A selfish review this month, as none of you will get to listen to this unless you borrow it off me or take a trip down under. That's where this came from, so I presume that's where you can buy it. I can't tell you anything about the singer, or even what the songs are called except the title one, but I can say this is really enjoyable. There are traces of Alanis Morrisette in the style and themes of her songs, especially the one that I'll call What If I Die, but the individual character of her voice is reminiscent of Cerys Matthews from Catatonia. This genre could be described as light rock, with an acoustic feel. Very angsty, which is where the Alanis connection comes from, but also different and unique. It's good, and it gets a 7 out of 10.
Now this is very funny, but too short! Lots of humour in here, jokes for adults too, an all-round film that everyone can enjoy. Much better than Cats and Dogs, this is extremely well animated and has lots of in-references to other films. The facial expressions and little details are amazing. The characters are great too, with Donkey far outshining the rest of them, even Shrek. The only thing I couldn't understand was why Mike Myers used a Scottish accent. Maybe it helped make the ogre more friendly, but I still didn't get it. That aside, this is very enjoyable, and I especially liked the singing at the end. Worth watching just to catch Eddie Murphy's contribution as the hilarious Donkey. I now understand why one of my uni friends keeps doing impressions of the Ginger-Bread Man! I don't know if I could watch this over and again on a long plane flight though, like one of my other friends. It certainly lasts better than other cartoons, which is a great relief to parents (and babysitters - yes you Alison!). I give this an 8 out of 10.
WOW. This is absolutely amazing. It goes straight to my list of all-time favourites, possibly the best book (I'm talking about the whole trilogy) that I've ever read. Tolkien transports the reader into a fantasy world filled with fairytale creatures, legends and magic. Ostensibly a children's book, the depth of detail means you really need to follow closely what's happening and who is who, as he creates an entire history and language for middle-earth. It has its share of death and violence, in fact it is probably too scary for younger readers. I certainly had trouble reading about Shelob, the giant spider, and the Black Riders are the most terrifying foes I've come across in a book. This has everything, a dramatic battle between good and evil on a huge scale, but with romance and humour thrown in. I can't wait to see the film version of this next week, but I'm prepared to be disappointed, as I don't think anything could live up to what Tolkien envisioned. Let's hope it comes close to capturing the magic. This book is a must-read for everyone. If you never read anything ever again, Make sure you read this. It is out of this world (literally). 10 out of 10!