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Book Reviews “Disney Poster-A-Page – Disney Junior: Let’s Play & Frozen: Magical Moments”

Series: Disney Poster-a-Page
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Disney
Release Date: September 2, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Time Home Entertainment Inc has been behind a great Poster-A-Page series featuring some of the most popular Disney franchise characters recently. They feature not only our favorite character but also key story points, and memorable moments. It is what it says it is, this is literally a poster on every page along with nine supersize pull-out posters. that can function as fantastic door signs, room decorations, or background for their fantasy worlds.

Official Premise: “Disney Frozen Poster-A-Page”: Magical Moments relives the magic of the second highest grossing Disney movie of all time. With wintry scenes and cherished characters, this book follows Anna and Kristoff as they encounter Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman, in their epic journey to find Elsa.

Official Premise: “Disney Junior Poster-A-Page: Let’s Play” features the lovable characters from one of the highest rated children’s TV series. This new book introduces us again to the whole Disney Junior team: six-year-old Doc McStuffins; Mickey Mouse and his lovable clubhouse friends Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Daisy, & Pluto; Jake and his faithful Never Land Pirates crew; and Sofia the First along with her family and friends.

“Frozen” has won over everyone in the world with its lovable characters. These are great posters. My daughter already has asked us to hang up at least five different ones. If your kids love Disney Junior, they will love seeing all their favorite characters as well. We get posters of Doc McStuffins, the gang from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, the crew of Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Sofia the First.

Blu-ray Reviews “The Toho Godzilla Collection, Vol. 2”

Director: Okihiro Yoneda, Kunio Miyoshi, Shûsuke Kaneko, Masaaki Tezuka, Takao Okawara
Rated: Not rated / PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Run Time: 306 / 193 / 107 minutes

Rebirth of Mothra I-III: 3 out of stars
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack: 4 out of stars
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla: 3.5 out of stars
Godzilla 2000: 4 out of stars
Extras: 1.5 out of 5 stars

With the new reboot of “Godzilla” streeting on Blu-ray this month, we are getting a second bunch of Blu-ray in the “The Toho Godzilla Collection”. This next set including “Rebirth of Mothra”, “Rebirth of Mothra II”, “Rebirth of Mothra III”, “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack”, “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” and “Godzilla 2000”. Being a hardcore Godzilla fan, I couldn’t be happier to be receiving this latest bunch. I remember rushing out to the theater opening day first show to catch “Godzilla 2000”.

There are 28 films in “”The Toho Godzilla Collection”, even though The Mothra films really aren’t included in that number. After this patch of films that leaves us with only nine films that haven’t been released on Blu-ray including “Godzilla Raids Again”, “Mothra vs. Godzilla”, “Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster”, “Invasion of Astro-Monster”, “Son of Godzilla”, “All Monsters Attack”, “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla”, “Terror of Mechagodzilla” and “Godzilla 1985”. Here’s hoping that Sony or anyone else has the rights to release these…it would be great to see the complete collection available to fans.

“Rebirth of Mothra I-III” make up the first Blu-ray. I know the Mothra films are super cheesy but they are just plain fun. But Mothra can still kick some major ass for sure. “Rebirth of Mothra II” has a bit of an environmental agenda but still a decent film. It definitely has a certain kid-version of “Indiana Jones” going on as well here, or at least I always thought it did. Same goes for “Rebirth of Mothra III”, which continues its focus towards kids. It is definitely still a decent film and packs a serious battle as well in the trilogy.

“Rebirth of Mothra” Official Premise: Mothra, one of Godzilla’s longtime allies (and sometimes foe) gets her very own movie series in this, the first of a trilogy. When the three-headed Death Ghidorah, an even fiercer cousin of King Ghidorah, begins to destroy the forests of Japan, Mothra leaves her island paradise to help save them. “Rebirth of Mothra II” Official Premise: Two young kids inadvertently unleash a giant sea creature which is somehow strengthened from the abundance of modern-day pollution. Mothra’s keepers, the tiny twins Moll and Lora, quickly rouse the gentle giant in order to combat this latest threat to peace. “Rebirth of Mothra III” Official Premise: In the final film in the new ‘Mothra’ trilogy, King Ghidorah, the most destructive of all the monsters, returns to destroy the Earth. In the end, Mothra is indeed triumphant and takes her place among the greatest of all monsters.

Each of these films actually delivered pretty unexpectedly great 1080p transfers. I was not expecting to see such a clean and impressive transfers. There are two DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 surround tracks for each film, the original Japanese and an English dub. I am going to stick with the Japanese track each of these films since they generally end up feeling much more natural and an overall a slightly better track, no question. The only special features includes for each film are three teasers (“Rebirth of Mothra III” only has two teasers) and a theatrical trailer included.

Next up is “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack”, which easily wins the longest title in Godzilla history and “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla”. “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah” was made to basically reboot the series since it only pays attention to the original 1954 film and the (terrible) 1998 remake. The film packs a big budget compared to past installments. It is far from perfect but is a fun entry for sure. “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” is a bit cheesy but still fun and has some solid battle scenes. Plus I am a big sucker for anything Mechagodzilla.

“Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” Official Premise: Fifty years ago, the Japanese Defense Forces killed Godzilla or so they thought. When a series of terrifying natural disasters begin to plague Japan, including the inexplicable offshore sinking of a U.S. submarine, a mystic old man warns his nation that Godzilla has come back to destroy Japan as revenge for all the souls lost in the Pacific War. When mere military might cannot squash the monster, the mystic man awakens the Holy Beasts of Yamato — King Ghidorah, Mothra and Baragon, sleeping giants that protected Japan in ancient times. These untamed mammoth beasts take on Godzilla with frightening supernatural brute power that has been 2,000 years in the making. Tradition and technology collide in this chilling high-tech, cutting-edge fable.

“Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” Official Premise: After four years of scrupulous preparation under the prime minister, a new invincible robot, Mechagodzilla, has now reached completion, armed with various weapons, including the most powerful gun in history that can destroy anything in the world. Akane Yashiro is transferred to join the Mechagodzilla team as an operator who controls the mechanical monster. As soon as Mechagodzilla starts on its test run, the huge shadow of Godzilla begins to rise from the depths of the ocean…The battle of the century is going to take place between Godzilla and Mechagodzilla.

“Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” delivers yet another solid presentation on Blu-ray. The 1080p is sharp with its colors and very clean of any grain. Same again goes for “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla”, which is slightly less impressive but still quite solid. The same does not go for the audio track though, “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” includes the original Japanese track and an English dub. They are both actually good entries and just depends on your preference. “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” has the same specs but the English dub is not listenable since it is so poorly acted. The Japanese cut is the only way to go here. Both films only contain their film’s Original Trailers as a bonus feature.

Lastly but not least is “Godzilla 2000”, one of my favorites. It is a not a perfect film like many of the “Godzilla” films but is a blast to watch. This Blu-ray also contains two versions of the film. The 107 minute Japanese cut has never been released in the US before this, so fans should be going crazy over this one. The shorter 99 minutes English dub cut is also included as well. So even though you are not getting a real double feature here like the others or triple in terms of “Mothra”, but we are getting 1.5 movies for the price of one here.

“Godzilla 2000” Official Premise: Get ready to crumble! The king of all monsters is back and bigger than ever! The action heats up when a UFO reveals itself as a massive alien monster with awesome destructive powers. The alien monster heads straight for the behemoth GODZILLA(r) who’s just crushed the entire city for the battle of the millennium. But Godzilla’s furious heat beam may not be enough to destroy the death-dealing alien, and the future of humankind is in jeopardy. Now, it’s a bang-up, threeway, no-holds-barred brawl as Godzilla, the alien monster and the courageous citizens of Japan fight an unprecedented battle for survival in this earth-shattering new sci-fi action adventure that will blow you away.

“Godzilla 2000” Blu-ray presentation is surprising the least impressive out of this new batch of releases. It is not horrible but doesn’t have that clarity that the “Mothra” films pack. The film does have really great DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks. both original Japanese and English dub. This Blu-ray actually has some special features included unlike the rest. There is an audio commentary with Writer/Producer Michael Schlesinger, Editor Mike Mahoney, and Supervising Sound Editor Darren Paskal on the English version only. There is a very short “Behind the Scenes” featurette and of course, lastly there is an Original Trailer included.

Even though the special features on these three releases aren’t great. They do all include an Ultraviolet HD digital copy code, which is a worth the purchase of the disc alone. These films maybe not be perfect and some cheesy but Sony defintely still delivered good Blu-rays here. Like I said, I hope to see more of these in next year for sure. We have nine more films in the series and I hope that we can complete out the collection! Keep them coming Sony!

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 2, bluray, collection, godzilla, reviews, toho, ...

Product Reviews: Recent Releases from Running Press

What is Running Press you ask? Whenever you go to a book store or any entertainment store and go to check out it is impossible to pay at the check out without passing their products. They consists of little toys, gadgets and mini-books. Check out below some of their recent releases, which I wanted to highlight to all of our fans!

Doctor Who: K-9 Light-and-Sound Figurine and Illustrated Book
Kit includes a miniature figurine of K-9, the Doctor’s trusty robotic canine, complete with audio of his catchphrase, “Affirmative, Master!” and light-up eyes. Also included is a 48-page book on Doctor Who and K-9, featuring full-color photos.

Everyone is in Doctor Who fever right now with the entrance of the new Doctor this month! But let’s not forget the classic characters like “K-9”. He is really cool. I love the “Affirmative, Master!” catchphrase, but I wish he had a few more saying though since my daughter loves to push the button…ALOT!

Elf Snow Globe with Magnets
Buddy the Elf is a Christmas classic! Keep him around all year long with this kit containing a snow globe featuring Will Ferrell as Buddy. Also included are two magnets featuring artwork and two of Elf’s most famous quotes: “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite!” and “Son of a Nutcracker!”

Fall is here and that means Christmas is just around the corner. What is Christmas without “Elf”!? This is a must own for any Christmas fan…if not then consider yourself a Cotton-Headed Ninnymuggins! That’s right I said it 😉

Harry Potter Voldemort’s Wand with Sticker Kit: Lights Up!
This commemorative kit includes an 8-inch light-up replica of the wand belonging to the evil Lord Voldemort. The kit also includes a book of photographic stickers highlighting the most memorable battles with the Dark Lord.

Let’s give some respect to the Dark Lord. He is not only bad-ass but also packs a kick-ass wand. This item is some high quality craftsmanship…and looks so dark cool. Did I also mention it lights up?!

Planet of the Apes: Mini Replica of Statue of Liberty Scene
George Taylor’s discovery that the strange planet ruled by apes was earth all along is a classic moment in movie history. Recreate the scene with this kit! It includes: Mini replica of the Statue of Liberty, Audio of the movie’s last lines, Packet of sand with mat, Figurine of Taylor on horseback, 32-page book of quotes and full-color photos

YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! OH, DAMN YOU! GODDAMN YOU ALL TO HELL! I can listening to this all day long! Great job Running Press, this is like a mini Zen garden…with Apes.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutagen Ooze and Illustrated Book
This kit includes a canister of green glow-in-the-dark mutagen ooze, ten temporary tattoos, two magnets, and a 48-page full-color book on the history of TMNT.

TMNT is one hot topic right now. My daughter, who is two, makes it her duty to stick anything she can find in the ooze every night before bed. Super cool for any TMNT fan!! Ninja ninja rap!…sorry…couldn’t help myself!

Transformers: Light-Up Optimus Prime Bust and Illustrated Book: With Sound
This collectible kit includes a miniature bust of the iconic and powerful leader Optimus Prime, with eyes that light up and a sound feature that plays seven of his classic lines! Also included is a 48-page book with quotes and illustrations from the 1980s animation.

Optimus Prime the coolest dude ever…when it comes to Transformers! This awesome toy plays some great clips. I just wish it would have, I don’t know maybe, transformed a little or something 😉

Book Reviews “Disney Princess Read-and-Sing: “Sleeping Beauty & Tangled”

Age Range: 6 – 8 years
Grade Level: 1 – 3
Series: Read-and-Sing
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Disney Press
Release Date: July 29, 2014

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

With the success of the live-action “Maleficent”, “Sleeping Beauty” has stepped back in the spotlight again, along with Disney re-releasing the animated classic on Blu-ray also. The first of the two new Disney Princess Read-and-Sing is of course “Sleeping Beauty. The storybook contains six Sleeping Beauty tales. These are great a lot of fun. My two year old knows the character Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty but she has never seen the film, so this book was a great introduction.

The second new “Disney Princess Read-and-Sing is “Tangled”, which features contains six Rapunzel tales. Now on the other side, this is one of my two year old’s all-time favorite films. So these tales have already become a must read each night before bedtime. So we discuss the read but not the sing. Each of these books also come with three downloadable songs from the movies. “For Sleeping Beauty”, there is “Hail to the Princess Aurora,” “Do You Hear That?” and “An Unusual Prince/Once Upon a Dream” and from “Tangled” there is When Will My Life Begin?” “I’ve Got a Dream,” and “I See the Light.”

I love the blend of the music within theses books. We know these stories so well and their songs that accompany them. They are timeless and continue to inspire and lives thanks due to parents introducing them to their children. These are great books and I can’t wait to see which classics Disney plans to adapt next. May I suggest “Aladdin” and “The Little Mermaid”, if anyone is listening 😉

Blu-ray Reviews: Mill Creek Entertainment – July 22nd Releases

Mill Creek Entertainment is releasing six new titles to their Blu-ray catalog on July 22nd. We have the following Matthew Robbins’ “The Legend of Billie Jean” (1985), Phil Joanou’s “Gridiron Gang” (2006), Joel Schumacher’s “Flatliners” (1990), Luis Llosa’s “Anaconda” (1997), John McTiernan’s “Last Action Hero” (1993), and Mike Newell’s “Donnie Brasco” (1997). We received four of these six to review for the site but the results are in and we are not very impressed with these releses.

“Anaconda” Official Premise: A film crew headed by anthropologist Steve Cale and director Terri Flores journey through a river to find a mysterious Indian tribe and shoot a documentary on them. They save a guy called Paul Sarone from a sinking boat. He offers to help in their search for the tribe, but he is actually a snake-hunter looking for legendary anaconda snake, and when Cale is bitten by some tropical insect, Sarone takes over the boat.

I do not think that “Anaconda” is a very good film today. It thought it was good when I saw it in theaters many years ago but it certainly hasn’t stood up to time. This is the not the first time that this film has been released on Blu-ray either. It was put out back in 2009 by Sony Picture. It had a solid 1080p transfer, as does this, and a rocking Dolby TrueHD 5.1, unlike this. This Blu-ray only trumps a Dolby Digital 2.0 track, which is barely DVD quality in today’s standards. It also includes no special features of any sort, though the 2009 Blu-ray was bare bones as well.

“Donnie Brasco” Official Premise: Posing as jewel broker Donnie Brasco, FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone (Johnny Depp) is granted entrance into the violent mob family of aging hitman Lefty Ruggiero (Al Pacino). When his personal and professional lives collide, Pistone jeopardizes his marriage, his job, his life and, ultimately, the gangster mentor he has come to respect and admire. From acclaimed director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral), and featuring an extraordinary supporting cast including Michael Madsen, Anne Heche, Bruno Kirby and James Russo, Donnie Brasco is “one terrific movie!” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone).

Being an Italian man with a huge Italian family, it is hard not to quote this film at least once a month. It’s a fugazi!! “Donnie Brasco” has also been released before by Sony Pictures dating back to 2007. Though in that release only the Extended Cut was included. This release now only includes the Theatrical Cut. The 2007 Blu-ray included a nice LPCM 5.1 track and a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, while this one only includes the latter. That is two for two of these new releases from Mill Creek with only DVD quality audio. Top it out with no special features, even though 2007 release extras sucked they at least still has something.

“Flatliners” Official Premise: An ambitious, charismatic medical student persuades his classmates to take part in a reckless experiment. To see if there is life after death, they will kill themselves: temporarily shut down (“flatline”) their heart and brain functions to briefly experience clinical death. Their horror begins when they realize that although they’ve come back alive… they haven’t come back alone.

It has been many years since I last watched this film, it is still a great ride. “Flatliners” has continued to flat line for their Blu-ray releases. In case you are not seeing a trend here. This film has also previously been released by Sony on Blu-ray dating back to 2007. It came with disappointing 1080p transfer and a flat LPCM 5.1 audio track. This release continues that trend but also only includes a Dolby Digital 2.0 track for the audio, which fares even worse than the original. Lastly, there are no special features included at all, which though matches the previous release.

“Last Action Hero” Official Premise: Danny Madigan knows all the first 3 Jack Slater movies in and out. The 4th one is just about to be released too, and with a magical ticket Danny really gets to know that movie in and out too, literally speaking. During one of the action climaxes Danny is transported into the movie, into a world following other rules than the real one. Benedict, one of the evil guys, gets hold of the ticket and escapes out to the real world, a world where evil guys can actually win. Danny and Jack follow him back to the real world to get back the ticket and stop Benedict from killing the actor playing Jack.

“Last Action Hero” was never my favorite Schwarzenegger film. It has its moments but nothing too memorable. This film like the past three has received a Blu-ray release back in 2010 from Sony Pictures. It includes easily the best audio and video of the four combined. Though the 1080p transfer holds up with this release, once again we are missing out on a solid action packed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track for a lame Dolby Digital 5.1 track. There are no special features included either but in case you are skipping around here, none of these have any extras included.

So I know these don’t sound to flattering from but if you like these films, it is worth the less than $10 bucks to pick them up. They are not stunning Blu-ray releases at all but they are worth a few bucks if you have a hankering to revisit these films and do not already own them, just as long as you aren’t looking for an impressive release you will not be disappointed.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 22nd, bluray, creek, entertainment, july, mill, ...

Audio Book Reviews “Graphic Audio: Marvel”

Release Date: Jun 9, 2014 / Apr 7, 2014
Approximate Running Time: 5 / 6 Hours
Number of CDs: 5
Content Rating: Ages 13+

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Do you love comic books? Do you love audio books? Have you always wanted to hear your comics acted out like “a movie in your mind”? Well Graphic Audio now has your prayers answered. This year they have already released two fantastic comic books arcs for Marvel in audio book format. They have full casts, cinematic music and sound effects. While you are listening to these you literally can visualize the comic and you feel like you are right in the middle of the action. The most recent Marvel comic they released was the story of “Iron Man: Extremis”. This is a great choice for the character of Iron Man. The other earlier this year was “The Ultimates: Against All Enemies”, which is a very epic series for Marvel. Graphic Audio has tons of other great products as well and I hope that they will be doing much more Marvel and DC comics in the near future. Might I suggest the recent “Original Sin” series next?!

Here is the cast for “Iron Man: Extremis”: Richard Rohan, Richard Cutting, Sherry Berg, Andy Brownstein, Maboud Ebrahimzadeh, Kimberly Gilbert, Michael John Casey, Scott Graham, Nora Achrati, Jacob Yeh, Steve Wannall, David Harris, Christopher Graybill, Evan Casey, Drew Kopas, Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey, Sasha Olinick, Nanette Savard, Rex Anderson, Rebecca Sheir, Matthew Schleigh, Tim Pabon and James Lewis

“Iron Man: Extremis” Official Premise: Advanced technology has given Iron Man life, but now that same future tech threatens to become Stark’s death. A dangerous terrorist has ingested a new techno-organic virus, transforming him into a superhuman killing machine. Now immensely powerful, but driven mad by the virus’ effects, the terrorist is seemingly unstoppable. To halt this madman’s psychotic rampage, Iron Man must face this dangerous new virus head-on…in a life-or-death battle that will forever alter Stark’s calculated balance between man and machine. Experience Warren Ellis and Adi Granov’s blockbuster re-imagining of the armored Avenger like never before in this new adaptation!

Here is the cast for “The Ultimates: Against All Enemies”: Richard Rohan, James Keegan, Richard Cutting, Jefferson Russell, Eric Messner, Laura C. Harris, Danny Gavigan, Christopher Scheeren, Andy Brownstein, Bradley Smith, Steve Wannall, Nanette Savard, Diedra Starnes, Rex Anderson, Andy Clemence, Joe Brack, Jonathon Church, Rebecca Sheir, Daniel Sonntag, Joel David Santner, Eric Singdahlsen, Jonathan Watkins, Matthew Keenan, David Harris and Thomas Keegan

“The Ultimates: Against All Enemies” Official Premise: Stark Industries has developed a technology to detect the alien Chitauri using on-the-spot DNA screening. The American defence department intends to make the technology widely available, but someone in the government puts a stop to it. Captain America sees the government’s suppression of the Stark technology as evidence that the people making such decisions are themselves compromised. Using as his model Franklin D. Roosevelt’s executive orders during World War II, he begins to gather power to himself and those Ultimates and government officials sympathetic to his authoritarian approach so that power can be concentrated in the hands of those capable of taking quick and decisive action. Hank Pym, who desperately wants back on the Ultimates team, has been feverishly working with his ants in the hopes of finding something that will help defeat the Chitauri. When his ants attack one of his research assistants, who turns out to be a Chitauri, Captain America resolves his differences with Pym and the new team begins work on what they call Operation High Hopes.

Blu-ray Reviews “Ebirah, Horror of the Deep”, “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” & “Godzilla vs. Gigan”

Directors: Yoshimitsu Banno, Jun Fukuda
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Section 23
DVD Release Date: May 6, 2014
Run Time: 88 / 86 / 90 minutes

“Ebirah, Horror of the Deep”: 3 out of 5 stars
“Godzilla vs. Hedorah”: 3.5 out of 5 stars
“Godzilla vs. Gigan”: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1/2 out of 5 stars

This year is no question, the year of Godzilla. With Warner Bros and Legendary’s reboot hitting theaters on May 16th, everyone is in Godzilla overload. Joining the craze, Kraken Releasing is jumping on the the kaiju (giant monster) love by bringing us the first U.S. Blu-ray release of three classic films featuring the world’s most famous giant reptile. The first is “Ebirah, Horror of the Deep” (1966), which was originally released in the U.S. in 1968 under the title “Godzilla Vs. The Sea Monster”. Next we have “Godzilla vs. Hedorah” (1971), which was released theatrically in the U.S in 1972 as “Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster”. Lastly, we get “Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)”, which was was released theatrically in the U.S in 1977 as “Godzilla on Monster Island”.

“Ebirah, Horror of the Deep” was never really one of my favorite “Godzilla” films. It takes like a solid 45 minutes just to see the giant lizard. Besides the title character and our green friend, Mothra also pops in towards the end as well. For me this is a great one for the collection to be complete but I would much prefer to watch “Godzilla vs. Hedorah”. Even though this one only has one other monster besides Godzilla, Heodrah is quite badass . “Godzilla vs. Gigan” was always one of my favs growing up. When you have monsters like Godzilla, Gigan, King Ghidorah and Anguirus all together, shit is bound to get crazy.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)” Official Premise: When Ryota’s brother Yata disappears at sea, the intrepid youth and his friends join forces with a slightly trustworthy bank robber, steal a boat and go after him! Of course, there’s the little problem that Yata may be lost on a mysterious island where the evil terrorist organization Red Bamboo has enslaved natives to make heavy water for nefarious purposes. And that means dealing with the island’s monstrous, 164 feet tall guardian Ebirah, as well as Red Bamboo’s arsenal of super advanced weaponry. On the plus side, help may be at hand in the form of a nubile island girl, two tiny fairies, their giant protector Mothra and the big G himself, the mighty Godzilla. Surviving the results of all that “assistance” may not be guaranteed, but Red Bamboo will never want to tangle with teenagers AND Godzilla at the same time again!

“Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)” Official Premise: Forget about acid rain and global warming! The worst ecological nightmare is actually Hedorah, which starts off small but quickly mutates into a giant flying monster capable of wiping out all life on whatever unfortunate planet it lands on! And since Hedorah grows by consuming the toxic gases and chemicals mankind has spilled into the air and water, in the early 1970s that means that its potential growth is unlimited! Fortunately for the human race, the Earth has an ultimate green defender who doesn’t need to sing protest songs or try to enact new laws to get things done. Because nobody, and nothing, can stop Godzilla when he decides to push an environmental issue, and while Hedorah may be the dirtiest opponent Godzilla has ever faced, his name is going to be mud by the time he’s been stomped into the whole Earth a few dozen times.

“Godzilla Vs. Gigan (1972)” Official Premise: When alien invaders, plans for a children’s theme park and four giant monsters with six heads between them all collide, the result is the inevitable battle for the fate of the Earth. At least, that’s how it is for Godzilla, who teams up with his former spiky foe Anguirus for a tag team match against two of his greatest adversaries: the legendary three headed King Ghidorah and Gigan, the cyborg hench-monster for insidious insect aliens whose plot to wipe out all human life is cleverly disguised as plans for the construction of a new children’s theme park. Unfortunately for the bug’s diabolical designs, their secret monster control codes are accidentally discovered by comic book artist Gengo Kotaka, who broadcasts the master tape and brings Team Godzilla into play. It’s not going to be an easy fight, though, as the odds are four heads to two, and King Ghidorah’s one of Godzilla’s toughest opponents. With his cybernetic weaponry Gigan is equally ruthless, and his alien masters are as hard to kill as the cockroaches they resemble. Will Earth’s biggest defenders finally fall? Or will Godzilla, and insecticide, triumph over all?

When I watched these three films, I was really looking to be quite critical on the transfers but both Kraken Releasing really hooked these films up with very solid 1080p transfers. The special effects by by Teruyoshi Nakano still look very sharp and the colors are also very vibrant. You can literally even seen the slight blood on Godzilla’s nose when he is getting beaten down, which I thought was amazing. In terms of audio, we get both the English dubbed and original Japanese versions with English subtitles. Of course, depending on your mood, the Japanese takes a serious approach and the English dubs are laughable but still enjoyable. Lastly in terms of special features, the only extra on each of these three Blu-rays are just an original Japanese trailer for each film.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: bluray, deep, ebirah, gigan, godzilla, hedorah, ...

Blu-ray Reviews “Gamera: Ultimate Collection – Volume 1 & 2”

Created by: Yonejiro Saito
Portrayed by: Teruo Aragaki, Umenosuke Izumi
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
DVD Release Date: April 29, 2014
Run Time: 345 / 343 minutes

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Besides me, who simply cannot get enough of giant monsters battling giant monsters. Originally conceived as a rival to Toho’s “Godzilla” franchise, “Gamera” has become a cult classic series. With its tagline “Guardian of the Universe. Friend of all children!”, the giant turtle has protected the people of Japan and kicked some monster ass for many years starting back in 1965. These two new volume Blu-ray sets are available for the first time ever, thanks to Mill Creek Entertainment.

Each of these volumes include four of Daiei Studios’ monster series in the Showa series including “Gamera: The Giant Monster (1965)”; “Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)” , “Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)” and “Gamera vs. Viras (1968)” in volume 1. Volume 2 includes the following “Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)”; “Gamera vs. Jiger (1970)” ; “Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)” (one of my favorites) and “Gamera: Super Monster (1980)”. These films have been restored to their original Japanese cuts and have never looked better and a price point of under $15 dollars that makes this a no-brainer purchase.

Mill Creek Entertainment has really been behind the franchise for years. Back in 2011, they also released the three Heisei trilogy films on Blu-ray with glorious transfer. The same is the case with these films. They really did a phenomenal job hooked this eight films up with a solid high definition 1080p transfer. The color reproduction is very impressive and even though there is some age here and there it is quickly overlooked due to a vibrant print. The only part that stuck me by surprise is no English dub track here. There is only a Japanese 2.0 Dolby Digital track with English subtitles. included for all eight films. It works but still could have used at least an HD audio track.

Volume 1 includes the following “Gamera” films:
“Gamera: The Giant Monster (1965)” Official Premise: The first entry of this Sci-Fi epic takes place midst the peak of the Cold War, as conflict between the East and West transforms into a nuclear disaster! This atomic explosion releases more than massive radiation, it awakens an ancient and long-forgotten legend of Gamera!

“Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)” Official Premise: Once the fear of Tokyo, Gamera returns to Earth to save it from the malevolent monster Barugon who is able to freeze anything its path. This unholy battle between fire and ice challenges the survival of mankind while bringing them an incredible slam-bang, knock-down monster slug-fest!

“Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)” Official Premise: The third entry of this classic monster series continues when a volcanic eruption awakens Gyaos, a gigantic vampire-like bat who has a ravenous hunger for blood. Gyaos is Gamera s most popular foe, returning in four more films (not counting the stock footage in SUPER MONSTER). Can the fire-spitting terrapin Garmera defeat this nocturnal beast?

“Gamera vs. Viras (1968)” Official Premise: The reign of terror continues when aliens take two boy scouts hostage to blackmail Gamera into aiding their invasion of Earth. When that plan fails the giant alien leader Viras battles the flying turtle in a duel to the death.

Volume 2 includes the following “Gamera” films:
“Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)” Official Premise: Gamera, the giant flying turtle, spins into action when two young boys board a spaceship and are hijacked to a strange planet on the other side of the sun. While the boys evade the clutches of two brain-hungry alien beauties, Gamera must deal with a knife-nosed monster named Guiron.

“Gamera vs. Jiger (1970)” Official Premise: The fire-breathing action continues as Gamera battles one of his greatest foes, Jiger, a horned monster reminiscent of the Triceratops. Drawn to the World Expo in Osaka by an ancient statue, the evil reptile injects Gamera with its parasitic offspring to eliminate the super turtle.

“Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)” Official Premise: The shark-like alien Zigra attacks Earth to enslave the human race as food. Aided by spacewoman X-1, Zigra s wicked plan goes swimmingly until the invaders are challenged by Gamera and confounded by two troublemaking kids.

“Gamera: Super Monster (1980)” Official Premise: The final entry of the Showa Gamera series plays as a highlight reel reviving all of the previous evil monsters. When the alien Zanon tries to conquer Earth with an army of monsters, three superwomen enlist the help of Gamera to foil the invader’s plans.

Besides the films, there are no special features at all includes on these Blu-ray, which is a little bit of a letdown but I am sure it was due to licensing not laziness. So now that these films are available on Blu-ray, it actually completed the entire franchise of “Gamera” presented in high-definition. The only film not released by Mill Creek Entertainment on Blu-ray is the 2006 film “Gamera the Brave”, which is in the Millennium series. So if you want to complete your set, this is also available now from Tokyo Blasters.

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Blu-ray Reviews “The Toho Godzilla Collection”

Rated: PG / PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: May 6, 2014
Run Time: Approx 215 minutes per combo pack

“Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla vs. Mothra”: 4 out of 5 stars
“Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II / Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla”: 4 out of 5 stars
“Godzilla vs. Destoroyah / Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”: 3.5 out of stars
“Godzilla: Tokyo SOS / Godzilla: Final Wars: 5 out of 5 stars

With the release of Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures reboot of “Godzilla” on the horizon for a May 16th theatrical release, this brand has never been hotter right now. Luckily Sony (and other studios as well) are taking advantage of this and release a 8 of the 28 Japanese made Godzilla films in the series on Blu-ray for the first time ever. If you are a Godzilla film and are going crazy trying to get as much merch as you can, then these are no brainer purchases, especially for the low price of under $15 for each double-feature Blu-ray release. The upcoming releases will be part of The Toho Godzilla Collection. Included films are “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla vs. Mothra” in the first double feature set, “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II / Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla” in the second, “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah / Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” in the third and “Godzilla: Tokyo SOS / Godzilla: Final Wars” in last. These Godzilla films range from 1991-2004 and let’s hope that Sony has more of these double-features planned this year!

One thing that I have always loved about these films besides Godzilla himself are the monsters that he is fighting. These Blu-ray’s show each of additional monsters included in each film and I think that is mega cool. For “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah”, the creatures we get are listed right in the title. “Godzilla vs. Mothra” includes those two and also Battra. “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II” kicks it up a notch with four additional characters along with the title ones including Baby Godzilla, Rodan, Fire Rodan and Super Mechagodzilla. With “Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla”, we get the two listed and alos Fairy Mothra, Little Godzilla and Moguera. “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” also gives us Godzilla Junior. Along with “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”, we also meet Meganulon. “Godzilla: Tokyo SOS” meets the King of Monsters up against Megagodzilla, Mothra and Kamoebas. “Godzilla: Final Wars” is the the last and ultimate monster feature. Including Godzilla, there are a total of 15 monster like Gigan, King Caesar, Anguirus, Kumonga, Kamacuras, Ebriah, Manda, Hedorah, Rodan, Minilla, Mothra, Monster X I & II and Zilla. Whew!

These films on each of these four releases have all been remastered in high definition. Having seen some of these earlier film as a kid like “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah” and “Godzilla vs. Mothra” on either Saturday afternoon TV or VHS, let’s just say these films looks spectacular. Each of the 1080p transfers on these films look simply fantastic. I was very impressed with each transfer. Sticking with those two films, they are presented in their original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. Both come with Japanese and English audio boasting a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 on each. Now if you are a fan of Godzilla films then you know that the English dubs are easily just as much fun as the Japanese original tracks. They are almost laughable but add a lot to the film, so I actually watched each of these two one with each track and it really felt like two different experiences.

“Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)” Official Premise: When a mysterious U.F.O. is seen flying over Tokyo, tension mounts, until the craft’s occupants reveal themselves to be friendly aliens from the 23rd century who have come to warn mankind that Godzilla will soon awaken and wreak havoc upon the earth unless he is destroyed. Meanwhile, a double threat arrives in the form of King Ghidorah, Godzilla’s flying three-headed archrival and an evil and all-powerful android. The suspense builds to terrifying levels as the alien’s sinister mission on Earth is gradually revealed and Godzilla must wage a solo battle against these evil forces who want to destroy mankind.

“Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)” Official Premise: After a series of earthquakes unearth a gigantic orb, a trio of Japanese explorers are dispatched to the mysterious Infant Island to investigate. There they discover the island’s sole inhabitants, miniature twin women whose duty is to protect the mammoth ball, the egg of Mothra! When the explorers attempt to bring the egg back to the mainland, a furious Godzilla awakens from the depths and attacks the party, causing the egg to hatch and forcing its newborn larvae to fend off the gigantic monster. The humongous worm holds its own until help arrives in the form of Battra. When Mothra and Battra metamorphose into flying monster moths, the battle rages on land and in the sky. With two powerful foes to reckon with, has Godzilla finally met his match?

Next up is “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II / Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla” deliver slightly different specs with their release. “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II” comes in it’s original aspect ratio: 1.85:1 but with this release the Japanese track gets a boost with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and the English track gets a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Both represent the film well but I would have to do with the Japanese track here for sure. With “Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla”, we get the same original aspect ratio: 1.85:1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks on both the Japanese and English tracks.

“Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)” Official Premise: Built with the utmost in 20th-century technology, Mechagodzilla is the ultimate in Godzilla-busting weaponry. Fueled by a nuclear reactor and sheathed in a synthetic diamond shield, the mammoth metal robot is Japan’s greatest hope for ending Godzilla’s reign of terror. Meanwhile, on a remote island polluted by nuclear waste, a team of scientists discover a giant egg in a Pteranodon nest, and bring it home for study. When BabyGodzilla hatches, both Rodan and Godzilla return to claim the cuddly infant as their own. Will their monstrous maternal instincts cause a custody battle capable of destroying Mother Earth? Or will Mechagodzilla prove an effective eradicator, leaving BabyGodzilla an orphan for life?

“Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)” Official Premise: The powers of telepathy enter the ranks of high technology in this supernatural, super-powered Godzilla adventure! The military minds behind Japan’s special Counter G Bureau enter the New Age with Project T, in which a telepathic amplifier is implanted in Godzilla’s brain in order to bring the giant monster under control. And just in time! In a faraway galaxy, the mutant SpaceGodzilla turns its evil eyes toward earth, planning to terminate Godzilla and conquer the planet for its own. With the Japanese Mafia infiltrating Counter G, the Bureau needs all the help it can get. Will Japan’s greatest enemy Godzilla become its closest ally?

Switching it up again, in terms of specs, “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah / Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” delivers another impressive A/V experience. “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” comes in original aspect ratio: 1.85:1 like the four films. We also take a slight step back though with both the Japanese and English audio coming loaded with an DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 surround tracks. “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” expands a little with the original aspect ratio coming with 2.35:1. This film also comes with both the Japanese and English audio roaring with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track.

“Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995)” Official Premise: With a super-charged blast from his nuclear past, a new Godzilla emerges from his own ashes, radioactive and ready to take on Tokyo! The great monster’s nuclear energy is increasing by the minute, and a monster meltdown threatens to vaporize the planet. But when mutant micro-organisms unleash a plague of destruction, Godzilla is Japan’s only hope to destroy them. This victory creates Godzilla’s deadliest challenge yet: Destoroyah. And with Godzilla Junior pulled into the ring, only the Super XIII can put the deep freeze on this three-way monster melee.

“Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)” Official Premise: Five years after Godzilla terrorized the city of Osaka, Japanese scientists have developed a sure-fire way to finally destroy Japan’s monster nemesis. They have created the world’s first man-made black hole, which will trap Godzilla for eternity! But during a testing of this new Dimension Tide, an insect caught in the hole mutates, producing gargantuan eggs that give birth to a new menace: giant dragonfly monsters called Meganula. Meganula queen, the 50-meter Megaguirus, is also on a hunt for Godzilla, needing to steal his energy to survive. From the sky down to the depths of a city’s underground sewer tunnels, Megaguirus, Godzilla, and humankind battle for supremacy.

“Godzilla: Tokyo SOS / Godzilla: Final Wars” are the last of the set and in fact the last two Japanese produced Godzilla films to date. “Final Wars” came in 2004, so it has been 10 years since we have had a new “guy in a a suit” Godzilla feature film. “Godzilla: Tokyo SOS” comes in its original aspect ratio: 2.40:1, while “Godzilla: Final Wars” comes with its original aspect ratio: 1.85:1. Both of them come stocked with very impressive and wall shaking Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks. “Final Wars” is quite the epic film and it was a blast to watch this crazy flick on Blu-ray.

“Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)” Official Premise: Mechagodzilla, the superior-armed, state-of-the-art, all-robot version of Godzilla, is undergoing repairs after his devastating battle against the world’s monsters. Twin tiny women appear and warn scientists to stop rebuilding Mechagodzilla but their warning goes unheeded. As the great robot nears completion, a series of mysterious incidents rock the world and awaken Godzilla, who unleashes a reign of terror against Tokyo. Mothra joins him and Japan’s desperate Prime Minister has no choice but to launch the unfinished Mechagodzilla against Mothra and Godzilla. But who will fight for whom? And in the end – will the survivor be monster, robot or man?

“Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)” Official Premise: Godzilla’s 50th Anniversary project and costliest adventure to date out of 28 films. Earth has been relatively peaceful since Godzilla was successfully buried deep in ice beneath the South Pole. Then — sometime a few years hence – several of his old nemeses return to wreak havoc on cities worldwide. A huge spaceship suddenly appears and neutralizes all the monsters in a blink. The visitors are “Xiliens,” who take human form and announce they would like to negotiate a peace treaty that would replace the United Nations with a “United Universe.” They are indeed too good to be true, however. It doesn’t take long before their nefarious real purpose is exposed – conquering Earth. Greatly outmatched, Earth officials decide to de-freeze Godzilla as man’s only hope to vanish the invaders.

Going through the special features on these releases are going to be very easy…that is because there is really nothing much included here. On “Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah / Godzilla vs. Mothra”, “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II / Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla” and “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah / Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”, the only extras included are Original Trailers for each film. On “Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.”, there is an extra featurette called “The Making of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.” and then the Original Trailer. Same goes for “Godzilla: Final Wars”, there is a featurette “Godzilla: B-Roll to Film” and then the Original Trailer. I would have loved to see more in terms of extras but wasn’t expected too much especially since these are double features. I hope that Sony is planning future double features there are still plenty more Godzilla films left to release on Blu-ray.

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DVD Reviews “The FBI: The First-Seventh Seasons”

Cast: Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Philip Abbott, Stephen Brooks, William Reynolds, Lynn Loring
Seasons 1-7
Made-To Order DVD
Distributed: Warner Archive
Rating: Not Rated

Series Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“The FBI” was a long running crime drama, which spanned from 1965-1974. It ran 240 episodes over 9 seasons. The show starts Lynn Loring, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. and Stephen Brooks. He was replaced by William Reynolds after the second season. This show is known for delivering some great up and coming and also established talent for guest appearances (see below fore more). What is also most interesting about this show is that it continued to be successful throughout it run and in fact the sixth and seventh seasons where its most popular. J. Edgar Hoover was even a series consultantfor this show until his death in 1972. Fans of this show should get this seasons, while they are available!

Warner Archive is responsible for giving this show a revisited life on DVD. They have been releasing each season since 2011. Season seven is the latest to come out this year and I have a feeling that they should be able to wrap up the remaining two seasons as well before the end of 2014. They are made-to-order and will not be produced forever, so I expect these to become quite rare once the eight and ninth season are released and the series is complete.d They seasons have not been fully restored by Warner Bros but they are taken from the highest quality transfer available. So these episodes might show a little age but they are still impressive on DVD.

“The FBI: The First Season Part One” Official Premise: From the files of the crime-fighting agency! Drawing in large part from actual Bureau investigations, The FBI is on the case with an exciting 4-Disc Collection of Season One’s First 16 Episodes from the fondly remembered series that ran from 1965 to 1974. Agent Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Special Agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) rely on real-life FBI detection techniques (and the occasional hunch) as they track lawbreakers ranging from organized crime bosses and extortionists to saboteurs and escaped convicts.

“The FBI: The First Season Part Two” Official Premise: More action-packed stories from the files of the crime-fighting agency! Drawing in large part from actual Bureau investigations, The FBI is on the case with an exciting 4-Disc Collection of Season One Episodes 17-32 from the fondly remembered series that ran from 1965 to 1974. Agent Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Special Agent Jim Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) rely on real-life FBI detection techniques (and the occasional hunch) as they track lawbreakers ranging from political assassins and smugglers to spies and terrorists bent on destroying the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Season one packed some really amazing guest stars including Robert Blake, Beau Bridges, Dabney Coleman, Robert Duvall, Jack Klugman, Leslie Neilsen, Burt Reynolds, Ed Asner, Lew Ayres, Ed Begley, Charles Bronson, Colleen Dewhurst, Arthur Hill, Paul Lukas, Kevin McCarthy and Kurt Russell.

“The FBI: The Second Season Part One” Offcial Premise: The Sixties were kicking into full swing as The FBI moved into its sophomore season. Agents Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., more taciturn than ever) and Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) are dispatched to the far-flung corners of the USA by Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) to tackle the big ones – kidnapping, extortion, murder, espionage and terror. Produced with full government cooperation with stories drawn from the real files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, The FBI set a new high mark in the depiction of law enforcement on television, giving viewers TV that was equally thrilling as it was realistic.

“The FBI: The Second Season Part Two” Official Premise: The second half of The FBI’s sophomore season sees Agents Erskine ((Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and Rhodes (Stephen Brooks) battling threats both foreign and domestic at the behest of Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott). The action amps up to all-star heights in the two-part episode “The Executioners,” in which the agents take on a fractured La Cosa Nostra.

Season two saw the return of Robert Blake along with Ralph Meeker, Jack Lord, Richard Anderson, Fritz Weaver, Suzanne Pleshette, Ralph Bellamy, Gene Hackman, Alejandro Rey, Louis Jourdan, Peter Graves, Jessica Walter, Bradford Dillman, Charles Grodin, William Wellman, Jr, Walter Pidgeon, Telly Savalas, Susan Strasberg, Celeste Holm and Robert Duvall.

“The FBI: The Third Season Part One” Official Premise: Shortly before the Summer of Love signaled a radical shift in popular culture, the smartly dressed agents of The FBI marshaled their talents to keep the nations safe from a myriad of menaces both foreign and domestic. Under the auspices of legendary executive producer Quinn Martin, The FBI’s third season had the craft of creating teleplays “produced with full government cooperation and based on real FBI cases” down to a science – well before today’s forensic descendants. Special guest stars playing victims and victimizers of the Cold War and the war on crime waged by Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds).

“The FBI: The Third Season Part Two” Official Premise: They’re straight arrows, all right – and they’re aimed right at our country’s foes. The second half of The FBI’s third season sees the nation’s enemies take a decided turn to the worst. Bank robbers, blackmailers, saboteurs, defectors, embezzlers, their victims and accomplices. Among the specific case crimes drawn from the real files of the FBI and tackled by Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) and company in this compendium are espionage, extortion, kidnapping, murder and interstate transport. So strap on your badge and fire up the Ford.

Season three includes film noir queen Phyllis Thaxter, ’60s siren Carol Lynley, and stage and screen stalwarts Henry Silva, Kevin McCarthy, William Windom, Anne Baxter, Bradford Dillman, Lynn Bari, Fritz Weaver, Robert Walker and Suzanne Pleshette and the return of Ed Asner with Martin Sheen as a deadly pair of kidnapping brothers.

“The FBI: The Fourth Season” Official Premise: As the Summer of Love faded to the winter of our national discontent in the fall of 1968, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds), and Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) continue to battle the nation’s enemies, foreign and domestic. Delivering drama at the height of its powers, The FBI’s well-oiled machine of TV talent continued to draw in the star power – both the iconic and the up-and-coming.

Season four delivers appearances from golden age great Ralph Bellamy, TV superstar Chad Everett as well as include Dawn Wells, Susan Strasberg, Dorothy Provine, Cicely Tyson, Lynda Day, Gene Tierney, Dean Stockwell, Robert Duvall, Harrison Ford, James Caan, and young teenage Ron Howard.

“The FBI: The Complete Fifth Season” Official Premise: As the Sixties come to an end and a new decade begins, it’s business as usual for Inspector Lewis Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) and the men and women of the FBI as they continue to protect America from enemies within, in this hard-hitting fifth season collection. Inspired by actual cases and produced with the personal support of J. Edgar Hoover, these 26 action-packed episodes find Erskine, Special Agent Tom Colby (William Reynolds) and assistant director Arthur Ward (Philip Abbott) on the hunt for murderers, kidnappers, bank robbers, hijackers, extortionists, communist spies and more.

Season five’s guest stars include now Oscar winners Robert Duvall (again) and Jeff Bridges, Hitchcock femmes Vera Miles and Laraine Day, Anne Francis, Sam Elliott, Jack Klugman, David Cassidy, Joe Don Baker, Cicely Tyson and Harrison Ford (again).

“The FBI: The Complete Sixth Season” Official Premise: At the dawn of the Seventies the Culture War captured as much attention as the Cold War, and the storylines seen in this sixth season of The FBI (drawn from real Bureau files) reflected this. While still on the watch for saboteurs and spies acting as agents for foreign powers, the dedicated crimebusters of the Bureau, as personified by Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds), and Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) were just as likely to be tasked with tracking down psychotic Vietnam veterans or stopping college kids with a terrorist bent.

“The FBI: The Complete Seventh Season” Official Premise: As the 70s came into its own, the intrepid agents of the FBI saw the Cold War and the Culture War cool down, but the domestic war on crime start to come to a boil. Whether its suburban salesmen roiling with self-loathing who plan the perfect crime (Bradford Dillman) and don¹t care who they cross in the process (an ice-cold Clu Gulager), crushed lumber merchants with a fail-proof kidnap cache (John Colicos), or syndicate-raised hit-men with the heart of an angel (Martin Sheen, redeemed by Meg Foster), the intrepid professionals of the bureau, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.), Special Agent Colby (William Reynolds) and Assistant Director Ward (Philip Abbott) have the savvy and the science to bring them all to heel.

Season six continues the trend of great guest stars including Martin Sheen (again), Joan Van Ark, Billy Dee Williams, Robert Loggia, Bradford Dillman, Dabney Coleman, Suzanne Pleshette, and William Shatner (playing as a rogue customs officer turned drug dealer!).
Guest stars from season seven include Lindsay Wagner, Mark Hamill, Dabney Coleman, Stefanie Powers and Vic Tayback. So if you are a fan of this show, I couldn’t recommend these seasons enough.

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Blu-ray Reviews “Evangelion: 1.11” and “Evangelion: 2.22”

Actors: Colleen Clinkenbeard, Spike Spencer, Allison Keith-Shipp
Directors: McFarland, Hideaki Anno
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Funimation
DVD Release Date: March 09, 2010 / March 29, 2011
Run Time: 98 / 108 minutes

Films: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“Neon Genesis Evangelion” is no question one of my favorite animes of all time. It is also one hell of a confusing and strange anime as well, especially in its closing episodes. Fans has been wanting more ever since it only consists of 26 episodes and ended all the way back in 1997. Hideaki Anno decided to “rebuild” the series instead of continuing it. That is where “Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone” and “Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance” come into play. These are two of four feature films, which are the redo of the “Neon Genesis Evangelion” anime series that give Hideaki Anno the chance to deliver the show the way that he initially envisioned it and this time not being restricted by technology and budget. I have to admit, I love this show and I love even more these redoes, the series was great but it did have some problems. The colors are so much more sharp and the CG effects added really lend a lot of new polish to this series. Overall, the animation just looks so much more crisp. Plus since “Neon Genesis Evangelion” has never been released on Blu-ray, this is a great way to experience what I like to call “the best of” of the series but together. I have to admit, I even feel that at times I am watching an entirely new show since they have really advanced this show so much. A must have for any fan!

Official Premise for “Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone”: The stunning rebuild of the anime masterpiece is now extended and enhanced with never before seen new animation and 266 visual and audio improvements. Tokyo-3 still stands after most of civilization was decimated in the Second Impact. Now the city endures the ceaseless onslaught of the deadly Angels, bizarre creatures bent on eradicating the human race. To combat this strange and ruthless enemy, the government agency NERV constructs a fleet of towering humanoid machines – the Evas – and Shinji Ikari is called into action, reluctantly taking his place at the controls of Eva Unit 01. Living a life of loneliness and questioning his existence, Shinji struggles to accept responsibility for mankind’s battle for survival in this visually striking rebuild of one of the most important anime of all time. Shinji will fight the Angels alongside the only person who might understand his plight – Rei Ayanami, the elusive and frail pilot of Eva Unit 00. In this film experience not to be missed, Shinji and Rei will struggle to learn a simple truth: when carrying the burden of humanity’s survival on your shoulders, you are not alone.

Official Premise for “Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance”: The landmark anime Evangelion evolves, reaching new heights of intensity in the feature film: Evangelion 2.22. In this explosive new story, brutal action and primal emotion clash as a group of young pilots maneuver their towering cyborg Eva Units into combat against a deadly and disturbing enemy. In the battle to prevent the apocalyptic Third Impact, Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity’s hopes on their shoulders. Now, as the onslaught of the bizarre, monstrous Angels escalates, they find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots, the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. In this thrilling experience for fans of giant robot destruction, the young pilots fight desperately to save mankind – and struggle to save themselves.

Even though this series was made in the late 90’s, the Blu-ray presentation does not represent that at all. In fact both “Evangelion 1.11: You are (Not) Alone” and “Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance” are absolutely stunning. Their 1080p transfers presented with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 are absolutely brilliant. The mix of the regular animation with the CG effects work so well and really gives this amazing anime the face lift it deserves. The colors like I mentioned are so vibrant and the line detail really looks amazing on Blu-ray. There are two audio tracks included the English dub and original Japanese track, both in Dolby TrueHD 6.1. I have to admit, they are both freaking epic. I LOVE the Japanese track so much but I remember watching the English dub on Adult Swim also so it holds a special place as well. The action and the amazing music in the show are captured so well and when those cyborgs go to battle hold on to the frames on your walls!

In terms of special features, I wasn’t as blown away as I would have hoped but they are still good and worth checking out. “Evangelion 1.11: You are (Not) Alone” is much weaker of the two in this area. First up we have “Rebuild of Evangelion”, which is a collection of a storyboards, animatics and test footage mixed with new CG footage. There is an “Angel of Doom” promotional video and a few short News Alerts, There are also some trailers included and remixes of “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Beautiful World.” “Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance” learned from the first releases mistake and amped up things a little bit (but not much). There is a U.S. Cast Commentary, which is quite interesting and definitely informative. “Rebuild of Evangelion 2.02” is another collection of animatics from storyboards to CGI rendering and also backed to great music. “I Would Give You Anything Noguchi Version” is a remix version of the film’s song. “Omitted Scenes” includes four short scenes in various aspects of animation. Lastly, there are a few trailers and TV spots included along with an amazing 20 insert booklet giving great information on the franchise.

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DVD Reviews “Dragons: Riders of Berk – Part 1 & 2”

Actors: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, T.J. Miller, Julie Marcus, Nolan North
Directors: Joe Sichta, John Eng, John Sanford, Louie del Carmen
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: July 23, 2013
Run Time: 299 / 255 minutes

Series: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love “How to Train Your Dragon”? It is easily one of Dreamworks best animated features to date. So when I heard that they were making an animated series, I was really excited. Even more so that it actually contains original voice talent from the film including Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Zack Pearlman, and more. Fox is releasing the first 20 episodes of this exciting and fun show which aired in its first season in a two part DVD set. This show holds the same charm that the animated film has, including action, heart and humor. So if you love the film, then you need to immediately watch this show for sure. Also keep an eye out for the new second season of DreamWorks’ “Dragons: Defenders of Berk” returns this Fall on Cartoon Network (note the new title).

Episodes include on Part 1 are “How to Start a Dragon Academy”, “Viking For Hire”, “Animal House”, “The Terrible Twos”, “In Dragons We Trust”, “Alvin and the Outcasts”, “How to Pick Your Dragon”, “Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man”, “Dragon Flower”, “Heather Report Part I”, and “Heather Report Part II”. Episodes included on Part 2 are “Thawfest”, “When Lightning Strikes”, “What Flies Beneath”, “Twinsanity”, “Defiant One”, “Breakneck Bog”, “Gem of a Different Color”, “We Are Family Part I”, and “We Are Family Part II”.

There is actually some decent special features included on these DVD as well. Part 1 & 2 included the following: “World of DreamWorks” and Sneak Peaks. Part 1 also includes “Dragon Tracker Part 1”, “Evolution of Thunderdrum” and “Heavy Metal” Dragon Mash-Up, while Part 2 includes “Dragon Tracker Part 2”, “Evolution of Whispering Death”, “Fly High” Dragon Mash-Up. Definitely worth checking out if you are a fan of the series. Also each DVD comes with a code to unlock an ultimate battle pack on DreamWorks’ online and mobile game, “School of Dragons”. For more information, visit http://www.schoolofdragons.com.

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: 1, 2, berk, dragons, dvd, part, ...

Blu-ray Reviews “Adventure Time: The Complete First & Second Season”

Actors: Jeremy Shada, John DiMaggio, Hyden Walch, Tom Kenny
Created by: Pendleton Ward
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Cartoon Network
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Running Time: 572 minutes

Seasons: 5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

I have to admit, I was not aware of this amazing show when it first started airing. I came in around the third season but I have never seen anything like this before. “Adventure Time” is an amazing blend of animation with fantasy and plenty of comedy. It is trippy, strange and completely weird but impossible not to love. The show’s creator Pendleton Ward is just 30 years old and has really delivered us a fantastic show not just for kids either, this show is for “kids” of all ages. There are some many pop-culture references through this series that literally brings out the fanboy in all of us. If you have never heard of “Adventure Time”, now is the perfect time to start. If you are a die-hard fan like myself, need I say more?

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and Cartoon Network has released numerous DVDs for “Adventure Time” in the last few years but just recently started getting into the complete seasons, which I am big fan of. This is the first time that The Complete First Season is available on Blu-ray and also the first time that The Complete Second Season is available at all in full. Together these releases brings us, the fans, 52 episodes of this amazing show in glorious high definition. They also come in very cool slipcases. First season is Finn with a removable hat and the second season, surprised it isn’t Jake, is The Ice King, with removable beard. Very clever and a nice added touch!

The Complete First Season Official Synopsis: What time is it? It’s time for Adventure Time! Cartoon Network’s #1 hit comedy show and Emmy-nominated series centers on the post apocalyptic adventures of Finn (voiced by Jeremy Shada), a human boy with a funny hat, and his friend Jake (John DiMaggio), a magic and mischievous dog. The Blu-ray includes all 26 episodes from Season 1 and tons of special features by Ward. The first season also comes packaged with a collectible slipcover and is a must have for any Adventure Time fan.

The Complete Second Season Official Synopsis: It’s one crazy adventure after another for human boy, Finn, and his best friend, Jake, a 28-year old dog with magical powers. They’re out to have the most fun possible and they sure do find it exploring the Land of Ooo! Whether it’s saving Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch), battling zombie candy, taunting the Ice King (Tom Kenny) or rocking out with Marceline the Vampire Queen (Olivia Olson), with Finn & Jake it’s always Adventure Time.

Like I said before the episodes looks quite amazing with their 1080p transfers and aspect ratio of 1.78:1. I watched this show on Cartoon Network HD and this really gives the show a real impressive make over. The most disappointing aspect of this release is the audio tracks. Oh man, they really let us down here. Each season only comes with a weak Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps) track. This is even bad for DVD standards. The show is dialogue based, so it doesn’t suffer too much but if I am upgrading this series, especially for the first season on Blu-ray, then I expect Blu-ray quality audio tracks.

The Complete First Season features the same extras, which are replicated from its previous DVD release. “Behind the Scenes” features the show’s creator Pen Ward show us around the show’s offices. To top that there is a “Behind the Behind the Scenes,” which includes more strangeness inside the show. “Adventure Time Music with Casey + Tim” is a featurette with the show’s composers Casey James Basichis and Tim Kiefer. There are also four commentary tracks including “Trouble in Lumpy Space” & “Prisoners of Love” with John DiMaggio, Jeremy Shada, Tom Kenny and Pen Ward; “Tree Trunks” by Bettie Ward and Polly Lou Livingston and “Ricardio the Heart Guy” with George Takei, Tom Kenny, Hynden Walch, Jeremy Shada and Pen Ward.

The Complete Second Season extras are not as bountiful as the first but it makes up for it in its content. There are literally 26 commentary tracks includes. If you are a fan of this show, each one is better than the next. There is also a featurette “The Crew of Adventure Time”, with them being interviewed by Pen Ward. Topping this release off is my favorite part, even though it is not much of a bonus feature, if you like digital copies then these two seasons releases include all the episodes available to be added to your Ultraviolet digital streaming account!

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Filed Under: DVD/Blu-Ray Reviews Tagged With: adventure, bluray, complete, reviews, season, time, ...

Blu-ray Reviews “Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part Two & The Snowmen”

Starring: Matt Smith, Jenna Louise-Coleman
Rated: Unrated
Studio: BBC Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: May 28, 2013
Run Time: 360 minutes / 60 minutes

“Series Seven, Part Two”: 4 out of 5 stars
“Series Seven, Part Two” Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
“The Snowmen”: 4 out of 5 stars
“The Snowmen” Extras: 3 out of 5 stars

“Series Seven, Part Two” picks up with Matt Smith in the role as the Eleventh Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman as his newest Companion, Clara. I have to admit, I absolutely love the new companion. She is easily my new favorite from the series reboot. She is so cute, sweet and very clever. She also has a great back story. The episodes included are: “The Bells of Saint John”, “The Rings of Akhaten”, “Cold War”, “Hide” , “Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS”, “The Crimson Horror”, “Nightmare in Silver” and “The Name of the Doctor”. The strongest episodes this season are easily “The Rings of Akhaten” and “The Name of the Doctor, the finale, which leads right into the 50th Anniversary episode…man November cannot come any sooner! Overall one of my favorite seasons!

“Doctor Who: Series Seven, Part Two” Official Premise: The Doctor kicks off this new run of adventures by searching for his companion Clara – an Impossible Girl he’s already lost twice. Together they find themselves battling monsters on distant alien planets, trapped in a Russian submarine with a deadly passenger, chasing terrifying ghosts, delving into the heart of the TARDIS, facing the Crimson Horror in Victorian Yorkshire, and coming face to face with an army of upgraded Cybermen. The action grows and the Doctor’s oldest secret threatens to be revealed as the world’s longest running science fiction series builds toward its explosive 50th anniversary.

Also being the released the same day by BBC is “Doctor Who: The Snowmen”, which is the 2012 Christmas special. It is also the first episode to star Jenna Louise-Coleman officially as The Doctor’s companion. She originally appeared in the first episode, “Asylum of the Daleks”, of the seventh series. The special also co-stars Richard E. Grant as Dr. Simeon, who also returns in finale of “Series Seven, Part Two” as the Great Intelligence. Also fun fact is that the voices of The Snowman is done by Ian McKellen and Juliet Cadzow as the Ice Governess. I thought this episode was one of my favorites of the Christmas specials. It was also the first of them that contains continuity to the series episodes, which made me like it even more.

“Doctor Who: The Snowmen” Official Premise: Christmas Eve 1892 and the falling snow is the stuff of fairy-tales. When the fairy-tale becomes a nightmare and a chilling menace threatens Earth, an unorthodox young governess, Clara, calls on the Doctor for help. But the Doctor is in mourning, reclusive and determined not to engage in the problems of the universe. As old friends return, will the Doctor really abandon humankind or will he fight to save the world – and Christmas – from the icy clutches of this mysterious menace?”

Now on to the concerns for “Doctor Who: The Snowmen”…fans are not thrilled since this is not a part of “Series Seven, Part Two” and is only available as a separate release. I am very curious if BBC will be releasing “The Snowmen” as part of “The Complete Seventh Series” set, which should be available later this year. But currently if you already own “Series Seven, Part One” and plan on picking up “Series Seven, Part Two”, they you also need to purchase “Doctor Who: The Snowmen” in order to complete the series officially.

Like usual BBC Home Entertainment is delivering this series and special with a solid 1080i transfer. As much as I would have loved to have full HD, these episodes look damn good. They also sound amazing with there DTS-HD 5.1 track on both releases. The special features are good but not outstanding like in past releases. ”Series Seven, Part Two” only has two extras included. There is a short prequel to the first episode in part two “The Bells of Saint John”. There is also a featurette about the characters “Clarence and the Whisperman”. On “The Snowman” release, the special features are a little better, including two prequel to “The Snowmen”, “Vastra Investigates” and “The Great Detective”. Lastly there is a behind-the-scenes look on the episode called “Clara’s White Christmas”. Good features, just not enough to make it worth it unless you are a die-hard fan.

Audio Book Reviews “Kingdom Keepers II-V”

Author: Ridley Pearson
Performed by: Christopher Lane, MacLeod Andrews
Publisher: Brilliance Audio on MP3-CD
Edition: Unabridged
Discs: 6, 10, 9, 11
Release Date: August 26, 2008, April 6, 2010; April 5, 2011; April 3, 2012
Running Time: 7 hours, 12 hours, 10 hours, 13 hours

Overall Series Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Flashback to November 2005 in Walt Disney World, I am on my honeymoon with my beautiful newly wed wife. We are strolling around the Magic Kingdom shops and I come across a rather interesting book titled “Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark”. And that was my first introduction to the world of Ridley Pearson. I believe I finished the book before I even got home from the honeymoon and hungry for more. I also went around and spreaded the word to my entire Disney family, who is also now hardcore fans of the series and Pearson’s work. “Kingdom Keepers II:” Disney at Dawn” arrived in 2008. The book was a fantastic continuation of the series of Finn and his friends. With the series on a hot streak the third installment as was up next “Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow” only two years later in 2010. Since the third book Ridley has been releasing a new episode every year with “Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play” in 2011 and “Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game” in 2012. This series not only gets better with each book it also reveals all new mysteries, adventures and villains that our heroes and their DHI’s have to face. A must have for an Disney fan!

The first “Kingdom Keepers” on audio book was performed by Gary Littman and the second book was performed Christopher Lane. Both books were well performed don’t get me wrong
but he third book was is performed by MacLeod Andrews and easily became my favorite of all the performers. In fact MacLeod also has continued with the series straight through the latest fifth book in the series “Shell Game”. I like the fact of keeping it uniform especially when it comes to audio books. When you listen to MacLeod you will understand what I mean. He is very animated and really gives a voice to these characters. His performance also feels very theatrical, which I believe stems from his background of working on numerous stage production in New York. I believe that in order to deliver a convincing and also entertaining job for a book reading that you need to be able to get behind as well as into the characters. As the series also progress within the third book through the fifth book, it also get more epic and ambitious. This is where MacLeod really steps up and delivers the action, the comedy and the drama all mixed together very well.

Brilliance Audio has been behind this series since the first book and have delivered impressive productions throughout the series. “Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn” in book form is 384 pages, while the audio book is about 7 hours long. I have always loved the second book and Lane goes a good job with his performance. “Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow” in book form clocked in a 560 pages, which is a nice length especially of young adult book. The book is performed by Macleod in just over 12 hours over 10 compact discs. The book edition of “Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play” closes out with 448 pages. The audio book runs 10 hours over 9 compact discs. Lastly, “Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game” totals up 560 pages in the book edition, while the audio book runs the longest at 13 hours and 17 minutes and over 11 compact disc. Here are the packaging dimensions for each audio book: “Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn”, “Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow” and “Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play” are both: 7 x 5 x 1.5 inches, while “Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game” comes in a smaller and more concise packaging 5.5 x 5 x 0.5 inches. I have to say that I prefer the slimmer packaging since it stands better without the added Styrofoam. Also inside each of the three boxes are the same content, which are the varied number of discs in white paper sleeves, so you are not loosing anything due to the smaller packaging. Am I allowed to say “Brilliant job Brilliance Audio!” 😉 Can’t wait till the audio book of “Kingdom Keepers VI: Dark Passage” coming Fall 2013.

“Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn” Official Premise: It’s supposed to be a happy day at the Magic Kingdom – the teenage holographic hosts have returned. But things go very wrong when a sudden lightning storm disrupts the celebration, and Amanda’s mysterious sister, Jez, disappears. The only clue is the sighting of a wild monkey in the Magic Kingdom during the storm. The mystery deepens as Finn is contacted by Wayne, an old man he hasn’t heard from in months. Wayne tells Finn that there’s trouble at the Animal Kingdom: the evil Overtakers have gained control of one of the computer servers that will be used to operate Daylight Holographic Imaging there. That means if any of the holographic hosts fall asleep, they will go into comas – permanently. Filled with action and brimming with the same meticulous detail as The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark (also available in audio from Brilliance Audio), this second audiobook in the series – Disney at Dawn – is the result of hands-on research behind the scenes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Younger and older listeners alike will get a glimpse into a second Disney kingdom. The wild rides have only just begun, and the clock is ticking. How long can the teens keep themselves awake in their quest to find their friend – and what happens if they fail?

“Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow” Official Premise: When Disney Imagineers installed hologram guides for the Magic Kingdom using teenage models, they had no idea the technology might backfire. But backfire it did: some nights when the kids go to sleep, they wake up in one of the Disney parks as holograms. The five teens have twice thwarted evil plots masterminded by Maleficent; but now Finn, Philby, Willa, Charlene, and Maybeck have another problem: Wayne, their mentor and head Imagineer, has mysteriously gone missing. Concerned that Wayne has been abducted by the Overtakers, the kids pick up a major clue from a close friend, Jess, whose dreams (nightmares, really) often accurately predict the future. This time, the clues from Jess’s dream lead the kids into Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Each clue seems tied to the last, and with the stakes growing ever higher, what starts out as a puzzle ends up as a fight for their lives. As they quest for a sword, take rides on Soarin’ and Maelstrom, have life-and-death encounters with a giant snake, and attempt to stop Maleficent, the Kingdom Keepers not only begin to decipher deeper meanings in the clues, but discover new truths about themselves and their ever-growing friendships.

“Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play” Official Premise: Just when life for the five Kingdom Keepers is beginning to settle down, an intriguing video suddenly appears on Philby’s computer at school. It’s a call to action: it seems that the Overtakers, a group of Disney villains, are plotting to rescue their two captured leaders, who were hidden away by Disney Imagineers after a recent violent encounter at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A staged attack by some mysterious new Overtakers at DisneyQuest confirms the Keepers’ fears. One of their own, Charlene, has been behaving oddly. Has she tired of her role as a Keeper, or is there something more sinister at play? When she’s caught sneaking into Epcot as a hologram — which is strictly against the group’s rules — Finn and Philby know the Keepers must act. The Keepers have so many puzzles to solve: has the impossible occurred? Have the Overtakers created their own holograms? Have they found a way to “jump” from the Virtual Maintenance Network onto the Internet, and if so, what does that mean for the safety of the Parks, and the spread and reach of the Overtakers? Are they recruiting an army of kids for their evil purposes? Trouble looms as the Kingdom Keepers struggle to differentiate friend from foe and battle new and increasingly dangerous enemies, all the while knowing they may be nearing a point of no escape.

“Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game” Official Premise: As the five Kingdom Keepers enter high school, everything is about to change. The Maintenance Base that controls all four parks in Disney World is under attack by the Overtakers, a group determined to change Disney forever. Relationships between the Keepers are no longer as simple as they once were. In fact, nothing is as simple as it once was. An after-hours visit to Typhoon Lagoon is a game changer. The Keepers lose one of their most valuable supporters. But there’s work to do. . . . The Disney Dream leaves Port Canaveral on a historic cruise to Los Angeles with a special treat in store for guests: the Disney Host Interactive teenage guides are on board. Finn, Maybeck, Charlene, Willa, and Philby join celebrity guests as the DHI experience moves to one of the most advanced cruise ships in the world. But all is not right belowdecks. Strange things are happening. Unexplained phenomena. Only the Kingdom Keepers know the truth behind their invitation to be in attendance: nearly every Disney villain is aboard the ship, including Maleficent. The Overtakers have infiltrated the cast and crew. And no one knows what they have planned. The Dream sets sail filled with enthusiastic guests and crew. But not for long. Maleficent takes over a video screen and warns the guests of trouble to come. With the ship arriving at the beaches of Castaway Cay—its first of many exotic ports of call—the Kingdom Keepers are under attack; back home the Base is threatened and about to fall. The Overtakers have expanded in ways never foreseen, and it’s clear they intend to use this element of surprise to accomplish what has eluded them so far: victory. But not if Finn Whitman and friends have anything to say about it.

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Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: audio, book, iii, iv, keepers, kingdom, ...

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