Review Signing Time Volume 1: My First Signs DVD

Signing Time Volume 1: My First Signs DVD Best Review

I started trying to teach my daughter with a mommy/baby sign class when she was around 6 or so months, and it took several months before she would sign anything back. I stayed with the basics, like eat and more. I figured there was no point in moving on if she doesn't want to use these two very common words. She did start signing back eventually, and I wanted to find away to foster this and continue with something that can be repeated. I bought volumes 1-3 of Signing Time, and she did seem to like them, but as with all infants and young toddlers, she has the attention span of a gnat. After several watches of each volume, she really started to tune in more, and started to get excited when her "friends" Alex and Leah were coming on. She was learning sign and her words at the same time. We then bought volumes 4-6. By 18 months, she knew over 30 words verbally, and about 10 in sign that she didn't say, plus there was some overlap. Now she'll be turning two next month, and she's been learning 1-4 words a day for a few months, sometimes both in sign and verbal. She LOVES these DVDs. In the past couple of weeks, she's been handing them to us to play, and calls them "Tummy Tum" and even does the signs for "Signing Time". When she points to the TV and asks for music, she means Signing Time. She squeals in excitement when these are on, and she dances to all the songs. She really does try to watch full episodes too, but she does get distracted easily still. These have helped her learn her words and her letters, as well as numbers just a bit, and we all learn sign language.

I have found signing to be very handy when she can't pronounce the English quite right, or when she adopts the same verbal word for two or more things. It's also handy in a movie theater, when she can't really talk but needs to tell me she wants to eat. Or when we're in a situation where she doesn't feel like talking, so she'll sign instead. It HAS NOT "virtually eliminated" the terrible twos as Rachel says in one or more of these DVDs. She definitely has her moments, but when I know she is capable of communicating, but is refusing, it's easier for me to ignore her until she signs or verbalizes what she wants.

My one complaint is that my daughter seems to identify a bit too much with Leah, and pronounces some words as Leah does. I'm sure this is transitory, which is why I have not deducted any stars. It's up to me to correct these things, and I know there will be plenty of other sources for mispronunciations as she grows up. It's why I don't like Baby Bear on Sesame Street, because I don't want my daughter learning to pronounce words like the character does. Leah, in a DVD like this, makes sense, as the audience will most certainly include deaf children, or friends of deaf children. And those of us who can hear will need to learn how they might pronounce something so we can make sense of it. It's like adjusting yourself to any accent. When you know where the person is from, it's easier to understand what they say.

I will say that in Volume 4, Rachel appears a bit low energy. My daughter hasn't noticed and doesn't care, so I'm not deducting stars for that either.

We will be requesting volumes 7+ for her upcoming birthday, or getting them ourselves.

Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Signing Time Volume 1: My First Signs DVD Overview

It s Signing Time with Alex and Leah! From their magical animated treehouse, Alex (age 3), his cousin Leah (age 4) who is deaf, and host Rachel Coleman (Leah's mom) teach beginning American Sign Language (ASL) signs in a fun and playful way. Volume 1 is a great first step into signing and teaches signs for many first words. Created for ages 1-8 but enjoyed by all! Available only on DVD. Close-Captioned. Approximate run time: 30 Minutes, plus special features. My First Signs includes the following original songs, written by Rachel Coleman: *Signing Time Theme *Show Me a Sign

Special Features

Sign Review - Behind the Scenes - Original 2002 Version of Theme Song - FAQ: Rachel's Color-Coded Fingers - Preview: Vol. 7 Leah's Farm - Baby Signing Time - Preview: Here I Go - Creators' Audio Commentary On/Off.

ASL Signs

ASL signs taught in this DVD: Eat/Food - Milk - Water - Ball - More - Bird - Cat - Dog - Fish - Car - Airplane - Want - Shoes - Flower - Mom - Dad - Baby - Sleep.

And if you pay close attention, you ll also see and learn these additional signs: Hi - Come - Signing - Time - Teach - Sing - Dance - Play - Now - Favorite - Visit - Tree - House - Can - Everyday - Lot - Start - Today - Where - Friends - Meet - Find - Not - Different - All - Much - Share - Love - Day - How - Like - Know - What - Mind - Together - Make - Smile - Think - About - Night - Show - Here - Chicken - Horse - Car.

Available Now => Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Signing Time - Nancy Watson -
These are the best videos!!!!!!!!!! I highly recommend the entire series for both hearing and deaf babies, children, and adults!!



Love it! - Nancy - ORANGE, CA, US
Easy for parents and children of different ages to learn sign language. My older son learned signs quickly and was practicing them with his baby brother in no time.



GREAT LEARNING TOOL! - N. Rowland - Sourh Carolina
MY DAUGHTER TAUGHT 'SIGNING' TO HER KIDS WHEN THEY WERE BABIES...LONG BEFORE THEY COULD TALK. THIS VIDEO HELP ME LEARN SOME OF THE SIGNS AND HELPED THE GRANDKIDS ADVANCE IN THEIR SIGNING. THEY LOVED IT!
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE AVAILABLE!

Limited Time Offer, Order Now at Amazon.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 30, 2010 01:30:02

See Also : bad lieutenant port of call new orleans

Review Crank 2: High Voltage

Crank 2: High Voltage Best Review

Jason Statham has been in his share of odd movies and this ones no exception - most people even looking at this title have seen the first one and have an idea of what to expect - an over the top, "extreme" movie with a ridiculous story and some crazy action sequences. If that's what you want, this is the movie for you to get. If you're looking for a masterpiece movie with a serious story, step away now!

(Possible spoilers for the first 5 minutes of the movie (including the end of Crank 1))

The first movie ends with Statham falling out of a helicopter and smacking the concrete below, and that's just where this one begins (literally!) - being Crank, he lives and just gets up to walk away from it. He's quickly taken away to have his heart removed to be implanted into someone else (if he can live through everything in the first film, it's gotta be something amazing!). With his heart gone, he's living off a very-poor-quality artificial one.. with a low battery which he constantly needs to power (and as you can imagine, that includes all sorts of nonsense methods) - he goes on a search to get his heart back. While all this seems crazy, this is just the first 5 minutes - along the way he runs into every odd person you can imagine. If this seems like the stupidest movie you've ever heard, stop reading now! If you're interested in that much, I think you'll enjoy the movie. It's a crazy ride, but an entertaining one (definitely not for kids).

The blu-ray is one of the best looking ones I've seen. I believe it was filmed with the RED cameras, and has a very sharp image throughout. This makes a wonderful demo piece for a nice HDTV!

Audio is also top notch - DTSHD 7.1 Master Audio. Crank it up! (no pun intended)

The extras are also very good - including a nice behind the scenes piece and even picture-in-picture commentary. Everything in HD, along with a digital copy for your ipod/iphone/ipad/itunes.

If you can enjoy the over-the-top movies like Deathrace, Smokin Aces and Gamer, this fits right in.

Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Crank 2: High Voltage Overview

When hit man Chev Chelios discovers that his heart has been stolen and replaced with an artificial one that requires electrical shocks to keep beating

Crank 2: High Voltage Specifications

The critics have not been very kind to Crank: High Voltage. But what do they know? Here’s what this movie has going for it: gratuitous nudity, mindless violence, constant profanity, and a ridiculous storyline. Add to that stereotypes galore (gay, Asian, Latino, the neuropsychiatrically disabled, you name it), strippers with guns, a strike by porn actors (with a cameo appearance by Ron Jeremy), and a guy who refers to his heart as a "strawberry tart," and one can only wonder what’s not to like. In fact, writer-director-producers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor’s sequel to 2006’s Crank is an absolute hoot, a non-stop assault of crazy sights and sounds that will leave you breathless and laughing. As the action starts, Jason Statham’s Chev Chelios has not only survived the fall from a helicopter that ended the earlier film, but is now on the operating table, awake and watching as some Chinese villains harvest his "tart" in order to implant it in their aging leader (a wacky turn by David Carradine). Chev quickly dispatches the bad guys, but the fun’s just starting; the mechanical ticker they’ve put inside him needs constant recharging, so as Chev pursues the real organ, he must use whatever’s available (jumper cables, a police taser, a car cigarette lighter, high voltage power lines) to keep the fake one going. Storywise, that’s about it. But it’s plenty, as the filmmakers’ ultra-kinetic style--with its manic edits, cartoony subtitles, and other envelope-stretching effects--and amusing performances by Amy Smart (as Chev’s girlfriend), Dwight Yoakam (as a "doctor" who helps him figure out what’s happening), and others keep things going. No, Crank: High Voltage ain’t exactly Masterpiece Theater, but this is without a doubt one of 2009’s most entertaining films. --Sam Graham

Available Now => Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

over the top LOL action - V. Zheleznyak - nYc
i dont understand these negative reviews...

did someone expect something else from this movie? had the trailers alone not give it away? how about the tagline "he died but then he got better".

this movie is one long love note to adrenaline action junkies. its a guy's guy movie. totally in your face over the top over to the point of hilarity action scenese after action scenes.

personally, i loved it (as i did the first one). granted its not for everyone, but if you like the trailer, you'll like the movie (its that but longer). so grab a couple beers and enjoy it with some friends.






Did someone owe someone a favor? - Roland A. Cordar - CA
This movie seems thrown together and dialogue written by a 16 year old. This franchise died 5 minutes into this sequel. Does Jason have no shame?



What Was This? - C. Curtis - Mechanicsville,, Maryland United States
I have seen several of his movies, and enjoyed his self-defense skills. However, with this movie it was disjointed; and didn't make sense to me - low budgeted. I only looked at this movie once, and now it rests at the bottom of my shredder. With decent movies I would share with others, but not this one. Didn't want it in my house. Sorry Jason, I didn't like this one. I think you can do better quality work. Please hold out for more decent action pictures.

Limited Time Offer, Order Now at Amazon.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 25, 2010 21:36:04

My Links : halo 3 new super mario bros Sale and Discount Movies

Review Tuesdays With Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie Best Review

You may think that a movie about the death of a man with ALS is going to be hard going but Morrie is no ordinary man. Played to perfection by Jack Lemmon, poignantly in his last screen role, Morrie is a retired University professor who wants to use his death to teach others how to live. Reunited with his fast-living former student, Mitch Albom, we see how his words and aphorisms turn Mitch from a nice but career-driven guy into someone more rounded and at peace with himself. Since the film is based on a true story - Mitch and Morrie are both real - it gives an added import to Morrie's words. The movie works due to its subtlety and its refusal to play-down the devastating effects of ALS. It also doesn't put Morrie on a pedestal; he has his dark moments and this makes his words more convincing. To know that he battles the same demons that we all do makes him less like a guru and more human. Although the film does carry a lot of wisdom, it never tries to preach. Mitch finds the lessons difficult and provides the sort of questions we might all have when faced with such statements as `We must love one another or die'. Ultimately, you feel Morrie succeeded in his wish to make his death a lesson in living and we must thank Mitch Albrom and the makers of this film, for bringing his words to us all.

Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Tuesdays With Morrie Overview

Based on a true-life story, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is a loving memoir to a man whose lessons on life have much to teach us about ourselves. Academy Award(R)-winner Jack Lemmon (Best Actor, 1974, SAVE THE TIGER) delivers an outstanding performance as Morrie Schwartz, the Brandeis University professor upon whom the best-selling book is based. Hank Azaria (GODZILLA) plays Mitch, an accomplished journalist so driven by his job, he has little time or energy left for anything else. One night, Mitch happens to catch Morrie's appearance on a national news program and learns his old professor is battling Lou Gehrig's disease. After the telecast, Mitch contacts Morrie, and what starts as a visit turns into a pilgrimage as Mitch opens his heart to the lessons Morrie has to teach him. As the bond grows between these two men, Mitch learns that professional commitments don't mean anything without the love of family and friends. Sure to inspire, TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE may just change your views on the meaning of life ... forever.

Tuesdays With Morrie Specifications

This warmhearted TV offering based on Mitch Albom's nonfiction bestseller of the same name dives right into the action, with Morrie (Jack Lemmon) collapsing within the first three minutes. Then it's cut to Mitch's hectic life as a sports columnist cum television host and long-term, often long-distance boyfriend. But this Mick Jackson-directed film slows considerably after the introductions as former student Mitch (Hank Azaria) learns his beloved professor is dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He reconnects with his mentor and begins learning from him all over again, this time about life. Oprah Winfrey produced this 88-minute film, and her renowned touchy-feely quality is prominent as Mitch learns to love both Morrie and his own girlfriend. Azaria, better known for somewhat goofy roles (The Birdcage, the dogwalker on TV's Mad About You) conveys an intelligent, if edgy dignity, and double Oscar winner Lemmon turns in his usual exquisite performance, giving even the most obvious moments touches of subtlety. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Available Now => Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Tuesdays with Morrie - W.Graham Symon - Brighton, Victoria Australia
I believe the DVD is a sensitive portrayal of a man approaching his imminent death with great courage, and his impact on completely altering his past student's attitude to his own sense of values.



Tuesdays with Morrie - Mike Larzelere -
The movie Tuesdays with Morrie followed the book quite well. Jack Lemon played Morrie very well. I thought it was a great movie.







Returned product - Brian L. G. Goodhew -
This DVD was returned as it was for area 1 and Australia is area 4.I would have thjought this was a normal check that would have been done before despatching.Brian Goodhew

Limited Time Offer, Order Now at Amazon.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 22, 2010 14:01:05

Recommend : Get More Discount on Movies Xbox 360 Elite Winter 2009 Lego Batman Pure Bundle big brain academy wii degree

Review Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) Best Review

For all my reviews visit my website [...]

I am NOT reviewing the DVD. Just the movie unless otherwise stated.

Please note that the rating above might not accurately reflect my thoughts, you will see a rating sentence at the end of the review.

Excuse me, I was extremely sick while I was watching this movie and I couldn't pay as much attention as I usually could.

So anyways, how do I feel it is innovative? Most people say it is for the shots, which, definably it is. For a B&W film, it's absolutely beautiful. Everything is so craft fully filmed. The moving shots going up and down, just everything is beyond words for the shooting. It's the work on genius on it's shots, it planted the ultimate apple tree seed for the farmers of tomorrow to eat from and plant more seeds. See my symbolism?

And that's another way I think this was extremely innovative, symbolism. This was obviously done before, some of the all time greatest and favorite films before this were King Kong, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, Werewolf of London, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Nosferatu, The Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame (you can see I love horror movies of that time,) but all those wonderful titles of which I have not reviewed on this site all show symoblism in something of fantasy. A giant gorilla, a vampire, a zombie mummy, a werewolf, a shape shifter, a phantom, some of them were real but are outcasts, and thus were not seen very much at the time. Citizen Kane however, delivers the symbolism in a factor of the human perspective. There's also much more of it, in Frankenstein, the whole plot is one point of symbolism, however, this carries out like a book with multiple symbols in addition to that type. I haven't really explained it have I? You would haft to see it for yourself, which I highly recommend.

The scripting is very awesome. The idea of doing something, again, so familiar to us, is pure genius. Making it work so well. They didn't just flat out go flat, like some people these days do. But, they really did put the candy on the apple. They were also aware to make sure the candy stayed on the apple and not become it's own candy but to stay with the apple. Am I still symbolic or am I just a maniac? Oh, I haven't even talked about the greatest of things. It's done between two stories, the story of Charles Foster Kane is told through stories from his friends, and a newsreel. At the same time, we try to find out what his dying words "Rosebud" mean in the time after his death. So, they tell two stories at once. You pick any masterpiece from well, anytime but especially that time, you will probably not find that innovation. And you never really find out what Rosebud means until the end of the movie, and then, it's still done extremely symbolic and discreet.

So, this is extremely innovative. Probably one of the top 10 innovative movies of all time. I'd say, a collection of opinions would say that these movies are the top greatest not in a specific order. Citizen Kane, King Kong (1933), Transformers (1986), Jason and the Argonauts, Casablanca, Cloverfield, Alien, Godzilla (1954) and Frankenstein (1931).

So what is the rating? As an innovative picture and part of history, it by far deserves a 6/5. However, past the innovation, to an naive view, I'd say 4/5. Take it up to 5/5 between the two. I, Da Ca$hman signing off.

Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) Feature

• A fascinating story of idealism corrupted by wealth, Citizen Kane is frequently named the greatest film of all time and is credited with inspiring more directorial careers than any other film in history. Orsen Welles and Agnes Moorehead star.Running Time: 119 min. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: PG Age: 053939656527 UPC: 053939656527 Manufacturer No: T6

Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) Overview

The story of an immensely wealthy newspaper publisher, as he is remembered by his friends and former wife after his death. Loosely based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. Frequently called the greatest film of all time.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: WELLES/COTTEN/COMINGORE/MOOREH
Title: CITIZEN KANE
Street Release Date: 09/24/2002
Domestic
Genre: DRAMA

Citizen Kane (Two-Disc Special Edition) Specifications

Arguably the greatest of American films, Orson Welles's 1941 masterpiece, made when he was only 26, still unfurls like a dream and carries the viewer along the mysterious currents of time and memory to reach a mature (if ambiguous) conclusion: people are the sum of their contradictions, and can't be known easily. Welles plays newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane, taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. The result is that every well-meaning or tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event. Written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz, and photographed by Gregg Toland, the film is the sum of Welles's awesome ambitions as an artist in Hollywood. He pushes the limits of then-available technology to create a true magic show, a visual and aural feast that almost seems to be rising up from a viewer's subconsciousness. As Kane, Welles even ushers in the influence of Bertolt Brecht on film acting. This is truly a one-of-a-kind work, and in many ways is still the most modern of modern films from the 20th century. --Tom Keogh

Available Now => Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Almost Lives Up... - Marie J. -
Whenever people start proclaiming something 'the greatest ever', I always get a bit wary. One, because hype is usually, well, based on hype and not fact, and it eventually becomes self-sustaining (ie people jump on the bandwagon of acclaiming something, just because they feel all the 'critics' have done so). Two, because even if it isn't overblown too much, I am usually disappointed when I had my hopes in the sky.

'Citizen Kane', well, I think it's hard to make its case as the greatest movie ever made, but it *is* Damn good. Do yourself a favor, and don't just watch it once, pass judgment, and reference it to your friends every once and a while just so you can feel Cultured. Actually THINK about this movie. ^-^ I promise you it's worth your time. I watched the documentary about it, read various reviews/essays about it, then re-watched it...only then did its scope truly sink in. "Gee," I can hear you saying. "Shouldn't something truly Great strike you the first instant you see it?" Yes, I agree, but truly great things also require digestion. This movie is Good upon first viewing, and becomes Great when you give it the time it deserves.

Quite apart from the movie, the story behind how it was made was also larger than life. Do yourself another favor, and read up about the Orson Welles - William Rudolph Hearst clash. It's Fascinating, and sheds another layer of light on this fantastic film.

My only negative comment as that the DVD skipped a little (straight out of the box!). Apart from that, Highly recommended.



MY CITIZEN KANE EXPERIENCE - Will Munney -
Here's my review of Citizen Kane:

When I was in high school, I had an English teacher who was tenured and never missed an opportunity to take advantage of her days off, which were often. Whenever she did so, her lesson plan instructions to her substitutes were simple and clear - she would merely leave a movie for the sub to pop into the vcr, and we would sit for an hour and watch.

Trouble was, even if it were a movie that we'd get into, she'd invariably come back the next day, and so we only ever watched the first hour of all these movies, unless we went and sniffed them out on our own dime. So in a sense, it was worse to enjoy the movie than not.

She'd always give us the heads-up as to when she would be taking the following day off, and also inform us which movie she'd be leaving for us to watch. One such day, she told us it'd be Citizen Kane.

I've always been somewhat of a prankster. Not on the professional level or anything, like a Bin Laden. More of a leisurely hotfooter. So I formulated my own lesson plan, and the next day I snuck in my own movie, which was The Hitcher with Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell. A friend of mine was in on it, and while he looked out, I switched the movies in the vcr.

The substitute told us we were going to watch Citizen Kane, and out went the lights and on came the movie, which, as you have been informed, was not Citizen Kane.

So here's the thing: I thought for sure that as soon as the sub realized it was the wrong movie, he'd put the brakes on it, and then I'd `fess up to the gag, everyone would have a good laugh, and then the real movie would be cued up, and that would be the end of it. But on this day, this particular sub was apparently stupider than a lot of people, because all he did was say, "Oh - I guess it's not Citizen Kane today. I guess it's The Hitcher." And the whole class sat rapt and watched a movie they could truly get behind for once. Even when the finger turned up in the french fries, this sub just didn't understand how the forces of the universe were barking at him to wake up.

Well, it was a good gag, a solid gag, and when it was over, I thought it would stay over. But then, a few classes later in the day, the vice principal and a couple of other people I'd never seen before stormed into my class, spotted me and dragged me out of the class for a chat. It seems someone in that English class spilled the beans. In the vp's office, he talked at me while the unrecognized people simply stood there, wordlessly taking it all in. And he didn't ever ask why I did it. He just seemed intent on learning how I did it.

He suspended me for the next day, almost as an afterthought. We never saw that sub again, and from then on, whenever the English teacher took a day off, there would always be a more substantial and engaging lesson plan in place in her absense, which she would have to address upon her return, and which seemed a terrible inconvenience to her.

When I got home that day, my dad was cleaning the swimming pool. I told him I had been suspended. He asked what for, and I told him. "Oh" is what he said. Then he continued cleaning the swimming pool, which I swam in the next day, which, as I have explained, was a day off.




great storytelling !........bad scull cap appliances - Beatrice A. Lafave - so falls wichita falls
nothing i could possibly add but my vote in most instances . especially here . intro by TCM's Robert Ozborne (always a pleasure) and closed captions on this vhs . aspect ratio is the same weather vhs or dvd so i sprung for the small potatos . this probably marks about my 5th viewing . i wish the make up department had spent a bit more time on Mr. Welle's prosthetics . oh well . a true "must see" for curious young people with a passion for film .



INDEED one of the greatest and most famous movies ever made!!!! - Matt Tawesson - Macomb, IL, USA
I bought this for my mom's birthday this year. I started watching it almost immediately, and liked it right away. This is truly a great movie. Orson Welles shines in the title role (and also directed this film), and this is a movie that he will always be identified with. The acting is superb and is wonderfully restored from the highest quality surviving elements. The movie starts out with a newsreel. The second disc contains a documentary titled The Battle over Citizen Kane, and that is definitely worth a look as well. Two thumbs up....WAY UP to Mr. Welles and the rest of the cast as well.

Limited Time Offer, Order Now at Amazon.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 19, 2010 23:30:08

Related : Cheap PlayStation 3 250 GB On Sale

Real Medieval Castles in Movies

Movies are a creative world of imagination and wonder. And does anything evoke this feeling of wonder more than castles? They represent power, wealth, mystery and many other things so they make a perfect setting for movies not just about knights but movies about many other things.

Castles and Movies - A history intertwined

Medieval castles have been used in movies since the earliest movies were made. The silent horror movie Nosferatu that was made in 1922 was filmed in Oratu castle. This beautiful and very ominous castle was built on the Orava River in Slovakia around the fourteenth century. The use of medieval castles continues to this day with many scenes from contemporary movies including the Harry Potter movies being filmed in castles.

Scottish Castles in the Movies

Scottish castles are a very popular setting for movies that take place in the middle ages or require a really old and medieval feeling. One of the most popular castles for this is castle Eilian Donan which has been used in many movies such as Highlander, Highlander End Game, and the James Bond movie The World is not Enough where it was the northern base for the British Secret Service. Another popular Scottish castle for filmmaking is Doune Castle, which was used extensively in the making of the cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Eastern European Castles

Eastern Europe has many castles that have found their way into movies and one of the most famous, and oldest, is Spis Castle in Slovakia. It was built in the twelfth century and has been the setting for movies such as Dragon Heart, Phoenix, Kull the Conquerer, The Lion in Winter and The Last Legion.

British Castles in the Movies

There are many British castles, and there are many movies that feature British castles. These movies tend to be more about the later middle ages and the Victorian era where the castles serve as a lush setting for the political and social intricacies of the times. Two excellent examples of this are the movie Shakespeare in Love, which was filmed in Broughton Castle and Remains of the Day, which was filmed in Powderham Castle. This Victorian era use of British castles wasn't exclusive though. There are many English castles that have a feel of the middle ages and Old Wordour castle was used as the ancestral home of Robin Hood in Kevin Costner's Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.

Other Countries and other Medieval Castles

Some other other countries with medieval castles that have been used in movies include the Italian Rocca Calascio Castle found in the Abruzzo province and used in the filming of the 1985 Michelle Pfeiffer movie Ladyhawke. Germany has many medieval castles that have been used in movies and Sean Connery's The Name of the Rose was filmed in and around Eberbach Cloister on the Rhine River.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter movies, which oscillate between the modern world and a fantasy medieval world, use many of England's gothic structures to achieve the right setting. And one of the most famous of these locations is Alnwick Castle.

Medieval Castles from around the world have been used quite extensively in movies. They communicate a wide variety of expression, mood, and atmosphere. And have been used in movies that date back to the period of a thousand years ago, movies of the Victorian era, and even movies of modern times. There are hundreds of great movies that showcase the beauty and majesty of the world's medieval castles.

To Learn more about the beauty and the mystery of Medieval Castles visit the authors website at: Medieval Castles - The Strength and the Secrets of a Thousand Years

To Learn more about Medieval Weapons, Armor, and Knights, visit the authors website at: The Medieval Armory

Tags : Low Price on Games Buy Cheap Nintendo DSi White

Movies Online With Vudu

In 1955, "The Seven Year Itch" starring Marilyn Monroe, was the first "edited for television" movie. This event was a milestone in the history of movie and video distribution. No longer did we have to go to a theater to see a movie.

In the 1980s, movie rentals, made possible with the widespread availability of videocassette recorders, became popular. Eventually, Blockbuster Video emerged as the movie rental king. Now, however, Blockbuster, hurt by the emergence of the home delivered rental and the pay-per-view movie, is more than a billion dollars in debt.

NetFlix pioneered the home delivered movie rental, an offshoot of the movie rental business, in 1999. NetFlix now offers more than 100,000 TV show and movie titles from their library. Wal-Mart, DVD Avenue, and Blockbuster now also offer DVD rentals at rates ranging from $9 up to $18 per month. With these services, the media (DVD format) is usually selected online, but delivered and returned through the mail. NetFlix currently has more than 8 million subscribers, with a goal of 20 million subscribers by the 2012.

Pay-per-view (PPV) service from a cable or satellite service provider is a form of movie download, only the signal does not travel over the Internet. The primary limitation for these services is the number of movies available. But PPV in this format is very popular. According to Kristie Fortner (Rentrak VP), 2007 orders of free on demand movies were up 66 percent, orders of subscription programs like Showtime or HBO were up 23 percent, and PPV movie rentals were up more than 40 percent.

Online (Internet) downloaded movies appear to be the dominant delivery technique of the future. Vudu, TiVo, Apple's iTunes, NetFlix, and Amazon.com currently offer video content via a broadband Internet connection. However, the number of movies in the download libraries is a bit less than the DVD libraries, with about 10,000 movies now available for download on NetFlix.

Most of the services are either offering movies in HDTV format, or planning to do so soon. Video quality is difficult to compare between the different services. The video compression algorithm, called a Codec, plays a significant role. The best objective method to compare signal quality is bit-rate. A comparison of bit-rate for some of the current online video alternatives:

Service..... Bit-Rate (mbps)

Vudu HDX.......... 9-20
Vudu HD................ 4
Xbox..................... 7
iTunes................... 4
Cable TV......... 10-15
Satellite.............. 6-8
Blu-Ray................ 40

Prices are coming down for the equipment needed for these services. Vudu slashed the price of their set-top box to $99 for the 2008 Christmas season (from about $300), but $50 of movie credits needed to be purchased with the hardware.

Kudos to Vudu for their online service. The interface has been compared to IMDB.com (a movie-buff website). You see an actor, select the resume, and you can see what other movies they've been in, and easily find your selection. It's makes the process absolutely pleasant.

A significant downside of video downloads in the unavailability of recent releases. Movies are generally unavailable for at least a month after release, in order to protect the brick and mortar movie theater market. This is unlikely to change, at least in the near-term.

According to Joshua Danovitz (TiVo), the issue of download limits differs in each country. In the United States and parts of Asia, bandwidth capacity is still available and Internet users have fewer constraints, while other countries, including Canada, the ISPs are starting to restrict users bandwidth consumption. The problem will only get worse with the increased popularity of video downloads. Today, more than half of Internet bandwidth utilization in the United States is peer-to-peer, and most of that is video download. Peer-to-peer traffic is notoriously hard to control.

It is likely that the movie distribution business will follow the path blazed by the audio distribution business. The only reason for the time lag is that video files are much larger, and the Online capability was not yet ready.

About the Author: Brian Bradshaw is an InfoComm Certified Technical Specialist (CTS) and CompTIA A+ technologist. Areas of expertise include Audio-Video, Computation, Wi-Fi, HDTV, SATCOM Systems, and Communications. He has a communications technology business that serves the Southwestern United States with offices in Plano, Texas (Dallas) and an office in Peoria, Arizona (Phoenix), managed by his brother, Keller Bradshaw.

Please visit the Website for more information.

Tags : golds gym cardio workout Low Price on Movies Cheap Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 On Sale

The History Of Horror Movies - Tribute to Horror in Cinemas

From time to time, we see so many horror movies come and go. Spooky, haunted houses, serial killers, slashers, maniacs, mentals, satanic and many others have been pictured in the movie. A lot of sub genres, a lot of remakes, a lot of variations, twist and all that can easily be found through the ages. Yeah, it's all true. But have we ever thought where it all came from?
Or how does the horror movies genre change from time to time?

For you who share the same passion about horror movies, and want to know the road that have been travelled by Horror movies, allow me to have the honor to be your guide. Buckle up, here we go.

Where It All Began

The year was 1922, place: German. I can say that it was the birth of horror movies. W Murnau started the terror and fear thru Nosferatu, nosferatuthe
story about bloodsucking vampire. It wasn't the first vampire movie, as in 1896 Georges Melies made Le Castle Du Diable, but Nosferatu was the first movie where we saw vampire destroyed by sunlight. This one boasted remarkable animalistic makeup that has not been replicated, even with modern
technology. Dozens of vampire movies followed after that. In 1931 Universal Studio launched 2 legendary horror movies, Dracula with Bela Lugosi and Frankenstein with Boris Karloff. Both of the movie became a classic and very successful. Boris Karloff even became a legendary name in horror movies history. The Mummy (1932) a silent picture with horror icon Boris Karloff in the title role, remains a classic, with unforgettable make-up and atmosphere. In 1935, the sequel of Frankenstein,
The Bride Of Frankenstein was made.This isn't silent anymore.

Psycho

During 40's the world's on war, and it has changed the genre. Horror was almost forgotten as patriotic movies and war has taken the place. It slowly raised again around 50's, where comedy and musical movies ruled. There were good ones took place at this time, House of Wax is one of the example. 1960 was the time for Hitchcock to make a memorable movie: Psycho. Too bad, this is the only horror movie by Hitchcock, cuz then he made lots of suspence thriller goodies like Rear Window, Vertigo,North by Northwest,Dial M For Murder that kinda changed the genre again. And remember, spaghetti western Movies in the late 60's also had its moment.

The 70's

This is the most creative year of Horror movies.Unlike before, horror movies got big exploration, where so many variation of story and evil came in. Note there were lots of controversy and protest happened here.The Exorcist (1973) for example showed disgusting scenes that never been imagined before, like the green puke to the face transformed to evil. This movie was controversial when Catholic Church protested that the demon cast-out in the movie was against the code of conduct. The shining, that based on Stephen King's novel was one of the best one during 70's. Later on from this decade to 80s and 90s, lots of movies was made based on his scary novel such as Carrie, Christine, Cujo, It, , Cat's Eye, Dream Catcher, are the example. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) was a low budget movie that reached a great result. This one introduced "the slasher movie" to the world that later followed by Halloween (say hi to Michael Myers) , Friday the 13th, Scream in the 80's and 90's and so on. Omen is a bonechillin' movie that can still give
you nightmare even with today's technology of making movie.Simply unforgettable. Amityville Horror, based on the true story was the first movie that took place in the actual location. The report said a lot of bizzare and dreadful things were experienced by cast and crew in location.

The 80's

Freddie Kruger

This is the decade of madness. All gory stuff were shown sadistically for viewing. cutted off body parts were seen everywhere. Nightmare on Elm Street that launched Freddy Krueger to horror hall of fame, and Jason Voorheyes slashing games in Friday the 13th are one of the example. These two had some of their sequels during 80s, together with 3 of Halloweens. And remember how Italian horror movies that have a very sick super bloody vision? Count Romero and Argento for this category. This is also the era where horror expanded to tv.

The 90's

Funny thing happened in 90s. There's a tendency of self defense and self actualization by horror character on terror they have made to people. For example Ghost, Bram Stocker's Dracula that told the story about Count
Dracula's painful love to Mina, or Interview With Vampires that unlocked the mystery of vampire lives. Scream started a new genre, teen horror movies, slashing-serial-killer-who-did-it,which soon followed by I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend, and some more. A note in 1999, an independent movie Blair Witch Project became a big phenomena,using a documentation technique to give us fear,tense and mental disturbance. This one inspired some other movies like St.Francisville Experiment, The Lamarie Project and
tv series Freaky Links.

2000's

Ringu

Still too early maybe to talk about horror movies in 2000s, but looks like Hollywood has running out of ideas. They are trying to widen up their view to see new ideas outside that can give new vision on the term of horror. The Ring, remake from Japanese movie was their first success. Followed by The eye, and some other remakes from Asian cinemas.

This decade seems being led by Japan and Korea, by making so many horror movies with lack of effects or gory blood but still successfully tortured our feeling. They don't go with the Hollywood pattern, they just dig everything else that hasn't been touched yet. Thailand is also emerging as a good horror maker. Indonesian movies too, with amusing number of horror movies every year. We also mark the decade 2000 for the decade of sequels and remakes too, such as Halloween H2O, Freddy vs Jason, modern version of Bram Stocker's Dracula, Dracula 2001,
Halloween Resurrection, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , House of The Dead, The Amityville Horror and so on.

While the effort to combine some genres and produce something new has still been going on. Saw for example, combine the psycho thriller ala Hitchkock with slasher, sadistic, bloody and graphic scenes.

My prediction? I think this decade will continue to do so. Hopefully in the next decade we will see some new approach, style and way to present horror movies. Let's wait and see where the horror movies continue their path.

By: Riandy Kurniawan
A Movie freak
Website: http://www.vrjunkyard.com

Friends Link : batman begins blu ray

Best Disaster Movies of Hollywood

Disaster movies are those movies which are based on some kind of disaster. It can be a natural disaster or a disaster caused by alien invasion or any other kind of disaster. Hollywood movies have always entertained people with movies made on various themes and stories. In this article, we will inform you about some of the best disaster Hollywood movies.

When we think about best disaster movies, the first name that comes to mind is "Titanic". This movie offers a lot of special effects, a strong story line and amazing performance by all the actors. This movie was released in 1997 and did a great business in various parts of the world. The movie shows how a ship named Titanic, which was believed to be unsinkable, sunk in the sea.

"Children of Men" is another disaster movie which you must watch. This movie was released in 2006. This movie represents a time when all women have become infertile. In such a time, when a woman gets pregnant, then it is taken as a miracle. Rest of the movie is based on how Clive Owen saves the child of this girl. This movie is directed by Alfonso Cuaron.

Another disaster movie which is not worth missing is "War of the Worlds". This movie is about alien attack on the earth. Machines from outer space attack suddenly on earth. Rest of the movie is about how humans fight these machines. This movie was released in 2005. Tom Cruise is the lead actor in this movie. It is directed by famous Hollywood director Steven Spielberg.

The author writes articles as a hobby on various subjects and has done a great deal of research both on and offline. Please visit his websites on How to Find A Person For Free and facts about various types of US Government Grants.

Related : wii fit plus with balance board mario and sonic at the olympic winter games

Robert De Niro's Pre-Production Movies

When I saw Robert De Niro in "the Godfather Part II" I was impressed but it was not until I saw him in "Taxi Driver" that I became a huge fan of this artist. Indeed, he is an artist that comes so well prepared for his roles that when he has the vehicle to drive, he takes it home as a true winner. 6 Oscar nominations and 2 Oscars in his trophy case proves his peers also think the same as I do. He is truly one of the greatest actors of all time.

I did some research for Robert De Niro's pre-production movies and found that there were 3 movies in the pre-production stage and another 3 in post production that have yet to be released.

The movie in pre-production that I suspect might just give De Niro another Oscar nomination is the movie "Selma". Directed by Lee Daniels this film is based on the events in Selma, Alabama surrounding the issues of voting rights and desegregation resulting in civil rights marches. Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King are strong components in the film but the role Robert plays that I think he will be outstanding in is Governor George Wallace. I cannot wait to see this movie!

The next two movies in pre-production are so much in their infancy that very little information is available. According to reports by Nikki Finki of the Deadline website De Niro will be doing a sequel to "Midnight Run" in the near future as well as "Another Night in Suck City", to be directed by Paul Weitz and was written by Nick Flynn. This Flynn movie is actually a story of Flynn in the late 20s when he was working in a homeless shelter. This could turn out to be another great role for De Niro.

As I said earlier, when I was researching Robert De Niro's pre-production movies, I also saw 3 movies in post production, "Stone", "Machete", and a sequel to "Meet the Fockers". The latter 2 movies I am not as interested in as "Stone".

"Stone" is a psychological thriller, a genre that I think Robert excels at. He plays the part of a correctional officer and teams up with Ed Norton who plays the part of an arsonist who is up for parole. De Niro is seduced by Norton's wife played by Milla Jovovich. De Niro and Norton paired up in the movie "The Score" back in 2001 and I think they work together great. This should be an excellent movie.

Robert De Niro will play Senator McLaughlin in the movie "Machete" with Danny Trejo playing the title role. Cheech Marin (as the priest), Michelle Rodriguez (as Luz) and Jonah Hill (as Julio) also make up an excellent cast. I am on the fence with this one. It could be an excellent film and I am sure De Niro will excel in his role as usual but I am not convinced this movie has a lot of potential.

Then there is the sequel to "Meet the Fockers". Both the original and the sequel have outstanding casts when you throw in members like Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand as the Focker family. It was a good comedy but I personally wish they had cast a different actor as Greg Focker as I was never a big Stiller fan.

I also noticed when checking out Robert De Niro's pre-production movies that he has several movies as a director in pre-production, but that will be the subject of a different article.

I am a huge fan of movies and television. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this article. I will be publishing more articles in the near future on post production, pre-production, and pre-release movies as well as reviewing some of my all time favorite movie and television productions.

Tags : super mario galaxy

Review Atlantis - The Lost Empire

Atlantis - The Lost Empire Best Review

Despite getting alot of flack from animation buffs, Disney made a genuine effort to make a musical-free adventure movie in the spirit of Raiders. Even though very influenced by the works of Jules Verne, and the art stylings of Mike Mignola(Hellboy), this steampunk film was brilliantly animated and delivers in ways that the last Indiana Jones movie didn't.

Taking place in 1914, Milo Thatch is an expert in cartography, but unfortunetly stuck working in the boiler room of a history museum. After failing to convince his curators to investigate some recent findings he believes will proove the existence of the lost kingdom of Atlantis, he is luckily hired an eccentric millionaire who was an old explorer buddy of his grandfather. Milo becomes part of an excavation team going in a totally ahead of its time submarine to find Atlantis, commanded by the opportunistic Rourke. Using an ancient journal, they track their way underwater to a tunnel that is supposed to lead to their goal, but they're attacked by a giant mechanical sea monster and have to abandon their submarine into smaller mini-subs. They manage to find a series of underground caverns, which eventually leads to the actual city of Atlantis. Milo and the others are shocked to discover that there is an actual living civilization of people there who can conveniently speak English. They are turned away by the xenophobic Atlantian king, but his daughter Kida(who is Disney's finest Princess, and the first black one!)befriends the nerdy-as-hell Milo, and together they manage to decipher where the mysterious power source that supports their society, and has kept them alive for the last few millenia. However, its revealed that Rourke and most of his team were really looking for the power source too, which is a mystic floating crystal, and after taking the king hostage, they make their way to the crystal chamber. Kida becomes infused with the crystal's powers, and Rourke makes off with her, leaving the king dying of a gunshot wound. Milo gets some of the remaning crew along with the other Atlanteans to go after them with some reactivated flying machines. After a pretty intense chase scene, they catch up with Rourke and stop him. The crystal is restored, and Kida becomes the new tribal leader. Milo decides to stay behind(who wouldn't want to spend eternity with a hot bikini babe?!)while the other explorers make it back to the surface with a bunch of treasure.

Atlantis was a serious step up from some of Disney's other action/adventure films. Granted, ones like Aladdin, The Black Cauldron, and Treasure Planet had decent elements of thrills & spills, but Atlantis went that extra couple of yards to make it real swashbuckling ride. There's a fine use of CGI along with traditional 2d Disney animation, although its one of the few ones they did in anamorphic widescreen which totally broadens the scope of visual experience for an underwater adventure. The movie also has one of the finest casts in a Disney film, with Michael J. Fox as Milo, James Garner as Rourke, veteran voice actress Cree Summer as Kida, Leonard Nimoy as the king, and Jim Varney in his last film role. If you passed on this film when it was in the theatres, make sure to catch it on DVD(and hopefully soon on Blu-Ray). Even though you can sorta skip on the sequal.

Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Atlantis - The Lost Empire Overview

From the creative team who brought you THE LION KING and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST comes an exciting quest of adventure and discovery. Join the expedition and search below the sea for one of the greatest mysteries of all time ... ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE. The world's most highly qualified crew of archaeologists and explorers are led by historian Milo Thatch as they board the incredible 1,000-foot submarine Ulysses and head deep into the mysteries of the sea. The underwater expedition takes an unexpected turn when the team's mission must switch from exploring Atlantis to protecting it. Filled with stunning visual effects, this captivating story is loaded with laughs and messages of friendship and teamwork. Dive into ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE -- it's an adventure your family will enjoy taking over and over again.

Atlantis - The Lost Empire Specifications

The Disney Studio was built on innovation in animation, so it seems ironic that Atlantis is both a bold departure and highly derivative, borrowing heavily from anime, video games, and graphic novels. Instead of songs and fuzzy little animals, the artists offer an action-adventure set in 1914: nerdy linguist Milo Thatch (Michael J. Fox) believes he's found the location of the legendary Lost Continent. An eccentric zillionaire sends Milo out to test his hypothesis with an anachronistic crew that includes tough Puerto Rican mechanic Audrey (Jacqueline Obradors), demolition expert Vinnie (Don Novello), and butt-kicking blond adventurer Helga (Claudia Christian). When they find Atlantis, its culture is dying because the people can no longer read the runes that explain their mysterious power source--but Milo can. Nasty Commander Rourke (James Garner) attempts to steal that power source, leading to the requisite all-out battle.

Atlantis offers some nifty battle scenes, including an attack on a Jules Verne-esque submarine by a giant robotic trilobite and fishlike flying cars. But the film suffers from major story problems. If Princess Kida (Cree Summer) remembers her civilization at its height, why can't she read the runes? Why doesn't Milo's crew notice that the Atlanteans live for centuries? The angular designs are based on the work of comic book artist Mike Mignola (Hellboy), and the artists struggle with the characters' stubby hands, skinny limbs, and pointed jaws. The result is a film that will appeal more to 10-year-old boys than to family audiences.

Suitable for ages 8 and up: violence, scary imagery, tobacco use, and a difficult-to-follow story. --Charles Solomon

Available Now => Check For More Special Promotion, Now at Amazon.com

Customer Reviews

Atlantis- Animated Feature - Aaron Douglas Parks - Chicago
This animated movie deserves more credit than what it has apparently received. Yes, at times the story could be fairly cheesy, but I really appreciated the way the scenes were visually composed and the overall visual imapact that was acheived. I feel that from this standpoint it was truly magnificent. Also, I appreciated the efforts that went into the linguistics aspects of the Atlantian language that is spoken throughout. The linguistic substance really added so much to the movie and gave richness to the experience of watching it.
For those who appreciate the visual art that goes into animated features and how an expansive imaginary world rendered well can draw in and welcome the viewer to the story, this movie can be appreciated on multiple levels.



Underappreciated - Red One - Washington, DC
Another of the Disney flicks that is probably very under appreciated. Its a good story with great animation and worth watching.






A DISNEY FILM THAT PACKS ONE HELLUVA PUNCH 9.25 OUT OF 10 - ACEMAN1 - Ripon, California
Oh Disney, where has your creativity gone? This film is one of your most bold efforts and easily one of the best Disney films I've ever seen. Now I'm being showered in crap with egregious efforts like Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. I'm disappointed with the response this film received. It didn't do very well in terms of critical response (46% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and a 52 out of 100 on Metacritic), and while moviegoers in general were positive, this film still got flack from a good number of people. This is probably one of the most underrated Disney efforts next to The Black Cauldron and Dinosaur, and it deserved so much better.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Year: 1914. Milo Thatch doesn't have much going for him in life, but he is obsessed about finding the lost city of Atlantis. But then when he goes home to his apartment, he finds a mysterious woman sitting inside and she wants him to meet her employer who wants to make an offer with him. What ensues is a massive (And epic) adventure to find Atlantis, but as things go along, things get more sinister, and then it is realized that Atlantis must be saved.
MUSIC: This music is phenomenal and fits along with the mood flawlessly. From its quiet status to its booming orchestral score, it rocks quite simply.
ACTING: All of the actors were really good and I can't think of anything wrong with their performances. They were witty and they managed to feel alive and they actually had different and unique personalities to each of them.
ACTION: This is the best part of the film. The action sequences are absolutely spectacular, to the point of where you sometimes wonder how this film didn't get slapped with a PG-13 rating. It's explosive at every turn and this film easily has some of the best action scenes I've ever seen. They are most certainly a sight to behold. Plus, I loved how everything was designed and everything felt so imaginative.
OVERALL: The only problem with this film is the fact the story didn't go as far as it could have. But other than that, this film is incredible, spectacular, and a feast for the eye wonder that should not be missed.
THE GOOD: The music, the animation, the acting, the action scenes, and a very intriguing plot.
THE BAD: Story doesn't go as far as it could have.

Limited Time Offer, Order Now at Amazon.com

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 02, 2010 01:20:02

My Links : Special Promotion on Games Wholesale Games