Places to Earn some Money/Points for DVD/BLU-RAY
There are some sites out there that I’ve been using, some good and some not so good. I usually stick with reviewing and news on movies but this is still a blog site, so I’m going to share other random information with you at times.
I’ve found some of these sites really help to get you some gift cards and money to (at least) help me pay for my love of movies. That is usually in the form of DVDs and Blu-Rays, mostly the latter.
Here are some sites to check out -
- YOUDATA - youdata is a site where they pay you for looking at ads. As far as I can tell this is a no nonsense site. You give out some info about yourself via surveys, then they set you up to click through some ads. They pay directly to your PayPal account on Fridays. Follow the link to check it out - CLICK HERE.
- SWAG BUCKS - Swagbucks.com rewards you points for using their search tool (which is powered by Google/Ask.com). You can get a lot of rewards ranging from game consoles to gift cards. They also have swag codes that you can use to get even more swagbucks. You’ve seen the banners on my site for this one. Follow the link here to join - CLICK HERE.
These two sites seem to help me get some extra cash/gift cards towards the thing I love most. Go ahead and check them out for yourself.
Popcorn Ninja
SONY RELEASES LABYRINTH AND THE DARK CRYSTAL on Blu-Ray
Sony released two great Jim Henson movies on Blu-Ray. Both Pan’s Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal were released on Blu-Ray yesterday 9/29/09.
These are both great family movies that are rich in creativity. I recommend both of these movies and I can’t wait to see the result of how they look in 1080p.
They are going for $18.99 @ Amazon, which is not a bad price for these movies.
Popcorn Ninja
30% off USED BLU-RAYS at GoHastings.com
GoHastings.com has a deal going on where their used blu-ray selection is 30% off. There is a lot of potential for deals here. Some prices range from $6.50 and up for used Blu-Rays.
I have personally purchased online and in-store from Hastings and they usually give you quality products. They can’t guarantee that all the digital copies, inserts, etc. will be included but it seems like about 80% of the used blu-rays I’ve received have come in great condition.
Great prices for Blus, here is the link CLICK HERE
My X-MEN TRILOGY Blu-Ray Review
With the upcoming release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 20th Century Fox has mastered the original X-Men trilogy on Blu-Ray. The trilogy was released back on April 21, 2009. This collection comes in a box with three individual cases (for each movie). Each case includes a total of 3 discs - feature film, special features, and a digital copy disc.
The first installment of the trilogy gives a great start to the story of these super heroes. The movie does a great job of introducing the main characters and gives most of them enough screen time for some development. Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects) is very talented and it shows with his translation here. With some strong performances from Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as the heads of both sides of the mutants.
The second movie, X2: X-Men United, expands on the characters and gives us better action and pacing then the original film. Singer has made one of the best super hero movies that we have seen yet. Much of the movie focuses on Wolverine’s past and how he became what he is today. It also leads us into the Jean Grey/Phoenix Saga.
X-Men: The Last Stand loses some of the steam and continuity due to new direction from Brett Ratner (Rush Hour). This is not to say that Last Stand is a bad movie, but it definitely feels different. My main complaint is that much of the movie feels rushed. Clocking in at only 104 minutes, it feels very compacted. Many subplots seem to come and go, without the detail that Singer originally brought to the table. There is still a fair amount of well-done action sequences and some closure to some of the main plot lines.
The video and audio quality are top notch on this disc. There is a very noticeable improvement over the original DVD releases of this title. The audio features an DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, which provided great sound throughout, whether it was action or dialogue.
Other than a weaker third installment of a trilogy, this boxset of Blu-Rays gets my highest recommendation for overall quality of films, as well as an amazing spectacle of audio and video.
Popcorn Ninja
TWILIGHT Exclusive Package Coming Soon
For all the TWILIGHT movie fans in the world, there is an Exclusive Amazon Collector’s Set of the movie coming soon.
This set will include the Blu-Ray of the movie, the soundtrack CD, a jewelry box, and much more. You can preorder this product for $79.99. It will be released on May 5, 2009.
That is a little much than the average Blu-Ray disc but if you are a big fan of the Twilight series then this may be a great collector’s item.
BATMAN BEGINS Blu-Ray Deal
I am a huge fan of the re-invention of the Batman series by Christopher Nolan! Batman Begins just came out on Blu-Ray and you can get it at Amazon for only $17.95 (and if you have Amazon Prime it’s free shipping). That is a wonderful deal for a brand new blu-ray release. From the sounds of it the picture and audio quality are top notch.
I can’t tell all of you how excited I am for THE DARK KNIGHT to come out. So far all the reviews have been excellent and it sounds like it will be even better then it’s near perfect prequel.
If you haven’t seen Batman Begins yet get out there and at least rent the movie…..you will not be disappointed!
Popcorn Ninja
Blu-Ray Finds It’s Way Home
Blu-Ray finds it’s way home….well that is my home. I finally invested in a Blu-Ray Player and a TV that does 1080p. After Warner Bros. moved only to Blu-Ray and HD-DVD was left in the dust I though I better get up with the times.
After much deliberation I decided to go with the Playstation 3 40GB instead of a stand alone player. Mainly because there seemed to be many issues with the early stand alone players and the PS3 can easily get firmware updates through it’s wireless capabilities.
After all said and done I’m very impressed with Blu-Ray movies. Aside from a couple, all have been a great deal better in quality of sound and video over the DVD versions. Now don’t get me wrong we aren’t talking VHS vs. DVD, but it is still it (being Blu-Ray) is quite a bit better.
So I definitely recommend adding a Blu-Ray player whenever you can afford to add it to your home theater. Here it begins now I have to start collecting Blu-Rays and slowly phase out the DVD collection. What are your Blu-Ray experiences, questions, thoughts?
Popcorn Ninja
Tags: blu-ray finds it’s way home, blu-ray movie collection, sony ps3 firmware, blu-ray experience, blu-ray better than dvd