Up - Limited Edition Luxo Jr. Collectible Lamp Pack (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had no expectations of being disappointed with a Disney/Pixar BD, and being that it took me a whole dedicated day to get through everything, I now feel it was worth every penny. The film was enjoyable, funny, sad, and scary filled with some nice messages about life and loss. I can understand why the majority of my customers loved it.
The Blu clarity is outstanding, and the amount of reference points are extensive, but one that stands out the most for contrast lines would have to be when the house is entering the lair (balloons against the dark cavern). The sound is selectable between 5.1 DTS, 2.0 DTS and Descriptive English. The 5.1 was beautiful with tons of reference points, sometimes excruciating (that bird screeching) but thorough nonetheless. Now for the supplements (all times in minutes):
DISC 1: (BD)
* 5:46 Partly Cloudy short film. Was hilarious. A great depth test for your display with the clouds. Nice little message of tolerance no matter how difficult someone might be.
* 4:40 Dug's Mission. An almost lo-def looking short take on our main dog dealing with the main three baddies on a chase.
* 22:17 Adventure Out There. A must see documentary about the crew taking the actual trip to the Tepui location in South America. A beautiful travel infomercial in itself. Loved how their guide only wore sandles for the ascent and hikes.
* 4:56 Alternate Scenes Ending of Muntz. Sketches and interviews regarding different endings for that bad guy that they had come up with.
* 1:00 How-to on using the Digital Copy.
* Cine Explore option while watching the film. The two directors give their commentary with multiple pop-up screens showing art, ideas, etc.
* Screen Saver. Allows you to set a time period for your screen saver to activate.
* Maximize Your Home Theater. The standard Pixar multi-step process for setting all of your theater capabilities.
DISC 2: (BD)
Documentaries
* 6:24 Geriatric Hero. History behind the creation of our old guy. All of these documentaries are interview oriented with sketches and film clips to supplement.
* 8:26 Canine Companions. In depth analysis on the breed choices, training and dog behavior studied to get the dogs in the film to be more - dog like.
* 9:00 Russel Wild Explorer. Covers the reasons for his character to have the loss and why he was "egg" shaped as opposed to other sketch ideas.
* 5:04 Kevin (bird). Nice reference to the Swiss Family Robinson ostrich; covered the hardest part of any of these animation films - the feathers.
* 4:38 Homemakers Pixar. Enjoyed the work that went into them studying sub-floors and lighting options in making this look so real in the house.
* 6:25 Balloons and Flight. Tells the now famous number of balloons used; some interesting dirigible history; shows the Pixar group using that local Bay Area air service I keep seeing fly around here (research stuff).
* 7:37 Composing for Characters. Have to be into the musical/scoring stuff for this one.
Extras
* Global Guardian Badge Game. After the initial setup of name, difficulty levels and tutorial material, the game has an extensive amount of country/geography material. Customers grouped around and we did fine for the United States section, but we randomly tried Africa and we bombed (some of the countries they were asking for I hadn't heard of in years) - good learning tool though.
* 9:15 Alternate Scene - Married Life. Another sketch/interview piece about more material being removed/added into that section of the film. The scene itself would have been only a minute longer.
* 6:00 montage. A mix of characters doing funny things - will make the kids laugh.
* Screen Saver option.
DISC 3 (DVD)
* Film, plus special features from disc 1. WITH THE EXCEPTION of no Spanish subtitles/language; English only.
DISC 4 (Digital Copy).
* Code both unlocks the copy and gets you the usual points at the Disney site.
Overall, an excellent product no matter how you look at it. The case has that new single hinge, multi-page off center chassis that has proven to be less than durable, but it should suffice for low usage storage. Enjoy.


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Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios take moviegoers up, up and away on one of the funniest adventures of all time with their latest comedy-fantasy. Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America.

But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure.


This Limited Edition Luxo Jr. Collectible Desk LampCombo Packincludesa Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copyof Up!

Inspired by the Pixar logo, this Collectible Luxo Jr. Desk Lamp is produced in limited quantities. The custom-crafted lamp and base were specially designed to hold and highlight your Disney Pixar Blu-ray collection. Please note: The lamp included in this package was not made by Luxo AS of Norway.

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The Best of Youth (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)It takes some time to get into the story of this film, and the filmmakers take their time telling the story. With most films, that would be a criticism, but in this case it is a signal of what is distinctive and wonderful about this film -- easily one of the most worthwhile and compelling fictions ever created for the big screen. After about an hour and a half I was completely hooked and there was no chance I wasn't going to stay and watch both parts of this six-hour film, which is by turns touching, comic, and devastating. (It is not, by the way, that the first hour and a half are slow, but that they are designed to give you time to get to know the characters -- rest assured that the film is never boring -- unless the very idea of a subtitled film about people from another country bores you.) Liberated from the need to tell their story in a two or three hour scope, the filmmakers opted to make it not so much about a single event or action that affects the lives of a few people but about the people themselves as their lives unfold in complex and unpredictable ways in connection with the events taking place in Italy and in their families over a period of three decades: a wonderful cast of characters played by remarkable actors who show them convincingly aging and changing over the course of about thirty years. We have time to get to know them, and care about them as people, to the point where they become like family. It is hard to credit before watching this film the claims by numerous critics that after six hours they didn't want it to be over -- but in my case at the end I absolutely agreed. Though it is not strictly speaking necessary and the film already comes to a perfect conclusion -- and is probably impossible, given that the film ends in the year 2000 -- I found myself wishing there were a third part. In that sense, it is closer to television or to the novel than to most films. It is also close to television in its intimacy, told as it is mostly through closeups -- but it is wonderful to see that intimate attention to detail brought to life on the big screen. Still, for its scope and grandeur and power, and for its ability to connect intimate details to issues of extremely wide scope both historical and contemporary, it is very much a cinematic epic. There are a few moments that test the credibility of the audience -- but somehow it all works to give the kind of enjoyable and moving experience that we often seek but rarely find in the cinema. Definitely a film to see in the theaters if you get lucky enough to have the chance (Miramax has done a very poor job distributing this: holding on to it for a couple of years and then not knowing what to do with it and getting it out to only a few theaters: now it is running the College film festival circuit, so keep an eye out for it there; I got the chance to see it only because I brought it to the film series I run in Saint Petersburg, FL), but it is definitely a must when it comes out on DVD in February.

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In the award-winning epic tradition of THE GODFATHER and COLD MOUNTAIN, THE BEST OF YOUTH has wowed critics and earned honors at numerous film festivals worldwide. As Italy explodes in an era of social unrest, a single ill-fated incident sends the lives of equally idealistic brothers Nicola and Matteo Carati careening in opposite directions. Divided by politics but bonded by blood, the next 40 years will find the brothers’ divergent paths intersecting through some of the most tumultuous events in recent history! A stunning cinematic achievement, you don’t want to miss this incredible motion picture!

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Wonder Woman (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Warner Bros. Premiere have been putting out DC Universe animated features revolving around the Detective Comics characters. First came Superman: Doomsday based on the record selling comic book story in which Superman is actually killed, second came Justice League: The New Frontier based on award winning graphic novel's about the earliest beginnings of the Justice League, then Batman: Gotham Knight was animated with strong anime influence and told several stories set between the two latest live action films (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). Now we can finally experience the animated DC Universe depiction of Wonder Woman's origin.
The plot is about the amazon princess Diana, on the secluded Island Themyscira, first meeting Steve Trevor, a pilot who crash lands on the island of no men. After fighting in a tournament against fellow competing amazons for the right to escort Trevor back to 'man's world' Diana dons the Wonder Woman outfit for her first time and heads on her first outing. As she tries to understand the world of man Diana must deal with the threat of God Of War Ares, who has escaped from a centuries long imprisonment and is looking to start trouble.
Voice casting includes Keri Russell (Famous for Felicity, and more recently Waitress, August Rush and Bedtime Stories) as the young Wonder Woman. Nathan Fillion (co-starred with Russell in Waitress) as Steve Trevor. Alfred Molina (Doc Oc in Spider-man 2) as God Of War Ares, Virigina Madsen (Co-star of Jim Carrey in Number 23) as Diana's mother Queen Hippolyta and Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds with Will Smith) as Dianna's rival amazon Artemis.
There are three versions released. The Blu-Ray, the Two-Disc Special Edition DVD (with Digital Copy) and the Single Edition DVD. Features included with the Two-Disc DVD and Blu-Ray will be:
Disc 1- Commentary by the creative team, also as is customary with these releases a first look at DC/Warner's next animated feature project 'Green Lantern'.
Disc 2- 2 Documentaries- Wonder Woman: A Subversive Dream, and Wonder Woman Daughter of Myth: Historical Amazon Lore and it's Evolution into the Modern Day Wonder Woman Character. Also as usual with these releases two episodes selected from the Justice League series are included as Bruce Timm's favorite picks: To Another Shore and Hawk And Dove.
The feature itself has a running time of 74 min. and is presented like the other features in widescreen format. These features are PG-13 and this one works hard to earn that rating. There are nods to adult situations (often occuring in brief passing or to provide humor) as well as alot of action scenes and killing but only a few specific uses of blood. This is not something recommended for children but is perfect for preteens and teenagers. Still parent's are capable of using their own discretion.
About the quality you can expect if you haven't seen the other recent features, DC/Warner have been delivering top notch animation on these features rivaling that of Disney's straight to DVD releases and I think this one has the best animation yet. The stories are always well written and stay true to source materials that the characters are taken from. Another thing these new features have done well is providing alot of well staged action scenes and still delivering fine moments of character development/exploration that I haven't seen since Batman The Animated Series.
This is the first solo animated feature for Wonder Woman and I feel it portrays her with the dignity DC's third biggest icon deserves and the same respect she was granted in the Justice League series, which to me is the most believably she has been depicted thus far (if only because of her lack of exposure in this medium to date). I hope there will be some sort of sequels developed for this film as it was such a good starting point for the character that it seems a shame to leave off here when she has really only just begun her role as Wonder Woman as the feature reaches it's end.
Overall the animation was spectacular, the best Warner Premiere has done yet. The story while suffering some pacing issues (to be expected in a 74 min. feature trying to tell such an epic story), was true to the character and is overall well done and enjoyable. The score was worthy of a summer blockbuster and perfectly matched the epic tone. The voice actor's were for the most part spot on and made me believe the character's and think of them as seperate entities from the actor's voicing them. There is even a fair amount of humor and a bit of a love story mixed into the plot that only adds to the viewer's enjoyment. As well the DVD has a fair amount of special features that I found enjoyable to watch. I definitely give it 5 stars on blue spandex, especially for anyone who is a fan of well depicted heroines or Wonder Woman herself. Thanks For Your Time.


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On the mystical island of Themyscira, a proud and fierce warrior race of Amazons have raised a daughter of untold beauty, grace and strength Princess Diana. When an Army fighter pilot, Steve Trevor, crash-lands on the island, the rebellious and headstrong Diana defies Amazonian law by accompanying Trevor back to civilization. Meanwhile, Ares (the god of War) has escaped his imprisonment at the hands of the Amazonians and has decided to exact his revenge - intending to start a world war that will not only last for centuries but will wipe out every living being on the planet, starting with the Amazons! It is up to Princess Diana to save her people and the world by using her gifts and becoming the ultimate Wonder Woman!

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