Night at the Museum

When Ben Stiller’s Larry Daley finally realises that he must get a regular job he finds himself working as a night guard at New York’s Museum of Natural History. It soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems and Larry has to deal with far more than security alarms and precious artefacts.

In order to keep his job and impress his son, he must learn to deal with the hurdles that the job throws his way. He gets a little help along the way from his ancient friends.

Having seen the trailers for Night at the Museum you may well be forgiven for forgetting that this is a kids’ film. Starring almost every comic actor ever considered top of the game this is most definitely a film created with adults as much in mind as kids.

Dick Van Dyke, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, Robin Williams and Ricky Gervais all star alongside Stiller in what would otherwise be a good kids’ film but little more.

The combination of this fabulous cast and the brilliant minds of Christopher Colombus (Harry Potter, Home Alone, The Goonies) and Shawn Levy (The Pink Panther, Cheaper by the Dozen), paired with the animation instead make this a great film for all ages.

The predictability of the story is the main thing that marks this out as a kids’ film but that’s ok, this is a kids’ film.

Although you could quite possibly live without some of the extras Bringing the Museum to Life in particular makes for great viewing. It illustrates just how much of the film was produced using blue screens and that in a great deal of Stiller’s scenes director Shawn Levy was the closest thing to an animal in the room.

If you ever loved Jumanji then you’re sure to enjoy Night at the Museum whether you watch it with or without kids.

Written for Entertainmentwise
Photo by Matt Sephton

The Holiday review

When Iris and Amanda have enough with the men in their lives they decide to spend Christmas on their own far away. They swap homes, cars, everything for the holiday. Soon enough the girls are getting back on their feet, and realise that going against your instincts can have the loveliest of results.

Starring Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jack Black, The Holiday certainly features an impressive line-up, but does it meet the expectations generated by these hottest of Hollywood names?

Its line-up is not that of the average rom com. For starters, Hugh Grant’s nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, on watching the film, it becomes apparent as to why Law and Diaz tend to shy away from the genre; it’s clearly not their strongest. Kate Winslet is as brilliant and natural as always and her story brings the same snugly blanket feeling of comfort as Colin Firth’s does in Love Actually.

And Jack Black is in there for the lads. You may in fact find it worth watching just to see how he fairs in a rom com. Unfortunately though, while he’s great in the scenes that he does appear in, he’s simply not given enough screen time. This is a great shame as his bolshy loud-mouthed humour brings a sense of reality to this movie that none of the other characters do.

One of the major flaws of this film is that it is simply too cheesy, mainly thanks to Diaz’s character. Even the most seasoned rom com fan walks gets just-chewed-on-two-sweeteners feeling.

If you’re going to watch The Holiday with your fella then buy him pizza in advance. If you’re going to watch it with some girlfriends however, then get ready to shriek your lungs out.

While it’s unlikely that The Holiday is going to become one of your top ten films, if a heart-warming ticks-all-the-boxes rom com is what you’re after, then this is the DVD for you.

For entertainmentwise

Alias and sappy romance

Thankfully the weather is finally getting better which may well mean that my entertainment consumption may start to drop a little. The last few weeks have been ram packed full though.

I've been to the cinema a couple of times. The first film that I saw was Freedom Writers, an MTV film about a teacher who changes the lives of the kids she teaches. I wasn't sure what to expect from this film but was pleasantly surprised. It's a great true story with a cool soundtrack and a lovely message. I highly recommend it.

The other film I saw was Music and Lyrics. I wasn't sure whether to bother seeing this in the cinema as the trailer pretty much told me everything I needed to know, but my Mum insisted. If you're in need of a middle of the road rom com then it's perfect, but I won't be rushing to watch it again. Grant and Barrymore and both good but the story is just too transparent.

On DVD this week I've watched both The Holiday (to review for Entertainmentwise), and The Break-Up. I was surprised by The Break-Up's atypical ending and found that both Anniston and Vaugn were good in it. Also brilliant is the opening sequence featuring photos of the couple doing various things. It's a very creative illustration of the length and nature of their relationship.

I finished reading The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets and found that my suspicions were confirmed. It was a weak story, spread over far too many pages and with far too little suspense. Although it wasn't your average story about a woman struggling in a man's world, it was still very much chick-lit, and despite being well written, is simply not really worth the effort of reading it.

I am now tucking into Empress Orchid, another one of Richard and Judy's Book Club books; normally a good sign. I'm hoping it is nowhere near as complicated as Wild Swans as I've tried to read that book twice and failed due to it's heavy writing style.

In terms of TV, we are just beginning the long wade through Alias. I'd never seen a single episode until very recently and as loads of people kept telling me how great it was I figured it was time to give it a go. So far I'm enjoying it and I can tell it's only going to get more addictive. Thank god for my mate Jo and her box-sets.

I have not really been listening to any new music but I have been re-discovering some old stuff, namely Blur, Oasis and Gavin DeGraw. I missed out on the first two when they were around because at the time all I cared about were Boyzone, in particular Ronan Keating. The great thing about discovering old bands though is that you don't have to wait for their next release. You can get all their albums for very reasonable prices from Fopp (the god of all shops).

You probably have no idea who Gavin DeGraw is. What a shame. He's a great New York singer/songwriter whose debut album was great but for some reason didn't really get very far. His melodies are chilling and lyrics poetic and he is perfect spring listening if you tend to enjoy artists of a Jack Johnson ilk.

I only discovered him when I was asked to review the album, shame no-one paid much attention to my review. Another great band I learnt about through reviewing but never went very far are The Honeymoon. They consisted of a guy and a girl and their album was striking, haunting, original and summery all at the same time. That too is worth getting your hands on.

I have a day off work today (yay) so Dan and I are going to Wells for Starbucks, shopping and Hot Fuzz set spotting. Hope you're all good,

Keep smiling; the sun is shining,

Lauz :-)

What's all this Fuzz?

There has been a slight lapse in my blogging due to a nasty bought of gastric flu which has dominated my life for pretty much the whole of the last two weeks. This is a shame as I have had some good things to write about.

These include Hot Fuzz, Studio Ghibli, Cast Away and The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets.

The first is Hot Fuzz, filmed in Somerset's very own Wells. Until now nothing much has happened there and I never thought they could make it seem entertaining. Simon Pegg and co managed it though.

That's not the only thing they achieved though. This is a brilliant funny, innovative, enthralling film and I recommend it to everyone.

I'm currently reading The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, which was one of my recommendations on Amazon. I don't normally go in for this sort of chick lit and I now remember why.

I'm over half way through and I don't have that "I can't put this down" feeling. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect to get that on the first page as in Dan Brown books, but I do like to get it within the first hundred pages. Oh well, I'll persist.

I saw Tom Hank's Cast Away for the first time the other day and was pleasantly surprised. I seem to remember hearing negative things about it when it first came and so never rushed to watch it.

Sure it's a bit different but I think they way they portray his time on the island is brilliant. The ending's a bit annoying but hey. This is definitely worth watching.

Other films I've watched over the past couple of weeks include Studio Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart and M Night Shyamalan's Wide Awake.

Whisper of the Heart is not quite as surreal as some of the Ghibli films but it was still good, although in more of a girly, Disney sort of way. It's the prequel to The Cat Returns and in that respect is quite interesting.

Wide Awake was the film that Shyamalan wrote and directed before Sixth Sense. Although it wasn't as instantly brilliant as his other films it was still good in a child-like, developing style sort of way. Don't rush to watch it though.

On Sunday I'm going to a preview of Freedom Writers, a film about which I don't know so it'll be in at the deep end for me on that one. I'm also off to see Music and Lyrics next Tuesday. I know it looks like your average chick flick but I happen to like those so I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

I'll fill you guys in on all that next week but until then take care.

Lauz xx

PS I love my doggy Bonnie loads and loads and hope she gets better soon

Photo by r@chel*

History of Love, Cold Mountain and Harry Potter

Back in the land of normal time zones thankfully. Only a couple of things to write about this week due to the fact that I've been travelling load. This week I watched Cold Mountain and read The History of Love.

Cold Mountain was ok. It had loads of big names in it (Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renee Zellweger and Natalie Portman) and was a good story. However it was too depressing for my liking.

History of Love on the other hand was brilliant. It was beautifully written, a great story and very inspirational for the writer within me.

It's right in the vein of Time Traveller's Wife and I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed that book. Plus a film is being made of it so it's best to get in there before they ruin the story.

One very exciting thing about this week is the fact that the release date of Harry Potter was announced. I really can't wait.

I know it's a bit sad but I booked the Monday after it's release off work so that I can make sure I finish it before someone ruins it for me. It'll be three days of solitude for me.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Hot Fuzz. It looks brilliant plus it is filmed in a village near where I grew up. To be honest there are far better places they could have set it but never mind.

Hope you guys are all ok. Let me know what entertainment stuff you're rating at the moment.

Best wishes,

Lauz

Lady in the Water

M Night Shyamalan is famous for films that scare us in order to warm our hearts.

Sixth Sense, Signs and The Village are all ultimately comforting although their narratives are scary at times. Lady in the Water is no exception.

Based on a bedtime story Shyamalan made up for his kids, the film focuses on Cleveland Heep, caretaker of the Cove apartment complex. Heep lost his family some years ago and has since lived a quiet and introverted existence.

Then one night a mysterious girl, Story, enters his life from a place unknown. With help from some of the residents of the Cove complex he slowly pieces together Story’s tale.

It soon becomes clear that Heep has a bigger part to play in Story’s life that he originally realised, and that the residents of the Cove will have to help him if he is to save her.

As in most of Shyamalan’s films, the heroes are oblivious to the fact that they are such, and for most of it so is the viewer. It’s only at the final moment that the foundations of the story become apparent.

There has been much controversy over Lady in the Water from the very beginning due to artistic differences that Shyamalan had with Disney, who had made his previous four films. As a result it ended up being produced by Warner Brothers.

This is a particularly personal film for Shyamalan, not only because he created the idea for his children, but because he stars in it himself.

He always has cameos in his films but in this one he plays a bigger role, that of a struggling writer. It is a fitting part that makes the film seem all that more real and natural.

The film also stars Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Ivy Walker in The Village. This continuity in actors is another thing for which Shyamalan is known. He also used Bruce Willis and Joaquin Phoenix in successive films.

The DVD extras contribute to the magic. The Audition tapes are definite filler but Reflections of Lady in the Water and Lady in the Water: A Bedtime Story definitely add to the enjoyment of the film.

This is a truly beautiful film created and varnished with love and to be watched with patience. It is a must-see for anyone who fondly remembers the magic of childhood stories, and who loves to find beauty in unexpected places.

Shyamalan has created yet another masterpiece.