Blog #1 - The Xmas Holidays

----- NOT A REVIEW -----


So its upon us! The time of year people sit around, eat, catch up with friends, eat some more, drink and share presents! ...also a time where the family sit down and watch endless amounts of holiday season movies!

- Oliver Twist
- The Grinch
- A Christmas Carol
- Home Alone 1 & 2

and so on.... endless amounts of repeats! *yawn* at most of them!

But this is not the main reason for my blogging - I'm not wanting to complain about repeats. I'm blogging to talk about the last bit of Xmas shopping.
 Are you a Online Shopper or a Window Shopper? (Both similar but one involves leaving your house..!)

Personally I am a online shopper so today, 23rd Dec. ~ Last Minute Shop ~ I went into the city and "hit" the shops as they say. Or as I like to put it.. avoiding being hit by crazy adults who are desperately trying to find the best thing for their children! - Give them Coal! It will suffice. I joke. DON'T you won't be loved any more! But more to the point going into stores like GAME - and not being able to move. Then Primark and just having nothing of any use in there but still trying to find the cheap option for a present; and last to HMV where you have people blankly staring at movie and CD cases thinking "Will he/she like this? I don't know damn Ill ring someone to find out" - Yep I had it done to me for someone else! Just go for it! Buy it and if its wrong then they can go back and get another one.

Anyway enough moaning...

Onto the movie related part of the blog. I had a phone call from a family member going "I don't know what to get *him*" So I listed what I had got them then gave them a few ideas. Its one of those things where you think to yourself.. oh damn, what if already seen that movie and not liked it? What do you do then. My methods if they don't like the movie then get a back up gift ie. For Him - Beer or some alcoholic beverage. For Her - Chocolates. - SORTED. Its a win win situation if they don't want the movie then you can have it and if they do then your present was a success.

So to round off this very unusual attempt at random information - Ie. a Blog - what movies/series/box sets did you get your friends or family? Do you truly think they will like it? Or did you buy it knowing that you could steal it off them once they get bored of it.
 - Admit it. We have all been there brought a gift you can use too. Cheeky.

Joey


Just to add my own little story...
   Today I had the opposite problem to this; rather than worrying whether my mum would like the DVD I got her for Christmas I had to worry about whether she would buy it for herself! And unfortunately today,my fear came true, when she went shopping for some new DVD's for Christmas viewing and I later rummaged through the pile only to find the same one I had got her! Doh!

Jess

Review#9 - Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1

I think I should start by stating that neither of the cinema addict’s are “Twi-hards”. In fact neither of us have read the books and only Joey has seen the other films the whole way through. Personally Stephany Meyer’s bestselling series nor the following films have ever peaked my interest however, for some reason, Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 1 had something that caught my eye. It seemed dark and dramatic, taking one of nature’s most beautiful miracles and turning it into something feral, twisted and supernatural.

   Well, feral, twisted and supernatural is certainly what I got! After a slow first half of the film seeing an excruciatingly thin Bella being torn open by her vampire lovers fangs to save their half-human, half-vampire child (confusing I know) was a shock to say the least. The blood on Edward’s shirt was a powerful image as it showed what a difficult ordeal he had just been through but how he did not have time to come to terms with it before another problem arises – Joey particularly liked this effect. Despite it being difficult to watch it was definitely the better half of the film; there was a good mix of emotion and action that I enjoyed as it can often be a difficult combination to pull off successfully. *SPOILER* For example the way tension built between Jacob and the baby (Renesmee) both before and after the birth made for a shock twist (to us non-fans anyway) when he in fact ends up imprinting on her.

    The first half of the film however, was a lot less intense. Joey found himself getting a little restless and I must admit that I personally felt this part of the film was drawn out for the sake of the fans who will have been anticipating Edward and Bella’s wedding from the beginning. Time had to be taken on it in order to do Stephany Meyer’s story justice. The intimate close-ups of Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) dress, ring and bouquet gave the wedding scene a much more romantic than most conventional wedding scenes.  There were several artistic scenes, Joey even noticed that sometimes during a close up of the faces the eye colour complimented the colour of the background.

     A prominent feature of the first half that really got on our nerves was the music. It might seem like an exaggeration to say it almost ruined the film but it really did. For starters, the music was not very good. It was soppy and weak; in fact it was the kind of music that might be used in a parody of romantic films but not an actual romantic film! What made it even worse was that it was played all the time! When Bella and Edward kissed, there was the music. When Bella and Edward were talking, there was the music. When Bella and Edward were arguing, (you guessed it) there was the music. If listening to it wasn’t bad enough it was constantly being played at the wrong moment in the film.

   Otherwise, it was hard to fault this film. The acting is not brilliant, the music was grating and the story slow at times but really it boils down to whether you are a fan or not. If you’re not then this is a so-so film to see; something to keep you amused when there isn’t much else to watch. But for those who love the characters and have followed the story of Bella, Edward and Jacob religiously will love the detail the director has paid to the wedding scene, the excellent graphics that make the wolves come to life and the montage of Bella and Edward’s love as they watch her finally becoming a vampire.

    It is clear that Bill Condon (director) had the fans in mind and in the humble opinion of a non-fan, did a fantastic job at staying true to the characters and bringing to life a much loved story. However if you’re not a Twi-hard I wouldn’t recommend it. This film is not going to suddenly captivate your interest or imagination and suddenly get you hooked on a tale you had previously thought senseless, I believe that can only be achieved by reading Staphany Meyer’s books and even then it won’t be for some. As Joey put it quite well “I rate this movie 3.5.  It was the boring first half with the shoddy music that ruined it for me. Simple.”