Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Two-Disc Special Edition)

No Extended Cut
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. As you know, Warner Brothers has officially announced the Ultimate Editions of years 5 and 6. The product descriptions are quite wordy. There's a lot of talk about how fans should be excited about these new releases. But there are two words missing from the descriptions of both these products: Extended Cut.

What sold me and so many other fans was the extended cuts. And so I began collecting the Ultimate Editions. And what excited me even more was the idea of more extended cuts to come, especially for The Order of the Phoenix.

Then Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblit of fire Ultimate Editions came out, and of course, there were no extended cuts. And Warner Bros. spun us a tale of directors and their creative preferences. And so, we all said "fair enough" (although I, for one, never quite bought that explanation). Still, I had hopes for Order of the phonex and Half blood prince. Director David Yates is on record talking about having to...

The longest Harry Potter book gets whittled down to the shortest Harry Potter film
I think that when you take the longest Harry Potter book and turn it into the shortest Harry Potter film, that a large number of complaints by fans as to what has been cut will be inevitable after they watch "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." Not that this means that the legions of fans will be bitterly disappointed by the film version, but rather that there will be regrets over not getting to see favorite scenes on the screen. For example, Quidditch is completely out of the film, denying Ron of his best moments in the sun (start singing "Weasley is our king"). So do not be surprised when your mind keeps shifting to what has been cut and distracting you from time to time while watching this summer's latest blockbuster.

When last we left our hero, Harry fell victim to a trap to bring back Lord Voldermort, which cost Cedric Diggory his life. The Ministry of Magic wants things hushed up, but Dumbledore tells the students at Hogwarts that Diggory was murdered and...

No extended cut - why bother
If you already have Order of the Phoenix in the two disc set as originally released, then why buy this edition. Oh, yeah, there's the third disc. Not a good enough reason. I'm a musician, so I bought the Ultimate edition of Goblet of Fire to get words from the composers, but neither Hooper nor Desplat have lived up to the level of music set by Williams and Doyle in the first four movies.

What made the first two Ultimate Editions wonderful was the presence of the "Extended cut". I bought them specifically for that. As witnessed on ABC Family, the added footed from the "Deleted Scenes" doesn't add much, but it makes scenes have a firmer pace. In the theatrical cut, particularly in Order of the Phoenix, the pace was juttery, totally lacking in the flow it needed. It may not have been just the script that reeked. I'm thinking David Yates was just getting used to directing a big movie. Just because it's in the middle of the series doesn't mean fans don't realize how...

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Braveheart (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition)

Braveheart - Mel Gibson's crowning achievement!
"Braveheart" is quite simply, one of the best and most successful movies ever created and a huge part of that success comes from the efforts extended by Mel Gibson, as he wore three different hats for this masterpiece, those being producer, director and star. The one oddity about this movie for me was that I pretty much wore out my VHS copy of it and had, a couple years ago, purchased the DVD but only just recently took the opportunity to watch it again and no matter how many times you watch this movie, it is still a stunning, compelling and extraordinarily intriguing film that draws you in to the life of William Wallace despite already knowing how it's going to end.

The one thing that drives this movie is the spirit that Mel Gibson puts into his character of William Wallace and it is of no surprise that "Braveheart" won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture of 1995 and Best Director for Mel Gibson. The only true surprise was that he wasn't among the top...

There are a few I think who missed the point.
In order to maintain the appearence of objectivity, I was going to rate this movie 4 stars. But I just couldn't. It really deserves 5, and it's going to get every one of them. This movie features some of the most stunning cinematography I've ever seen (scenes of particular brilliance include the deer-hunting scene and the slo-mo shots right before Gibson's first rebellion), impeccable acting (I don't know why the British have been hiding their actors from the American film industry - every one of the British/Scottish actors in the film was amazing, and Patrick McGoohan (sp) gave an incredible performance as Longshanks, not to mention newcomer Sophie Marceau), a magical musical score, and on and on and on and on. Physical elements alone qualify this work for the title of Best Picture.

Yet, a number of people chastise Gibson and the movie for a number of reasons, primarily its departure from historical accuracy. I do believe these people have missed the point, for I do...

Blood, bravery & idealism in an epic fist punch to your gut.
On a whole number of levels, this movie shouldn't have worked for me. It takes considerable license with historical facts, not only in order to supplement details that are not part of William Wallace's legend but actually, wherever convenient. ("We stuck to history where we could but hyped it up where the legend let us," actor-director Mel Gibson admits on the DVD's commentary track.) It is graphically and unabashedly violent: from throat cuttings to battle scenes that have film blood literally splashing onto the camera, beheadings, a traitor's head smashed with a
wrecking ball, and fully 15 minutes of Wallace's "purification by pain," it shows some of the most brutal behavior conceivable. It also engages in some of the most blatant gay profiling in recent film history - not just in the drastic end administered on the lover of King Edward I. "Longshanks"'s son, but equally in the portrayal of both characters and their relationship as such. Last but not least, Mel Gibson...

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Born Killers

Keep it in the family . . .
Not bad at all - although not necessarily riveting, it does keep your interest. Father, Brothers, Daughters UNITE in killing whatever your fancy! A lovely and twisted ending - this will stay in the collection.

I did not know that the movie is also titled Piggy Banks
I like the movie but I have seen it before under a different title "Piggy Banks". Young Lauren German was so pretty. (Even though I am still a great fan of German)

Disturbing
The title suggests the killer characters are born. These are sick people My interpretation of the theme was that these particular killers were made; a product of nurture or lack thereof.

One key scene involves a child who is left alone in a car in store parking lot. The scene shows one of the killers leaving a knife stabbed in a seat headrest of the vehicle along with a polaroid picture of the child whom was in the vehicle left unattended by the parent. Warning to the parent they need to be more attentive to their child and less selfish about their own interests.

Another scene shows a parent yelling at a child for doing something that doesn't warrant being yelled at.

Both of these children are being damaged psychologically. They won't necessarily grow up to be killers but these scenes support the main theme that the 2 main characters who are brothers were horribly abused growing up and subsequently grew up to be dangerous, antisocial animals. This...

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Gladiators Seven

Gladiator heaven with good dubbing
Old flick, good action . . . not in the league of Gladiator, but well on its way there





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Curious George: Plays in the Snow and Other Awesome Activities!

GREAT!
My 3 Year Old Loves this video. It has 8 episodes:

~Ski Monkey (George learns to ski, and helps a pig stuck in the snow)

~Low High Score (he learns different ways to score - golf/low, basketball/high)

~Charkie Escapes (he dog-sits while playing soccer, looses then finds the dog)

~George vs. Winter (discovers how trees go bare in the Fall, water freezes)

~Buoy Wonder (he learn buoyancy of different objects while trying to make a boat)

~All Animal Recycle Band (he starts a band, using odd objects - like keys - for instruments)

~Muddy Monkey (he doesn't like taking baths anymore, graduates to showers, then discovers he prefers baths)

~Animal Magnetism (he leans how to magnetize objects)

Hours of fun
This DVD has hours of fun episodes from everyone's favorite monkey curious george. In addition there are also printable coloring sheets and computers games. My daughter really enjoys this DVD.

I love curious George!
My two year old does too! She loves watching him on our local PBS station so I figured I'd get her a DVD so she can watch him when he's not on the TV. She loves it. Comes with a variety of episodes. A must have for kids or adults!

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Blood Descendants

Ok
I don't like horror movies that much, but I can say that this one kept me alert the whole time. This is an independent horror movie that I didn't mind watching it. The effects are not bad at all, and the acting as well.
*Sponsored Post





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Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 2 - The Enemy Within

Past is Prologue
This second installment of the series follows the same pattern as the first as Randel Oland has to find a way to earn the trust of his fellow unit members, while the troops are forced to deal with even more of the ravages of war. Meanwhile the team is caught in a potentially fatal standoff, while having to work without their leader as Alice Malvin's sisters try to play match maker.
What results is a reasonably decent continuation of the story, with a few caveats. I like Randel Oland, though I hope to God that some of these questions get resolved, since it seems like he is actually the least of the teams problems. Also, one has to wonder at Alice Malvin's utterly clueless behavior for much of this set of episodes, such as her reaction to her family's interference, not to mention her complete surprise that the px doesn't have baby supplies. (did this girl just crawl out from under a rock or what?)
I still think that there is much to like about this series, but this set left me...

Still Good To Me
This series continues to intrigue me and make me want to learn more. While Alice can sometimes be a little trying, the cast of characters continues to be an interesting mix that plays well off each other. While the story is still moving a bit slow, I'm finding the journey towards a story to be worthwhile so far. While I'd like to know where we're ultimately headed, the series does a great job of keeping the plot hooks coming to keep things smoothly rolling along. This continues to be a smart series worth picking up.

I want more Frankenstein and less Alice's tea party
This show is a study of contrasts - "Pumpkin Scissors" the army intelligence unit that is largely ineffectual until their newest member joins - and he's an army of one, stopping tank crews with his huge pistol. Lt. Alice Melvin is the pretty and courageous leader of this unit who has the mindset of a D&D paladin - seeing the world in good vs. bad, black and white terms. The others of her team help bring her down to earth in relating to the common people. Two of the men can be characterized as "the rogue" and "the intellectual" and I find them too dull to write about. The last fellow is Roland Orland, a giant of a man who is normally mild and quiet but when the need arises, turns on a blue light that turns him into a near-indestructible monster capable of taking on tanks! Now HE makes this show for me. I love how fearsome Roland becomes and hearing the villains beg for mercy as he shoots holes in their tanks. Unfortunately there's not enough of the Frankenstein action to save...

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