Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century Movie

Interesting Deviations from the Series and a Strong Entry to the Franchise
Surprisingly, the deeper I delve into the Case Closed Universe, the more impressed with the property I become. I was a self-admitted late adopter to the series (beginning with the 5th season oddly enough) then backtracked to some of the earlier examples of the mythos on account of how much I enjoyed the later ones. Now I've picked up a few of the full length feature films and am pleased to report that they dazzle as well as the popular television serial, perhaps even surpassing it at times.

The show, for those who have yet to experience it, follows a pretty formulaic structure whereby the title character happens upon criminal activity that requires a good deal of intelligence to successfully point the finger of blame. Sounds like standard mystery-genre fare so far but what's unique about Case Closed is that the lead is played by a 17-year-old (Jimmy Kudo) investigator who has been transformed, via an experimental drug, into a child. The kid goes by the made-up name Conan...

great movie with a few problems
I just got this movie today. Yes, it is the R1 release. I got it from Rightstuf. Well, now that is out of the way, I will start my review.

In the Last Wizard of the Century, Mr. Suzuki (Mr. Sebasitan(spelling?)) has a rare treasure known as the "Memories Egg", which Kaitou Kid (Phantom Thief Kid) has his eye on stealing. However, on the night he attempts to steal it, somebody shoots him. Now, it it is up to Shinichi (Jimmy Kudo (aka. Conan Edogawa)) to find out not only the mystery concerning the egg, but also who shot Kid.

The movie was great and just as exciting as the Japanese release, but I have two problems. First, this is an English adaptation, but one character says it has been a while since she spoke Japanese. I have heard Japanese before and I think that line should have been changed. Second, Haibara's English voice did not sound good. Of course, it may just be because it was the first time she made her appearance in the American dub of the anime...

Awesome movie
A good movie that I stumbled upon when my boss (i work at a daycare) asked me to go to the library and get a kids flick for the kids. I haven't Case Closed in years. This movie has gotten me back into the spirit (just like with Pokemon 3 the movie and the Pokemon series) and I've already ordered the fourth movie because this one had a trailer for the fourth. I can't wait. I wish I could keep this one but I have to return it to the library.

Nice plot, I was guessing who the Scorpion was all throughout the movie and in the end I was SOOO wrong. I still can't believe who the killer was, what a shocker. And the end, yeah, that guy is definitely the last wizard of the century, I wish something like those eggs existed.

I recommend this to anyone who likes anime, Case Closed or just detective and suspense movies. I also advise to check out the rest of the movies, I'm sure they're just as great or better! There're 14 in all as of this year (1 more than Pokemon who's 13th...

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The National Tree

LOVED IT!!
I have now seen the movie three times. It is a refreshing tale, no violence, no gore or blood. I am further wishing now to read the book. The acting was good, although I wish Andrew McCarthy wasn't quite so stern looking mos of the time...but then his smile lights up the room, so well worth waiting for.
Would recommend to anyone wanting to relax with a "feel good" movie.
Good job done by all!

Good Adaptation of a Superb Novel
The National Tree

David Kranes' outstanding novel, The National Tree, finds a solid adaptation in this Hallmark production. The essence of the book, a deep and evocative exploration of a father and son relationship, is beautifully captured in the film. The premise, a cross country trip to deliver the National Tree to the President's lawn is well rendered; Andrew McCarthy and Andrew Williams do a superb job. But in an hour and a half, the quirkiness and delight of the novel could not be completely explored. Kranes' characteristic gentle and offbeat humor comes through so much more completely in the book which has become a family Christmas Classic for so many people.

FAMILY VIEWING, FEEL-GOOD, MORE ROMANCE THAN CHRISTMAS
How do you make a film about a tree and keep it interesting? Hallmark Channel did it. And it's family approved by DOVE which means it's family rated. Although a live tree is being moved overland from the northwest to DC, it is not really the tree that makes this story, and the only thing Christmas about it is the lighting of a decorated tree at the end.

It's another story about Father/Son relationships. But this is somewhat more realistic because it shows that sometimes Dad can be as wrong as son. And along the way, there is a beautiful lady friend for both to begin to love. Sound to sappy for the men, maybe not. There is the...well, I almost spoiled the viewing by beginning to explain some of the action on the road trip. Andrew McCarthy makes a realistic acting tree farmer dad, and Evan Williams does a good job at being the tech-savvy son. I even learned a new term (vlog)which for much younger folk, will wonder where I've been for years.

My answer to the...

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Dhani Tackles the Globe: Season 1

Looking forward to season 2
Great show. I really enjoy the production values, but most importantly you can really see that Dhani Jones absolutely loves what he is doing. Whether he is training in the local sport, eating the local cuisine, getting beat up, gasping for air cause he sucks at a sport, or visiting a landmark of cultural significance, he shows a sense of humor along with a but of competitive edge. I also like how he gets drunk in a couple of episodes. Plus as a man, I can take a few fashion cues from Dhani. This guy is pretty stylish. More so than Bourdain and Zimmeran. If Dhani needed to improve on something it would be his voice overs. They need to sound more natural and less scripted. But thats a nitpick. And at $19 for a whole season, you can't beat it. I wish Travel would put out blu rays as I know this show rocks in hidef!!! There's more countries and sports to tackle so I am definitely lookin forward to season 2. If you watch this I'm sure you'll agree.

Great concept....Dhani rules!
This series has a compelling blend of sport and culture, with the sweat and smiles to match. Dhani does a yeoman's job in both exploring the places he visits, as well as competing at the local pastimes which can all be quite dangerous in themselves. Well done and highly recommended!

From one San Diegan to another: GREAT SHOW!
Dhani Jones really makes this program. Great personality, sense of humor and a natural in front of the camera. Locations are interesting with a novel approach to learning about other locations from a sports angle. Dhani completely throws himself into each cultural experience. I especially got a kick out of the extra challenges he faced, good-naturedly, in the Cambodia episode. This man has a whole other career waiting for him once he leaves football. I predict we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.

Interesting locales, challenges, beautiful photography and a host who feels like a best friend--how can you go wrong? Highly recommended!!

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Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit - Series Part 4

Great anime!
Moribito is a great anime mini-series. Based in an alternate Japanese setting, it is the story of a female guard and her last commision, the younger son of the Mikado. Good graphics, solid story, good pacing. As good as, or better than, The Twelve Kingdoms.

Great Series, Quality Media
This review should be for the whole series. I had to buy Vol 7 and 8 here, and the discs are pristine and play back smoothly. The packaging is slim cases with a cardboard keeper... which can get tattered over time. But they came in good shape. No complaints. As for the anime, it's fun and intriguing and you start to fall in love with the characters pretty quickly. 7 and 8 are the final volumes and well worth owning. The show ends in a good way, leaving the viewer satisfied with the outcome. No strange endings leaving you to feel as if the last episodes were written by entirely new writers. Sure, it has sad moments, and maybe some people would like the adventure to continue for 15 seasons like that other garbage Japan pumps out like oil, but if you understand the characters, then you can enjoy this as a full series, complete and whole.

Great Anime
Great Story, Great Animation, and Great Music.

I recommend this animation for anyone that is into fantasy genre stories with swords & maritial arts, honor/responsibility, magic, and running and traveling around in beautiful scenes of mother nature.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Four-Disc Ultimate Edition)

Mesmerizing
I'm a senior citizen who loves Harry Potter. I have read the first 3 books and will purchase "The Goblet of Fire" on books on tape.
I won't go into the plot. Suffice it to say it follows the book. The acting was wonderful by our 3 main stars. There is not enough of Alan Rickman, a truly wonderful actor. Kenneth Branagh was so-so and I don't know the man who played Lucious Malfoy but he was perfect. I hated him in "The Patriot" and hated him even more here. Richard Harris will be sorely missed. What a fine performance for his last film.
I never realized that the film was 2 3/4 hours. The time flew. The special effects are outstanding.
I liked the further character development. You see what a wonderful and loving family Ron Weesley comes from. You find out why Hagrid is the way he is. You also get to realzie why Draco Malfoy is the way he is when you get to see the father.
There was so much to see. So much to enjoy.
For the first movie, I saw the movie first...

An Instant Classic Fantasy Movie
"The Chamber of Secrets" novel in the Harry Potter series is generally considered the weakest of J. K. Rowling's books - it does not have the joyful discovery of "Philosopher's Stone", the dark twists of "Prisioner of Azkaban" or the epic nature of "Goblet of Fire", but is simply a very good story. However, I predict its relative simplicity will make "Chamber of Secrets" the most successful book-to-movie translation in the series, as it is undoubtably better than the first movie, and it will be a daunting task for film-makers to tackle the intricate plot lines of book three and the collosal book four.

Like all the books, "Chamber" begins midway through the summer as Harry's twelfth birthday is nearing, and again he faces a rather dismal one in the company of his horrible uncle, aunt and cousin. Excitement is already on the move however, as when Harry enters his bedroom the house elf Dobby is waiting for him, who warns him that under no circumstances is he to return to Hogwarts,...

I want to go to school at Hogwarts
I wasn't a big Harry Potter fan until I was forced to watch "The Sorceror's Stone" Now I can't get enough. I've read all the books available and I've seen the second movie several times and I can't wait for more! The introduction of Draco Malfoy's father brings in even more of the larger story that is Harry Potter's future. The movie is true to the second book and surpasses the effects of the first one. The movies (and books) are maturing with Harry and I can't wait to go see it again.

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Harry Potter Years 1-6 Giftset [Blu-ray]

For the fan not the fanatic
While I value all posted opinions of this product I strongly disagree with the notion that this product is dumb. For anyone who has waited many long years and not purchased any of the movies until now, or anyone who was hooked later in the series, this set is a real value. All the released movies are bundled neatly together and they don't consume much space in my movie library because of the slim packaging.

This set is certainly not for the collector as there is no bonus material whatsoever. This is fine for us as we generally never watch the second disc anyway. If you have been waiting to buy or are new to the series and you don't mind the lack of bonus material this set really makes it easy to start your collection.

If this does not describe what you are looking for then I suggest you do as the other reviewers have suggested and look elsewhere or wait till the complete set releases in several years. For what this product is however (all current movies/no...

HD Harry Potter Movies and Bonus Features
Some reviewers have indicated there are no bonus materials included with this set but in my experience I found otherwise. While it is true the dvds go directly to the movie when loaded they each also contain a menu which allows access to the bonus material. Just hit your menu button and voila! This set does not include the extended version of the film and does not include all the extras included in the Ultimate Editions but there are extras which include deleted scenes - they are simply not integrated into the film. I had some problems getting all the bonus material to play on my PS3 blu-ray player initally but once I visited BD-Live and updated the software they all played great. I've listed the bonus material included for each movie below.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" includes the following bonus content: 7 Additional/Deleted scenes; BEHIND THE STORY -- Capturing the stone: casting and bringing the novel to life; Around the world multilanguage clip; Ghosts...

Harry Potter 1-6
I, unfortunately, grew up without owning the movies. So, naturally, I wanted to buy all of them at once, just in time for the November 19th premiere of HP7. I didn't need anything fancy and I'm not, personally, big on behind the scenes or bonus material. This "gift" boxset was perfect. The movies come in thin packages that only really have the film. I can just pop it into the DVD player and enjoy! There are no advertisements beforehand and it goes right to the menu! If you just want the movies, nothing special or extra, this is PERFECT.

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Coraline Gift Set [Blu-ray]

Great Movie
This movie, yes is a little creepy. It has a moral, which is the point. The grass is always greener on the other side. The moral is the grass is not always greener and things are not always what they seem. I watched this with our 12 year old daughter. She was fine with it. Not sure that a child of 10 or younger would understand it. We love this movie. The person who commented about the 3D effects is wrong. They must have watched that non Blu-Ray 3D, with the paper glasses. This is the version for 3D TV's and Blu-Ray players.

Best Movie I have...in 3D
I am only commenting on the 3D aspect of it....not the story itself.
I have several movies in 3d and for me this is bright & colorful. Story is well done but unfortunately nothing really leaps out of the screen at you except for a few instances. I did not think that I was going to like this but watching this in 3D really changed my mind.
I did not really care for Alice in Wonderland or A Christmas Carol. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Despicable Me are pretty good but this I found to be more of a visual treat.
I must say that out of all that I have -Saw 3D and Clash of the Titans-Resident Evil... just do not hold up against CGI movies. IMAX does great stuff but those are not movies.
From start to finish Coraline is a visual feast and I would recommend this for anyone that has a 3D television.

The 3D Works.
I was let down when I saw the paper glasses that it comes with. I was expecting clear, transparent 3D glasses but the glasses that it comes with have Pinkish and Greenish lenses.
But after watching the movie with glasses I found that they worked pretty good. I haven't seen Coraline 3D in theatres, but I was blown away with some of the 3D scenes. The glasses do take away the bright vibrant colors (not too much though, Coraline's bright orange coat and Blue hair were still vibrant) but add a completely new feel and mood to the movie that's very appropriate for it.
Some people have said that only a few selected scenes are in 3d. I didn't feel this at all. The entire movie was in 3D. Maybe a couple close up scenes where there wouldn't be too much depth to begin with may be 2D, ( I don't know) But the rest was completely 3D.
I watched the movie on Blu-ray and on an HD TV. That's the only way to get the best picture possible.
There are almost 2 different version of...

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