Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
Welcome to a world where animals rule and the only human around isn’t human anymore. Welcome to the world of Brother Bear. Marking the 43rd film in Disney’s line of animated features, the film, originally entitled Bears, marked a short return to traditionally hand-drawn animation. It was the third feature completed at the Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida, and subsequently the last. The studio shut down the Orlando facility in an effort to produce computer animated features.
Released in 2003, Brother Bear is the story of Kenai, an Inuit lad who tracks down and kills the bear that killed his older brother. The murder angers the Great Spirits, who transform him into a bear as punishment. Kenai’s living brother, Denahi, thinking he was killed by the newly transformed bear, hunts him down for revenge. As brother unknowingly hunts brother, Kenai’s only hope is to befriend his own worst enemy, a grizzly cub named Koda. Only Koda can show him the way to reverse the transformation.
It should be said that the comedy supplied by the moose characters of Tuke and Rutt is compliments of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. The duo essentially reprised their roles of Bob and Doug McKenzie of SCTV fame. The skit, and subsequently the relationship between Tuke and Rutt, involves two simple-minded brothers who can never agree on anything, but manage to reconcile because of their lack of short-term memory. It’s their relationship that inspires Koda to reconcile with Kenai after their falling out.
Critical reception was mixed, with some reviewers dismissing the film as a thematic retreading of territories covered by movies like The Fox and the Hound, The Lion King, and even Ice Age. On the other hand, critics like Roger Ebert gave the film a thumbs up, noting its moving story and convincing characterizations. Other critics especially liked the surreptitious change of the film’s aspect ratio. The film, while Kenai is a human, is projected in standard 1.75:1 ratio. When Kenai is transformed into a bear, the aspect ratio changes to an anamorphic 2.35:1. Likewise, the art direction changes in color and in tone, from realistic and dark to colorful and otherworldly.
The film was a box office achievement, earning $85,000,000 domestically and $165,000,000 worldwide. The DVD release, distributed in 2004, raked in an additional $167 million. This makes Brother Bear one of Disney’s most successful films to date. This success prompted a direct-to-video sequel, Brother Bear 2, that was released in 2006. When all is said and done, the majority opinion is that Brother Bear is a truly moving tale, as the tagline describes, of a boy who became a man by becoming a bear.
Posted in animation, Comedy, Disney, General, Movies, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Saturday, August 16th, 2008
The most irksome thing about watching a rented or purchased movie is when it turns out to be an edited version of the movie. This often happens with pirated movies. If you do not want to get entangled in such unlawful activities inadvertently, you need to explore the option of downloading full version movies from the internet. In fact, most people have given up the old ways of renting or buying DVDs; now they just download full version movies free with their high-speed internet connections. There are many websites that offer the option to download full version, but you must make a considered choice because some of these sites contain viruses and spyware and can be very risky for your computer.
The best way to go about it is to take a lifetime download membership at a one-time fixed fee. The fee is quite nominal fee of around $35 for unlimited number of downloads of full version movies. This fee is perhaps less than the price you pay at the local market for two DVDs of your favorite movies.
Websites like Cinemanow and Movie link allow you download lots of full version movies at a nominal fee. You can even take a movie on rent for $3.99, and keep it for one month. The third option is to purchase movies for download for a few dollars.
On the internet you will find many websites that offer free download of full version movies, but often these sites can damage your computer badly by infecting it with adware, spyware, and viruses.
The membership site, on the other hand, gives you access to download the movies in their full version. These sites are clean and do not have spyware, adware, and viruses. These sites charge a membership fee usually for a year. You can keep the downloaded version of the movies of your choice after a year.
Therefore, it makes sense to take the option of a lifetime membership at one of these sites and download full version movies anytime. The lifetime membership for this type of downloading full version movies works out to be cheaper than any other option. Alternatively, you make opt for the pay-per-download service and download games and movie downloads at a small price. These services are good in terms of speed, quality and safety of your computer. There is not much risk of infecting your system with spyware, adware, or viruses.
You can download full version movies from these movie sites and you can save a lot of money from buying movie tickets and other expenses. Each of these downloading full version movie websites can provide 80 million titles and that is a staggering figure. Some websites also allow you to download illegal movies. You should never visit these sites since they pose severe legal problems. This will lead to hassles while downloading full version movies. Membership to a one-time pay site is a viable option. These sites are copyright protected and downloading movies legally is possible.
Posted in animation, Comedy, Disney, General, Movies, Science Fiction | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
Many people do not want to buy DVD copies of Heroes so many want to learn how to download Heroes episodes. The popularity of the television series has placed it at a spot as one of the most sought after downloadable media all over the Internet. Heroes, just to give you a brief background, is a science fiction television series first released in 2006. This is about common people who found out that they have superhuman powers. As always, their role is to save mankind from enemies, bad people, and natural calamities.
Copyright issues with illegal sharing of music and movie files have forced many sites where people can download Heroes episodes for free to close down. The fact is, how can the show be free unless it is a trailer only?
In order for you to download Heroes episodes, you need to go to a paid service. Once you pay the fee, which can be a monthly or one-time fee, you are allowed entry into their membership interface. From there, you need to obtain the software to install onto your computer. Right there, launch the program and the connection to their database will begin.
Here are the main steps that almost every client software is designed for. You should find a prominent Search button. In the Search Type, scroll to the Video button, and type in the Heroes episode you are looking for. If not, simply key in “Heroes” will do. To make the search faster and more targeted, type the exact Episode Title. Click the Search icon and it will start its search.
Wait until the results are complete. Once the results are in, select which among all of them you need to download.
One thing that is helpful to you is the availability of the file. If the number is high, the download speed is significantly higher. This number basically tells you how many sources carry this file. The next number you want to pay attention to is the file size. If the file is too large, the download will be slower. A smaller file can mean that the episode is an edited version or it is a virus. Look out for the speed and bitrate of each file type to make sure that your internet connection can support it smoothly.
Lastly, once the file you want has been highlighted, click the Download button at the bottom. This is the one that has a green arrow pointing down. Wait until the file transfer is 100% complete. Then start watching the Heroes episodes you have downloaded.
It is not that difficult isn’t it? Many people are still not aware that this is a great and low cost way to download shows. So it is time for folks to waste money to download Heroes episodes at $0.99 per episode when they can get entire seasons for less than that price!
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Friday, June 6th, 2008
People are fond of referencing Cinderella, merrily joking about the magical midnight transformation of the star character from an enchanted princess into her regular self. The 1950 Disney full length cartoon was nominated for three Academy Awards and has remained a childhood favorite for nearly sixty years.
Little girls of today join their mothers and grandmothers before them in dressing up like the much admired blond princess. In 2002 the magic continued with the DVD Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. Really a series of three stories, these tales are narrated by the mice.
Finally, in 2007 another sequel to Cinderella was released. Picking up where the original movie left off, Cinderella iii: A Twist in Time asks a question that might alarm anyone familiar with the first Cinderella-”What if the slipper didn’t fit?” In this wildly twisting sequel, the evil stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizella, are suffering payback, forced to do all of Cinderella’s former chores. Anastasia slips off to the woods where she comes upon the Fairy Godmother preparing a secret picnic to celebrate the first wedding anniversary of Cinderella and her prince.
As luck would have it, Anastasia contrives to snatch the dropped magic wand and return home with it. Her mother, Lady Tremaine, immediately dreams up all sorts of wicked possibilities once she is convinced of the wand’s amazing power. Her first deed is to turn back the clock to the moment the glass slipper enters their home. She places a spell on it so that it fits Anastasia instead of Cinderella. From that point on, the movie is a scampering romp fueled by treachery, changing identities, and intrigue. Every time you think Cinderella is going to triumph, Lady Tremaine foils her.
In the end, it is Anastasia, perched on the verge of taking her wedding vows, who is somehow inspired to do the right thing. Cinderella is once again with her prince and Anastasia is rewarded with a home in the palace-and a true love of her own. With all the charm and drama of the original, this suspense-filled sequel will find a place in the heart of every Cinderella fan.
Posted in Disney, General, Movies | No Comments »
Friday, June 6th, 2008
You can tell when you have made it to the top when you receive a reference on The Simpsons. Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, broke that popularity pinnacle in December, 2007 when Bart had to write on the blackboard “The capital of Montana is not Hannah.” In the same month, Wheel of Fortune featured the celebrity in one of its puzzles.
A laundry list of movies and television shows aimed at audiences of varying ages and interests have paid tribute to the ubiquitous character. The hugely popular Disney show is seen in countries worldwide, in Asia, Australia, South America, Africa, and Europe as well as its native United States.
The lead character is Miley Cyrus, daughter of celebrity singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who also appears in the show. Hannah Montana debuted in 2006 and was immediately popular. Nominated for an Emmy Award, the series is now in its third season. It has spawned video games, sold out concerts and controversy over ticket scalping prices which in cases have exceeded thousands. Of course, there have been DVD releases of the series entitled Living the Rock Star Life, Pop Star Profile, One in a Million, Life’s What You Make It, and Behind the Spotlight.
While all the shows depict the antics of a teenage girl living a double life-student by day, pop star by night-Life’s What You Make It focuses predominantly on coming of age and finding oneself. Centered on the ordeal of first love, these episodes follow Miley/Hannah through her changing relationship with television heartthrob Jake Ryan, who may or may not be what he appears to be. They emphasize individuality and remaining true to your identity
Hannah Montana is a delightful series that any adult can feel comfortable about letting their children watch. The character’s larger than life persona and the plot involving the secrecy of her hidden identity fascinates both boys and girls-and, in one unusual instance, the governor of Illinois! Everyone adores Hannah Montana.
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