Highlander Most Wanted -Maya Banks

If you are a fan of Highlander romance then you will enjoy this ... but those who dont read romance as a principle then this not the book for you.

Reading Highlander Most Wanted you have a  sense this is not a stand alone book, it's not as this is book 2. It's an easy read with an interesting premise, you do not get many books that the main character; Genevieve McInnes has been horribly abused. This is where Maya Banks has impressed me with an attempt to show the romance world that not every heroine  or her sitiuation needs to be perfect..... 

Bowen Montgomery hasn't come to rescues Genevieve originally,( this is where you may have wished to read book 1 ) he has come on a mission to rid the earth of Patrick McHugh. He doesn't do it but his actions allow another which a fantastic turn in the book.

This book has hooked me on to the series and I will be waiting impatiently for the next book as you can see some characters  romance arc with this book.

Dancing your blues away....

Having never seen the original Footloose I went along to the movie with no real expectations for the film other than I would hopefully feel chilled out after a stressful week.
The story is about a teenager (Ren McCormack played by Kenny Wormald) who moves to the town Bomont from Boston to live with his aunt and uncle after the death of his mum and finds himself fighting for the right to dance.
The storyline like other teenage angst movie has the same formula of teenage finds a cause to rebel for and rebellion ends in a happy ending... along the way there is romance and dancing. Having watched other dance based movie i had thought I would be astounded by dance routines, however I was sadly disappointed at the lack of dancing. Kenny has fantastic gymnastic moves in some scenes however some of the dance scenes doesn’t seem to have a smooth flow of movement and the music for someroutines doesn’t seem suit .
Unfortunately the highlight of the movie is not Ren’s character but his friend Willard (Miles Teller). Miles scenes steal the show as they are by far the best part of the movie with his funny quips ( and his hair trigger tendency to start fights) and attempts at learning how to dance.
Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell were wasted in the characters that they played. I felt Andie had no place in the movie nor was utilised to flesh out the character of a bereaved mother which was a real shame.
The storyline was blighted i think by the fact of how could a town in the 21 century really be allowed to pass laws to ban music and dance... slightly far fetched in its possibity of it really ever happening.
If you are looking for a gritty and fast moving thriller and action like tinker talior spy, this isn’t it. However if you want something that won’t strain your brain and leave you with a chilled out feeling, this will do as a something I like to call a Sunday filler.

On the Island of Berk, the villagers don’t worry about mice or mosquitoes instead their pests are a little more dangerous.

“How to Train Your Dragon in 3D” is brought to us by the very same studio that introduced us to animated masterpieces such as “Shrek”, “Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda.”
The story centres around a Viking teenager named Hiccup, where fighting dragons is a way of life. However the Hiccup’s smarts and offbeat sense of humour doesn’t fit in with the tribes notions of what a Viking should be made doubly harder by the fact that he is the tribe leader’s son . So Hiccup sets out to prove them wrong but  that all changes when he has an encounter with a dragon that  forces him rethink his view of the world.

Its a heart warming story about friendship and relationships with people who are important in Hiccups life but like in Shrek it deals with how discrimination against those who are unknown or misunderstood can be caused by the fact that people are afraid of new or things that don’t fit into their notion of what is the norm.

The good, the bad and the ugly bits of the film:

The good bits are the one liners as always (DreamWorks writers certainly know the right formula for them). The twisting of the main plot; Hiccup dreaming of been a dragon killer to becoming a action hero without needing to kill was different and really interesting. The sub story of Hiccup and Astrid is not the main focus which is fantastic as it allows the audience to focus on the main story. Its just funny to see Hiccup trying impress Astrid and failing badly.

The bad bit is lack of interaction between the other teens in the movie who then end up helping him in the end. It falls a bit flat because it feels like a last minute addition to the movie that wasn’t thought out well. But the scenes when you do see other characters are funny.

There aren’t any really ugly bits of the movie it’s a trademark DreamWorks movie which is target to young people but adults will find it funny too.

The plot was entertaining, it hooked me and youngest brother from the first scene. It wasn’t a complicated film with loads of subplots which you wouldn’t expect from a DreamWork’s movie but the subplots with Hiccup trying to impressing his father by becoming the greatest dragon killer, getting Astrid to like him with the added pressure of keeping the dragon a secret from his tribe, it was engaging and involving for both of us.

The animation was well done, the similarity to Shrek still comes to mind. The 3D element didn’t actually make that much of a difference to me until the first couple of scenes of flying  and for someone with vertigo it really did make feel a little ill!

The script was well written because it kept the audience interested I don’t think a single person didn’t laugh when they were suppose to laugh, jump when they suppose to.

It was a lovely movie for a Sunday with family which was thoroughly enjoyed by the youngest member of my family and me. I would definitely recommed it!