X-Men Origins : Wolverine is now in the library and ready to be reserved. If you want to watch it! You probably have seen it. It doesn’t have Taylor Lautner in it, so I might give it a miss.
Here’s X-Men Origins : Wolverine in only 30 seconds, to save time.
Have you seen this video? Go on, give it a watch.
If that made you smile, and really how could it not, we have the full story of Christian the Lion on DVD. It’s called A Lion Called Christian and it tells the true story of two men who bought a lion in a London department store, it’s release into the wild and their subsequent reunions. All very sweet and tearjerking.
And if you want some more things to watch we have these two; 17 Again starring the dreamy Zac Efron and Primeval series two which has giant Mastodons in it.
Well, as long as five new DVDs is considered mad it’s madness. All kinds of bases are covered by this selection, and here they are…
Best of Dangerous Encounters with Brady Barr follows a reptile expert as he does all sorts of silly things in the name of science. My favourite bit is when he wears a 200 pound kevlar suit covered in hippo dung to extract sweat from a hippo.
The Most Extreme is a series that follows all sorts of extreme behaviour in the animal kingdom. Fighters, Stinkers, Gluttons and many more are looked at in these fantastically shot episodes originally made for Animal Planet.
Sticking with the extreme, Gravity Games H2O is a four disc box set filled with wakeboarding, tow-in surfing, motorcross, kite surfing and other assorted watery hijinks. Except for the motorcross, I can’t explain it’s inclusion unless they somehow ride on water. Now that’d be extreme.
Ultimate Factories is a National Geographic series that goes to, well, ultimate factories. In this one they go see how Ferraris and M1 Tanks are produced. So if you’ve ever wondered how they put them together, now you can find out.
Naked Science: Surviving nature’s fury is a three disc set in the excellent National Geographic Naked Science series. These episodes look at asteroids, the Bermuda Triangle, alien contact and other popular and controversial scientific topics.
Right now I am looking at a pile of new DVDs. After I am finished looking at them they will be in amongst the YA collection ready for you to look at them.
Learn To Play The Brazilian Way is a soccer skills DVD. It shows you how to do all sorts of fancy tricks like The Ronaldinho and The Rivaldo. I made my indoor soccer team watch it before our final… we lost, but we looked good doing it.
Warbirds Over Wanaka collects together highlights of three of the internationally acclaimed airshows. The 1998, 2000 and 2002 shows are boxed together for maximum airplane trickery watchery.
The Longshots stars Ice Cube as a down on his luck former football star who coaches a kids American Football team and when his 11 year old niece tries out for quarterback heart-warming hilarity ensues.
Kickin’ It Old School is a dance movie with a twist; our hero has been in a coma since 1986 and must breakdance his way out of financial strife and win back his old girlfriend.
Maddigan’s Quest is a locally produced TV series written by Margaret Mahy. There is a post-apocalyptic setting, magical powers, time travel, and, umm, circus performers. All 13 episodes are included.
The Jules Verne classic Journey To The Centre Of The Earth has been given a filmic update starring Brendan Fraser. A T-Rex pops up at some stage and you can watch it in 3D if you have the correct eyewear.
If there’s something I always enjoy it’s a coming of age movie. Newcastle is such a film, set in the coastal Australian town, it’s full of surfing, love and tragedy.
The latest additions to the YA DVD collection;
Mirror Mirror (PG) – There are 20 episodes in this double-disc DVD about two girls, separated by 100 years, who can travel through identical mirrors to the other’s time.
Doctor Who – The Next Doctor (PG) – This is the 2008 Xmas special. Cybermen stalk through Victorian London and the Doctor encounters another Doctor.
Archies (G) – A collection of the first series of the Archie animated show. It’s from 1976!
The Clique (PG) – A group of rich girls + one new not-so-trendy girl = this Tyra Banks produced series.
Scary Movie 3.5 (M) This is the ‘longer, funnier’ version of Scary Movie 3.
ReBoot : Daemon Rising & My Two Bobs (PG) – ReBoot was the first full-length CGI television show and ran from 1994 to 2001.
Only three new DVDs this week, but they will be popular.
High School Musical 3 : Senior Year (G) – this is the ‘extended edition’, which means that it has bloopers, deleted scenes, extra scenes, a sing-along, and much more. It had a higher budget than the previous HSM films, so has more oomph as well.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (M) – This is actually based on the fourth book in the series, although it does use bits from the second and third books as well. Stars Ugly Betty, a Gilmore Girl, a Gossip Girl, and Joan, from Arcadia.
Ben 10 Alien Force : Vol 2 (PG) – episodes six to nine of the pretty cool animated series.
There are so many new DVDs! So many. Some new CDs, but Jack can make a playlist when he stops touring the country and comes back to work.
The Rocker (M) – This has that guy from The Office playing an aging rocker, who gets another chance to be the rockstar he always wanted to be. A comedy! Quite funny.
Oliver Twist (M) – This is an adaption of Dickens’ classic story by the BBC. ‘Gritty and good’, says Grimm, who especially liked Tom Hardy’s Bill Sykes (I dunno if anyone can beat Oliver Reed’s Bill Sykes, however).
Alice (PG) – An adaption of Alice in Wonderland by famous Czech animator, Jan Svankmajer.
The Hills (M) – This is the complete third season of this polarising sort-of-reality show.
Planet B-Boy (M) – A “dazzling documentary [that] makes a compelling argument for breakdancing as an art form”; official website.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (PG) – Anime about a girl who can leap back in time from 2006.
The World According to Miley Cyrus (PG) – An “unauthorised” documentary about the teen actress/singer.
Skyland (PG) -A French CGI series set in a future where the Earth has split into millions of inhabitable floating pieces. This collects 13 episodes of the first series.
Avatar: Book 1 Water, Volume 3 (PG)
Avatar: Book 1 Water, Volume 4 (PG)
Avatar: Book 1 Water, Volume 5 (PG) – Each DVD contains four episodes of the Nickelodeon animated series.
Futurama : Into the Wild Green Yonder (PG) – The latest Futurama film. Instead of a regular television series, Futurama films are being produced.
Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot (M) – Directed by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, this documentary is about the top high school basketball players in the US competing against one another.
The Ruby in the Smoke (M)
The Shadow in the North (M) – Both are BBC adaptions of the books by Philip Pullman about intrepid Victorian heroine Sally Lockhart, who can ride a horse, shoot a gun, solve crimes and uncover mysteries with the best of them.
And two audio books that I expect will be very popular:
Eclipse (13 CDs) and New Moon (12 CDs), by Stephenie Meyer – both are read by Ilyana Kadushin (whose name is spectacular, we reckon). Reserve ‘em quick, as there aren’t too many holds on them … at the moment.
There aren’t too many new books this week. So sorry!
The Anachist’s Angel, by Gareth Thompson (232 pages) – Samson, scarred by a farm accident and teased by everyone he knows, takes to hiding in an ancient charcoal-burning hut in the woods. He meets and befriends a beautiful gyspy girl who sees past his appearance.
First sentence: ‘I came round to the noise of a grim reaping machine.‘
Evermore, by Alyson Noel (306 pages) – Sixteen-year-old Ever Bloom (that’s her name) is in a car accident that takes the lives of her family. Afterwards she is able to see people’s auras, read their minds and know their life story. Sounds quite useful, but for her it’s a nightmare. She meets another, similarly gifted teen, Damen, who is able to help silence the noise in her head, and she falls in love with him. But who is he really?
First sentences: ‘”Guess who?” Haven’s warm, clammy palms press hard against my cheeks as the tarnished edge of her silver skill ring leaves a smudge on my skin.‘
Bones of Faerie, by Janni Lee Simner (247 pages) – Liza’s mother disappears, and Liza travels through to Faerie – which was once at war with humanity, a war that has left both sides devasted. Liza herself begins to exhibit abilities and powers that only a faerie should have, and her quest may be the key to healing both worlds.
First sentences: ‘I had a sister once. She was a beautiful baby, eyes silver as moonlight off the river at night.‘
Tribal Ash : Chronicles of Stone book 3, by Vincent Ford (239 pages) – Having survived the warring tribe of the North, Trei makes his way back home, leaving his twin sister Souk with the Northmen. After struggling through snowy mountains, he is taken in and looked after for a time by the sea people, before he heads off again on his journey to find his own tribe, the People of the Canyons.
The first book in this series, Scorched Bone, is one of the NZ Post Book Award finalists in the teen category.
First sentence: ‘The Mountain Tribesmen travelled silently, the dark stain of their tattoos blending into the growing night.‘
Oh look, two new DVDs!
Junkers Come Here (PG) – This is an anime about a young girl, Hiromi, whose schnauzer (that’s a breed of dog) named Junkers who can speak, and whose friendship with Hiromi will help her through her parents’ divorce.
Wild Child (M) – Sixteen-year-old poppy is a rich and spoilt American girl, whose father sends her off to an English boarding school to sort her out. She tries to get herself expelled, and in the process learns some responsibility (and meets Alex Pettyfew’s character). Stars the late Natasha Richardson.
We have four new DVDs to issue, watch and enjoy. Here they are …
First up is Speed Racer, which is about a young man who races speedily. Based on the catroon of the same name (remember that? It had a top theme tune) Speed Racer is a high-octane, turbo-charged joyride. It really revs my engine, ok, I’ll stop with the punning.
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is based on the books by Louise Rennison and is directed by Gurinder Chadha, who also did Bend It Like Beckham. File under coming-of-age chick flick comedy.
In Hellboy II: Golden Army our hero is once again charged with saving the world by shooting, punching, looking tough etc. Will he and his band of misfits save the day? Probably until the next sequel at least.
Lastly we have a new David Attenborough doco titled The First Eden. It examines the Mediterranean in the pleasing style we have come to expect from David and the BBC. <3 Edutainment <3
A stack of new DVDs has arrived. They’re only 50c to issue for a week on a YA card. That’s cheaper than a bag of chips!
» Avenged Sevenfold : Live in the LBC / Diamonds in the Rough CD – Avenged Sevenfold belong to the New Wave of American Heavy Metal, or NWOAHM. This DVD has a concert of theirs, filmed at the Long Beach Arena.
» Ben 10 Alien Force : Volume 1 – This collects the first five episodes of the animated series.
» Futurama : Bender’s Game – This is the latest Futurama direct-to-DVD film (the third; four films will make up the fifth season). We watched it in the weekend and it’s very funny. I recommend it!
» Enter the Ninja – Naruto : Volume 1 – This collects the first five episodes of the cartoon series, based on the popular manga. There is well over 100 episodes already, so there will be a lot of DVDs to get through.
» Samurai Jack : The Premiere Movie – This is Samurai Jack. The premier movie.
» A Time to Remember : World Edition - A DVD series featuring ‘pristine archive newsreel footage’ of the many historical events that marked the twentieth century.
» Gracie – 15-year-old Gracie vows to take her recently killed brother’s place in her high-school’s soccer team. Unfortunately, it’s 1978, when soccer teams were usually all boys and Gracie’s got to prove herself.
» Sleepover – Four friends compete against the ‘popular’ girls in an all-night scavenger hunt.
There’s not a lot of new material this week, so I’ll bundle it all up into one post. First up; new books!
Fruits Basket #21, by Natsuki Takaya (181 pages) - The Sohma family are each possessed by an animal from the Chinese zodiac, and if they’re hugged by the opposite gender (or get stressed out) they turn into that animal. Fruits Basket is one of the best-selling shōjo manga in the world; ’shōjo manga’ is manga marketed towards teenage girls.
Kekkaishi #14 (and #15), by Yellow Tanabe (162 pages) – Kekkaishi are demon-hunters who use magic to create barriers in creative and interesting ways. This is shōnen manga, which is manga marketed for boys between 8 and 18.
The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine, by April Lurie (211 pages) – Fifteen-year-old Dylan’s life is in shambles; his mother may have run off, his father is never home, his older brother hangs out with his loser band, and he – Dylan – has just been caught shoplifting underwear. Also, his best friend is shooting a documentary about him and she (unfortunately) wants to remain his friend.
Finnikin of the Rock, by Melina Marchette (398 pages) - This is the latest from the author of Looking for Alibrandi, (a very popular book still, fifteen years after its publication). Finnikin of the Rock is a character-driven fantasy novel. ‘A long time ago, in the spring before the five days of the unspeakable, Finnikin of the Rock dreamt he was to sacrifice a pound of flesh to save the royal house of Lumatere.‘ How’s that for a first sentence?
New DVDs!
Jane Eyre (M rated) – A retelling of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel from the BBC.
Appleseed : Ex Machina (M rated) – This is the sequel to the pretty-good-but-not-as-good-as-the-manga-I-thought film we also have in the YA DVDs. Reviews suggest that the CGI is fantastic, although the story lets the film down. I shall watch it this weekend (and compare it to Final Fantasy : Advent Children, the best CGI film ever).
New CDs!
Now That’s I Call Music 28 – Various. There are three things in life that we can’t get away from; death, taxes, and Now That’s What I Call Music compilations. This CD has eighteen tracks.
Funhouse – Pink. This is Pink’s fifth album. She may be touring NZ next year.
New CDs and new DVDs – can there be no greater thrill? There are a few blockbuster films included in today’s line-up. And only one CD.
Doll Domination – Pussycat Dolls. Incredibly, this is only their second studio album. This copy comes with a “bonus” CD containing one solo track from each member of the group.
And the DVDs are:
The Simpsons : Around The World in 80 D’ohs
The Simpsons : Treehouse of Horror (V, VI, VII, and XII)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull - This is the fourth Indiana Jones film. It was co-written by George Lucas, who reportedly wanted it to have more aliens.
Drillbit Taylor : Budget Bodyguard – Three kids hire a cheap soldier-of-fortune, played by the very funny Owen Wilson, to take revenge on their two bullies.
Doctor Who : Series 4 Volume 3 – This has three episodes; ‘Silence in the Library’, ‘Forest of the Dead’, and ’Midnight’.
The Incredible Hulk – This is the 2008 film, which gets a Metacritic score of 61 – as opposed to the 2003 film, which only gets 54.
There are a few new CDs and DVDs in this month. A multi-media feast! Here are the new CDs:
Bleeders – Bleeders. This is the NZ hardcore/punk band’s second album from last year (their first album is called #2). It’s a nice, new, copy!
Breakout - Miley Cyrus. The year that Miley Cyrus (her real name is Destiny Hope Cyrus) was born – 1992 – was the same year that her father released ‘Achy Breaky Heart’. Last year she went out with one of the Jonas brothers, which helpfully provides a nice segue to …
Jonas Brothers - Jonas Brothers. This is their second album, from 2007. We also have their third album …
A Little Bit Longer - Jonas Brothers. The title track is about Type One Diabetes, which Nick Jonas has. Their are three Jonas brothers; similarly there are three brothers in …
Only By The Night - Kings of Leon. The father of the three brothers in this band was a preacher, and the Jonas brothers’ father was a pastor – how about that?
New DVDs!
The Hills : Season One & The Hills : Season Two - The Hills is a pseudo-reality television series (it’s real, but parts are set up to provide story and some of the roles are improvised) about some people in LA doing stuff.
St Trinian’s - This is, believe it or not, the sixth film in a series that began in 1954.
Sydney White – Sydney White is a thrown out of her sorority and is taken in by seven socially challenged guys. It’s a new version of the Snow White story, with the most popular girl on campus as the wicked Queen. (There’s also a prince.)
Clueless - This is an older film (thirteen-years-old!) but this particular version – the ‘”Whatever!” Edition’ – has loads of special features.
There are only a few new DVDs in this time. Here they are!
National Treasure : The Treasure Hunter’s Collection – This DVD has both National Treasure and National Treasure 2, which is pretty good value considering it costs 50¢ for a young adult. The films are fairly good adventure films, and perfect for a rainy afternoon.
Power Rangers, Mystic Force : Dark Wish – Power Rangers is adapted from a Japanese franchise; Mystic Force is uses the 29th series. English-speaking actors (many are NZers) are spliced in with footage from the original. This DVD is a full movie.
Kurt Cobain : About a Son – This documentary is made up of previously-unheard interviews with the singer. Probably quite depressing, all things considered.
Dragonlance : Dragons of Autumn Twilight – A full-length animated film set in the Dungeons & Dragon world, featuring the voice talents of Lucy Lawless, and Kiefer Sutherland. It was poorly received by critics.
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody – Twins Zack and Cody live with their mother in a swanky Boston hotel (for she is a lounge singer there). They get up to all kinds of mischief in this inoffensive comedy that is perhaps more for younger viewers. If you like this you will go ballistic for …
That’s So Suite Life of Hannah Montana – This is a ‘mash-up’ of three programme: The Suite Life, Hannah Montana, and That’s So Raven.
Excitement: we now have the complete series one and two of Robin Hood in the Young Adult DVD collection for your viewing pleasure. All swashbuckling fun, gripping action and witty one-liners, we know you’ll love it … and for the bargain basement price of 50 cents each (on a YA card) you can’t really say no, can you? I was going to describe the series to you, but the blurbs on the DVD cases are so entertaining…
Series One:
Robin of Locksley heads home from the Crusades to find his people starving and brutalised under the tyrannical rule of the new sheriff. Robin quickly discovers that the only way to reason with this Sheriff is with bow and arrow – even if it means sacrificing his title and his lands and consigning himself to life in the forest.
Series Two:
In the second series of Robin Hood the stakes are now much higher. The fight is for the very soul of England as the Sheriff of Nottingham and his sadistic lieutenant, Guy of Gisborne, hatch a scheme to assassinate King Richard and put Prince John on the throne. With a traitor in the gang, Maid Marion remaining in the castle as a spy, and Prince John threatening to raze Nottingham to the ground if the Sheriff is killed, the odds are stacked against Robin and his men. Only through bravery, breathtaking archery and swordplay, as well as more outrageous scams, disguises and tricks, can the band of brothers hope to save the king and the country…
I love that last sentence. It really does sum it up perfectly.
We have a handful of new CDs and a few new DVDs. The CDs are …
» Ms. Kelly – Kelly Rowland. This album by the second-best Destiny’s Child was actually released last year, but a newer, digitally remastered version was re-leased this year. This isn’t that version.
» Seeing Sounds – N.E.R.D. This is their third album, and probably their best. N.E.R.D is an acronym for ‘No-one Ever Really Dies’, and band member, Pharrell Williams, is vastly talented.
» The Day Has Come – Cheyenne Kimball. This album is a couple of years old, to be honest. Kimball had her own MTV reality series for a while.
And now for the new DVDs!
» Doctor Who : The Infinite Quest. A feature-length animated version of the Doctor Who animated series, which I don’t think has ever screened in NZ.
» Indiana Jones : The Adventure Collection. This is all of the first three Indiana Jones films in one boxed set. It is packed with special features.
» The Simpsons Classics : The Last Temptation of Homer, Bart Wars (The Simpsons Strike Back), Springfield Murder Mysteries, and The Simpsons go to Hollywood. Each of these compilations has four episodes of The Simpsons from when it was funniest (in my opinion, anyway).
Usually, there can be few things more enjoyable than holding a nice, new CD or DVD in your hand. The perfectly mass-manufactured case can contain your new favourite music or film, carefully pressed into the disc’s polycarbonic plastic from a glass master that has been cut with lasers. Yes – lasers.
Here are the latest CDs.
» Simple Plan - Simple Plan. Canadian pop punk band’s latest album. This is the limited edition copy, and comes with a DVD.
» Randy Jackson’s Music Club : Volume One – Various. All the songs on this album were produced by Randy Jackson, who is perhaps best known as one of the judges on that Pop Idol programme. As a compilation it covers a range of musical genres.
» The Age of the Understatement - The Last Shadow Puppets. Arctic Monkeys lead singer Alex Turner is one half of The Last Shadow Puppets. This album shot to number one in the UK, and it’s very, very good.
» The Radical Bad Attack – Coco Solid. A grand-concept album from Auckland artist, Coco Solid.
» Punk Goes Crunk - Various. Punk bands cover popular hip hop songs.
Latest DVDs!
» Balls of Fury - this ‘hilarious, action-packed comedy’ (about extreme table tennis) gets an appalling 23% on Rotten Tomatoes.
» Aqua Teen Hunger Force : Colon Movie Film For Theatres – If you’re a fan of Aqua Teen Hunger Force you may like this film, according to critics.
» 27 Dresses – After being a bridesmaid for 27 brides, will Jane’s 28th dress be a wedding dress? Most likely.
Here’s a wee look at the new YA DVDs and CDs in this week. First, some DVDs – not many new ones (a couple are very retro).
And loads of CDs!
Recently a film called The Seeker : The Dark is Rising was released. It is based on The Dark is Rising, the first second book in a series written by Susan Cooper in the 1960s and 1970s. We have two reviews of the DVD; one is by someone who had read the books before seeing the film, and the other is by someone who has never read the books. Read more…
Yet again, more new YA DVDs and CDs are available. Since they’re so new and so popular you may need to reserve them, which you can do online – just click on the title to go to the catalogue entry for each item.
The CDs are:
If you think that’s a lot, check out all the DVDs that have arrived:
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