Movie Review: Wings 3D

Narrated by Doctor Who star David Tennant, Wings3D is the breathtaking aerial adventure that takes goose bumps to new heights. Emmy® Award-nominated director John Downer uses breakthrough filming techniques and technology to bring you high-flying sights that will simply amaze you. Remarkable 3D footage captures majestic bald eagles scanning over the Grand Canyon, resplendent parrots on the wing, manta rays soaring skyward from the sea, barn swallows dive-bombing for a drink, cranes high over Venice waterways and so much more.

 

Details: Format: Blu Ray Only, $25.98, ISBN 883929465590,  Release Date 4/7/2015,  Format Blu-ray,  Number of Discs 1 disc,  Run Time Approx. 90 mins  of bonus content,  Subtitles SDH

 

I’ve always been a huge fan of nature films that pertains to birds and I have to say that Wings 3D takes the cake! It’s a truly breathtaking film and David Tennant is the perfect narrator for such a film.

 

The film gives you a bird’s eye view and it offers fun and interesting facts on each species it features. The colors are so vivid and I truly felt as though I was getting an up-close view.

 

Like Tiny Giants, this would be a brilliant nature film for children and adults.

 

Promo: Planet Dinosaur 3D

Your entire family will be in awe as you meet the biggest, baddest and most alien dinosaurs ever, now in 3D!

 

More dinosaurs were discovered in the last decade than the preceding 200 years, and you can find them here in eye-popping 3D. Planet Dinosaur 3D will transport you back hundreds of millions of years to meet T Rex's bigger, meaner, weirder cousins. Scarier than any movie and stranger than your wildest fantasy, you'll discover a completely immersive visual experience studded with curious facts and jaw-dropping action. Travel back in time and witness a world like nothing you've ever seen, now in 3D!

 

Details: Format: Blu Ray Only, $25.98, ISBN 883929465736,  Release Date 4/7/2015,  Format Blu-ray,  Number of Discs 1 disc,  Run Time Approx. 53 mins  of bonus content,  Subtitles SDH

 



 

Movie Review: Tiny Giants 3D

Experience the epic adventures of the world’s smallest heroes!

 The producers of Life and Planet Earth share this spectacular ground-level view of the smallest wonders of the natural world. Unless you've been an ant or an earthworm in a previous life, you've never seen anything like this. Immerse yourself in a terrifically fascinating place, where small creatures face titanic battles to survive. Special 3D cameras capture the larger than life adventures of Earth's littlest heroes. Featuring a stirring musical score by Ben Foster (The Theory of Everything, Doctor Who) and narrated by Stephen Fry, Tiny Giants is one of the most remarkable nature films of all time.

 

Details: Format: Blu Ray Only,  $25.98, ISBN 883929465583,  Release Date 4/7/2015,  Format Blu-ray,  Number of Discs 1 disc,  Run Time Approx. 41 mins + 7 minutes of bonus content,  Subtitles SDH

 

 

Tiny Giants is such a unique little documentary. It follows two tiny giants: a chipmunk preparing for winter and a grasshopper mouse exploring his world for the first time. Both animals were intriguing and I learned several things I never knew.  Although what really intrigued me was the grasshopper/scorpion mouse.

 

The cinematography was vivid and I was truly amazed at how up close it felt. Everything was filmed at their eye levels so it was as though the viewer was able to see what their worlds were truly like.

 

Tiny Giants would be a brilliant documentary for school age children.

 

 

 

Movie Review: Austenland

 Jane Hayes’s (Keri Russell) adoration of all things Jane Austen is complicating her love life. Determined to be the heroine of her own story, Jane spends her life savings on a trip to Austenland, an eccentric resort where guests experience complete immersion in the Regency era. Armed with her bonnet, corset and needlepoint, Jane strives to avoid spinsterhood … but has a difficult time determining where fantasy ends and real life—and maybe even love—begins. Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde) and Jane Seymour (Wedding Crashers) also star in this charming romantic comedy.

 So, I’m going to confess here and now. I broke my own book-to-movie rule. I watched Austenland before reading the book. I was browsing Amazon for Christmas gifts and spotted it on sale and decided to gift to myself. So, Happy Christmas to me! Although I did receive Austenland and Midnight at Austenland as gifts, so I will be reading them as soon as I have a break in my reading schedule.

 

The movie was silly, and goofy, and laugh-out-loud-until-you-gigglesnort type of funny and I totally loved it.

 

Jane Hayes (played by Keri Russell) is completely and utterly obsessed with Jane Austen to the point her house is decked out in Darcy. She finally decides she’s going to take the jump and go to Austenland, an immersive Jane Austen resort where guests are thrown into the Regency experience. Honestly, given the chance, most Austenites would jump at this chance. Although Jane has made a deal with her best friend: if Austenland doesn’t meet her expectations, she will give up her obsession.

 

Not realizing that by purchasing the lower ‘copper’ package she would be treated as the ‘poor relation’, Jane soon starts realizing Austenland isn’t quite what she imaged. However, she soon starts developing a relationship with the chauffer/farmhand, Martin. Meanwhile, it seems that she and Mr. Henry Nobly, the pseudo Darcy are intent to squabble although neither man is who they seem.

 

Keri Russell played this part perfectly and Jennifer Coolidge with her brilliant comedic timing truly made this a laugh out loud movie. I loved the interaction between Elizabeth Charming (Coolidge) and Colonel Andrews.

 

There were so many hilarious moments stuffed inside 97 minutes. The pacing and casting were brilliant. I think every Jane Austen fan should have this movie in their possession.

 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Austenland and I have a feeling that this movie will be well watched.  If I could change anything about it, I would have made it a bit longer. I wanted to know a little bit more about what happened after the ending.

 

I’m really eager to read the book now. And hopefully there will be a second movie.   

 Details: Austenland, 2013, Sony Pictures, $19.99, Purchased, 96 minutes, Rating: 4 Crowns



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Copper Season 2 DVD Review

Copper Season 2
Release Date: January 7, 2014
DVD $42.98 Blu-ray $50.98
Length: Approx. 585 minus + bonus material on 3-discs
Starring: Tom Weston Jones, Kyle Schmid, Anastasia Griffith, Ato Essandoh, Tessa Thompson, Donal Logue, and Franka Potente
Purchase from the BBC Shop HERE

The gripping crimes series Copper returns for its second and final season with 13 all new episodes.

Set in New York City on the brink of Lincoln’s assassination, Detective Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston Jones, MI-5) struggles to tame the wartime metropolis while wrestling with personal demons, including the betrayal of his wife and best friend. And when Tammany Hall’s outspoken General Donovan (Donal Logue, Sons of Anarchy, Vikings) returns from the Civil War to restore law and order in the Sixth Ward, loyalties will be bought and sold both uptown and in the slums of Five Points as Corcoran, and those around him, fight to find their places in an unforgiving city. (taken from the press release)

My thoughts:

The Second Season of Copper started out just as strongly as the first season but a bit more grittier and in your face.
After finding out that his wife, Ellen, was alive (and had had an affair with Maguire) season two starts out with Corcoran adjusting to this new life with Ellen. Starting out shaky, things soon spiral out of control when Maguire is released from prison after the evidence to convict him turns up missing. Now Corcoran discovers Maguire, the man he once considered a friend, is in league with a ring of counterfeiters.
Mixed in with the grit and grime of Five Points, is the glamour and politics of uptown, which can be just as deadly.
Episodes:
"Home, Sweet Home"
"Aileen Aroon"
"The Children of the Battlefield"
"I Defy Thee to Forget"
"A Morning Song"
"To One Shortly to Die"
"The Hope Too Bright to Last"
"Ashes Denote That Fire Was"
"Think Gently of the Erring"
"The Fine Ould Irish Gintleman"
"Good Heart and Willing Hand"
"Beautiful Dreamer"
"The Place I Called My Home"
I started this season with a heavy heart as I knew it was the end of Copper (let’s just take a moment to mourn the loss of another great show).
While this may have been the end, I think this season really stood out. It allowed the actors show more raw emotion and kept me glued to the telly as it threw in so many twists and turns I never saw coming.
It seemed that each character had their own demons to face this season and I am sad to say that some of them never were resolved due to the series getting cancelled. Although I had to say it was well worth the ride!
I would like to thank the BBC for sending me this review copy of Copper Season Two.

Parade's End DVD Review

Set over a tumultuous ten-year period 100 years ago, this five-hour miniseries tells the story of an honorable Englishman coping with his growing disillusion at the end of one privileged era and the beginning of a new, egalitarian one. As the comfortable certainties of Edwardian England begin to give way to the chaos and destruction of WWI, aristocrat Christopher Tietjens (Benedict Cumberbatch) puts principles first by marrying Sylvia (Rebecca Hall), a pretty, manipulative socialite who gives birth to a child who may not be his. While enduring his new wife’s whims and overt indiscretions, Christopher finds himself inexorably drawn to a young suffragette, Valentine Wannop (Adelaide Clemens), but refuses to give in to their mutual passion or end his marriage with Sylvia. The onset of war, combined with the advent of feminism at home and communism in Russia, ushers in far-reaching changes for the English status quo, and gradually erodes the constraints that have kept Christopher tethered to his aristocratic past.

 

Christopher Tietjens and his wife Sylvia have the ability to come off as unlikable and even annoying characters. He is a man who could have been portrayed as spineless—or even a shadow in the story of his own life.  She has the ability to come off as an arrogant spoiled rich socialite, one that is instantly unlikable. Even Tietjens love interest, Valentine Wallop, has the ability to come off as an annoyingly naïve girl, greener than the first shoots of summer grass. 

However in this co-production (HBO and BBC) the characters work and credit should go to the writer, Tom Stoppard and the brilliant acting team of Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, and Adelaide Clemens.  

 

Cumberbatch’s Tietjens is the stuff dreams are made of. While he doesn’t fit the physical description of Ford’s character, the essence of ‘the Last Tory’ is alive and thriving in Cumberbatch’s portrayal. He makes the viewer become invested in the outcome; you feel his disillusion with his marriage, his longing for Valentine, and the deep sense of honor to do what’s right. And he does it so well that it builds the character up. Although let me say that there are still times when you want to throw something at him and shout, ‘just divorce the trollop and move’, but in all fairness, I felt that way when reading the novel as well. In my mind, Benedict Cumberbatch was always the perfect actor to play this role

 

 

 

I will admit I was a bit hesitant to purchase this DVD for the shear reason of fearing that I would not like Sylvia and this particular character would mar the entire movie for me. It has nothing to do with the actress playing her—I am a fan of Rebecca Hall. I have never been overly fond of the character of Sylvia. in my mind she was a spoiled trollop content to sleep her way around the world, then blame her husband—who may or may not be the father of her child—for ignoring her. Yet Hall’s portrayal makes a believable Sylvia come to life. I may not thoroughly like her—and still at times want to slap her—Hall makes you see that, even though it’s Sylvia’s doing, she like her husband is not overly thrilled with her marriage.

 

The last of the main characters is the young suffragette, Valentine Wallop. Adelaide Clemens stole the show with her sparkling portrayal of this character. She made the viewer feel her yearning for Tietjens. While the naivety of her character could have dominated the role, Clemens balanced it beautifully between youth and womanhood. I truly loved the way this character came off.

 

First let me say that this has been my favorite adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s tetralogy.  It was lush, eloquent, and artfully told—and I am eager to watch it again. However, the four novels that make up the tetralogy were not equally incorporated within the miniseries. I know that a tetralogy of this length, 900 plus pages, would have been nearly impossible to fit within the timeframe given, but I wished that they would have given a bit more time to the ending.

 

 

While some parts of miniseries were a bit slow, overall this was a glorious adaptation of a novel that has been deemed unfilmable . Although Parade’s End has been compared to Downton Abbey, I would have to say it’s more Upstairs, Downstairs (the new version that is).

 

Parade’s End—the book 

Although Ford Madox Ford was a member of the ‘Lost Generation’—a generation that came of age during World War I, whose members included distinguished artists such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and T. S. Eliot among a few—Ford’s distinctive writing style stood apart.  

Yet in Parade’s End, there are similarities to two talented author’s he called friends. 

The opulent lifestyle, the unacknowledged affairs, the love-triangle, and the ennui that comes along with the realization that money buys a lot of things but not happiness or love echoes the classic style of Fitzgerald. While the turmoil, politics, debris, and grit of war and it’s linger aftermath are in the style of Hemingway.  

Literary critics say that in some ways Ford Madox Ford was the master of this generation. He took the elements of the WWI era and combined them in Parade’s End. Not only did he offer the love stories and angst of a Fitzgerald novel he pulled in the startling reality of a nation at war and the emotional impact it has on the soldiers that Hemingway captured.  

I have never been overly fond of Fitzgerald’s writing, the man was highly talented and had a gift for words, but he was too focused on the romance—not that it was a bad thing but when reading about this era, I want more. Hemingway’s writing is more for me, but reading too much of Hemingway’s doom and gloom is not always a good thing.  

This is where Ford Madox Ford comes in. He was more inclusive of all the elements of this era. For me, his writing showcases the good, the bad, the war, and the romance of the era. Fans of both Hemingway and Fitzgerald will find a nice balance in Parade’s End along with Ford’s fresh perspective.

 

DVD was purchased by me.

 

Review by Angela Simmons

The Royal Collection

 Only the BBC can offer you this exclusive, intimate glimpse into the private and public lives of the royals, from its unique collection of landmark videos. The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II opens the doors to Buckingham Palace as Britain prepares to show off the beautiful young Queen to the world. Follow the 60-year family saga in Queen Victoria's Children and her tumultuous relationships with her nine offspring, and how Elizabeth's grandparents, George V and Queen Mary, built the enduring House of Windsor in King George. Gain insights into the new generation of royals as you watch Prince William grow up in an era of prying paparazzi in How To Be a Prince. Bonus: Delightful 32-page eyewitness record, in words and pictures, of Coronation Day.

 Included in the set:

Queen Victoria's Children, a three-part series exploring the reign of Victoria through her personal relationships with her husband and her nine children.

King George and Queen Mary: The Royals Who Rescued the Monarchy, a two-part portrait of Elizabeth II’s grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary, which examines the lasting legacy of the couple who rescued the monarchy from potential disaster.

 The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, a behind-the-scenes look at the Queen's 1953 Coronation.

  How To Be a Prince, a program centered on Prince William from 2003.

The Queen’s Coronation Day Booklet
To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession, we are delighted to bring to you this facsimile edition of the original Pitkin Guide.
Sixty years on, in this Diamond Jubilee year, Pitkin is proud to publish their original illustrated guidebook to this historic event, a poignant and personal account seen through eyes of the late Beverley Nichols.
My Thoughts:
Anglofiles rejoice! The BBC has compiled the most pivotal moments of the Windsor dynasty, starting with Queen Victoria’s children and ending with an intimate look at Prince William, into one lovely (and very affordable) package.
Whether you are a die-hard fan of all things Queen Elizabeth or a newbie whose been bitten by the Royal Baby bug, The Royal Collection has it all from documentaries to a 31-page facsimile booklet of Queen Elizabeth II coronation.
I had intended to only watch Queen Victoria’s Children during that sitting although once it finished I found that I had to watch the next one, then the next one. The DVD’s were very informative without the feel of having a history lesson thrown out at you and I found them to be highly addictive. The book was just as brilliant with a wealthy of photographs from the Queen’s coronation, eyewitness accounts, and the texts of the Queen’s coronation speech.
I must say that this collection would be a wonderful addiction, or a starter, to your Royal Collection.
The Royal Collection includes:
4 DVDs and a replica booklet of The Queen’s Coronation Day and a comes in a lovely red cardboard box that features a photo of Queen Elizabeth II at her coronation.
To find out more about The Royal Collection or to order a copy please click HERE
Item Number: 17186, New Release Price: $19.98

Wide Sargasso Sea-Movie Review

As imagined by Jean Rhys, the infamous madwoman in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre becomes an innocent, born into two cultures but belonging to none.
The exotic Caribbean confounds young Englishman Edward Rochester when he arrives in 1830s Jamaica to pursue his fortune. Nevertheless, he finds nothing to fear in beautiful Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway. She eagerly succumbs to his courtship, entrusting him with her dowry and her destiny. In the intoxicating surroundings of their honeymoon house, ecstatic lust turns to suspicion and betrayal as her world and his disastrously collide.
In this passionate and heartbreaking love story, the shadowy character created by one brilliant novelist becomes fully realized in the hands of another. Rafe Spall (The Chatterley Affair) and Rebecca Hall (The Prestige) star in a fresh adaptation that captures all the sensuality, suspense, and nuance of Rhys’s masterpiece.
DVD Details:
Approximately 84 minutes, DVD Special Features: biography of Jean Rhys and Cast filmographies
My Thoughts:
Wide Sargasso Sea opens with Bertha escaping from her room and setting  Mr. Rochester’s sitting room aflame. From there, the viewer is transported to the first meeting of Edward and Antoinette (Jean Rhys has decided to call give Bertha the name of Antoinette, I will not say the reason for the name change, it’s something that you should discover on your own).
Seemingly of sound mind and with a handsome dowry, Antoinette’s beauty and money attracted Edward, who as a second son has went to Jamaica to make his own fortune. Spending their honeymoon in a secluded house with only two servants to accompany them, they allow their passion to rule them.
When Edward encounters a man claiming to be Antoinette’s brother and family secrets are revealed, Edward begins to question who his wife really is and the revelation is enough to make him wish he hadn’t married her.
Highly sensual and utterly riveting, Antoinette’s descent into madness made it impossible to turn away from the telly. Rebecca Hall does a lovely and convincing job portraying the mercurial Antoinette. Although I wasn’t sure if I was going to like Rafe Spall’s portrayal of Rochester as I always see his character as a darker sort, yet twenty minutes into the film and I found that Rafe Spall’s portrayal was spot-on.
With it’s candlelit scenes and lush landscapes, Wide Sargasso Sea holds  the viewer transfixed as it tells the tale of the early days of Rochester and Bertha’s marriage and his introduction to the madness that eventually consumed her.
I would like to thank BBC America Shop for sending me this dvd to review.
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Copper: Season 1 Review & Giveaway

First, let me remind you of the following giveaways and give you a bit of an update

Tea With Jane Austen by Kim Wilson

Christmas Tea Collection

These two giveaways were supposed to end today, although due to a little glitch with the comments, they will be open until December 19

Romancing America –Ends December 18

Thursdays Trivia was to identify the place the following picture depicted

The painting depicts Five Points in Central lower Manhattan, New York. Thusly named because of the five-pointed intersection created by Orange Street (now Baxter) and Cross Street (now Mosco); from this intersection Anthony Street (now Worth) began and ran in a northwest direction, creating a triangular-shaped block thus the fifth "point". To the west of this "point" ran Little Water Street (which no longer exists) north to south, creating a triangular plot which would become known as Paradise Square or Paradise Park.

There have been so many amazing shows put out by BBC America that it is truly hard to pick my favorite one although Copper comes pretty close to the top of my top ten list.

 In a time when disorder and mayhem are the law of the land—Kevin Corcoran is New York City’s finest. And Irish-American former boxer turned cop, Corcoran returns from the Civil War to find his wife missing and his daughter dead. Corcoran seeks justice for the powerless in the notorious immigrant neighborhood of Five Points. Banded by battle to two Civil War compatriots—the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist and an African-American physician—Corcoran is thrust unto the contrasting worlds of elegant and corrupt Fifth Avenue and the emerging African-American community in Norhtern Manhattan. The three men also share a secret from the battlefield that inextricably links their lives forever. (from the back of the dvd cover)
Starring: Tom Weston-Jones, Kevin Ryan, Ato Essandoh Directed by: Jeff Woolnough Produced by: Barry Levinson Written by: Tom Fontana, Will Rokos
Format: DVD Widescreen (also available in Blueray) Region: 1 Originally Aired On: BBC America Number of Discs: 3 Special Features: Commentary, Deleted Scenes, "Making of" Documentary, Featurettes, and Character Video Profiles
My Thoughts:

From balls to brothels, Copper has it all. Returning from the Civil War to find his daughter dead and wife missing, Kevin Corcoran makes it his mission to discover what happened to them. Weaving his personal investigation into his job as a cop the show takes on the grittiness of life in 1860’s Five Points.
I have never watched a show that had me so engrossed in an investigation, yet I found myself eagerly waiting on bits and bobs of information regarding the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. Although each episode focuses on a new crime, the core of the show is Corcoran’s search for the truth.
In a sense, Copper could be called the first CSI as the show focuses on the newest tools of investigation, such as using the Marsh test to test for arsenic and other such items. While the investigations are front and center, the show would not be the same without the interaction of three of the key players that come from three very different walks of life.

We have Kevin Corcoran—Irish-American living in Five Points, raised by nuns in Catholic orphanage. Matthew Freedman—an African-American physician who aids Corcoran in his investigations. And lastly, Robert Morehouse—a wealthy son of an industrialist. All three served together in the Civil War and all three shares a secret, which adds so much more intensity to Copper.
There is so much going on in Copper including a twist that I never saw coming.
Carol L. said that 5 Points was “Filled with poverty, prostitutes, disease and gangs”, and I must say that Copper fits that description to a t.
I would also like to say that the cinematography in Copper is brilliant.

They make the scenes set in Five Points feel so dark and grungy.

While Uptown is bright and cheerful.

Giveaway Time!
1 lucky winner will win Copper: Season 1
Giveaway ends December 19
As this is a Region 1 DVD, giveaway is only open to the following: United States, Canada, Bermuda, and U.S. territories
I would like to thank BBC America Shop for sending me Copper: Season 1 to review.
Trivia Question: What was the name of Queen Victoria’s Scottish Estate?
If you would like to order Copper from BBC America Shop you may do so HERE
Giveaway copy purchased by me
Best Wishes & Good Luck,
Angela
I am not an affiliate of BBC America Shop and do not receive money for anything purchased from their company through my links.

The Ice House—Movie Review

Adapted from award-winning crime novelist Minette Walters’ literary debut, The Ice House, skillfully combines the themes of love, betrayal, bigtory, murder and deadly intrigue. Ten years ago, Phoebe Maybury’s hateful husband David disappeared from Streech Grange. Now a naked, unidentifiable corpse has been discovered in the ice house on the Grange and Inspectors Walsh (Corn Redgrave) and McLoughlin (Daniel Craig) have to decide whose it is, whether he was murdered, and who killed him.

My Thoughts:
Normally, when watching whodunits, I can figure out who done it fairly quickly, although The Ice House kept me guessing right up until the end.
Opening with a decomposed body found in the ice house Inspector Walsh (Corin Redgrave) believes that the body belongs to David Maybury who disappeared ten years ago from Streech Grange and that his wife, Phoebe Maybury was the killer.
Chief Inspector Walsh believed that Phoebe had done away with her husband; all Walsh needed was some evidence against her. Ten years later a badly decomposed body is discovered in the icehouse and believes he has finally found the missing David Maybury. However, the two mysterious women who live at the Grange with Phoebe are making it a bit difficult for Walsh and McLoughlin to do their jobs.
And that is only half of it. As the movie progresses more twists and turns unfold.
I really enjoyed this movie, and the three mysterious women living at the Grange gives it a gothic feel. The way the plot unfolds, you never truly discover what these women are up to until the—or if indeed they are murderess—until right up until the end and then I can guarantee that you will be shocked.
If you are looking for a brilliant whodunit, then you should give The Ice House a go!
I was intrigued by this movie I have put the novel down on my TBR list.
Movie Details:
Starring: Daniel Craig , Corin Redgrave Directed by: Tim Fywell Produced by: Suzan Harrison Written by: Minette Walters

Format: DVD Widescreen Run time: 180 minutes Number of Discs: 1 Special Features: Minette Walters On Writing a Novel

You may order a copy from BBC America Shop HERE
Item Number: 16871
New Release Price: $19.98

Visit Angela @ Simply Angela
I would like to thank BBC America Shop for sending me a review copy of The Ice House. I received no compensation for reviewing this item--nor do I receive any from sales generated from the above links. My thoughts are honest and are my own. 

History of Scotland: Castles & Clans & Visions of Scotland

 

History of Scotland: Castles & Clans

Regal entertainment! Scotland's castles emerge from swirling mists to reveal imposing fortresses in tranquil settings that belie their turbulent and bloody past. Explore the history of the clans and tour battlements and great halls that have witnessed centuries of war, tribal treacheries and triumphs.

Format:DVD Fullscreen
Region:1 - More Details
Run time:About 5 Hours
Number of Discs:3
Special Features:Includes 2 Bonus Programs:
Scotland: The Edge of the Land - Take a spectacular aerial journey along Scotland's western coastline.
Scottish Verse - Enjoy the stirring words of Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott set to music against a backdrop of beautiful Scottish landscapes.

Disc 1 & Disc 2: The Castles of Scotland

The bricks, stones, and mortar of Scotland’s castles emerge from swirling mists to reveal imposing fortresses originally erected against the threat of Viking invaders and later, the threat of neighboring clans in power struggles and territorial disputes. Displaying architectural styles that span hundreds of years, Scottish castles are found amidst tumbling waters and majestic hills in visually beautiful, tranquil settings that belie their turbulent and bloody past.

This fascinating program explores the romantic history of the clans through tours of the turrets, battlements and grandly furnished great halls of structures that have witnessed centuries of war, tribal treachery and occasional splendor. Legends of black magic, fairies, secret rooms and ghosts enliven the history of a brave and independent people who proudly defend and preserved their Caledonia—land of the Thistle and the Lion.

Disc 3: Scottish Clans

This unique program delves into the origins and backgrounds of key individual Scottish Clan names. These famous Clans echo across the Highlands and through the mists of time to form an integral part of the country’s modern heritage.

Set to a specially written musical score and an imaginative backdrop of well-known landmarks, battlefields, and beautiful Scottish landscapes, this enthralling video encompasses a brief history and description of the most famous Scottish names.

Clans included in the program:

Anderson/Armstrong/Brodie/Bruce/Buchanan/Cameron/Chisholm/Douglas/Drummond/MacDonald/MacDougall/MacFarlane/MacGregor/ MacKintosh/MacLeod/Murray/Robertson/Rose/Stewart/Urquhart/ Wallace

Bonus Feature:

Scottish Verse-A selection of classic Poetry and Popular Verse set to scenic, evocative landscapes.
Be inspired. Take in the dramatic and contrasting beauty of Scotland. Experience both traditional and popular poetry and verse whilst immersing yourself in the passion and emotion of Scottish Verse.
This program, which was filmed entirely on location, will capture your heart and stimulate your mind as we journey through a rich tapestry of vibrant Scotland accompanied by a specially written, traditional style and ambient musical score.
Poets included in the program:
Robert Louis Stevenson/Robert Burns/Sir Walter Scott
My Thoughts:
History of Scotland: Castles and Clans is the perfect armchair travel tour of Scotland’s most notorious Clans and Castles. Not only go you get the history of the Clans you get the see inside the Castles and get the history and lore that is associated with each one.
I love being able to take a wee journey to the heart of Scotland anytime that I want and this DVD Set allows me to just that. Brilliantly narrated and beautifully filmed, History of Scotland: Castles and Clans blew me away.
Plus, I must say that History of Scotland: Castles and Clans comes with an amazing collection of Scottish Verse, which was brilliant in itself.
You may find out more about this DVD HERE

  

Visions of Scotland

A stunning tour of its ancient cities and heather-clad hills

See bonny Scotland as you never could, even on the most lavish tour. Thanks to a helicopter-mounted camera, you soar effortlessly over Scotland’s historic cities, tranquil villages, rugged highlands, and steel-blue lakes. See the country’s legendary landmarks—the dizzying heights of Edinburgh’s Castle Rock, immaculate greens of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, mysterious glacial waters of Loch Ness, and many more—from unique aerial perspective. Chase wild deer across green hills splashed with yellow gorse. Swoop down on coastal villages so close that you can almost taste the sweet, smoky salmon. With a poetic narration and a soundtrack of authentic regional music, Visions of Scotland opens your eyes, ears, and heart to this legendary land.

Take the high road like never before. In Visions of Scotland, you've got a front-row seat on a thrilling tour of this historic and picturesque land, from heather-clad Highlands to rich, majestic Edinburgh. Trace the royal mile of restored medieval buildings in the capital. Climb the 287 steps of the memorial to Sir Walter Scott. Explore the mysterious depths of Loch Ness and the birthplace of golf at St. Andrews. Filmed in high-defi nition with a soundtrack of regional music, it’s a soaring aerial journey over great glens, stunning waterways, sacred abbeys and craggy heights. Book your trip and enjoy time in Scotland anytime!

My Thoughts:
This was a very interesting eagle eye view of Scotland. The key to the DVD is in its name and it truly was Visions of Scotland. I loved the elevated views of this armchair tour of Scotland as it showed off Scotland’s key features. The narration and soundtrack was lovely as well but while it showed amazing views of Scotland, I felt that it was a bit light on the narration.
You may find out more about this DVD HERE
I would like to thank BBC America Shop for the review copies of these lovely DVDs!
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Great Expectations 2011 DVD

Great Expectations (2011)
Starring: Gillian Anderson , Douglas Booth , David Suchet
Directed by: Brian Kirk
Produced by: Rebecca Eaton
Written by: Charles Dickens

 

Return to early 19th-century England and fall in love all over again with orphan Pip (Daniel Booth, The Pillars of the Earth) as he finds his way in the world. You'll be riveted anew by Dickens' sweeping tale of social class, crime and ambition. A lush, three-part BBC mini-series starring Gillian Anderson (Bleak House) as Miss Havisham, David Suchet (Poirot) and Ray Winstone (Hugo). As seen on Masterpiece.

  Young Pip and Satis House

Young Orphan Pip wants no more from life than to one-day join his brother-in-law Joe at the blacksmith’s forge. Until, that is, fate intervenes—twice. First, an escaped convict (Winstone) ambushes Pip in the marches; and not long  after, a wealthy, reclusive neighbor at the macabre Satis House—Miss Havisham (Anderson)—seeks Pip out as a playmate for her adopted daughter, Estella.

Pip falls almost instantly in love with Estella, and realizes that he needs to be more than a simple blacksmith’s apprentice if he ever hopes to win her. But Miss Havisham—a bride-to-be who was jilted at the alter years ago and still wears her wedding dress amidst the almost fossilized ruins of her wedding feast—has gone to great lengths to ensure that Estella will never so much as risk heartbreak, raising her more as a tool for vengeance than a child.

Estella

But when Pip is mysteriously plucked from obscurity and lured to London by an anonymous benefactor hoping to make a gentleman out of him, he suddenly has unlimited wealth at his disposal—and true love in his future. Or so he thinks.

 Pip

My Thoughts:

This was one of my favorite adaptations of Great Expectations. But viewers, especially those who expect movies to hold strictly to the books, needs to remember that this is someone’s adaptation of the novel and while there are certain elements that have been left out or added to enhance the flow of the movie I feel that it captures the essence of Dickens’ novel.

The cinematography was brilliant and truly gave it that gothic feel that the novel has. I also felt that they did an amazing job at brining the scenes described by Dickens alive. The actors were spot on and I must applaud Gillian Anderson on her haunting portrayal of Miss Havisham, which will forever be embedded in my mind.

“I saw that everything within my view which ought to be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre, and was faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the figure upon which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone.”

*Chapter 7, Great Expectations*

While some may feel that you cannot cram all of Great Expectations into roughly 3 hours, I felt that this adaptation was amazing. I believe that fans of the novel will find it well worth their time to give this edition a go.

 

“The most prominent object was a long table with a tablecloth spread on it, as if a feast had been in preparation when the house and the clocks stopped together. An epergne or centrepiece of some kind was in the middle of this cloth; it was so heavily overhung with cobwebs that its form was quite undistinguishable; and, as I looked along the yellow expanse out of which I remember its seeming to grow, like a black fungus, I saw speckled-legged spiders with blotchy bodies running home to it, and running out from it, as if some circumstance of the greatest public importance had just transpired in the spider community.”

*Chapter 11, Great Expectations*

Great Expectations may be purchased from BBC America Shop HERE

I would like to thank BBC America Shop for this review copy.
  Visit Angela Renee @ Renee’s Reads