There’s no doubt about it: if you want people to stay awake through a nature film, you should hire James Earl Jones to narrate the picture. That’s what DisneyNature, the new nature film division of the Walt Disney Corp., did with their first wide release offering, Earth, and it worked incredibly well.

Earth is essentially an episode of Discovery Channel staple Planet Earth expanded for the wide screen. It follows three families of animals: polar bears, elephants, and humpback whales, through one year on Earth, stopping along the way to share the impacts of global warming on their habitats, and offering side trips into other animal families as well, including geese and wolves.

While some of the footage may be familiar to devout nature show fans, the presentation was both compelling and beautiful. Wide screen televisions have nothing over the silver screen, especially when polar bear cubs are concerned.

Jones’ narration is subtle, and manages to charm without being overly cutesy, and the movie itself was satisfying, imparting it’s message without straying into overdone preachiness.

Suitable for all ages, this film is currently in wide release in North American markets.

Melissa A. Bartell likes strong coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate. She earns her living writing web-copy for an Internet marketing firm & dabbles in fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page, or check out her blog at MissMeliss.com

Share This Article »

Jennifer Weiner always writes satisfying, funny novels about plucky, independent women who are not perfect size sixes, and in most cases, not even size eights, and with her latest offering Certain Girls, a sort of sequel to her very first novel Good In Bed, she has done so once more.

In this novel, we are re-introduced to Cannie Shapiro, now married to a bariatric surgeon and the successful author of not only the book based on her experiences, but also of a series of girl-power science fiction novels, though the latter is under a pseudonym.

We are also introduced to her almost-thirteen-year-old daughter, Joy, who is rebelling against her over-protective mother by reading the novel she wrote.

Cannie’s voice remains strong, while Joy’s is distinct, and might even merit a sequel of its own in ten or fifteen years. With the planning and execution of Joy’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah forming the main plot connection, we are treated to a mother-daughter experience that reflects a real life mother-daughter relationship, albeit with much funnier commentary, and Weiner’s signature wry observations.

Certain Girls will likely appeal to any girl or woman who has ever had a fight with her mother, been dumped by a boyfriend, or found true love in an unexpected place. In short: all of us.

Melissa A. Bartell likes strong coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate. She earns her living writing web-copy for an Internet marketing firm & dabbles in fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page, or check out her blog at MissMeliss.com

Share This Article »

If you never thought a story that begins with a divorce could be uplifting, you clearly haven’t read Amy Dickinson’s new book, The Mighty Queens of Freeville: a Mother, a Daughter, and the Town that Raised Them.

Amy Dickinson, better known as the syndicated advice columnist Ask Amy, begins her tale of single life with her daughter (and their orange cat) by describing the last days of her marriage, though she quickly moves on to cozier fare. We learn first hand of how she became an advice columnist, how she chose the house in the quaint-but-not-too-cute “Freeville” (the pseudonym of her hometown, where many relatives, including the women her daughter named the Mighty Queens, still live), and how she balances vacation life there with a more metropolitan life in Washington, D.C.

The Dickinson uses in this memoir is upbeat and spunky, but also candid, and while she veils identities, there is no sense that she’s hiding relevant information. We cringe with her on a bad date, and laugh when her daughter calls her cell phone to bail her out of it. As well, we taste the popcorn during her outdoor movie nights in Freeville, hear the cheery clatter of the weekly breakfast with the family at the local diner, and mourn with her when the cat finally breathes his last (at an advanced age).

I must confess, I’m not a reader of advice columns, but if Ask Amy is as well written as this book, I may have to start.

Melissa A. Bartell earns her living by writing articles for an SEO marketing firm, and dabbles in essays and fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page.

Share This Article »

I have to confess, when I was handed the DVD of Girls Rock! and told it was about a camp where girls could learn to be rockers, I was expecting a more plugged in version of the popular indie film CAMP. Instead, I was treated to a documentary that shook me to the roots of my dyed-blue hair, and made me sit up and take notice.

Girls Rock! is a small film made by Liberation Entertainment, and yes, it is about a camp where girls learn to be rockers. For one week, girls aged 8-18 are handed instruments they may never have seen before, taught to play them, formed into bands, and instructed to write songs. At the end of the week, there’s a showcase where each band performs for each other, and 750 cheering fans in the form of family, friends, and supporters.

That right there was cool enough for me - I mean, how often do we see girls told it’s okay to bang their heads and sweat for their art? But the camp - and the movie -offer so much more. Some examples?

1. The girls are taught how to communicate with each other, and other people, in a sane rational way.
2. The girls are encouraged to take ownership of everything from their most hidden emotions to their own talents.
3. The girls are given instruction in self defense.
4. There are round-table discussions on everything from relationships to body image.

As is typical, and necessary, in such documentaries, we don’t meet every girl, only a representative sample, but the producers chose to make their documentary more than the fluff piece it could have been in the wrong hands, by inserting animated sequences sharing girl related statistics. We are treated to bits of information like:

In 1970, the average age when girls began dieting was 14. In 1990, it had dropped to eight.

Today, one in ten nine-year-old girls has vomited to lose weight.

Girls are the only group which begins school with a testing advantage, and leaves with a disadvantage.

It’s stuff we’ve all heard, but put against the backdrop of this raw collection of young women exploring music that is seen (erroneously) as “male,” it provides new perspective.

Would I recommend Girls Rock! The Movie? Absolutely. In fact, I think all parents should be required to watch it with their daughters - even the ones who don’t want to be rock stars.

Melissa A. Bartell earns her living by writing articles for an SEO marketing firm, and dabbles in essays and fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page. You can also find her at her website and various other places around the ‘net.

Share This Article »

In her last novel, Firefly Lane, which was released in paperback earlier this year, author Kristin Hannah gave us a stirring story exploring the often-adversarial relationships between mothers and daughters. In her newest book, True Colors Ms. Hannah once again displays her deftness at portraying relationships between women, this time with a brutally honest portrayal of three sisters in a somewhat dysfunctional family.

The story follows Winona, Aurora, and Vivi Ann Grey from the day after their mother’s funeral in 1979, when they are teenagers, through their adulthood, showing us the trials they must endure among themselves, an with the men who come into their lives.

As is typical of Hannah’s work, the women are the center of the story, and while each of the men we meet - childhood friend and point of contention Luke, somewhat disreputable Dallas, and their struggling, bitter father - is charismatic in his own way, they are secondary to the story, serving only to illustrate the ways the sisters change in their relationships with each other and the world.

Set in a small town on the Washington coast, and filled with horses, farmhands, cowboys, and all kinds of rugged individualist archetypes, in both male and female form, True Colors is, ultimately, the satisfying sort of read we expect from a woman with sixteen previous novels to her name.

Kristin Hannah does not disappoint. She finds the everywoman in all of us, and gives us characters who serve as the mirrors with which we see ourselves.

Melissa A. Bartell earns her living by writing articles for an SEO marketing firm, and dabbles in essays and fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page. You can also find her at her website and various other places around the ‘net.

Share This Article »

If you are a traditionalist werewolf lover, this may not quite be the book for you. Although the werewolves are portrayed as fierce fighters and vicious hunters, you may be put off with the amount of fashion-related escapades that go on and some of the drunken foolishness. It makes for a story with a great sense of humour, but if you are excepting hardcore werewolf action, this isn’t it. There is a lot of tearing of throats though, if that helps.

The story begins with Kalix MacRinnalch (the protagonist), a friendless, emotionally unstable, depressed and junkie werewolf girl fending for herself in London while her family eagerly hunts her following her attack on her father. She is also painfully thin and wildly beautiful (which you are reminded of a number of times). The story continues to unfold bringing in her various family members: Verasa, her ambitious and manipulating mother; Sarapen, her brutal eldest brother who is determined to kill her; Markus, her other brother who is open to the idea of just returning her to the family castle rather than killing her; Thrix, her fashion designing sister who is obsessed with her business and little else, and her other relations: Dominal, Beauty and Delicious. The werewolves have a penchant for whiskey and quick, rather violent, tempers. The family is by no means close-knit, and further strife is added when the Thaneship (the leadership) of the werewolves is up for grabs and a family feud starts a werewolf war.

There is no shortage of characters in this book, and the two human characters include: Daniel, a metal-loving shy guy who is in love with his roommate Moonglow, and Moonglow, a mothering, studious girl who apparently seems to be afraid of nothing - even werewolves. They become embroiled in the MacRinnalch family feud and find themselves living with Kalix, and having frequent visits from other werewolves and fire elementals (the next branch of characters).

Malveria is the Hiyasta Fire Queen from a different dimension. She is obsessed with fashion and prone to tears when something goes wrong with an outfit. Although powerful, she is more often than not seen having a crying fit over something rather fickle, which makes for a rather incongruous but amusing character. Thrix is her fashion designer and so Malveria too, finds herself involved in the werewold feud, and rather enjoying herself since she finds everything outside her realm entertaining.

The story is fast-paced and draws you in quickly. Admittedly, I found it difficult to not wonder what would happen next and swept through this book pretty rapidly. There is a large cast of characters (as mentioned) - perhaps too many - and most are fascinating enough to hold your attention. Every one of them is flawed (some more than others), and almost unlikable, but they are engaging. There are great moments of humour, love triangles, passion gone awry and plenty of action. Some of the repetitive prose got a little dull after awhile: notably being told how skinny Kalix is, and how beautiful all the werewolf women are (but perhaps I merely noticed this more due to my own insecurities).

Unfortunately, the most annoying, and jarring, aspect of this book had nothing to do with the story or characters themselves, but rather the lack of editing. Basic typos litter the entire book and I found myself getting rather annoyed. There was even one occurrence of “you’re” instead of “your” - a personal pet peeve. To any potential authors out there: please proof-read your manuscript, and then proof-read it again, and then ask 5 people to proof-read it.

I find it hard to recommend this book entirely, although I did enjoy reading it. It’s casual, almost a trashy-werewolf novel and I definitely enjoyed the humour. This may be intended for younger audiences as they may be a little more forgiving with some of the prose, and sadly, they may not even notice the typos.

Lorissa Shepstone: A South African web designer specialising in the publishing arena and photographer, Lorissa currently lives in England with her husband and their feline-brat. Her work has been featured in various publications, including PC Magazine, Digital Camera Shopper, Small Spiral Notebook, 28mm, U&I Magazine, unbound press, Kudos Magazine, The Crest Magazine and the book, Create Your Own Photoblog. She is the founder and Creative Director of All Things Girl.

Share This Article »

Every day kids head off to school for to learn valuable lessons – both academic and social. In a perfect world, a child’s biggest worry should be the homework they forgot to do, or the gym shorts they left at home. But the reality is that these days, children have a lot more to deal with, and this sometimes includes extreme violence in schools. 19 Minutes broaches the subject of what happens when a child is pushed beyond their limit, and embarks on a shooting spree at school. A mere 19 minutes is all it takes for Peter Houghton’s life – and the lives of his victims – to change forever.

While Jodi Picoult’s novel is fictional, there are haunting similarities to real-life incidents that have become more and more common over the recent years. It brings to mind horrifying events such as the Columbine school massacre and the Virginia Tech. massacre. In Picoult’s version, however, the young gunman is captured alive, allowing the author to probe the reason behind the teen’s violent escapade. What follow’s is a heart-wrenching look into the years of bullying leading up to the fateful day when Peter walks into school and opens fire on fellow pupils. The reader is torn between shock and pity. Shock at the cold and calculated manner in which the massacre takes place, and pity – or perhaps more appropriately, empathy – towards the shooter, who endures constant bullying and humiliation at the hands of his peers. Did the real-life perpetrators of school shootings undergo the same treatment? What leads to such an awful crossroad at which a teenager opts for a sure death after going on a shooting spree? And what can we do to make sure it never happens again.

As with most Jodi Picoult books, this novel encourages the reader to look at the increasingly common phenomenon of school shootings, making it an interesting read, albeit at times disturbing.

Nicola-Jane Ford is a 30-year old ‘chick’ who is the proud guardian of a fabulous cat and many pairs of equally fabulous shoes. She lives in (gorgeous) Cape Town and supports her love of red wine by working as a copywriter. She is the Assistant Reviews Editor here at All Things Girl

Share This Article »

If you’ve ever sat around a dining table, completely absorbed by multiple streams of conversation, sipping strong coffee or tea, and found yourself desperate for what my grandmother called “a little something,” you are the kind of person who would appreciate Crane Hill Cookies: petite biscotti in a variety of interesting flavors, and the perfect balance of crunch and sweetness.

I was first introduced to Crane Hill Cookies by a friend who knows the owner’s daughter. “Try these,” he said. “You will love them.” I shot off an email, and the owner, Judy Hackett agreed to send us a sample, something she called a five-pack. What’s a five-pack? It’s a variety pack of five different kinds of biscotti, with a total weight of about a pound. My five-pack included traditional anise, almond, Hawaiian delight, Mocha Bean and Andes Triple Mint which are made with those lovely chocolate covered crème de menthe mints that so often show up on hotel pillows or restaurant check tabs.

Because these are petite biscotti, a serving size ranges from one or two cookies, to five or six, depending on your appetite. I like this, because you can sample several with one cup of coffee, but still stick to a healthy eating plan. Of the five kinds that I tried, the traditional anise was my favorite, but the chocolate mint was fabulous, and the Hawaiian delight was also very good. None of them were bad, though if you’re not into chewing coffee beans, I’d avoid the mocha.

Crane Hill Cookies are available in single or multiple-flavor packages, and sold by weight, as well as five-flavor variety packs. They also offer special packaging, such as in a wine glass or coffee cup, and special corporate gift baskets. If you do a lot of office visits as part of your job, they package “leave behinds” – colorful organza bags full of biscotti, with an easy way to attach your business card.

Crane Hill Cookies is based in Lodi, California, but ships nationwide.

Melissa A. Bartell earns her living by writing articles for an SEO marketing firm, and dabbles in essays and fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page. You can also find her at her website and various other places around the ‘net.

Share This Article »

Zerkala (aka: Mirror) is an autobiography by Andrei Tarkovsky (directed and co-written) from 1975. A beautiful and extremely personal biography with powerful, and sometimes surreal imagery, the story interweaves dream sequences, past memories, original poetry (from Tarkovsky’s father) and historical footage. Almost every frame could be a photo. This is a story of memories, life, death, regrets, love, guilt and forgiveness.

Due to the stream-of-consciousness approach, this can be a difficult storyline to follow, especially when you need to read the English subtitles while wanting to just absorb the cinematography itself. However, it helps to keep in mind that you are watching the story of Aleksei (the narrator) on his deathbed as he reminisces on his life. The film “jumps” between three distinct time periods in Soviet Russia: Pre-war (1930’s), War-time and Post-war (1960’s).

You may be further confused by the same actors playing different roles in different time periods. Margarita Terekhova plays both the role of Maria (Aleksei’s mother in the pre-war scenes) and Natalya (Aleksei’s wife in later periods). Ignat Daniltsev plays the role of the younger Aleksei, as well as Aleksei’s own son at age 12. Personally, I found this an ingenious move. There are a number of ways to interpret this, of course, which further intrigued me about this film. It appears both absolutely detailed in personal experience, and yet universal and open to a number of different viewpoints and interpretations. Mirror is a faithful title.

I read a review of Mirror where they called it “visual poetry” and so it is. As a photographer, this film inspired me out of a slump. It made me wish I could take the sort of photographs these scenes displayed, and to warrant the same emotional response. Don’t expect the “norms” of a Hollywood film here. Mirror ignores all of the “rules”. This is not a film you watch, this is a film you experience.

Lorissa Shepstone: A South African web designer specialising in the publishing arena and photographer, Lorissa currently lives in England with her husband and their feline-brat. Her work has been featured in various publications, including PC Magazine, Digital Camera Shopper, Small Spiral Notebook, 28mm, U&I Magazine, unbound press, Kudos Magazine, The Crest Magazine and the book, Create Your Own Photoblog. She is the founder and Creative Director of All Things Girl.

Share This Article »

Ticket to Ride by Dennis Potter is the kind of book you probably need to re-read to fully appreciate, and I definitely plan on rereading this. Potter’s writing is seductively lyrical. I found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs just so I could savour the imagery or mood he created. I’m usually a fairly quick reader, but I found myself purposefully taking my time with this book.

To explain the storyline is a little difficult and part of what made this such an intriguing read for me. A man, John, finds himself on a train heading towards London when he suddenly “loses” his mind. He does not know who he is, why he is on this train and where he is going. He has nothing on him to identify himself, a wad of cash in his wallet and a mysterious “voice” (a secret friend also named John) as his only link to anything from his past. As the story unravels, the reader is taken on a ride through memories, fantasies and sequences all the while not entirely knowing which are which. What is a memory, what is a fantasy and what is part of the action of the current events? You feel, partly, like John - not sure what to accept as real and what an illusion.

Alternating chapters follow Helen, his young wife.  She is anxiously awaiting John’s return from London. The concern is not just for his safe travels, but also underlying problems within their marriage which she is unsure of how to resolve. Helen has her own mysteries to unfold, and her own secrets to either lock away or finally allow herself to reveal. In turn, she has her own psychological turmoil which interlace with her memories of events and fantasies.

The bizarre and surprising twists and turns of the story keep you enthralled, but I believe the characters themselves are the real meat of this book. Potter takes you into a world of supreme alienation and “separateness” from the rest of the world, but also from the self. Social norms, sexual frustrations and desires, the monotony that we often find ourselves in and the uncertainty of real freedom from the self - all these themes are at the forefront. Given utter freedom to be whoever you want, with no idea of who you were, who would you be?

Simply put, this is a psycho-study suspense both beautifully written and bleakly told. As expected, based on the rest of the book, the ending is ambiguous and perhaps frustrating to some, although I personally like the vague, obscure non-conclusion.

Lorissa Shepstone: A South African web designer specialising in the publishing arena and photographer, Lorissa currently lives in England with her husband and their feline-brat. Her work has been featured in various publications, including PC Magazine, Digital Camera Shopper, Small Spiral Notebook, 28mm, U&I Magazine, unbound press, Kudos Magazine, The Crest Magazine and the book, Create Your Own Photoblog. She is the founder and Creative Director of All Things Girl.

Share This Article »