Today's Review: Let's Be Cops

I had heard nothing about this movie until I saw the poster a few days ago. But hey, I had some cinema vouchers to use, so I thought why not? Let's Be Cops stars Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans as a couple of down on their luck roommates living in L.A. Getting nowhere with their lives and considering moving back home, a bit of excitement comes their way when they dress up as cops for a party, and find themselves being mistaken for the real thing. Shenanigans ensue as the duo take their cop routine to the streets every night, but soon enough they find themselves in deep trouble with some real life mobsters.

Sounds like a pretty generic plot, right? Well, yes, it is. I found myself accurately predicting most of the plot points, and the characters are pretty much cookie cut loveable losers, villains and love interests. There's really nothing special story wise, but it's saved somewhat by the combination of Johnson and Wayans. They've already proven their comedy chips in New Girl, and this movie has more of the same rapport going on. While a lot of the comedic situations they find themselves in didn't quite tickle my funny bone, they managed to get a chuckle from me purely from their delivery and rapport. Sure, there were a few scenes that seemed overly improvised, drawn out and just out of place, but I certainly had a few laughs that I don't think I would have with alternative stars.

Let's Be Cops is not a bad movie. It easily could have been, but with some solid lead performances, it's pretty okay. Certainly not one I'd place on a best of comedy list, but if you're after a buddy (non)cop movie, you might want to check it out.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Jelly Babies Berry Mix

Jelly Babies are a British institution, and while if certainly love to love them, ive always found something a little bit off with them. It must be the chalky exterior, or the heavy jelly innards, but after a few I start to feel quite sick. Good for portion control I guess, but it always leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth.

Now there's a pack of "berry" Jelly Babies, which is basically a collection of the more berry-like flavours. This cements my view that the darker colours are better, since the green and yellow babies have been cast out, and the spotlight has shifted to Brilliant, Big Heart and Baby, the names given to the anthropomorphic jellies that you are about to bite in half and devour. 

I'm all for packs of sweets that have the better flavours inside, and I certainly preferred this to a regular packet of Jelly Babies. The flavours are bold and fruity, but there's not much else going on here. Some new flavours would be nice, but it's the same old thing. Since I still feel sick after eating a few, this wasn't a particularly fantastic experience. In fact, it's decidedly average. It's probably great for die hard Jelly Baby fans though.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Curtains

I lauded the effectiveness of windows just the other day, and I stand by my opinion. Windows are inherently awesome, and they allow us to see all kinds of things we might not otherwise see. But what of the times that we don't want to be exposed to the outside world? When we want to enjoy the privacy of our own homes, without people laughing at out exposed genitals (I don't walk around my place naked, but I'm sure some do)? Well, that's where curtains come in.

Curtains cover up your windows. Simple as that. If you want to make sure no one can see what you're up to, you can just draw them across and carry on with your sordid activities. Then when you're finished, you can open them right back up again to let in the glorious sunlight. It's a simple solution to the problem of privacy, and you can really go crazy with curtains too. They come in all colours and sizes, different patterns, pleats, even different ways to tie them back. You can customise your curtains to suit your home, and deploy them whenever is necessary. Curtains are a fantastic addition to any window, but everybody knows that. Curtains are awesome.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Haribo Tangfastics Chamallows

It's only been a month since I reviewed the quite excellent fruity Chamallows. So imagine my joy when I came across this new variety in Poundland. Then imagine my anger when I came across the fruity Chamallows too, at a fraction of the price I spent at Cyber Candy. But hey, that's life, and when life gives you marshmallows, you shove them in your face and attempt to say "chubby bunny".

So yes, these Chamallows have an interesting Tangfastics twist, in that they're coated in the sour sugar that this other beloved Haribo variety is known for. Not just that, but these mallows come in different fruity flavours. They're all quite pale and pastel coloured, but I could identify green, yellow and red varieties. There's certainly some fruitiness in there, and while it's nice, it's not overly strong. No, the real flavour lies in the very tart coating that sprinkled on liberally. It results in a nice sour hit, that's soon enveloped by the soft, marshmallow goodness you've come to expect from Chamallows. It's interesting to see Haribo crossing over between their sweet varieties, but in this case it's worked out very nicely. Another great addition to the Chamallows range.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Monster Assault

Found in Poundland, this can of Monster Assault appears to be a relatively recent import from the States. I'm always up for trying new energy drink flavours, but the problem with Monster is that the flavours are often hard to gauge. Relentless do it well, with their "lemon ice" or "cherry", but Monster opt for cryptic, destructive names like "Ripper" or "Khaos". They don't particularly sound appetising, and this one is no exception. But hey, I still eagerly opened the can and prepared to taste a healthy dose of Assault.

I think the reason why Monster don't specify their flavours is that they can't quite get them right. I think Ripper is meant to be orange juice-like, while Khaos is sort of peachy. I can certainly see what they're getting at, but I'm never sure what I'm meant to be tasting. That trend continues here. With no idea what to base my expectations on, it took me a good few sips to place any kind of flavour. I settled on a sort of cola, though a very watered down one. The internet seems to agree with me, so I guess my taste buds still work, but that also means that this Monster is quite underwhelming. There's a small hint of fruitiness, and a definite cola flavour, but none of it is particularly bold, or nice. If you're looking for energy though, this delivers in true Monster fashion, it certainly perked me up. It just wasn't very tasty. Definitely not disgusting, but nothing great either.

My rating: 2/5

Today's Review: Merba Nougatelli Cookies

I've come across Merba before, when I reviewed their apple pie cookies last year. So upon spotting some of those in Poundland today, imagine my delight when I spotted these interesting cookies right next door. Yes, these are cookies with chocolate hazelnut filling. Nutella in a cookie? How could I resist? Well, not proper Nutella, but, you know, pretty close.

Yes, these are delicious, crunchy, chocolate chip cookies, packed full of chocolatey, nutty goodness. Not quite as packed as the picture on the packet shows, but the balance between biscuit and filling is quite good. The result is an extremely chocolatey cookie, though never too overwhelming or sickly. The nutty undertone is lovely as well, and it all just comes together wonderfully to make a damn tasty biscuit. I even stuck a couple in the microwave, and was rewarded with a lovely warm, gooey experience. These are some lovely cookies, and for £1 a pack you can't go wrong.

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Windows

Once, humans were free to roam, free to soak up rays of sunshine, to see and experience what the world had to offer. Unfortunately, a lot of what the world had to offer was scary and deadly, so humans decided to put themselves in shelters instead. But that longing to see the outside world still remained, mostly because humans are really nosey. If only there was some way to look out from our dwellings, without leaving their comfort. Oh wait, there is a way. It's called a window.

Wikipedia's example of a window. Not a very good one though, look how dirty it is.

A window is a hole in a building, or even a vehicle, but one that's meant to be there. You see, if theres one thing people don't particularly like, it's being trapped in small, dark spaces. Small spaces are fine, but dark ones are a big no no. That's why windows are great. They let the sunlight shine through, illuminating all the cool stuff in your house, or letting you see the steering wheel of the massive hunk of metal you're propelling along at 40mph. But the great thing about windows is, they work both ways. You can look outside your house, and see how many people don't have as much cool stuff as you, or you can make sure you don't smash into another massive hunk of metal that's being propelled along at 30mph (in this example, you're speeding, you naughty person).

Windows are just inherently useful things, and they're everywhere. They're essential. The only problem is, they're mostly made of glass. This is fine most of the time, but if anyone decides to launch themselves through one (happens more in movies than real life) they could get hurt quite badly (happens more in real life than movies). But, you know, that doesn't happen all that much, so on the whole windows are pretty awesome. Except when it's night time of course, then I have to rely on lights to see my cool stuff. But that's not the window's fault, that's the sun. Plus I can still look outside and see the moon, and the stars, and sometimes a drunk person falling over. Thanks windows, you rock.

My rating: 4/5