This is one of those DVD’s you can’t miss. Why, you might ask? Number one, it’s Spongebob, and who doesn’t like Spongebob? Number 2... well, I think Number 1 is a good enough reason. Out now is the new DVD Spongebob Squarepants: WhoBob What Pants? It includes 1 Disc with 78 minutes worth of Spongebob to fill up on. Episodes on the disc are:
- What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?
- Goo Goo Gas
- The Two Faces of Squidward
- SpongeHenge
- Banned in Bikini Bottom
- Stanley S. SquarePants
Be prepared to laugh, laugh, and then laugh some more with this brand new DVD of America’s most loveable idiot sponge.
Brand new reviews by my associate Amica Paige for the books The Alchemyst and The Magician. Check it out!
I've gone to L.A. several times, but not San Francisco, yet. Listed in my tall order of fascinating places to visit, the home of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Fisherman's Wharf, and streets that brim with art culture and quaint and quirky stores enthralls me as much as stories that take place there. Incidentally, Michael Scott has convincingly crafted such setting in the fantastically fast-paced and fascinating tale, The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel: The Alchemyst, and its sequel, The Magician, which takes place in another sure stop I've also yet to take. Now, I've read countless books, 99% of which I haven't written reviews for—from Matthew Arnold's Essays in Criticism to Emily and Poe's anthologies, to Jonathan Strange, Wicked, and The Undomesticated Goddess; to Narnia, Magyk, The Lightning Thief, Charlie Bone, Harry Potter, and much more in between, such as the writings of Beatrix Potter, Tim Burton, William Steig, Mo Willems, Avi, and myriad other brilliant authors. A common line often used in book reviews, I've noticed, is "this is the next thing to…or if you like so and so, you'd dig this and that…" But that's just too easy. I don't want to apply those clichés except maybe in classifying genres. In this case—this story involving modern-day American twins, a 14th century French alchemist, the immortal Nicholas Flamel, and his wife, the sorceress Perenelle, and a host of other intriguing mythical and historical figures enmeshed in a familiar theme that is the battle between good and evil—I refuse to report that this is the next thing to read if you've gone through a withdrawal period from Harry Potter or just because you're into Twilight.
The Alchemyst is truly engaging, period—Harry Potter or not. Michael Scott surely captivates with engrossing details, magic, and adventures that unexpectedly transpire for two fairly ordinary teens, Sophie and Josh, a part-time coffee shop attendant and a book store clerk. The story begins with Sophie in the middle of a typical tête-à-tête on her cell phone at the cafe and Josh filing books across the street, in a bookshop owned by Nick Fleming, who is really Nicholas Flamel in disguise, when mayhem suddenly strikes with the stink of "rotten eggs", emitted by the wicked, English magician, Dr. John Dee, who manages to steal an ancient text, the codex of Abraham the Mage, from Nick's guardianship, but only after Josh has fortuitously snatched its two most significant pages. Next, the teens are swept along a mad flight with the French magicians and a vampire ally named Scathach. Nicholas must retrieve the magical book to protect the twins, whose destiny intertwines with the fate of the entire world, and stop Dee from summoning the evil gods of the Elder race, the dark elders who'll either enslave or destroy humanity and ultimately rule the world. Nicholas must also recover the codex to prevent Dee, whose immortality had only been granted by a dark elder in return for total servitude, from acquiring the secrets of the elixir of life hidden in the book. The alchemist and his wife, themselves, need the ever-changing spell for immortality, for without it, they age and weaken about a year's worth each day.
Brewed with enchanting humor, horror, as well as depth and smart references—from Queen Elizabeth, Shakespeare, and Beowulf to The Simpsons, Shrek, and Superman, brace yourself with The Alchemyst' magic and follow Nicholas and his allies in their pursuit across magical realms, amidst very curious and dangerous creatures, like Hekate, the Crow Goddess, and the Witch of Endor, to form new alliances and get the twins' magical aura awakened.
The riveting adventure continues in Paris, in the spellbinding sequel, The Magician, wherein fiends, like the Italian immortal, Machiavelli, the beast, Niddhog, and the war god, Mars, among others, wreak havoc and formidable new allies continually beguile. You'd never dare imagine the Eiffel tower in the same light as Joan of Arc's husband, Saint-Germain, has. As the alchemist aptly puts, [Humans use but a tiny percentage of their senses. They barely look, rarely listen, never smell, think that they can only experience feelings through their skin. But talk—oh, do they talk, which makes up for the lack of use of their other senses]. But whereas "Desperate men do stupid things," says Saint-Germain in referring to Machiavelli and Dee, who, like the dark elders, only see "the humani", or humans, as "a bunch of people", "slaves", or "food", "Stupid men make mistakes," replies Nicholas, who see "individuals, with worries and cares, with family and loved ones, with friends and colleagues". The alchemist clearly sees "people"; I wish politicians had the same view. But for now, we have a truly enchanting tale to follow—from the Warrior Maiden's dojo, to Hekate's Shadow Realm, where the Yggrasil thrives, to Ojai, where Sophie learns the Magic of Air, to Alcatraz, where Perenelle teams up with Juan Manuel de Ayala's ghost and Areop-Enap against the sphinx, and the Morrigan, to Rue du Montmorency, where Nicholas and Perenelle once lived, and to the catacombs of Paris, where the sleeping God lies awake. I can hardly wait for the third sequel, The Sorceress, and set off for London, where the magic continues.
Robin Williams: the comedic legend with a mind that races faster than a rabbit on coke. He once did an episode of Inside The Actors Studio that turned out to be one of the most requested episodes ever. This was much more than an interview. What started as an interview almost turned into a stand-up routine. Every question answered by Robin wound up becoming a chance for him to let loose that outrageous personality. I never thought Inside The Actors Studio could be so entertaining! Well, if you never got to see it, Shout! Factory has just released this episode on DVD. It includes the entire episode along with other scenes that didn’t make the cut (but should have). This is a great DVD to own if you appreciate Robin’s crazy style of comedy.
In most of M. Night’s films, you always expect for the “surprise” to kick in at the end. Whether it’s the Sixth Sense or Signs, his films have a way of teasing you until the very end, where usually you are left with an expression of “Holy Shit!” I know his last film Lady in the Water has gotten some horrid reviews. I still haven’t watched it, so I can’t judge. But if it was as bad as I heard it was, then he needs to work hard to redeem himself. So I guess you can say The Happening is his chance for redemption. When a mysterious phenomenon strikes the Northeast U.S., apocalyptic paranoia spreads like wildfire. This invisible “attack” hits NYC, then Philadelphia, causing mass suicide in both cities. By the time it hits Philly, high school science teacher Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife have fled the city, just in time to spare their lives. However, no matter where they run to, the invisible attack follows them. Theories abound as to what is causing it. But you are given no definite answers as to what it really is. You’re given a few options to come to your own conclusion, but that’s as far as the film goes. Some people may be pissed that the film ended the way it did. I didn’t mind it for the same reason I didn’t have a problem with Cloverfield. I’m ok with a film that ends that way because it makes you stretch your mind to form your own conclusion. It may drive you nuts, but it does get you thinking. Overall, it’s a suspenseful film that has its fair share of chilling scenes. One chilling part that stood out to me is when they arrived at the old woman’s home towards the end of the film. Her character was just as disturbing and mysterious as the unexplained phenomenon. If you expect the typical Hollywood film where everything gets wrapped up nice and tidy at the end, then you might be a little bothered. But if you watch The Happening with an open mind, I don’t think you’ll get let down.
Legion of Super Heroes is an animated series that takes place in the 31st century. This team of heroes consists of a teenage Superman and includes other characters such as Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, Timber Wolf, Brainiac 5, Bouncing Boy and Phantom Girl. Together they battle evil forces to protect mankind. Besides Superman, I have never heard of any of these characters. In fact, this is my first time being introduced to the show. Although it’s targeted at a younger audience, I thought it was an enjoyable show filled with lots of action and comedy. This Volume 3 DVD includes 5 fun episodes of the show’s first season. I didn’t expect the dramatic turn the show took during the last couple episodes, where a member of the Legion had to make an ultimate sacrifice to defeat the galaxy destroying weapon known as the Sun-Eater. With all the many superhero shows and cartoons out, this one turned out to be a surprise, and is definitely worth checking out.
Legion of Super Heroes: Volume 3 is out now on DVD.
THE SMURFS: SEASON 1, VOLUME 2
It is round 2 in The Smurfs' move to DVD. Season 1 Volume 2 is out now, and it is a must see for any Smurf fan. The animation looks as good as new on these 20 re-mastered and uncut episodes from the second half of the season. Maybe I’m biased because I grew up on this show, but I can’t get enough of it. The shows on Volume 2 contain the usual beef the Smurfs have with Gargamel, but there are other troublemakers they have to deal with. For example, there’s the character with the monstrous appetite known as Big Mouth. Just like Jokey Smurf’s “surprise box”, each episode has its own little surprise. A bonus feature included on this 2-disc set is one called I Smurf the Smurfs! The feature is like a “Smurfology 101” class as it takes you all the way back to the show’s beginning. On this feature, random people who grew up on the show, like Candace Cameron from Full House, share their memories of what it was like to grow up watching The Smurfs. Whether you grew up on the show, or are just getting introduced, this is an essential set that reminds us why it was such a massive hit.
As a kid, I would have loved it if my dad said to me, “You can drop out of school as long as you watch 3 movies a week with me.” How cool would that have been! Being a typical teen, I thought I could have done fine without school. Through hard lessons in life, I realize now that I thought like a dumb-ass back then. But no one had to teach me that. Life taught me. That’s sort of the idea behind the book The Film Club. In this memoir, David Gilmour details what happens after he decides to let his son drop out of school, as long as he promised to watch 3 movies a week with him. The movies would all be chosen by Dad, and each one served a specific purpose in his son’s “life lessons”. As someone who seems like a walking film encyclopedia, David uses his knowledge to try and teach his son. David never came off in the book as trying to be a “cool” dad. He struggled with making the decision to let his teen quit school. In fact, he frequently wondered if he made a huge mistake. When you let your kid make the choice to drop out, you can’t help but wonder if you’re helping them ruin their life. I appreciated how open he was in the book about his doubts and fears. I can relate to that being a dad myself. And even if you’re not a dad, you can pick up nuggets of wisdom throughout the book. It’s an unconventional story that really makes you think about life.
