Movie Review: Fast & Furious 6

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and others

Star rating: **

The Fast & Furious films have become their own franchise and whoever you say the title to, they know to expect fast cars, outrageous stunts and skimpily dressed girls to litter the landscape. This film was expected to be no different and it seemed that the audience knew what they signed up for before they had even watched this film.

The gang are living the quiet life after being chased out of Rio with Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia (Jordana Brewster) living in bliss as new parents. Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) turns up to the perfect life with the allure of pardons all around of the gang and giving Dom (Vin Diesel) the opportunity to find 'back from the dead' girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). What proceeds is a mad cap chase through the London landscape, tearing through Canary Wharf, Piccadilly Circus and Whitehall as they chase after the bad guys.

Firstly, i have to say that it is amazing seeing the races taking place on the streets that we know so well and as they trash each one as they ride their American cars, it does create a hype for the British audience. Vin Diesel and the crew have the same chemistry and that is what makes these films such an exciting watch. Their code of family sticking together is strong throughout the film and it is good to see these films develop the characters on an individual basis. Jordana Brewster is literally left holding the baby in the film and doesn't have much of a part to play in the film. This is definitely a boys film and director Justin Lin has bought in the big guns with aeroplanes and an army tank being used in the stunt scenes. There are some neat gags put into the film, one of which is the naming of Hobbs as 'Samoan Thor' on Tej's phone. A fun watch typical of the franchise!

Selfridges Beauty Box 2013

Firstly i owe all of you a HUGE apology. I have been so busy with work and other things that i have not had time to blog about anything so yes, sorry again. There are literally millions of beauty boxes out there including Birchbox which i have not tried yet so please let me know in the comments below if you have done so.

The Selfridges Beauty Box was £25 which is pricey but considering what you get for it, i thought it was a really good deal. You get samples of products which normally cost a lot individually so to have them in a big box is just a bargain. First thing i was really excited to get was the Tangle Teezer but this one is for the shower. I have long fine hair so that means that it needs only a slight breeze to get all tangled and messy. I love the Tangle Teezer because it is so great on my hair and detangles it after a long day so easily. I have the handbag version as well as the two full sizes. I don't really use a shower comb but after my shower, my hair does become difficult to brush and i don't like putting lots of products in it. Therefore, this Aqua Splash Tangle Teezer is perfect for getting my tangles brushed out post-shower.

I was also excited about the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, this has received rave reviews by the blogging community but it is so pricey that i have not been able to bring myself to buy it. So i will try it out and see! Another thing i was really excited about was the Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray. I like wearing my hair out in waves for a lot of the time so i wanted to see how this would help keep my hair in tact throughout the day.

I will be reviewing these as i try them all out but thought i would show all of you guys what was in it, in case some of you are interested in buying it! It is available here

For £25 you get: 

Aqua Splash Tangle Teezer
Models Own Neon Nail Varnish
Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray 50ml
Molton Brown Aqua Shower Gel 100ml
Caudalie Beauty Elixir 30ml
St. Tropez Instant Glow Face Lotion 50ml
Jane Tran Hair Clips
Erborian BB Cream 12ml
Lancaster After Sun 40ml
St. Tropez exclusive in-store offer card 

Movie Review: Gippi

Starring Riya Viji, Jayati Modi, Doorva Tripathi, Arbaaz Kadwani, Divya Dutta

Star rating ****

Judging the amount of promotion that Gippi has received via YouTube, i was excited yet wary of this film. Bollywood in recent years has fallen into promoting films so much that by the time it releases, it just seems like it overly marketed and never lives up to its promises. Gippi came across as the same but i really wanted to watch it because it was meant to be an simple story of a teenage girl trying to find love and her own identity. The soundtrack was equally preppy with tracks like 'Bhen di Takki' being a fun and catchy track to draw in the audience.

Gippi aka Gurpreet (Riya Viji) is a 14 year old confused teenage girl living with her brother Booboo (Arbaaz Kadwani) and her divorced mother Pappi (Divya Dutta) in Shimla. Gippi is an overweight, unpopular average student who is neither exceptional at sports or her studies. She instead, is often ridiculed by popular and beautiful Shamira (Jayati Modi) and is challenged by her to become the head girl at school. Gippi soon realises that this will be a tough task for her and supported by her loyal friend Anchal (Doorva Tripathi), she begins the uphill task to win the elections. As a side story, you also have the love story between Gippi and bad boy character Arjun (Taaha Shah) in the background.

Remember being a teenager and finding every single day a struggle at school, this is Gippi's life and it is so brilliantly portrayed in this film. No actress has ever looked as awkward on screen as Riya Viji but that is her charm in this film and you really do just want to give her a hug throughout this film. Whilst she inhabits this vulnerable and naive character in school, at home, she has this lovely close relationship with her mother who is facing her husband remarrying. Taaha Shah is hot on screen and plays the bad boy flawlessly, he leaves the audience a little bit infatuated with him too. No doubt this was the intention and i think when you leave the cinema, you will leave a little bit nostalgic for those years. The confusion, awkwardness and eagerness to please were all emotions we all felt at 14 and we are all very glad that we never have to feel those again. A feel good film which reminds us that there is always a simple time in life.

Movie Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Starring Alice Eve, Anton Yelchin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bruce Greenwood, Chris Pine , Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana

Star rating: ****

There are not many films or TV series which have gained the cult following like Star Trek has and i am afraid that i am one of those trekkies. Be it the sense of belonging or the space adventure aspect that draws me in, i have always been a huge fan. The first Star Trek film established the Kirk and Spock bromance and helped sell Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto as these two iconic characters. JJ Abrams was selling the Star Trek team to a whole new audience and fan base and also had the difficult task of keeping the devoted trekkies. Star Trek Into Darkness was meant to be the confident older brother of the first film, building on the re-energised sense of Trek mania.

This film plunges the audience into chaotic madness where Captain James T Kirk (Chris Pine) is on the run from an indigenous species as Spock (Zachary Quinto) is beemed down to planet's surface to prevent a volcano from erupting. When it looks like Enterprise will be losing Spock, Kirk flouts Starfleet's regulations by allowing the natives to see the Starship rising from the ocean to rescue Spock. When back on Earth, Kirk omits the incident from his records but Spock shops him to the authorities in his stubborness to follow regulations. Kirk is stripped of his command and demoted to first officer under the hand of his mentor (Bruce Greenwood). However after an attack on Starfleet comes from within, Kirk is called back into action to battle a new enemy, a mysterious man named Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch).

The Star Trek has always been about the relationship between Kirk and Spock and this is a strong theme in this film. As Spock realises that the two are indeed friends, it is interesting to see the two work together and apart throughout the film. Pine and Quinto play this to their advantage and are perfect to play the two characters and have some great one liners. Cumberbatch is brilliant as Khan and his serious expressions make him the brooding villian, heartless and ruthless to attain his goals. The film is well made and scenes are brilliantly executed. Karl Urban is great as Bones and comes into his own as the medical officer and partner in crime for Kirk. Scotty aka Simon Pegg brings some laughs from the audience and he is a great character in this film. This is a must see for all Trekkies, it is a refresh on the old story but is just as entertaining. 

Movie Review: Oblivion

Starring Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko
Star rating: **

Considering that the last time Tom Cruise was seen in a film was Jack Reacher, Oblivion promised to be yet another Cruise adventure but this time of the sci-fi kind. With a silver suited Cruise gracing the posters, it seemed that this would just as action packed film as Cruise's films always promise.

Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) is a self-reliant and tough soldier/technician in the late 21st century where he spends him time fixing drones that patrol planet Earth. The planet has been destroyed after a nuclear war against alien invaders and its surface is inhabited with scavs aka scavengers. He works with adoring Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) to monitor humanity's final emigration to one of Saturn's moons. His immediate memory has been wiped but he keeps having a reoccurring romantic dream where he keeps meeting Julia (Olga Kurylenko).

Confused? You will be watching this film. Tom Cruise spends a lot of time with a worried expression on his face whilst he flies through space. He has some romantic scenes with Riseborough and Kurylenko but the women really are pretty props in the film and just as disposable. Morgan Freeman is entirely useless in his supporting actor role and could have done much more in this film. It is almost like the writers themselves got lost writing this incredibly long-winded complicated storyline and by the end of it, you begin to lose hope in the entire film. There are some fantastic CGI created of the post-war Earth surface with remnants of famous skylines scattered across the screen. Overall, the story for this film just didn't work and it went on for too long.

Spring into Summer at Westfield Stratford City

Westfield Stratford City are always very good at coming out with events that involve the local community and they offer something new for their shoppers. This bank holiday weekend it was the Spring into Summer Campaign. Bright and early on Saturday morning, i headed to Westfield to take part in a yoga class which was being taught by Julia White. It was a lovely relaxing experience, brilliant to start off this bank holiday weekend and it has set the tone for the rest of the weekend. A great idea from Westfield Stratford, i am truly impressed!!

See here for more details: http://westfieldspringintosummer.com/home.htm