Saturday 2 February 2008

An Irish victory, but only just.

Ireland V Italy was the first match to kick off the 2008 RBS Six Nations at Croke Park in Dublin. Ireland were under a lot of pressue to get their reputation back on track after a disappointing world cup last year.

The final score was 16-11 to Ireland, a victory for the greens but, not a spectacular performance. They came on strong in the first half, playing heavily in Italy's territory and having several near-try misses. O'Gara, Dempsey and man of the match, Reddan, all put in strong performances but, it wasn't enough to notch up the tries.

The second half saw Italy come back with more power but, it wasn't enough to overtake Ireland, who held on to their minimal lead.

Ireland are going to really have to pull something amazing out of the bag for their next match against France if they are to prove themselves to be a side to be reckoned with once again.

Congratulations to Wales who made a spectacular comeback against England. After a mediocre start, they came back with avengence in the last part of the game, pulling off a 26-19 win

Monday 28 January 2008

Wow...what a film!



One of the best Burton and Depp collaborations I have seen, Sweeney Todd (based on the Broadway musical) definately doesn't disappoint.

With echoes of Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton brings a new layer of darkness to the tale of Mr. Todd. There is an abundance of blood and gore, so perhaps not a film for the faint hearted.

Burton makes his mark on the film from the outset, it is unmistakebly one of his works as it is filled with the foggy, eerie atmosphere that Burton does best. He has once again reinforced his auteur status as a director.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a musical that tells of a barber (Benjamin Barker later known as Sweeney Todd- played by Johnny Depp) who is wrongly accussed of a crime and is separated from his beloved wife and daughter. He later returns to London for revenge against Judge Turpin (played by Alan Rickman) who was responsible for ruining Barker/Todd's life. His revenge takes the form of a series of brutal murders in his re-established Barber shop which is conveniently placed above a pie shop owned by Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who is in love with Todd and becomes his partner in crime.

Depp's performance as Todd is outstanding and well deserving of the Oscar nomination he has recieved for best actor. Depp and Carter have brilliant on-screen chemistry and prove to be an extremely entertaining duo. They are perfect for the roles and even their singing ability doesn't disappoint.

Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall and Sacha Baron Cohen are excellent as three of the film's 'baddies'. Rickman and Spall are definately characters that the audience will love to hate.

It's not surprising that the film raked in a estimated 4.5million pounds in it's first weekend, It is a cinematic experience that shouldn't be passed up. It is a gripping adaptation from start to finish with some interesting twists along the way.

So whether you know the story of Sweeny Todd or not...GO AND SEE IT NOW, I guarantee you won't regret it!