In 2009 Disneynature took you across the world with Earth. Today for Earth Day 2010 they're taking you beneath the sea in OCEANS.
Yes, I'm still on the ship, and what a phenomenal way to see the new Disneynature film OCEANS than to be on the ocean while watching it! Another perk to Disney Cruising, brand new Disney films are shown to those on board as a 'Prem-"ear" at Sea'. Often when a new Disney movie comes out, Disney cruisers are the first to see them!
You may have heard or already seen the movie adaptation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid that opened in theaters on March 19th, but do you know the steps that landed it there?
Jeff Kinney, author of the popular book series takes kids on a surprising journey through the process of making a book into a movie in The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary. He starts with the original movie pitch and explores all the work that it takes from there to get to the test screening.
The Madeline Movie: Lost in Paris DVD is going to be released on April 16th from Shout! Factory. It features the voices of Jason Alexander, Lauren Bacall, Christopher Plummer and Andrea Libman. This is animated feature stars the familiar character Madeline that we know and love.
In case you don't know who Madeline is, let me give you a quick recap of her. Madeline is an orphan, she lives with 11 other girls who are looked after by a nun. Madeline tends to have a penchant for finding trouble, and besides the other girls at the boarding school, the neighbor boy Pepito and the smart little dog join in the stories that are told.
Disney's StarStruck is going to be big. Sterling Knight is Christopher Wilde in this new Disney Channel Original Movie. If the music is any indication, Disney has yet another hit.
Amber and I have been boppin' around and have played the tracks over and over again.
The StarStruck soundtrack was released on Tuesday, February 9th and is now available to purchase or download.
Are you per chance going to the movies this weekend? Maybe you're planning to take the family to see Fantastic Mr. Fox?
Well maybe your Thanksgiving weekend doesn't include going to see a "fantastic" movie, but perhaps you would like to celebrate with a fantastic soundtrack.... An adorable music video featuring the song “Let Her Dance” by the Bobby Fuller Four set to clips from the film Fantastic Mr. Fox. Watch the video now, courtesy of AOL Music!
If you like the sound of that, you might want to pick up the exclusive deluxe version of the soundtrack, which includes 2 bonus music videos, on iTunes http://bit.ly/FanFoxOST.
Comedy is waiting for your family in the new 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment DVD and Blu-Ray 'Aliens in the Attic'.
It’s summer vacation, butthe Pearson family kids are stuck at a boring lake house with their nerdyparents. That is until feisty, little, green aliens crash-land on theroof, with plans to conquer the house AND Earth! Using only their wits,courage and video game-playing skills, the youngsters must band together todefeat the aliens and save the world -- but the toughest part might be keepingthe whole thing a secret from their parents!
Favorite actors like Ashley Tisdale and Austin Robert Butler for the young viewers and Doris Roberts and Kevin Nealon for us "older" viewers.
Amber and Hubby laughed hilariously at the slapstick mind control. And one can't help but love the little sister and her sock monkey. Amid the comedy hi-jinx there are even a couple of lessons learned.
We watched this with a group of Girl Scouts this past week-end and the middle school/high school aged girls (and their troop leaders!) enjoyed it too.
This PG DVD is family approved by the Dove Foundation, which always is a plus in my book. Movies approved by them mean that if I am unable to watch with my daughter and her friends, I can pretty confident that it is alright for them to watch on their own.
Some of the DVD and Blu-Ray bonus features include
Introduction to the film by Ashley Tisdale
Gag reel (always a favorite in our home)
Meet the Zirkonians
And More!!! The Blu-Ray includes a digital copy of the movie so you can watch in on a laptop or upload it to your Ipod too!
Take a peek at a trailer
Special Ops Media on behalf of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment sent two Aliens in the Attic DVDs, to giveaway on my blog.
To enter this giveawaytell me what your favorite alien movie is.
For extra entries do any or all of the following leaving a separate comment for each entry.
1. Subscribe by email or reader to Three Different Directions. 2. Blog about this giveaway with a link back. 3. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway leaving your tweet link in the comments, Copy and paste: "Win the new Aliens in the Attic DVD at http://bit.ly/surLN" (you can do this once a day!) 4. Become a fan of Three Different Directions on Facebook
Open to US & Canadian residents, ages 13+, ends November 25, 2009 at 11:59 pmcst. Winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will bechosen. Email must be incomment or available in profile. By entering this giveawayyou are stating that you have read my **About Reviews and my Privacy/Rules statements and agree to them.
I received a complimentary Blu-ray edition of Aliens in the Attic for the purpose of this review from Special Ops Media.
The original Disney Princess made her debut in Technicolor, but in October of 2009, she made an entrance on Blu-Ray. It was only natural she make this step, she is the fairest in the land you know, and with the Diamond Edition DVD & Blu-Ray Combo you can't help but see that!
Being the Disney junkie that I am, my adrenaline was in full force when the package arrived in the mail. Hubby's was too but for a completely different reason.
For a long time now he has wanted a PS3. There really was no reason for us to get one, not owning any Blu-Ray dvds and already owning a PS2. But when that princess and her little entourage knocked on our door, he was humming "Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, It's off to Best Buy we go...."
There is no comparison between regular dvd and Blu-ray, there just isn't. The clarity of the picture is incredible on Blu-Ray, and quite honestly with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs it gives you a new appreciation of how spectacular this title must have been when it was first released in 1937.
Blu-Ray dvds also come with immersive activities and special features that the regular dvds don't have. Take for instance Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs comes with Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Jewel Jumble, Disney View (a unique and seamless way to watch the original 4:3 movie) and more.
With High Definition 7.1 Sound, the soundtrack comes through loud and clear unless you're singing louder than your speakers, which in our home can be a possibility!
Without a doubt, my Prince came through with the PS3 which plays Blu-Rays, and since he has a new toy to play with, and I have crystal clear clarity to watch Snow White and Prince Charming, we'll live happily ever after!
I was provided a complimentary copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Diamond Edition from One2One Network for the purpose of this review post.
I don't know how many of you have PBS on during the day, it's been a while for me, but I have recently learned about a kid named Sid who hangs out there. He's a puppet (of sorts) that likes....science. Hence the show is entitled Sid the Science Kid.
Standing behind the show is the name Jim Henson, and while Sid is not cloth and strings, rather he was created by digital means, he resembles those other famous puppets by the well loved company.
Imagine a movie (rated PG) that is one giant parody of sci-fi and super hero movies, that your whole family can watch together, and you might even catch your tween or teen suppressing a few laughs.
In Super Capers, Ed Gruberman (played by Justin Whalen) is a super hero wanna-be who joins up with the Super Capers, an odd ball team of aspiring super heroes, to fight crime.
Decent visual effects don't cover up the silliness, but this is intended to be a family show unlike most spoofs produced and I don't think the writer/director Ray Griggs had any sights set on an Oscar for this movie.
Amber and her friend initially reviewed this copy sent to us and I had no problem allowing them to watch it with me not in the room or without having previewed it since it has received The Dove Foundation Family Approved Seal.
Their giggles while viewing it assured me there is still a place for movies geared for kids that don't need to be paused or filtered.
If your family enjoys comedies and goofy humor I recommend this for watching.
Super Capers will be released on July 21st, 2009 and is available for pre-order now. To see a trailer and more about the movie visit www.supercapers.com.
Please read **About Reviews at the bottom of this page.
Move over Mystery Inc. there's a new game in town. Adina's Deck is a group of 8th grade girls, thrown together through a circumstance of cyber-bullying and make a club where they are determined to defend the innocent and root out the guilty, using their technology skills.
I actually came across these dvds while doing a search on the internet for games to play with a deck of cards. I was impressed by the video trailers and the topics the dvds were based on and bookmarked the site. I found myself gravitating back to it the next day, and sent an e-mail to Debbie Heimowitz one of the founders of the series, along with Jason Azicri, asking if I could review these for my blog.
As a mother of a teenager I'm concerned about what takes place on the internet. Amber is involved in message boards, facebook and forums. We try and watch who she talks with and what she says, but on the other side there is a point to where we have to trust her as well. We are constantly pitching the lectures advice of how to stay safe online, but in all reality we realize that a lot of times she is probably tuning us out. Often our children will listen or take heed of an issue from another source, especially if it is from someone or something that resembles their peer group. Adina's Deck is just such a resource. Two episodes of Adina's Deck deal with safety and the consequences of cyber-bullying and an online crush. Issues that are very prevalent for today's tweens and teens. Since technology is often given to very young children they are immersed early on in situations that often require more maturity than they have. The lessons these dvds teach is that there are consequences to both sides of the issues and when in doubt talk to an adult about it.
The third episode is the one that really caught my eye. It is about plagiarizing. As a homeschooling parent there are certain topics that I know need to be dealt with, but sometimes don't get discussed because of the schooling situation we've chosen. One of them is plagiarism. We've just started delving into research papers as we round out middle school and are preparing for many more in high school. With the internet becoming more and more of a source of information, teaching our children to cite and record their findings is very important. Not just because they may get caught, but because it is theft.
I think these dvds are right on the mark and are up to date with the issues they cover as well as the portrayal of the characters. They are perfect for a group setting (classrooms, homeschool co-ops, girl scouts etc) or home viewing. They are very well done and resemble the shows your tween or teen may already watch on Nickelodeon or The Disney Channel. They've been officially picked for many film festivals and have won awards. There is enough humor in them to keep the kids watching through the entire episode and plenty of meat in them to discuss the topics with them afterward.
This is what Amber thought:The characters were really good, the issues are serious but they are put out in such a way that makes them enjoyable, and I really liked Clara's dad's sock puppet.
(Umm..yeah, the sock puppet if you want to know more about that, I guess you'll have to get the dvds!)
Please read **About Reviews at the bottom of the page.
Debbie Heimowitz is generously giving away a set of the 3 dvds to a reader here on my blog!
To enter the giveaway visit Adina's Deck and tell me who would be watching this dvd and which one they think they'd like best (please give the full name of the dvd).
For Extra Entries:
1. Leave a comment with an idea you would like to see for a future episode of Adina's Deck. 2. Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway (this can be done daily). 3. Blog about this giveaway leaving a link back to my blog. 4. Add my button to your blog. 5. Follow my blog publicly.
This giveaway is open to residents of the US ages 18+, and ends on July 22nd, 2009 at 11:59 pm cst.
This week's movie topic is all about Your Collection...
We would like a glimpse into your collection of movies. Even if you don't have a physical collection to share, you must have some stored on the DVR, downloaded onto the laptop or ones that you rent over and over and over. We'll show you ours if you show us yours! Don't be shy - share on your blog and link back here at The Bumbles.
NEVER VIEWED: The Boondock Saints - I won this in a sweepstakes contest 3 years ago, and we have still yet to watch it. I don't even remember why I entered the contest, I think they were offering other prizes as well....at least I hope so.
AFRAID TO ADMIT YOU OWN: Scary Movie. Another sweepstakes win. Another sweepstakes I'm not sure why I entered!
GUILTY PLEASURE: Serenity. Without having watched the original series Firefly - most people would be lost watching this movie.
MOST SHARED: Luther - If you are looking for an awesome movie about the Reformation you must see this.
WHY DID WE BUY THIS?: Mad Max. The only movie in our collection that I don't know how my husband sneaked in without me. It's horrible. (He thinks it's a classic?) Ick.
MOST TREASURED: Lilo & Stitch - My daughter (who is now 13) has an unhealthy obsession with Stitch for the last 7 years. Okay, I guess it could be worse, she could like boys.... In any case I don't think this movie will ever be parted from our collection, until she moves out. Then I'm pretty sure it's the first thing she will pack.
WILDCARD: Galaxy Quest - As huge Star Trek fans this "sci-fi" spoof is fun to watch over and over again, for us it never gets old.
Come on tell me I can't be the only one out there who doesn't want to watch every new movie that hits the big screen in 3D. Or am I?
I have never enjoyed watching 3D movies, even when they were a commodity on the market. I'm liking them even less when I find out the few movies I would be willing to pay for to watch in the theater are in ....3D. And then (at least in our podunk town), they want to charge you another $2.00 on top of the already outrageous prices to watch it in 3D.
So weigh in folks. 3D yes or no? Is this growing trend going to replace every movie we watch in the future or will this fad wear off? Tell me what you think. Maybe I'll have to invest in my own set of 3D prescription glasses so I won't always have to place those plastic ones over my own.
We love taking video of our vacations and special events...although most people will never see them. That's mostly because getting them off the tape and editing them and burning them on to a dvd is time consuming and frankly with the software we currently own not simple. I really have been wanting to share more of the pictures and videos I take in a unique way with friends and family, and so when I had the opportunity to try muvee Reveal I jumped on it.
When it comes to simple muvee Reveal is in a class by itself. This is such an easy to use program your children, or better yet my mother, could use it. Not only for videos though, muvee Reveal can take your digital stills and make an Oscar winning performance out of them!
muvee Reveal's interface is functional and pretty much self explanatory. You choose from your device or files which photos or video to add, you choose a style, you can add music and then you can view your creations. Yes it is just that easy.
The only problem I had in creating my movie (which is actually four short clips spliced together, pretty seamlessly I might add), was getting the original sound on them. After a quick Google search, I found my solution and was good to go.
You need to have quite a bit of room on your hard drive if you are going to download this program. While it may not provide some of the features of other movie making programs, muvee Reveal's ease and quick delivery and price of $79.95 makes it more usable than the other program we own. My computer did crash a couple of times while using it, but really it is a great program and it didn't frustrate me as it would normally, just because I knew that it would not be horribly time consuming to get my project together even with the crashes.
Take a look at the movie I created:
Please read **About Reviews at the bottom of the page.
I am giddy to tell you that I am able to give 2 muvee Reveal CDs away to my readers.
To enter tell me in the comments who you would give this software to if you are one of the winners. (You must do this or extra entries will not be counted)
Leave a separate comment for each extra entry you are eligible for.
* 1 Extra Entry - Subscribe to my RSS feed or by e-mail (or let me know you already are) * 1 Extra Entry - Follow my blog publicly (or let me know you already are) * 1 Extra Entry - Favorite my blog on Technorati and leave your username * 1 Extra Entry - Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway leave your link to the tweet * 1 Extra Entry - Kirtsy this post * 2 Extra Entries - Write a blog post about this giveaway with a link back to to my blog, leave the permalink to your post
This giveaway will run until 11:59 pm cst May 13th. Open to U.S. Residents 18+ only. Winners will have 48 hours after they have been contacted to supply me with mailing information or an alternate winner will be chosen.
Check out more giveaways this week hosted at Mom Most Traveled during her Give It Away Now! Blog Carnival.
Hotel For Dogs is a new movie out on DVD based on the book by Lois Duncan. (Seriously I have never heard of this book before! I thought I've read nearly every possible popular kids book in the public library.)
Brother and sister, Bruce & Andi, are orphans and living with foster parents. There are no dogs allowed in their situation, so they have been taking care of the family dog Friday out of sight since their parents died. When their dog stumbles into an abandoned hotel and they find a whole bunch of stray dogs, Andi & Bruce decide to make it a shelter of sorts for them. Bruce, a budding inventor, creates all sorts of gadgets to help take care of their new charges. Of course there's a bad guy in every story and this movie is no exception, Animal Control is the threatening factor to the dogs and the kids in charge of them.
Although it is rated PG for brief thematic elements, language and some crude humor, this movie is family friendly from young to old. Aimed primarily for 7-14 year olds, the animals and gizmos invented will keep all ages entertained.
If you want more stuff that your kids will love, go to www.hotelfordogsmovie.com where they can make your dog a celebrity. Create a printable DVD cover or poster starring your lovable pooch or your family pet can star in their very own scene!
Thank you to Paramount Home Entertainment for allowing my family to em"bark" on a fun filled family movie night ☺.
Demi Lovato, 
