Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire

This HP film is by far and away the best one to date. It's a two and a half hour rollercoaster ride from start to finish and is to be highly recommended.

I am biased in that I love the books, but was very disapointed by the first two films in a massive way. In fact I didn't bother going to see the third one on the basis that I hated the first two so much. However I did see it at home and loved it, and was pleasantly proven wrong.

This film version is difficult to fault. The kids have come on in leaps and bounds in term of acting, the story is really entertaining and very dark. Voldemort makes a definitive appearance and is brilliantly portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, and the story has really begun to take off.

I think one of the best endorsements of this film is that people who have had no interest in the books or previous films have really enjoyed it. One caveat is that in my opinion this is not a film for little children. It's dark, it's violent and I jumped out my skin once or twice, despite the fact I knew what was coming!

The Constant Gardener

This is by far and away my movie of the year to date. It is a gripping story of love, intrigue, deception and Africa and I just can't fault it.

The director Meirelles, who previously directed the equally stunning City of God, really does this story credit. The documentary style, shooting using hand held cameras gets the viewer very close to the action and the settings, to the point where you feel that if you tried a little harder you could smell the slum.

Fiennes and Weisz both do a magnificent job in portraying characters that, I for one, really cared about. Although the character Fiennes plays appears initially to be weak and inconsequential I found myself falling a little in love with him by the end of the film, as his strength, intelligence and commitment to his wife became overpowering factors in his true self.

Weisz has never convinced me before of her ability to act, but here in this film she shon. Her character is beautiful, intelligent, feisty, and loyal and there is so much to like about her that, her loss made me grieve too.

I cried during this movie. But more tellingly, I cried afterwards too, on the way home, when I thought about it. All I can say is that you won't regret going to see this one.

The Three Day Road - Joesph Boyden

My folks recently reviewed this book at their book club meeting and it attracted very lively and animated discussion for at least three hours from the participants of the meeting. Having witnessed the excitement generated by the book I felt that I really should read it myself to find out what all the excitement was about.

I enjoyed the book. But I wouldn't say it was a fantasic read or a gripping story. I found the main characters, 2 Indian sharp shooters, to be a little remote. I liked the character of the medicine woman aunt and the accounts of life in the bush and of living in the Indian community in the wilds of Canada.

The accounts of the First World War are difficult to comment on, however having read other fictional accounts of the war, the descriptions in this book tally with other accounts. But saying this it didn't increase my knowledge of the war and the experience of those who lived through it, and I don't feel that it was in anyway a ground breaking experience in literary terms.

The best aspect of this book, for me, was the accounts of the spiritual and religious beliefs of the Indian trio, the errosion of faith and their perception of western religion. Otherwise I felt the book lacked something more definitive, maybe it tried to do too much in not enough pages. Saying that it didn't end too abruptly which for me is a cardinal sin, but it did leave me a little dissatisfied all the same.

Nanny McPhee

I'm a sucker for kids films involving a good moral tale and a bit of magic and as such Nanny McPhee scores well.

I enjoyed it on the level that it's meant to be enjoyed, a very simple one!

The costumes, the colours the setting are all fantastically OTT and luscious. Although I could have done without the inclusion of dead men's feet in the scenes in the undertakers - very unpleasant and a damn sight more horrifying than I can only suppose it was meant to be!

But any film with the delectable Colin Firth in it is always going to have an edge with me! If you have little kids or like me are a little kid this is a sweet funny, amusing film for you to enjoy!

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

This is by far my least favourite Austen story. I personally found it to be formulaic, dull and irritating!

The characters are the weakest of all her stories, which means that they are generally unlikeable and this left me not caring whether or not they lived happily ever after!

The heroine of the piece Fanny Price is a judgemental, weak, repressed and boring individual with very little to redeem her. The love interest Edmund is a preaching, uncertain boring and also repressed second son who's only ambition is to be a clergy man, he wasn't my type!
As a result I found myself rooting for the villain of the piece and hoped against hope that there would be a shock ending where Mr. Crawford won over Fanny's affections and they ran off together to live happily ever after. Fat chance.

If you want a decent Austen novel don't read this one, I recommend Pride & Prejudice or Sense & Sensibility as being ultimatley superiour!