Jerry's Journal: A Trip to Harwich

We took Jerry down to Harwich, where he explored the area, discovering new smells and meeting new dogs and people. 

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Mum's Monday: I Heart Forever by Lindsey Kelk

I have been waiting for this book since I read in a previous book from the ‘I Heart’ series that Angela didn’t want to see an ex-girlfriend of Alex have a baby with him. This book is the seventh and the latest in the series. After reading the prologue, and knowing Angela to be, shall we say, disorganised and chaotic to say the least. You just know that this latest edition will be a fun-filled rollercoaster of a read. Let Alex go off travelling and let chapter one begin.

It seems strange to bring up ‘I want to propose’ conversation in the middle of a very important work meeting. This book is certainly keeping up with what is happening with magazines in modern times. It also gives an insight into what happens to bands when their popularity waivers. The last six books were about Angela and Alex life being on the up and up, now true to form as in most cases we see the beginnings of a new chapter in their lives.

After a bad day it seems Angela’s day has got worse, a neighbours washing machine doesn’t help and I am not sure what’s going to happen next.  I am glad she is ok and found the piece of chocolate bar, but maybe she should tidy up before a bath.

It is unfortunate to have uncertainty at work, however nice Angela is, she is still in charge. It is good to see try and protect her team, but you as I see, you can’t escape bad news in the long run and all the worry will be on Angela’s shoulders, I really feel sorry for her.

So things have progressed in Jenny’s life, Mason has a giant credit card bill to look forward to and there is a big event to plan. Jenny and Angela are good at planning things, right, let the fun begin.

When planning a cruise, it is worth noting you will be on a ship on the ocean, if you don’t like the thought of it there could be a problem.

I like how Cici helps Angela find out why she isn’t able to stomach olives at this present time.

I loved the little chat Angela had with her baby in her stomach in chapter seven. It is heart-warming to read that she will be a great mum without losing her sense of self in the process.

In chapter eight we see the normality of being pregnant, a scan, but what makes this more interesting is when Angela realises she is going to be a mommy as opposed to a mummy. Basically an English woman having a baby in America high-lighting this is well thought out, and makes for not your usual worries and concerns.

And asking about taking a baby to a pub in America shows forward thinking. It looks like Angela has a whole new set of laws she needs to learn as well as the usual literature you learn during pregnancy. This makes for an amusing yet heart-warming read.

The bike spin session where you go to find your inner spirit, and where Jenny finds out more than she could ever imagine. I felt it was inevitable but good that Angela was looking out for the baby.

I love Jenny’s solution to Angela’s builder worries, it is sweet and I agree getting a mattress protector is a must.

It turns out Angela’s mum has a lot to learn about Thanks giving.

Just when you think a night of celebration has been well done by Cici, Angela the editor of the magazine turns up in costume. Sadly, this shows two things, one is Cici out to sabotage Gloss or did Angela forget the conversation due to the term ‘Baby Brain’ and two the ups and downs of the work life balance when you are pregnant.

I hope Jenny does see that being in love with someone means more than a pricy wedding. I like the idea of a small elegant as they say ‘Small is beautiful’ wedding. However, Jenny with her big hair and former flat mate with big ideas, Jenny may take some convincing. Although she may see, I hope, what she had when he leaves. That I hope also, is the deciding factor. Now all Jenny has to do is find her phone and Mason, good.

Alex is back, there is a lot to catch up on. One thing he finds out rather quickly which is lucky or unlucky when Angela firsts mistakes him for a burglar.

I love that Angela is being the bigger person when it comes to Cici. It is nice that Angela can see the good and the talents in Cici.

This book, makes me question, ‘Can you really be friends with the head of a company, and how far can that friendship stretch?’

This book high-lights not only the expense of having a baby, with all the gadgets that are available, but be careful what you wear when your parents turn up to surprise you, but the surprise was on them, and saved a phone call.

I like the prospective of not ‘Good or bad change’ just ‘Easy or difficult change’. Change keeps things fresh but it is how you cope with it counts for a lot.

The bachelorette party went well despite a sleeping bride to be and a not so aimed soft shoe.

Having a baby can be expensive and a scary time, no less for Alex and Angela, I did wonder how a baby would affect their lives and what I thought is true. Sadly, the added stress with Angela’s work and Alex’s band less popular, more stress than I ever thought is piled on top. This is sad and reality for some people.

Angela is on the up and so is her jean size and her lactose intolerance, although that is just a clever excuse after a meeting with Joe her boss.

It is good to see that this book not only high-lights how a woman feels during pregnancy, it shows how it can affect father’s to be as well. With all the focus on the mum to be, Dads are sometimes forgotten and they have their own issues to deal with, like supporting his soon to be new family. Sadly, all this coming out at Jenny’s wedding rehearsal dinner doesn’t go down well with the ‘Bride to be’. It would have been nice to read more about Jenny’s wedding but I could tell it was lovely.

The part that made me laugh was when Joe finds out Angela is pregnant. With all the noticeable symptoms, Delia figured it out and Joe didn’t, so it is amusing to read Angela say that Delia picked a great person to run a women’s magazine. I think she means you need to be a woman or tap into a women’s psyche to put in a magazine what women would want to read.

The twist at the end was surprising and I am glad we find out the gender of the baby.

Film of the Week – Rampage

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has popped up a lot over the last few months. That’s not a bad thing, it just depends on the type of film he stars in. Rampage is a true summer blockbuster. Something for the whole family to enjoy on a day out to the cinema. Packed full of action, an “out-of-the-box” science experiment gone wrong, surrounding some form of love story between two lead characters, and you’ve successfully kept the kids quiet for two hours. However, you need to be entertained as well, because it’d be annoying if you paid all that money for a ticket only to fall asleep holding your popcorn in one hand and a Coke in the other. That’s where the mild love story comes in.

Rampage is a true summer blockbuster, because the character development is hardly there. Dwayne’s character dislikes human contact due to a horrible act of unnecessary hunting, which led him to adopt the albino Guerrilla, George. We get a couple of moments that attempts to establish this character trait, and then it’s never brought up again. In fact, Dwayne’s character doesn’t really change much. He’s effectively the same person as he was at the start of the film, except maybe he likes being in the same room as another human now – but that’s not entirely understood for as soon as the action stops, we get a couple of moments where the characters talk and George is OK, and then the film ends. Rampage is a 2 dimensional film with a vague plot and characters that are just there… but that’s what a true summer blockbuster is, and by knowing it’s designed to be that type of film that can be stuck on in the evening when the kids are bored and you need to get on with housework. After a day’s work, you come home and all you want to do is rest and not really focus on anything, so you stick a summer blockbuster on and let it play – and the non-stop action can pull you out of that trance-like state long enough before going to bed.

Rampage as a film, if you want to focus on the characters, the story, you won’t enjoy the film. It’s meant to be enjoyed as something flashing in the background whilst making tea for your children, who’ve only just stopped running around. Rampage is a film that allows you to relax.

The action is highly entertaining, especially when the huge animals are climbing the Sears tower in Chicago. We do see the characters put in peril, and Dwayne’s character on the floor, nearly defeated before being saved at the last minute. We do see an extreme action being taken in an attempt to eradicate the animals, which is always the wrong decision, and also needs to be stopped. And we also get to see the bad guys get their comeuppance.

Rampage is a paint-by-numbers film, but most summer-blockbusters are. That’s why they’re entertaining for everyone. It looks easy to throw together this type of summer blockbuster, because it looks like a basic packaged film, but you’d be wrong. I would argue and say that this type of summer blockbuster is a specific genre of film. It requires skill and talent to get the plentiful action just right to keep the audience entertained but not bored, to have a character with just enough depth to keep the fulfilment of a suitable conclusion without the feeling of being cheated upon, and to have just the right amount of a love story between two characters to keep it still being a film, I guess.

The summer blockbuster is entertaining if done correctly, and Rampage is one of the best that keeps true to the classic summer blockbuster format. By tweaking the bare minimum of what makes an action film just the right way, it becomes an enjoyable one for the whole family. Rampage dose exactly that.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Mum's Monday: Jack Reacher - Never Go Back

This film is based on the book with the same name by Lee Child. It is an intriguing start, and the phone did ring, just as Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) said it would. The outcome is that Jack and Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) get into conversations, by phone, as Jack travels to Washington DC, DC for short. Once in DC, Major Turner has been arrested and Jack also finds out a possible life changing situation. In the terms of ‘Never Go Back’, it seems to his old army haunts, or back in time. The title could suggest both.

Who knew, how useful a salt shaker could be and how it can put an end, or delay the men watching Jack. We just have to find out Why they are so interested in him.

There is something, that happened in Afghanistan, and is still an issue, as a result Jack is arrested, even though he wasn’t out there at the time. All I can see is he is involved because he has been talking to Major Turner.

As always Jack is observing his surroundings, you just know he has a plan. it is partly, the usual ‘take the uniform off the guard, and use it for a disguise’.

A black Sedan car, should be easy to find, if all the cars weren’t black Sedans. This scene is amusing to watch. It, however, quickly, becomes action packed, when they have to find another way to escape.

Although computers are useful, they can also be equally unhelpful and what and whom depends on what side you are on.

At first I didn’t see the point of the kitchen scene, it was a bit over the top, just so they could get on a bus.

It is, as we see in this film, useful to have a mobile phone, you can make a phone call from anywhere, much to Col. Morgan’s (Holt McCallany) surprise.

At first, it was sad to see that, just because Major Turner, is a woman, she automatically thought that was the reason Jack suggested she stay back at the hotel with Samantha (Sam for short) (Danika Yarosh), but as we see, Jack has a plan, as always.

As well as computers being useful in tracing people, it would also be wise to know that credit cards also work the same but in a different way.

It is good to see Jack’s observant nature save the day, instead of what they thought, it is something else, and the numbers do add up, it is nice to watch, well not for the criminals anyway.

It is clever how, part of this film is set in New Orleans, well known for its music and parades. Using a parade can be a good way of hiding in a crowd of people. It is more interesting than just a street full of the general public, going about their business, and it has its own soundtrack.

I like how Jack, in code, told Sam, what he knew she had been taught, by Major Turner. It was quick thinking, clever and got, what Jack intended to happen, done.

The way Jack finds out, that the possible life changing situation, is not to be, is simple, clever and seems obvious when you have seen it. There is a heart-warming moment, just when you thought he could get a clean break away.

It is nice to hear before the end scenes ‘Good to see you back Major’, but as we know, you should ‘Never Go Back’ unless you can use the situation to move forward, in life.

Jerry's Journal: What Is This?

It might be a bit blurry, but what you can see is Jerry seeing if he likes hats. He sniffed at the interior, decided he doesn't like wearing hats and started trying to bite it. Or, Jerry got curious, sniffed it, got confused and so started biting it. 

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Film of the Week: Bad Samaritan

As B-movies go, this was one of the better ones, and for two main reasons. The cast, and, admittedly, I’m a little biased.

Robert Sheehan plays Sean Falco, a parking valet who, whenever he can, burgle the houses of the customers who turn up for an evening meal. It proves to be quite successful, until one night, a rich man, Cale Erendreich – played by David Tennant – shows up and Sean is immediately tempted to search the house for anything worthy of stealing. Roaming around the house, taking what they believe won’t necessarily be noticed or traced back to them, Sean enters the office, where, he discovers a woman tied up and in distress. Shocked and sickened by this, he attempts to help, but gets scared and runs away.

However, he tries to help in other means, which isn’t effective, so, he breaks into Cale’s house once more, only to discover there isn’t a trace of evidence regarding the woman ever being there. This understandably irritates and confuses Sean, but this doesn’t discourage him from helping further. Unfortunately for him, Cale knows of Sean’s actions and a battle of two minds begins. Cale must defeat Sean to keep himself from getting captured, and Sean must defeat Cale to rescue the woman.

As a horror-thriller, it did leave me on the edge of my seat. Sean’s and Cale’s actions drove the story forward, their battle always kept strong mainly due to Cale’s retaliation to Sean’s attempts. Ultimately, Cale loses the war and is caught by the police, and sent to Jail. The woman, Katie Hopgood – played by Kerry Condon – is set free.

Sean does go through a lot of emotional distress throughout the film, with the worst of Cale’s actions being driving a presumably permanent wedge between him and his girlfriend, Riley Seabrook – played by Jacqueline Byres – before attacking and sending her to hospital, disrupting his parent’s lives by getting them both fired from their jobs, and killing his innocent best friend and former accomplish with the burglaries, Derek Sandoval – played by Carlito Olivero. Robert had a lot to portray and did so outstandingly. David Tennant has proven to pull off the villain type role spectacularly since appearing in Jessica Jones, which his role got critical acclaim for. Being so far from the character as the Doctor, David has once again proven just how large his range of acting really is.

As a fan of David Tennant, I have been following his work, so when I saw this film pop up through promotional adverts and trailers, I was intrigued. Being a B-movie, it wouldn’t be circulated or promoted as much as A-movies usually are, so it did drop off my radar for a couple of months before the announcement of its release suddenly appeared on my news feed on Google. My point is, it was worth the wait. I enjoyed the film. It offered the scares, the thriller aspect, and everybody’s acting was superb. With it being purely about the real world and nothing supernatural, the horror came from the situation and the characters themselves – mostly David’s character, Cale.

That’s where my biasedness comes in ever so slightly. Because I’m a fan of David Tennant, I watched the film because he was in it, and that does give the impression that I’m going to automatically enjoy the film. Whilst that’s an understandable response, I didn’t enjoy the film purely because of that, it had a good story, it had great scenes that were well directed and edited for maximum effect within the narrative. However, a point that brings it back to be slightly biased is, David and Robert’s acting did save the film from failing. David’s uniquely energetic and loud performance that’s packed to the brim with emotion and passion for his job, made Bad Samaritan that little bit better. It’s difficult to imagine anyone else taking on that role and having the same impact as David did. Whilst I can’t confirm if this is true as my research hasn’t proven anything, Bad Samaritan does have the feel that shows Cale’s character was written for David’s unique acting.

In terms of character development, there isn’t much. Robert’s character, Sean, upon discovering Riley, without hesitation states he’s never stealing anything ever again, and that’s an understandable reaction. Throughout the film, he’s acting upon the advice his step-dad gives him about always doing the right thing. That’s basically it in terms of his development. With Cale’s character, there isn’t any. Not really. He’s an already established character. The audience do get a little bit of backstory that fills in what we need to know, but that’s it. As a character, he’s fixed. He doesn’t change in any way. However, the story does accommodate this decision and makes the film that much more thrilling and subsequently overall entertaining.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)

Mum's Monday: Black Shuck by Piers Warren

The true legend of The Black Shuck can be found in many ghost and legends books, and the story also inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes the Hound of the Baskervilles.

Before I bought this fictional version of the legend, this book, reading the second paragraph on the back it made me think ‘How much more can the character Harry Lambert take?’ With all the bad luck and tragedy in his life, he chooses Norfolk one of the Black Shuck counties to relax in, it seems his bad luck continues and is yet to turn to good luck. I bought the book and started to read it.

It was nice to read that Harry has Linda and Frank, who run the guest house, Harry was staying in to confide in and to fishing with Frank is a good distraction until the story of Black Shuck and Harry’s ex-wife Louise is mentioned.

Chapter 4 and others are written from the point of view of the dog, they are cleverly done, the dog is loyal to a fault and these explain the legend in more detail. Reading the prologue carefully is a must to understand this chapter more.

It is nice to read the seals are being looked after by the warden Peter Wild.

This book gives an insight into, when a person has no idea of the stories or legends of an area they can feel weird and come across some strange goings on. When people have an open mind or are not expecting anything other than a normal walk along a beach, who knows what is out there to find or could be following them.

Chapter nine starts off so nice, Linda has gone out but has left a note for Harry to make his own breakfast. This is a kind gesture and treating him like a member of the household and not just a Bed and Breakfast paying customer.

Harry is half way through his week already and isn’t yet feeling the benefits of the break. I sense a plan is looming as I read on.

It is lovely to see Harry get on so well with Peter and especially Peter’s eldest daughter Annie.

This book is a very quick read, things change so fast. It is good to see Harry’s life moving forward from what bought him to Norfolk in the first place. The part in chapter ten written about driving a boat and safety features is well done and realistic, this is good to read if a bit technical, but if it keeps people safe then it is a good thing.

Chapter eleven takes a grizzly turn but then the title of the book is Black Shuck the Devil’s Dog you have to expect some horror. This is written so well that you can really picture the unfortunate scene.

The reaction of Peter when Black Shuck is mentioned is somewhat realistic as you either get as in this case denial or a person is willing to discuss the legend. As with most ghost stories I have come across people who say that nothing happened or to them going into detail of an experience they themselves have had and saying they believe. This book keeps you guessing and intrigues especially at the end of this chapter eleven.

It is good to read so much effort has been put into this book when it comes to Harry’s birdwatching. This story line gives the book depth. It could so easily have been a shallow example, but the detail given shows that a lot of research and thought has gone into it.

In chapter fourteen we are introduced to Linda’s aunt Eileen, this starts off as a normal visit to carry out some care, only to turn into a dark end. Considering the title of the book there is a clever link, proving you are never far away from the books title.

I like how this story all slots together and is well thought-out, Harry being a wild life film maker and has camped in the wild, so moving in to the ‘Watch House’ with its limited amenities is still somewhat a luxury to him. The story all makes sense, him wanting peace and quiet, an available house and Harry being used to fending for himself with not much.

In chapter twenty I did think of who it was that had suffered although the tragic circumstances came as a surprise.

This book keeps you reading if only to find out who the woman in the red dress is.

The book is a brilliant easy read if you are into horror.

One of the places that is mentioned in the book that is linked to the legend of Black Shuck is Blythburgh Holy Trinity church. The church is opened to the public, you can check the opening times on the churches website. The legend is mentioned in the guide book and you can see the scorched alleged claw marks on the church door. You can find the church in Blythburgh on Church road or Priory road along the A12 south of Lowestoft Suffolk. There is a large carpark off to the side of Church road and then you can just walk through to the church.

Jerry's Journal: Being a Very Good Boy

In Saturday we took Jerry to a dog-friendly pub, The Greyhound in Ipswich, near Christ Church park. He enjoyed being in a new place, and they enjoyed having him there. Jerry met new people, and new dogs.

Jerry was a very good boy. He didn't get too excited and loopy. He sat and laid down, with breaks of sniffing around to decipher what all those new smells were. And of course, when my food arrived, he immediately snapped to attention. He did get a few pieces, which he absolutely enjoyed.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)