1. I have a new haircut! It's so unbelievably different, but I like it. It's a lot shorter than before, it was really long. Anyway....

2. I want to see Just Like Heaven, which is previewing today. The director also made Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, both favourite films of mine. And Reese Witherspoon is a really good actress. Mark Ruffalo's OK, but his voice kind of annoys me.

3. Can't think of anything else to say. I'll come back later.

1. It's Boxing Day today! Do they have Boxing Day in America? I can't remember. Anyway, its also my dad's birthday today.

2. I hope everyone who is reading this (i.e. probably nobody) had a really good Christmas/Hanukkah/Chrismukkah!

3. I now have some really cool stuff that I really wanted, like the DVD of 'Camp', the soundtrack to 'A Walk To Remember', a book about 'Desperate Housewives', some books about 'The O.C.', a book about acting, some books in the 'Clique' series, two books by Malorie Blackman..... I got quite a lot of books actually!

4. I watched 'It's A Wonderful Life' yesterday night, at about midnight. I'd never seen it before, but it's a Christmas classic. It was pretty good.

5. www.megcabotbookclub.com is a really cool site for Meg Cabot fans, with message boards, live chats, giveaways, etc. God, I sound like an advertisement!

6. Hmm. Mandy Moore actually has a really good voice.

7. I can't work out how much I like the movie 'A Walk To Remember'. Shane West gets better looking as the movie goes on (not that has anything to do with how good the movie is). Some bits I love, some are kind of boring. I don't know whether to get it on DVD or not. I think I will. You can never have too many DVDs!

8. Who is Jonathan Foreman? He and Mandy Moore sing well together though. (You might have guessed, I'm listening to the 'A Walk To Remember' soundtrack right now.)

That's about it. Can't think of anything else to say.

Talliestar (That isn't actually my name, by the way!)

1. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!

2. We've been sent Narnia on DVD, which is really cool! Also Nanny McPhee, Pride & Prejudice, The Producers, Harry Potter, and March of the Penguins. There are lots more but those are the only really interesting ones.

3. Climbing was really fun! I'm pretty good at it actually, and I want to go more often.

4. Tonight I'm watching the second part of The 100 Greatest Family Films. I watched the first half yesterday. Actually, it starts in like five minutes so I'd better go. I'll need to wrap my Dad's xmas present while watching it, since theres no time now.

Talliestar
(And if I don't write again before Christmas, Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!)

Review of The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Basically, it was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I hate to say it, but it was better than Harry Potter (the film!!! I don't mean the books!!!). This is going to be a very boring review since I have no criticisms of it. None! Whatsoever!

The kids were extremely good and really felt like a family, bickering and squabbling. Georgie Henley who played Lucy (and in fact, her older sister played the older version of her at the end of the film) was brilliant and very sweet. She did really well and it was her first acting job ever. Tilda Swinton was perfect as the White Witch, I couldn't imagine anyone else playing her. Liam Neeson's voice of Aslan was fine, but a little too movie-starrish and not quite gruff enough (oh look! A criticism!).

The effects were incredible, especially the battle sequences. I don't like battle sequences in films generally as I don't really like violence but it was visually stunning and since it was a PG film, not too gory or violent.

The story stayed very faithful to the book so die-hard fans won't be annoyed. Overall, everything about it was fantastic, and I recommend it to anyone. Go and see it at the cinema rather than waiting for the DVD since it's the type of film that needs to seen on the big screen. I'm just incredibly jealous of the kids who got the parts, even though I'm sure they did much better than I could have. A girl in my school got into the final ten, you know. She would have been really good.

That's all I've got to say, partly because my keyboard is playing up. Just go and see it. Just go. Now!

1. Saw Narnia last night. Will write review in a minute.

2. I've found that Meg Cabot (my favourite author and author of The Princess Diaries) has her own blog on her website, at www.megcabot.com. It's really funny. Much better than mine. Oh well, she is a professional writer. Anyway, its very cool and I've just been reading it.

3. Via Meg Cabot's blog I discovered this site: www.cuteoverload.com. SOOO cute! (As you might expect from the URL).

4. Today I'm going to a friend's party at a climbing centre. Should be fun. I like climbing 'cause I'm good at it.

5. Wow, three days until Christmas!

6. Found this photo on www.rachelbilson.com. It was taken on Rachel's camera phone. No idea how they got pictures from her phone, and it kind of seems like an invasion of privacy, but this picture's funny, because Mischa Barton always seems to look so beautiful and graceful. Ha! Incidentally, she has the same name as my dad (Mischa). Mischa is NOT a girls' name, it is a Russian boys' name!!! Anyway...

7. Anyone have any idea what that teeny tiny writing just above the title on this page says? there's a big 097 in the background and then something really tiny written. Who knows?

8. Aww, this is my tenth post!

Right, I shall now write that review. Hang on.

Review of The Family Stone

I went to see The Family Stone yesterday. I thought it was going to be a light-hearted, sentimental Christmas comedy but it was actually more of a drama than a comedy, and not that light-hearted. (It was a little sentimental but hardly at all compared to most American Christmas movies). The synopsis is nothing particularly new: guy brings his uptight girlfriend home for the holidays to meet is eccentric family in their big New England home. As expected, pretty much everything goes wrong.

The characters were really interesting though and the cast were amazing. How many big names can you have in a movie??? They worked really well together though and the family felt very much like a close-knit family. I found Sarah Jessica Parker's character (Meredith, the girlfriend) to be too prickly, but I know that's how she is meant to be. Rachel McAdams (as the feisty sister Amy) was excellent. I think she's going to be very successful. Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson as the parents were very good and very believable.

There were some funny moments and there were some sad moments. I cried in it (but then I do cry at a lot of films). I never really know how much I like a movie until I look back on it afterwards and I think I really liked this one. The couples switch round a bit which some people may find annoying but in the end they all end up with who they're suited to so you're (at least I was) happy for them.

The bit at the end (won't give anything away) was very well done and I think it needed that kind of epilogue, even though it was very sad. The movie has been compared to Meet the Parents but I enjoyed this one much more, it had more depth and wasn't nearly so slapstick. It gives a very nice sense of family and Christmas, which I always like in a movie, even if it is sentimental.

To sum up, it was pretty good, but don't go if you want to see a bubbly comedy, 'cause its not.

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Talliestar

P.S. I'm going to see The Chronicles of Narnia tonight. I'll post a review of that tomorrow.

1. I've got the cast dinner tonight. We're going to a pizza place. Should be fun.

2. Apparently The OC Season 3 is starting on January 15th. Wow, that's exactly a month from now!

3. I'm breaking up tomorrow! (Well, my school, not me exactly.)

4. A couple of days ago I watched this film called 'The King', which came from BAFTA. It's really weird and VERY dark and grim. Practically everyone gets murdered. Not to give anything away! Don't think I'll be watching it again, but it was interesting. It had that guy from The Motorcycle Diaries, Gael Garcia Bernal (sp?) and William Hurt in it.

4. God, I have absolutely nothing else to say. How boring. Sorry!

Talliestar xxx

1. I am so annoyed with Yahoo! My email account is not working, it won't let me sign in. Aargh! And no, I have not forgotten my password.

2. I've had to cancel babysitting on Thursday to go to a cast dinner, which I feel kind of bad about.

3. We've now been sent the movie 'Proof', amongst others. I want to see that one. Others I'm not so interested in, like 'A History of Violence'.

4. I have a lot of homework which I really should be doing instead of this. But I will do it, once I've finished.

5. Less than two weeks 'til Christmas! (Is it 'til or just till? 'till? til?)

6. I'm reading bits of 'The Amber Spyglass' again right now. (Well, not right now obviously.) I love His Dark Materials, and I can't wait for the films. I saw the play at the National Theatre, which was absolutely amazing. I hope Nicole Kidman plays Mrs Coulter, she'd be perfect. Will and Lyra should be unknowns though.

7. Speaking of the National Theatre, 'Coram Boy' is playing this Christmas. I really want to see it, I loved the book.

8. Speaking of Nicole Kidman, there's a new character on 'Neighbours' who looks exactly like her! It's freaky!!!!

Have to get started on that homework now. Aah, I've got hiccups!!!! I hate hiccups!

Bye!

You are dependable, popular, and observant.Deep and thoughtful, you are prone to moodiness.In fact, your emotions tend to influence everything you do. You are unique, creative, and expressive.You don't mind waving your freak flag every once and a while.And lucky for you, most people find your weird ways charming!

That's the result from a personality quiz I did, which was basically just clicking on the picture that appealed most to you.

Your Blogging Type is Confident and Insightful

You've got a ton of brain power, and you leverage it into brilliant blog.Both creative and logical, you come up with amazing ideas and insights. A total perfectionist, you find yourself revising and rewriting posts a lot of the time.You blog for yourself - and you don't care how popular (or unpopular) your blog is!

What's" Your Blogging Personality?

And that is another test about your blogging personality. And that one is actually pretty true (although I don't know about the 'brilliant blog', 'amazing ideas' bit...) especially the bit in bold, that is completely true!

1. I watched the beginning of Corpse Bride but it was a little boring. Interesting contrast between the grey, dull coloured 'living' world, and the more lively, colourful 'dead' world.

2. 'Great Expectations' is over! It was so much fun, and I'm sad it's finished. I was a member of the on-stage crew, so moving scenery and stuff, and I played Bentley Drummle, a nasty rich bloke who marries Estella (and then dies).

3. My friends and I have been discussing Harry Potter theories and we think that (*spoiler alert if you haven't read the sixth book*) Harry has a horcrux inside him and will have to kill himself in order for Voldemort to be killed. Which would be sad. If anyone has a more likely theory (or any, for that matter), let me know!

4. It's getting dark so early now! It's 4.30pm right now and it's pitch black!

5. Two weeks 'til Christmas!

I should really go now, I have to finish 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles (the book) by Thursday for English and I'm only about half way through. It's a good story, and very well-written, but a tad boring.

Au Revoir!

1. Three days until the school play!!!!!!!

2. I have done ALL my Christmas shopping.

3. Saw 'In Her Shoes' yesterday. Better than expected. The two main stars were really good. Cameron Diaz is actually quite a good actress!

4. I REALLY want to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. (God, that has a long title!) I auditioned for it at my school a few years ago when they were casting (well I didn't actually audition, they just took my picture and then didn't call me back!). I'm so jealous of the kids that got it. Oh well, they're probably much better than I would have been.

5. We've been sent 'Corpse Bride', which I want to see. Also 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', which I''ve seen. Hmm, both Tim Burton films starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Well isn't that a coincidence.

That's about it. I'm off to do better things.

Talliestar

1. I have to wear a fake moustache for my school play and it's horrible! SO hard to get off! Urgh!

2. Of anyone happens to come across this page, please leave a comment, even if you have no opinion on it or anything to say! Just so I know if anyone's actually seen it.

3. Today's the 1st December! 24 days till Christmas!

4. Wow, in a month's time it'll be 2006!

5. www.neopets.com is so cool! I love the roleplaying boards. My username on there is talliestar, by the way, in case anyone wants to neomail me!

That's all for now. I bet I'll think of something to say as soon as I've signed out.

talliestar