Book Review – Unknown by Didier Van Cauwelart

American scientist Martin Harris wakes up from a coma and returns home expecting a warm loving embrace from his wife. But when another man answers the door claiming to also be ‘Martin Harris’, his world comes crashing down. Suddenly his wife no longer recognises him and there is someone else living his life with the memories and documents to prove it. How can there be two of him and more importantly, how can he prove that this man is lying?

No one in France knows who he is apart from the taxi driver who knocked him over three days before. He’s lost everything apart his memories but can he even trust them to be true? Is this a cruel plot against him or is he in fact the fake – Unknown is the thrilling quest he takes to find out why someone is trying to erase him from this world.

Cauwelart throws you straight as the book starts with the exact moment Martin arrives at his home to find his wife and the other ‘Martin’. With the narrative being purely from Martin’s point of view, we follow every aspect of his journey but are still left unsure as to who is right and who to believe. Martin’s character is slowly revealed in between all the action which adds both depth and even more confusion. Cauwelart makes sure that Martin is relatable enough for us to want him to be right but uses clever techniques to make us continue to doubt him. As the character gets more and more erratic, so does the narrative. Martin’s thoughts slowly start to jump from the present to past memories that perfectly capture the confusion someone would feel in this situation.

Cauwelart plays around with some very interesting topics but doesn’t develop them enough to make this novel as good as it could have been. But this is still a thrilling read for anyone who likes suspense.

Unknown was first released as ‘Out of My Head’ but the name change comes along with the film adaptation starring Liam Neeson which is in cinemas now.

By Nola Ojomu

Published: www.thenewcurrent.com

We Heart Tuesdays: Does your first love shape future relationships?

Here at Company HQ we're all super, and I mean SUPER excited about the new Brit com 'Submarine' being released this week.

The film, written by Patrick Ayoade (yep, that’s the one from the IT crowd) sees 15-year-old Oliver (Craig Roberts) fall madly in love with the gorgeous Jordana (Yasmin Paige) and all the trials and tribulations that comes with first love... mainly will he or won’t he manage to persuade her to sleep with him!

It’s got us reminiscing about our first loves in the office and wondering how much our first loves affect us later in life. You never forget your first love, do you? I had the typical complicated relationship with my first love. I say complicated because the truth is, looking back I now realise I was definitely more in love with him than he was with me.

I can’t help but cringe at all the things I used to do. Writing his name all over my school book (well tagging his name all over my book, I thought of myself as a bit of a graff artist), saving his cute texts in a special folder so I could read them over and over again, sitting and smiling like a fool all day because I was soo in love.

But it turned out he was only after one thing and I wasn’t going to give that up for him. So he dumped me. Just like that. Needless to say, I was heartbroken. But here’s the lesson: It made me even more determined to wait for the right guy. While some people are lucky to meet and stay with their first love for the rest of their lives, most of us usually have to move on and learn from it.

But not every first love has to end in heartbreak, does it? My best friend was with her boyfriend around the same time and while they didn’t have any reason to break up, the relationship (like most do) ran its course. She always told me that her first love helped her know what to expect from her boyfriends. Her first love was sweet, thoughtful and treated her with respect and now she won’t waste her time with anyone who doesn’t treat her the same way.

So is it fair to say that your first love will always shape how you go into your future relationships? Let us know about your first love and the lessons you learned...

 

By Nola Ojomu

Published: www.company.co.uk

We Heart Tuesdays: Can short hair put guys off?

It’s hair month at Company HQ so in the office this week we’re discussing whether our hairstyles can have a negative effect on our love lives...



Ever since celebs like Emma Watson and Michelle Williams have gone for cropped hairstyles, women have been flocking to the hairdressers in order to get their hair cut shorter and shorter in a bid to keep up with the latest edgy style.

But has the resurgence in the pixie crop caused women to get more attention and praise from other fashionistas while making them less attractive to the male sex? We've already discussed the fact men don’t really understand high fashion and it seems this also relates to hair. A Tresemme poll revealed that 43% of men find the classic look of long, wavy locks the sexiest hair style on a woman while only 7% chose the pixie crop.

Women such as Cheryl Cole and Megan Fox are being named as the sexiest women on the planet and the latest Ask Men UK poll doesn’t have any women with short hair in the top ten. Emma Watson (who came in at 17) is the only short haired star feature in the entire top 20. So what does mean for the women who have been brave enough to chop it all off?

I have a friend who just decided to cut her hair short as a way to represent a new era in her life, admitting that she loved the freedom that came with chopping off her locks. As for male attention, she admits that it has calmed down a lot since she got the new 'do - but she still gets approached on nights out!

The majority of men may prefer longer hair but there are still loads of men who find women with shorter hairstyles appealing because it makes them seem more fun and confident. Celebs like Frankie Sandford and Rihanna became more attractive to men when they went for shorter styles.

So yes, cutting your hair may cause you to get less attention from men but it can probably help you attract a different type, the one who can appreciate your sense of style. Have you ever cut your hair short - and did it have an impact on the amount of attention you got from guys? Let us know your thoughts and experiences by commenting below....

By Nola Ojomu

Published: www.company.co.uk

 

Who is Rebecca Black?

She’s been trending on Twitter for a whole week and now everyone is the world is trying to find out more about 13 year old Rebecca Black.

The latest internet sensation has received over 9 million hits on her youtube video for having what is been called the 'worst song ever made'. Her debut single, Friday boasts less than impressive lyrics such as "Yesterday was Thursday / Today it is Friday / We, we, we so excited / We so excited / We gonna have a ball today / Tomorrow is Saturday / and Sunday comes afterwards / I don't want this weekend to end."

She was signed by a small label, ARK Music, in LA and it's claimed Rebecca will be going on a tour of the US on April 19. The way things are going we won’t be surprised to see the Orange County resident topping the charts...

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CD2LRROpph0]

Published: www.company.co.uk

Film Review: Source Code

Director Duncan James is clearly a science fiction man. After the success he got from Moon, he is back with his next cinematic offering, Source Code.



The film starts with army helicopter pilot Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) waking up on a train to Chicago. But he is meant to be on tour in Afghanistan. And so the story begins with Jake doing a very convincing performance of a man who has woken up in another body.

We then learn that he has been recruited to become part of a government experiment that is being used to help fight terrorist attacks. Despite his confusion and pleas for an explanation about what has happened to him, the government team explain that a bomb has recently gone off on a train outside Chicago and it is up to him to find out who is responsible because they are about to detonate another bomb in the heart of the city.

What has this got to do with a ‘source code’? Source Code is the name of the government project which has been developed to allow reliving the last eight minutes in the life of a man who was on board the train when the bomb exploded. The theory is that each person contains a short-term memory that can be explored and while you are in that eight-minute cycle, you are basically in an alternate reality that allows you to explore and interact with your surroundings. It is more than a memory, it is real, but it is also a frozen moment in time that cannot be used to affect the present or future. It is not real, and yet in a sense it is.

Colter’s mission is to relive those eight minutes over and over again until he identifies the bomber and gets all the details needed to prevent the next attack.



There are going to be two types of audience members in this film. The ones who figure it all out very quickly and so are able to focus on the flaws…or the ones like me, audience members follow Colter on his journey with the same amount of confusion, desperately trying to figure out who the bomber is.

The latter will have much more fun watching this film because once you know who the bomber is, the Groundhog Day effect of the film will just become irritating.

Jake Gyllenhaal is slowly making his way up on my favourite actors list. His performance is exactly what is needed to make the army character lovable enough for you to not get annoyed by the lack of focus on finding the bomber. His love interest in the film, played by Michelle Monaghan, is the chatty Christina who is forced to watch Jake run around the train like a crazy man over and over again but still manages to make us fall for her just as much as he does.



Captain Carol Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) starts out cold and distant with Farmiga slowly revealing a more caring part of her character unlike her boss.

There are so many twist and turns that I can’t mention about this film that made it so enjoyable. I guess you just have to watch it to find out.

****

Published: The New Current

 

Film Review: I Am Number Four

 

This film is already being compared to Twilight and I can only think of a few reasons why – It’s based on a book, there’s a hot British guy, who frequently gets out his abs, does some cheesy love scenes with a pretty high school girl and he isn’t human. But once you take those out of the equation, I Am Number Four is a different movie.

John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is the fourth out of nine alien’s teens from the planet Lorien. He is living in hiding with his protector Henri (Timothy Olymphant) from the Mogadorian aliens who are searching and killing them. They can only be killed in order and once the news of number three’s death arrives our story begins.



He moves to Ohio where he falls for the picture-obessesed Sarah (Glee’s Dianna Agron), gets on the wrong side of the bullying jocks and makes friends with the lonely nerd. Just your typical new boy in school stuff for the first half.

But then the film really picks up as his powers start to develop. I doubt anyone will come out of the movie not wanting their hands to suddenly start blasting bright blue light and destructive waves. The climatic fight scene is very well choreographed and the introduction of leather clad biker chick number six just reinforced that x men vibe you get from the showdown. The effects are impressive and the alien pet is nicely done.



The ‘bad guys’ are weird with their gills, piranha teeth, tattooes and trench coats but they also have a wicked sense of humour that makes them interesting…but still weird.

Pettyfer shows the making of becoming the next Zac Efron meets Robert Pattinson while Agron doesn’t really make any impact in the film. The best acting comes from Olymphant who makes the most of his small role.

Considering the book is meant to be a six part series, I have a feeling that this –like the twilight saga- is going to become a cult teen favourite in no time.

One to watch if you are a fan of ‘The Vampire Diaries’!

Published: www.wirebournemouth.com

Film Review: No Strings Attached

No Strings Attached. A rom-com about fun buddies which is a lot like ‘Love and other Drugs which came out last year.  It starred the very beautiful couple Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, while this film features the equally gorgeous Natalie Portman and Aston Kutcher.



It’s a formula that is always going to work and no strings attached is exactly what you would expect from the name.

The film starts when a teenage Adam (Kutcher) meets Emma (Portman) in a summer camp and shares a deep emotional moment before he tries to get in her pants.

And straight away we are shown just how fun the film is going to be.

Fast-forward to the present and Adam is an assistant on a ‘High School Musical meets Glee’ TV show who bumps into Emma, who is now a doctor in training. They finally release all the sexual tension and decide to make it a regular thing. But Emma has some rules, no spooning, no breakfast and nothing that is more than just sex.

As you can guess, it doesn’t go according to plan and feelings start to develop. From then on the film gets very predictable but what makes it work is the script.

Portman shines in the role of a beautiful woman with a foul-mouth and it’s great to see so many of the girls with the funny sex jokes. Scenes including her fellow doctors and housemates are refreshingly funny and shockingly rude at times.

Kutcher is basically playing himself, as always. But he does it well and there is a nice believable chemistry between him and Portman. His two close friends (one played by Ludacris) provide plenty of entertainment and help to keep the film running along smoothly.



The film is based on a celebrated script by Elizabeth Meriweather and it’s easy to see why the script got so much attention. The banter is very Judd Apatow like with snappy, filthy and weird lines being thrown back and forth between all the characters.

It’s nice to see the role reversal with the girl being the stubborn one who doesn’t want a relationship but then again we just saw that in love and other drugs. With another film coming out called ‘Friends with benefits’ starring Justin Timberlake and Portman’s black swan co star Mila Kunis. We’ll see how that compares!

***

Published: www.wirebournemouth.com

Film Review: Chalet Girl

19 year-old Kim Matthews was a British skateboarding prodigy with a bright future ahead of her. Suddenly her mother dies in a car accident and her skateboarding dreams comes to an end. Fast-forward two years and she is working in ‘Chicken Cottage’ and struggling to help her depressed dad (comedian Bill Bailey) pay the bills.

By the type of luck only found in films, she manages to get a job as a chalet girl, cooking and cleaning in a private, super-expensive ski resort for a rich family who only come in the ski season.

At first, it is a nightmare with her co-worker, the glamorous Georgie (played by St Trinian’s Tamsin Egerton), making it very clear that she does not belong in this world. Kim can’t even ski so the main plus of the job is wasted on her. But she soon gets a snowboard, a teacher and finds a love for snowboarding.



But what most people in the audience really care about is the person playing her love interest, Jonny (Ed Westwick) also known as Chuck from Gossip Girl.

Westwick plays the rich son of the family who own the chalet and he proves that he can be another character other than Chuck and still makes girls swoon – especially with his natural British accent.

Unfortunately Westwick and Jones don’t fully connect as a couple but they have just enough chemistry to make the film work.

The family that own the chalet provide quite a few laughs with Bill Nighey injecting some comedic lines. Brook Sheilds is the perfect rags to riches mum who desperately wants her son to marry a society girl, Sophia Bush aka Brooke Davies from One Tree Hill.

The best part of the film has to be the snowboarding and all the shots of the mountains. A lovely scene with the yeti does a great job in making you wish you could go on a ski holiday and live that sort of lifestyle.

All in all, a nice feel good British film that doesn’t quite do enough to make you connect to the story. But it has shown that there is a lot of upcoming British talent that we need to keep our eye on. I recommend this to anyone who liked Whip It or Blue Crush.

***

Published: www.wirebournemouth.com

Film Review: Tangled

Tangled is the new era of Disney ‘Princess’ movies!

The classic story of Rapunzel has been taken, given a more modern interpretation and formed into this 3D animated gem.

The story starts with the infant princess Rapunzel(Mandy Moore) being kidnapped from the kingdom by an old hag who wishes to keep the magic in the little girl’s hair for herself. While the king and queen search in vain, Rapunzel grows up in the middle of the forest, forced to stay in her prison of a tower with the woman she believes is her mother. She longs to go and see the outside world and a chance encounter with a rogue called Flynn(Chuck’s Zachary Levi) helps her to take the leap.

First things first, the animation and lighting for this film is amazing. Absolutely flawless in my eyes and because light and colours are so important in this film, it just helps to make the latest Disney animation a great success.

The storyline is still based in a medieval era, our princess is feisty and determined and our prince charming isn’t prince! They share this journey together and we get a nice bit of character development for Flynn nice and early to reveal his more princely characteristics.

What makes this work though is the humour. It’s a very funny film, no matter what age you are. The mandatory funny animal sidekicks are represented by a mute but remarkably entertaining chameleon and by the funniest horse you will ever see on screen – Maximus. As soon as the police appear on the screen, the laughter ensues and it stays that way right until the end. One could almost mistake him for a police hound.

Also, the never ending slapstick comedy makes you have a new appreciation for frying pans!

After the slightly less satisfying ‘The Princess and the Frog’, this shows that Disney have found a way to keep the classic princess musical stories interesting.

A new form of a Disney classic that deserves to be placed with the best Disney has ever done.

*****

Published: www.thenewcurrent.com