Films: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)
Dir. Chris Weitz
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke

Firstly, I'd like all two of my regular readers to appreciate that I saw this film on the very day it was released. I also started to write this blog as soon as I returned from the cinema. However, I'm glad that I left it this long to finally publish this one, which I will explain now.

I followed a trio of giggling teens sporting a selection of Twilight themed t-shirts into the theatre. I took my seat and soon realised I was surrounded by hundreds of these people. The trailers seemed to go on forever as the hysteria built to astronomical levels. Then, the film certification slide appeared and screams filled the room. I mean, actual screams just at the sight of those three little words: The Twilight Saga. It was then that I knew this would be a cinematic experience like none other. Pause to consider for a moment that this film made millions at the box office and reached the number 1 spot even before it was released. Madness.

The throng of hormones screamed, sighed, tutted, cheered and sobbed in unison every time Taylor Lautner or Rob Pattinson came on screen, and even more hysterically when their shirts started to come off. The worst part was, mob mentality got the better of me, and I joined them, even to the applause as the final credits rolled. This was exactly the reason that an instant blog would have been an error. Now, without my vocal comrades around me, in the quiet of my front room, my enthusiasm and love for the movie have worn off. I enjoyed the film, but it fell short in many ways.

Chris Weitz has coped well with the task of bringing the second book in the Twilight Saga to the screen. He had to deal with glistening vampires, a mass mob in Italy, men transforming into werewolves, and he did not have the first film's now iconic leading man 'RPattz' featuring for more than 30 mins together. The CGI used to create the werewolves is quite impressive, as is the vampire's sparkling skin effect. The cinematography is also good, the Seattle landscape once again boasting some beautiful views.

However, I struggled with the performance of Kristin Stewart (could she actually have become more awkward than she was in Twilight?) and the scenes between her and Robert Pattinson are, at times, laboured and cheesy. There is none of that electrifying chemistry that melted my bones throughout Twilight. In fact, Lautner saves the movie. It is not just his glorious body that lights up the screen, but his ease infront of the camera. And he gets to deliver some pretty smashing comic lines. I wish there had be a little more of the film devoted to time spent with the wolf pack as in the book because this would have lightened the tone of a very complicated and emotional story. It comes off as a perfectly irritating portrayal of teen angst and sexual frustration.

With all of that said, it's pretty faithful to the book (read my review of the saga to see why this is my least favourite of them!). New Moon leaves us with a perfectly unsatisfying cliffhanger - unless you have read the books - which of course guarantees a repeat of the insane hysteria next year for part three.

My Rating: *** 3/5 stars
Recommendation: Take it with a pinch of salt. Allow yourself to cringe a little and remember that the best really is yet to come!

TV Spy: Poirot

Quick note to all those fans of Poirot out there:

The ITV crew are currently filming outside my house! There's a beautiful classic car parked up (taking my space but I'll forgive them this one!) and a few characters are rehearsing a scene they are about to film. Rumour has it, Poirot (David Suchet) himself will be on set later today. The episode is set on one spooky Halloween and due to be aired later this year I think.

So, if you know where I live and you're available until 8pm tonight, come on down!

Exciting days!

Please, for the love of Christmas, can it.

Oh British ITV1 viewing public, why are you so silly?

Did Simon Cowell bring it upon himself with the whole ridonculous "Jedward" situation? It was surely a matter of time before some joke act showed The X Factor up as the shallow, ratings-focussed show that it really is.

Lemme 'splain. Last night on the X Factor another good singer was sent packing because the British public (well, the ones who care) opted to keep a pair of talentless twins in the competition. Not cool, Britain. I'm all for ruffling Cowell's feathers, and I'm all for good entertainment. But, when a singing competition is overrun by non-singers purely for the entertainment value, you know it's run it's course. I think it's about time X Factor threw in the towel and dragged itself off to the elephant graveyard with Big Brother. They can take I'm A Celebrity... with them, too, in my opinion.

It's all a bit silly. Jedward. Oh heavens, can you imagine what they will do to a Christmas single? I'm going to have to be sick...

Why not change channels and try watching FlashForward, an entirely ludicrous US drama about an international blackout which allowed humanity to see 6 months into its future. Interesting premise, no? It's a few weeks in, but there's about 20 to go and I'm sure you'll catch up.
Fiver, 9pm, Monday

Books: The Twilight Saga

The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyers; Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn
Okay, I'm feeling sheepish. The bandwagon definately passed me by, it's passengers waving and hollering in a cloud of dust. Twilight simply did not exist for me until a few months ago.

I have just finished reading the final book in the Twilight Saga. I am completely sold.

I could write a review of each separate book, because, like most Twi-fans, I have my favourites. But instead I've decided to give you a brief rundown and then let you go discover them for yourself. Feel free to check back and let me know which book you liked best!

Likened to a modern Romeo and Juliet story, the Twilight saga basically centres around two teenagers who fall in love, despite the fact that one is a human and the other a vampire. Of course, their relationship quickly becomes the catalyst for a lot of tricky situations, including the restoration of several age-old legends, truces and rivalries.

Bella Swan moves to the small, rainy town of Forks, Washington to live with her dad. Life is dull an repetitive until she encounters the Cullen family. It takes little time for Bella, to realise there is something different abouth this family and, as Edward swoops in to save her from a car accident, their lives become unavoidably linked. Bella starts to put together the pieces; stunning beauty, impossible strength and speed, ice-cold skin. A book of Quileute legends hands her the only possible explanation - he is a vampire. Bella is single-minded in her love for Edward, however, and can't begin to imagine life without him. So, despite his craving for her blood, and the scathing looks from his siblings, Edward and Bella stay together.

Lucky for Bella, the Cullens are a family of "vegetarian" vampires, choosing to feed only on the blood of animals rather than humans. While Rosalie takes an almost instant disliking to Bella, the others, Emmet, Jasper and Alice, all seem very welcoming. However, with Bella, a human, knowing about the Cullen's secret, it is hard for them to stay protected for long. Throughout the saga, they have to take on various formidable foes including expert tracker vampires and ancient and powerful vampire royalty, The Volturi.

Throughout the saga, Bella's close friendship with her best friend Jacob is also put to the test, particularly when he begins to turn into a werewolf. You'd think Bella could handle another dose of the fantasy world, but it's complicated. Werewolves happen to be the sworn enemies of the vampires, and will die to protect the people of Forks from the Cullens. Of course, Bella's new 'family' have no intention of hurting any people in Forks, but their regular brushes with the darker side of vampirism even begin to throw a strain on that.

A brief not about book two, New Moon; imagine a 500 page transcript of a teenage hissy fit. It's redeeming feature is the introduction of the werewolves. Read it and move on!

Book three, Eclipse, is my hands down favourite. This is mainly because we get to see a lot more of the Cullen family (I'd join them at the drop of a hat!). The werewolf situation is fully developed and we now have a pack of at least 6 ready to defend the humans. Age-old truces and animosity however become faded and blurred when Jacob's love for Bella and the threat of a coven of vicious and bloodthirsty 'newborn' vampires see the old enemies finally and reluctantly united.

The stories are almost entirely written from Bella's PoV which is just as well, as Edward can read minds and that would make for tricky reading. However, this does occasionally border on clumsy as she dedicates pages to the powerful beauty of Edward Cullen. I can forgive this though as Meyers allows conversations to run just as they would in life, and makes great effort to bulk out the characters and their motivations throughout the series. Because of this, the characters are very 3 dimensional and you become quite easily attached. Which probably explains the insane levels of fan-dom which accompany the books and now film franchise.

It is as simple as this. Mom's love Twilight because it is about abstinence. Girls love Twilight because Edward is basically the most perfect, polite, caring, protective man ever. Boys love Twilight because it is full of action, vampires and werewolves.

Rating: Twilight - ***** 5/5 stars
New Moon **** 4/5 stars
Eclipse ***** 5/5 stars
Breaking Dawn **** 4/5 stars
Other books by the author: The Host
Recommendation: You may need to clear your diary because if you're anything like me, these bookds will have you hooked. Don't do any internet research before reading - there's a lot out there and spoilers will ruin it and make you sad!

Books: The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


"1939 - Nazi Germany - The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

"Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

"Some important information - this novel is narrated by death. It's a small story, about: a girl; an accordionist; some fanatical Germans; a Jewish fist fighter; and quite a lot of thievery.

"Another thing you should know - death will visit the book thief three times."

With a blurb like that, how could you not be interested? I loved this book for all of its quirkiness, originality, comedy and tragedy. It is a truly unique story, written from the point of view of Death. Death sees humans in various colours and he becomes, however reluctantly, engrossed in the life of little Liesel. The story follows Liesel's life as she grows up on Himmel Street, suffering the depression of the war years. She dabbles in a little light thievery with her best friend Rudy, who will not stop asking her for a kiss, but she only finds real joy when she holds a book between her hands.

This story is about the redemptive power of words and books, which allow Liesel to both escape and come to terms with the chaotic and colourful life that surrounds her. Somewhere between beating up a school bully, joining the Hitler Youth and befriending a Jew in her basement, Lisel becomes a young girl empowered by the printed word.

Having Death as a narrator continues to bring something uniquley sombre and matter of fact about the sheer number of human lives lost during the wars. Death's little notes and observations intermittently break up the narrative, allowing you to briefly step away from the difficulties of Liesel's young life. This book is a valuable addition to the Holocaust literature canon as Death, rather than separating the faces of suffering Jews and those men simply fighting for their countries, merely sees colours and lives ending. The Book Thief certainly shows the inhumanity of the Holocaust but instead chooses to focus on the power of relationships, conversations and words to overcome. After all, Death sees death all the time, so our narrator is interested only in the little flashes of humanity that manage to colour the blood red landscape of Nazi Germany.

Rating: ***** 5/5 stars
Recommendation: A must read, particularly if you have an interest in Holocaust literature. Also suitable for teenagers.

Music: Spotify

Friends, nothing in life is free. Well, not for long anyway.

About 4 months ago I downloaded a nifty little music player called, Spotify. It is a virtual Aladdin's cave of music. Type in any artist or track name and Spotify will send the fairies into the stockroom and fish it out for you. Pretty splendid.

So, I have all the music I could want at my fingertips and all they ask is that I endure short adverts every few tracks and a little green icon on my task bar. A fair deal, I think. Sadly, perhaps due to unprecedented success, the Spotify guys have suddenly decided to withdraw their free service. Spotify is now downloadable only for those who are willing to pay to become a Premium user. This will set you back £9.99 a month. I'll let you decide if it's worth it!

It was a good thing while it lasted. And I still have it for nothing. Cheeky!

website:http://www.spotify.com

Books: The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear - Walter Moers

I don't even know where to begin with this book. It is like a humungous sardine tin rammed full of literary genres, crazy characters, emotions and wonderfully surreal illustrations.

Translated from the orginal German, this is a fantastical tale of Captain Bluebear, a furry blue bear (keep up!) with 27 lives in total. We are witness to just 13 1/2 of these lives in this book. The story takes place in the curious imagined world of Zamonia, where a blue bear can stow-away with a band of MiniPirates, strange creatures dwell in the Demerara Desert and wizened old men live in the eye of a tornado. It is sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, comedy, children's book, fairytale. It is simply brilliant!

Each of Bluebear's 'lives' could stand alone as an individual story but it is not until the final few chapters of the 704 page tome, that you realise the threads have all been leading towards the ending. Characters that you had forgotten 400 pages ago suddenly reappear to the aid, and occasionally chagrin, of the protagonist. The entire text is broken up at intervals by the Professor Nightingale's Encyclopedia of Zamonia which, at first, makes for slow reading. You get used to this, however, and soon find yourself waiting for the next information download from Bluebear's teacher. Moer's sensational writing is complemented and added to by his completely surreal illustrations throughout the text. If you are left with any doubt after his introductionof a new character or setting, the accompanying illustration will make it almost jump off the page.

Do not be put off by the size of this book. It is a world waiting to be delved into, and does not disappoint. There are some truly inspired characters and situations portrayed in the book, and some very definate laugh-out-loud moments.

My rating: ***** 5 stars
Recommendation: Try not to put this book down between reads. Get stuck in and refuse to come out!
Other books by the author: Rumo, The City of Dreaming Books, The Alchemaster's Apprentice, A Wild Ride Through the Night

Music: Owl City

Ever heard of Owl City? No, me neither. Until a friend pointed me in his direction. I am hooked.

Owl City consists of Adam Young, a 23 year old whose music comes to us straight from his parent's basement in Minnesota. A Myspace success, Young claims to make his music purely to combat his insomnia.

His newest album is called Ocean Eyes and it is a glorious blend of synthpop, electronica and new wave. It's like listening to a slightly less polished version of The Postal Service, or an American Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly. Young has also collaborated with pop-punk band Relient K's frontman, Matthew Thiessen on several tracks. So, Owl City belongs to a noble heritage of electronic mixing salt shaker percussion effects. However, the album is pleasantly uplifting and doesn't once get boring. The Saltwater Room is a sweet duet featuring Breanne Duren, whose voice seems perfectly made for this style of music and who may actually be a robot. A beautiful robot.
Dental Care is a crazy, tongue-in-cheek tune which sings the praises of a thoroughly cheerful trip to the dentist. Why not? After all, dentists deserve their air-time, too. Fireflies is Owl City's most successful track to date (peaking at 7 on the US charts) and dips its finger in the stylings of electro, punk and pop at its absolute best.

The lyrics are childlike in their simplicity, mimicking the music, yet the themes of the album evoke awe and wonder in the simplest and most common things of life. It's hopeful, cute and not at all hokey. Who knew words like 'warm', 'fuzzy' and 'hugs' could be taken seriously in a pop song?

Look out for Owl City in the future (he has just been signed by Universal Republic) and also keep your eyes and ears open for Goodbye Dubai, a hinted side-project with Matt Thiessen. Exciting days.

My Rating: *** 3 stars
Recommendation: If you like electro, you'll enjoy this. It's cute. Happy, and cute.
Website: www.myspace.com/owlcity

Feeling up?

Man, I am a horrible film/music/book reviewer.

I will start again.

It will be better.

Music: Paramore - Brand New Eyes

Ok, here’s my Kingsmill confession. Well…sort of. Anyway, I had previously dismissed Paramore as another teen punk rock band. What’s worse, they were a teen punk rock band fronted by a girl. Oh heavens, a girl trying to scream a point in a male dominated genre. Yes, I wrote them off.

Please forgive me, Paramore. I may actually be addicted to this album.

This is the third full length album from them, and it’s fantastic. 'Brand New Eyes' chronicles the band’s difficult year as they struggled to stick together, lost band members and ultimately decided to give it another shot. I’m glad they did.

Let’s start with 'Ignorance', the first single from the new album. It’s a cocky, angry dig at members of the band’s team who doubted their longevity. It’s a smart choice for a first single because it sounds a lot like their previous material. Catchy, aggressive and powerful, it’s going to do well in the charts.

As for the rest of the album, Hayley Williams’ powerhouse vocals have blown me away from the first to the last audio second. This girl has a set of pipes to be proud of! And she showcases the more tender and controlled aspects of her voice on a handful of surprising and refreshing down-tempo acoustic tracks, 'The Only Exception' and 'Misguided Ghosts.'

The album is full of catchy hooks that make you want to jump, punch the air and join in. I still find myself singing the odd line with gusto hours after listening. The point is, it would be easy to pigeonhole Paramore (i’m blushing sheepishly as I say this) as punky emo kids with rage. This album is hopeful. The band has overcome a potential break-up and yet William’s triumphant cry is, “I can’t believe we almost hung it up. We’re just getting started!”

Another stand-out track is 'All I Wanted', a sublime ballad which begins soft and then launches into a great, anthemic epic. Again, Williams unbelievable vocals manage to melt my bones as she pours out her heart into the line ‘All I wanted was you…’

Tucked away at the end of the record is 'Decode' which featured on the soundtrack for Twilight (2008). Admittedly it was this song (and this film) that flicked the Paramore lightbulb on for me and this track is addictive as Edward Cullen himself. It was written with the story specifically in mind and fits the film perfectly. If you get a chance, check out the acoustic version of the song on the Twilight soundtrack.

All in all, I want to give hundreds of bonus points for a surprising variety in styles on this album and for providing the listener with a gold mine of brilliant chorus lines to belt out when you think no one is listening.

My rating: ***** 5 star record!!
Recommendation: Play it loud and dance like a crazed rockstar.

Spectacular Summer!

Hello internet!

Well, it's been a summer. I'm glad to say that I have managed to throw off the shackles of the primary classroom and read a hell of a lot of books, watch tons of film and tv and listen to beautiful, new music! In an attempt to not get over excited with posting (and also because my laptop has indeed kicked the proverbial bucket), I won't add all my new finds straight away. Why break the habit of a blog time?

Here's a sneaky peek of what's to come...

Book reviews:
The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear - Walter Moers
The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Tersius - G. P. Taylor
The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak
and more...

Film and TV reviews:
The Wind in the Willows
Duplicity
The International
Blood Diamond
Wuthering Heights (ITV)

Music:
Scott Matthews
Jonny Lang
Michael Jackson
Wallis Bird
Jon Allen

Phew! Like I said, It's been a summer.
Later days x

Film: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Film: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Dir: David Yates
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter

The penultimate Potter book is now a film, and, at 2 hours and 35 mins it is quite a ride. It's a slow starter but those who have read the book would expect this as it largely centres around relationships and conversations. Basic plot; Voldemort is now stronger than ever, terrorising both wizards and muggles with the help of his sadistic Death Eater army. His latest recruit is Draco Malfoy, who has been given an incredibly difficult task to carry out. Potter, dealing with hormones and relationship troubles, must also accompany Dumbledore on a trip to discover vital information which may help to defeat the Dark Lord.

The Potter trio are now of course old dab hands at this movie-making business, and their friendship comes across well on screen. Ron and Harry, particularly, have lost their teenage awkwardness and have finally begun to act! Ron, in fact (Grint), steals some of his scenes with his naturally witty sarcasm. And he gets the film's first big kiss - of which there are many! Hormones are raging which the film makers have decided to make a huge element of the storyline. Watson has grown into her role very well and still seems the most natural of the three on screen. Radcliffe's best scene involves a small sip of 'Liquid Luck' and results in comedy gold!

Gambon turns in another brilliant performance as Dumbledore, now slightly frail and world-weary, with some truly heart-wrenching scenes between himself and Harry. Alan Rickman is again faultless in his interpretation of the sly and mysteriously evil Snape. My 'man-of'the-movie' however goes to Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy. Stepping into his father's Death Eater shoes is a punishment brought on him by Voldemort, and his task is even more teriible. He cries, trash talks, shouts, runs, and fights, and you still can't help feeling a little sympathy for him.

This film is not as action packed as the others, understandably as I have said. However, CGI effects and the sound are both brilliant. Make up and set design once again are hugely important in creating a magical world terrorised by evil. My only criticism is, having read the book again fairly recently, there is so much that must be cut out. Rowling's brilliantly subtle story threads are occasionally lost in favour of the simpler, manageable story. For this reason, the film gets away with being an adaptation of an incredibly detailed and intricate story, but loses some of its storytelling flair. A fair compromise, however, for a very enjoyable (until the unding *sob sob*!!) film.

My rating: **** 4/5 stars
Recommendation: If you have not read or watched any of the books or films before, go back and do your homework first. If not, enjoy!!

Music: Mocean Worker

So, here's my salute *salutes* to Mocean Worker aka MoWo aka Adam Dorn.

Yes. This man is a one-stop jazz-funk-swing-electronica-triphop-dance madman and I love him!

To date, MoWo has released 4 full albums, of which his best are Cinco de MoWo! and Enter the MoWo! It is impossible to hear this music and not be carried by a massive impulse straight to the nearest dance floor/empty room/field/car park for a good old dance. And it's also bloody good driving music, too. Although, watch your speedo!

Let's start with probably MoWo's most well known track, Tres Tres Chic. The single appeared on the hit film The Devil Wears Prada which featured Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. With a cast lke that, it needed a stellar soundtrack to match, and with MoWo, that is what you get. The track encorporates a little funk, jazz and still retains a very contemporary electronic style. It's an easy song to listen to and doesn't invade your ear drums and yet, with neat little piano and electric organ samples dotted throughout the mock-French lyrics, you cannot help but listen to it.

Cinco de MoWo! moves away from the very relaxed to the uptempo electronic dance sampling of Chicka Boom Boom, Shake ya Boogie and Right Now. These tracks are all stand out dancey tunes that you have to move your feet to. They each take samples from bossa nova beats, crackly jazz records and sensational saxohphone and trumpet licks. And each track also lays down a heavy beat that bumps in your car or on your stereo. I honestly just have to get up and move.

Recent work has been more on the modern dance side of the fence, but still holds on to those crackly 50s jazz recording samples. It seems that MoWo is reaching out to a more continental audience with his latest stuff, but don't abandon the old for the new. This guy is seriously talented. He makes solid gold, likeable, danceable tunes. You should definately head on over to his website right now and watch the video for Shake Ya Boogie. You won't be disappointed. Enter the MoWo!

Website: www.moceanworker.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/mowomoceanworker
LastFm: http://www.last.fm/music/Mocean+Worker

Films: Knowing

Film: Knowing (2009)
Dir. Alex Proyas
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, Lara Robinson

The trailer for this film made me think 'big Hollywood end-of-the-world disaster movie only to be solved by an American hero.' How wrong could I be?

The basic premise of the story is that, in a time capsule buried in the 1950s, a young girl cursed by whispered voices in her head has left behind a double page of seemingly unrelated numbers. John Koestler (Nick Cage) is a widowed scientist who happens upon the numbers, and begins to find strange patterns within them. The code tells of 5 decades of human suffering and death, including the date in which his own wife died in a hotel fire. There are three dates remaining so John takes it upon himself to prove the code right, and save some lives in the process. His young son gets dragged in to the nightmare, along with the little girl's now grown up daughter (Rose Byrne) and her own child (Robinson). The film follows John as he begins to find reason and order in a world which he previously thought was random and coincidental.

Knowing is full of bone chilling moments of suspense, particularly with the recurring presence of a group of whispering, shadow-faced men in trench coats. The visual effects are stunning, and will ultimately be lost on the small screen once this film makes it to dvd. It is a barrage of sounds and images which come at you from every angle, and when you are least expecting it. Cage gives a heartbreakingly convincing performance as the unlucky and tortured soul dealing with his wife's death, his son's apparent connection with another world, and the impending end of his own.

This film is a cinema must-see. Stay with it. I almost lost heart at certain points, one of which was the prelude to the ending. But I stuck with it, and left the cinema reeling with excitement and questions. The film's message is a baffling one and perhaps not always completely clear unless you have some knowledge of Old Testament bible imagery, of which there is plenty. However, it is a great talking point, well acted and spectacularly shot.

My rating: **** 4/5 stars
Reccommendation: Try and catch this before it leaves the cinema. Otherwise watch it with the surround sound fully turned up! Be patient and give it a chance. You'll be hooked.

Films (Classics): Never Been Kissed

Never Been Kissed (1999)
Dir. Raja Gosnell
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Michael Vartan, David Arquette, Molly Shannon, Jon C. Reilly

This an old film which I could probably quote line for line in places. For some unknown reason it was shown on Film4 yesterday evening so I decided it was time for an ICEHISE review. (I know, that didn't work. I won't do it again.)

So, here's the deal. Josie is a newspaper copy editor who falls into her her first ever undercover report. However, the location is a high school and this turfs up all sorts of uncomfortable memories for 'geek to the core' Josie 'Grosie'. She tries and fails miserably to fit in with the cool kids until her brother (also posing as a high school student) enrols and helps her to transition from geek to chic. Well, the school dream boy asks her to the prom - what more could a girl want. Along the way, Josie becomes a little more than friendly with her gorgeous English teacher, Sam Coulson.

This is a chick-flick through and through. Therefore, it is corny, unintimidating and fairly easy to watch while doing something else. However, it does have some corking one liners and a delicious fairytale ending. Barrymore is very endearing as a super geek (I can't help but think that she brings a hint of personal experience to the role) as is Arquette as her well meaning brother. Vartan is a complete hearthrob and totally convinces me as a down to earth and passionate teacher. He delivers his cheddar-laden lines with style and I love him for it!

I feel like a fraud talking about cinematography in a film like this so I'll just say that it has a well chose soundtrack, some great costume and a great final scene shot at a baseball game. It's harmless fun that you must, MUST take with a pinch of salt.

My rating *** 3/5 stars
Recommendation: Watch, laugh, maybe shed a tiny tear. Don't think too hard!

Music: Take That - The Circus

Take That are, without question, the greatest Man Band in the world. I challenge you to show me a band that has made such a successful, likeable and humble comeback. They have none of the celebrity arrogance that comes with huge sell out bands, and the best part is that their music has actually become even better than before. I was never a big fan of Take That the first time round. Now, I am nothing short of a groupie.

The album is a well put together selection of poppy numbers and ballads and the theme of The Circus runs througout. Gary Barlow must be credited as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of this generation and his lyricism and musicianship are wonderfully put on show. Barlow sings with warmth and ease, back beautifully by his band mates whose harmonies blend and flow like they've been doing this for years. Oh...wait...

Mark Owen's deliciously shameless Mancunian accent gives character to the first track The Garden and other tracks, Julie and Hello. Owens distinctive vocal lends itself to the really showy upbeat numbers (as in the excellent Shine from previous album, Beautiful World). Of course, one of the strongest tracks on the album is UK #1 hit Greatest Day. The song is uplifting, epic, moving and simply wonderful. Watching the video, it is obvious that these fellas simply adore making this music. Other stand out tracks are The Circus, Here (which brings the circus right into the music) and Up All Night which is a definite nod to the work of Paul Simon.

All in all this is an excellent, exciting and adventurous album from Take That. It sits at number one on the UK album chart, and rightly so. These chaps are going to be around for a long time yet. So, here's my salute *salutes* to the man band, Take That.

My rating: **** 4/5 stars - Just a few tracks which don't stand out, but after a few more listens, that might become less of an issue and earn them another star!