Tag: review

Things I like: Neale Mathieson-Welcome To The Solar System

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Firstly, I seem to have lost the ability to create anything legible, so this post is over a month late. There has been about 4 drafts, which made no sense what-so-ever. This is the problem when you have problems with your brain and your body, with both causing me issues. Anyway, enough with the excuses, let’s get down to business.

Neale Mathieson has started 2023 with the release of his new album Welcome To The Solar System. Neale is a self-published singer-songwriter based in Dunfermline, Fife, and also performs in the band, Segadeth, who do heavy metal video game songs. Which is as great as it sounds. The album, itself, is a great listen, with metal and punk influences, mixed with the sometimes humorous lyrics.

As a fan of music with a ska beat, thanks to my Dad, I loved Going Nowhere. A ska beat, a bit of a synth sound, and lyrics going through how the line between work and play seems to be getting thinner. A problem that came to the forefront as many of us were forced to work from home, and social lives became non-existent. Adulting is another highlight for me, with a heavier, more raw sound, talking about the crap-ness of being a functioning adult. Something that I can definitely resonate with. Of Mice and Madmen, is another highlight. This song is slower, more guitar-driven, showing Neale’s range when creating music. The different sounds that make this album one, creates an experience which surprises the listener.
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I Liked A Thing.

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

I have just finished working my way through ‘Sadie’ by Courtney Summers. I have mentioned that my attention has been difficult, due to my brain not stopping thanks to anxiety. So, I listened to the audiobook, which kept my attention, and allowed me to become engrossed in the story.

The book starts, with a podcast. The Girls, is a true crime podcast, presented by West McCray. It features West trying to track down a teenage girl, Sadie, who has been reported missing by her Aunt. Sadie, is 19. Her little sister, Mattie, has been found dead. Sadie is trying to track down the man she thinks is responsible for her little sister’s murder.

The narrative of the book alternates between West’s Podcast, and Sadie’s point of view. As Sadie moves her way through small town America, West follows, sometimes a few months later, and interviews the people Sadie meets. The story is unique in how it’s told. How the truth is fed to the reader in small tidbits, just enough to keep you hanging on. As said, I listened to the audiobook, which I believe helped me get engrossed into the book more. The podcast, however, does exist. Simply search ‘The Girls’ into your podcast site of choice, and listen as you read. Listening to the interviews actually brings a new dimension to the book, which makes everything feel so much more real.

You can always tell when you enjoy a good book, because you are thinking of it long after you finish. And that is what I feel right now. I have missed this feeling.

Movie Time: Remembering Sunday

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Length: 96 mins

Dirextor: Jeff Bleckner

Starring: Alexis Bledel, Zachary Levi, Merritt Weaver

I was a huge fan of Alexis Bledel in the Gilmore Girls and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants movies,  so when I saw Remembering Sunday popped up on my Netflix recommended, I decided to watch. It is a made for TV movie, which was shown on the Hallmark Channel in the US, starring Alexis as waitress, Molly, who meets jewellery shop worker Gus, played by Mad Men’s Zachary Levi.

This is very similar to 50 First Dates, in that Gus has had a brain disorder which has left him unable to make new memories. Gus meets Molly, when he is waiting for his friend in a cafe, and he is recording his thoughts on a voice recorder (he transfers these new memories to a computer when he gets home). He is nice to Molly, and as such she falls for him. He tries to hide the fact that every day he wakes up with no memory about what happened the day before, so as they see each other more, Gus records the conversations they share. Gus plans everything to exact detail, to hide his issues from Molly, and gets slightly frazzled. Playing Gus’ sister Lucy, is Merritt Weaver, also known as Zoey from Nurse Jackie . She appears to be Gus’ rock, and does it well, working out a system so that Gus can understand what has happened so that he can survive every day, and relearn what has happened since he became ill. She also warns Molly about understanding that there is no quick fix for Gus’ memory issue, and that she has to accept that he may not be normal. Which is a tough issue that a lot of films and TV shows wouldn’t touch on. It gave a bit of an extra dimension to the story.

Molly dreams of opening a floor shop, but due to cash-flow issues, she finds herself ‘waiting for life to start’, working in the cafe, attending college and renting a room in her friends apartment. She feels that she has had awful luck with men, and has trust issues. And seems to doubt everything that happens, like when Gus forgets one of their dates.

I am not going to post too many spoilers, because that takes away the joy of watching a movie, right? If you thought 50 First Dates was good, this is the same, but more chick-flick slush rather than laugh out loud. It is very sweet, and has moments where it is genuinely touching. But, you can tell this is a made for TV movie, it seems to go a little askew at the start of the second half, as I lost attention, as changes start to happen, as the character’s lives move forward, I didn’t feel involved enough to be part of the journey with them. It was cute, it was watchable, it just lacked the oomph that makes me really care about a movie.

If you are spending a quiet afternoon to yourself, this is a movie for that. It is easy to watch, and is something to kill a few hours. Because the general storyline is very similar to that of 50 First Dates, I found myself missing the laughs, as there wasn’t much to be found here. I wouldn’t pay for the movie to rent, but if you have Netflix, it is worth a look.

Lion King 3D- review

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

The Lion King. What can be said about a movie which has became one of Disney’s most famous creations? With a killer sound track, touching story and memorable characters, it became the movie that made so many people fall in love with animation.

I am going to take it for granted that most people know the story of Simba and his journey to become ruler of The Pride Lands. This special screening of the movie was a late addition to the Edinburgh International film festival, and so was missed out of much of the promotion material. But, none-the-less Ediburgh’s stylish Festival Theatre was filled with both kids and adults to see the 3D premiere of The Lion King. The 3D re-release is in celebration of the movie being released from the legendary Disney Vault, in October. The pressure was on, after Disney made a mess of the 2003 release on DVD, mostly by re-animating scenes and even adding an additional song, (Morning Report from the stage musical).

Thankfully, the added song was absent, although it appears that the animation includes the re-animated scenes from the 2003 release. The sound has been re-done, and it sounds spectacular. The 3D, something I normally have difficulty in distinguishing, had a few moments were it shone. Best moments for the 3D, for myself, was at the start (Circle of Life), the stampede and when Simba follows Rafiki through bushes to the lake. These scenes really popped out, and really are amongst the best 3D I have seen on the big screen.

It is still a magical movie, well worth seeing in the cinema whether you can distinguish the 3D or not. The movie is still breath-taking, and I still will say that Mufasa’s death is still one of the saddest scenes in modern cinema. In fact, I know I was not the only adult who cried at Simba’s futile attempts to wake his fallen father. As an avid fan of The Lion King, this screening made me fall more in love with my favourite animation franchise ever. And everyone in my screening came out happy and satisfied. Well done Disney, you have done it right.

Lion King 3D is released in UK cinemas on 1st October, for 2 weeks, with the DVD/BluRay release on the 14th October. I recommend everyone to see it, if you can. Its not very often you get a second chance to see a true masterpiece on the big screen, so make the effort to see it.

Blog Recommendation: Domestic Sluttery

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

If, like me, you are a foodie with a fondness for design blogs, check out Domestic Sluttery.

You see the name, and you may think you are being directed onto some x-rated site, I can assure you it is nothing of the sort.

Domestic Sluttery: The home and lifestyle blog for women who have better things to do.

It’s purpose is to show women they can be ‘domestic goddesses’ but can still enjoy their lives. It is a really inspirational blog, with a number of different contributors and they cover a wide variety of topics. Why I like this blog, is because I feel that it has a little bit for everybody, whether you are looking for shopping ideas or for a new food recipe. And I like that freedom the blog seems to have.

All the contributors volunteer time to do articles and reviews, and most of them contribute to other sites. And because there is more than one person writing for the site, there is different opinions and thoughts, and that collaboration makes the site seem very warm and friendly. The site itself is very simple, and inviting to people who are possibly ‘low-tech’. A friend actually recommended the blog to me, because she knows I both read and write a lot, and this was the first blog-site she had read repeatedly.

Although, I am well-aware, that this is not what people think about, especially when starting up any kind of site. But you want it to feel warm and welcoming, as that is what gets you repeated views. A lot of sites don’t have a friendly, simplistic quality, and don’t realise that this is losing them visitors. From what I understand, Domestic Sluttery, has caught a lot of people’s attention by being pretty basic in design, and actually caring about the chosen topic. You can sense their passion for everything they post.

Blink And You’ll Miss It

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Ok, I was going to try and do this big deep and meaningful post, but I can’t do it. I just want to write about Blink 182 and how awesome they were at the Glasgow SECC last night. Although I only arrived 2 hours before the doors opened, still got to the barrier.

The Setlist

1. Dumpweed
2. Feeling This
3. The Rock Show
4. What’s My Age Again?
5. Violence
6. I Miss You
7. Stay Together For The Kids
8. Down
9. Always
10. Stockholm Syndrome
11. First Date
12. Man Overboard
13. Don’t Leave Me
14. Not Now
15. All The Small Things
16. Reckless Abandon
17. Josie
18. Anthem Pt2

19. Encore:
19. Travis’ Solo
20. Carousel
21. Dammit

Also. Travis Barker? Best drummer in the world. No arguements. I have no idea how the man isn’t terrified of heights, cause I would be, after all he’s been through. But the drum solo he did during the encore. Never seen anything like it EVER.

(video from the Aberdeen show on Monday, but couldn’t find one from the Glasgow show)

Apparently the crowd was really bad. Honestly, I didn’t notice. There was pushing, and I was squashed against the barrier, to the point I couldn’t get into my bag to get my camera. Gutted. Could have got some awesome pictures. And people compaining cause beer was getting thrown?!? What have they never been to a gig before. But the floor was slippery, and a lot of people fell over, which in a hall filled with 10,000 people, is no good thing. So a lot of people (mostly young girls) were pulled out.

When I thought I was never going to see Blink again, the fact that I got to see them, was good enough. But they never missed a beat, both Tom Delonge and Mark Hoppus keeping up a great level at banter. Both guys were so funny. Even Mark with the ‘thanks to Jedward for letting us cover their song’, before ‘All The Small Things’. And little ad-libs during songs, which were probably rehearsed like crazy, but were so funny.

I just wish I knew that they would be back again, because I would relive that gig in a heartbeat.

The only pitfalls, are the floor of the arena, which is this rubbery stuff. Awesome when its dry, but a few spilt drinks and it turned into an ice rink. The SECC need to do something about that, cause I think that was the main reason so many people fell in the pit.

Preview of the review

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Happy Saturday everybody.

Hope all is good in the hood.         And such 😛

I am blogging with my first proper Vlog. Though, I am unsure how I can call it proper as you can tell I suck at it soooooo much. 😦 Oh well.

I am promoting my lovely new camera, the Fujifim A180, becaue I love it. It has a very good video camera, which is a little washedout on its first youtube outing. I can see myself getting a tripod and recording off that. Seeing as it will be more steady than using the webcam on my laptop, which I am using right now.

Planning to recording the pub, both PJs and Creepy’s and also film outside. Now these are different situations, and will show how the video copes with things such as movement and the like.  These seem like good tests of the video. I will also take pictures, but I already know my camera is fantastic at dealing with that.

Yeah, as hard as it sounds, I actually ramble more when I’m talking than I do when I am typing.  🙂

Anyway, trying to get up the intrest, so if you enjoy my crap talking please Rate, Review and Subsribe.  I will love you forever, and will be  your best friend.

Enjoy whats left of your Saturday. xox<—-have some naughts and crosses

**P.S.- product review was unexpected, but I thought I would give it a shot, seeing as I have been watching a ton of them recently**

**also- do not like new youtube to much, I’ll get used to it though**