Ramblings of a Brit abroad

About 18 months ago, we bought some fruit and someone had told me that if you cut the top off a Pineapple, trim it so that there is no fruit left and stick it in the ground, in about 2 years it will produce fruit. Given our ability to kill plants almost instantly, we thought this would never happen. Wrong!!!, the picture shows our fledgling Pineapple which should be ripe in about 3 weeks as long as the birds don’t eat it. However, given that the plant will only bear fruit every 2 years, I don’t think we shall be relying on it as a regular food source. I think our next venture may be an Orange tree.

Loosely based on the book ” Bringing Down the House” by Ben Mezrich, this is the tale of a bunch of M.I.T. students who take on Vegas at the Blackjack tables. Ben Campbell ( Jim Sturgess ) is a straight A student who needs to raise $300,000 to allow him to attend Harvard Medical School. He is recruited by his Maths professor, Micky Rosa ( Kevin Spacey ) to join his team of card counters who run weekend trips to Vegas. Whilst his initial interest is only to get his tuition money, greed and excitement take over blurring the lines between his life as a student and that of a high rolling weekend gambler. Add to this his smart and sexy teammate, Jill Taylor ( Kate Bosworth ) and he begins to loose control. Although counting cards isn’t illegal, the stakes are high and he attracts the attention of Casino Enforcer, Cole Williams ( Laurence Fishburne ).

This was a really enjoyable film and appeals to teens upwards. This I know as my 16 year old daughter also really liked the film. There were some very good performances from both the main players and from the supporting cast and it gives an outsider a really good view of what Vegas can do to people.

The screenplay is well written and has a very good twist at the end which I shan’t reveal as that would spoil it for you.

Oh well, I guess I’ll have to read the book now and play spot the difference.

Score 8/10

Much like Arsene Wenger, I refuse to concede the Premiership title. It is still there to be won. I would be the first to admit that after the Gunners 1-1 draw with Liverpool yesterday, things looked bleak, but then wouldn’t you know it, Boro went and upset the odds again. Annoying isn’t it. They just seem to raise their game when the big teams come to town.

As I see it, this weekend’s big winners were Chelsea who now sit only 3 points behind United and with Arsenal playing United next weekend and United still to go to Chelsea, this is far from over.

With all 3 teams still involved in Champions League stuff as well, this could be one of the best run ins in recent years.

Add to this an FA Cup final between Portsmouth and Cardiff, no wonder this is the greatest game on the planet.

Once again, thanks to those nice people at Netflix, we got to see another movie very soon after its DVD release here in the US.

Now, I quite fancied seeing this on the big screen, but as per usual, never got round to it so we spent yesterday evening in the company of Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd. He was joined by a large chunk of the “Harry Potter” gang, namely Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall. The story revolves around Benjamin Barker, a Barber ( Depp ) who is falsely transported to Australia by Judge Turpin ( Rickman ). He returns to London to gain revenge and reclaim his daughter. He sets up his Barber Shop above the Pie Shop owned by Mrs. Lovett ( Bonham Carter ) and a sinister partnership develops with Mrs. Lovett baking Todd’s victims into meat pies.

This film has Tim Burton written all over it. It is shot in a style similar to Sleepy Hollow which is a drained colour with certain dream sections shot in full colour. Depp gives a Oscar Nominated performance and has a good singing voice. Yes, this is, I believe, the first musical slasher movie. Whilst, I am not usually a fan of musicals, this was strangely watchable, although Mrs. Adams got a little tired of the amount of bloodshed and gave up about half way through. I would recommend this film to an adult audience and especially to those with a stronger constitution.

Watch out for a cameo by Sasha Baron Cohen ( Borat, Ali G ) as Signor Adolfo Pirelli, a character from Todd’s past who meets a particularly grisly end, as do most who cross his path.

Score 8/10