Traveling usually means turning off mobile data on my phone so I won't be charged an arm and a leg for roaming fees by my phone company. That need not happen anymore - I have found a solution to keeping me connected while in the US: Roam Mobility, a prepaid wireless service for Canadians traveling to the states.

There are 3 daily plans for USA roaming starting at only $1.95 per day:

• Text+Data CA$1.95 per day
• Talk+Text CA$2.95 per day
• Talk+Text+Data CA$3.95 per day

I flew to Los Angeles in the first week of April and signed up for the Talk+Text+Data plan for 8 days, which included unlimited calls to Canada and the US. The great thing about Roam Mobility is that you get all your data up front. You get 400MB of data for each day purchased, so 3.2 GB was plenty for an 8 day trip!

To use Roam Mobility, you will need:

1. Unlocked mobile phone, and
2. Roam Mobility SIM card, which can be bought online or at many local retailers such as London Drugs, Superstore, 7 Eleven and Staples. It costs $9.95 and looks like this: 

I like how the SIM comes with an "adaptor", which allows you to use it in all type of phones!
It is very easy to set up the SIM to work with your current phone.  You just need to activate your SIM card online, which then generates a US phone number for your use. What was weird was a stranger’s name showed up in caller ID. The number must have been in use previously. This certainly confused my relatives when I called them! But this was a minor hiccup.

Prior to traveling, select the plan you want and the number of days you need service for, including the start date. When you are in the US, pop in the SIM and you will automatically be connected directly to Roam Mobility's US network thereby eliminating any roaming fees! Hurray!

When I was in Los Angeles, I was relying solely on mobile data as the Wi-Fi on my mobile device was not working at all. Roam Mobility made it easy to check email, make updates on my social media accounts and access apps like Uber and Google maps. If it weren't for Roam Mobility, I wouldn't have been able to call for an Uber and would have been stranded at Disneyland...not that being stranded at Disneyland would be so bad! I’m very dependent on data day to day, especially when traveling out of the country. How else was I supposed to find how to walk from the hotel to the nearest attraction? Roam Mobility's coverage was excellent. I was even able to get a signal when I went to Paso Robles for a wedding, farther out in California.

Roam Mobility was very easy to use and such a convenience since you can do everything yourself, without having to add upgrades to your existing phone plan. Phones are also available to buy for $49.95 if you don’t have an unlocked phone.

Are you traveling to the US soon? Want a chance to win a Roam Mobility Breeze USA Travel Phone with a SIM card and 7 days of unlimited USA talk and text? Roam Mobility is giving a prize bundle to one lucky winner each week until May 15, 2015 - so there are four Breeze Phone prize packs up for grabs. Enter for your chance to WIN now!

Roam Mobility Breeze Phone & 7 Days of Unlimited USA Roaming Giveaway


Disclosure: Roam Mobility covered the cost of the talk+text+data plan for the 8 days I was in the US. I bought SIM card myself. No other compensation was received. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Life goes so fast these days that we hardly have time to stop and relax. Daily Zen Doodles helps with that - doodling has been shown to relax the mind. This book contains prompts for you to fill in with repetitive patterns or doodles however you like; one prompt for each day of the year.


The first few pages contain prompts that are already filled in to give you inspiration with your own drawings. There is no right or wrong on how to do this. It is just an exercise to calm, clear and focus your mind. Each prompt also contains an inspirational or thoughtful quote, which you can use to incorporate in your doodles or not - your choice.

Some prompts are of actual objects,

while others are just squiggles or patterns.


Here are my first doodles. My mind seems to be a bit chaotic. Haha.

This is a nice little book that helps you bring out your creative side. Drawing takes practice and it is the same with quieting your mind; only practice makes perfect. It is a nice portable size but each page does give you enough space to draw. I love the inspiring quotes on each page. I can see myself sitting down with this book everyday with a cup of tea and let my creative juices run wild!



Disclaimer: I received a copy of the Daily Zen Doodles from Ulysses Press free of charge for review. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Pirates and Tom Hiddleton! Those were the two immediate thoughts that popped into my head when I first heard about this film. This was the first movie of the Tinklebell direct-to-DVD series that I have ever watched and it is the 6th one that Disney has made in the Fairy franchise. Haha this movie made me want to watch more of the Fairy series.

"The Pirate Fairy", like all the movies previous, is set in Neverland, before the events of "Peter Pan." Zarina (voice of Christina Hendricks), a dust keeper fairy is obsessed with figuring out how fairy dust works. When her experiments on the powerful Blue Pixie Dust land her in hot water with her supervisor, she flees Pixie Hollow. She ends up joining forces with the pirates of Skull Rock, led by a cabin boy named James (voice of Tom Hiddleston), who make her the captain of their ship. Zarina and the pirates come up a plan to steal the Blue Fairy Dust and subsequently switches the talents of Tinker Bell (voice of Mae Whitman) and her friends in the process. Tink and her friends must work together to retrieve the Blue Pixie Dust, which the fairies of Pixie Hollow is dependent upon to be able to fly.  


The movie was pretty entertaining. It delves more into the origins of the characters in "Peter Pan," centred around Captain Hook. Tom Hiddleton is delightful as always. He brings a little bit of Loki in his portrayal of James. The new fairy is pretty cool in her pirate get-up but she never consciously makes a choice to do the right thing; it is the circumstances force her to. It was great to see the origins of Captain Hook and the Crocodile. IT IS SO ADORABLE. The film is 78 min with several special features included:       

• Second Star to the Right: The Legacy of Never Land – Explore Never Land’s history and its endless ability to inspire     
• Croc-u-mentary – “Crocky” and his real-life relatives are the subject of this funny documentary     Deleted Scenes     
• Sing-Along Songs     
• The Making of “The Frigate That Flies” – Go Behind the Scenes with Tom Hiddleton for a close-up look at the recording of this song 

There are two songs in the movie: "Who I Am," sung by Natasha Bedingfield as the introduction song to Zarina, and "The Frigate That Flies, " sung by the pirates. If Tom Hiddleton singing is what you'd like to hear, "The Frigate That Flies" is the song to listen to. I personally like "Who I Am" song more. It's backed by nice strummy music and is about being yourself and showing the world who you are.

“The Pirate Fairy” is currently available in store and the soundtrack available for download on iTunes.

They're doing a sequel! They're back by popular demand! The Muppets are back again in a silly, fun filled adventure. Starting right when the previous Muppet movie ended, the Muppet cast launch into song about how they are doing a sequel and what the plot should be. The entire Muppets gang ends up going on a world tour. Along the way, Kermit gets kidnapped and switched with Constantine, the World's Number One Criminal, and Kermit-look-alike. While Kermit has it figure out how to escape jail, the gang unwittingly wind up as part of Constantine's crime scheme.

The Muppets: Most Wanted wasn't as good as the previous film (they poked fun at this in their opening song), but was still very entertaining and worth going to see in theatre. It was laugh-out-loud funny, with tonnes of cameos from famous people, and the songs are just as good.  

• They've Ordered a Sequel performed by Walter, Statler & Waldorf
• We're Doing a Sequel performed by The Muppets
• My Name First . . . Your Name performed by Constantine & Ricky Gervais
• I'm Number One performed by Constantine & Ricky Gervais
• The Casa Grande performed by Kermit, Tina Fey, Jemaine Clement, Danny Trejo, Ray Liotta
• The Big House performed by Tina Fey
• Stick With Me performed by Constantine & Miss Piggy
• I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu) performed by Constantine
• The Muppet Show Theme performed by Los Muppets
• Answer Some Questions performed by Ty Burrell
• Interrogation Song performed by Ty Burrell, Sam Eagle & The Muppets
• Oh Foo Foo, It's Always Been a Fight performed by Piggy & Foo Foo
• Something So Right performed by Miss Piggy, Kermit, Celine Dion & The Muppets
• We’re Goin' Underground performed by Kermit
• Working In The Coal Mine performed by Jemaine Clement
• The Gulag Finale performed by Kermit
• Together Again performed by The Muppets
• Moves Like Jagger performed by Scooter & The Penguins
• Muppet Most Wanted Score Suite performed by Christophe Beck

Bonus:

• We're Doing A Sequel (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie
• The Big House (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie
• What You Want (outtake) performed by Bret McKenzie
• I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu) (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie
• Something So Right (demo) performed by Bret McKenzie

WOOHOO! Finally, I have Disney's Frozen in my collection! Frozen came out on Blu-ray/DVD yesterday and I bought it right away. Several stores had exclusive offers if you buy it from them. Bestbuy and Futureshop offered some kind of activity book or journal, Walmart offered an Elsa or Anna Infinity figure and Target offered an exclusive DVD with special features. I chose to go with Target since it was a few dollars cheaper there ($22.99 but with 5% off by using my REDcard) and I cannot resist extra special features! 

Frozen, is Disney's 53rd animated feature very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. It is about two sisters, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel), who were once very close but were forced to separate when Elsa's ice powers almost killed her younger sister. Fast forward to Elsa's coronation as queen, where her powers were exposed to everyone. In panic, Elsa flees into the mountains but not before covering her kingdom in ice and snow. Anna goes off in search of Elsa to bring back summer, teaming up with mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his reindeer, Sven, and a funny talking snowman, Olaf (Josh Gad), along the way.

It is an amazing movie with amazing songs. The film has amassed over $1 billion at the box office, won a several awards including two Oscars - Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song and continues to break records. It is my favourite movie!


 The combo pack contains the Blu-ray, DVD version and a digital download code of the movie.

 Special features included:

• "The Making of Frozen" - a musical starring Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, and Kristen Bell singing about how Frozen was made - but not really.
• D'frosted Disney's Journey From Hans Christian Andersen To Frozen - this is a look at the earlier attempts at making this film. It actually took them more than 70 years to make this movie! Worth the wait because it was amazing!
• Four deleted scenes introduced by Christ Buck and Jennifer Lee - "Never Underestimate the Power of Elsa," "The Dressing Room," "Meeting Kristoff #1" and "Meeting Kristoff #2".
• Four music videos of the pop version of "Let It Go" from the end credits
• And the Mickey Mouse short "Get A Horse!" that played before the film in theatres.

I was a little disappointed with the special features. I wanted more! Where's the ACTUAL making of Frozen and there's no commentary?

Target's exclusive offer was this bonus disc that had a deleted scene, the Voices of Frozen featurette starring the filmmakers and cast members, and a Frozen Art Gallery. The deleted scene featured Anna chasing a pig through town. It was pretty funny! It was the referenced in the other deleted scene that is on the Blu-ray. 

I have a hunch that there will be a re-release of the film, like a Special Platinum Collector's Edition or something in the future because there's no 3D version in this combo pack and it was release in 3D in theatres. But for now, I'm pretty satisfied with this version. I can finally watch it over and over and over again. Multiple Frozen movie nights with friends! Yaaaaaay!

You can buy the Collector's Edition of Frozen on Amazon.ca for only $19.97 right now! And it's already the number one bestselling Blu-ray/DVD! I've heard the Collector's Edition has been selling out at some of the local stores. Good thing I bought mine first thing in the morning! It's a must for any Frozen fan!

The hit drama-comedy show, House of Lies released its first ever soundtrack on March 4th. The outrageous and funny show is about management consultants playing to win in the game of corporate corruption and stars Academy Award® nominee Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell! (Kristen Bell, who voiced Anna in Disney's Frozen!). I have to admit, I've never heard of this show before I was contacted to do a review for this soundtrack but from the hilarious clips I've seen, I may have to add this show to my watch list!

Two-time GRAMMY®-nominee (American Beauty, Shrek 2), Chris Douridas worked closely with GRAMMY®-winning producer, Larry Klein to bring together this 12-song compilation from the extraordinary selection of songs from House of Lie’s first three seasons.

The soundtrack starts off with Gary Clark Jr.'s "Bright Lights," which was the end credit song of the show's very first episode. Four songs are exclusive to the soundtrack, two of which are artist debuts - "Brains Out" by Kim Cesarion and "Illusions of Time" by Kiko King. "This Love Is Here To Stay," a song by acclaimed Norwegian artist Thomas Dybdahl, will be heard in its entirety in Episode 10 of Season 3, premiering this coming Sunday, March 16 on Showtime. Apparently, it will be played in a pivotal scene in the show’s three-year run! The last track, "It Always Comes Back Around," is an original song by Michael Kiwanuka, written for the show's season finale (airing April 6th).

Most of the songs on the soundtrack have a mellow, chill vibe that I like. I've been playing it on the background while I've working and it's pretty relaxing. The tracks consists of a mixture of indie and jazz-like songs. Most of them have a low slow beat with a few like "Brains Out" and "Take Me Back", picking up the pace. My favourite track has to be "Brains Out" by Kim Cesarion. It's one of the faster songs on the soundtrack and has a great techno beat. Some parts of it reminds me of a Prince song with the high pitch. I like most of the songs on the album and I'd definitely recommend giving the soundtrack a listen to.

The House of Lies Soundtrack is currently available for download on iTunes.


House of Lies Soundtrack - Track Listing:

Bright Lights – Gary Clark Jr.
Midnight Sun – Isaac Delusion
Brains Out – Kim Cesarion   
This Love Is Here To Stay – Thomas Dybdahl
Take Me Back – Aloe Blacc
Clean the House – Fat Freddy's Drop
Smoke Filled Lungs – Basecamp
Heartbreak – The James Hunter Six
Belly Roll – Count Basie
Illusions of Time – Kiko King & creativemaze
Shift to Reverse – N*Grandjean
It Always Comes Back Around – Michael Kiwanuka




Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of the House of Lies Soundtrack for review. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Everything is awesome! I had the lucky opportunity to watch an advance screening of the LEGO movie last Saturday and I LOVED IT.

We follow Emmet (Chris Pratt), an average, rules-following, totally ordinary LEGO minifigure. When he accidentally he finds the "Piece of Resistance", he is mistaken as the Special: most important person in the universe. The Special was prophesied to be the one to stop the evil Lord Business (Will Farrell), who is on the verge of destroying the universe. Emmet is joined by Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), Batman (Will Arnett), and many other minifigures as he journeys through all the different LEGO worlds to Lord Business' tower of doom to put an end to the weapon of destruction: the Kragle.

I'll say it again. I LOVED IT! This is the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO movie! The combination of stop motion and CGI made it looked like real LEGO was coming to life in the film. The story was unique, stuffed full of minifigures from all the LEGO universes and the script was full of funny references to those universes. It's a great movie for everyone, not just LEGO fans. Haha the movie is basically one big advertisement for LEGO sets and it worked. I was successfully, and happily, brainwashed. I bought 3 of the LEGO Minifigures Movie Seriesthe next day. And I haven't even mentioned the super catchy, super cool, super awesome theme song, Everything Is AWESOME!!! (feat. The Lonely Island), that played, oh I don't know, maybe 3-4 times in the movie and had me singing it as I walked out of the theatre:

Everything is awesome!
Everything is cool when you're part of our team!
Everything is awesome,
When you're living our dream!

Warning to parents: your kids will sing this song after watching the movie. Over and over again. But that's OK because it's awesome.

By the way, tacos are awesome. I don't think this was what LEGO and Warner Brothers intended but I've been eating them three days straight. Help me.

The LEGO Movie comes out this Friday, February 7th, 2014! GO SEE IT! GO GO GO! Because it's...you know.

In the meantime, watch this awesome trailer and visit www.thelegomovie.com for more information.


Wow. How many times have I used the word awesome in this post?

Grace Langlois has been blogging on her site La Mia Vita Dolce for many years now, sharing her passion for cooking with the world. What started out as a blog has now turned into a 200 page cookbook! Grace's Sweet Life: Homemade Italian Desserts from Cannoli, Tiramisu and Panna Cotta to Torte, Pizzelle and Struffolli is her first foray into the printed world and finally showcases the all her Italian dessert recipes in full glory. Same with her blog, this cookbook features beautiful photography of the desserts and in-depth instruction for recreating her recipes.


The cookbook is divided into dessert categories and after looking through it (making my mouth water in the process), I decided to try my hand at making the Nutella Soufflé. I found I had no trouble following along the recipe - Grace's detailed instructions let even newbie in the kitchen like me understand the cooking process! But being a newbie, I learned that I should have prepared all of my equipment ahead of time though. I scrambled a bit looking for that spatula or that measuring cup.









Not bad for my first attempt, eh? lol I over-cooked them a little bit but my Dad gave his nod of approval as he was eating it, so I say success!


The Nutella soufflé was so yummy! I can't wait to try out more recipes from Grace's Sweet Life. Many of these Italian desserts I have never heard of and the photos are really helpful at showing me how they look like. I think it's a great addition to any cookbook collection especially if you like desserts!


Disclosure: I received a free copy of Grace’s Sweet Life to review. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Set in the 80s, small town girl, Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough), travels to L.A. to make it big as a singer. However things don't go as planned when she gets mugged right off the bat. She meets Drew Boley (Diego Boneta), a busboy from the Bourbon Room, who tries to catch the thief but fails. Drew convinces his boss, Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) to give Sherrie a job as a waitress and their romance blossoms. The Bourbon Room is in danger of shutting down though due to unpaid taxes and is also a target for Mayor Mike Whitman (Bryan Cranston) and his crazy religious conservative wife with a grudge, Patricia Whitman (Catherine Zeta-Jones), for his plan to clean up the city. In a last desperate attempt to raise the money, Dupree and his right-hand man Lonny Barnett (Russell Brand), arrange for Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), the lead singer in the band Arsenal, to perform the band's last stint there before Stacee breaks off into a solo career. Things go terribly wrong for everyone that night with Sherrie and Drew splitting up due to a misunderstanding, and all the profit from the gig got swiped by Jaxx's sleazy manager, Paul Gill (Paul Giamatti). What makes matters worse, Sherrie and Drew both quit from the Bourbon Room and end up doing things they hate. Can love prevail and save the lovebirds and the end of rock n' roll on Sunset Strip? (The answer is yes.)

Having seen the Rock of Ages musical when it was in town in May, I must say I was looking forward to seeing the movie and reliving the 80s all over again. The plot of the movie is a bit different than the musical and some of the songs were also sang by different characters. Some characters were removed from the movie and some added such as Jaxx's manager and the Rolling Stones journalist, Constance Sacks (Malin Ackerman). Stacee Jaxx was also not made out to be the villain as much as in the musical. I actually liked how Tom Cruise portrayed him all loopy, like he was high all the time. Didn't like the character at first but he really grew on me as the movie progressed. I found that reasons for protests against the Bourbon Room was a little weaker in the movie than in the musical. I felt that it wasn't quite resolved at the end. However, setting that aside, Rock of Ages was a movie I enjoyed. The songs were great and the cast were pretty good at singing! Catherine Zeta-Jones was slightly stiff though. If you like 80s music, you'll probably enjoy it as well! It doesn't take itself very seriously and was fun and entertaining to watch. Leave the kids at home though.

As an extra treat, the Warner Brothers team put on a surprise after party at Roxyburger for us Vancouver screeners! There were free drinks, appetizers, and swag and people dressed up in 80s clothing and 80s music blasting in the background. Good times. Unfortunately my phone had died and I didn't get any photos. =(

Rock of Ages is in theatres this Friday, June 15, 2012. Rock on.

The Avengers picks up right after the events in the previous Marvel films: Thor, Iron Man 2, The Hulk and Captain America. We find out what happened to Loki after he was lost into the abyss. He has found some mysterious alien allies and he is angry and out for revenge with the goal of total world dominance. Loki manages to steal the tesseract from a S.H.I.E.L.D. research facility, brainwashing several agents to work for him in the process. The director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury activates the Avengers Initiative and brings together the heroes we know so well: Tony Stark, Dr. Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers, Thor. Now it is up to the team to find Loki before he can use the tesseract to open a portal and unleash his army upon the Earth.

If you loved any of the previous films, this movie will blow you away. You have to see the previous movies to really appreciate the full extent of the story. The heroes are amazing together and the movie was non-stop action. Each hero gets his time to shine as well and show off their own unique abilities. I really love Tony Stark. He is funny, witty and he continues to be the same in this movie. He makes a serious situation funny and the audience loved that as well. I demand more Tony Stark and Pepper Potts! Oh wait, there's going to be an Iron Man 3! Woohoo!

The movie had great action scenes with amazing visual effects. The huge flying alien creatures definitely impressed me. 3D or 2D? Save your money and go with the 2D. There were a few moments of 3Dness in the beginning but then they seem to forget that they could do 3D effects.

The Avengers is a great action movie with an awesome cast and one of the best of the Marvel series. It opens in theatres Friday, May 4th, 2012. Go see it! Remember to stay for the credits, 'til the very end...

Luke Wright (Jason Statham) finds himself caught in a three way war amongst the corrupt cops of New York, Chinese gangsters, and the Russian mob, that ruined his life, when he choses to come to the aid of a little Chinese girl, Mei (Catherine Chan). Mei is wanted by all three parties because she holds a secret code in her a photographic memory and it is up to Luke to keep her safe.

Some things you can expect in this movie: high speed car chases, lots of gun battles, and blatant disregard for human life throughout the whole movie but you know that's what it will be when it comes to Jason Statham. He excels in these type of action movies and this was no different. Loved the plot. Simple but interesting and keeps it interesting with surprising plot twists. There were even applauses from the screening audience. Safe is a great fun action movie to enjoy!

Safe opens in theatres Friday, April 27, 2012.

Last Saturday I went to an advance screening of Disney Nature's Chimpanzee with the family. I had seen the trailer and was very excited to see it.

Chimpanzee is the latest film in Disneynature's series of nature documentaries. This time Disney takes the audience deep into the forests of Africa where a band of chimpanzees live. Oscar is a playful baby chimp full of curiosity and mischievous. In this amazing true story, when Oscar tragically loses his mom, he is adopted by the unlikeliest of member of his clan - Freddy, the old grizzly male alpha chimp.

Chimpanzee is a very touching and beautiful film about these amazing creatures. The shots of the African rainforest were breathtaking. The crew managed to capture amazing footage on the chimps and shows us how intelligent they are and also how similar they are to us. It's uncanny how human some of the older chimps look. I can only imagine how the film crew felt when they look into the eyes of the chimps. Oscar is so cute and makes you smile at all his antics. Tim Allen did a great job narrating, adding his own personality to the story (listen for Tim the Tool Man Taylor!).

What I didn't like was the unoriginality of the rival alpha chimp's name: Scar. Could Disney not think of any other evil sounding names that they have to recycle old villain names? The chimp didn't even have a scar. They should have called him Lip since his lower lip hangs down, anything but Scar!

True to Disney films, the documentary gets "Disneyfied" - all the violence is dumb down and cut out so the audience doesn't see anything get killed and is let to imagine through the narration. It does get a little slow at times since it just shows the daily life of Oscar and his extended family but these points are rare and Oscar's behaviour usually comes around to make you smile and laugh again.

Chimpanzee is a great nature documentary for people of all ages to take a glimpse into the life of a chimp. And like with all Disneynature films, Disney will is making donations for every person who watch the movie on opening week. Purchase tickets between April 20-26, 2012, and Disneynature will make a donation to the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to protect wild chimpanzees! Check out the Jane Goodall site for more information.

Chimpanzee is in theatres today, Friday, April 20, 2012!

Lockout takes place on MS-1 (Maximum Security-1) a space station built to house the most dangerous criminals and is said to have zero incidences and be inescapable since all of the prisoners are put in stasis. The president's daughter, Emilie Warnock (Maggie Grace from Lost), was on board interviewing inmates when all hell breaks loose due to a stupid decision and the prisoners all awaken. Apparently the only person who can save her now is the smart alec, tough guy Snow (Guy Pearce), who was being sent to MS-1 after being double-crossed on a government mission. The clock is ticking for Snow as the unstable prisoners start killing their hostages and the station starts on a collision course with earth. 

I actually enjoyed this movie though I'm not sure if it is trying to make fun of the sci-fi action thriller genre because it is a really funny movie. The character Snow is throws sarcastic insults on the fly as a response to almost everything, even wears it as a shirt. It was hard to like him at first but he wins you over with his cheesy but funny responses that the audience just ate up. Sarcastic insults seem to be also the premise on which the relationship between Emilie and Snow is based. The other characters are not so interesting. The villains lacked depth.

This is your basic action, sci-fi movie with explosions, hand-to-hand combat, guns, space fighter jets. The plot is semi-believable though the reason for the prisoners' escape seemed to forced. It is a very fast-pasted movie and the audience was never bored. It was very fun to watch and not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.

Lockout is in theatres Friday, April 13, 2012.

Set in the post apocalyptic world of Panem, the Hunger Games is a based on the book of the same name by Suzanne Collins. Panem is split into 12 Districts and ruled by the people of the Capitol. Every year, each District sends two Tributes: a young man and woman, to the Capitol where they take part in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death battle broadcast as a reality TV show. The movie follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) from District 12 who lives with her mother and younger sister Primrose (Willow Shields) and survives by going hunting with her friend, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth). All that ends when she volunteers to take her sister's place as Tribute when her name is picked and is whisked away to the Capitol with her fellow Tribute, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Pitted against opponents who have been training all their lives for the Games, Katniss will have to use all her skills and wits to show the world she has what it takes to survive the 74th Hunger Games.


I was lucky enough to see the Hunger Games yesterday courtesy of Toshiba Canada and I was super excited! The Hunger Games movie is one of the most widely anticipated movies of this year and it certainly lives up to the hype. The film stays very faithful to the book but there are some changes. Some minor characters and scenes were cut (you won't see Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) fall off the stage unfortunately) and other scenes not in the book were added in like scenes that take you away from Katniss' point of view. You get to see the Games' control centre which was very cool and futuristic! And when Katniss and Peeta came out on their chariot in flames. AH. It gave me goosebumps!

The movie is in some ways better than the book especially in terms of the relationship between Gale and Katniss. In the book, I did not feel anything for the two but in the movie the relationship felt real, that there really could be something between the two and same thing with Peeta. The movie gave the complex relationship a certain depth that I felt the book did not. I was leaning toward Team Peeta before the movie now I feel conflicted. ;P

The actors really shined in their roles. Jennifer Lawrence especially, played a wonderfully strong Katniss. One thing I loved about the book was that Katniss was this strong, intelligent and independent character and going into the movie, I wasn't sure if Jennifer Lawrence would live up to the expectation. All my fears were dispelled as I watch her. She was quite frankly suited for the role. She portrayed Katniss exactly how I imagined. I felt every emotion that she was going through and I teared up at the scene with Rue (Amandla Stenberg) from District 11.

Unavoidably, there is a fair bit of violence and brutality in the film, but the director does not linger on the scenes. My favourite scenes were (without giving anything away), the chariot ride, the private skill demonstration and the reaction scene just after that, and Katniss' lullaby scene with Rue.  

Another thing that amazed me were the costumes of the people of the Capitol - from the immaculately groomed head Gamemaker, Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), to the elaborate dresses of Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks). The costume and make up artists did an awesome job of creating the 'oddness' of the Capitol in contrast with the Districts even if it was just simple things like some oddly shaped facial hair!

Word of caution: they really like to use hand held cameras throughout the film. Though it gave a gritty and real feel to the movie, I thought it was used a little too often and can also make a sensitive person slightly ill especially if sitting too close to the front. If you are one of those people then make sure you sit in the back. But other than that, I see no fault in the visual style. Close up shots of the Tributes faces, really draw you in to the level of emotion you can see.

GO SEE IT. The world will be watching and if you are not, you are missing out. The Hunger Games opens in theatres Friday, March 23, 2012. I'm already really looking forward to the next one!

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are two opposites in high school - the geek and the jock. They run into each other again when they both enroll into Police Acedemy and end up being best friends when they find they can help each other acheive their goals. But instead of the car chases and explosions they were envisioning after graduation, they are assigned to park patrol. When they finally arrest their first perpetrator, he was let go because Jenko didn't read him his rights. The pair are reassigned to 21 Jump Street, a police undercover unit whose officers are chosen because they look young enough to pass as high school students. Schmidt and Jenko are given the job of finding the dealers and suppliers of a drug dealing ring at the local high school. But even then they mess up and end up with each other's undercover identity. Schmidt ends up hanging with the cool kids and Jenko with the science geeks. Schmidt and Jenko's friendship may be put to the ultimate test as the same issues that plagued them in high school come back to haunt them.


The movie was hilarious and there were many laugh out loud moments. It wasn`t afraid to poke fun at itself, knowing that this is a based on the late 80s TV show of the same name. In fact, you might even see some familiar faces. ;) For those who are sensitive, there is some violence and some people do die, there is a lot of teen drug use and drinking and swearing. But I digress, if you are looking for a good laugh, this is the movie to see. This was another one of those movies that was way better than I imagined. Oh, and there are explosions and car chases.

21 Jump Street opens in theatres Friday, March 16, 2012. Go see it!

Loosely based in Dr. Seuss' 1971 children's book of the same name, the movie takes place in Thneedville, a city that made of plastic with no living plants in it all. We follow 12-year-old boy Ted (Zac Efron) in his quest to impress the girl he has a crush on, Audrey (Taylor Swift), who dreams of seeing a real live tree. His grandma Norma (Betty White) tells Ted to seek out the Once-ler (Ed Helms) who knows about what happened to all the the trees. Ted manages to sneak out of the city and find the Once-ler who tells him the story of the Lorax and the disappearance of the Truffula trees due to corruption and greed. Now it might be up to Ted to bring back the trees and show people to care again but Mr O'Hare (Rob Riggle), the most powerful man in the Thneedville (and who looks an awful lot like Enda from the Incredibles) will do anything to stop Ted from ruining his plastic paradise.

The Lorax is cute movie with a good message in how one person can make a difference and how we should care about the environment. I really liked how people just spontaneously burst into catchy songs. The Once-ler's solo also reminded some people of the lead singer from Marianas Trench. lol

The animators did a great job bringing the world of the Lorax to life. I loved how the Truffula trees, Bar-ba-loots, Swomee-Swans and Humming-Fish were animated. The trees look so fluffy and soft and the Bar-ba-loots are insanely cute! I'm not sure about the Lorax though. I kind of completely missed his purpose. He was a little annoying and I didn't like the jokes he made. Still the movie was great and the children in the audience liked it.

The Lorax is in theatres today, on Dr. Seuss' birthday! Go bring the family and see it!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss

Robert Downey Jr. is back as Sherlock Holmes in the action-packed sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. This time, the whole of England and her surrounding countries find themselves in a caught in a  twisted invisible web of  Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), a genius mathematician, who Holmes is convinced is behind recent bombings around the world. Holmes and Dr. Watson (Jude Law) find themselves playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with a mastermind that leaves no traceable evidence behind. They will have to outwit and outplay their opponent before he succeeds in plunging the developed world into war.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows starts off running with disguises, betrayal and fights. It was a little confusing in the beginning as my brain scrambled to remember that had happened in the first movie in order to piece together what I was seeing in the second. In this sequel, Sherlock Holmes seems to a master of disguises as well and was he always this crazy? If he was then he is more so in this sequel! This of course works well for laughs but he doesn't seem to be a rational, intellectual being anymore - instead he is portrayed as an autistic formaldehyde-drinking madman, doing whatever he wants! That said, Dr. Watson is thankfully very grounded - the complete opposite to the off-the-rocker antics of Holmes. We also see the talented Noomi Rapace who plays Madam Simza Heron, a gypsy woman who aids the duo in their quest to bring down Professor Moriarty. The director must be a fan of slow-motion because the movie is full of them. Almost any action is precursored by a slow-motion run down.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a hilarious movie that will delight fans of the original. Lots of explosions, laughs, action, special effects, good story, and all around good time in this movie. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is in theatres this Friday, December 15, 2011.

Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (voiced by Peter Linz) are brothers who are the best friends. Walter is a huge fan of the Muppets and when Gary invites him along on his trip to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), Walter is ecstatic. However, he is crestfallen when he finds out that the original Muppets Studios have been long abandoned and fallen into ruin. While wandering around the studios, Walter overhears a plot by rich business man, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper), who wants to drill under the Muppet theater for oil. Now it's up to the three friends to find and reunite the Muppets so they can put on one last show to raise $10 million needed to save the Muppet Studios!

Original Muppet fans are not going to be disappointed with this one. The Muppets is full of cheeky humour that will have you laughing throughout the movie. Funny references that you are watching a movie are littered throughout the movie and they that are bound to amuse you. Also look out for celebrity cameos! There are so many that it is hard to list them all! I loved the choice of human-version Walter - you're going to have to watch the movie in order to find out who it is! Heehee.

A Muppet movie wouldn't be complete with song and dance numbers and there are a lot of them - new ones and old favourites. They are all integrated nicely in between scenes and it doesn't feel weird when someone suddenly breaks out into song. In fact you expect it! I love all the songs especially "Life's a Happy Song" which is so good it is played twice! I'm going to get myself the soundtrack now.

The Muppets will please original fans and create new ones. The movie is more targeted to older audiences but children will probably enjoy it as well - they just won't get a lot of the jokes. Give yourself the 3rd best gift in the world and go see it in theatres! You'll also be able to watch a Toy Story short before the movie! The Muppets is coming out in theatres on Wednesday, November 23, 2011! It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights!

A cocky, young man named D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) leaves home to fulfill his dream to join the Musketeers. Unfortunately, due to a disastrous mission a year ago, the three legendary Musketeers, Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Porthos (Ray Stevenson), and Aramis (Luke Evans), have become cynical, drunk, poor and quite down on their luck. France is now being run by a young boy king who seems to be more interested in the latest fashion than ruling so the church Cardinal holds most of the power who is only held in check by the queen. In hopes of seizing the throne, the Cardinal tries turn the king against the queen with the help of Milady de Winter (Milla Jovovich) by stealing the queen's necklace to implicate her having relations with the Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom) who is currently in the midst of peace talks with the king. Now it is up to D'Artagnan and the Musketeers to retrieve back the stolen jewels and prevent the take over of the throne and all out war.

The movie is amazing! It is full of action, adventure and romance. All the stuff I like. Heheh. Despite being French story, all the characters sounded English to me. Superb acting by the cast. It was hard to image Orlando Bloom as being evil but he was SO EVIL. Being shot in 3D, it is expected that Three Musketeers had lots of cool 3D effects throughout the movie. I wasn't disappointed. Expect to see flying ships, espionage, betrayal and all around good time fun. There were some nice group sword fighting sequences as well as a nail-biting one-on-one between D'Artagnan and Buckingham. The movie is also nicely set up for a sequel. I can't wait!

The Three Musketeers is in theatres this Friday, October 21st, 2011

Footloose is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name which follows Ren McCormack (Kenny Wormald) who moves from Boston to small town Bomont to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mother. He makes friends with Willard (Miles Teller) at school and quickly becomes smitten on Rev. Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid)'s rebel daughter Ariel (Julianne Hough) who has a bad boyfriend. Through Willard and his classmates, he discovers that dancing and loud rock 'n' roll music is outlawed and decides it is his duty to bring the fun back into town.

I must confess as a person who has never seen the original before, the movie was kind of ho-hum. I think the problem was that they tried to update the movie yet still keep it in the 80s style so it didn't quite mesh. Sure they put in iPods but the rest of the movie seemed to be straight from the 80s including hairstyles and clothing. I also wasn't keen on the dancing style. I loved the footwork but the rest is so...flingy...almost like a seizure. 

Ren kind of reminds me of Wade Walker from Crybaby in his looks for some reason. I thought the scene where Ren dances angrily alone in the warehouse was kind of strange and out of the blue but apparently the original movie also had this scene...so it makes sense.

One thing I really loved was the soundtrack! Especially the opening and closing song: Footloose. It is such an awesome song to dance to!

Footloose opens in theatres Friday, October 14, 2011.