Warner Brothers - Now is Good Review

I'd not heard of Now is good when Warner Brothers offered it to me for review and neither had I heard of Before I Die, the book it is based on but when I read the plot synopsis I thought why not? - I'll give it a go.

And I liked it, I wondered if I would. As it started Dh spotted it was a BBC film and groaned, informing me they were often slow. I then made the mistake of googling some reviews to see what people thought and most stuff I came across was not very positive but I'm glad I make up my own mind.

It's a really sweet film, it won't blow you away but I found it very watchable and it captured me. I did feel as if I was taking a journey with Tessa, the 17 year old central character, from her failed attempts to lose her virginity to the first snatched hug on a bus with next door neighbour Adam, right through to the pain of her Dad realising it would not be long before he lost her.

Tessa found out four years ago that she has leukaemia, chemotherapy is just making her feel more ill so she decides to enjoy the rest or her life and make the most of it. A bucket list is compiled and Tessa sets about doing all the thing a teenager might try for the first time, drinks, drugs, sex and of course love.

When Tessa learns her cancer has spread and the doctor urges her 'to do the things she wants to do' she asks how long she has left and it is clear the answer is not long.  It is a hard pill to swallow when someone is only 17 and after this we see some of the best scenes where Tessa and her dad go trough a power struggle.

Dakota Fanning and Paddy Considine

I found Paddy Considine excellent as her Dad and Dakota Fanning pulled off some brilliant scenes as a hurt, scared and abrasive teenager with a lot of attitude. Jeremy Irvine is very easy on the eye and is convincing as a young man in love who has to grow up very quickly.

The film has a bit of everything - touching love scenes, cringe-worthy teenage antics, a harrowing scene, where Tessa has a horrendous pumping nose bleed and her pathetic mother has no idea what to do and even the odd joke to break the tension.

I'm glad I watched Now is good and I'd happily recommend it. Now is Good is released 21st January 2013, you can pre-order it from Amazon for £11.99.

Run time - 99 minutes
Rating - 12
The DVD also comes with a UV copy to be able to download for use on your tablet

Take a look at the trailer and see if you fancy.......



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

A great afternoons viewing with Warner Brothers

On Halloween afternoon I was working and the kids and Daddy wondered what they might get up to whilst I had the car. It was decided that a trip to the play park and a woodland walk would be fun and would get them all active in the morning. Then they could come home for a warming lunch and an afternoon in front of the TV with the fire, popcorn to munch on and a fest of great Warner Brothers DVD's to watch.

When I got home about 5pm it was lovely to come into a toasty house with chilled out kids who had enjoyed their afternoons viewing. I asked them each what their favourite DVD had been -

Miss M surprised me by saying she had really enjoyed Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens. She has not watched Ben 10 before but she seemed to love the aliens that Ben could morph into.  Lucky that, as in this film Ben is trapped in his alien forms after attending a Total Alien immersion training program on the other side of the galaxy. When JJ used to watch Ben 10 some years back I always liked Grandpa Max and Miss E tells me that she likes Gwen, so there is something for all the family in this film.

Available for £8.99 on Amazon 



JJ was predictable to the end and the slapstick comedy of Tom and Jerry was what appealed to him most. Generations have been watching Tom and Jerry and in my opinion it never loses its appeal. The oldies are definitely the best and these 22 episodes will sure delight any kids who like a bit of spooky fun! I do like it that my kids watch the same kinds of lighthearted cartoons that I watched as a kid, I figure they never did me any harm and I hope they won't for them either. Of course kids programs sometimes throw up topics and scenarios that might not be acceptable in today's 'cotton-wool wrapped society'. But that's OK as it presents opportunities to have a good conversation with your kids about things like whether ghosts are real or if it is OK for Tom to constantly chase Jerry in the hope of eating him.

Available for £5.99 on Amazon

By Chance Miss E loved the film 'Big Top Scooby Doo', but only during the daytime. She can't watch it at night she told me as it is too scary! Sensible little girl, bless her I can remember being the same when I was little too. This 75 minute film is full of werewolfs and the normal mad capers of Shaggy and Scooby. A fun family watch.

Available for £10.00 on Amazon





Disclosure:  Warner Brothers sent us 4 DVD's for the purposes of this review.  I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.  

Thank you Warner Brothers.

Review: Family DVD - Journey 2 The Mysterious Island

Oh what a rainy long bank holiday weekend it has been, such a shame - we had high hopes to spend lots of time outside and to enjoy the sunshine. Oh well, the beauty of it being miserable outdoors is that it is then super to snuggle up on the sofa with all the family and watch a good movie together.

This evenings choice was from Warner Brothers - Journey 2, The Mysterious Island and I have to say we had 90 minutes of good family viewing. Milkshakes and popcorn completed the evening. From the start JJ (8 years) was taken in, he was right there with the main characters trying to uncode the message, sshhing his sisters as they chatted to me about what was going on.  I did wonder at first if it would be a bit old for my near 5 year old twins but once Sean and Hank were on their journey the girls were interested and it was so funny when they reached the Island, Miss M was shouting at the screen for them to not enter the cave. There were many moments in the film that had the girls involved and ready to jump, but in a great way. Take a look at the lizard clip -

It is fab to be able to watch a movie that had an adult enough story line that I can enjoy it, you do get a bit bored of animation after a while!  I think it helped that recently the girls have got into High School Musical and as soon as they looked at the DVD box they spotted Vanessa Hudgens. In fact the film is pretty packed with stars, such as Michael Cain, Kristin Davies, Dwayne Johnson and Josh Hutcherson and they make for a great movie with loads of adventure.

I would definitely recommend this as a good family watch, JJ commented that it was 'awesome' and the girls choice of words were 'cool' and 'great'.  Praise indeed!

We did not watch the film in 3D but I have heard from friends that it is excellent in 3D and I can well believe it.  The film is visually stunning and it is really interesting to see elephants the size of small cats and birds the size of small aeroplanes!

The film was released on 28th May and is available to buy on Amazon now for £10 for the DVD, £14.99 for the 3D blu ray triple pack.  I was also impressed that along with my DVD I get a download code so I can put the digital version on my laptop (or ipad etc if I was lucky enough to have one of those!).

Disclaimer: I received this DVD free of charge for the purposes of this review.  I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Which Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Film do you rate?

After arriving home from our Easter break we were really pleased to be greeted by an Easter bundle from Warner Brothers.  The kids were very excited and immediately set about watching Bugs Bunny's Easter Funnies, which I am told was fabulous but I have to be honest and say I did not sit through, it did its job and kept the kids happy for a while and that suits me.  I took solace in the Mini eggs that accompanied the films!

I do like it when I can feel sure that a DVD is age appropriate and I do not need to vet it first. I always feel happy with the Warner Brother U and PG cert films that I have been sent to watch and review, they is never anything too adult in them.

One thing I did sit down and watch was the 2005 Tim Burton directed film 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.  The remake of the classic 1971 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' is a film I have been avoiding since it came out as I just do not like Tim Burton films in general, they tend to be a bit too weird and black in humour for me.

Dh persuaded me to have a watch, saying I would not be disappointed and my 8 year old JJ kept trying to convince me it was the best film ever.  I watched and yes I enjoyed, it was far better than I might have imagined.  I cannot be swayed from the original though if I am honest.  I suppose 30 odd Christmas viewings have persuaded me that Gene Wilder is THE Willy Wonka, but no problem there as the original film was also in our bundle.

A couple of days later, all the family sat down again and this time we watched the original movie and the girls agreed with me that Umpa Loompas are supposed to orange!  To be honest whichever film you choose as a family, you won't be disappointed they are both classics that will appeal to adults and children alike.

So what about you, which film does it for you?


Disclaimer:  I was sent the Easter package from Warner Brothers for the purpose of this review.  I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.

Warner Brothers have managed the Impossible...

...they got my kids to all, yes all and at the same time be quiet for a good hour or so....  and yes, I absolutely loved it!  Thank you so much to Warner Brothers who sent us a boxed set of Looney Tunes DVD's to enjoy for the half term and beyond. 

Here is JJ and Miss M taking a first peek, see that look on Miss M's face - 'ohh look JJ there is Taz, I love Taz!'

The Looney Tunes Big Faces box set is currently available for sale on Amazon at the price of £22.49  and I have to say I think this is a total bargain for 10 quality DVD's. In total there is over 800 minutes play time and with a U certificate it is suitable for all to watch.  My 4 year old twin girls and 8 year old son have gone back to this set time and time again and when they have had friends over in the last two weeks it is always the first thing they get out and show them. 

Everyone seems to have their own favourite - Miss M loves Taz, Miss E likes Tweetie Pie & Sylvester, Daddy likes classic Tom and Jerry, I am rather partial to Speedy Gonzales and JJ's favourite is Daffy Duck. 

The set is really well presented, with a large characters face on the front of each DVD, I would be most happy to buy this for a child as a gift.

The 10 DVD's included in the set are - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Road Runner, Speedy Gonzales, Taz, Tom and Jerry (Jerry), Tom and Jerry (Jerry), Tweety Pie and Wile E. Coyote.

I expect most people remember the Looney Tunes cartoons from when they were a child but if you don't, then let me tell you that you are seriously missing out. Looney Tunes are classics, the humour is slapstick and involves lots of chases, near misses and even complete hits but luckily the characters always manage to get up and walk away again to live another amazing tale.

If you are a lover of Looney Tunes then do take a look at the Warner Brothers Looney Tunes page as they have some superb material there - games for the kids, character colouring pages, wallpaper for your computer and loads more.

Disclosure: This is a review post, the box set was provided by Warner Brothers free of charge.  The opinions expressed here are my own and I remain honest.  Many thanks to Warner Brothers.