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Submarine.

I'm guessing that most of you won't have heard of this movie and even less of you will have actually watched it. For those of you who think that the poster is vaguely familiar to you, it's probably because it was advertised on the underground and you probably passed it everyday on your way to work (if you're British anyway). This is a fresh British comedy and is director Richard Ayoade's debut film. What's so unique about Submarine is that it doesn't revolve around your usual teen drama. It isn't a high school drama with the set out social circles and same old jokes, it is real. The protagonists aren't the hottest people in school or the most popular. It's a story about two teenagers trying to figure out their lives, their relationship and their family issues.

The plot basically revolves around Oliver and Jordana during that 'coming-of-age' period of their lives. Oliver seems to be the school loser and Jodana has that 'too-cool-for-school' air going on. They seem to make quite an unusual pairing, but perhaps that's what's so brilliant about them. Oliver seems shy and nervous but he knows what he wants and he's not afraid to try. One of his main goals in life is to lose his virginity before his next birthday... I guess he has that in common with every other teenage boy, but apart from that, his character is quite unique. He struggles to try and mend the crumbling relationship between his parents at the same time he is trying to figure out his own relationship and what his feelings for Jordana are. Jordana herself doesn't let on a lot about her personal life at all, until one moment when she suddenly decides that she trusts Oliver and she opens up to him. However, she is very upfront about her feelings and isn't afraid to say what she's thinking, she's definitely the 'man' of the relationship. At first their relationship seems like just a bit of fun but as time goes on both of them begin to wonder if they want more. Both have complicated family lives and this further complicates their own relationship.

The pair live in a remote British village where there aren't any cinemas or shops or cool teen places to hang and it's the perfect setting for the story because it means you don't get distracted by the generic going ons of a busy city. Even the clothes they wear are pretty much the same the entire way through the movie ensuring the focus really is upon their acting and the story they're telling. The idea of this movie was that it wouldn't be set in any particular time; however, there are no mobile phones and they are still using polaroid cameras so there is the suggestion that it is set in the 80s.

Just look at the sheer awkwardness on his face... This is a real teen drama.

The acting is really really good in this, the story is sort of raw and edgy and they used the perfect cast for this. There are couple of familiar faces who perhaps you won't be able to pinpoint so I'll remind you. The protagonist, Oliver Tate, is played by Craig Roberts, who some teenagers may recognise from the CBBC shows 'Young Dracula' and 'The Story of Tracy Beaker'. Jordana is played by Yasmin Paige who also portrayed Maria Jackson in 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' (also on CBBC) as well as many other works including the film Ballet Shoes (which also starred Harry Potter actress Emma Watson). You'll also recognise Noah Taylor, who plays Oliver's dad, previously known as 'Mr Bucket' from the most recent adaption of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Oliver's mother is played by Sally Hawkins who was also in Made in Dagenham and Happy-Go-Lucky. I could on, but I won't bore you with more facts, so if you really want check the film out on wikipedia here: Submarine (2010 film). As you can see, although the names of these actors aren't instantly recognisable, you'll find that you've seen them many many times before and all their faces should be familiar to you. There is quite a small bunch of actors in this film and that really helps to keep the plot together and keep the focus of the film.

I have to admit despite the fact I had been bombarded by adverts for this film on the London Underground I still wasn't that keen to see this movie. I mean, just look at the promotional poster, all I see is an awkward teenage boy. Now I see the beauty of the simplicity of the poster. This film really is quite under-rated and I think it should be more popular and given the credit that it deserves. I love the awkwardness between the characters at times because let's be honest, relationships don't go smoothly and flow like a river there are bumps and uncertainties on the way. I also love that this movie doesn't try to cover up the true dramas that people face in their lives but it portrays them accurately and realistically. I'd say this film would probably relate better to British audiences, it sort of captures the essence of teenage life away from the hustle and bustle of big English cities, but I'm sure that other audiences will also be captivated by this story. I highly recommend this movie to everyone and anyone and I implore you to please, please, please, give it the chance that it deserves.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Very cool advert.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is basically the first film as part of the Planet of the Ape series remake. It's not a direct remake as the plots are not exactly the same; however, there are still some similarities (or so I've heard, I've never actually seen the previous series). I guess what's so fascinating about ape movies is the fact that it could all come true. That's what I think anyway. I mean, we all know that apes are incredibly intelligent already, who's to say that they're not plotting a revolution? The other frightening thing is that it shows us the possible consequences of animal testing. Firstly, it shows us how cruel it is, secondly, it shows us what could happen if it all goes wrong. We could be creating hundreds and hundreds of super-animals and one day it could all come back to smack us in the face.

Essentially this film is about a man who has developed ALZ 12, otherwise known as, the cure for Alzheimer's. This is obviously an incredibly exciting time as this drug could save millions of lives across the globe, but just as Will (James Franco) is pitching this drug to sponsors, the tested ape breaks out and causes havoc, the story continues from there.

I've been very excited about this movie ever since I saw the trailer. Probably because in this post-Potter depression I've been looking for anything to fill the hole - Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) stars in this, he plays a bad guy... as usual. However, I thought that the plot looked really interesting too. Ok, I just checked this movie out on wikipedia, and it turns out the main ape, Caesar (quite appropriate given his actions), is actually played by a person, and is not made from CGI. Mind. Blown. Caesar is played by Andy Serkis who often plays characters who aren't quite human, for example, he did an absolutely incredible performance in Lord of the Rings as the creature Gollum/Smeagol. This movie has just shot up even further in my opinion. I cannot believe that the ape was played by a real person, he acts exactly like an ape, just with heightened intelligence. His movements, his gestures, his everything makes you believe that he actually is an ape (as shown by the fact that I wasn't even aware he was being portrayed by a person until now).

The acting in this movie is incredible, and not just from Andy Serkis, but all the other characters as well. There's quite a good bunch of actors here including James Franco, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton, John Lithgow, David Hewlett and Tyler Labine. They are all phenomenal actors and it really shows in this movie, the only slight thing that bothered me were the accents of Tom Felton and Freida Pinto, there was just something a little off about them, but it wasn't bothering enough to ruin the film.

I'd say that this movie was split into two halves, the interesting half, and the exciting half. The first hour is interesting, but not particularly exciting as it's all about the lab work and basically setting the scene for what happens later on. The second half is when all the drama happens and consequences of people's actions from the first half take full effect. There was a slight sub plot unfolding to do with the health of humans which I think could've been explored more; however, there was a short scene after the end credits (so make sure you wait until the movie has actually finished before leaving the cinema) with a little more information about this, possibly hinting that the next movie will focus more on this.

For me, personally, the ending was quite surprising. I was sure that this movie would end in a certain way and it didn't and I found this a little puzzling but I was quite happy about it. Though, to be perfectly honest, if the situation from this movie occured in real life, I'm 99% sure that this is not the way things would be allowed to end. Nonetheless this movie keeps you captivated right until the very end. The plot is excellent, the acting is superb and the movie far exceeded my expectations.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone and everyone, particularly those who have seen the previous Planet of the Apes series. For those of you who haven't, don't worry, you don't need any knowledge of the previous stories to understand this remake.

IN CINEMAS NOW.

Uh oh. Trouble's brewing.

Cast member	Age	Job	Series(s)
Catherine 'Caggie' Dunlop	21	Singer/songwriter	1
Spencer Matthews	22	Broker	1
Hugo Taylor	24	Head of PR	1
Camilla 'Millie' Macintosh	24	Make-up artist	1
Amber Atherton	19	Jewellery boutique owner	1
Rosie Fortescue	21	Student	1
Ollie Locke	24	'Whiskey Mist' VIP host	1
Gabriella Ellis	24	Musician	1
Alexandra 'Binky' Felstead	20	Investment front of house	1
Francesca 'Cheska' Hull	25	Blog author	1
Francis Maximilien Yvan Christophe Boulle	22	Diamond entrepreneur	1
Fredrik Ferrier	21	Model	1

Exactly one week ago, popular American store, Forever 21, opened it's doors on Oxford Street, London. Often deemed the Primark of the big US I was curious to see what the prices would be like in London after they had been converted from dollars to pounds and I have to say I was quite impressed. I assumed that being an American shop the prices would rise considerably as they moved across the ocean and it would end up being more like Hollister rather than Primark; however, I was quite surprised to find that the prices were still reasonable and quite low considering the quality. Unfortunately the prices aren't as low as they are in Primark, but the quality and design of the clothes and accessories is much better.

This wasn't actually the first time that I'd shopped in Forever 21, I did in fact make a trip to Forever 21 whilst on holiday in New York and I was disappointed at the time given all the hype that had been generated by my friends. I thought that the clothes were nice, but nothing out of the ordinary, and I was puzzled when I saw my friends rushing in and leaving with several large bright yellow bags. With the black lettering of 'Forever 21' and the shade of yellow it just reminded me of a caution sign and so I stayed away; thankfully, they have not brought these bags to the UK, instead they have some rather nice fluorescent pink plastic carrier bags. This was my first impression of Forever 21.

Now; however, my views have completely changed. I thought that the shop itself had a nice layout and feel to it, it wasn't boring. There were tables laid out with clothes and jewellery, a vintage looking van, sparkly floors and nice mosaic style design above the checkouts. The staff were friendly and helpful, they offered their opinion on the clothes I was trying on without me asking for it (obviously they're just trying to sell the clothes, but this was nice nonetheless). If you're wondering why I wasn't in a changing room it's because the queues for the fitting rooms were miles long. This, along with the long check out queues, is probably the only thing that Forever 21 has in common with Primark.

The clothes themselves are fashionable, made of a good quality and very affordable. Perhaps the cheaper prices will make Forever 21 rivals with Topshop, we are in a recession after all. The shop has three floors and all are fully stocked and packed with new and trendy items, there is so much choice you could probably spend half a day in there. I'll definitely be shopping here instead of Primark when I'm looking for something trendy but cheap, the prices may be slightly (but not much) higher but I cannot express how much better the quality of the clothing is.

If you haven't already been down to Oxford Street to check out the new store I highly recommend you do!

By the way, I just discovered this site that I thought was rather cool and useful. It's basically a street map that shows you where all the shops on Oxford Street are located, the layout is similar to that of a timeline. Check it out: Street Sensation: Oxford Street.

Pictures from the opening on Oxford Street - 27th July 2011.

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Forever 21 opens on Oxford Street.