Sunday's media madness...

So whats the weather like where you are?  Is it cloudy, do you have rain, or are your skies filled with sunshine?  It doesn't matter which, you can find a movie for any weather...

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: This 2009 computer animated family film that tells the story of the town of Swallow Falls, located on a tiny island hidden under the “A” in "Atlantic" on the world map.  After the demand for sardines plummets  the town suffers an economic depression. Now stuck with their supply, sardines became the sole food in Swallow Falls.  When the young local genius Flint Lockwood discovers a way to change the molecular structure of water to food. But something goes wrong and the machine ends up in the atmosphere. Later it starts raining food. And so the shifty mayor tries to use this as a way to help their community. But when Flint sense somethings wrong with the machine, the mayor convinces him to ignore it. But as Flint predict chaos ensues.  I was able to find a new copy of the DVD at Deep Discount for $12.14 with free shipping, for the Blu-ray version I found it for $26.49 at Amazon.

Black Rain: This 1989 action film stars Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia as two New York police officers who arrest a member of the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia, for murder and have to transport him back to Japan where he escapes.  As they try to track him down, they get deeper and deeper into the Japanese Mafia scene and they have to learn that they can only win by playing the game the Japanese way.  This movie is being discontinued on DVD by the manufacturer, but you can still purchase it for $10.87 with free shipping from Smartzplace.  The Blu-ray version was the lowest price at Buy.com for $13.29 with free shipping.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind:  This Romantic fantasy, released in 2006 stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as two people who supposedly meet on a train.  As the story unfolds we learn that the two have actually been together before but after a bad break up they both had their memories of their past relationship professionally erased.  The story is told mostly through memories as the couple finds each other again.  I was able to find a new copy on DVD for $9.70 at Red Tag with free shipping. The lowest Blu-Ray price was at Movie Mars for $12.41 with free shipping.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend, no matter what the weather is like where you are.

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

galley-west \gal-ee-WEST\ ~ adverb

DEFINITION: into destruction or confusion

EXAMPLES: A rogue wave knocked the anchored boats galley-west.

"'Get the door, Scott.' 'Daddy, what if he's … there?' 'Then I'll knock him galley-west with this thing.'" -- From Stephen King's 2006 novel Lisey's Story

DID YOU KNOW? American author Mark Twain is on record as one of the first to use "galley-west" in his writing. Etymologists believe the word is a corruption of dialectal English "colleywest" or "collyweston." The earliest appearance of those words, used with the meaning "askew or awry," dates from the late 16th century. The ultimate source of "colleywest" and "collyweston" is not known but is suspected to be from a personal name. When "galley-west" is used in speech or writing, the verb "knock" usually precedes it.


~THE REBATE~

This is a fun one, you can receive a $5 rebate check by mail when you purchase Tangled on Blu-Ray™ or DVD PLUS and any two (2) packages of Success® Rice.  Just mail in the proof of purchase tab from the movie and the UPCs from the rice together with your cash register receipts for the rice and the move dated between 3/1/11 and 6/30/11 with the store names at the top and the prices circled and the completed rebate form.  Allow 6 to 8 weeks for your $5.00 check to arrive.  If you recieve the All You magazine there is a coupon in the April edition for $1.00 off of two packages of Success Rice.  Also, remember if you are a member of Disney Rewards to enter the code for your points.  They are also offering a free charm bracelet with your purchases Disney code entry between 3/29/11 and 6/30/11.

I hope you are all enjoying your mid-week!

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

brummagem \BRUM-ih-jum\ ~ adjective

DEFINITION: not genuine : spurious; also : cheaply showy : tawdry

EXAMPLES: Donald knew better than to pay good money for the brummagem watch that was being falsely advertised as a quality Swiss timepiece.

"Just as critics … conceived high culture in some antithetical relationship to 'middlebrow' or 'kitsch,' which imitated the intelligentsia's culture and blurred the distinction between commodity and art, so too, they warned, the spirit of Christianity now had to be preserved from its brummagem versions…." -- From Jason W. Stevens' 2010 book God-Fearing and Free: A Spiritual History of America's Cold War

DID YOU KNOW? "Brummagem" first appeared in the 17th century as an alteration of "Birmingham," the name of a city in England. At that time Birmingham was notorious for the counterfeit coins made there, and the word "brummagem" quickly became associated with things forged or inauthentic. By the 19th century, Birmingham had become a chief manufacturer of cheap trinkets and gilt jewelry, and again the word "brummagem" followed suit -- it came to describe that which is showy on the outside but essentially of low quality. Perhaps the term was something of an annoyance to the people of Birmingham way back when, but nowadays "brummagem" is usually used without any conscious reference to the British city.

~THE REBATE~

Looking at getting replacing your DVD player with Blu-Ray?  Right now you can get a free copy of the 3D version of Avatar on Blu-Ray with the Purchase of a  Panasonic DMP-BDT100 Full HD 3D Blu-ray Disc Player.  The offer is good between 1/02 and 3/26, you will need to mail in the rebate form, filled in by hand, together with your dated sales receipt and the UPC code cut from the package, all the submissions need to be received by April 9, 2011.  I was able to find the lowest price on line for this Blu-Ray player at Amazon for $149.98, however, be sure to call and check your local warehouse clubs like Sam's and Costco who may have even lower prices and you would be able to get it right away.

Hope you are all having a great Wednesday!

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

I have been waiting for a couple of movies that were just released the first of March.  The first one is Faster staring Dwayne Johnson aka: The Rock as a man refered to through the move as Driver.  It's the story of a man released from prison who goes after the men responsible for his brothers death.  The film also stars Billy Bob Thornton as the cop assigned to capture Driver.  As the story progresses you learn more and more about each character, slowly revealing the full story behind the death of Drivers brother.  Thrown in the mix is an assassin sent to kill Driver before he gets to his last victim played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen.  This movie is high on the list of must sees for anyone that enjoys the sheer adrenaline rush of watching fast cars and things that blow up, and for that, you can count me in!  I was able to find Faster for the lowest price at Amazon for $14.99 plus $2.98 shipping if you are under the $25 minimum for free shipping.  The Blu Ray copy was the lowest at Amazon also for $19.99 plus the $2.98 shipping.

The next one is Burlesque staring Cher as Tess, a Burlesque theater owner struggling to stay afloat, enter Christina Aguilera as Ali the small town girl looking to make it big.  Ali starts in the club as an actress and works her way up to the stage and soon becomes the star of the show.  This movie didn't receive high marks from the critics but I think the music and the costumes will more than make up for what may be lacking in a rather predictable story line.  I was able to find the DVD version Burlesque for the lowest price at Amazon for $16.99 plus $2.98 shipping if you are under the $25.00 minimum.  The Blu Ray copy was also the lowest at Amazon for $19.99 plus the $2.98 shipping.

So there you have it, the two movies I have been waiting moths for that couldn't be more different than night and day.  Have you seen either of them?  If so I would love to know what you thought of them.

Have a fantastic day and remember to enter my giveaway that ends this coming Friday.

C.Q.

Sunday's media madness...

Very rarely does a movie sequel come out that is a enjoyable as the first movie to spawn the remakes but before the holidays I watched Nanny McPhee Returns and really liked it, OK maybe not as much as the first one because I already knew the lessons and the premise of the story, but it was a joy to watch non the less.  If you haven't seen the first on I am not going to give out any spoilers.

In the first of the movies, Nanny McPhee; "A nanny reveals ways of making children behave that are much more effective than a time-out in this fantasy comedy based on the "Nurse Matilda" books for children by Christianna Brand. Near the dawn of the twentieth century, Mr. Brown (Colin Firth) is a widower who must tend to his business as an undertaker while looking after his brood of seven children. Brown's offspring are a singularly ill-mannered lot who have managed to drive away 17 different nannies when their father arranges for one Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) to help out with the children. McPhee is an strange looking woman with a large nose, protruding teeth, and pock-marked skin, but it isn't long before the kids realize she has magical powers and isn't afraid to use them to help keep them in line. While the children aren't taken with McPhee's insistence on such things as saying "please" and listening to their elders, it becomes clear everyone has bigger things to worry about. Aunt Adelaide (Angela Lansbury) has insisted that if Mr. Brown cannot find a new wife within a month, she'll take custody of one of the children and cut off Brown's inheritance, and while Brown and the widow Mrs. Quickly (Celia Imrie) seem fond of one another, his ineptitude in courtship seems to insure he'll never get her to the altar. But while the Brown Children realize Nanny McPhee is a formidable opponent, she can also be a valuable ally as they learn to make use of her talents by being better children; they also discover that as they behave better, she begins to look less frightening. Emma Thompson, who played the title role in Nanny McPhee, also wrote the film's screenplay." ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

I was able to find a new DVD copy of this movie at Movie Mars for only $9.14 with free shipping, if you would prefer a Blu-Ray version I found the lowest price of $12.48 plus $2.99 shipping for a total price of $15.49 at Import CDs.

The second movie, Nanny McPhee Returns, "A struggling mother receives some much-needed assistance tending to the family farm and raising a group of spirited children while her military husband is fighting overseas in this sequel to the whimsical 2005 fantasy comedy Nanny McPhee. Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal) lives in a scenic valley with her two daughters and one son. They each understand the importance of working together as a family, and things are going remarkably smoothly for the rural quartet until a pair of spoiled cousins arrive for an extended stay, effectively turning the quaint little farm into a virtual zoo. As the situation quickly getting out of hand, Nannie McPhee (Emma Thompson) suddenly appears on her doorstep claiming that she can bring a much-needed sense of order to the out-of-control household. In time the mysterious helper does just that, using powerful magic to teach her young charges the importance of getting along, and gradually winning their trust in the process. But when the piglets escape from their sty, the contentious kids must work together to recover the family farm's most valued assets, or risk losing everything their father worked so hard to build before he went off to fight in the war. Rhys Ifans and Maggie Smith co-star." ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

I was able to find a new DVD copy of this movie for $18.99 with free shipping from Justuffexpress, if you would like the Blu-Ray version I found it at Amazon for $24.49 with free shipping if you order over $25.00 or are a member of Amazon Prime.

I hope everyone has a wonderful relaxing Sunday!

C.Q.

Wednesday's learn and earn...

~WORD OF THE DAY~

boustrophedon  \boo-struh-FEE-dahn\ ~ noun

DEFINITION: the writing of alternate lines in opposite directions (as from left to right and from right to left)

EXAMPLES: The archaeologist was quick to see that the text was written in boustrophedon.

"Some writing systems, like the ancient Greeks' boustrophedon, in which alternate lines are read in opposite directions, appear to actually support these pre-literary inclinations." -- From an article in The Economist (U.S. Edition), July 10, 2010

DID YOU KNOW? Before the standardization of writing from left to right, ancient Greek inscribers once used a style called "boustrophedon," a word meaning literally "turning like oxen in plowing." When they came to the end of a line, the ancient Greeks simply started the next line immediately below the last letter, writing the letters and words in the opposite direction, and thus following the analogy of oxen plowing left to right, then right to left. "Reverse boustrophedon" writing has also been found in which the inscribers turned the document 180 degrees before starting a new line so that the words are always read left to right with every half turn. The word "boustrophedon" itself is formed from the Greek word for the ox or cow, "bous," and the verb "strephein," which means "to turn."


~THE REBATE~

The Holidays being what they are you are bound to get something dropped on your carpet so her is a nice little rebate that includes a gift for you to give (or keep) and a gift for your carpet.  Purchase any Spot Shot product for yourself (excluding 4 oz. size) and one DVD or Blu-Ray copy of Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore from any store between 11/1/10 and 6/30/11, then fill in the rebate form and mail in with your original cash register receipts, which must show the store name, address and date as well as the items purchased and the prices.  All the rebate requests must be received by 7/8/11.  There is also a $1.00 off coupon for Spot Shot available for printing.

I hope you are all having a great week so far!

C.Q.