PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, A Prize Pack Giveaway

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES sails into theaters May 20th, 2011 in Disney Digital 3D™. Are you excited?  We are!  Carol is going to an advance screening a few days before it opens and will write a review of the movie for you.  Here is a brief synopsis of the fourth Pirates adventure:

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past (Penélope Cruz) forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane).

WATCH: Here's taste of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, argh!

WIN: Disney Pictures is giving away a Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Prize Pack to one lucky Moana Saves reader!


ITEMS FOR GIVEAWAY:

1 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES T-SHIRT in adult sizes of S, M, L, XL

1 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES bandana in black

2 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES temporary tattoos

For your mandatory entry, become a Google Friends Connect follower of Moana Saves (in the sidebar).  This is the mandatory entry for this giveaway and must be done before all of the additional entries.

   
To earn an additional entry, do one (or all) of the following and leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Become a Networked Blogs follower of Moana Saves (in the sidebar).
2. Follow Moana Saves on Twitter.  

3. Follow Disney Pictures on Twitter.   

4. Tweet about this giveaway (limit one tweet per day) using the following: #win a Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides prize pack from @disneypictures and @moanasaves ends 5/24 http://bit.ly/mGVp2Y 
5. Subscribe to the Moana Saves feed via RSS reader and/or email updates (in the sidebar). 
6. Like the Moana Saves Facebook page.

7.  Like the Pirates of the Caribbean Facebook page.

   
Only one person per email/household/IPaddress can enter this giveaway. He/she must be 18+ years old and reside in the U.S. This giveaway ends on 5/24 at 11:59 PM PST (Pacific Standard Time). One winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org. I will notify the winner via email and he/she must respond to claim the prize within 48 hours or I will draw another winner.

I was not compensated for this post.  Any and all opinions here are my own.

Three Idiots (A New Bollywood Classic): Review and Giveaway

3 IDIOTS 1-disc DVD (Catalog #2274044 US and Canada)

Street Date: April 26, 2011

Screen Format: Widescreen

Audio: English/Hindi 5.1 Dolby Digital

Subtitles: English, Spanish and French

U.S. Rating: PG-13

Total Run Time: 164 minutes

Closed Captioned: Yes

Own the award winning hit Bollywood film that had Indian audiences raving when 3 IDIOTS arrived on DVD April 26^th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Bollywood’s highest grossing film ever stars award winning actors Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Sharman Joshi. All-new, exclusive bonus features make this DVD a must for fans.

In the tradition of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off comes this refreshing comedy about a rebellious prankster with a crafty mind and a heart of gold.  Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius... You've never met a college student quite like "Rancho."  From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down—along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for "Virus," the school’s uptight and heartless dean. But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean's sexy daughter, Virus sets his sights on flunking out the "3 idiots" once and for all.

3 IDIOTS won 6 FilmFare Awards in India including Best Picture and Best director. It also swept the International Indian Film Academy Awards with an impressive 16 wins.

3 IDIOTS SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Idiots in Ladakh
• Aal Izz Well
• 100% Idiots
• Making of Miss Idiot

Have you ever watched a Bollywood movie?  Bollywood (the Bolly is Bombay/Mumbai in India) is a huge global movie industry and I'm excited to see more and more Bollywood movies being released on DVD in the U.S. 3 Idiots is the latest Hindi movie to cross the pond and, whether you've experienced the Bollywood genre before or not, this movie is definitely worth your time!  I sat down with the hub and First Born to watch 3 Idiots.  First Born and I love Bollywood films but between our schedules we rarely have time to watch them. The hub is not as big a fan (as I think he should be).  He ended up watching the whole 164 minute movie and laughing several times throughout!  3 Idiots is about 3 young men who learn the value of friendship and what education really should be.  Then they re-unite, 10 years later, to discover how that time at college shaped their lives.  There are lots of laughs, some surprises, and a few songs along the way.  This movie can be viewed with older kids (the PG-13 does apply here) and communicates a great message about learning and competition.  Don't let subtitles intimidate you!  Check out 3 Idiots! 

SHOP: You can purchase 3 Idiots at any retail outlet carrying Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment releases.

WIN: Woot!  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and ThinkJam are offering two Moana Saves winners their own copies of 3 Idiots.  For your mandatory entry, tell us if you've watched a Bollywood movie before and, if so, which one.  This is the mandatory entry for this giveaway and must be done before all of the additional entries.
   
To earn an additional entry, do one (or all) of the following and leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Become a Google Friends Connect follower of Moana Saves (in the sidebar).
2. Become a Networked Blogs follower of Moana Saves (in the sidebar).
3. Follow Moana Saves on Twitter.
4. Follow Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on Twitter. 
5. Tweet about this giveaway (limit one tweet per day) using the following: #win 3 Idiots a #bollywood film (2 winners) from @foxhomeent and @moanasaves ends 5/30 http://bit.ly/ijaROn

6. Subscribe to the Moana Saves feed via RSS reader and/or email updates (in the sidebar).

7. Like the Moana Saves Facebook page.

 

Only one person per email/household/IPaddress can enter this giveaway. He/she must be 18+ years old and reside in the U.S. This giveaway ends on 5/30 at 11:59 PM HST (Hawaii Standard Time). One winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org. I will notify the winner via email and he/she must respond to claim the prize within 48 hours or I will draw another winner. 

I was not compensated for this post although I did receive free product to facilitate my review.  Any and all opinions here are mine.

PROM: Who are you going (to see it) with?

Not sure about you- but I've got my date!

Prom (2011)

  103 min  -  Comedy | Drama   -  29 April 2011 (USA)

Director: Joe Nussbaum

Writer:Katie Wech

Stars: Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonellDeVaughn Nixon and

This movie has something for everyone- no matter which stereotype you fit in high school- you see yourself in one or more of the characters.  Prom for most high schoolers is one of the most anticipated events of their school years.  And it's all about who you're going with, what you're wearing, how you're going to get there and all those details that really make the night.

Some of the movie watchers got dressed up and into the spirit of the movie.  This movie would be perfect in most places as it is PROM season most everywhere (except here in Hawaii- we do that during Spring Break and not in our gyms).

We all knew these people in high school who appear in PROM:

• Nova: the super-achiever, prom planning committee chair and girl who just can't get asked
• Jesse: the bad boy, uninterested in anything to do with school who just doesn't seem to care
• Jordan: the popular girl
• Tyler: Jordan's other half, the jock
• Justin and Mei: that couple that has been together since middle school- already a given that they are going!
• Lucas: the wanna-be cool kid, doing what it takes to fit in and get noticed
• Corey: Lucas' best friend and definite band geek
• Rolo: dude!
• Ali: Nova's best friend and girl that keeps tabs on what everyone is doing
• Simone: Sophomore, talented musician and confused about boys
• Brandon: the other super-achiever, involved in everything and going places
• Lloyd: the shy guy
• Tess: Lloyd's step-sister and his personal cheerleader
• Kranton: watch out! 

There were some cute ways of the guys asking their dates to Prom, but Lloyd wins for most attempts and keeping them creative!  Jesse just didn't get what the big deal about Prom was, but Nova tries to teach him that no matter who you were the last 4 years of high school, it's the one night that brings them all together.  It's like their lives all finally intersect for this one big event they've been looking forward to.  It hasn't been all ups either- it almost gets canceled when the decorations all get destroyed and they learn a neighboring high school is using almost the same exact theme!

This movie had us reliving the good times and the bad from our proms: picking out dresses and the rest of the ensemble, getting hair and nails done- all dolled up for pictures with our dates, cars breaking down, dates leaving with other people, after-prom parties.

After the movie, we talked about which PROM character we were most like during our high school years:

Jenny- "I was Ali, making sure all my friends had dates and preparations were taken care of, the matchmaker."

Erin- "I most liked Lloyd when he taught not to wait for the right moments to happen but to make them happen."

Megan- Didn't even have to ask- she is Corey, during the movie she was naming off the songs on the soundtrack!

Rach wants to think she's like Nova cause does a great job of looking put-together during the movie, but admits that her high school days she was most like Simone and fell for the smooth talkers even when the good guys were right there.

Rach and girls got dressed up for Premiere- they weren't the only ones!

I was very involved like Nova- class presidency, dance committees- finding a date to the prom was hardest part.  I went through it all- saying "no", finally saying "yes" and going for Junior year then saying yes but bailing out and even asking someone (as it is pretty common here in Hawaii for girls to do) my Senior year.  I still give my husband a hard time cause he never asked me, but he reminded me "how many people really end up with their prom dates?"  So maybe I'll ease up on him.

Which character do you think you were most like in high school?

Overall, I thought this movie was fun, the characters relate-able and situations just cheesy enough to help us laugh at our own Prom experiences.  It was also the type of movie that was funny with some drama and romance to it- a nice mixture.  Also a fun movie for the younger ones who look forward to their proms someday!

“Prom” hits theaters April 29, 2011!  

For more information, visit: disney.go.com/prom

Just to whet your appetite for PROM, here's one of the official trailers now: 

We were not paid for this post although we did attend an advance showing of the movie free of charge.  Any and all opinions here are our own.

MOVIE Review: Disney's African Cats

My family loves movies. To encourage good entertainment habits we only watch movies on the weekends. So we are particular about the movies we choose. When we saw a preview for African Cats, we were hooked.

Here's the summary for African Cats on IMDB: A nature documentary centered on two cat families and how they teach their cubs the ways of the wild.  Narrated By Samuel L. Jackson

It was a fun adventure seeing African Cats. Being a mother of 5 I felt a connection with these Mama Cats and their stories of survival and protection. My kids loved it, they talked for days after about the cheetahs and the lions. They continued to tell everyone how the lions fought & how the cheetahs ran.  We will definitely be getting this movie when it comes to DVD, or even better BlueRay. This is a MUST SEE!

African Cats is in Theaters NOW!

Review and Giveaway of Gulliver's Travels

So when this review went up, I JUMPED at the chance. I was sad that I missed this movie in the Theaters. But I am so GLAD I got to see it now.This movie is another great family comedy by FOX starring Jack Black.  The movie is rated PG and is 85 minutes long, starring Black, Emily Blunt and Jason Segal (among others).

Jack Black performs Gulliver's awkwardness & humor perfectly, he is relate-able & so much fun to watch, even for me as a parent. The lovely town of Lilliput with its King & Princess is just perfect for the imagination of these kids. Even though I feel that this movie is definitely a perfect fit for BOYS, having a bit of bathroom humor,  my girls also enjoyed it. What a wonderful adventure of overcoming fears & learning to be honest.  

Want to learn more about Gulliver's Travels before its April 19th release on DVD and Blue-Ray?  A fun way to do so is to check out the Frommer's Lilliput Guide HERE.  Or check out the Gulliver's Games site--it contains a host of fun games for kids to play.

SHOP: Reserve your copy of Gulliver's Travels at your favorite e-tailer or retailer now! 

WIN: Now some lucky person will get a copy of Gulliver's Travels courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox!  For your mandatory first entry, answer this question: What is your favorite Jack Black movie? 

To earn an additional entry, do one (or all) of the following and leave a separate comment for each thing you do:

1. Become a Networked Blogs follower of Moana Saves (in the sidebar).
2. Become a Google Friends Connect follower of Moana Saves (in the sidebar).
3. Like Moana Saves on Facebook.
4. Follow Moana Saves on Twitter.
5. Tweet about this giveaway with the following (once a day max): #win Gulliver's Travels DVD starring Jack Black (comes out on 4/19!) from @moanasaves ends 4/21  http://bit.ly/f5Lmt3
 
Only one person per email/household/IPaddress can enter this giveaway.  He/she must be 18+ years old and reside in the U.S. or Canada.  This giveaway ends Thursday, 4/21 HST (Hawaii Standard Time).  One winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org.  I will notify the winner via email and he/she must respond to claim the prize within 48 hours or I will draw another winner.

I was not compensated for this blog post although I did receive a copy of the DVD to facilitate this review.  Any and all opinions here are mine.

Review of Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story on Lifetime

Remember the old days when prime time TV movies ordinary people doing extraordinary things?  Well, the new Lifetime Original Movie Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story premiering Monday, January   31, at 9 pm (ET/PT) powerfully highlights a mother’s power to overcome the time and space dividing her from her son.  The movie stars some of my favorite actors: Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Terry O’Quinn (Lost) and Beverly Todd (Crash) and is based on a dramatic true story of Tiffany Rubin’s (Henson) daring 2008 rescue of her six-year-old son, Kobe, after he was abducted by his biological father and taken from his home in Queens, New York, all the way to Seoul, South Korea.   To connect the movie to the true story, immediately following the movie at 11 PM ET/PT, Lifetime will premiere an all-new hour-long documentary, Beyond the Headlines: The Tiffany Rubin Story.

Taken From Me combines today’s production values with that inspiring “I am Woman, Hear me Roar” plot line in which nothing can keep a mother from her baby.  In particular, Taraji Henson is great as Rubin who shuttles between despair and hope as she, with the help of O’Quinn’s likeable character, manages to pull her child out of South Korea without invoking international ire.  What I enjoyed most about the movie was the relationship between the Rubin character and her mother—the way they challenged each other before Kobe’s kidnapping and then supported each other during the family crisis.  The rescue itself was harrowing, made all the more frightening because of the reality of this kind of custodial struggle, and I give the director props for highlighting that tension.  All in all,  watching Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story made for a satisfying evening.  Now that I’ve seen the movie which will premiere nationally on Monday, January   31, at 9 pm (ET/PT), I’m looking forward to the documentary, Beyond the Headlines: The Tiffany Rubin Story, immediately following it.

I did not receive compensation for this post although I did receive a DVD in order to facilitate this review.  Any and all opinions are mine.

Review of Disney's Tangled

 There are many moments in my bloggy life when its good to be me.  Watching Disney's Tangled before its general release on November 24th was definitely one of them.  This morning it was a gloriously sunny day in Hawai'i nei and we were in the minivan, racing into town, trying to get to the sneak peek of Tangled on time. (I won't talk about the last PR sneak peek that we missed because I sent us to the wrong theater and then, when we we got to the right one, we were too late--nope, I won't mention that.)

If you know a recent contemporary re-telling of the Rapunzel fairy-tale, then you'll be familiar with the story line of Tangled.  While the main characters of the fairy-tale in this movie are engaging, perhaps the peripheral characters that Disney adds into the mix are even more so.  In particular, I enjoyed the stormy bro-mance between Maximus the Royal Guard horse and Flynn Rider the common thief/Casanova.  Rapunzel as well was captivating as the main character--loved her giddy angst at finally leaving the tower.  The film is rated PG but there was only one part I would worry about with sensitive kids.  The end--as in one character's demise--was not as visually scary as it could have been.

I think the biggest star of Tangled was look of the film (and, by association, that hair!).  When I was poking around for info about the film on IMDB, I noticed that the producers talked about how Jean-Honore Fragonard's "The Swing" inspired the look of Tangled.  It is gorgeous and the 3D technology just makes the palette of the film even more stunning.

In short, Tangled was a great family film that was funny, endearing and beautiful to look at.  As we waited for our lunch after the movie, I interviewed my family about what they thought about the movie.  I asked them the following questions:

1. What did you think of Tangled?

2. What was your favorite part of Tangled?

Second Born, 8 yrs old (SB):
1. It was really good!
2. I have no idea, oh wait! The chameleon (Pascal)!

First Born, 14 yrs old (FB):
1. It was a good movie! I think people of all ages would love it.
2. My favorite part was when the ruffians talked about their dreams (and sang about them as well). Oh, and the boat and lanterns scene!

Visiting Tutu, age undisclosed (VT):
1. It was totally fabulous and cool! Each character had an individual personality and there were lots of laughs.  I've always been a Disney fan but Tangled was the best of the best!
2. I loved every scene with the horse, Maximus.  He had a great attitude!

The Hub, older than me (the hub):
1. Tangled made great use of the 3D effects without being heavy-handed.
2. I enjoyed the song and dance parts.  They really connected the audience to the characters.

The Blogger, 40-ish (me):
1. Loved the look of it.  Tangled is a visual feast and I thought the 3D effects were mobilized well in some scenes.  This was a movie where the special effects helped drive the story for viewers (as opposed to other recently 3D-ified kids movies: nudge, Toy Story 3, nudge).
2. The boats and lanterns scene was gorgeous--a real treat for the eyes! I might just buy this DVD when it comes out so I can watch that part over and over again.  It was my most favorite hair fetish movie ever!

I did not receive compensation for this review from Disney although my family and I did view the film free of charge in order to facilitate this review.