The Nut Job - Film Review

The Nut Job is a beautifully animated film featuring the voice talents of Will, Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson and Katherine Heigl.  The plot hinges around Surly the Squirrel who after a series of events is blamed for destroying the animals' winter nut stash and finds himself banished from his group.  In the city, he discovers a new supply and plans a nut heist that runs concurrently to a real life bank heist masterminded by some pretty mean bank robbers.  Surly comes up with a plan to get the nuts and gets a motley crew together to pull off the job.  As the heists progress and things get more complicated, it is up to the animals to unite in order to foil the robbers, get the nuts and save the day.  Prepare for an action packed, fun filled adventure with funny and furry woodland critters!

There are some cute critters, lots of visual humour, some nut puns and a few fart related gags, which get the kids giggling. There is a beautiful rodentesque bromance, lots of tested friendships and some moral growth to add some depth to the plot progression.  With a corrupt raccoon who needs to learn a big life lesson, some gassy groundhogs and a self-serving squirrel who needs to discover his inner good guy, there are some interesting characters in this charmingly good-natured film.  

The animation is really lovely, with a comforting retro feel that harks back to the cartoon classics. The attention to detail is really good and there is a lot to look it in every scene. The use of music is effective and the animals dancing to Gangnam Style was a real high point for Freddy who jumped up to join in.  The end credits also featured this catchy tune along with a little cartoon Psy!  You can't help but smile.

The kids, Kizzy 12 and Freddy 5, enjoyed their Saturday afternoon showing of The Nut Job. Thankfully,we are not offended by toilet humour, slapstick scenes, explosions and cheap gags which are the mainstay of the comedy, so we all happily laughed along with the characters' antics.  There is a mass of kid appeal and a lovely underlying moral message in this fun filled and action packed  movie. This film appeals to both children and to the young at heart.

Some of the film seemed a little familiar with plot similarities to Over the Hedge and characters that seem to be influenced by Ratatouille's Remy and Ice Age's Scrat. But I found enough original and comic content to make this an enjoyable and amusing watch, with plenty of laughs, lots of action and some touching scenes.

The Nut Job is released on December 8th from Warner Home Video.  It is 86 minutes long and has a U certificate. It is available on DVD and Blu-ray and also in stunning Blu-ray 3D.

It will be a perfect stocking filler and is a great film for a festive family movie night.

I was sent a copy of the film to review and Tweeted my thoughts using #TheNutJobMovie.

My Blue Nose Friends

A few Christmases ago, my eldest son introduced us to the My Blue Nose Friends toys when he bought one for each of his sisters and brother.  Everyone fell in love with the gorgeous soft toy animals who each had their own personality that perfectly matched the sibling who he gave them too.  That is the beauty of this range of  adorable plush toys, which are made by the creators of Tatty Teddy and Me 2 You, you will find one that is perfect for you.

Four new My Blue Nose Friends are being added to the collection: Smoo, Comedy, Spirit and Twist.  This makes a grand total of 111 My Blue Nose Friends to choose from.

Smoo the Highland Cow will clamber up the steepest slope to make sure she stays by her owners’ side. 

Comedy the Hyena will have fans in tears of laughter as she just loves to make everyone smile! 

Spirit the Lemur is bursting with energy but will always have time for a quiet moment with his owner.

Twist the Snake has a spellbinding personality and will conjure the perfect solution should there be a problem!  

Yo can visit the ‘Official My Blue Nose Friends’ Facebook page to chat to other BNF fans and find out about new launches and products including apps.  This summer, My Blue Nose Friends celebrates its 5th anniversary with the launch of four further Friends to add to the collection.

We were sent the new four toys and I have to admit making some 'awww' noises, especially when I saw the Highland Cow, Smoo.  I love the attention to detail on each individually designed soft toy, with their little sewn on patches and of course their blue noses. 

Each beautifully made super cute collectable character is available from bycarteblanche.com, Amazon, Clintons, WH Smiths and Independent Retailers nationwide, RRP £5.  They really do make a lovely gift.

Trollied...Check It Out!!!

Trollied is the Sky 1 original British sitcom that has taken everyone by storm!  Produced by the people who brought us The Office, Trollied is set in the fictional supermarket Valco. Starring Jane Horrocks and Mark Addy, it focuses on the day to day goings on of a supermarket.  We can all recognize the bored checkout assistants, the ineffectual managers and the bizarre customers that make Trollied something we can all relate to.  I think that is the key to its success...this is a comedic viewpoint of an everyday environment!

The interactions between deputy manager Julie and Gavin the store manager she is trying (and failing) to impress (both professionally and romantically) give rise to plenty of funny moments.  Throw into the mix the butchery double-act, the shelf stackers, the check out girl Katie who dreams of travel and Margaret the new senior employee on the staff and you have plenty of opportunities for gags.  Scripted and directed by the people behind Shameless, you can expect adult humour and strong language.

The eight episodes of series one have proved so popular that a second and third series and a Christmas special have been commissioned!  Trollied is a real sit com success story!

Jane Horrock's is great in her role as Julie.  Her people skills are cringeworthy!  Margaret (played by Corrie's Rita May) is very entertaining as the new starter, a recruit of Valco's older person employment scheme.  She quickly releases she is not cut out to work the tills.  The Delicatessen however opens up a whole new world for her!  You really do recognise traits of people you know in the characters, I think that is why it has proved so popular.

Trollied is now out to buy on DVD.  The 2 disc set contains all 8 episodes of the series and a trolley load of extras including:

• Why I Hate Shopping The cast and crew say what they hate about shopping!
• Video Diaries by Nick Blood and Joel Fry
• Behind the scenes creating and designing the Valco world
• Out-takes which will have you rolling in the aisles
• And much more ....

RRP £19.99  182 mins with 62 mins of extras.

Available for £11.99 on Amazon.