FINALLY! THE SCARECROW RIDES AGAIN!
587018
I only saw this movie twice, when it originally aired on the Wonderful World of Disney in the late sixties/early seventies. But it made an indelible impression on me. I could still remember the words and melody of the theme song many years later -- even having only seen it twice. I didn't see the film again for over 30 years when I obtained a bootleg VHS copy. I am so glad Disney finally restored and released this great adventure movie. Any boy between the ages of 5 and 12 will absolutely love this film, guaranteed. And there's no corny jokes, goofy pop culture references, pop ballads, graphic violence, sex or bad language -- imagine that! Treasure indeed. Why can't Disney (or any one else for that matter) make movies like this anymore?

As aside, even though I thought Ian McKellen did a great job as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, my first pick would have been Patrick McGoohan. I guess he was too old by the time LotR was filmed, but imagine McGoohan (who plays the Scarecrow here and also played the King Edward in Braveheart) as Gandalf. Absolute perfection.
1520568
This is my secret bd trip through the series and I'm enjoying it as much as the first time! As a retired teacher, I can honestly say that I'm truly re-enjoying this wonderful ride through the Hogwarts adventure!!
3365882
Irene and Nell are back in action, along with "The Man" himself!
I have been eagerly anticipating another adventure with my two favorite victorian slueths and this book did not disappoint.  I agree with the other reviewers that the theme is much darker than the others, but we get to see sides of Irene and Nell that we have never seen before.  I cannot wait for the next book.
3366093
Bird & Squirrel have somehow finally made it home after their crazy adventures around the world. Squirrel is ready to just lock himself in his house for an indeterminate period. But first it needs a good cleaning. And to clean well you need water...but something has happened to the local water supply so it looks like he can't lock himself away quite yet. Also, there seems to be something creepy in the woods. And of course none of that phases Bird who is just intent on throwing a party (and possibly playing matchmaker for Squirrel). When Bird's party backfires horribly (and quite literally) will it be the end of Bird & Squirrel's friendship?

This one meanders for a little while with no clear point of where the plot is headed, but who cares because Bird & Squirrel are as entertaining as ever. Even though Squirrel is at his hypochondriac best, he overcomes it when it really matters. And the addition of Red and little Birdie was welcome.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Some bashing of rats and a forest fire then flood that threatens to injure some, but no one is seriously hurt.
2846673
I was very disappointed when Wizards did not publish a novel about the Innistrad block, and I had heard very poor reviews of Quest for Karn, the previous novel. This novella, nonetheless, was very satisfying. I think Wizards is experimenting with a different way of channeling the canon story and the flavor for the set, and I hope they find the results of this meet their expectations. Doug Beyer certainly met mine!
2631248
Perfect for my husband's scarecrow costume.  Fun hat at an affordable price.
3809743
I have started a wonderful collection of Jim Shore carvings and this Scarecrow looks so realistic, I really love it!
2606152
This costume was the bomb! My 21 year old (still kid at heart) wore this on Halloween.  The large fit him perfectly, he is about 5'10, 170 (skinny) - The robe fit pretty much as shown in the photo, it was loose, but that is okay for the Grim Reaper. The hood and sleeves are long. The mask was super scary and he accomplished his goal of frightening the neighborhood children and their parents.  He also purchased some skeleton gloves which added to the scariness.  We did have to use a blow dryer on the mask to get the crease out, but that was no big deal.  So, thank you, it was great and super scary.
4539362
I accidentally read this book before "The Nightmare Stacks", so I was pretty much in the dark about what was happening up north, or who Cassie was, or why we have a concentration camp filled with elves.  On the other hand, since this was the next book after The Annihilation Score, it was a welcome return to form.

Bob is back in this book, after being absent from the last two Laundry books. At this point, Bob has climbed the greasy pole to upper management of the Laundry thanks to inheriting the Eater of Souls from his former boss. He is still separated from Mo because, while she no longer has her accursed violin, he fears that he can lose control of the Eater while sleeping.

Each of the Laundry books seems to exploit a different genre - James Bond, LeCarre, Superheroes, Tolkien.  I'm not sure what this one incorporates, unless it is simply Lovecraft, because the Eldritch horrors are beginning to appear in spades.  Thus, we see the return of Reverend Schiller with his cult of tongue-ridden parasites. Schiller's parasites are new and improved and now target the genitals to gross and creepy effect.

At the same time, Bob gets tasked to meet with an agent from the occult operations division of the US Postal Service.  (The USPS got into the occult as part of Comstock Act; along with intercepting porn and drugs, the Post Office began to acquire magical arcana and occult objects.) It seems that the Comstock Act division has been outsourced and privatized to Schiller's crew. Now, Schiller is in Britain with a similar agenda, plus Schiller is making inroads into suborning the upper echelons of Britain with his genital parasites.

Because of the disaster in Leeds, the Laundry is out in the open, and the public and the government now know that there is both a magical problem and a standing bureaucracy that seems to fall outside of regulatory oversight and the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act. Before you can say "Cthulhu wears boxers," the Laundry is shut down, its employees are terminated, its various operations are left to swing in the wind, and England is wide open for take-over by the genital-parasite demon cult.

This book works like a three-ring circus where the reader's attention is constantly moving from one act to another. All the balls are in the air until the very end. Will Britain succumb to the genital-parasites? Why is the Chief Auditor meeting with the most dangerous man in Britain? Will Mo and Bob be able to work things out? Why is Bob's nemesis, Iris Carpenter, being released from her internment and rehabilitated?

This book obviously represents a break with the old Laundry, the hidebound, tradition-filled, secret operation. How Stross takes the Laundry in a new direction remains to be seen.

This book is a return to Laundry form. Bob is older and more experienced, but every promotion leaves him in the role of the newbie. Stross plays the bureaucrat, legalistic game well in how the Laundry restructures itself so as to continue to operate as a subject to the Crown but not the government.

The story is exciting, suspenseful and humorous.  It is well-worth the time and investment.
1635117
We have a horrible feral cat problem in our neighborhood, and our sandy playground area in our background is a haven for cats who choose to relieve themselves.

The Scarecrow has been our perfect response.  With hose hooked into this device and a 9V battery, cats are extremely wary about approaching our background, much less actually be brave enough to venture into it.

The fact that it doesn't require an outlet and that a 9V battery is sufficient to run it is spectacular.  The senstitivity of the motion sensor (which works better at tracking movements from left-to-right rather than to/from) can be adjusted to whatever size target you want it to spot.  Higher sensitivities will track cats and smaller critters, lower sensitivities will only trigger if humans walk through the field of view.  The water projects a pretty good distance, approximately 30 feet although we're not sure if higher ranges could be accommodated or not.

Highly recommend!
2704654
The old fashioned flavor and quality is finally back!  YEAH !
4289454
To tell the truth, I'm not much of a fan of His Dark Materials Trilogy. I felt it was a little too dark, especially because it's considered children's material. But the name Philip Pullman still has been carved (possibly for eternity) in my memory, so when I saw this book in the New Arrivals, I had to pick it up.

My first thought when I saw the cover was: aw, that's so cute. You see, it's not everyday I see a picture of a turnip with a face--a friendly one on top of it. And when I finished the book, my first thought was: aw, that's so cute. Yea. Seriously.

If you're expecting something that resembles His Dark Materials, then you're looking at the wrong book. (You should have--hopefully--been able to figure it out just from looking at the cover, which is still cute. :]) This book is just a light and humorous read possibly appropriate for kids 8 and under (though if I were a parent I would object to the appearance of the word "damn" twice), but is enjoyable as well for all ages except for maybe the teens. Depending on your views, it can also pass as satirical and political, but that's just my opinion.

This book is reminiscent of those children's books I used to read that were written long before I was born. A scarecrow is alive and animals talk and no one is surprised at either (at least not for long) and other strange things just keep happening, but eventually you learn to stop questioning and accept the magical realism. The scarecrow definitely reminds me of the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz just because they're both scarecrows. Though the Oz scarecrow didn't crack me up as much as this scarecrow does. (An abundance of illustrations with this scarecrow's hilarious turnip face also helps, of course.)

As a children's book, this one is fairly complex in its own right. Unlike those older children's books I mentioned earlier where things happen and twist around because the authors suddenly come up with an idea, the plot has been carefully planned since the beginning, which you can see if you finish the book and then reread the beginning. In addition, Pullman's writing style is less wordy than that of those old, then-alive authors. (I'm not deriding them; I'm perfectly aware that they did not have as many grammar or writing books back then.)

To sum up: a great book, much recommended for everyone who needs a laugh.
1494890
The final season brings a new animation style with many new character designs this time around and a slightly weaker story plots overall. Not really sure why this change was made as the older style looks way better in every way with the exception of the Scarecrow.
354856
At last a decent Batman cartoon after Batman: The Animated Series! Kevin Conroy, the true Batman voice, Bruce Timm, the man who created BTAS, Alan Burnett, the guy that made some of the best Batman stories, are all here to this latest Batman anime feature! Ive been watching Batman since 1992 (BTAS) and as many of you i felt that "The Batman" was a discrace to the original! So i HIGHLY recomend this one to all who just want to see Batman as the way they know he is! Many bonuses are included in the 2nd DVD like: 4 Batman The Animated series episodes, a tribute to Bob Kane, a discusion about the villains, a sneek peek of the new Wonder Woman feature and trailers! July 8 Batman: Gotham Knight must be your No. 1 purchase for all Batman fans!
1447235
I recently decided that I needed a Niffler...which led to a need for Hedwig to keep him company. Then I started watching The Labyrinth movie, and loved the opening sequence with the owl. I went looking for an owl that resembled that early style of CGI (compared to Hedwig in the Harry Potter movies 15 or so years later) and found this owl. I got him along with a Funko Pop Jareth, and he's perfect! Well made, but with a cleaner plush "coat" so that he looks a bit more minimalist...
He's also soft and able to stand on his own, both pluses!
2055858
And so with "Treasure Hunters," we take the final step before the end of the "Bone" series. In this, the eighth of nine volumes, we see a return to the humor that has run through much of the series ("Ghost Circles" was grim indeed).
"Bone" is an huge story about three "bone creatures" and their adventures in a quaint valley of peasants, hidden princesses, dragons and creatures. Like a dark cloud looming over it all is the menace of a great evil intent on taking over the world. The series starts off lighthearted, but grows to become an epic story rooted in fantasy, without the Tolkienesque elves and dwarves.
This installment bring us into a city rather than the valley that has been at the center of the series. The forward progression for the grand tale is small indeed here. Instead, Smith begins to position all of the pieces of the puzzle for the final climax, while unexpectedly adding a few new pieces - a religious tyrant and an underground rebellion - to make the climax all that much more frantic.
Most of the action in "Treasure Hunters" takes place in the city. Few side plots or diversions outside of the city show up. The result is one of the faster reads of the "Bone" series.
This is the kind of comic tale that will appeal to a wide demographic. Smith combines the classic storytelling perfected by the likes of Carl Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge) and Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes) - characters with outrageous and expressive faces and gestures - with the epic plotting of a sweeping fairy tale. "Bone" manages to balance the two well enough to be something fans of both Donald Duck and Frodo Baggins can enjoy.
There is no doubt people will still be reading "Bone" 50 years from now. Broad and epic in scope yet personal and quaint, this is a charming story in every way that will surely outlast most other comic works on the shelf.
1591884
What a surprise to find an email from Amazon in my mailbox announcing the release of Witchblade.  I totally agree with the person who couldn't believe the studio dragged their feet on this when lesser shows were being released daily.  Well, we finally get the last laugh.  I loved this show and the dysfunctional cast.  I can't wait to walk down memory lane with Ian Nottingham, Sarah and that spooky white-haired guy again.