Breakfast review: Jordan’s Country Crisp

Recent studies (my compiling of the shopping list) have shown that most consumed items in our house are the breakfast items. Fed up of having nothing in the fridge for the past week, my housemate and I set out on a quest to spend ALL the money in order to replenish our bare cabinets… Onwards, to Tesco!

The Choice

This shopping trip was unlike previous ones. Instead of picking up the normal thousand-strong multipack of Weetabix, and own-brand Fruit and Fibre (to keep us ticking), we started talking about the delights of eating breakfast at our parents houses.

Parents always seem to have the expensive delicious cereals. You know the ones: filled with 5-essential grains and packed full of dehydrated fruit. All that talk of puffy wheat and grain eventually took its toll as I dived into the unknown (milky) waters of Jordan’s cereals.

Jordan’s Country Crisp Flame Raisins

The purple'un: Country Crisp raisins

Presentation

In today’s supermarkets it is essential to have a product that stands out. There is something wonderfully wholesome about Jordan’s presentation. Its rage of products are kissed with warm colours, that don’t offend but rather entice you to pick up the product.

There is also something that makes you feel as though you are going a little bit more up-market, beyond the kellogs, but not loitering in the upper classes of the ‘dorset cereal’ collection.

My one gripe with the packaging is the concerted effort to inform you of their use of natural ingredients on the back of the box. Important, sure, but it comes across a bit ‘holier than thou’. If you were going to buy cereal on the extensive use of adjectives alone, then there would be empty shelves where the Jordans should be.

Taste

As you grow up you begin to lose the need to eat cereals that corrode your teeth. Slowly but surely the coco pops and sugar puffs disappear from your cupboards as you realise that you need more than a sugar rush to get you through the day.

Despite all their self-praise, what is inside the box is everything you want it to be. Its crispy and it doesn’t go instantly soggy the minute it is shown to milk. There is a good amount of raisins and hazelnuts mixed in to keep things interesting too.

Price

£3.49   –   for a 750g box

The Verdict

Country Crisp is a brilliant treat, but that is exactly what it is, a treat. Despite how much I enjoy eating it, it still feels like an indulgence rather than a daily cereal.  Maybe I will be a convert when I have children and they come round to mine for a breakfast treat.

out.

Film Review: Drag Me To Hell

Leading into the Halloween period, a lot of people are happy to admit that they aren’t too keen on scary movies. In general people don’t enjoy getting scared senseless and finding themselves constantly shunning away from the screen at crucial moments. Enter Sam Raimi…

Drag me to hell is the 2009 return to horror film-making from veteran director Sam Raimi. But more than a return to form, Drag me is an excellent entry into the horror movie genre for those who are a bit squeamish.

God, scratching that itch was good.

The Plot

The film centres around Christine Brown (played by Alison Lohman), a timid banking loan officer, who is ordered to evict an old gypsy woman, Mrs. Ganush, from her house. In doing so the old woman falls to her knees and begs for the approval of the loan, which Christine rejects. Feeling that because of her rejection she has be shamed, Mrs. Ganush puts a supernatural curse on Christine, giving her 3-days until an evil spirit comes and takes her soul.

In safe hands

After the box-office breaking success of the Spiderman trilogy, Sam Raimi is back in the genre where he gained an army of cult followers. Having cut his teeth in the b-grade horror genre with the legendary ‘Evil Dead‘ series, the release of Drag me to hell is seen by many as a homecoming for the director.

By the film’s PG13 (12A) certificate it is clear to see that the objective of the film is not solely to scare the living bejeezus out of you, but rather to show that horror can transcend genres and at times be darn right hilarious.

Insert part A into part B

The key to a good horror for me is not to over complicate things. If things become to convoluted then the film risks either losing the audience’s attention or it spends so much time explaining that it loses their interest.

For me Drag me contains all the essential aspects of a good scare. It has an attractive protagonist, a terrifying witch-like woman with a glass-eye to run away from, an uncomplicated story line and plenty of bodily fluid goo. Its everything you could want.

Bodily fluid goo

I bring up the notion of bodily fluid, for a reason. What really stood out in this film was simply the amount of goo that there is. There seems to be slobbering and other mucus-based gags squeezed into every scene. Now most of the time that’s just plain gross, but somehow it works well in this film. Instead of flinching as faceless killers jump out of the dark, you are more physically repulsed by the image of an old denture-free lady ‘gumming’ Christine in the face. The use of the goo, is a wonderful tool to help breakdown the taboo that horror is one dimensional and in a strange way is an endearing element to the film. It really does work as a great way to bridge the gap between horror and comedy.

Another subtle touch is that the film is only 99 minutes long. This is a great length for a horror film, but it does mean that the pace of it is very important to it succeeding. Once again it pays off having a director that is comfortable in this genre and the film it glides smoothly from story development to scare without lingering unnecessarily on drawing out suspenseful scenes.

The Verdict

I thinks it’s pretty clear to read that I really enjoyed this film, and as I said, its real beauty is that it is a good scary film, but due to its comedic edges is highly accessible to an audience that are plucking up the courage to delve into the Halloween weekend.

 

out.

Music Review: The Gaslight Anthem – Sink or Swim

‘Sink or Swim’ is the 2007 debut album from New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem.

During a recent roundtable podcast discussion, a friend laid down the argument for this album as his choice for the best album of the past ten years. A bold statement that I argued right off the bat, the only flaw to my rebuff was that I had never actually heard the album… I just like a good argument.

Intrigued as I was, I decided to give it a listen (in secret).

SIDE A

Right of the block the pace is set for the rest of the album. Good catchy rifts, with driving guitars, tight drums

It doesn’t take long to win me over. The second track I coul’da been a contender, is an absolute gem. Atmospheric with its rocking chorus and a perfect display of ‘smokey’ vocals, reminiscent of my favourite band Lucero, from frontman Brian Fallon.

The album does not let up here, as the album carries through the energy that it has created. Wooderson is another fast tempo song that builds until its climatic harmonic release in the outro. This emotion building song structure is mirrored in the foot stomping ode to mythical love-interest Mary in 1930.

By the sixth track, The Navesink Banks, we get out first breather. It is the first of two acoustic tracks, both of which emphasise the true warmth of the smokey country-music vocal stylings of the band. Its a much needed breather as a lot of energy is expended in the first half of the album. In honesty, the song pales in comparison to the closing song of the album Red at Night.

SIDE B

It’s hard to say that the second half of the album doesn’t match up to the first as it contains two of my favourite tracks off the album. But this surely is a credit to the consistency of the album, that one song doesn’t meet their own impeccable standards set in the first 6 songs. The tribute to The Clash’s songwriter, Joe Strummer, I woul’da called you Woody, Joe and Drive are excellent tracks in their own right.

As mentioned previously, the album finishes with a cracking acoustic track. As folk-country as they come, it is a great ‘come down’ track after the intensity of the album.

Summary

A lot is written about the influences of this record. The not-so well hidden homage to the brilliant Joe Strummer, and the smokey-rock path blazed by Springsteen, are just two that are worth a mention. But what is particularly astounding about this album is that this is their debut release.

In a world where listening to music is completely selective, due to MP3 and pay-per-track downloads, it is a pleasure to hear an album that you are content to put 40minutes out of your day to listen to it in its entirety.

The Verdict

Although I am not completely sold on ‘Sink or Swim’ being the best album of the last 10 years, it is however (at very least) a brilliant standout record. If someone were to tell me that it wasn’t, I would defend it to the hilt.

out.

Film Review: UP

UP is the latest offering from children’s dream makers Disney-Pixar, and the second with Pete Docter at the helm.

It’s been 14 years since Toy Story revolutionised the animated-feature film genre. After wowing movie goers consistently with an award-winning combination of wonderful storytelling and stunningly warm animation, each new release from Pixar sees the pressure rise as critics are convinced that the bubble surely has to pop one day. Today, is not that day.

Beware of giant floating letters

The Plot

The film starts with a quick brush through the life and times of Carl Fredricksen, documenting his relationship with his childhood sweetheart and their shared passion for adventure.

We rejoin Carl as a 78-year-old widower having lost his wife before ever being able to realise their dream adventure to the mythical Paradise Falls in South America. Balloon-vendor Carl has resigned himself to grouch about on his porch for the remainder of his days, when property developers conspire to oust him from his house a pack him of to Shady Acres retirement home. In a last-ditch attempt to save his home, Carl unleashes thousands of balloons tied to his house and literally floats on up-and-away.

The Characters

Pixar have long been the masters of the ‘buddy movie’. But where UP differs from the double teams of Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz, and Monsters Inc.’s Sully and Mike Wazowski, is the double teaming of old-timer Carl with Russell, an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer. This move is as brilliant as it is unexpected.

We meet Russell as a nerdy-but-sweet, ultra-keen boyscout, badgering to help elderly Carl in order to earn his ‘assisting the elderly’ badge.

What really swings this film is the underlying sadness behind the characters that endears them just as much to each other as it does to the audience. Carl, a heartbroken widower, filled with regrets of never having accomplished his lif’s ambition of adventure, and Russell, a child from a broken home who longs to earn boyscout badges inorder to be able to see his father at the presentation ceremony. From the trials of these two unlikely friends comes a truly heartfelt relationship which has proved to be vital to Pixar’s brilliance.

I was also very pleased to find that one of the two protagonists (Russell) was from an oriental background, showing us that not only has Pixar led the way in film for so much innovation, they are once again brave enough to give a leading role to a character from an ethnic minority.

Modern-day adventurers

3-D

The main gripe with this film is the persistence of studios pushing the uninspiring format of 3D. The continuing argument for this ‘innovation’ has been well documented as a novelty money-grabbing exercise by studio executives, that they claim adds more depth to the cinematic experience. This, however, has the exact opposite result in UP.

UP is the success it is, is not in any minor way due to the wonderful use of colour and texture in the animation. I am a firm believer that in an animated film, the animation is the star performer. This is especially relevant in a film such as UP, where the exoticness of some of the sets is paramount to its storytelling. For me the gimmicky input of 3D lessens the impact of other excellent directorial decisions, and a lot of what is normally subconsciously appreciated is understated by this ‘third dimension’.

The Verdict

UP is a thoroughly delightful movie, both funny and heartfelt. It may not be my very favourite release from Pixar, but is definitely not far off, and will certainly have me queuing up for their next releases… probably not in the 3D line though.

out.

Golf : a funny old game

The First Tee

Perfectly balanced, my arms extended in front of me caressing the slightly worn handle of my driver. In that one moment it became clear to me just what I desired in life… *PING*

Poise, balance and accuracy... all things I lack.

Sadly what happened next was not me swaggering my way 300 yards down the middle of the fairway. Instead, I bid my party fair well and set off for the woodlands in search of my first shot of the day.

Upon finding my ball nestled amongst the first leaf fall of the autumn, my fortunes changed as a miraculous second shot saw me on the green! And this is where the joys of the game finally became clear to me. Never before has a few millimetres seemed so important. The slightest muscular twitch is all the difference between either trudging through a forest, cussing and blinding, looking for your ball, and the sweet sweet sensation of the perfectly timed ‘ping’ out of the rough and on to the green.

The Host

The Beckenham Place in Lewisham, was the destination of my last ditch attempt to clasp on to the remainder of summer. But as I found out, this relatively unheard of public golf course is a real gem.

Set in the middle of Beckenham park, the enormous course’s lush greenery could convince you, you were anywhere but 25 minutes drive from Central London. There is no better indication of this than the show-piece hole of the course, the 16th. Emerging from a pathway carved out of the woodland, you find yourself looking at a 450 yard downhill hole with a spectacular view of the clubhouse in the background. The view alone makes you realise that the last 3 1/2 hours have been more than worth it.

Emerging onto the 16th

The beauty of the course was that despite it having some challenging holes, the fairways are wide enough to help out even the most turgid of players from getting into too much trouble.

The Verdict

Although I may don the same clothes, swing the same clubs and even play the same courses, I will assure you Tiger Woods I am not.

out.