3 posts tagged “amusing”

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Excess Baggage

Jul 10, 2009
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When troubled rich girl Emily (Alicia Silverstone) fakes her own kidnapping to get her father's attention, she ends up getting more than she bargained for! Her plan is that her father will pay a ransom and she will then be found safe and well in the trunk of her car. However, car thief Vincent (Benicio Del Toro) is unaware of all of this when he steals the car, with Emily in it! When he discovers that he has not only stolen a car, but has also unwittingly stolen a person, he just wants to get Emily away from him, before he winds up getting blamed for the kidnapping which she faked in the first place. Initially he and Emily can't stand each other, but as they spend more time together, they grow to respect each other and find an understand that neither of them has been able to find anywhere else. Meantime however, Emily's Uncle Ray (Christopher Walken), is on their tail...

I really enjoyed this movie. Alicia Silverstone is as cute as a button in the part of the feisty Emily, and Christopher Walken gives a great performance, as always. But this movie really belongs to Benicio Del Toro. Now I might be slightly biased, because I think Benicio is more delicious than a bar of Green and Black's chocolate wrapped in Ben and Jerry's ice cream, but there's no denying that he is perfect for the role of Vincent, who may be a car thief, but who has an air of naivety, and - car theft aside - only wants to do the right thing. I've always thought that he is a great actor, who can convey an emotion with just a slight change in expression - he also possesses great comic timing.

This is the perfect kind of movie to relax with, and one I can definitely see myself watching again sometime in the future.

'Three Bags Full' - Leonie Swann

Jun 11, 2009
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Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story

Leonie Swann

In the rural village of Glennkill in Ireland, a flock of sheep are horrified to find their shepherd dead, with a spade stuck through him. The sheep decide that they must investigate the murder and work out who killed their beloved master, in order that justice can be done. Along the way, the encounter various obstacles, face their fears and learn a few lessons about life.

I thought this was an adorable book. The premise is unusual - a flock of sheep make for an unlikely detective squad. But these are no ordinary sheep! Their dead shepherd, George Glenn, had read to them every day of their lives and treated them as proper friends, holding conversations with them. As a result, they are able to think things through and make plans.

Each sheep has a distinct character. The main characters are Miss Maple, the cleverest sheep in all Glennkill and maybe the world; Othello, a black ram with a mysterious past; Mopple the Whale, a sheep with an amazing memory and a seemingly inexhaustible appetite; Sir Ritchfield, the elderly lead ram; and Zora, a sheep with a head for heights.

If the reader can accept the premises of this unusual murder hunt, the book is very enjoyable. The flocks literal interpretation of human conversations and interactions make for some laugh-out-loud moments, and the secret of who killed George Glenn is kept until almost the very end.

Definitely a book I would recommend - heartwarming and amusing. However, it's put me off eating lamb chops for a while!

'Morality for Beautiful Girls' - Alexander McCall Smith

May 23, 2009
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Morality for Beautiful Girls (No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency)

Alexander McCall Smith

The third book in this series is no disappointment, and is possibly my favourite one yet. In this episode of Mma Ramotswe's life, she finds herself moving her offices so that she is sharing premises with her fiance Mr J L B Matekoni, meaning that her business and his garage are at the same place. However, all is not well with Mr J L B Matekoni, and Mma Ramotswe is anxious about his health. However, she still finds time to investigate a case of suspected poisoning, while her Assistant Detective Mma Makutsi, finds herself being the sole investigator in a case concerning the contestants of a beauty pageant. This book, like the others before it, is a charming easy read. McCall Smith must have a deep affection for Botswana, as he writes about it with tenderness here. Mma Ramotswe, Mma Makutsi and Mr J L B Matekoni are lovely characters to curl up with for a couple of hours.