Well, it’s gloriously short! I do love a short film but on the flip side, it seemed like we were a bit short-changed in value for money! I thought this was quite fun, although a lot of the time I was laughing at the block-headed men. They reminded me of the block-headed people in Tomb Raider 2, where the animation just isn’t good enough to keep up with the ambition. Anyway, some fun characters, a reasonable story, nothing spectacular but plenty of scope for more.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t a bumbling buffoon of a spy film, but that Carell was actually meant to be a half-decent and intelligent spy. Things just kept going wrong for him, although, of course, it all worked out in the end. I suspect there were a lot of references to the original TV series that went over my head here, but even so, I quite enjoyed it.

I was a little wary ahead of this year’s Christmas Special. The festive episodes have not always been the best, and when they are charged with ingratiating a new character into our lives as well, the pressure is really on. Thankfully, all my fears were unfounded as what we had here was a fantastic episode in its own right, plus a continuing mystery regarding the new companion as well.

I liked this, but it wasn’t spectacular. A perfectly serviceable animation, nice and festive, feel-good story, with a few funny lines along the way. I did like the concept of Santa’s business as a military-style operation, and the gadgets, Mission Control, and spaceship style transport were very well done.

Thankfully, unlike some of the other children/young adult books I have been revisiting, it still holds up for me as an adult. It’s not terrifically scary, obviously. It has Doctor Who’s family friendly ethic when it comes to scare tactics, but it was certainly intriguing. I don’t know if I’ve read this particular one before, but the thought of ventriloquist dummies is unsettling enough, let alone them coming to life.

I’ve been a fan of Danny Wallace books in the past, those true life adventures that he and others (Dave Gorman) go on. The humour works very well in those because it’s honest, open and you can imagine that they really are thinking that. This book is in the same vein, only it’s a fictional adventure instead. That being the case, some of the humour feels a little bit shoe-horned in, almost like it’s trying too hard.

It has cute and/or funny muppets, great one-liners, tells the story really well and catchy songs. There’s little to complain about, it’s one of the classics that is at this point a Christmas staple. There’s little else to add, except the confusion about ‘The Love is Gone’ being included in some versions and not in others was very irritating. It also didn’t make sense as the song is reprised at the end, but wasn’t included in our version so it didn’t make any sense. But I don’t mind because it’s not the best song on the soundtrack anyway.

They weren’t as hard to read as I remember, although they do get a bit wearing by the end. As the big criticism of the films go, there really is a lot of walking, a lot of logistics. When you get to hear the dialogue, learn about the characters, it’s great. Sam’s cheeky personality, and the growing relationship between Legolas and Gimli - both of those are things I enjoyed.

These are so good. So delicious. I really need to work on my dusting technique though. It’s not very even, and far too much in some places.

I’m sure you’re all aware of my obsession with Bourne/Matt Damon, and hearing they were going to continue the franchise without the main character was a bit of a concern to me. I’m also slightly confused because they’ve lined up Renner to take on the Mission Impossible franchise as well. Too many! Anyway, always happy to give a Bourne a go!

The Thanksgiving Black Friday sale business doesn’t really reach the UK, although the internet’s ability to shrink the globe means we do get to see some deals. I spotted one such deal on the Amazon site, where they had reduced the Kindle Fire to just £99. Now, we don’t really need another device in our lives, but I was interested to see what it was like, and we could always use another gadget for testing things on.

It turns out that Mr C is a bit of a fan of cherry cake, so I added it to my baking list and this week that was the recipe that popped up. It’s a good ol’ Delia Smith recipe, but I must admit to being a little concerned at the idea of putting a cake in an oven for an hour and a half. It’s a reasonably low heat, and after a while you’re meant to put a little foil hat on to stop it burning on top. I think I left it a bit too long.

Mr C reckons this trailer reminds him of Prometheus which is very worrying to me. I can see what he means, but also… it looks brilliant! And there appears to be distinctly less lens flare than the previous outing. Phew! Star Trek Into Darkness

It got off to a bit of a slow start, but when it got going, it was fun. It really was just like the Addams Family, only a little bit less kooky and a bit more fish-out-of-water. Towards the end, both Mr C and I thought it went very Death Becomes Her and that made us want to watch that… but I digress.

I’m a bit late on writing this for November, we’re almost halfway through December already, but there’s plenty to catch up on before the festive season begins (and we have to endure Lynda’s latest creative endeavour). Of course, the main story over the past few weeks has been Ed, Emma and their lack of funding. George dropped them in it a bit by demanding the more expensive cereal whilst shopping with Nic. When Will said they should have George more often, Ed flipped out. When Nic asked Emma, it went over much better. Good ol’ Super Nic. Anyway, there was an emotional trip for Emma to the foodbank, where she was caught by Susan (what are the chances!) and then after another hefty bill, they realised the solution was staring them in the face. Ed swallowed his pride and agreed to move in to Susan and Neil’s. It seems very hypocritical how Susan said it was “different” that Emma wanted to come home, as opposed to Tracey. Emma has two noisy kids too!

For a long film, this didn’t feel too long and that is something I’m super sensitive too. It was really so good! There was tons I didn’t remember from the previous two, but the only real thing that needed to be remembered was about Liam Neeson’s character. It turns out that Bane was easy enough to understand, although his accent was beyond ridiculous. Batman’s whisperings were the trouble, but he doesn’t speak that much anyway.

This was not at all what we thought. A lot of it was stuff I didn’t really relate to: drugs, clubs, stripping, etc. It was a lot more arty than I’d expected, the Instagram filters, the incredible camera angles, and the natural dialogue. It was fun seeing Olivia Munn, hadn’t quite expected to see so much, and I enjoyed the banter between Mike and… I want to say Brooke? It’s not going to be my favourite film of the year, it was better than I’d expected, but not really my style. I do quite like this Channing fellow though.

Naturally, as we are heading rapidly towards the festive season, where mince pies and yule logs and turkeys are the order of the day, I decided to bake some Hot Cross Buns. It had been in the back of my mind a while ago, and then when I made the chocolate chip cookies, I remembered I had dried mixed fruit that needed using up. So, I waited until the end of the F1 season so I’d have a free weekend. All that kneading and waiting and kneading and waiting does my head in and I wanted a clear day for stress free baking. It was all going well until I put it aside to rise for the first time. It didn’t rise. Well, maybe a centimetre. I moved it about, I left it in front of the heater, I did all I could and it did nothing. I kneaded it some more and left it again. Still nothing.

Gangster Squad Where do I begin with this? Oh yes, Ryan Gosling. Mmm. And Emma Stone with her proper red hair. And the guy who was incredible and freaky in Men in Black 3. And Ryan Gosling! Oh, and the film looks okay too.

This was good and amusing, quite original in some ways, and totally formulaic in others. There were moments where it was all a bit weird, and then others where it was genuinely laugh out loud funny. Emily Blunt has this offbeat way about her, interrupting and talking over other people - sometimes it’s sweet and seems realistic, other times it just gets annoying. The flow wasn’t quite right, but moments like the Elmo/Cookie monster conversation made up for it.

Spotted this on Kottke and had to share. As Kottke says: “When the hand reached in to turn the Rubik’s Cube, my brain melted and spilled out of my ear and into a puddle on the floor.”

I hadn’t realised there was a bear in this. That’s two bear films in a row! I loved most of the bear stuff, the feminine walk, the gestures, the communication, bear rage! Overall, though, I wasn’t totally convinced by the whole thing. It was good, a nice 90 minutes of entertainment, with a few laughs. There were bits that didn’t make much sense, though, and it all seems to hang on the magic - which is also very confusing. I liked it, but it’s not my favourite Pixar offering.

What I hadn’t anticipated, in amongst all my ponderings about what the film would be like, is that it’s freakishly funny. Sure there’s a lot of stuff that I am too prudish to get, and there are references that go over my head, but even with all that, there’s still enough funny to the point I couldn’t breath. The bear is as cute as expected, you might have got that from the above. I didn’t really like the sad bit, for obvious reasons, but it all works out okay in the end. Loved it.

I wrote some initial impressions about the Kindle Paperwhite when it first arrived, and looking back, I think I was very generous. It was a disappointment but I tried to temper the frustrations with the knowledge that there were benefits for me (3G and touchscreen), and it was supposedly a cutting edge product - they knew it wasn’t perfect. Unfortunately, after a month using the device most lunchtimes, I have given up. This week, I deregistered the Kindle, and went back to my previous version - a simpler, but more reliable product.

There were twists and turns along the way, and as I didn’t know anything about this before I started (and managed to stop myself googling it), they were all a surprise to me. The characters were brilliantly formed, not just figures to love or hate, but multi-dimensional with positive traits and negative flaws alike. I found Maxim fascinating but mostly because I pictured him as the main character from the BBC’s The Paradise - a chap who has just lost his wife and is trying/struggling to move on.

I wasn’t actually planning on baking this week - lots to do and not too much time to spend in the kitchen. However, as I am officially addicted, I looked for a quick and simple recipe that I could do without too much thought. There was also a request from other members of the household for some brownies. Lo and behold. I love chocolate, I really do, but I wasn’t 100% sure this recipe was for me. Perhaps it was the dark chocolate, a bit too dark, I wasn’t a massive fan. They were delicious, don’t get me wrong, but I think I can do better. I did like the white chocolate chunks though. I’d forgotten how much I like white chocolate. Mmm, buttons.

Some may recall the phase I went through, designing lots of headers for this site. I gave it up because… well, I wasn’t that good and I wasn’t really getting much better, and I moved on to other exciting creative things. BUT, you know, sometimes, of a Saturday night, you get the creative urge to mess about with Pixelmator. I wasn’t planning a new header, but I followed a random tutorial, and ended up with this. I liked it so much that I decided it was time for an update.

I stumbled across a post on Wired.co.uk a while back and I thought it was fascinating. Apparently, DC Comics are going to have Superman storm out of the Daily Planet, preferring to take his chances in the online journalism world with his own blog. I had never really thought about the fact that Superman/Clark Kent as a journalist in the Daily Planet was starting to be a bit old school. Although, having said that, the appearance of the Daily Bugle in Spider-Man did seem a bit out of place - much as I loved the snarky editor.

Perhaps I was being a bit dense about the whole thing, but I just couldn’t follow it. It seemed like every single chapter was there merely as a means of introducing another new character, sometimes several. I got more and more confused trying to fit in where everyone was and what they were doing.

I really liked this. There were a couple of quite significant plot holes, or at least plot questions, but it was still really good. Both parties acted well, and they had some good banter tonight. I read a review that said the ending was disappointing, but it was only going to go one way… and I thought it was quite sweet. It reminded me of the old couple in Titanic.

Before I started my weekly baking habit, I did try my hand at a few odds and ends, with a medium degree of success. A traditional Victoria Sponge was one of those that I attempted, and it didn’t turn out too badly. I had some odd crinkly edges to contend with but it was okay. I thought, as I am now clearly a baker extraordinaire, that I would try again and see if I could improve it any.

This week, we watched the new reboot of the Spider-Man series with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. It was really very good and when you compare it to the trilogy that came before, I can totally understand why they wanted to ditch that franchise and start all over again. The comic book movie genre doesn’t seem to be losing any of the momentum it has gained, with the Avengers planning individual and group sequels, along with talk of a Justice League film as well. Spider-man has been revitalised, whilst the Batman trilogy has drawn to a colossal close.

After battling through a huge variety of the old classic books recently, I was in the mood for some unchallenging, easy to digest and entertaining books. Paddington is all that and more. I love bears, and the idea of this super-polite but oft-in-trouble brown bear from Darkest Peru is one that instantly resonates. I must have read this a thousand times, and just like Winnie-the-Pooh (another bear), it’s one I could read every day forever.

I don’t want to overstate it, I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I think I’ve figured out that this was roughly 3 million times better than the Sam Raimi movies, from the very beginning when it didn’t have several minutes worth of opening credits. I loved Garfield and Stone, their teenage angst rather than star-crossed lovers nonsense. I thought the biting story was done better, whilst his discovery and testing out of powers seemed more realistic. The demise of Uncle Ben was even more poignant than first time round, and left unresolved. It was all just much better, and really very, very good.

I’ve noticed a couple of trailers for potentially watchable romantic comedies recently. This is not my favourite genre, but when done well, it’s a good way of winding down for a couple of hours. Admission Corny as anything, I know, but I like Tina Fey and I love Paul Rudd. Maybe they can sell it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. I run occasionally, but I’m not so obsessed with it that I was convinced I could read a whole book about running. However, that’s not all this was about. Part memoir, part investigation, the book tracks the author’s trip to Kenya, his preparation for a terrifying-sounding marathon, and his findings about what makes people run fast.

It’s been a tricky couple of weeks, particularly this last weekend. I’m getting to the point where most of my running is going to be done on a weekend now, because of the lack of daylight hours. I had a four day weekend but spent most of it tucked up inside with an extraordinarily painful sore throat. No running for me. However, before that occurred, I had managed to complete a 10k, probably the only one for November, and it was, I suppose you would say, a personal best!

My tea tasting adventure has taken me to lots of new brands that I hadn’t been aware of previously, and the next to fall into my path was Tea India. They were marvellously kind to send me a package with some new flavours to try that should be in the shops in the UK soon, if they are not already. “The range includes a premium Black Tea and three authentic chai infusions, Masala, Vanilla and the unique Cardamom Chai - each with their own distinctive flavours selected from the many varieties found at vibrant bazaars and served up by chai wallahs.”

There have been quite a few bunker items in the news and wider media recently, none of which I have managed to write about. So here, instead, is a summary of five of the most recent. This was pointed out to me by Mr C who saw it on Twitter from someone else (crediting is hard when you have terrible memories like us), but as the end of the world is rapidly approaching… again… people are starting to notice that burrowing underground or under the sea could be useful. The Daily Mail have gathered together some of the so-called best bunkers. The hotel in the Maldives that has rooms underwater is really quite freaky and also very cool! Meanwhile, this Doomsday Preppers thing is catching on. Apparently there is a program on the National Geographic channel following some, er, dedicated types as they prepare for the worst. There’s also a game based on the concept too. Both of these things I have not seen/tried but will have to check out soon. A while back, I was pointed in the direction of a marvellous underground home that was built in the remains of an old reservoir. It looks stunning, if a little like the Teletubbies hillock, but my main concern is if it is in a former reservoir, will it not fill up with water when it rains. The always excellent In Focus photo site has a recent post about polygamists living in the rock in Utah. Let’s ignore the religious/political aspects of this, living in the rock seems very caveman and very cool! Except the part where you have to blow massive holes in the rock in the first place with explosives. That sounds less cool and more dangerous. Finally, I found some photos of old bunkers that were created under the streets of Moscow, when there was concern about the threat of nuclear war. Now they have been turned into a museum/bar/restaurant/strip club. As you do. It looks very odd, kind of like a space ship, but hey, making use of crumbling bunkers is always fine by me. Annoyingly, I also know that there was a recent episode of Grand Designs where they looked at yet another underground establishment. Mr C and I made a point of watching the celebratory 100th episode of the show, and the underground one was the very next week… but we missed it. D’oh!

I have read this book over and over, but not for a long time. When I was younger, I had a well-leafed copy, and I guess I enjoyed it because of the diary format rather than because I had any particular understanding of it. I don’t relate to what it’s like being a teenage boy, and looking back now I can see that I didn’t get a lot of the references.

It’s been a while since I last went somewhere for the alphabet adventure, but I had this trip in my mind for a while - it was just a matter of getting the logistics together. My P plan was either going to be in Portsmouth or Plymouth. I had wanted to go to the Historic Dockyard, but the Mary Rose still isn’t ready, and I want to go when it’s all ready. So, instead, I headed towards Plymouth and took a tour around the Plymouth Gin distillery.

I had no idea what to expect from this book, and at first I wondered what I’d let myself in for. Things seemed to take an age to get going, but once the action began - and the narrative started switching between characters - then it really got interesting.

Somehow, baking something no matter how big or small seems to have become a weekly habit and there’s no escaping it. I keep thinking I’ll take a weekend away from the kitchen, and then my ingredients cupboard calls out to me and there I am with the mixing bowls, creating something else! This week, I went back to the treacle tart that I made during the Bake Off fun and games. There were a couple of complaints last time that we didn’t have it with cream, so it was always going to be something I had to bake again, so we could experience it properly.

This week I spotted two trailers for films and both of them are about zombies, but they each take a completely different form. The first, World War Z, plunges Brad Pitt in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The trailer looks okay but it doesn’t really give a hint to any kind of actual story. World War Z

My love of all things bunker/fort/island led me to googling everything I could find about Spitbank Fort. Aside from the fact that it’s not the greatest name ever, it’s also a round concrete fort situated off the South Coast that’s been turned into a hotel. It’s amazing! Photo credit: Anthony Abbott As the website states: “Spitbank Fort is the most exclusive venue on the south coast, and is its own private island for hire, available for exclusive use, special events, private parties, wedding receptions, music videos and corporate hire. There are few venues in the world that can offer the privacy and exclusivity of Spitbank Fort. With accommodation for 18 and function space for up to 60 people, this is the unique venue that you have been searching for that will quite simply blow all others out of the water.”

Ooh, I really enjoyed this, more than I’d anticipated. It starts with bonus Nicole which was a surprise, and then she gets blown out of a window which is even better. Then there was the time travel story which was great, except for the slightly odd bit at the end - Will Smith rewound five minutes to learn how to defeat his enemy, but then didn’t stumble across himself in the same place, not sure about that. Then, there was the incredible Josh Brolin, who was so much like a younger K that I spent most of the film saying how it was freaking me out (Sorry Mr C). Enjoyable stuff.

Well, this was worth waiting for. I really enjoyed it. There was slightly less gross stuff, but enough embarrassing situations to keep up the tradition. The sentimental stuff was a bit more obvious, but by this point, we were almost caring about the characters so it was good. I think the work we put in watching the previous episodes was worth it, because it felt like everything was coming together to this last reunion and last party. (There is talk of an American Pie 5, but they really should just leave it at this.) It was quite surprising to us to realise that Oz and Heather hadn’t been in the wedding one - we hadn’t noticed and hadn’t missed them! Oops.

It took me a while to get on board with this one, because it seemed that somehow Stifler had made the transition from hyper sex-addict teenager to properly psychotic adult. That manic laugh! It was less focused on him halfway through though, so that helped, and gradually the story became a lot more interesting. Preferred this one to the last, and again, the recurring jokes help things along.

This was very similar to the first but not as good. I had seen it before, but I didn’t know it until it got to a moment that I suddenly remembered. I don’t have much to say about it really, I quite like the recurring jokes - like the fact that everyone knows Jim because of the video on the internet, the Milf boys, and any time Stifler’s mother is mentioned. I don’t think this one added much to the story, though.

I’ve wanted to go to a ploughing match for ages - ever since I heard the antics from one on The Archers. I like country and farming stuff, but I couldn’t quite imagine how a ploughing match would work. My parents have been keeping an eye on when and where ploughing matches have been taking place, and finally all the stars were aligned (read: I got myself organised) so that we could go to one together.