The Proposal is out on DVD
This light-hearted rom-com is just what the doctor prescribed – it’ll lift your spirits, put a smile on your face and make you think the world is a better place.
Starring Sandra Bullock as Margaret, a tyrannical New York editor and Ryan Reynolds as Andrew, her hard-done-by but placid assistant, The Proposal is a refreshing and undemanding tonic.
When Margaret suddenly faces deportation because of a lapsed visa, she decides that the only way to save her high-powered and successful career is by faking an engagement and who better to choose than her doormat of an assistant, Andrew who has been employed for three years as her executive punchbag?
Andrew hatches a plan of his own however and agrees only on the basis that he’ll receive a deserved promotion to editorship. The plot thickens as an immigration official smells as rat and in order to make their story convincing the “happy couple” have to head off to attend Andrew’s grandmother’s 90th birthday party at the family home in Alaska. As the New York City professional is plunged into the wilds of Alaska, there’s plenty of fish-out-of-water comedy and pathos too, bolstered by a strong supporting case of Andrew’s dad (Craig T. Nelson), mother (Mary Steenburgen) and the feisty grandmother (former Golden Girl Betty White). With a liberal helping of slap-stick humour and farcical situations and entanglements (naked ones), Margaret’s hard persona gradually begins to melt as Andrew becomes more assertive.
With the star of the American version of The Office Oscar Nunez, also making an appearance as a vicar who works as a stripper by night, there’s laughs and gags galore through-out the film, but whether The Proposal ends up in a walk down the aisle or not is another question.
URC 3100 Remote Control is the only remote you'll need
Tis the season for the battle to gain control of the TV remote and this baby lends itself to a bit of tussling to and fro because the Energy Sistem URC 3100, unlike most modern gadgets, is reassuringly substantial and robust. It’s also comfortable and straightforward to operate and costs from £9.95.
With a range of up to seven metres, you’ll be able to manipulate the 3100 Remote Control from the furthest recesses of the room. Pre-programmed for TV, DVD, Satellite, VCR, AUX and even CTV settings the 3100 Remote has an ability to learn to control devices of any brand and model with up to 240 pre-programmed demands.
With a sleek, black minimalist design and clear icons, the 3100 Remote Control is capable of storing pre-sets for up to eight devices. It can replace all the other remotes that you can’t find in your living room. Moreover, its non-volatile temporary memory ensures that settings are retained when changing batteries; in fact it’s infinitely less volatile than many family members locked in a disagreement over the choice of Christmas Day viewing. So… take control of the 3100 Remote Control and let the battle commence.
Dr Who - all the specials from 2009
This Box Set includes all the Doctor Who Specials from 2009 and is to be launched on 11th January 2010 with an RRP of £39.99.
The Next Doctor – When the Doctor arrives in Victorian London on Christmas Eve in 1851, he discovers that the Cybermen are on the loose and that there has been a series of unexplained deaths. The Doctor joins forces with another Doctor (David Morrissey) and together they combine to fight the cruel Miss Hartigan and the Cyberking himself.
Planet of the Dead – The Doctor joins forces with the formidable Lady Christina on an alien planet that holds deadly secrets but can they escape before the deadly Swarm arrives.
The Waters of Mars – Starring Lindsay Duncan, The Waters of Mars sees the Doctor visiting the base camp on the largest planet where an infection beneath the surface threatens to wipe out the whole of mankind.
The End of Time: Part One: When the Doctor’s nemesis, the Master is reborn on Christmas Eve both become locked in a battle that rages from the wastelands of London to the Immortality Gate as an even more terrifying danger encroaches across the universe.
The End of Time: Part Two: As the Doctor faces the end, David Tennant makes his last appearance as Dr Who and Russell T Davies writes his last script for the programme. An ancient trap encloses around the Earth and the Doctor and Wilf are left to fight alone as a doom laden prophecy from the psychic character Carmen; “He will knock four times,” comes to fruition.
Special features include David Tennant’s video diary of the final days and Russell T Davies’s intro to deleted scenes.
Julia & Julia is about the cookery writer Julia Child
Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci and Chris Messina star in this biographical comedy/drama directed by Nora Ephron, now released on DVD and Blue-Ray.
Celebrating the life of Julia Child (Streep), the film is based on the book by would-be author Julie Powell (Adams), who decides to enliven her depressing life by challenging herself to cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s book that took eight years to complete – Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The catch is that she aspires do it in one year and also write a daily blog about her experiences.
The project begins to give a meaning to Julie Powell’s life as she begins to explore Child’s relationship with her glamorous husband Paul (Tucci) and adopts her life’s philosophy which is to embrace it in the same way that she approaches food – with enthusiasm and gusto. Eventually Julie’s blog is published and receives universal praise. Streep plays the role of Julia Child with affection and humour with a performance that “goes beyond physical imitation.”
As well as being based on Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the screenplay is also adapted from Child’s autobiography, My Life in France written with Alex Prud’homme. The film was officially premiered in July 2009.
The first major motion picture ever based on a blog, Julia & Julia was nominated for two Golden Globe awards and is a story about passion, ambition and butter.
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
At the cinema, Michael Bay’s Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen was louder, more explosive and visually hyperactive than ever before. Now you can relive the whole experience in your living room – and you can turn down the volume if you want to.
The storyline and actors continue from the 2007 movie, this time DreamWorks and Paramount have enlisted the help of executive producer Steven Spielberg and the Star Trek script-writing team; Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman.
If you like giant robots, non-stop action and epic adventure, you’ll love this one; Transformers 2 takes all the extreme elements of the first movie and doubles them and it’s proved to be a winning formula. Starring Shia LeBeouf as the nerdy Sam Witwicky and Megan Fox as his girlfriend Mikaela, the story is set two years after the planet was saved from destruction by the Autobots and their leader Optimus Prime who have now formed an alliance with the US military to whittle out remaining Decepticon forces on earth. Sam in the meantime is heading off to college, but when he accidentally comes into contact with a shard of ancient transformer technology he learns the secret of the ancient origins of the Transformers and becomes the target of the evil Megatron and even more terrifying forces.
As Decepticon forces head towards earth in pursuit of global destruction (and Sam), the mind-blowing action is played out in locations including woods and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington and, in an epic battle to end all battles, the protagonists are transported to Egypt where several ancient treasures are demolished in the ensuing mayhem.
Philips-3000 TV
Get ready for the future with the Philips 3000 Series which is out on 14th December 2009 with a RRP of £299.99.
The TV uses Philip’s innovative Digital Crystal Clear package whereby picture quality is digitally adjusted and optimized for razor sharp colour, detail, depth and quality. If you thought TV pictures couldn’t be improved on, look again – watching the Philips 3000 is just like being at the cinema only better.
With an incredible 28.9 billion colours, the LCD display gives a widescreen HD resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Advanced algorithms detect subtle colour shades and skin tones to produce natural images and vibrant colour. And with a MPEG4 HDTV reception via DVB-T tuner, your set won’t be need to be updated for years to come.
If you like a good sound system on your TV, you need look no further; Philip’s state-of-the art Incredible Surround audio technology mixes sound from left and right to enhance the stereo effect and create a greater depth. You can also use the TV as a PC monitor or connect a Blu-ray player and Game Console or Digital Camcorder. One HDMI input with Easylink gives full HD connection and only one remote control is needed to operate your TV and connected devices. With a USB connector that can be slotted into the side of the TV, there’s scope for superb photo and music playback.
And if that wasn’t enough, you also get accessories in with the price including a table-top stand, power cord, remote control with 2 x AAA batteries, a Quick Start Guide, User Manual and Warranty certificate.
The Saboteur is set in 1940s Paris
Pandemic Studios invites you to enter the covert world of the saboteur in a stylised 1940s Paris as you attempt to overturn the Nazi occupation and track down your mortal enemies in this revolutionary new game released on 4th December.
You will play in the character of Sean Devlin, a tough, Irish racing mechanic based on the real-life war hero William Grover-Williams seeking personal revenge after his friends have been killed, one by one, by the Nazis. With a bit of help from the French Resistance, British Intelligence and a full arsenal of weaponry, you’ll use your wits to track down high ranking German officers and officials, blowing up zeppelins, derailing trains and exploding bridges on the way.
Features of the game include The Vertical World which takes you up on to the rooftops of Paris; the perfect place to initiate surprise attacks, plus gameplay systems called Climbing, Sneaking and Stealth Kills to help you infiltrate the Nazis.
Will to Fight combines visual style with gameplay as the environment of Paris changes around you according to the success of your missions. In order to make the district brightly coloured and “happy” you must weaken German forces occupying the area. In doing so, the district’s citizens will also regain hope and assist you in your fight. Areas with low WtF will be dark with the exception of brightly coloured German flags.
You’ll be fighting your way from the top of the Eiffel Tower to the banks of the Seine, taking in the whole panoply of the city. With a RRP of £49.99 The Saboteur is not only a great game, it’s a great way to see Paris.