Archive for July, 2007

Blades of Glory - Review

Wednesday, July 25th, 2007

Set for release on March 30, 2007, Blades of Glory from Dreamworks is a sports comedy directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck and Produced by Ben Stiller.

Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are the lead “pair”, who exploit a loophole to do their act in this movie - which is to “Kick some Ice”.

So, welcome to the world of competitive figure skating - and all its passion and power generated by an unlikely pair who aim to steal the trophy, beating the odds. Two men skating together — Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) - become the first male pair in the history of figure skating!

As aintitcool.com states, ‘figure skating for the first time ever is finally watchable. Also, hilarious.

Blades of Glory is about two rival figure skaters (Ferrell and Heder) who after a fight with each other in front of 30,000 fans, have their gold medals stripped from them and are banned from competitive skating for a lifetime.’

Three years down the line, one is many pounds heavier while the other is still girlish, but still not “hot”. Both agree to put aside their differences as well as their similarities - they’re both men! –and exploit a loophole (created exclusively for the movie) that would allow them to compete in the pairs figure skating category.

This category is, of course, usually reserved for opposite-sex couples and this duo must go face-to-face with fierce competition from rivals far more experienced at the art, such as Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy Poehler), the unrelentingly competitive reigning champion pair.

‘Amy Poehler and Will Arnett (as evil brother and sister figure skaters) manage to steal almost every scene they’re in. There are some really great moments including a hilarious ice skate chase and some very funny ice routines (that i won’t spoil). The ice skating was never boring. And the costumes are as funny as the people wearing them, especially the outfits given to Poehler and Arnett. Also, Jenna Fischer has never ever looked as hot as this. Purr-Rawrr.’

This very funny movie was shot in both Los Angeles, California and Montreal, Quebec (Canada).
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Download DVD Movies - An Increasingly Popular Alternative

Wednesday, July 25th, 2007

From music to movies, the trend towards downloadable entertainment has beeen strong. People are looking for ways to get their entertainment in a convenient, easy form, and today’s high speed internet connections and improved file technologies has made it even more accessible than ever. This includes DVD movie files.

The DVD revolutionized the movie industry. Its all digital format allowed moviemakers and video manufacturers to complete change the way people watch movies. It’s popularity has been so immense that filmmakers have even begun to change the process of film making to fit in with the culture. Where commentaries and special features were initially added as an afterthought, they are often now specifically created with DVDs in mind. The success and its digital nature, led to the increased interest in being able to download DVD movies.

One barrier in attempting to download movies has been their immense size. A single DVD can contain over 4 gig of data, representing a somewhat time-consuming download at even the fastest speeds. However, new technology such as improved compression methods makes it easier and more convenient to download films in all their glory. Moreover, faster and more reliable connection speeds make downloading less time-consuming overall.

While the trend towards allowing consumers to download DVD movies is fairly new, it is increasing in popularity. Independent film houses are especially interested in making their films available in this way, as traditional movie distribution methods are sometimes limiting in their reach and appeal. By placing the movies online for download, they’re able to reach broader audiences that might otherwise have been inaccessible.

The increased ability to download has also led to better access to hard-to-find titles. While retailers, both traditional and online, often have limited stocks of either very popular or very limited releases, downloadable DVDs represent an unlimited inventory. Retailers are able to provide their customers with the titles they are looking for, when they are looking for it, preventing lost sales through inventory shortages.

Downloading isn’t just limited to commercial titles. Many of the personal video cameras on today’s market save their files in DVD format. By making these availabe for download, people are able to share their home movies with distant family and friends, saving time and money over the old method of shipping movies to loved ones. Personal filmmaking is also growing increasingly popular, enabling these small-scale moviemakers to share their creations with a vast audience; something that may otherwise be extremly expensive or altogether impossible.

As the trend towards downloadable entertainment grows, however, more and more companies are looking at the potential of making their movies available for download. Additionally, new methods of protecting data from unauthorized copying give distributors a greater sense of security against pirated movies. Some allow download to a computer and a limited number of burns to a disc so that users can have a true DVD for watching in any player. Others restrict use to playing on a computer only, and prevent any sort of copying.

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