in. His father is not happy about this so decides they need a family vacation to try and bond and sort out the problems. They head off to Creak Landing and meet up with Granny, Uncle and Cousins. The arrogant boyfriend of Tom’s elder sister also turns up.
Things are not going to well for Tom as his cousin is bossing him around but things are about to change when the power and TV starts to go funny and Tom is sent to investigate.
On the roof of the house Tom discovers that the satellite has been destroyed and soon discovers that it was aliens who did it. The aliens soon make themselves known and start trying to control and take over the humans. It falls to Tom and the children of the house to try and get rid of the aliens and save the world but can they do this and can Tom sort out his school problems?
I was looking forward to watching this film as both me and hubby enjoy the children’s film which have been made recently as they make for some good light hearted entertainment. This one was good and we enjoyed the storyline but it was not one of the best we have seen by a long shot. The story was good and I liked the aliens but there was so much more which could have been done with the story and it cold have been developed more. The acting was good and I enjoyed the role of Tom and boyfriend Rickey and thought they were the stars of the film.
Tom was played by Carter Jenkins and he was good, he played a typical teenager having the normal problems they all face. He showed a caring side when it came to his younger sister and strength when it came to defending his family. He had a good on screen presence and delivered all of his lines with ease and made his character very believable. The role of Rickey was played by Robert Hoffman and he took to the role with ease. He came across as big headed and arrogant for the majority of the film but he changed when he was being controlled by the aliens and he took to the robotic style of the character very well and made for some very funny viewing. We had a lot of good support role which include actors, Austin Robert Butler, Ashley Tisdale, Henri and Regan Young and Doris Roberts. I love the role Doris took as the Nana as she bought so much comedy to the film ad I loved her ninja fighting scenes.
There was a good mix of character and it made for some good mixed viewing, the role of the parents was not very central to the story and I think they could have been included more to give this more of an appeal to the watching parents.
The film does have some very funny moments in it and both me and hubby loved them, there were a few times when it was verging on being daft but as we were both in the mind frame for some daft fun we loved them all and I think children will find this film very funny indeed. The comic timing was good and so to were the gags they did with the computer animated aliens. I thought that all of the actors worked well with the effects, especially young Hannah who befriended one of them as they worked closely together for a few of the scenes. The aliens looked good and reminded me of the crazy frog. They were not at all scary and I don’t think even very young children will be scared at all watching this film. They were believable aliens and even had good details and expressions and were really bought to life with the voices they were given.
The props and sets were all very good and there were no noticeably added bad drops and the computer images blended well with the humans. The music was good but not at all memorable and now after only watching this last night I cannot remember a single track which was used.
This is a film only review so there are no bonus features to speak about. The running time of the film is 86 minutes and I found this to be a great length and the story moved at a good pace from start to finish so I think children should manage to sit and watch the whole things without loosing interest. The rate is a PG but I think this is suitable for all ages. The DVD can be bought for around the £5 price and I think this is reasonable.
I am going to recommend this film and give it 3 stars. I would have loved to have given it more but I think there was more which could have been done with the story and I would have liked slightly more adult humour for the parents who have to sit and watch. It is definitely one for children around the 6-10 years of age to watch as they will find it hilarious.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Kerplunk cashes in!
As my little man is a fan of Toy Story he received this Alien freefall game from father Christmas and he loves it, well that was until he actually played it! The game is quite fun to play but it does take a long time to set it up and then you only really get about 5 minutes of game play before you have to set it all up again.
~~PACKAGING AND CONTENTS~~
The box for the game is nice and bright and has a picture of the set up game on the front, the Toy Story 3 logo can be found on the top corner and there is a picture of one of the green three eyed aliens on the side. The back of the box shows three children playing the game. The main colours to the box are red blue and green and it would be easy to spot on a toy shelf.
Inside the bow you get the plastic pocket, lots of sticks, approximately 25 which are green purple and blue plastic. They measure about 17cm long but are quite thin so small hands may have difficulty picking them up off a table. We get a bag of green aliens which look just like the alien from the film. These are quite small and only measure 2.5cm by 2cm, they too are made from plastic and we have around 30 of them. With the contents of the box we also have a dice which is white in colour and differs from a standard one as this one has the colours of the sticks on each side, there are two sides for each of the colour.
We do also get an instruction sheet but this really is not needed as the game is very self explanatory.
~~SETTING UP AND GAME PLAY~~
Before we can start a game for the first time we have to assemble the rocket. This is quite simple to do and the two clear plastic sides with all the holes in have to be clipped together and then sat in the red plastic rocket base and on the very top a red tip just needs to be pushed on. The rocket takes shape when this has been done and it is quite sturdy but not very big. It stands only 27cm high and it 8cm wide and the widest point around the middle.
The start setting up for a game the plastic sticks need to be pushed through the holes so they come out of the other side of the rocket. The colours need to be spread out and they need to be put in a lot of different ways so they are not all forming straight lines, mixing it up makes for better game play overall. Once this has been done then the tip of the rocket needs pulling out so the aliens can be tipped in. this may sound easy but believe me its not, the aliens are quite thin so you will find quite a few just come straight out the bottom and they will have to be put back in, this can get slightly frustrating for children.
When all this has been done then it comes to actually playing the game, the object of playing is to remove all of the sticks and be the one who has the least aliens at the end. The dice is to be rolled by each player and the coordinating stick and dice colour needs to b removed from the rocket. If you remove your stick and aliens drop from the bottom then you have to keep these. Once the sticks have all gone the player who has the least aliens wins. It is then time to start the whole set up process again.
~~OPINION OF THE GAME~~
When it first came to setting the game up all three of my boys were very excited and loved the idea of having the make to rocket. I did not have to tell them what they had to do them with the sticks as they looked at the picture and had worked it out for themselves. They did find it very simple to put the sticks in as the holes are a good size and even my 3 year old found it quite simple to do. When it came to putting the aliens in the first time they did enjoy this as they laughed a lot when they just dropped straight through to the bottom but after a few plays this started to really annoy them as it meant they had to wait longer to play the game.
Both me and hubby explained about the dice and what the object of the game was but the first time we played they thought the object was to get the most aliens to win but when they discover they had lost as they all had loads of them and hubby had none they soon understood it was the other way round. The dice was a good size and simple for them to use, even with very small hands and they could easily see the colours. They did manage to get the sticks easier than I thought they would and had no problem getting them out.
We had a lot of fun playing with this game and for me I had the added educational side as they had to use their maths skills to count the aliens and work out who had the most and least of them. The only downside I found to the playing of the game was the amount of time it too for us to set it up as once completed the game only takes 5 minutes to play, there is no way of making the game play longer which is a shame. We have overcome the set up problem as it s now left to me of hubby to do it for them.
~~AGE RANGE AND SUITABILITY~~
The box says that this game is suitable for ages 5 and over. I don’t really take much notice of these guides and my 3 year old had a great time playing, he was easily able to help with the setting up and he recognised the colours and fully understood what he had to do, he was actually very good and had a great steady hand to remove the sticks. I think very small children will need to be watched with the game though as the aliens are small and may be put into mouths and the sticks can be a little dangerous as they are not very rounded at the ends.
We are told that the game is for 2-4 players but again I don’t agree fully with this. Obviously you need a minimum of two players but we are a family of 5 and we all play this together and it really does not make much difference at all and I think up to 6 people could comfortable play this game together.
I think that the game would be a good choice for all fans of the Toy Story film but if they are not then you may wish to stick to the original Kerplunk one which does not have a theme so will never go out of fashion with them.
~~PRICE AND AVAILABLITY~~
This toy was a gift for my little man but I have recently seen this on offer in Tesco with a price tag of just under £10, I think full price would be around £15. I do think the full price is steep as it only has a limited life, the length of time your child like the toy Story films and think that under £10 is much better value for money. It is available in a wide range of toyshops and also online.
~~RECOMMENDED?~~
I am going to recommend this game but I can only really give it 4 stars. We have lots of fun playing it and it is a game the whole family can play together but it does have its negative side, it takes a long time to set up and the game play is only short. The Toy ~Story theme is good but it only gives this toy a limited life. I think would say the original Kerplunk game may be a better way to go for a gift unless you can get this for under £10.
~~PACKAGING AND CONTENTS~~
The box for the game is nice and bright and has a picture of the set up game on the front, the Toy Story 3 logo can be found on the top corner and there is a picture of one of the green three eyed aliens on the side. The back of the box shows three children playing the game. The main colours to the box are red blue and green and it would be easy to spot on a toy shelf.
Inside the bow you get the plastic pocket, lots of sticks, approximately 25 which are green purple and blue plastic. They measure about 17cm long but are quite thin so small hands may have difficulty picking them up off a table. We get a bag of green aliens which look just like the alien from the film. These are quite small and only measure 2.5cm by 2cm, they too are made from plastic and we have around 30 of them. With the contents of the box we also have a dice which is white in colour and differs from a standard one as this one has the colours of the sticks on each side, there are two sides for each of the colour.
We do also get an instruction sheet but this really is not needed as the game is very self explanatory.
~~SETTING UP AND GAME PLAY~~
Before we can start a game for the first time we have to assemble the rocket. This is quite simple to do and the two clear plastic sides with all the holes in have to be clipped together and then sat in the red plastic rocket base and on the very top a red tip just needs to be pushed on. The rocket takes shape when this has been done and it is quite sturdy but not very big. It stands only 27cm high and it 8cm wide and the widest point around the middle.
The start setting up for a game the plastic sticks need to be pushed through the holes so they come out of the other side of the rocket. The colours need to be spread out and they need to be put in a lot of different ways so they are not all forming straight lines, mixing it up makes for better game play overall. Once this has been done then the tip of the rocket needs pulling out so the aliens can be tipped in. this may sound easy but believe me its not, the aliens are quite thin so you will find quite a few just come straight out the bottom and they will have to be put back in, this can get slightly frustrating for children.
When all this has been done then it comes to actually playing the game, the object of playing is to remove all of the sticks and be the one who has the least aliens at the end. The dice is to be rolled by each player and the coordinating stick and dice colour needs to b removed from the rocket. If you remove your stick and aliens drop from the bottom then you have to keep these. Once the sticks have all gone the player who has the least aliens wins. It is then time to start the whole set up process again.
~~OPINION OF THE GAME~~
When it first came to setting the game up all three of my boys were very excited and loved the idea of having the make to rocket. I did not have to tell them what they had to do them with the sticks as they looked at the picture and had worked it out for themselves. They did find it very simple to put the sticks in as the holes are a good size and even my 3 year old found it quite simple to do. When it came to putting the aliens in the first time they did enjoy this as they laughed a lot when they just dropped straight through to the bottom but after a few plays this started to really annoy them as it meant they had to wait longer to play the game.
Both me and hubby explained about the dice and what the object of the game was but the first time we played they thought the object was to get the most aliens to win but when they discover they had lost as they all had loads of them and hubby had none they soon understood it was the other way round. The dice was a good size and simple for them to use, even with very small hands and they could easily see the colours. They did manage to get the sticks easier than I thought they would and had no problem getting them out.
We had a lot of fun playing with this game and for me I had the added educational side as they had to use their maths skills to count the aliens and work out who had the most and least of them. The only downside I found to the playing of the game was the amount of time it too for us to set it up as once completed the game only takes 5 minutes to play, there is no way of making the game play longer which is a shame. We have overcome the set up problem as it s now left to me of hubby to do it for them.
~~AGE RANGE AND SUITABILITY~~
The box says that this game is suitable for ages 5 and over. I don’t really take much notice of these guides and my 3 year old had a great time playing, he was easily able to help with the setting up and he recognised the colours and fully understood what he had to do, he was actually very good and had a great steady hand to remove the sticks. I think very small children will need to be watched with the game though as the aliens are small and may be put into mouths and the sticks can be a little dangerous as they are not very rounded at the ends.
We are told that the game is for 2-4 players but again I don’t agree fully with this. Obviously you need a minimum of two players but we are a family of 5 and we all play this together and it really does not make much difference at all and I think up to 6 people could comfortable play this game together.
I think that the game would be a good choice for all fans of the Toy Story film but if they are not then you may wish to stick to the original Kerplunk one which does not have a theme so will never go out of fashion with them.
~~PRICE AND AVAILABLITY~~
This toy was a gift for my little man but I have recently seen this on offer in Tesco with a price tag of just under £10, I think full price would be around £15. I do think the full price is steep as it only has a limited life, the length of time your child like the toy Story films and think that under £10 is much better value for money. It is available in a wide range of toyshops and also online.
~~RECOMMENDED?~~
I am going to recommend this game but I can only really give it 4 stars. We have lots of fun playing it and it is a game the whole family can play together but it does have its negative side, it takes a long time to set up and the game play is only short. The Toy ~Story theme is good but it only gives this toy a limited life. I think would say the original Kerplunk game may be a better way to go for a gift unless you can get this for under £10.
Did you hear about the average film
I am reviewing the film Did you hear about the Morgans which was unfortunately a let down and the best bits were shown in the trailers.
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Paula and Meryl Morgan are a separated couple, Paul is desperately trying to win back Meryl with gifts and phone calls but they are not working. Meryl is happy with her life and is very busy running her company but she does make time to have dinner with Paul so they can talk. Things don’t go too bad at dinner but when they leave they decide to have a walk.
Things take a turn for the worse on the walk as they witness a murder and have to go into protective custody. They are both not happy about this as they are being sent to a temporary safe house together. They arrive in Wyoming and it is a massive culture shock for them both. Meryl is trying hard to be reasonable around Paul but it is not working out as she planned.
Can the killer be caught so Paul and Meryl can go back to their own lives, will they ever adjust to the country life and ultimately can they work their differences out and make their marriage work?
I was not overly bothered about watching this film and I certainly was not prepared to pay for the DVD but as it came onto the movie channels I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately the best bits of the film were all shown in the trailers for it and it was a typical Hugh Grant film with his playing the bumbling unlucky in love English man. The story could have been very good if a little more effort and thought would have gone into it but as it stands both me and hubby were able to work out the ending from after only watching for 20 minutes. I did think it was a good subject for a film and there was a lot of potential which was not realised and maybe this could have been achieved if we would have had a different set of lead actors.
Hugh Grant played the role of Paul and he was just the same usual guy he plays in all of his other films. There was nothing new to this role for him and he came across as very dull and boring. His accent was overly played and I have never heard an English man talk so prim and proper before, it really was overly done for my liking and stuck out like a sore thumb. There was no depth to him and he seemed very flat with his lines and the emotions he was trying to portray. I found there was a distinct lack of chemistry between him and on screen wife Meryl and they did constantly look very uneasy together. Meryl was played by Sarah Jessica Parker and she was just as bad. She was flat with all of her lines and she never seemed to give them any emotion or feeling when delivering them. She did have a very strange appearance at time (hubby said she looked like a horse!) and she just came across as very self absorbed and only thought and cared about herself.
Fortunately we did have two very good actors in the film and they were the Sheriff and the Deputy. They were husband and wife, Clay and Emma. They were played by Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen. The pair bought some much needed light relief to the film and were for me the best of the whole cast. They managed to bring some normality and humour and seemed at ease and very natural on screen together.
The start of the film is shot in New York and we got a few good skyline shots of the city, they were enjoyable to watch but for me the best shots came from Wyoming, we got to see a lot of the countryside and I loved how different it was to the big city. The small town came across in an enjoyable and friendly way and I did actually comment on the fact that I too would love to live somewhere like that were technology is not the centre of everything. The sets were all good and so to were the few effects which we had.
The film does have a few funny moments in and the one memorable one is when Hugh Grant comes across the bear, this did have me giggling slightly but the main humour came from Emma and Clay with their daftness and inability to understand how Paul and Meryl were thinking and the way they found it hard to adjust to the new lifestyle. The funniest parts of the film are definitely all shown in the trailers. The soundtrack was nothing special and despite one or two tracks I am not able to remember much about it at all. The tracks I remember were quite old ones and they did fit into the story very well.
I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras to speak about. The DVD can be bought for around the £7 price at the moment which I feel is still slightly too high as this is just an average film. I certainly would not recommend paying to watch this.
I can really only give this film 3 stars, I really wanted it to be good and show Hugh Grant in a different role but t failed to do so. The story was good and we did have two very good roles but overall it was slightly dull with two very weak lead actors. I would recommended renting or waiting for this to come onto your TV before deciding to watch, this is certainly not worth parting with any money for.
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Paula and Meryl Morgan are a separated couple, Paul is desperately trying to win back Meryl with gifts and phone calls but they are not working. Meryl is happy with her life and is very busy running her company but she does make time to have dinner with Paul so they can talk. Things don’t go too bad at dinner but when they leave they decide to have a walk.
Things take a turn for the worse on the walk as they witness a murder and have to go into protective custody. They are both not happy about this as they are being sent to a temporary safe house together. They arrive in Wyoming and it is a massive culture shock for them both. Meryl is trying hard to be reasonable around Paul but it is not working out as she planned.
Can the killer be caught so Paul and Meryl can go back to their own lives, will they ever adjust to the country life and ultimately can they work their differences out and make their marriage work?
I was not overly bothered about watching this film and I certainly was not prepared to pay for the DVD but as it came onto the movie channels I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately the best bits of the film were all shown in the trailers for it and it was a typical Hugh Grant film with his playing the bumbling unlucky in love English man. The story could have been very good if a little more effort and thought would have gone into it but as it stands both me and hubby were able to work out the ending from after only watching for 20 minutes. I did think it was a good subject for a film and there was a lot of potential which was not realised and maybe this could have been achieved if we would have had a different set of lead actors.
Hugh Grant played the role of Paul and he was just the same usual guy he plays in all of his other films. There was nothing new to this role for him and he came across as very dull and boring. His accent was overly played and I have never heard an English man talk so prim and proper before, it really was overly done for my liking and stuck out like a sore thumb. There was no depth to him and he seemed very flat with his lines and the emotions he was trying to portray. I found there was a distinct lack of chemistry between him and on screen wife Meryl and they did constantly look very uneasy together. Meryl was played by Sarah Jessica Parker and she was just as bad. She was flat with all of her lines and she never seemed to give them any emotion or feeling when delivering them. She did have a very strange appearance at time (hubby said she looked like a horse!) and she just came across as very self absorbed and only thought and cared about herself.
Fortunately we did have two very good actors in the film and they were the Sheriff and the Deputy. They were husband and wife, Clay and Emma. They were played by Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen. The pair bought some much needed light relief to the film and were for me the best of the whole cast. They managed to bring some normality and humour and seemed at ease and very natural on screen together.
The start of the film is shot in New York and we got a few good skyline shots of the city, they were enjoyable to watch but for me the best shots came from Wyoming, we got to see a lot of the countryside and I loved how different it was to the big city. The small town came across in an enjoyable and friendly way and I did actually comment on the fact that I too would love to live somewhere like that were technology is not the centre of everything. The sets were all good and so to were the few effects which we had.
The film does have a few funny moments in and the one memorable one is when Hugh Grant comes across the bear, this did have me giggling slightly but the main humour came from Emma and Clay with their daftness and inability to understand how Paul and Meryl were thinking and the way they found it hard to adjust to the new lifestyle. The funniest parts of the film are definitely all shown in the trailers. The soundtrack was nothing special and despite one or two tracks I am not able to remember much about it at all. The tracks I remember were quite old ones and they did fit into the story very well.
I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras to speak about. The DVD can be bought for around the £7 price at the moment which I feel is still slightly too high as this is just an average film. I certainly would not recommend paying to watch this.
I can really only give this film 3 stars, I really wanted it to be good and show Hugh Grant in a different role but t failed to do so. The story was good and we did have two very good roles but overall it was slightly dull with two very weak lead actors. I would recommended renting or waiting for this to come onto your TV before deciding to watch, this is certainly not worth parting with any money for.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Daft and Dumb so Don't Bother
I am reviewing the film Airheads which is supposed to be a comedy but completely lacking in laughs.
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Chazz Darvey is a rocker and wants his band to hit the big time, unfortunately he is not lucky in getting them a record deal and has not even managed to get them any air play at the local radio station.
After his girlfriend dumps him he decides to take drastic action. He meets up with other band members Rex and Pip and they come up with a plan to break into the radio station and give their tape directly to the radio presenter. Things don’t got to plan though and soon they are being mistaken for hijackers as they have water pistols which look like proper guns.
Can Chazz get their music heard by the public and what will the outcome of the siege be?
I only really decided to give this film a go as it was a comedy and starred Brendan Fraser who I do quite like but unfortunately it was not as good as I was hoping it would be. The storyline was quite good and a little different from other films I have seen but there was a distinct lack of comedy and good acting for this to be a great film. I think the story was put across is rather a daft way which took the edge of it and I think had the comedy been more funny and less daft it may have worked and fitted together slightly better,
The lead role of Chazz was played by Brendan Fraser and he did an ok job with the role. He looked like a daft rocker with the long hair and dated clothes. He did at times seem a good guy but then he would come out with a daft line and make himself sound very thick. He delivered a few good lines and it was nice to see a softer side to his character at times. For me the best role was Rex, played by Steve Buscemi, he was hilarious at times. He played a stronger role and seemed more at ease with the whole situation. He looked good with the long hair and seemed very natural playing this role. The one role which I did not like and thought was a waste of time was that of Pip, he was played by Adam Sandler and he was awful. He played a very thick and dumb person and he seemed so wooden and uncomfortable all the way through the film. There was also a distinct lack of connection or chemistry between the three men despite being best friends and band members and for me they were not able to bounce off each other like they should have done.
Other actors in the film taking a few slightly better roles included, Chris Farley, Judd Nelson and Amy Locane. I definitely feel that these actors made for better viewing that the lead ones as they seemed more at ease with the comedy and one liners and they were more at ease with the delivery of their lines.
The film was made in 1994 and this is very apparent right from the start of the film. The clothes were vary dated and look quite amusing at times and so too were the props and sets used. I found that some aspects of the datedness of the film added to the humour but others didn’t and did show up the age of the film in a bad way. The sets were not too bad and the inside of the radio station was nice to see and it all looked good. We did have some very dated and old props used ad I did actually have to laugh when they needed an old tape recorder as they did not have one in the station anymore, it was fun to see this part and how they thought back then they were ahead of the time with the technology.
There are some good funny parts of the film and these mainly come from the character Rex, he was gun and toy crazy and this really helped with the way he came across and how he seemed to be slightly mentally unstable. He was the most natural with the spoken and visual gags. The one liners which Adam Sandler was given just did not work and he just appeared to be thick and daft. The humour may appeal more to the teenage market as both me and hubby just found the majority of this film daft.
There are a few effects in the film and they were good and fitting with the age of this film. The sound track was quite mixed and we had a few good tracks played but the overall rock theme did not work for me and I would have liked it to have been slightly more mixed. The songs are now old and there were no real classic ones used the in the film.
I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras to speak about. The running time of the film is 92 minutes and the rate is a 15. I do agree with the rate and think this would make a good film for the 15-20 year old market to watch. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now on the internet but personally I would advise against paying to watch this.
I was hoping to be able to give this film a good rating but unfortunately I cannot. I am going to give it 2 stars instead of 1 as Steve Buscemi was great and gave us some good laughs but overall it was a let down and Adam Sandler was dreadful. Don’t waste your money on this film.
FILM ONLY REVIEW
Chazz Darvey is a rocker and wants his band to hit the big time, unfortunately he is not lucky in getting them a record deal and has not even managed to get them any air play at the local radio station.
After his girlfriend dumps him he decides to take drastic action. He meets up with other band members Rex and Pip and they come up with a plan to break into the radio station and give their tape directly to the radio presenter. Things don’t got to plan though and soon they are being mistaken for hijackers as they have water pistols which look like proper guns.
Can Chazz get their music heard by the public and what will the outcome of the siege be?
I only really decided to give this film a go as it was a comedy and starred Brendan Fraser who I do quite like but unfortunately it was not as good as I was hoping it would be. The storyline was quite good and a little different from other films I have seen but there was a distinct lack of comedy and good acting for this to be a great film. I think the story was put across is rather a daft way which took the edge of it and I think had the comedy been more funny and less daft it may have worked and fitted together slightly better,
The lead role of Chazz was played by Brendan Fraser and he did an ok job with the role. He looked like a daft rocker with the long hair and dated clothes. He did at times seem a good guy but then he would come out with a daft line and make himself sound very thick. He delivered a few good lines and it was nice to see a softer side to his character at times. For me the best role was Rex, played by Steve Buscemi, he was hilarious at times. He played a stronger role and seemed more at ease with the whole situation. He looked good with the long hair and seemed very natural playing this role. The one role which I did not like and thought was a waste of time was that of Pip, he was played by Adam Sandler and he was awful. He played a very thick and dumb person and he seemed so wooden and uncomfortable all the way through the film. There was also a distinct lack of connection or chemistry between the three men despite being best friends and band members and for me they were not able to bounce off each other like they should have done.
Other actors in the film taking a few slightly better roles included, Chris Farley, Judd Nelson and Amy Locane. I definitely feel that these actors made for better viewing that the lead ones as they seemed more at ease with the comedy and one liners and they were more at ease with the delivery of their lines.
The film was made in 1994 and this is very apparent right from the start of the film. The clothes were vary dated and look quite amusing at times and so too were the props and sets used. I found that some aspects of the datedness of the film added to the humour but others didn’t and did show up the age of the film in a bad way. The sets were not too bad and the inside of the radio station was nice to see and it all looked good. We did have some very dated and old props used ad I did actually have to laugh when they needed an old tape recorder as they did not have one in the station anymore, it was fun to see this part and how they thought back then they were ahead of the time with the technology.
There are some good funny parts of the film and these mainly come from the character Rex, he was gun and toy crazy and this really helped with the way he came across and how he seemed to be slightly mentally unstable. He was the most natural with the spoken and visual gags. The one liners which Adam Sandler was given just did not work and he just appeared to be thick and daft. The humour may appeal more to the teenage market as both me and hubby just found the majority of this film daft.
There are a few effects in the film and they were good and fitting with the age of this film. The sound track was quite mixed and we had a few good tracks played but the overall rock theme did not work for me and I would have liked it to have been slightly more mixed. The songs are now old and there were no real classic ones used the in the film.
I am only reviewing the film so there are no DVD extras to speak about. The running time of the film is 92 minutes and the rate is a 15. I do agree with the rate and think this would make a good film for the 15-20 year old market to watch. The DVD can be bought for just a few pounds now on the internet but personally I would advise against paying to watch this.
I was hoping to be able to give this film a good rating but unfortunately I cannot. I am going to give it 2 stars instead of 1 as Steve Buscemi was great and gave us some good laughs but overall it was a let down and Adam Sandler was dreadful. Don’t waste your money on this film.
I Heart Hollywood
Angela Clarke is happy living in New York and has settled in well after moving from England. She has a good job working for a magazine and writing a blog, she also has a very hot boyfriend, Alex who is the singer in a band. Angela is having a good time with her life but she is not happy with the weather as it is so cold in New York. She gets a break though when her Boss asks her to go to Hollywood and interview a top actor, James Jacob who is also a Brit.
Angela has a hard decision to make about the interview as she has never interviewed anyone before, let alone someone as famous as James. She also does not want to leave her boyfriend as they have only recently got back together again and she hates to be apart form him. Angela does make the decision to go and her best friend Jenny goes with her.
After arriving in Hollywood where the weather is amazing and so is the scenery she sets about making her interview one of the best pieces she has ever written. Things start to go wrong though when Angela meets James and discovers that he is not the ladies man she was lead to believe but a very nice pleasant and extremely good looking man. James start to flirt with Angela which does not help the feelings she is having for him. Can Angela get past her feelings and make the interview her best yet and will her relationship with Alex survive the separation?
I have only given a very brief outline of the plot for this book but do not think it this basic as there is so much more happening in the book but I just don not want to spoil it for those who have not read this one. I have read one of the I heart books before and thoroughly enjoyed it so had no problems with starting to read this one. The problem I had was I read the I heart Paris book first which is the book written after this one so I had an idea of where the story was going and what was going to happen but I managed not to let this put me off and I really managed to enjoy the book. The story is great and despite being about film stars and Hollywood it is quite down to Earth and very believable.
The character of Angela is a good one and she is so easy to get to know and understand. She has normal problems which we all face and I thought these made her so much more down to earth and normal. She came across as a little bit dopey at times with some of the daft things she did and the scrapes she got herself into but for me it just made the story much more entertaining to read. I found the friendship she had with jenny to be great and totally believable and I loved how close they were and spoke the truth to each other. Jenny was another good character and I found her to be so much stronger and independent to Angela and the contrast worked well.
We had some other very good characters in the story and the main ones were Alex and James. They were completely different from each other, Alex was quite and just got on with his life and James was a world famous actor and I think the difference between them is what made them both very appealing. The inclusion of Angela’s Mom and Dad was also nice as it meant we got a little background detail about her and got to know a little about her past and why she thought and acted as she did.
The book is set in Hollywood and we get a lot of detail about the City and the places visited by Angela and I found that the details we got meant I was able to easily get a good mental picture of the characters and settings. I always enjoy this in a book as it means I find it easier to follow and get into.
There is a good mix of humour and sorrow in the book, Angela has a hard time and this is explained well and given just the right amount of heart ache but there is always some funny snippet which comes out which brings the book back to the light hearted read it is meant to be. I did at times feel so sorry for Angela but then there were others when I just wanted to shake her and tell her to get on with things and I like the way I got so attached to the story and characters.
The writing style is good and means that it is very easy to read and enjoy. It is not a deep or heavy story so this for me makes an excellent bedtime read. I found the details were just enough to help me follow and keep a good mental picture but not overly detailed so got bored at any point. The story moves at a good pace from start to finish and there were no times when I felt it was dragging on.
The version of the book which I have is the paper back edition and this was published by Harper Collins and has a retail price of £6.99. It is well worth this price tag but do shop around as I managed to et this for just £2 in a small book shop when on holiday. There are other books in the I Heart series and they too are well worth reading. They don’t really need reading in order as this is a good stand alone book.
I am happy to give this book the full 5 stars as it thoroughly entertained me from start to finish. The characters are good and easy to get to know and the story is not taxing and easy to read. The mix of emotions included just adds to the read experience. I highly recommend this book.
Angela has a hard decision to make about the interview as she has never interviewed anyone before, let alone someone as famous as James. She also does not want to leave her boyfriend as they have only recently got back together again and she hates to be apart form him. Angela does make the decision to go and her best friend Jenny goes with her.
After arriving in Hollywood where the weather is amazing and so is the scenery she sets about making her interview one of the best pieces she has ever written. Things start to go wrong though when Angela meets James and discovers that he is not the ladies man she was lead to believe but a very nice pleasant and extremely good looking man. James start to flirt with Angela which does not help the feelings she is having for him. Can Angela get past her feelings and make the interview her best yet and will her relationship with Alex survive the separation?
I have only given a very brief outline of the plot for this book but do not think it this basic as there is so much more happening in the book but I just don not want to spoil it for those who have not read this one. I have read one of the I heart books before and thoroughly enjoyed it so had no problems with starting to read this one. The problem I had was I read the I heart Paris book first which is the book written after this one so I had an idea of where the story was going and what was going to happen but I managed not to let this put me off and I really managed to enjoy the book. The story is great and despite being about film stars and Hollywood it is quite down to Earth and very believable.
The character of Angela is a good one and she is so easy to get to know and understand. She has normal problems which we all face and I thought these made her so much more down to earth and normal. She came across as a little bit dopey at times with some of the daft things she did and the scrapes she got herself into but for me it just made the story much more entertaining to read. I found the friendship she had with jenny to be great and totally believable and I loved how close they were and spoke the truth to each other. Jenny was another good character and I found her to be so much stronger and independent to Angela and the contrast worked well.
We had some other very good characters in the story and the main ones were Alex and James. They were completely different from each other, Alex was quite and just got on with his life and James was a world famous actor and I think the difference between them is what made them both very appealing. The inclusion of Angela’s Mom and Dad was also nice as it meant we got a little background detail about her and got to know a little about her past and why she thought and acted as she did.
The book is set in Hollywood and we get a lot of detail about the City and the places visited by Angela and I found that the details we got meant I was able to easily get a good mental picture of the characters and settings. I always enjoy this in a book as it means I find it easier to follow and get into.
There is a good mix of humour and sorrow in the book, Angela has a hard time and this is explained well and given just the right amount of heart ache but there is always some funny snippet which comes out which brings the book back to the light hearted read it is meant to be. I did at times feel so sorry for Angela but then there were others when I just wanted to shake her and tell her to get on with things and I like the way I got so attached to the story and characters.
The writing style is good and means that it is very easy to read and enjoy. It is not a deep or heavy story so this for me makes an excellent bedtime read. I found the details were just enough to help me follow and keep a good mental picture but not overly detailed so got bored at any point. The story moves at a good pace from start to finish and there were no times when I felt it was dragging on.
The version of the book which I have is the paper back edition and this was published by Harper Collins and has a retail price of £6.99. It is well worth this price tag but do shop around as I managed to et this for just £2 in a small book shop when on holiday. There are other books in the I Heart series and they too are well worth reading. They don’t really need reading in order as this is a good stand alone book.
I am happy to give this book the full 5 stars as it thoroughly entertained me from start to finish. The characters are good and easy to get to know and the story is not taxing and easy to read. The mix of emotions included just adds to the read experience. I highly recommend this book.
A Cheap clean
The product I am reviewing here is Tesco's vitamin E cleaning facial wipes, they are a bargain and everyone should try them.
It was by chance that I came across these wipes as I was actually looking for my usual face wash when I spotted them on the shelf. I decided that I would have a closer look at the packet and after reading it decided they sounded good and ideal for slipping into my gym bag to freshen up before I got home and washed.
~~PACKAGING~~
The wipes come in a little peach coloured packet, resembling the style of a baby wipe packet. The product name and Tesco logo is on the front of the back and on the back we have all of the relevant information about the wipes.
On the top of the packet there is a clear stick film which pulls back so you can remove the wipes and then re sticks so the remaining wipes stay moist.
~~USE AND RESULTS~~
The wipes are very simple to use and you just need to use them to rub over the face and neck area. They are easy to remove from the packet and only one comes out each time so none get wasted. They are white in colour and are a good size, they measure approximately 19 x 15cm. They are a good thickness so do not rip or tear when being pulled out of the packet or used. The wipes do feel moist but not overly so, so you wont be left with wet hands after using them.
There is a scent on the wipes and for me the smell remind me of cucumber. The smell is very noticeable when the wipe is first removed from the packet but once t has been used and thrown away the smell does go away. I have never noticed a prolonged smell on my hands or face from sing these.
I mainly use these wipes just to freshen my face after a good work out in the gym, I do find they help me a lot and take away the horrible sweaty and grubby feeling I always end up with. I have also used these on the odd occasion when I have worn foundation to remove it and it does a great job and makes sure there is none left on my face. When I have initially wiped my face with these my skin feels quite damp and very fresh and within a few moments it feels completely dry but I do still get the fresh feeling remaining. There is no tingling feeling from using the wipes and I am pleased about this as I do not like having that feeling.
The one down side to the wipes would be that they cannot be used on the eyes, they would have been great if we could have done this as they are good for removing makeup.
~~INFO~~
The wipes come in a pack size of 25 and they last me about 2 weeks as only one wipe is needed for each use. The wipes are not to be flushed away and they must be disposed of in the rubbish bin.
The ingredients for the wipes include:-
Aqua, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Ceteareth-12, Tocopheryl Acerate, Polysorbate 20, PEG-35, Castor oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf juice, Parfum, Sodium Citerte, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid
The shelf life for the wipes is 3 months once the packet has been open.
There is a claim on the packet that the wipes have been Dermatologically tested and contain no alcohol but there is no mention as to whether or not these have been made using animal testing.
~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~
These wipes are a Tesco own branded product so they are only available to buy in their stores. They have the great price tag of only 48p and personally I think they are a complete bargain. They only come in the one pack size and perhaps they should consider making a larger pack so they will last for a full month.
~~RECOMMENDED?~~
I have no problems in giving these wipes a high recommendation and the full 5 stars. They are great for removing make up and freshening the face and neck area and the price tag is a bonus. The small pack size is ideal for slipping into a hand or gym bag but perhaps a larger packet would be better for in the bathroom at home. For the price you really have nothing to loose in giving them a try.
It was by chance that I came across these wipes as I was actually looking for my usual face wash when I spotted them on the shelf. I decided that I would have a closer look at the packet and after reading it decided they sounded good and ideal for slipping into my gym bag to freshen up before I got home and washed.
~~PACKAGING~~
The wipes come in a little peach coloured packet, resembling the style of a baby wipe packet. The product name and Tesco logo is on the front of the back and on the back we have all of the relevant information about the wipes.
On the top of the packet there is a clear stick film which pulls back so you can remove the wipes and then re sticks so the remaining wipes stay moist.
~~USE AND RESULTS~~
The wipes are very simple to use and you just need to use them to rub over the face and neck area. They are easy to remove from the packet and only one comes out each time so none get wasted. They are white in colour and are a good size, they measure approximately 19 x 15cm. They are a good thickness so do not rip or tear when being pulled out of the packet or used. The wipes do feel moist but not overly so, so you wont be left with wet hands after using them.
There is a scent on the wipes and for me the smell remind me of cucumber. The smell is very noticeable when the wipe is first removed from the packet but once t has been used and thrown away the smell does go away. I have never noticed a prolonged smell on my hands or face from sing these.
I mainly use these wipes just to freshen my face after a good work out in the gym, I do find they help me a lot and take away the horrible sweaty and grubby feeling I always end up with. I have also used these on the odd occasion when I have worn foundation to remove it and it does a great job and makes sure there is none left on my face. When I have initially wiped my face with these my skin feels quite damp and very fresh and within a few moments it feels completely dry but I do still get the fresh feeling remaining. There is no tingling feeling from using the wipes and I am pleased about this as I do not like having that feeling.
The one down side to the wipes would be that they cannot be used on the eyes, they would have been great if we could have done this as they are good for removing makeup.
~~INFO~~
The wipes come in a pack size of 25 and they last me about 2 weeks as only one wipe is needed for each use. The wipes are not to be flushed away and they must be disposed of in the rubbish bin.
The ingredients for the wipes include:-
Aqua, Cetearyl Isononanoate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Ceteareth-12, Tocopheryl Acerate, Polysorbate 20, PEG-35, Castor oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf juice, Parfum, Sodium Citerte, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzoic Acid
The shelf life for the wipes is 3 months once the packet has been open.
There is a claim on the packet that the wipes have been Dermatologically tested and contain no alcohol but there is no mention as to whether or not these have been made using animal testing.
~~PRICE AND AVAILABILITY~~
These wipes are a Tesco own branded product so they are only available to buy in their stores. They have the great price tag of only 48p and personally I think they are a complete bargain. They only come in the one pack size and perhaps they should consider making a larger pack so they will last for a full month.
~~RECOMMENDED?~~
I have no problems in giving these wipes a high recommendation and the full 5 stars. They are great for removing make up and freshening the face and neck area and the price tag is a bonus. The small pack size is ideal for slipping into a hand or gym bag but perhaps a larger packet would be better for in the bathroom at home. For the price you really have nothing to loose in giving them a try.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Saturday Night Peter - Peter Kay
I am a fan of Peter Kay and I loved his first book, therefore it was no great surprise that I asked for his second book for Christmas. I am so pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and it was just as good as the first one. This second book picks up right where the first one ended, when he won his comedy competition and hit the big time.
The book is spilt into chapters and they do have quite unusual titles but they do get explained in what he talks about in each of them. The book tells us a lot about the work that Peter did once he had won the competition and how he still had a lot of hard work ahead of him. He talks at length about how he found it hard with all of the travelling to the gigs and the lonely hours spent driving. I found the way he talked about doing the Edinburgh festival very funny and about how he was expected to live in a slum for the few weeks he was there. The gigs he does talk about are good ones and we get to see how they change the more famous he gets, he starts off small and then ends up doing a massive countrywide tour at the end. I learnt from this book and what he talked about just how nervous he gets before doing a gig and this was a shock to me as he is always at ease and so natural on stage and I did feel sorry for him over this as he does still suffer bad from it.
I enjoyed the way he described the way he came up with his material and how it was by accident the way his set developed as he had written and perfected a set of jokes and when he got on stage he talked about the horrendous day and journey he had had and from then on he kept this a main part of his act as he got such a good response from it. Having watched his gigs over the years I always thought there was a slight element of untruth to some of the things he would say about his family but after reading this book I now know this to be not true and all he says is exactly as it happens and his poor Grandma really did think that if she paused her TV then she would be pausing everyone else’s too!
We do get to meet some of Peters friends in this book and the main one he talks about is Paddy, I am pleased he was included in this book as they have done a lot of good work together, there are some very funny moments which involve the pair in this book and some of them did have me roaring with laughter. Peter does not talk much about his family in this book but there really is not much for him to say about them as he is mainly on the road in this book and really for me it was not an element which I really missed. He does talk about his then girlfriend, now wife and the impact his new found fame had on them both and enjoyed this, she was not a big part of the book but the little bits she was included in were good and interesting.
The book as been written in a very easy to follow way and it stays moving through his career in the one direction and does not keep switching to different years so it is very easy to follow and understand. The writing style is very good and there is a lot of humour included, some of the words may be hard for some to understand as they are written the way he says them with his think Manchester accent, I had no problem with them as hubby talks the same way! You will also find at the bottom of most pages small astrix marks which is where peter has taken the opportunity to add some funny line or explain a word or phrase he has used on that page. I did at first find this a little off putting but once I had got past the first few pages they seemed to just blend into the story and not be hard to follow and read. The humour in the book is good and very easy to understand, this book is no where near as funny as his first book but I still had a lot of laugh out loud moments, these mainly came from the sections where he had included the gags from his gig and I could actually visualise Peter of stage delivering these gags.
Peter gives a lot of good details about his gigs and I enjoyed this as it meant that I cold make a good metal picture of what he was talking about and the places he worked, it is not overly described so you will not get bored from them but there is just the right amount. There are also 2 section in the book which show photos and pictures of Peter and some of the gigs and promotional posters which were used. They are good to look at and do help with getting a mental picture of what is being talked about in the book.
I was given this book for Christmas so I have no idea of how much was paid for it, I have see this in a lot of book shops with a very varied price, ranging from £1 to £10 so do shop around for a bargain. The book is easy to spot on the shelf as it has a good cover which resembles the disco scene from the film Saturday Night Fever and the title is easy to see. The book was published by Century and the hard back edition which I have has a total of 258 pages. The text on the pages is a good size and not all cramped together so it is easy to see and read.
I am more than happy to give this book a good recommendation and the full five stars. It was very entertaining and interesting to read and you don’t need to have read the first book to be able to follow and understand this one. A definite read for all Kay fans.
The book is spilt into chapters and they do have quite unusual titles but they do get explained in what he talks about in each of them. The book tells us a lot about the work that Peter did once he had won the competition and how he still had a lot of hard work ahead of him. He talks at length about how he found it hard with all of the travelling to the gigs and the lonely hours spent driving. I found the way he talked about doing the Edinburgh festival very funny and about how he was expected to live in a slum for the few weeks he was there. The gigs he does talk about are good ones and we get to see how they change the more famous he gets, he starts off small and then ends up doing a massive countrywide tour at the end. I learnt from this book and what he talked about just how nervous he gets before doing a gig and this was a shock to me as he is always at ease and so natural on stage and I did feel sorry for him over this as he does still suffer bad from it.
I enjoyed the way he described the way he came up with his material and how it was by accident the way his set developed as he had written and perfected a set of jokes and when he got on stage he talked about the horrendous day and journey he had had and from then on he kept this a main part of his act as he got such a good response from it. Having watched his gigs over the years I always thought there was a slight element of untruth to some of the things he would say about his family but after reading this book I now know this to be not true and all he says is exactly as it happens and his poor Grandma really did think that if she paused her TV then she would be pausing everyone else’s too!
We do get to meet some of Peters friends in this book and the main one he talks about is Paddy, I am pleased he was included in this book as they have done a lot of good work together, there are some very funny moments which involve the pair in this book and some of them did have me roaring with laughter. Peter does not talk much about his family in this book but there really is not much for him to say about them as he is mainly on the road in this book and really for me it was not an element which I really missed. He does talk about his then girlfriend, now wife and the impact his new found fame had on them both and enjoyed this, she was not a big part of the book but the little bits she was included in were good and interesting.
The book as been written in a very easy to follow way and it stays moving through his career in the one direction and does not keep switching to different years so it is very easy to follow and understand. The writing style is very good and there is a lot of humour included, some of the words may be hard for some to understand as they are written the way he says them with his think Manchester accent, I had no problem with them as hubby talks the same way! You will also find at the bottom of most pages small astrix marks which is where peter has taken the opportunity to add some funny line or explain a word or phrase he has used on that page. I did at first find this a little off putting but once I had got past the first few pages they seemed to just blend into the story and not be hard to follow and read. The humour in the book is good and very easy to understand, this book is no where near as funny as his first book but I still had a lot of laugh out loud moments, these mainly came from the sections where he had included the gags from his gig and I could actually visualise Peter of stage delivering these gags.
Peter gives a lot of good details about his gigs and I enjoyed this as it meant that I cold make a good metal picture of what he was talking about and the places he worked, it is not overly described so you will not get bored from them but there is just the right amount. There are also 2 section in the book which show photos and pictures of Peter and some of the gigs and promotional posters which were used. They are good to look at and do help with getting a mental picture of what is being talked about in the book.
I was given this book for Christmas so I have no idea of how much was paid for it, I have see this in a lot of book shops with a very varied price, ranging from £1 to £10 so do shop around for a bargain. The book is easy to spot on the shelf as it has a good cover which resembles the disco scene from the film Saturday Night Fever and the title is easy to see. The book was published by Century and the hard back edition which I have has a total of 258 pages. The text on the pages is a good size and not all cramped together so it is easy to see and read.
I am more than happy to give this book a good recommendation and the full five stars. It was very entertaining and interesting to read and you don’t need to have read the first book to be able to follow and understand this one. A definite read for all Kay fans.
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