Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review Commentary and Analysis

I have watched all of the Harry Potter movies so far and think that as the series progresses they keep getting better and better. Order of the Phoenix is no exception. This wonderfully dark chapter of the Harry Potter story is actually probably my favourite of the series so far!

The movie begins with an altogether more dark and dramatic feel from the very first scene; from there we follow Harry through yet more troubles as he tries to convince people that ‘He who shall not be named’ has really returned. In his quest to do this we see him face the Ministry of Magic and a new strict school teacher Dolores Umbridge. He also takes on the challenge of becoming a teacher himself forming a secret ‘army’ with his classmates hidden deep within the walls of Hogwarts. Read more

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Hairspray 2007 DVD Review Commentary and Analysis

 

I love musicals, either at the theatre or on DVD I just can’t get enough of them. I haven’t actually managed to see the stage version of Hairspray or the original movie for that matter but I pretty much thought that I would love this new version when I did finally get around to watching. Turns out I was wrong, I bought this on DVD yesterday and I have to say that I thought it was completely awful.

Now I realise that I’m probably the only girl in the world who thinks the movie sucked, but despite a really great cast I just couldn’t get into it! John Travolta was great as Tracy’s mum, and I absolutely loved the accent he put on for this film along with the big personality he brought to the table. The main problem for me though was the storyline. I found it boring and although some of the songs were really good they just weren’t good enough to carry the whole film! I’m also a huge fan of Michelle Pfeiffer but I found her to be irritating beyond belief in Hairspray and after her great performance in Stardust earlier in the year I think that maybe I was just expecting more.

I just went and looked on Rotten Tomatoes and this movie scored a whopping 93% so I’m thinking that I have either completely missed the whole point of the film, or maybe I’m just a big old grump! Either way, I just couldn’t stand the tacky feel of this movie and the bright glaring costumes actually made my head hurt at times.

It’s very strange for me to have this kind of reaction to a musical, usually I love the fact that they are being re vamped and made into film format, as it makes them so much more accessible to those who aren’t able to get to see the shows. Although few rarely live up to their theatre version most give a fun exciting take on things and offer those who can’t get to the theatre the opportunity to see the next best thing. So I’m sure it must just be me ‘not getting’ the complete feel for Hairspray, and I’d love for some of you to reply and let me know what you enjoyed about it…

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PS I Love You Heads to Cinema in December! Starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler

A year or two ago I interviewed a brilliant writer called Cecelia Ahern (Above.) She writes books that are filled with genuine human emotion, fun, magic and sadness and her first and arguably best book PS I Love You has just been made into a movie.

The cast includes Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler and James Marsters and it looks set to be just as stunning as the original novel.

The plotline revolves around Holly and Gerry a perfect couple whose happiness is destined to be short lived. Gerry dies and leaves behind a broken and frail Holly to cope without him. What she soon realises though is he has made sure that a part of him is still with her in the form of letters sent at different intervals over the year, designed to help her remember who she is and to face the world without him it shows how well Gerry knows Holly and just how much she needs the letters and help from her close friends to get her through the hardest time of her life.

I can’t wait to see this movie, but I’m a little bit scared that it won’t live up to the book. Cecelia Ahern painted such a wonderful image of Holly and Gerry that I don’t know if it can ever be as good as I remember! I am excited about the directions they could take, if it will be as much as a tearjerker as the book and just how well the two main leads do at portraying Holly and Gerry. I must admit, Hilary Swank wouldn’t have been my first choice as the role of Holly.

Have you read the book? We want to know your thoughts on the upcoming movie release and whether it will be able to live up to expectations!

Check out the link below to visit Cecelia’s official website for full news on PS I Love You
http://www.ceceliaahern.ie/ps_i_love_you/

Also click HERE to read my interview with Cecelia from last year.

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Review : Long Way Down With Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Long Way Down is the follow up series to ‘Long Way Round’. The new TV show sees Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride their motorbikes from Scotland all the way down through South Africa. This time, unlike before they have a full team with them made up of cameramen, medics and security as parts of South Africa are notoriously dangerous. I thoroughly enjoyed the first series, watching Ewan and Charley tackle the big trip and not quite knowing what to expect was half the fun of it all. This time it does all feel a little choreographed at times and a bit too ‘controlled’. Although despite that, the show is still great entertainment. I absolutely love Ewan McGregor, and Charley is great fun, the two of them seem to have a really strong friendship and do rely on each other completely to get through each day. Read more

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Written by Becky Bowden · Filed Under Featured, Movie News and Reviews 

Roadkill / Joy Ride 2001 DVD Review Steve Zahn Paul Walker Leelee Sobieski

Roadkill or ‘Joy Ride’ as I believe it is known in the US has been one of my favourite horror/thriller movies for a long time so after re watching it last night I decided that it was about time to write a review and explain to everyone just why I love this movie so much and why it definitely isn’t the ‘B Movie’ it has been wrongly portrayed as.

The movie is written by Clay Tarver and JJ Abrams (LOST) and is a strange but workable combination of comedy and tension. Paul Walker plays Lewis, a laidback kinda guy who gets the opportunity to drive his childhood sweetheart Venna (Played by Leelee Sobieski) across the country to their home town for the summer. On the way he has to pick up his brother Fuller, an off the rails and brilliantly funny character played by Steve Zahn.

As the pair head towards their destination to meet Venna they decide to play a trick on an unsuspecting truck driver who goes by the alias Rusty Nail on CB Radio. They tune in and Lewis puts on his best woman’s voice as the fictional ‘Candy Cane’ to fool Rusty Nail into a meeting in a hotel room. Of course when Rusty Nail arrives at the room to find a rather butch and obnoxious man there and his beloved ‘Candy Cane’ nowhere in sight he isn’t exactly best pleased and so begins his twisted saga of revenge, chasing the brothers for miles in his truck in scenes very reminiscent of ‘The Hitcher’ and Jeepers Creepers.

‘Rusty Nail’ himself is voiced by none other than Ted Levine, who starred as ‘Buffalo Bill’ in silence of the Lambs and Big Bob Carter in The Hills have eyes. His unmistakable voice is PERFECT for this movie making you shudder as he frequently drawls the immortal words “Caaaaandy Cane” into the CB.

This isn’t a scare a minute horror movie, or one that is filled with violence, blood and guts, it plays on tension, a good plot and doesn’t make that fatal mistake of taking itself too seriously. Everyone in the film understands the kind of movie they are making; it’s a teen horror that doesn’t rely on the usual cheap scares and over the top acting and instead pulls something out of the bag that is altogether very different. In my opinion it is better than Jeepers Creepers, which although everyone raves about was only actually any good for the first half of the movie until ‘The Creeper’ gets revealed wouldn’t you agree? Unlike that, Roadkill (or Joy Ride depending on how you want to refer to it) is consistently tense and fun throughout the films entirety. It never loses pace, and it never once becomes boring or tedious leaving the audience on the edge of their seats and desperate to catch a glimpse of the brilliantly unstable Rusty Nail.

As you can tell, I love this movie and would recommend it to anyone, not as a serious pretentious horror movie but as a genuinely FUN and watchable film that everyone should have in their collection. Of course, I’m sure everyone out there has their own views and I’d love to hear what you think if you have watched it!

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The Pursuit Of Happyness DVD Review Starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith

Will Smith plays struggling salesman Chris Gardner a man who is desperate to provide for his young son Christopher and overcome the challenges in his life that seem to be hell bent on destroying them leaving them homeless and destitute.

When Chris realises that people no longer seem to be interested in buying the bone scanning machines he travels the city selling to hospitals and medical units he finds himself put in one of the most difficult situations a father can face. Struggling to keep his family afloat he throws himself into his job, working all hour’s god sent to try and sell enough just to buy food for his son and keep a roof over their head. When they are forced to leave their apartment the severity of the situation sets in and Chris realises that he is going to have to risk everything to try and gain back some sort of normality for himself and Christopher. Read more

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Christmas is coming so expect more Doom and Gloom on Eastenders!

If you are from the UK like me, you will already understand the point of this article. The British soap opera Eastenders is renowned for its miserable Christmas storylines. There’s usually a death and a big drama in amongst our favourite Londoners festivities and apparently judging by recent rumours this year will be no different!

First of all let me just start by saying that despite the fact that Eastenders has some of the most miserable storylines ever at this time of the year, like the rest of the British public I just can’t resist watching. Along with ‘Hollyoaks’ its one of my favourite soap opera’s and I enjoy nothing better than sitting down and tuning in to the show after a traditional Christmas dinner!

Last year’s Christmas special in Albert Square saw Pauline Fowler meet her untimely end in the middle of the square and this year, although I’m not 100% sure if there will be a death in amidst the gloom there is sure to be plenty of drama with the ‘Big Reveal’ of Stacey and Max’s affair! (Pic below)

I’ve loved this storyline and it’s been great to watch recently, especially with the hour long special last week, should Shaun have told Tanya what he knows about her husband though? Hmm I’m not sure but I do think he’s rather tasty with this whole ‘bad boy’ attitude he’s working lately! (Pic  of Shaun below)

Billy Mitchell and his wife Honey are rumoured to be facing serious money troubles this Christmas when Phil decides to sell their home, surely one of the Albert Square residents will come to their rescue? More ‘Mitchell Family’ problems are set to occur with newcomers Ronnie and Roxy (Who I think have been a brilliant addiction to the show) fighting over the same man.

There is sure to be more going on in the run up to Christmas so I for one will definitely be tuning in to the show religiously as usual to keep up with things. How many of you will be watching this years Christmas special, and what would you like to see happen?

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MTV - The Hills. Are we Sick of Reality Shows?

Recently reality shows seem to be popping up everywhere, what with Big Brother, Various celebrity chef programs and even spin off shows from popular series such as The OC (Laguna Beach) you would think that I would be sick of them by now, but no… still I keep watching. Recently my beady little eyes have become firmly fixed on the Laguna Beach spin off show ‘The Hills’ which follows Lauren (LC) as she takes on LA and starts work at Teen Vogue, she gains a whole bunch of new friends and a few enemies along the way and it makes for addictive yet mind numbing viewing!

I never really watched Laguna Beach, but I saw it enough times to know that LC was being built up as the obvious ‘Star’ and I must confess, I actually really liked her. So when the new series started up and Lauren was given her own show I decided to watch it and see what it was like. BIG mistake, as since then I have wasted hours of my precious time on this show and I can’t help but keep coming back to it to find out what happens next.

I think that I’m right up to date with the latest episodes now as I have been watching them on the MTV website and the drama of it all is SO funny. Recently there has been the whole issue of “Is ‘The Hills’ Fake” well, my views? Yeah it’s a ‘Reality’ show but in order for them to shoot it, and make the show possible to film and air in time of course they have to set some of the ‘scenes’ up. There was also the infamous nail polish scandal that blew up a few weeks ago wasn’t there? Where on supposedly the same night Lauren was ‘caught out’ wearing two different colours of nail polish, prompting viewers to question just how accurate a portrayal we are getting of Lauren’s actual life. *Shock Horror* could this mean that ‘The Hills’ are … EDITED?!

Well of course they are! The producers obviously want to cut out the boring bits or things that aren’t crucial to what the viewers are currently talking about and roll with the more pressing issues such as the Brody and Lauren on off love fest and Spencer and Heidi’s freakishly insane relationship. As you can tell, I’m most definitely NOT a fan of Spencer. Heidi, I like, I think she’s great and when she left the New Years Eve party with Lauren that night it just proved how much she loved her friend. Sadly Heidi seems to have been completely brainwashed by Scary Spencer… Is it just me or is this guy a complete and utter control freak? He tries to stop Heidi from doing her job, he has this weird persona that he slips into a lot where he tries to be sarcastic and give a witty reply but he just comes off looking and sounding genuinely demented LOL. Maybe I’m being way too harsh, but the guy just seems like such a creep! The scene where Heidi re painted the walls was brilliant though wasn’t it? The look on Spencer’s face, he didn’t know whether to blow up and be angry, try his usual sarcasm or just sit there and cry! That’s the Heidi we need to see more of, the strong willed girl who isn’t going to be manipulated by a guy with a huge chip on his shoulder.

I like Brody, and I’m rooting for him and LC getting together properly by the end of the series. I’m curious to hear what everyone else thinks about the budding romance though, are they really a match made in heaven or are we just the victims of some very clever editing?

Whitney, Lauren’s work college at Teen Vogue is so sweet; I literally held my breath for her when she slipped in the recent TV appearance, thank goodness she managed to regain her composure, she was also the victim of yet more embarrassment this week when she was told that her outfit for the New York trip had been ‘Too Dressy’ what do you guys think about that? Personally, yeah I thought it was a little bit too much for the day but certainly not something that needed to be mentioned at the dinner table and laughed at, that’s the fashion industry for you though I guess! I’m sure she’s over it by now, she seems very laid back.

So, reality shows, are they all trash nowadays or like myself do you find yourself unable to resist watching a select few?

For those who are interested in watching The Hills and have missed several episodes then head on over to the following link and you can watch them for yourself from the very beginning! Official MTV Site

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