Last Tuesday Sophie Kinsella’s book turned movie Confessions of a Shopaholic was released on DVD and Blu-Ray. For me, the release of this movie was huge – I loved the book and I love a good chick flick. I was mildly concerned that, like so many other books turned into movies, it wouldn’t live up to the hype in my mind, but rest assured, this movie was gooooood – like eating chocolate covered strawberries in a bubble bath while reading your favorite book and the kids are nowhere to be seen or heard good.

I think Kinsella’s original book was done a tremendous amount of justice – watching this movie doesn’t feel like seeing a poor rehashing of a well loved book – it feels fresh and exciting and well written and thoroughly enjoyable. This movie has got everything – it’s well written and funny and it makes you laugh and cry. And the seriously cute male lead, Luke Brandon (played by Hugh Dancy), who isn’t a jerk and does all the perfect things that the perfect guy would do – like paying an exorbitant amount of money to a hot dog vendor so that a cute stranger, main character Rebecca Bloomwood (played by Isla Fisher), can buy the perfect green scarf for her fake aunt in the hospital – that didn’t hurt either.

Rebecca has a lot of fake things going on – like her fake Finnish descent, fake excuses for not paying her bills and not accepting her status as a serious shopaholic – not to mention her fake qualifications and reasonings for becoming a financial journalist for Luke Brandon’s magazine, Successful Savings. But somehow, for awhile at least, she pulls it all off. Even when she’s being ridiculous, you can’t help but root for her. Isla Fisher did a terrific job with this part – I can’t imagine anyone else in her (gorgeous) stiletto shoes.

And Dancy and Fisher are just two of the great actors and actresses that made up the cast in this movie – Some other terrific cast members include Bloomwood’s best friend Suze, who is played by Krysten Ritter – who you might remember from her roles in Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl, 27 Dresses AND What Happens In Vegas – I’ve loved this girl in everything I’ve seen her in and this movie was no exception – she’s really incredible. Two other big names are Joan Cusack and John Goodman (do I even need to mention the laundry list of great things we’ve seen them in?) who play Rebecca’s parents, who are basically the opposite of their daughter as far as money is concerned, which is good because she’ll need all the help and support from them she can get when that other stiletto finally drops!

If you have read the book, I think you will be very pleased with the movie version and if you haven’t read the book – don’t worry, it’s totally not a prerequisite. So if you are looking for the perfect romantic comedy to snuggle down with – Confessions of a Shopaholic is definitely it, in my humble opinion – I give it a solid A for Awesome.

Adapted from author Lois Duncan’s 1971 children’s book of the same name, director Thor Freudenthal’s Hotel for Dogs follows two mischievous orphans as they attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Disheartened by their new guardians’ announcement that pets are strictly forbidden, 16-year-old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), race to find a home for their loyal dog Friday. Fortunately for Friday, there’s an abandoned hotel just around the corner, and Bruce possesses just the kind of mechanical smarts needed to transform the rundown inn into a four-star retreat for canines. For a while, Friday and his friends have it made, but when the neighbors start to get suspicious, Andi and Bruce resort to every trick in the book in order to prevent their secret from being discovered. Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, and Lisa Kudrow star in a family-friendly film penned by screenwriter Jeff Lowell. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

 Hotel for Dogs is a heart warming movie about two foster children who find a way to take care for not only one stray dog, Friday, but also a dozen other pooches who each have their own sweet personalities. Some things I like about this movie:

• As an adult there are times when watching a childrens movie can be barely tolerable. With Hotel for Dogs I genuinely liked watching it. The cast was adorable and though the children were not always the best of actors I wasn’t cringing while watching them.
• You’ll want to adopt all the dogs. Beware of that.
• I loved the concept that the group of kids were doing what they thought was right and stood up for what they believed in.
• I didn’t like that they broke the law multiple times and each time got away with it. This is not exactly a good morale for me to be teaching my kids.
• Sure, the movie is predictable but it does have a few unexpected twists and turns that made me smile.

One lucky reader can win Hotel for Dogs on DVD. Here’s how to enter:

1. Tell us which dog you would love to adopt (use your imagination if you’re not a dog person) that the Hotel for Dogs helps out.  To do so visit the Hotel for Dogs movie website and click on “Pick your pup” learn more about the pups from the movie there. This is mandatory, if not done all other entries are null and void.
2. For an extra entry, you can follow us on Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
3. For a third entry you can tweet about this giveaway once a day until giveaway is closed. Leave a comment for each tweet. “Woof. Woof. Hotel for Dogs Movie giveaway going on now @mommasreview enter here: http://www.mommasreview.com”
4. Post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with the URL of your post and get five extra entries. Leave five comments for this extra entry opportunity.
5. Get emails from Mommas Review and receive an extra entry. Be sure to leave a comment with your email address for confirmation.
6. Post this giveaway on a forum, myspace, facebook or another social networking site. Link to it in a comment for extra entries.
7. For a final entry, subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday June 3rd.

This giveaway is open to all US Residents.