Avatar Review
Oh, Avatar. How you have been talked about this year. Some people were excited and yet some people were dreading you. I was one who had been looking forward to you but, did not venture out to the theaters to see you. After hearing about the initial buzz from general movie goers and hardcore critics alike, I felt like I made a good decision about not getting involved with you. When I was notified that I was going to be reviewing you on Blu-Ray, I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to do you justice. For all the time it had taken to make you, to generate your special effects, create this extravagant world, I started to feel bad that you had spent all of this time to make yourself so awesome and I wouldn’t even give you the time of day. So, I decided to open my heart and let down this wall of stone that had kept us apart and decided to give you that one chance….
After all that was said about the movie, I felt like most of the comments were negative towards it. “Too long”, “unoriginal”, “stupid”, “too racy”, “just like any other movie”, “predictable”, “exactly like that other movie named ______”. In response to these comments after watching the movie on Bluray and, ummmmmm….No. You are all silly. If you think this movie is any of those then I feel sorry for not being able to let go of enough and just enjoy a really great movie. The overall look of the movie is fantastic. There are plants, creatures, animals, surrounding, landscapes, even the atmosphere that just seem to actually take you off-world. Next you have the interesting amount of characters and how each are key to the past, present, and future of the whole world of Pandora. This movie had me so wrapped up in the story that I was on the edge of my recliner pretty much the whole time. Language is a factor in this movie for little ears. Some sort of nudity is present but, it’s not really what you might think.
Ryan’s Rating: 10 out of 10!!
Pros: A great thrilling tale with exquisite characters and a breathtaking environment. Visual stunning.
Cons: All the haters who are trying to ruin the movie experience for you!
Buy It
You can snag your copy of Avatar 
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
The 39 Clues Book Giveaway (Closed)
Hey everyone! I have something pretty neat-o to get the kiddos that read in and around your house geared up for some adventure during the summer.
The 39 Clues is a series of adventure books, combining reading, online gaming, and card collecting. Published by Scholastic, the main part of the series consists of ten books about the adventures of siblings Amy and Dan Cahill. They agree to the challenge in their grandmother Grace Cahill’s will and search for 39 clues scattered around the world.
Head on over and check out the video for Book 8 here .
A video has just surfaced that shows reporter William Michaels in an exclusive interview with Gordon Korman, author of Book 8: The Emperor’s Code. Gordon reveals extraordinary information: There are vital hints concealed in the artwork on the cover of Book 8 that could expose the location of the next Clue! Examine the artwork carefully, and your family could find out where the Book 8 Clue is hidden! http://www.the39clues.com/
Giveaway
I will be running a giveaway of the first two books of the series in commemoration of the release of book 8 that came out on April 6, 2010. It will be up to you to catch up but, at least I can giveaway the first two!
- (2) winners will receive (2) autographed book sets for Book #1 The Maze of Bones & Book #2 One False Note
How to Enter
Leave a comment on who these books would be for in your life!
Extra Entries Available
After you have completed the first entry, you are eligible for additional entries. Make sure you leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Each counts as one extra entry unless noted otherwise
- Subscribe to Daddy Digest by reader or email.
- Become a fan on my newly created Facebook Fan Page.
- Follow Daddy Digest on Twitter AND Tweet about the giveaway. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment. You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet. You must have at least 50 followers for this extra entry. You can tweet ” Enter to win an autographed 39 Clues book set from @daddydigest http://bit.ly/bvy4ZM “
This giveaway will end on May 13th at 10:00 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Giveaway is open to US entries. The winner must contact me in 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck to everyone!
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
The Great Mouse Detective
I’m just going to say it now. One of my definite choices in my top 5 Disney movies of all time is the Great Mouse Detective. Growing up, Basil of Baker Street was my first introduction into the world of the detective genre. I knew of Basil before I had even ever heard of Sherlock Holmes. This movie was also set in England and I was always very intrigued of how all of the characters sounded and acted.
When talented toymaker Hiram Flaversham is mousenapped, his winsome daughter Olivia turns to the most famous mouse detective of them all, Basil of Baker Street. Accompanied by his assistant and confidante, Dr. David Q. Dawson, Basil uncovers a villainous plot by the “slimy, contemptible sewer rat” Dr. Ratigan to replace Moustoria, Queen of Mice, with a look-alike robot and take control of the entire rodent population of London. Based on Eve Titus’s book Basil of Baker Street, The Great Mouse Detective channels the spirit of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation into a richly animated, Sherlock Holmsian tale set in Victorian-era London’s underground mouse kingdom.
I was fortunate enough to obtain a copy of The Great Mouse Detective: Mystery in the Mist Edition on DVD. When I put this movie in the kids were really caught off guard. The movie starts off with a bang and sets up the rest of the movie with kind of a scary intro with a kidnapping. My 4 year old, who generally doesn’t sit still for anything, sat through the whole movie and then asked to watch it again at bedtime. The only real time that they got a little worried and a tad bit freaked out was when the Vincent Price voice acted “Ratigan” shows his true despicable vermin side.
Features
- So You Think You Can Sleuth? — An animated look at the history of detective work, complete with a crime-solving puzzle for the entire family.
- The Making Of “The Great Mouse Detective”
- “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” Sing-Along Song
Ryan’s Rating: 8 out of 10
Pros: One of the greatest villains of all time is in this film. I love the evil transition of refined professor to an enraged alley RAT!
Cons: I just wish they would have released it on Blu-Ray!
Buy It
Get your copy of The Great Mouse Detective (Mystery in the Mist Edition)
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Review
Usually re-makes or new adaptations of older shows or movies make me cringe in fear and squirm in embarrassed discomfort. What is even worse than a bad take on a show? THE SEQUEL to that re-launch! I admit that when I heard years ago that there was going to be a CG film about Alvin and the Chipmunks I got worried. I thought that it would kill the decades of history that these rodents had established as them being some top-notch entertainers in the music realm. I finally saw Alvin and the Chipmunks and I really enjoyed the movie immensely. From the familiarity of the characters, the solid story elements, and the music this movie settled up all warm and cozy in a little rodent section of my heart.
Years later, along came Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. I was really hesitant about this one. I didn’t know what direction they were going to head with the franchise to keep my attention, let alone millions of others. After watching it though, several things were done right to keep the squeak alive. New family members, new environment, old friends, new songs, The Chipettes, old enemies! Everything was here to have a successful follow-up to a very successful franchise!
For more Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel fun, go to www.MunkYourself.com now to create your own munk! The website will include many new updates that are sure to make you party like a munk-star, including 2 brand-new games — “Dance to the Beat” and “Munk Mic” — as well as the ability to generate a munked audio-recording of your voice which can be downloaded as a ringtone.
Features
Disc One:
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Blu-ray
- Munking History: 50 Years of Chipmunk Mischief, Mayhem & Music
- Munk Music Machine
- Meet the Chipettes
- Rockin’ Rising Stars
- Music Mania
- Meet the Stuffies
- Shake Your Groove Thing! with Rosero
- Music Videos & Sing-Alongs “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “We Are Family,” “Shake Your Groove Thing”
- Music Videos: (“You Really Got Me” featuring Honor Society & “The Song” featuring Queensberry)
- A-l-v-i-n-n-n-n!!! Album Maker
- Live Lookup
- Music In A Nutshell: Song Trivia
- The Chipmunks: Behind the Squeaking
- A-NUT-omy of a Scene
Disc Two
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel feature film
Disc Three
Digital Copy
Ryan’s Rating 7.5 out of 10
Pros: Great sequel, great new characters, good storyline.
Cons: Not enough Dave!
Buy It
You can pick up your copy of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel 
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
Episode 31 of Daddy Digest the Podcast
Hey peeps! Thanks for checking us out and leave us some feedback!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 56:33 — 51.8MB)
Disney-Themed Easter Basket Winner
The winner of the totally awesome Disney-Themed Easter Basket is…
A huge thank you to everyone who entered. Winner has 24 hours to claim their prize.
Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Review
“There’s a snake in my boot!” “To infinity… and beyond!” If you don’t know where these phrases come from then what rock have you been hiding under? To me the Toy Story series are the most recognizable of all of the Pixar movies. My kids just lit up when I told them that these where coming out on Blu-Ray. These movies look so outstanding in high definition that I thought that I could reach out and punch that mean Sid in the face. Toy Story has been apart of the viewing audiences lives for almost 15 years now. Soon, Pixar will add to the library by releasing Toy Story 3 and I think I may lose my mind.
So, we got the chance to sit down and watch these movies and the response was unanimous… the kids loved them! My daughter loved them both but, liked the introduction to a stronger female character in the second movie. My two sons liked them differently. The one who is more partial to Buzz liked to first one and the one who liked Woody enjoyed the second one more. All in all, the journey of all of the characters and their relationship with each other and how they became a really close knit family is very heart warming.
Features
Toy Story BD & DVD Combo Pack *ALL NEW* Bonus Features Include:
- The Story: An Exclusive Sneak Peek at Toy Story 3
- Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: Blast Off
- Paths to Pixar: Artists
- Studio Stories: John’s Car
- Studio Stories: Baby AJ
- Studio Stories: Scooter Races
- Buzz Takes Manhattan
- Black Friday: The Toy Story You Never Saw
- Plus BD-Live movie chat, movie mail, movie challenge and more! (Only Available on the Blu-ray Disc)
Toy Story 2 BD & DVD Combo Pack *ALL NEW* Bonus Features Include:
- Characters: An Exclusive Sneak Peek At Toy Story 3
- Buzz Lightyear Mission Logs: International Space Station
- Paths to Pixar: Technical Artists
- Studio Stories: Toy Story 2 Sleep Deprivation Lab
- Studio Stories: Pinocchio
- Studio Stories: The Movie Vanishes
- Pixar’s Zoetrope
- Celebrating our Friend Joe Ranft
- Plus BD-Live movie chat, movie mail, movie challenge and more! (Only Available on the Blu-ray Disc)
Ryan’s Rating
Toy Story: 8 out of 10
The first still has firm place in my heart and did such a great job in setting things up. The world, the characters, the family aspect where all established here.
Toy Story 2: 7 out of 10
The second movie took them on a bit of a road trip and you definitely saw some new faces. I did like the fact that Woody found out more about himself and where he came from. I just still like the first one more.
Buy It
You can hop on down to your favorite store or roll on over to Amazon to get Toy Story 
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
Harmony 700 Advanced Universal Remote
Having a ton of electronic devices that make your life more enjoyable in the realm of entertainment is always a good thing. Getting new devices is always exciting, whether its a new DVR box to record you and your family’s shows, finally upgrading to that big TV that you have wanted for years, or graduating from standard DVD’s and getting your first Blu-Ray player! With all of those devices though comes one problem… getting your spouse to be able to operate all of them!
Relief comes in the form of the Harmony 700 Advanced Universal Remote. This remote from Logitech takes care of all of the hassle and time it would take to sit there for countless hours and teach your loved one how to operate a number of other remotes. Setting up the Logitech Harmony 700 remote is easy. You’ll never need to punch a code into your remote or get punched in the head for you having too many remotes. Instead, you connect your remote to your PC or Mac computer, and let the Logitech Harmony software do the rest.
I also got griped at for always being the number one battery consumer in the world (okay…the house). You will be soooo green and resourceful by going with rechargable because the Harmony 700 comes with rechargeable AA batteries that can go several weeks between charges. When you need to recharge it, just connect the remote to the power adaptor and plug it up.
Features
- Color screen. You’ll see just what you need, like icons for your favorite channels as well as the commands you need for the devices you’re using. The smart display can even provide help if you need it.
- Live support. If you have any questions, Harmony customer support is ready to help.
- Constantly updated device database. Whether you have an aging VCR or a brand new Blu-ray player, you can be confident your Harmony remote will control the devices you have today and the ones you add tomorrow.
- Guided online setup. You connect your remote to your computer and tell us what equipment you have. Then sit back and let our online software walk you through every step of the setup process.
- One click activity buttons. No more complicated lists of what to turn on or which button to select. Once you’re set up, you just select what you want to do—such as “Watch a DVD”—and your Harmony does the rest.
- Rechargeable. Your rechargeable remote can go a week between charges. You won’t be looking for batteries when you want to be watching TV.
- Intuitive design. Buttons are grouped by how you use them, shaped so you can feel your way around, and backlit—so you always know where you are.
Ryan’s Rating
Cons: I have no complaints about this remote. I have had a Harmony remote once before and I had several problems and in the end the remote was utterly left useless. This one is made profoundly better.
Pros: Sleek, light, ergonomic. This remote fits perfectly into all of our entertainment needs. Easy to set up and even easier to use.
My one and only 10 out of 10 so far!
Buy It
Head on over to pick up a Logitech Harmony 700 Remote Control
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. I have been given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.
Disney-Themed Easter Basket Giveaway (Closed)
Easter morning was always filled with such great prizes for me when I was a kid. Easter baskets overflowing with so much stuff that I still today think I am trying to work off the calories of some of those solid milk chocolate bunnies! So I think that I should help one person this holiday to have that feeling of such immense excitement. The person who is lucky enough to win will be in entertainment heaven with this basket! The rad people over at Disney are offering a Disney-themed Easter basket worth over $200! WHAAAAT!?!?
Giveaway
Winner will receive a Disney-themed Easter Basket that values over $200, including Blu-ray & DVD Combo Packs for the exciting new releases of Ponyo, The Princess and the Frog, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 Special Editions; a special Princess Tiana & Prince Naveen Wedding Doll Playset that is only available in Disney Stores, an adorable Ponyo plush toy, and assorted holiday chocolates and Easter eggs.
How to Enter
Leave a comment telling me your favorite Easter candy! (Mine is Reese’s Eggs!)
Extra Entries Available
After you have completed the first entry, you are eligible for additional entries. Make sure you leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Each counts as one extra entry unless noted otherwise.
- Subscribe to Daddy Digest by reader or email.
- Leave me a comment on a non-giveaway post and then let me know where you commented. {up to 10 extra entries; 1 entry per comment}
- Become a fan on my newly created Facebook Fan Page.
- Follow Daddy Digest on Twitter AND Tweet about the giveaway. Leave the URL to the Tweet in your comment. You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet. You must have at least 50 followers for this extra entry. You can tweet ” Enter to win a Disney-Themed Easter Basket including Disney Blu-Ray’s worth over $200 from @DaddyDigest http://bit.ly/clY6UY “
- Add the Daddy Digest button to your sidebar. (Let me know where I can find it in your comment.)
This giveaway will end on March 28th at 10:00 PM Central time. Winner will be chosen via a random number generator. Giveaway is open to US entries. The winner must contact me in 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck to everyone!
The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely that of the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
Winner!
Here is the winner of the $25 Kroger Gift Card!!
The winner has been notified and has 48 hours to respond. Thank you to everyone who entered.
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