DVD Review and Giveaway: A Monster in Paris

Congratulations to @olivia280177.  You are the lucky winner.  Please DM or email me your name and address so I can pass this on to the PR agency.  Thanks, Mich x

Last Thursday I disappeared off to my parents for the whole day leaving the kids with dh, as a little sweetener I left them a new DVD to watch and review. A Monster in Paris is released on 4th June 2012 in the UK.

What's the storyline?
It is the slightly off the wall tale of a common flea who gets caught up when two potions are mixed together and split and he ends up monster sized.  Franc the flea has a heart of gold though and a talent for music, when he teams up with pretty Lucille (voiced by Vanessa Paradis) as part of her nightclub act he takes Paris by storm.That is until the nasty politician Victor decides to try and get rid of Franc once and for all.  You'll have to watch the film to see what actually happens.

Our opinions
When I saw the kids Friday morning I asked them about the film and they all said it was good, JJ even gave it an 'awesome' so I thought I better sit down and watch it too.  I have to be honest I would not go as far as awesome, whilst the film is totally watchable by the whole family it will be enjoyed far more by the kids in my opinion. It is an endearing tale and at times it really reminded me of King Kong with the gentle giant being misunderstood and chased and the songs are quite catchy too!

If you like the look of A Monster in Paris you can pre-order it from Amazon for just £9.00 for the DVD or £11.00 on Blu-ray as a family pack which consists a 3D Blu-ray, standard Blu-ray and DVD, what great value is that?

How do we rate it?
Kids overall enjoyment of the film   4/5
Adults overall enjoyment of the film   2/5
Animation   5/5
Value for money  4/5

Run Time: 1 hour 29 minutes  
Certificate: U
Release Date:  4 June 2012

Would you like to win 1 of 2 copies of A Monster in Paris?

To enter-

• Mandatory - Leave a comment and let me know how to contact you if you are the lucky winner.
• Optional - Tweet 'I'm in to #win 1 of 2 A Monster in Paris DVD's with @MichelleTwinMum  http://tinyurl.com/cpxa76q #giveaway' and leave me a comment to say you have done so.

Terms and Conditions

• The winner will be chosen at random
• Open to UK and Ireland residents only
• Giveaway closes at 12 noon on Tuesday 5th June 2012
• The winner will be contacted within 5 working days of the competition closing
• The winner needs to contact me within a week of my announcing the winner or I will draw again
• The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative
• The DVD will be sent direct from the PR agency.

I'll leave you with a little sneaky peek at one of the songs from the film - La Seine



Disclaimer:  I was provided with this DVD free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.  Thanks you to Entertainment One.

Review: Marley and Me, The Puppy Years

This afternoon I spent a couple of hours ironing, something which is OK but not the most interesting thing I can think of doing.  To make it more bearable I normally watch something good on TV, so when my kids asked if we could put Marley and Me, The Puppy Years DVD on I happily said yes.  A nice family, easy viewing movie was just what I needed.

The film did not dissapoint.  I had enjoyed the original Marley and Me movie and whilst this film did not actually fit in with the story line from the original film it was in the same vein and had the same beautiful labradors. We are a family with a penchant for Labs and I think this certainly helped us to enjoy this film. it is what it is, very easy viewing, a lot of fun and nothing too taxing. Marley talks this time and you get an insight into what the animals are thinking, just a bit of fun.

This storyline sees Marley as a young puppy in Vancover, looked after by his dogsitter Bodi Grogan, played by Travis Turner (Supernatural, Fairly Legal), who is staying with his grandfather Fred.   Bodi has always wanted a dog of his own and during the summer, to prove to his mum that he is ready for the responsibility, he enters Marley in the "Ultimate Puppy Championship," along with the neighbour’s Labrador puppies Fuchsia and Moose.  

After weeks of mayhem, training and hard work, Marley and his team the “Ragga Rascals” are ready for the competition. They come up against strong competitors when they face the other puppy teams; a group of pugs, a gang of Australian cattle dogs and the intimidating trio of miniature Doberman pinschers. I'll let you watch the movie to find out the ending but needless to say as a family certificate U it is  good one! Here is a quick clip to give you a taster.

Marley and Me, the Puppy Years was relaeased on 14th November 2011 and I believe it will make a great Christmas gift. The RRP for the DVD is £14.99 but it is available on Amazon right now from £9.00. It is also available as a Blu-ray for RRP £19.99. Both DVD an Blu-ray have additional features.


Disclosure:  I was provided with this DVD for the purposes of this review.  I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

The Girls Review Angelina Ballerina Pop Star Girls DVD

There was much squealing in our house on last wednesday morning.  The girls came down the stairs in the morning and found that mummy had left them the new Angelina Ballerina Pop Star Girls DVD on the fireplace. 'Ohh look Mummy, it is Angelina' said Miss E as she did a twirl across the room. 'Is it for us?' shouts Miss M leaping towards the DVD player.  After much assurance that yes it is for them and they can watch it before breakfast, they settle down for some TV viewing.  Well I say settle down, that is an exaggeration, what they actually did was dance and play imaginary instruments for about an hour.  The twins own rock band was pretty cute to watch!

This is what I have to say about it -I have not really watched any Angelina Ballerina before so I sat down to watch some too and you know what I enjoyed it.  There are 5 episodes on the DVD, it runs for 60 minutes and I liked the fact that there is a new emphasis on singing, performing and playing instruments not just ballet.  What was especially good from a parents point of view is that each of the episodes has a little moralistic lesson in there for the kids. Such as the importance of telling the truth when you do something wrong or the way someone's self esteem is boasted when they are given one more chance.  At age 3.5 years the girls were able to tell me the morals after, so I love that they are watching something they enjoy, that is good quality and it is helping them grow to be well rounded children.

Here is what HIT Entertainment say -

In this special collection of five episodes, we once again head to the prestigious Camembert Academy to catch up with Angelina and her friends Alice, Gracie, AZ and Marco. While all the dancers learn to work together as a team, Angelina realises that there's more to life than just ballet when she falls in love with Hip Hop, rock bands, fiddles and more!

Little ones can move and groove along with Angelina as she directs a Hip Hop musical and discovers she was born to be a star. The whole family will be star-struck with delight as the little mouse joins a rock band, is given a giant prop to look after and steps it up in her best performance yet!

Filled with a host of different dance styles, toe-tapping songs and music, Angelina’s new DVD is set to be a poptastic watch for young girls.

The DVD retails for £12.99 which I think is good value and it is available from all major retailers or can be bought direct from http://www.hitstoreuk.com/.

The girls give this new DVD             5/5  It is a big hit here!