Archives for September 2024

Oh, My Gawd!  In celebration of the 30^th anniversary of one of television’s most watched sitcoms, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will release FRIENDS: The Complete Series in 4K Ultra HD on September 24, 2024.  This ultimate collector’s set for any FRIENDS fan includes over 110 hours of content – including all 236 original broadcast episodes released for the first time in 4K Ultra HD, plus over 20 hours of extra features including all-new bonus content. Pre-order your copy now.

From Warner Bros. Television, FRIENDS follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).

FRIENDS was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. Throughout its run, the show was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards®, winning six awards including Best Comedy Series in 2002. 

FRIENDS maintains its influence among viewers. Since its launch, the series has been watched over 71 billion times in the United States alone, across all linear & SVOD platforms. On an international level, viewers spent a total of more than 1.4 billion hours with FRIENDS in 2023 across linear and SVOD internationally.

As FRIENDS marks its 30th anniversary this year, the beloved TV series continues to hold an enduring place in popular culture and hearts worldwide. With its witty humor, relatable characters, and memorable catchphrases, FRIENDS transcends generations with its universal appeal, making it a classic that continues to bring joy and laughter to fans around the world.

I received a copy and am having so much fun watching it!

Check out this clip from the all-new bonus feature “Through the Peephole” to take you behind the scenes with some of the costumes from the series.

https://a5.adstream.com/public/preview/1rsthuy7sgs3p

Series information:

FRIENDS: The Complete Series

Includes all 236 original broadcast episodes from the iconic 10 seasons of the beloved series, plus hours of special features which has been created over the years including two hours of all-new bonus content.

PRODUCT                           

4K Ultra HD  

Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA, German 2.0 S DD, French 2.0 S DD, Japanese 2.0 S DD, Castilian-Spanish 2.0 S DD

Subtitles: English SDH, German SDH, French, Japanese, Castilian Spanish, Latin Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Dutch, Complex Chinese

Running time: 236 (30 min) episodes. Over 20 hours of special features including all-new bonus content

Rated: PG

Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (WBDHE) distributes the award-winning movies, television, animation, and digital content produced by Warner Bros. Discovery to the homes and screens of millions through physical Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD retail sales and digital transactions on major streaming, video-on-demand cable, satellite, digital, and mobile channels.  WBDHE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales, one of the world’s largest distributors of entertainment programming.

Self Disclosure: I received a free sample to feature. Images and information were also provided.

Fans can travel across the multi-verse with the epic release of the Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-7 boxed set on DVD on September 10. Get Schwifty while you binge on one of cable’s most-watched comedies that follows the sci-fi misadventures of genius scientist Rick and his family. Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-7 includes all 71 episodes from seven seasons of the award-winning series, copious special features, audio commentary, deleted scenes, “Inside the Episode” segments, numerous featurettes, animatic sketches, and more.

ABOUT RICK AND MORTY: THE COMPLETE SERIES 1-7:

Rick and Morty is the critically acclaimed, half-hour animated hit comedy series on Adult Swim that follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe. Rick Sanchez is living with his daughter Beth’s family and constantly bringing her, his son-in-law Jerry, granddaughter Summer, and grandson Morty into intergalactic escapades.

Debuting in 112 countries in 38 languages, Rick and Morty has captured substantial international viewership. The series has ranked as one of the top series for Max, both domestically and globally. Lifetime to date, Rick and Morty has been viewed over 10 billion times globally, across linear, digital, and streaming.

Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-7

series information:

Includes 71 episodes from all seven seasons, plus all the bonus materials that have been lovingly created over the years, and carefully curated for you now.

PRODUCT                   

DVD                                 

Audio: English

Subtitles: English

Running Time: 1,589 minutes

Rated: TV-MA

Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (WBDHE)

Hana wants to know everything about the world around her. When she starts asking questions, her mother gives her a book. She learns so much, but now she has even more questions! She also has a big mission: she will read all the books—every single one! She reads every book in her house…and then her friends’ houses…and then the whole block. Nonfiction, fiction, romance, mysteries, and science fiction. But when her mother takes her to the downtown library, she realizes there are a lot more books than she thought…way more. Maybe she can’t really read all the books—now what?

Debbie masterfully captures the essence of a child’s wonder and determination, painting a vivid picture of Hana’s adventures in reading. It is a testament to the power of books and their ability to foster curiosity that will keep readers laughing page after page, as well as inspire them to challenge themselves and explore reading both for fun and to learn.

With features of books from all genres and readers from all backgrounds, I Want to Read All the Books is about how sharing books and even starting a book club is a great thing!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the author-illustrator of Where Are My Books? and I Want to Read All the Books. Her illustrations also appear in Sea Monkey and Bob, written by Aaron Reynolds; I’m Bored (a New York Times Notable Book), Naked!, and I’m Sorry, written by Michael Ian Black; as well as ten Judy Blume chapter books and middle grade titles. For more info, visit DebbieOhi.com or @InkyElbows on Twitter.

CAMP TWISTED PINE by Ciera Burch

When eleven-year-old Naomi is forced to go to summer camp, she must figure out what to do when it appears a menacing creature is abducting fellow campers in this spooky new middle grade from the author of Finch House for fans of Whispering Pines and Small Spaces.

This is the perfect read for the upcoming Fall season and Halloween! This one is a hard one to put down!

Witness the chilling rise of the Nazi Party through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy in this action-packed middle grade novel for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided. The main characters of this all-new series are a group of friends who oppose the Nazis and are inspired to intervene as the Party takes root in their community. Though readers will know they cannot stop the eventual war, their actions demonstrate the importance of everyday acts of defiance against tyranny and standing up for what you believe in. This is a really engaging book!

Self Disclosure: I received free copies of the above books to feature. Info and images were also provided.

In ancient China after a clash with the humans, dragons are banished from the kingdom. Many years later, innocent and freedom-yearning orphan, Ping, is looking after the last two dragons when she discovers that one has sadly died, and the other is guarding a precious and rare dragon egg. As palace guards arrive, the remaining dragon, Danzi disappears, and before Ping has the opportunity to explain what has happened, she is mistaken for an accomplice and must run away herself. Danzi and Ping escape from the palace together and must return the dragon egg to the ocean to save all dragons from extinction! On this wild and dangerous adventure, Ping finds a way to unlock her power and discovers she is a true Dragonkeeper.  Dragonkeeper comes from animation studio Ilion Animation Studios (Wonder Park, Planet 51) and the visual direction of the legendary Sergio Pablos (Rio, Despicable Me) & Borja Montoro (Zootopia).

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Ariel K. comments, “I really enjoyed this film. It has lots of humor – there are all sorts of humorous scenes like my favorite, where the mouse tries helping. He marches up to the big fight against something 2,000,000 times his size.” See his full review below.

Dragonkeeper

By Ariel K., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12 

I like the movie Dragonkeeper because it is funny and heartfelt.

The storyline is about a slave girl called Ping (Mayalinee Griffiths), who dreams about meeting dragons. Her dream comes true, but one of the magical creatures dies and she goes on a quest to save the dragons and hatch the last imperial dragons’ egg. Joining her is a dragon (Bill Nighy) as her protector and a funny “very helpful” mouse. She soon finds out that she has mystical powers and learns to use them to stop bad guys who want to steal the egg and use its powers for evil.

I really enjoyed this film. It’s an animated film with special effects. It also has lots of humor – there are all sorts of humorous scenes like my favorite, where the mouse tries helping. He marches up to the big fight against something 2,000,000 times his size. Another fun scene is when he rolls the egg away from the bad guys. The movie is also sad and heartfelt because one of the dragons dies. The visual effects are great and really stand out. For example when one of the dragons heals Ping’s wound with the power of the egg as shown in the trailer. I do have to admit that some parts of the movie are a little childish. For example, there is a scene about 30 seconds long of two kids blowing raspberries at each other.

The film’s message is “you can do whatever you want; only you decide your destiny.”

I give Dragonkeeper 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. It is available on digital in the US now and opens in theaters in UK & Ireland on September 27, 2024. I hope you enjoy it.