One of my most favorite moments is when Augustus, Hazel and Isaac are egging Isaac’s ex-girlfriend’s car. Hazel is feeling a little weary of throwing eggs in the middle of the day and asks Augustus if they should come back when it’s dark. Augustus’ reply is brilliant “It’s always dark to Isaac.”. BRILLIANT.
Giveaway
Comment with your favorite moment of either the book or the movie and you will be entered to win a Little Infinities Extended Edition Blu-ray of The Fault In Our Stars.
Giveaway will end at midnight next Wednesday, October 8, 2014. Open to US and Canada only.
Based on the beloved best-selling book comes an “extremely moving” (Leonard Maltin, Indiewire) story of a girl who transforms the lives of those around her during World War II, Germany. When her mother can no longer care for her, Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) is adopted by a German couple (OSCAR® Winner Geoffrey Rush* and OSCAR® Nominee Emily Watson**). Although she arrives illiterate, Liesel is encouraged to learn to read by her adoptive father. When the couple then takes in Max (Ben Schnetzer), a Jew hiding from Hitler’s army, Liesel befriends him. Ultimately, words and imagination provide the friends with an escape from the events unfolding around them in this extraordinary, acclaimed film directed by Brian Percival (Downton Abbey).
*Actor, Shine, 1996 **Actress, Hilary and Jackie, 1998; Breaking the Waves, 1996
This post is sponsored by ThinkJam and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Debuting on DVD August 20th
Based on the novel by Rene Gutteridge and John Ward, Heart of the Country is a love story starring country music singer Jana Kramer (“One Tree Hill”), Randy Wayne (“True Blood”), and Gerald McRaney (“Major Dad”). Faith (Kramer) and Luke (Wayne) have it all. Faith is a beautiful singer and Luke is an up-and- coming businessman. When their life together is shattered and she is forced to return home to the family she turned her back on years ago she must find the strength to love again. Watch Jana Kramer in her first leading movie role in the year’s most inspirational and romantic movie event when it debuts on DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment on August 20.
Read more about movies that were filmed in North Carolina from this PDF.
HOTC- NC in Movies Feature
Giveaway
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FROM DIRECTOR CAMERON CROWE COMES THE UPLIFTING TALE BASED ON A TRUE STORY ‘WE BOUGHT A ZOO’
Featuring Family Friendly Audio Track The Whole Family Will Go Wild for this Heartwarming Adventure Starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson On Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Download April 3
This Easter, be unpredictable, do something crazy and embrace your wild side! Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents an inspiring adventure based on a true story of one man who brought a zoo back to life and family back together in WE BOUGHT A ZOO, arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download April 3. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) and starring Matt Damon (Contagion, True Grit), Scarlett Johansson (Iron Man 2, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and Thomas Haden Church (Easy A, Sideways), WE BOUGHT A ZOO is “a sweet-natured tale…that you’ll want to see with your kids” (Liz Braun, Jam! Movies).
Benjamin Mee (Damon) is a Los Angeles newspaper columnist and adventure writer who, as a single father, faces the challenges of raising his two young children. Hoping that a fresh start and a new life will restore their family spirit, Mee quits his job and buys an old rural house outside the city with a unique bonus feature: a zoo named the Rosemoor Animal Park, where dozens of animals reside under the care of head zookeeper Kelly Foster (Johansson) and her dedicated team. With no experience, limited time and a shoestring budget, Mee sets out with the support of his family and the local community to reopen the zoo. Now, Benjamin is no longer reporting an adventure story; he’s living it in his own backyard.
Featuring an incredible musical score composed by Jónsi of the band Sigur Rós, the WE BOUGHT A ZOO Blu-ray is loaded with over 2½ hours of special features including 20 deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, four behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary with Director Cameron Crowe, star J.B. Smoove (The Sitter, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Editor Mark Livolsi, and more. The film also features an English Family Friendly Audio Track that earned the Dove Seal of Approval. The Blu-ray and DVD will be available for an average retail price of $24.99 and $19.99 respectively.
Procurement
Screener DVD received from 20th Century Fox via ThinkJam.
Review
I had wanted to see We Bought A Zoo while it was in theatres but we never made it there. I was SO thrilled to receive a review copy and made it a point to watch it with my husband that very weekend. We had planned on letting our 7 year old watch it with us but decided to watch it first to see if it was indeed appropriate for her. As I knew there was some romance in it I didn’t want to subject her to too much sexual content. I’ll come back to whether it’s appropriate for little eyes later.
First, I just loved the cast! Matt Damon made a great newly single dad due to his wife passing away. His children were great characters and the little girl was just adorable! Her name is Maggie Elizabeth Jones and I’ll be looking for her in other movies for sure! And of course, the lovely Scarlett Johansson played a down to earth zookeeper.
The story was what initially peaked my interest. The trailer sucked me right in and I just had to see it. I would have loved to own a zoo as a child! Even now I think it would be an amazing adventure.
I did not know that the movie was based on a book by the main character of the movie, Benjamin Mee. I wish I would have known so I could have read the book first! I am really not a fan of seeing the movie first and then reading the book.
We Bought A Zoo is rated PG for “language and some thematic elements “. There are several scenes when Damon shoots off a few choice curse words (6 uses of s**t, 1 or 2 uses of bulls**t, 4 uses of d**n, 4 uses of hell, 1 use of b*tch, 2 uses of a**hole, 1 use of d**k.), some that I would never say in front of my children, and granted the children are not around in the movie when they are said. Also, the young boy is having issues at school and lashes out by drawing disturbing images, one of which is shown very clearly of a decapitated person with spraying blood stream and icky looking in general. That is the main reason why we decided not to let our daughter watch this. It could easily have not been included and would not have impacted the story what so ever.
In addition to the language and violent drawings there’s the issue of an aging tiger, Spar. In zoo keeping philosophy, it’s common to dispose of aging animals before their treatment becomes too expensive or their livelihood is too painful for them. It is a very touchy subject and many scenes of upset people. It would require a child that understands death or at the very least an explanation afterwards.
To see more parental content explanations go HERE.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend it for a date night.
Book
Giveaway
20th Century Fox has graciously provided a DVD of We Bought A Zoo as well as the book!
Please enter by using the below Rafflecopter widget.
Experience the Heartbreak and Humor When the Academy Award® and Golden Globe® Winner Comes to Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD March 13
During the film, we find out that Alex, the oldest King daughter, has been sent away to boarding school for acting out – but she sure isn’t the first difficult child that has been banished to boarding school on film! This Top 10 list will illustrate some other films where boarding school plays a role in the plot, including Flirting, Rushmore and Dead Poet’s Society.
Based on the best-selling novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings and set in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.
if….
if…. is a 1968 drama about a British boarding school that is known for its severe punishments and the mistreatment of younger students by the older students (the Whips). The film focuses on three “outcast” students who are punished particularly severely at the hands of the Whips, and their eventual plan to retaliate on their oppressors. The films ends in a bloody battle between the outcasts and the rest of the school. The film won the Palme d’Or at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival.
.Au Revoir Les Enfants
Au Revoir Les Enfants is a 1987 French film that is based on actual events experienced by writer/director Loius Malle. The film takes place at a French boarding school in 1943. The school’s headmaster has introduced three Jewish students who must hide their true identities in order to evade the Gestapo. The film follows the friendship of one of the Jewish students, Jean Bonnet and another student, Julien Quentin. Eventually, the three Jewish students and the headmaster are captured and taken to concentration camps.
Dead Poet’s Society
Dead Poet’s Society is a 1989 film set in a conservative prep school in Vermont in 1959. John Keating (Robin Williams) is the radical new English teacher at the uptight Welton Academy Prep School. Through his unorthodox teaching methods, like standing on desks and tearing pages out of books, Keating is able to help his students discover and explore their true passions in life, like writing and acting, instead of succumbing to the lives their parents have prescribed for them.
Flirting
Flirting is a 1991 Australian film set in two different boarding schools in 1965. The film stars Noah Taylor, Thandie Newton and Nicole Kidman as students attending boarding schools across the lake from each one another. Danny (Taylor) meets and falls in love with Thandiwe (Newton), a Ugandan-Kenyan-British girl. The couple is faced with racism and political turmoil, and must meet secretly in order to develop their relationship. Eventually, the couple is forced to separate, with letter writing as their only remaining connection.
School Ties
School Ties is a 1992 film starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon and Chris O’Donnell. Set in the 1950s, this film is the story of David Greene (Fraser), a Jewish student from Pittsburgh who is given a football scholarship to attend a prestigious prep school in New England. After it is revealed that he is Jewish, David is ostracized from his former friends and anti-Semitism begins to plague the school.
Scent of a Woman
Scent of a Woman is a 1992 drama starring Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell. The film is about a preparatory student (Charlie Simms) who takes a job as an assistant to a cantankerous, blind retired Army officer (Frank Slade). Frank takes Charlie on an extravagant trip to New York City with the intention of committing suicide once the trip has concluded. Charlie convinces Frank not to kill himself, and Frank helps Charlie win a disciplinary hearing at his school. Al Pacino won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance.
Rushmore
1998’s Rushmore is the story of Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), a precocious 15 year-old student at the prestigious Rushmore Academy. Max befriends Herman Blume (Bill Murray), a wealthy industrialist who has two children in school with Max. After Max’s unauthorized and failed attempt to construct an aquarium at the school, he is expelled and forced to attend public school. Following his expulsion, Max and Blume begin battling each other for the affections of first grade teacher Rosemary Cross.
The Emperor’s Club
2002’s The Emperor’s Club stars Kevin Kline, Emile Hirsch, Jesse Eisenberg and Paul Dano. The film focuses on the fictional men’s prep school, St. Benedict’s Academy, in Andover, MA in the mid 1970s. The film tells the story of a passionate Classic professor who encounters a difficult and corrupt student. The film picks up 25 years after the group’s graduation, and shows that the boys continue to learn lessons from their old teacher even into adulthood.
Les Choristes
Les Choristes is a 2004 French film that is set in a boarding school for troubled boys in 1949. The film focuses on a new teacher at the school who starts a choir, and helps the boys become happier, better behaved, and find hidden talents. The new teacher also helps expose the atrocities of the cruel headmaster, while nurturing Morhange, a young boy with an amazing voice and a true talent for music.
The Harry Potter Series
As much as we Muggles don’t want to admit it, Hogwarts is, at its core, a boarding school. The film adaptations of the wildly successful series of novels focuses on the titular boy wizard who travels to school to develop his wizarding skills. In the process, Harry and his friends embark on exciting adventures and face many obstacles and dangers, including some not-so-abnormal teen moments, such as asking a girl to a dance, and navigating a new (or in their case ever-changing) building on your first day of classes.
Giveaway
To enter to win a DVD copy of The Descendants fill out the below Rafflecopter widget!
IN ONE OF THE YEAR’S MOST CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FILMS
Experience the Heartbreak and Humor When the
Academy Award® and Golden Globe® Winner
Comes to Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD March 13
From director Alexander Payne creator of the Oscar® winning Sideways comes one of the Best Pictures of the year, THE DESCENDANTS, featuring a stunning cast including Best Actor nominee George Clooney (Ides of March) and Shailene Woodley (The Secret Life of the American Teenager) in her Golden Globe nominated and Independent Spirit Award winning role. Take home this wonderfully warm and witty film and go behind the scenes of THE DESCENDANTS with all-new exclusive content on Blu-ray Disc Combo Pack and DVD March 13 from Fox Searchlight and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Based on the best-selling novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings and set in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.
Nominated for five Academy Awards® and winner for Best Adapted Screenplay, THE DESCENDANTSis a must-have on Blu-ray and DVD. The release is packed with must-see deleted scenes, behind the scenes extras and exclusive featurettes to bring you even further into the story.
Here’s a great Study Guide to use to compare the book to the movie. Click the picture for a larger version.
I haven’t read or seen this title. Have you? What are your thoughts?
I’ll be hosting a DVD giveaway new week so keep an eye out for that!
Let the fowl play begin! Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents the story of a competitive trio who quickly turn a simple quest into the ultimate competition when THE BIG YEAR spreads its wings on Blu-ray and DVD January 31.
Bird Brains
Comedic Icons Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson Star in the Hilarious Outdoor Adventure Coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 31!
Brad, Kenny and Stu are not the only people fascinated by ornithology. They are joined by a well-known bunch of famous faces including Daryl Hannah, Paul McCartney & Prince Philip. Here, we’ll take a fun look at the array of celebrities who have a passion for feathered friends much like our leading men.
Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson portray three men from very different walks of life, facing a mid-life crisis, a work-life crisis and a no-life crisis. In the biggest competition of their lives, they undertake an unforgettable trek through North America, engaging in hilarious and bizarre adventures and forming friendships that will last a lifetime!
Prince Philip
The Duke of Edinburgh is an accomplished bird photographer, writer, and wildlife advocate. Due to his extended time spent on the royal yacht, Prince Philip began photographing rare seabirds. In 1962, he published Birds from Britannia, a collection of pictures of some of the world’s rarest birds. Additionally, Prince Philip later became president of the World Wildlife Fund.
Daryl Hannah
Daryl Hannah isn’t just an actress – she’s also an environmentalist and a birdwatcher! It is unknown whether Hannah is an avid or casual birdwatcher, but she has stated in interviews that she enjoys bird watching. Regardless of her level of activity in the bird watching arena, Hannah is a fierce advocate of the environment and of various species, birds included.
Paul McCartney
As a teenager, Paul McCartney was a big fan of the BBC nature show “Look” – he even wrote to its host (wildlife artist Peter Scott) asking for “the drawings of them ducks, if you’re not doing anything with them.” Since his youth, McCartney has been a passionate advocate for birds and other wildlife, including the endangered skylark, which he used to watch in Liverpool as a child.
Jimmy Carter
Former President of the United States of America, Jimmy Carter, is an avid birder! Jimmy and his wife, Rosalyn, have birded throughout the world. Rumors in the birding community speculate that their combined life list is around 1,500 species! In interviews Jimmy has spoken about checking out bird ringing stations in Israel and searching for African Hoopoes in Zimbabwe.
Giveaway
To enter to win a copy of The Big Year on DVD please use the below Rafflecopter widget!
I didn’t make any this year. I haven’t had any for the past few years. I don’t like to fail so I don’t set myself up for failure. The way I look at it is if I do something I want to do over the course of this coming year then “Woohoo for me!” If I don’t, then no big deal. 🙂
20th Century Fox has sent me The Big Year for review. I haven’t watched it yet but hope to get to it this weekend! I love me some Jack Black and Owen Wilson! It releases January 31!
Here’s a cute little print out to help you keep track of your resolutions, plus watch a funny movie!
Stay tuned for an upcoming giveaway to celebrate this new release!
Based on the novel, Love Finds a Home, discover how Janette Oke’s touching “Love Comes Softly” series began in LOVE BEGINS, arriving on DVD November 22 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
After their father passes away, Ellen Barlow (Julie Mond) and her sister Cassie (Abigail Mavity) struggle to maintain their family’s farm. When Clark Davis (Wes Brown) finds trouble in their town on his way to California, Ellen agrees to hire him at the farm to work off his debts. Before long, Clark and Ellen unexpectedly develop feelings for each other. Ultimately, the pair begins a legacy of love and faith together in this heartwarming family drama.
For your chance to win a copy of LOVE BEGINS on DVD, simply fill out the below Rafflecopter form!
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Giveaway
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I just received 3 books of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan to share with two of my “besties”, which will be my mother-in-law and her sister, because they are my reading buddies! Once we’ve each read the book we’ll be sitting down to watch the movie! I’m really looking forward to it. The trailer for this movie really interested me and I’m looking forward to reading the book and then comparing it to the movie adaptation.
20th Century Fox, via Think Jam, has compiled a few great ideas to keep in touch with your friends! I think the advancement of technology has made it so much easier to stay in touch. Facebook alone has me connected with family almost instantaneously.
UPDATE:
Author Lisa See will be on GoodReads tomorrow, 11/03, answering questions about the process of turning her book into a movie!
How to Stay Friends Forever
Now on Blu-ray & DVD as of Nov. 1!
Growing up in 19th century China, Lily (Bingbing Li) and Snow Flower (Gianna Jun) are brought together in a Laotong friendship—a lifelong bond between two women who rely on each other for companionship and comfort. Amid the civil unrest and gender discrimination of the era, the pair deals with life’s hardships together until they are separated by marriage and childbirth. As sworn sisters, however, the women continue to communicate through the secret Chinese language of nushu, hiding their stories and messages within the folds of delicate silk fans.
Lily and Snow Flower had an intense friendship that lasted a lifetime. Nushu helped them communicate and remain close, even in distance. Everyone has that old friend they have known for a long time, yet find it hard to keep in touch. Both get busy with their separate lives and don’t take the time to catch up with one another. In honor of SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN new release to Blu-ray and DVD on Nov. 1, we’ve created a guide for keeping in touch with your besties, through whatever life may put between you. Here we share tips such as writing letters, Skyping and sending each other gifts in the mail.
Write Letters
There’s nothing like a handwritten letter to let someone know that you care and are thinking about them. Make a point of writing to your long-distance friend at least once a month, and giving them updates on what’s going on in your life, and asking what’s new in their life. If you’re so inclined, you can include photos or other small tokens of your friendship with your letters. This simple, heartfelt update will go a long way in making your friendship last.
Take a Trip Together
If it’s within both of your budgets, you and your bestie should take a trip together! Meet up in different places each year – places that are either meaningful to you both, or places that you two have always wanted to visit together. Have a weekend in Las Vegas, a week at the theme parks in Orlando, a glamorous trip to Hollywood, or a long, restful weekend in New England. Making new memories (or reliving old ones) will help keep your friendship vibrant.
Skype
One of the greatest inventions for modern day friendships is Skype. Making a weekly or biweekly “Skype date” can give you a chance to both talk to and see your long-distance friend on a regular basis. Best of all, Skype is free to use, even if you’re video-chatting someone internationally! Skype is great because, in addition to getting to hear your friend’s voice, you can also actually show them what’s new with you, or do something new together!
Start an Online Photo Album
There are so many different ways to share photos online these days, and you and your friend should take advantage of that! You can make a private album that only the two of you can access (you can do this on Facebook, PhotoBucket, etc.), and then you can both upload and comment on each other’s photos and keep up with what’s going on in each other’s lives.
Send Each Other Gifts
If you’re ever out shopping and see a little something that reminds you of your friend, or something you think your friend would love, why not send it to them? With USPS’ Flat Rate Boxes, you can send as much as you want to your long-distance friend for a small fee. Why not make a care package, filled with things you know they like (like homemade treats, or products specific to your area that they can’t get where they live)? If you exchange small gifts every few months, it will remind your friend that you’re thinking about them, and help you two stay friends forever.
