The Vampire Diaries Season One Review

At the end of a long day at work, and when I have got home and finally completed my Mummy duties, I like nothing more than sitting back and watching a little bit of television (blogging duties aside of course!)

Warner Bros. recently sent me the Vampire Diaries Season 1 to sink my teeth into. I had caught snippets of the show when it had been shown on the television but had always missed the time slot, so I was very happy to finally be able to see what it was all about.

The Vampire Diaries introduces the audience to the small town of Mystic Falls and Elena Gilbert. Elena is grieving the loss of her parents and is finally picking back up the pieces of her life in a bid to find an assemblance of normality.

Elena feels a huge responsibility to her younger brother in the wake of all that has happened since the tragic car crash that claimed both of her parent's lives and does everything possible to prevent him any further heartache.

Elena is soon introduced to the delectable Salvatore brothers Stephan and Damon. Stephan and Damon are not your average brothers, they harbour a life long secret. They are actually vampires who were around when the town was first foundered back in 1859.

Elena and Stephan are soon drawn together, and a passionate relationship starts to un-fold. It is not long before Elena senses that something is not quite right, could it be that distinct look in his eyes? Or the sudden animal attacks that are haunting Mystic Falls?

You will have to tune in to find out...

You see the reason Stephan is so drawn to Elena is because she is the spitting image of his past love Katherine. Katherine was a vampire who both the Salvatore brothers held a flame for many, many years ago.

With the arrival of Damon into Mystic Falls comes all of the sibling rivalry and drama that lead to them eventually going their separate ways for 15 years. Now they are face to face once again everything begins to unravel in a fast moving, action packed, blood sucking season one.

I began to watch the Vampire Diaries last week, and it has resulted in many a late nights as I have become so engrossed into what may happen next, that I decide to watch one more episode...and then one more.

It is a very fast moving drama that really will keep you on the very edge if your seat, in anticipation of what will happen as the series progresses. I am now on the Fourth disk and looking forward to see how they conclude the many exciting twists and turns of the first season, but it is safe to say that I will me be watching the next series.

Season 3 has actually just been released for those of you who are up to date, but for those of you who love a supernatural mystery and have let the Vampire Diaries pass you by, then this really is a must watch.

You can purchase season 1 on Amazon for £12.00 and I am sure you will not be disappointed with the goings on in Mystic Falls.

Disclaimer: I was sent The Vampire Diaries Season One for the purpose of this review, however all views and opinions are completely honest and my own.

The UltraViolet Review

These days everything is going digital. The world we live in is becoming more refined and the need for material objects such as books and DVDs are making their departures. These objects that we used to rely on for reading and viewing are slowly but surely becoming obsolete.

There are so many instances in these changes that are occurring, CD's to MP3 and books to iPads.  I don't think Leo will ever really get to know these parts of what was once the technology of our age. No. Leo is most defiantly growing up in a digital age, and the next step in the digital evolution is UltraViolet.

UltraViolet is a digital copy that comes along with your film, in most cases you receive the Blu-Ray disk, the DVD and then your UltraViolet copy. Many new Blu-Rays and DVDs are now bearing an UltraViolet label, for those of you who have not yet experienced this new digital experience, you may find yourselves wondering why.

If you buy any Blu-Ray's or DVDs that have a UltraViolet logo, you'll be able to watch it instantly on any UV-capable device, such as your computer, smart t.v, games console, or even your iPad or iPhone. 

It really is that simple. You can watch it anywhere as long as you have a 3G or wifi connection. You can even download the movie to the device in order to watch it when you don't have the luxury of a internet connection.

I have been lucky enough to have grown a little UltraViolet collection already and the whole process is so simple and convenient. From setting up your own Flixster account in order to enter your redemption codes, to watching the film stream directly to you from that big cloud in the sky.

With a growing nation who love their smart phones and tablets, their is a high demand on having your media with you and ready to access at the swipe of a finger. You may be trying to keep the kid's entertained on a long journey and want a selection of their favourite movies at hand. Flixster stores your entire UltraViolet collection, and is ready to be accessed as and when you want. This is a huge step forward from the options in my childhood. Way back when, we had to cart all of our favourite VHS video tapes in a big bag to watch on our portable video player. Yes...Video player!

What a difference 13 years makes!

A great feature about UltraViolet is that the disk can stay safely tucked away in it's box, away from little hands who love to throw disks around the room, while admiring their pretty little faces in the shiny mirror. I have lost so many DVDs in this instance, but now I have the added piece of mind that the disk is not going to get snapped and lost forever, and we are still able to watch the film over again and again.

I guess my biggest concern now is...Letting Leo loose with my iPhone or iPad!

Warner Bros. have already taken those very first UltraViolet steps and now have a whole selection of DVDs and Blu-Rays with this fab new feature. 

My personal experience thus far with UltraViolet has seen Leo loving Happy Feet 2 over and over again. Leo absolutely loves the singing penguins and we just seem to watch those energetic scenes over and over again. We also have a wide variety of Warner Bros. classic kid cartoons that I can see being a life saver for me when out and about with my little man. 

So how do you get set up on UltraViolet?

The very first thing you need to do is set up your very own Flixster account. To save time you can always set it up using your Facebook account.

Once you are all set up on Flixster the next step is to open a UltraViolet account. 

Now the good bit! 

By now you should have Two accounts. Your Flixster account and your UltraViolet account. Head over to Flixster and click on the 'Redeem Now' link. This will bring up a page of all the current UltraViolet releases, simply find your film title and select it. You will be taken through to the next page where you will be shown your selected title and given the option to 'Get Started'.

Clicking on 'Get Started' will take you through to the final page where you can enter your redemption code. Then it is time to grab a bag of popcorn and settle down on the sofa for a movie marathon of your favourite titles!

I have found the whole set up process very simple and easy to navigate. Each DVD box contains there own set of instructions on how to get your new UltraViolet copy set up. This is one digital phenomenon that you really should get involved in, it really does give you the complete freedom to watch your favourite movies and TV programmes, and is defiantly leading the way into our digital future.