Entertainment | Page 29 of 89

Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull lives up to the hype

So, this is our first Brandon Mull book. I can say that it ‘lives up the hype’ because the fandom’s pressure for this book is huge. Dragonwatch is the second book in the Fablehaven series, a 5-book series whose first entry Fablehaven was a massive success. Dragonwatch is a great book that will be of interest to middle school children, as opposed to it being a book aimed at the middle school audience. That also means that adult audiences will enjoy this book as much as its potential reluctant readers in middle school.

It’s all the more remarkable that I really enjoyed this book because it comes with a massive cast of characters, mythical beasts and fantastic settings. Mull sets up the world in such a way that a first time reader can pick up Dragonwatch and understand what’s happening as soon as the characters speak. The intricacies of their personalities establish themselves in time, but the first time audience’s hooks are baited and we eagerly take a bite.

Continue reading Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull lives up to the hype

Sing-giveaway and review, it’s better encore

Sing does what many movies fail to do; it gets better with repeated viewing. We saw Sing in theaters and were pleasantly surprised. It’s not paced like a traditional film, much less an animated one, plus the humor and heart that are obvious in its first viewing are even bigger the second time around. Additionally our two boys (aged 5 and 7) loved it and picked on the lessons that characters taught.

Continue reading Sing-giveaway and review, it’s better encore

Disney PIXAR Cars #1, comic book is for the kids 8 and younger

Joe Books does a great job of transferring Disney characters into comic books. From their cinestory comics to the monthly titles for Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Vs. the Forces of Evil and more they really hit their niche with young or reluctant readers. Disney PIXAR Cars is one of the most popular licensed properties in the world so it’s not surprising that it finally make it to comic books.

And for young readers, aged 5-8 Disney PIXAR Cars will be a very fun comic book. It has all the characters that fans know from the films with Mater and Lightning present in every story. The comic book consists of several short stories that are 4-6 pages each. Each story takes place in a familiar territory like Radiator Springs or on a race track with Lightning.

Young readers will like the art, short stories and laugh at the appropriate times. However, readers 9 or older will get bored of the comic. Maybe it’s the length of each short story but they all end like an episode of Three’s Company. Someone says a pun, all the characters laugh and we end it with a shot of the credits.

Disney PIXAR Cars, the comic book is for those young Cars fans that want to read along to Radiator Springs. It’s not a particularly entertaining comic book and fans older than 9 will quickly figure that out.

Beauty and the Beast is large family entertainment #BeOurGuest

It was about 20 minutes into Beauty and the Beast when I stopped looking for flaws in the film. It’s not that the film is flawless; it’s just that it won’t matter. People could point out any number of things that didn’t work, in their opinion- and Beauty and the Beast would still be a movie juggernaut for ages 5 and older. In the end, Beauty in the Beast is a very good film, countless young girls will have the gold dress that Belle wore in the big dance number and many men will dress up as Gaston or LeFou.

First off, the classic songs used in the original film held up very nicely. They really are great songs and the story that sets up the music is a classic one that anybody can relate to. In this live action retelling of the film there are a couple new songs that aren’t as catchy, but they’re quickly forgotten and the film quickly moves onto the next one.

My Inner Film Critic Speaks

As a film though, it feels like a television movie at times, albeit with a massive budget, flawless costumes and huge sets. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a movie that fades out of scenes. However Beauty and the Beast in several occasions fades out, goes dark for a millisecond and then goes into the next scene. I know that they are not built in commercial breaks, but in what other film have you noticed instances when they fade out?

Continue reading Beauty and the Beast is large family entertainment #BeOurGuest

Google Chromecast Audio brings new life to old speakers

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. I stream lots of music. Odds are that you do too and that has left you (and until recently us also) with a small problem regarding the pairing of your device to the speaker. For us it was akin to the password paradox and pairing the device or a dropped connection led to our favorite speaker going dormant for over a year. Google Chromecast Audio is the Rosetta Stone to your speaker and music streaming needs.

Continue reading Google Chromecast Audio brings new life to old speakers

Sci-Fi Junior High reaches reluctant young readers

From the dedication page of Sci-Fi Junior High it’s obvious that its creators are devotees of the classic science fiction properties. From Stan Lee, Space Ghost, Chewbacca, Burt Ward and more they go about thanking all of them for what they contributed to society. Thanks, is also what 8 year old science fiction fans will be saying to the authors after they read Sci-Fi Junior High too.

This is story of Kelvin, a middle school aged boy whose family has just moved to a new space station. His mother is a neuroscientist and his father is a robotics engineer, but Kelvin is supposedly smarter than both of them. However, middle school is the same wherever you go, even if it’s in outer space. There are food fights, strange friendships, bad dad jokes, study groups, embarrassing parents and lots and lots of robots.

Continue reading Sci-Fi Junior High reaches reluctant young readers

New all age comics for March 8, 2017

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

What’s new in all age comics this week? There’s a graphic novel or two, trade paperbacks and single issue comic books to where there is something that will interest your young reader ages 5 and up. As a kid going to the book store to get a comic book after a doctor or dentist’s appointment was our reward. It was a Waldenbooks, remember that mall store? They had one of the largest racks of comic books in town. Comic book stores are our kid’s go-to doctor jam, to find the closest one to you check out the comic book store locator, now, on with the comics.

If your tween is watching Riverdale on the CW they might be interested Josie & The Pussycats #5 or Reggie and Me #3. Reggie is a five issue mini-series about the handsome prankster that is more for the established fans of the new Archie. Both of these series will skew younger than the TV show, so the comics would be appropriate for middle school students.

For the really young kids, ages 5 through 7, check out My Little Pony Deviations, Spongebob Comics #66, Darkwing Duck #8 or Pokemon Omega Ruby Alpha Saphire graphic novel are some of your best options for all age comics. That Pokemon book will also be of interest to kids through 11 years old and is a traditional graphic novel. I point out that difference because there are several Pokemon books that have no pictures.

Our overall favorite comic book this week is Justice League Power Rangers. Issue 3 of this 6 issue mini-series is out and it’s one of the best all age comics we’ve seen in a while. It’s OK for ages 5 and up, but those 7 and up will get the most out of it. It’s loaded with action, some great heroes, cool villains from the DCU and lots of morphin too.

Teen fans of anime and manga will be interested in reading One Punch Man graphic novel, volume 11. One Punch Man has a very large cult following in the U.S., but is a publishing juggernaut in Japan. He’s a chilled out, average looking guy, who is also a superhero able to defeat opponents with one punch. Factor in that he gets bored with the lack of competition, sub-par superheroes stealing his glory and you’ve got a wry character that’s somewhere between Deadpool, Spider-Man and Iron Fist.

Humor

Superhero

Action/Science-fiction

Logan is just an X-MEN movie

Logan is just an X-MEN movie in the same way that The Dark Knight is just a Batman movie. Separate for a moment the different actor who portrayed Bats and consider that it was the same superhero from Batman Forever to The Dark Knight. Logan is the same character that we saw in The Last Stand, yet he’s so very different and so much better.

Continue reading Logan is just an X-MEN movie