One of my best moments of 2017 had to be seeing Paddington 2 at the cinema. I absolutely loved that film and it wasn't only the kids that were desperate to go and see it again. I am therefore absolutely thrilled that Paddington 2 is out on DVD today (12 March 2018) and to celebrate I've been asked to take part in the Paddington 2 Marmalade Challenge. "What is that?" I hear you ask. Well, we all know that Paddington loves marmalade sandwiches - and rightly so as they are absolutely delicious - and I've been challenged to come up with my very own marmalade sandwiches design. Now, the brief ... read more
The Jungle Bunch – DVD and merchandise pack giveaway
My kids are film mad at the moment. Since they discovered the cinema about a year ago they love going, but at the same time also love sitting on the sofa at home and enjoying a film there. I therefore am trying to keep on top of recent kids DVD releases, so I was pleased to be asked to write about The Jungle Bunch which is due out on DVD on Monday 22 January 2018. The lead role in The Jungle Bunch is Maurice - the penguin who thinks he's a tiger. A tiger penguin. Yep, my mind was a little bit boggled by that too, but that's what Maurice is. Raised by a tigress he's the clumsiest kung-fu ... read more
Paddington Pop-Up London
There's really not long to go now until Paddington 2 opens in cinemas here in the UK and I'm thrilled that other people can finally see the film as I absolutely loved it. I've already written all about what I thought of it, but there's another special part of the story to tell you about - Paddington Pop-Up London. Just as soon as you've seen Paddington 2 you'll understand why Paddington Pop-Up London is such a key part of the film. I don't want to give away any major spoilers, but the Pop-Up is basically the reason Paddington ends up going to prison. It's a beautiful book that shows off ... read more
Paddington 2
Where on earth do you begin to write about Paddington 2? Never before has a film exceeded my expectations so much and there are so many things I want to tell you all about it. The key message has to be that you MUST go and see it. Even if you though the original film a bit naff (I did - I didn't even bother with the last 30 minutes on Amazon Prime as I was so bored) this is completely different. It's a million times better. Paddington 2 move you to tears of both sadness and laughter, but also completely change your opinion of Hugh Grant as an actor. Out on general release fro 10 November ... read more
Smurfs: The Lost Village on DVD
A while back I went with the kids to the local cinema to see the latest Smurfs film - Smurfs: The Lost Village. If I'm totally honest it wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but the kids absolutely loved it and have been asking to see it again ever since. This last week their wish has been answered with the release of the film on DVD. The "summer" weather hasn't been great this summer holiday, and with a smaller smaller place to live in, having some DVDs to entertain the kids has been a great respite from everyone falling over each other in our tiny flat. They have loved catching up with the ... read more
Thomas and Friends – Journey Beyond Sodor
My littlest one is train obsessed, so was super excited as we headed into London on the train and then tube for a special screening of the new Thomas the Tank Engine film: Journey Beyond Sodor. Thomas cheekily takes James' trucks and heads over the bridge from Sodor to the mainland, but gets lost and then held hostage, labouring in the steelworks. We meet some new characters, some good, some bad, some weird, but it all comes good in the end, as you might hope. We had fun in the foyer ahead of the film, marvelling at the array of Thomas the Tank Engine toys available, spread out as if in a ... read more
Ravensburger Despicable Me 3 Jigsaw Puzzles
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only parent that is quite excited about the the new Despicable Me 3 film coming out this summer. The trailer seems to have been playing in the cinema for ages now, but you know the release must be approaching soon when you start seeing all the film merchandise in the shops. Little Miss C and Master C have been busy this last couple of weeks helping me review these Ravensuburger Despicable Me 3 Jigsaw puzzles. Like many Ravensburger puzzles this Despicable Me 3 one contains four separate puzzles: one with 12 pieces, one with 16, one with 20 and one with 24 pieces. ... read more
A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits
One thing that I love about classic stories like Cinderella is how they just keep on going all these years after they were originally written or told. It is thought that the Cinderella story was first told in China, whilst the first record of it here in Europe was in Italy. A version of the story closest to the one we know today was published in Paris back in 1697, but I'm pretty sure that 300 years ago no one imagined that we'd be sat here in 2017 discussing new versions of the story being released on DVD. Heck, they wouldn't even have known what a DVD was! Out on DVD on the 6th February ... read more
New Year, New You – resolving to catch up with the classics #NewYearNewYou
As a kid I just didn't really watch films. I'm not totally sure why though. Maybe it was because we didn't really go out to the cinema much. Or maybe it was because there were no DVD players or VHS recorders, so the only films you watched at home were when they were on the TV. Whatever the reason though, now I'm an adult I do feel that there are massive massive gaps in my film education. When conversations come round to films I often find myself making excuses, or even just staying quiet as I simply haven't seen what everyone else is talking about, or in some cases I've not even heard of the ... read more
Kubo and The Two Strings – Film Review
Mr C and I came out of Sunday morning's advance screening of Kubo and The Two Strings and both found ourselves a little bit speechless about what we'd just seen. Kubo is quite simply one of the most artistically stunning films I've seen in a long time, but boy is it dark too. Kubo is a small Japanese boy who lives with his ill mother in a cave just outside a small village. As a young baby he lost an eye at the hand of his Grandfather, Moon King. Every day Kubo goes into the village and tells magical stories mainly about a Samurai warrior called Hanzo (Kubo's missing father) that are acted ... read more