Made in Dagenham

Despite sounding incredibly cheesy I'm going to put it out there - a perfect mix of fact and fiction. The film introduced me to some history that I didn't know that much about but was cleverly written to tell the story in style.

The film shows the battles of the families striking against Ford Motor Co as well as the impact this has within their own communities. Despite my 'cheddar ridden' description, the film is incredibly well made.

The main focus is on Rita O'Grady, who is thrust in to an alpha position as a public speaker in the push for female equality.

Their naivety coupled with the huge change that they achieve is hugely endearing - making you feel the need to find a cause and get out their with a placard to see what difference you can make.

I found Sally Hawkins performance as Rita very moving as she was able to give the character a vulnerability that forced you to feel empathy, whilst being a fearless and powerful woman that let nothing get in the way of creating change for women. The complexity of the character will have you not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

All in all it is a film of contrast, capturing a brilliant mix of humour and sadness, vulnerability and strength.

Definitely worth a DVD night.

Ceremonial machine

Florence and the Machine have released their follow-up album to Lungs...

...I was lucky enough (as I'm sure many of you were) to get hold of the deluxe version a couple of  days before the official release. In honesty, the first time listen it was not what I expected. Being used to the punchy rhythm and lyrics of the previous album, there seemed to be some of the dark humour missing that we saw in songs such as My Boy Builds Coffins, Kiss with a Fist and Girl with One Eye.

However, I was really taken back (in a good way) by the haunting, deep sounds that the band had created this time round.

The first three tracks have to be my favourite so far but that may well change over time.

Despite the differences to the first album, Florence and the Machine have definitely created a recognisable sound. With the same thumping drum beats, and striking sounds of the harp that we heard in the first album.

Of course it goes without saying that Florence's voice itself is spectacular and it seems as though she has found new ways to use her voice and has found bigger and longer notes than before.

Now I'm just looking forward to catching some live performances so we can see her (and the band) in action

I'll be back soon to blab on some more about how much I love Flo if you can stomach it!

Track Listing

1 Only If For a Night 4:58
2 Shake It Out 4:37
3 What the Water Gave Me 5:33
4 Never Let Me Go 4:31
5 Breaking Down 3:49
6 Lover To Lover 4:02
7 No Light, No Light 4:34
8 Seven Devils 5:03
9 Heartlines 5:01
10 Spectrum 5:11
11 All This and Heaven Too 4:05
12 Leave My Body 4:40
13 Remain Nameless 4:03
14 Strangeness and Charm 5:17
15 Bedroom Hymns 3:03
16 What the Water Gave Me Demo Version 3:53

Suitably dressed

Here's a couple of shots of some of the suit styles that I've seen on my travels.





















Before actually having to be dressed in suits every day it seemed like an exciting prospect. A nice bit of power-dressing should be fun. Not so much in reality. In fact I'm pretty damn fed up of them






















But...on the bright side....there are some interesting styles out there to spice things up. I can't say that I'll be going off to buy high-end gear but I am definitely not averse to pinching a few ideas.




It's not all about your 'likes'


Cineworld have teamed up with Webtrends to discern the difference between general 'likes' on their Facebook page and those that genuinely engage with the brand.

As social media becomes more important to businesses the need for relevant ROI monitoring is growing in equal measures.

Webtrends are not only providing Cineworld with statistics, but are also able to give them information on the key influencers that are engaging with the brand through Facebook.

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