It's like those nature programs I watched as a child.

My favorite memories growing up were that of me and my grandfather hanging out watching nature documentaries for hours. I was one of those kids that would have rather watched Natural Geographic than any cartoon you could throw at me. I even took it so far as to hide in the closet and read the Natural Geographics he kept in there, with my flashlight, while I was supposed to be sleeping. So, giving me a movie like Arctic Tale to review seemed a bit unfair as I'm bound to be biased.

Arctic Tale, I'm told, is much like March of the Penguins. Though I say that lightly as I've never seen March of the Penguins (yeh yeh I know slap me later). Though friends who have, compare the two. So dropping any comparisons, as I'm not sure I'd be any help there, lets start from the beginning. Arctic Tale follows the stories of two animal families. Nanu the polar bear cub and Seela the walrus pup share their lives, tales, and challenges for better or worst. Narrated by Queen Latifah the movie is part documentary part story and it's a hard call to say which is more intriguing the amazing scenery and film work or the stories of the animals that you cannot help to fall for. Young children will be mesmerized while older children and adults will really understand the stories and the world surrounding the animals. Though not totally brutal the stories are honest as to what sort of challenges these animals face from predators, to learning their place in the world, to the affects of global warming. The pictures are a little haunting as you realize that by the time our own children are adults the world these animals live in could be all but gone. It made me a little sad when I realized that Connor's favorite bear at his grandparents house just happens to be a polar bear cub that my own great aunt gave me as a child. Will they survive so that Connor's children may sleep with the same bear at nap time without it being almost a mythical beast?

Presented in bluray, Arctic Tale is gorgeous and really all that it should be as the film work is really extraordinary. Though I'm sure its wonderful in whatever format it is presented in it seems such a shame to see it any other way. The colors are so crisp you feel as if your almost there on my big lcd screen. Special features include its own little documentary of the making of Artic Tale, a polar bear spotting game, and the theatrical trailer. Not a ton but the documentary is actually pretty interesting as you can't help to wonder how they got all this close up footage of the animals involved in the story.

You can buy your own copy of Arctic Tale on Amazon right now. We highly recommend it!

Absolutely fabulous!

I've been so busy this spring thus far that I've really had no time to sit and think about the movies that I absolutely had to see or even paid any attention to movie previews of whats coming out, which if you ask me seeing as I do movie reviews is sort of fun as I am always surprised. With one exception. When the previews for Bedtime Stories started showing up on the tv for the dvd release they stopped me in my tracks. I'm a huge Adam Sandler fan, something about his ability to tap into his childhood and not hide it gives me comfort in the fact that I still squeal like a little girl over toys and perfer children's books to adults. Not to mention that my current job, ahem, sort of encourages that sort of behavior.

Now imagine my disappointment when I realized that the one movie I've been waiting for all summer I just happened to pass up the review notice for, totally by accident. I actually got all excited, popped pop corn, and sat down to watch the movie and realized, it wasn't in my stack. Heh. Thankfully I was forgiven and it arrived shortly after and let me tell you people this is one movie you MUST see with or without your kids regardless if you love Adam Sandler or not. I actually let Connor stay up two hours past his bedtime, set him up with a huge bucket of marshemello popcorn, and even dragged his beloved purple chair out into the living room for this event and even though its not animated we watched the entire movie together. I already know as I stick the movie back on the shelf we will be re watching this one very often. With that said let me stop gushing and get to the review.

Bedtime Stories follows Skeeter, who's father once owned the hotel he currently works in and grew up in. His dad was not exactly the best businessman ever and ended up selling his hotel to a big hotel chain who's founder promised that when Skeeter grew up he could run the hotel. Thus far Skeeter has just been the maintenance man living in the same room he lived in as a child. So when the hotel is due to get an upgrade and a new manager he is sure that this is his chance finally. Wrong, Skeeter learns that Kendell the snooty boyfriend to the hotel owner will be the new manager. All the while Skeeter's sister is going through hard times of her own getting laid off at work and having to find a new teaching job in another state. Skeeter is left watching his sister's kids the whole week which at first seems like another notch in Skeeter's bad luck belt.

What Skeeter is not prepared for is what happens the day after he spends the night with the kids. It seems that for some reason the bedtime stories he makes up with his niece and nephew seem to be coming true in his life. From raining gumballs, to him finally getting the chance he has been waiting for a shot at running the hotel it all seems a bit like a fairy tale. After all fairy tales always have happy endings right? For anyone who said that its all a bit unbelievable and even a little outrageous, stop right there, this is after all about children's bedtime stories and last I checked going to sleep anything and everything can happen in your imagination. I find it all rather comforting that the movie really allows kids to think like kids. Hey if you want it to rain gumballs in your story, it is your story. So many kids I know are so grown up too fast, and from a little girl who believed in unicorns and gnomes till she was *cough* 12 (ok I still like to believe they are real) I'm just totally in love with the idea.

We got to watch Bedtime Stories on bluray and regardless if you have a bluray player or not its a really smart investment to buy the Bedtime Stories blueray combo pack. The combo pack comes with the full blueray edition as well as a standard edition that will play in any dvd player and even a digital copy so you can take Bedtime Stories anywhere you wish. Personally I love it as we watch most of our movies on our bluray player in the living room but I'm always a little heartbroken that I can't play them in our portable dvd player on trips. This way we have a copy for the house and a copy for the road. If you ever plan on buying a bluray player, and you should, in the future it saves you from having to buy an extra copy later.

The bluray edition also comes with bunch of extras including a fun extra that gives you some more insight into the real star of the movie Bugsy a crazy looking guinea pig that seems to be the comedic relief of the movie, like you need any. Some cool looks at the special effects and of course the amazing picture quality that you get on bluray. Actually its one of the best non animated bluray movies I've seen as the movie really is really quite colorful.

Bedtime Stories is available right now and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

A movie that totally rattled me to the core.

One thing that many people may not know about me is the grandfather that I talk about so fondly and Connor is named after is not actually my biological grandfather. Not that you would ever know and though I've always known it never mattered. My real grandfather died when my mom was still in high school and I never had the pleasure of meeting him but I'm sure if god was good enough to give me such a wonderful grandfather to replace him he must have been an amazing man. Why am I telling you all of this? Well my real grandfather was a POW in a concentration camp in Germany and I've always wondered how that must have been for him. Seeing what was going on up close must have really left its mark and I've seen tons of documentaries, movies, you name it. I can honestly say though until I saw The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, I've never honestly felt it.

I really had no clue what to expect I've stopped watching previews for movies I am going to review if I haven't already seen one as I really want it to be a honest review. So though I knew this was a world war two movie about a concentration camp I really had no clue what to expect and I'm honestly glad I didn't as the end came as a huge shock. I don't want to reveal much about the movie as I think its something you just need to experience for yourself but to break it down a top German soldier is put in charge of a concentration camp and must bring his family with him to live nearby. Seeing as the camp is a little isolated his children are left without any friends and his wife hates exposing her kids to the camp being so close. As the movie progresses his son who is a dreamer and really has no real idea of whats going on in the concentration camp nor the fact that they are being forced there against their will, as he calls the jews "farmers", ends up making friends with a boy in the camp across the fence.

The entire movie shows the war from a child's perspective and watching it as a mother was gut wrenching. I won't give away the ending but brace yourself as it sent me almost sobbing into Connor's room to scoop him up and hold him for a good two hours on my chest as he slept. I'm still not over it nor do I think I ever will be. With all that said its one of those movies that leaves a mark but one of those marks that needs to be felt and experienced. I've never said that a movie is life changing but this one, is.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is available right now on DVD and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Maybe I need my own night in Rodanthe!

What is it about Diane Lane that makes for such a great girlie flick? Though she never seems to make my top actor/actress favorites list, though she rightfully deserves to be there, the movies she seems to be in always end up being the ones that leave me snuggled up in my bed laughing, smiling, and leave me wanting some serious snuggle time with the man in my life. Guys never ever roll your eyes at your woman watching "girlie" movies as nine times out of ten you're in for a good night afterward. heh.. Sorry I couldn't resist, don't even try to deny it ladies.

Nights in Rodanthe is a fabulous girls night movie. The combination of Richard Gere and Diane Lane is potent not to mention that it was written by the same author as The Notebook, seriously you can't go wrong. Adrienne is reeling from her failed marriage that ended badly over an affair her husband was having and though he wants a second chance Adrienne is not so sure that's the best idea. So when she gets a chance to spend some quality time at a bed and breakfast in the Outer Banks she takes her chance to spend some time and really think about her options.

Paul is a successful surgeon but with success he found he sacrificed family. The two both end up in this small inn in a remote region of the Outer Banks. Trapped by a incoming storm the two are sort of thrown together and nothing speeds up romance than a impending danger. If you LOVE a love story its not one to be missed. Pretty much anything with Richard Gere and Diane Lane together you just can't go wrong, they mesh so well together seeing them fall in love is so believable it's hard not to believe its true.

Nights in Rodanthe is available right now and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Calling all Penguins!

Madagascar 2 Escape Africa continues the story of our four very lost zoo animals lead by a very confused lion named Alex who was convinced that life in the "wild" was so much better than in the zoo. The problem is once these guys actually get to Madagascar by the way of a boat crash they learn that the life of hunting and predators is not exactly what they imagined. They do however meet a very odd bunch of lemurs but now that they know that life isn't so rosey on the other side of the fence they are determined to find their way home.

The crazy penguins that escaped along side them have pretty much rigged a centries old plane and the plan is to fly out of Madagascar. The only problem is do penguins actually fly plane and how on earth did they even get the thing running? Well they don't quite make it back to New York and end up crash landing in Africa, ironically the place they were headed all along. Thats where things get intrested as for the first time each of the animals in our group meet animals of their own kind. Glorida meets up with a very hansom, as far as hippos are concerned, Motto Motto. Alex finds his long lost parents and you learn a bit more about how Alex actually ended up in the New York Zoo to begin with. Alex ends up having to prove himself to the other lions and of course seeing as he has never had to hunt, fight, or really do anything other than dance and show off he fails quite miserably. He ends up winning their hearts as he puts himself in danger for the good of all.

I have to say though what made it for me were the penguins as I'm a huge fan of the penguins of madagascar. They are just soo wacky and the ending of the movie is priceless, not to spoil it but its penguin related. The animation is fabulous as it is with all dreamworks movies and the soundtrack is great including a song called "Move It" which has to be one of my favorites in recent animated history, Connor's too. The extras are pretty awesome including a mini video game called flight of the penguins which can be a bit addicting and a animated short called The Penguins of Madagascar which is included in the standard version for a limited time as well as a seperate dvd all together.

Madagascar 2 Escape Africa is out right now on dvd and bluray and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

I have three copies of the standard dvd Madagascar 2 Escape Africa that includes the Penguins of Madagascar dvd as well to give away to my readers!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Madagascar 2 Escape Africa and tell me who is your favorite Madagascar character and why.
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end March 15th at midnight!

Just a spoon full of sugar!

If only we all had our own Mary Poppins. I fantasized as a child about having a secret Mary Poppins, someone all my own. I've always believed that the story of Mary Poppins plays on children's fear of being alone. When parents are busy, occupied, tired, sometimes as children we feel like no one listens and the world is too busy for us. I know I did, and I catch myself doing the same things with my own son at times. I get so preoccupied with giving the mission of giving him everything I ever wanted as a child that sometimes I have to stop, take a breath, and remember all that children ever want is their parents. Tonight I saw that in him, he was tired and I was exhausted and I just wanted him to go to bed but he was almost inconsolable grabbing at my legs, trying to pull me around. I wanted to eat dinner and just have a moment to recoup from my day and all he wanted was for me to hold him. I got upset even though I knew that's all he wanted and then I saw the Mary Poppins DVD sitting on the side of the table. Mary Poppins never seemed tired or too busy she always knew when to lay down the law and when to say just the right thing.

As a real parent I know I have not found that sort of balance and if I could draw on my inner Mary Poppins you better believe I would do it. Even her song "Just a spoon full of sugar will make the medicine go down..." heh, it sums her up in full. Though she never let the kids get away with being bad she certainly made the unpleasant aspects of life a little easier to handle. That's exactly the sort of mom I hope to be and I'm not there yet though I aspire to be even just a tiny bit like Mary Poppins.

I'd make a bet that there are a tons of children today that have never even seen Mary Poppins and that's a pure and honest shame. It's a fabulous movie and the new 45th Anniversary Edition brings her back crisp and clear and beautiful as ever. Don't forget her friend Bert the chimney sweep who quite possibly has one of the worst jobs ever, but may just be the happiest man you will ever meet. Which reminds me.. Connor has been on huge verbal spike lately he is saying new words so fast I can barely keep up. The word of today was horse which was followed by a shrill squeal which is supposed to be the "horse sound" but possibly after we watch Mary Poppins a few times I think I'm going to try to get him to say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, heh, I can already see the look on his face.



Included in the Mary Poppins 45th Anniversary Edition is a bunch of great extra features including a really cool animated adventure called The Cat That Looked At The King. Julie Andrews, aka Mary Poppins, hosts the animated feature and her and two of her young friends enter the animated world. Its a cute short film and I don't believe its ever been seen before this DVD.

You can get your own copy of Mary Poppins 45th Anniversary Edition right now on DVD and you can pick it up on Amazon!

A video game classic on the big screen.

Max Payne is a legend in my world. Max Payne was one bad ass detective in a video game that was overwhelming popular when I was a kid. Known for his foul mood, gritty almost black and white graphics, and slow motion shooting scenes. Though I've never been a huge fan of "shooting" games, Max Payne is different as he was as much about the plot as the action.

Max Payne is a pissed off detective working in the dead end cold case files unit. Angry and bitter about the unsolved murder of his own wife and daughter he sometimes allows his grief to overrun his judgement. Either way Max Payne gets his almost super human skills purely from his hate and will for revenge. The grief of a father and husband when things go wrong can be a nasty thing. Actually the unanimous response to the people around here about Max Payne when it was out in theaters was the fact that we'd finally get to see that slow motion bit on the big screen.

Max Payne is absolutely gorgeous on film and especially in bluray, gritty, dark, somewhat unsettling all the things you would expect from the game. The storyline is good your immediately drawn to Max and his story and the setup on how his wife died is perfect in my opinion. The story follows Max, he is miserable, pissed off at the world, and determined to find out who murdered his family even if that means breaking the rules and bending the lines. The only problem is he is just not pissed off enough to really fit with the Max Payne in the game.. and those slow motion bullet fight shots like the game was famous for.. um they are pretty lacking in the movie.

Max Payne got some pretty shotty reviews and honestly I think half the reason is the fact that the video game is was such an icon though it may not have been one of the most popular games of all time it certainly left a mark. Anytime a game has such a nostalgic value, or anything for that matter, its hard to live up to it. Max Payne is a great movie in its own right its beautiful it has an engaging story, but its certainly not the game and how could it be? Personally I enjoyed it but I was a bit disappointed with the lack of Max Payne style shooting scenes and I felt the Max Payne in the movie held back a bit too much.

The bluray edition is awesome as ever, and though I would have liked to see more special features there is one in particular that I really loved. Included is a Michelle Payne graphic novel detailing more info about Michelle, Max's wife, and the story behind her that the movie didn't necessarily cover. Its really usually that a movie really give you more information on its characters past the story itself.

Max Payne is available right now on DVD and Bluray and you can pick up your copy on Amazon.

I have three copies of Max Payne to give away to my readers!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Max Payne and tell me what is your favorite classic video game or comic book.
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end Feb 30th at midnight!

When Frankenstein meets adorable!

Who doesn't love a movie about a mad scientist? I seem to feel like one lately in lab class staring at dead cats, sorry guys... its part of the class, and brains in jars. But usually you associate mad scientists with crazy laboratories and evil plots and of course their hunchback sidekicks who have about the same amount of brain cells as a cheese sandwich. At least that's how it's supposed to go down!

Dr. Glickenstein's hunchback, Igor, is no ordinarily dim witted Igor. He dreams of being a mad scientist himself and has been doing experiments behind Dr. Glickenstein's back. The only problem is that in the land of Malaria, yes the land is named Malaria.. heh, Igors are well just Igors and their only job function is to do as their master's ask them and pull the switch. Igor wants so much more and he sees his opportunity knocking when his master, Dr. Glickenstein, gets blown up by accident. The mad scientist competition is approaching fast and Igor must make his own entry, a huge gigantic monster to win.

His creation, who is supposed to be the most ultimate evil of all time, works and awakes to call herself Eva and sadly for Igor she is nothing of the sort when it comes to evil. Eva dreams of being an actress and likes to pick flowers. Igor just has to decide if winning the competition is really what he wanted all along or if his new relationship with Eva is more important. Sometimes what we want in life is not always what we think. Igor is beginning to learn that lesson himself.

Igor is tons of fun, beautifully animated, and who couldn't love a brain in a bottle named Brian? It's full of enough ironic comedy that parents will enjoy it as much as the kids and how often do you actually get to see an evil scientist from his perspective?

We were lucky enough to see Igor in bluray and let me tell you, ironically enough, it was another animated feature that sold me on bluray to begin with and Igor is no exception. There is something about the colors of an animated feature being presented in bluray that it just sucks you in. Igor is a darker film, I mean seriously people we are talking about mad scientists, so the color palette will not be bright pinks and rosey reds, but we are talking about lighting and electricity all of which pop on the high definition format. The soundtrack is also really electrifying. The only thing that disappointed me at all about the movie is the extras on the bluray. One of the things I've really begun to look forward to on bluray presentations are the extras and especially on kid's bluray the games. None of which really stand out on this one. No games just extra commentary and some art galleries which I took a brief look at but this is a kids dvd, there should be some more goodies.

Either way I the bluray is well worth it in terms of resolution and soundtrack I just wish they would have put in a bit more effort on the extras. One little personal note as well, I've heard some talk from friends that they did not take their kids to see Igor in theaters as it was too "dark". Meaning the subject matter not the color scheme. People, you terribly disappoint me, with Nightmare Before Christmas, my favorite movie of all time, being a huge deal these days and Neil Gaimen's work being main stream.. you dare say Igor is too dark? Come on people, then again when Nightmare Before Christmas first came out I heard the same rumblings. Igor is actually very light hearted, incredibly entertaining, and not at all deserving of the small talk. Have we forgotten that The Brain from Pinky and the Brain was also in his own right a mad scientist? What about Edward Scissor Hands... mmm yes you see Igor deserves his place in the sun.

Igor is available right now on DVD and Bluray and you can pick your copy on Amazon!

I have two copies of Igor to give away to my readers!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Igor and tell me which movie with a mad scientist or an evil character which is really good is your favorite?
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end Feb 30th at midnight!

Wow.. talk about a visually stimulating movie.

City of Ember is one of those movies that you most likely heard about but unless you own the novel it may not have been a movie you saw in the theater which is one of my largest regrets in movies of last year. I have no clue how I never saw this one in theater as it's exactly the sort of movie I live for, smart visually stunning fantasy children's movies with an unusual plot that has not been done a zillion times before.

City of Ember has officially been added to my list of favorite movies of all time. I usually make it a strict point to not read any ratings before I watch a movie I'm reviewing but I couldn't help myself and I checked out the Amazon comments before I got a chance to putting this one in the dvd player and I am totally shocked. First off I think children are getting a bit spoiled these days with the crazy CGI graphics and amazingly large budgets that have been allotted to some of the high profile children's movies. Not that I'm knocking the whole massive Lord of the Rings type productions as sure they are impressive but telling a good story does not need more money than I can even fathom as some of my favorite productions of all time were Jim Henson productions and he certainly did not use any CGI. City of Ember has CGI sure.. but it leaves you feeling more like your actually living in the land of Ember as everything looks run down, gritty, and there is something so much more believable about that. Then again I've not read the book and some of the disappointment in the movie may be centered on fans of the book and I'm sorry its just so rare that a movie lives up to a book that I'm not sure you should even compare the two. That's just a theory of mine as I have not yet read the book but I mean to do so asap.

So let me tell you what I do know about the movie. City of Ember is unusually refreshing the storyline is nothing I've seen before. Humans are forced underground due to some problems with the weather outside, though its not totally clear what the problem is, a whole world is built under the earth surface and is kept alive by a huge generator. The mayor of Ember is in trusted with a box that is set to open after 200 years the only problem is not long after one of the early mayor's death the box is lost and the residents of Ember are totally unaware and seeing as its forbid to leave the safety of the city limits no one has any idea of whats going on outside. There is only one problem, the food supply and generator is dying which means the lights and Ember's way of life are soon to be over. Think about it for a moment you live underground, the last thing you want is for the lights to go out. It gives me memories of a day camp I took to Mammoth Cave and we went into one of the caves that was off limits to the regular public much deeper than where the normal tours go.... the guide decided that it would be a great idea to show us what it looks like once you turn off all the lamps and lights. I'm not scared of the dark and I'm normally phobic of anything but seriously I had nightmares for weeks and still it makes my skin crawl as I can honestly say you have never seen dark until you see what it looks like when your that far underground. It was the closest I've ever been and ever want to be to being totally blind.

Lina the great great great great great (this can keep going) granddaughter of the Mayer who last had the box does not have it easy in life. Her parents died and she is left to live with her slightly crazy grandmother and her absolutely crazy hyperactive sister named Poppy. Her grandmother right before she dies keeps rambling about something she has lost and Poppy just happens to find the box buried in the closet and eats part of the contents. With the help of her friend Doon, Lina is determined to figure out what the box means and what it has to do with the builders. The only problem with all this is that the blackouts are getting worst and Doon discovers that the generator is on its last leg and it could fail at any moment. So Lina and Doon are working on borrowed time.

If you've not previously seen City of Ember I highly recommend it and it will be a great addition to your collection. City of Ember is available right now and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

What would happen if the election came down to one vote?

We have a new president in office but have you ever thought about what would happen if a race was so close that it came down to one vote? I know your thinking that's just impossible but is it? Either way its sort of fun to think about it and Swing Vote bring to light what would happen if the vote came down to one person no matter how imperfect he is.

Meet Bud Johnson and his daughter Molly, Bud is no prize winning dad he chronically drinks, is a complete mess up at work, and he doesn't seem to take anything seriously other than his daughter who he obviously loves very much. So the problem is that this man, the guy you would just write off as a drunken looser at work is in charge of possibly the most important decision of your lifetime who will become the next president.

Bud thinks its a game but Molly who is really into politics knows just how important this decision is, but really I am making this movie sound too serious when really its a comidy. The funny part is really watching Bud who thinks this is all a game and treats this decision as some sort of right to party. Its the fact that it never even occurs to him the type of decision he is going to have to make until his daughter makes it clear. Molly is quite the brilliant little girl.

Without giving anymore away its just one of those movies that looks sort of silly in the previews but its really a great story, its quite funny, and one of those movies that just sort of strangely touches you.

Swing Vote is available right on DVD right now and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Swing Vote and tell me what issue is most near and dear to your heart when it came to the last election.
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end Feb 30th at midnight!

So shoot me I've never seen Breakfast At Tiffany's....

I've heard from some of my girl pals that not seeing Breakfast at a Tiffany's was a mortal sin when it comes to being a woman. So why have I gone 30 years and never seen this movie? Who knows, its not that I've never had the opportunity but somehow I've never seen it till this weekend. Audrey Hepburn who plays Holly in this movie is really stunning and though I've honestly never seen any of her movies up till now I 100% understand what all the fuss is about her she is fabulous.

I'm not sure what I expected when I thought of Breakfast at Tiffany's but somehow I was expecting this classic love story that was a bit dramatic and boring and possibly that's why I have been avoiding this classic so long but man was I totally wrong. Breakfast at Tiffany's is certainly a love story but not the clean cut type I expected. Holly must have taken a page out of my grandmother's recommendations that you need to set yourself up to marry rich, or a doctor, or become a doctor yourself, and seeing as my career choice seems to be a "writer" and a "freelance" one at that I think I did the opposite of her suggestions. heh. Holly dreams big and she has hear heart set on marrying rich so she can afford the jewelry she longs for every morning while she eats her breakfast while staring in the Tiffany's shop windows.

Holly may have plans to marry rich but you just can't find yourself hating her for it as her character seems so like able and almost childlike you can't help to love her. When she meets her neighbour Paul, also a writer, though all deals are off. Paul is mesmerized by Holly from the first moment he lays eyes on her but Holly like so many other girls takes awhile to notice and is set on calling him "Fred" after her brother which is actually sort of cute. You will find yourself having a hard time keeping your eyes off of Audrey throughout the whole movie and ironically this is one classic romantic movie that many of my guy friends have admitted in private that they actually love as well.

Breakfast at Tiffany's has been released in its new Centennial Collection format and though I've never seen the others the picture quality is crisp and clear and it includes some fun extras including some footage from the making of the movie, the original trailer which personally was my favorite extra as I have this thing for old commercials.

You can get your own copy of Breakfast at Tiffany's Centennial Collection on DVD over at Amazon!

Avon Mark is simply delicious.

Avon's Mark line of fragrances has me so excited. The fragrances are really exactly the sort of thing I look for in a perfume. I'm admittedly a perfume nut and I may not be an expert on makeup, though I am trying, I absolutely love fragrances. The problem is ever since I was a little girl I've not been able to deal with really strong fragrances so I tend to look for more simple "modern" type scents that have one or two notes instead of more old fashioned very complex flowery or musky scents.

My only experience up till now with Avon has been with their Skin So Soft line. Skin So Soft if you grew up in the south is the absolute do it all product and as a kid we used it as a bug repellent, moisturizer, sunburn remedy, and my favorite use as really gentle fly spray when diluted and put in a spray bottle on my horses, dogs, and myself when we went to horse shows. As much as Skin So Soft was a daily occurrence in the house I've really never tried any of Avon's other lines so when a friend of mine highly recommended Avon's Mark line of fragrances I had to check them out and when better than Valentines Day? So let me introduce the lineup.

Mark Pure :

Mark Pure is the perfect perfume for the lady who wants to smell amazing but may not be comfortable or enjoy wearing perfume, or even for an all day and all night scent. I'm not sure if its just me but I tend to wear a different scent depending on what I'm doing be it a daytime fragrance, something for going out, and yes I even have a few fragrances that I will wear to bed simply for the fact that I like the way they smell. Mark Pure is one of those few fragrances that I would put on even on those days I stay in my PJs all day and lounge around the house. MM, the problem is explaining what it smells like as I cannot really discern any specific tones but it reminds me of very high grade luxury bath soap. When I've worn it outside the house I've had more comments than I've ever had even wearing fragrances three times as expensive and usually I get asked which soap I use. It just smells fresh, clean, and yummy.

Mark Earth :

If I had to choose a favorite from the Mark fragrances I have tried thus far it would be a hard tie between Pure and Earth but Earth wins out slightly but a very very small margin and that is partially because its a very relaxing scent. Mark Earth is an unusual fragrance and if I had to describe it I would say it smells like a mixture of green tea, fresh cut grass, and a slightly warm spicy tone like amber. It reminds me of laying in the fields in summer daydreaming and for this reason alone it stands out as my favorite. I consider it equally a great daytime and nighttime scent and it is not overwhelming.

Mark Jewel :

If there was a sorority sister in this bunch it would be Mark Jewel. Jewel is the most feminine most floral scent of the bunch and usually I would totally write it off immediately as technically it is a floral scent but this is not at all your mother's or grandmother's floral. Mark Jewel is a lily scent but it is blended with vanilla, my favorite scent of all, and caramel which gives Mark Jewel an unusual and really sexy presence. If I was to pick one of the three to wear out on date night or to the bar with my girls this would be the one. The lily is very feminine but the vanilla and caramel give it a sweat and almost sexy after tone. Plus who doesn't love the really pretty pink bottle it comes in?

You can check out the entire Avon's Mark line on the website.

With Valentines Day fast approaching I felt that I really wanted to share these fragrances with my readers so what better way to celebrate than give a bottle of Mark Jewel to one very lucky reader! It would be the perfect gift for someone special on your list or a special treat next time you want to feel pretty. Not to mention that most of the Mark Fragrances are around $20 so you can afford to treat yourself to one or two or even all of them!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Avon's Mark Fragrances and tell me which you'd most like to try!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
  • For an extra entry :
  • Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
  • Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
  • One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
  • This contest will end Feb 15th at midnight!

Brideshead Revisited leaves me wanting more!

Though I can't say I've ever read the book, though its been on my to do list for a long time, Brideshead caught my attention many years ago when I caught a glimpse of the TV series produced for British TV. What really stood out to me about this series is the fact that it came out in the early 80s and it caught my attention as though its never right out discussed its the first time I ever really saw or understood homosexuality though at the time I was really too young to understand exactly what it meant to be gay it was the first time I saw a man obviously in love with another man.

Lets back up though as Brideshead deserves so much more attention than the fact that one of the characters is blatantly homosexual and that's not at all what I want to talk about when it comes to this movie. Brideshead Revisited is the movie rendition and though its not the same production as the made for TV series it is based on the same book. Brideshead Revisited will keep your attention from the moment you turn it on and rightfully so as its an incredibly complex story that really needs to be digested for every moment to fully appreciate its certainly not one of those movies in which you can just casually watch and appreciate. The story starts with Charles who is off to college at Oxford, his father is really completely tuned out when it comes to his life and I'm not sure he even knows where his son is going to college or really anything about his son other than occasional pleasant conversation. So when Charles meets the incredibly wealthy and very intense Sebastian he is immediately drawn to him.

Sebastian is outwardly gay, obnoxiously wealthy, and feels condemned by his mother and his religion. Though he never outwardly says it you can tell that he immediately falls in love with Charles and brings him to meet his grandmother at Brideshead his beautiful and expensive family estate. Charles however is strait, and though he enjoys Sebastian and obviously cherishes their friendship, Charles is in love with Brideshead and the complex family relationship Sebastian has with his family not to mention Sebastian's sister Julia.

The story follows Charles's story for several decades from his college days with Sebastian, to his love for Julia that is strictly forbidden by their mother as Charles is not Catholic. The story follows Charles all the way into adulthood and him entering the war. I loved every second of it the only problem is it ends too soon and I feel the overwhelming urge that there is so much more to the story. I guess its about time to rethink reading the book.

Brideshead Revisited is available on DVD and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Ugg Just when I started sleeping ok by myself.

Eek, I had almost blocked out seeing Zodiac in theaters, the story of a serial killer like no other. He has been killing people all over the San Franscio area and the police have absolutely no clue. Then the man who identifies himself as the Zodiac begins sending letters to the San Fransico newspapers claiming the he will kill again and leaving encrypted messages. Ironically the man to decipher these messages is a cartoonist who has an uncanny nack for deciphering codes. The movie is based on the real life cartoonist's book about his experiences. So if this movie scares the crap out of you.. one thing to remember is the Zodiac killer is no made up villain. He is/was a real person and seeing as his last communication was in the 70s there is a pretty good chance that he could still be alive. Nice feeling eh?

Zodiac 2-Disc Director's Cut has recently been released on bluray and if you love a good murder mystery or in this case even a horror movie you will be thrilled with its new crisp clean release. The movie itself is fabulous, it will keep you tucked safely behind a pillow the entire movie as there is just something terrifying about the fact that the twisted person that this movie is based on is real. The first time I saw Zodiac was shortly after its release and nothing left me feeling more distrait after seeing it since I saw se7en in the theater. Something about the way this film is shot gives it an even more eerie quality. The story is set in the 60s and 70s and the entire movie is filmed in a manner that really makes you feel like your actually in the 60s. The colors are a little drab, and though it does give you a taste of living in the 60s the bluray version gives the whole movie a crisp feel that I don't remember in the theater version.

What is really exciting about the Zodiac 2-Disc Director's Cut is the extras. Especially a feature called This is the Zodiac Speaking. This feature documents much more real life occurrences and events concerning the real Zodiac case that the movie does not totally cover. If you feel uncomfortable after watching the movie, hearing the real facts will leave you even more unsettled.

Zodiac 2-Disc Director's Cut is available right now on bluray DVD and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!

Without a paddle is a proper name.

Ugg.. If last month's movies started out with a bang this month thus far has really left me feeling a bit glum. Without a Paddle : Nature's Calling had some promise. I mean the storyline looked good as I really enjoy ridiculous comedy's with Christmas Vacation and Tropic Thunder being two of my all time "stupid" favorites. When I started watching Without a Paddle : Nature's Calling my heart was just not into it. I should say right out that the entire Without a Paddle series should be taken with a grain of salt. There will be no award winning performances and I can't say that the CGI enhanced squirrels are the best I have ever seen... but like many movies in this comedy genre it just is not supposed to wow you with its movie qualities. Take a page out of the Beavis and Butthead book of life, sometimes even the stupidest things are really a joy. Two half naked girls in a tree house, squirrels that just seem to be out for your life, three boys headed into the woods with no apparent way home, some over exaggerated accents. On the surface it seems it was written by a 12 year old boy while he snickered with his friends hidden in his closet so his mom wouldn't hear. You know, I think that's half the pleasure of it, once you let go of your logic and senses its actually kinda funny.

We are so hard up these days on amazing actors and well driven plots that sometimes we just loose track of our inner childish humor and you know when your incredibly stressed out its sometimes nice to let them out. I used to keep a sticker of my beloved Bevis and Butthead on my computer to remind me, needless to say that computer is far outdated and the sticker is long gone but don't ever repeat this but I did my junior year of high school bust into the principles office with my shirt pulled over my head screaming I need teepee for my bunghole. Needless to say the girl's bathroom was really actually out of toilet paper, and I swore I was going to get suspended but it was worth every second as I had the worst time not turning red after I did it from laughing. The funny thing is I saw his face tense up like he was about ot scream at me... and then he busted out into one of those gut wrenching belly laughs that I still crack up thinking about. You just got to let your hair down.

So needless to say though this review has been a bit amiss there is really nothing I can say about Without A Paddle : Nature's Calling. If your looking for a true comedy don't bother as it will disappoint you with its pointless jokes, random squirrel action, and badly delivered lines. If your looking to let your hair down and laugh like you were still in junior high school its absolutely 100% the movie for you. Needless to say its just what I needed to break down the stress of my first Anatomy exam of the semester and it was just the thing! Who knows maybe I'll go mad and become an lunatic enviormentalist and move into a tree house and name myself the earth mother while I have a sleepover with my half naked best friend. heh.



Without A Paddle : Nature's Calling is available right now on DVD and you can pick up yours on Amazon!

Just don't look into the Mirrors.

Eek.. Up till now I had not gotten a chance to watch Mirrors. Now that its been released on bluray I felt it was the right time to put my bluray player to good use and scare myself silly. Really at first I never expected Mirrors to be all that scary at all honestly and the first half of the movie though it left me jumping on several occasions really did not leave me with that sense of dread that I had hoped for. I spoke a little too soon, because at the first sign that the mirrors started to change their images I felt a little unsettled but the real turning part in the movie is when the first person dies.

I have to say doing this review will be challenging as there is so much I would love to say about the movie but I hate to give away the plot as its really better left a surprise, so bare with me as I really want to do this movie justice without ruining any part of it for you guys.

The movie opens with Ben (Keifer Sullivan) sleeping at this sister's house. He's an cop who has been suspended after he accidentally shoots a man. The reason he was suspended was not at first totally reviled but they give you little hints, a newspaper clipping, Ben's drinking problem, he's been kicked out of his wife's house, and comments. You put it together I don't think me telling you that is much of a big reveal. Ben is having some serious issues with depression and drinking but he is determined to turn his life around and get his family back. He gets a new night watchmen job at a old department store that has been burned (with people alive and in it) and thats where everything starts getting weird.

His first night at the department store, The Mayflower, he learns not only that people burned and died in the store but that the old watchmen has gone missing. To top it off they mention kind of briefly that the Mayflower used to be a hospital (another sort of spoiler that again you really need to know for anything to make sense). Once he is truly alone in the hospital though it gets a little creepy he starts hearing things, seeing things in the mirrors that are not there, and the whole place seems to want him to go into the basement. The next morning he again starts seeing things in mirrors not even at the Mayflower. Then he learns the old night watchman kills himself in what seems like an impossible way. Around this part of the movie is where I went from sort of creeped out to hiding under my blanket, thank goodness I do not have any mirrors in my living room.

The whole movie leaves you feeling paranoid, edgy, and pretty creeped out. I really don't want to say anymore but the movie has an unusual twist which is a refresh as so many horror movies follow the same plot line. Really my only beef with the movie at all is the ending. Though the ending is pretty realistic, to the plot line not actual reality.. heh, it just leaves you feeling even more paranoid and empty as the one thing that is always true about horror movies is the good guy always wins. I'm not sure that's the case with this one and that left me feeling a bit rattled.

I ended up watching Mirrors in bluray which if you ask me is more than worth it as the bluray version includes the Unrated version of the movie which if you know me at all you know there is no way I'm going to watch the rated version when the Unrated is available. The first really gory scene with Ben's sister proves why the Unrated version is just so much better as it left me crawling up my chair looking for an escape route. Theatrical versions just sort of lack the gore necessary at times to get the job done and ugg the Unrated version of Mirrors certainly got the job done as I was attempting to exit stage left. The movie's acts of gore are fairly few but the ones it shows are enough to make your skin crawl. None of them come close to the first as that one I will be remembering for quite some time.

My biggest extra included on the bluray edition is the unrated version which alone is well worth every penny, but if your expecting a ton of other extras most of the space is donated purely for the unrated version. There is an alternate ending but do not expect a drastic change but I do almost prefer it as well as an additional scene after the ending occurs which leaves you wondering if there will be an sequel. Overall no one can debate how fabulous the additional version is compared to the addition of small extras, I'll take the trade any day.

Mirrors is available right now on bluray dvd and you can pick up your copy on Amazon!