Mr. Freeze the Way He Should Be
581096
If you're only exposure to the Batman villain Mr. Freeze was through Arnold Schwarzenegger's pun spouting portrayal then you owe it to yourself to see this villain done right. Mr. Freeze was a second rate gimmicky villain until the Batman Animated Series re-envisioned him as a conflicted and tortured man desperate to save his wife.  That's the version that's given here.

Freeze himself is in top form and there's also some really great bit given to Dick Grayson (Robin) and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl.) Gordon especially comes off very well and helps break so many of the stereotypes and clichs of girls in these sorts of stories. Batman himself isn't featured as heavily as one might think, but that isn't to the detriment of the final film.

The animation is gorgeous. The designs are in keeping with the animated series but with a clearly better budget allowing for some really stellar animated action scenes.

Really the only drawback is that the disc has essentially no bonus features. No making of, no interviews, not even a commentary. Just a cheesy "game," a chance to see Batman get drawn in fast forward and trailers.
141958
Anyone old enough, will appreciate Joe Mannix and this set of DVDs. The DVD production values are top notch and razor crisp. The plots were better than average, and Joe always did good job tracking down the baddies. Plenty of plot twists too. The show takes a new direction from season one with Mannix heading out on his own with his award winning secretary. Anyone not old enough for the nostalgia factor, may not be into this. Bruce Geller knows how to make great TV, and two of the greatest theme songs in the history of TV, with Mission Impossible being the other. I watch a couple episodes and I'm humming that darn tune all day.

Not much else to say. If you remembered liking the show, get it. The DVD set is excellent and priced right. Great cheap entertainment from the memory banks.
4800156
I've been very impressed with the Titans Return series. It's intriguing that they've converted non-Headmasters to Headmasters. Once again, this is what I wish the original G1 Galvatron was. Posing him is easy as he is articulate with stiff joints (the fingers on the hands don't move, they remain as fists). The only real weird thing is that the gap left in the arms from the fists when Galvatron is in robot mode are very noticeable. Probably would've been better if the hands retracted into the arms instead of folding over but it's not the end of the world.

Nucleon is pretty much like the other Titans Return headmaster figures. Not super articulate but that's not Earth shattering. What's interesting is that the front "crown" of Galvatron's face is not part of Nucleon. It retracts into the figure when you transform him. So when you attach Nucleon, the front crown pushes up against him to form Galvatron's full head. This crown is a thin piece of plastic, so be careful.

Galvatron is really cool and I'm glad to add him to my collection.
3734174
The Elder Ice was great fun. The hero was believable and just plain fun. Harry Stubbs is someone I could easily see my self cheering for ringside or with Lovecraftian horrors in the room.
I especially loved the connections between Lovecraft's tales and historical myths. So much fun.
769688
This "Santa" is so different than all the others. He is thin and somewhat weird but loveable. The "new" use of "the keeper of the book", a reindeer named Buddy, travel to and from the North Pole through mirrors, all made these movies fun. The silliness is endearing and the nightclub scene in Brain Freeze, magical. One of our top favorites.
3483610
I bought this book so that I could see what recipes would freeze well from the ATK/Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country collection. Because the book is all about "making ahead" it offers more recipes than just those that you pop in the freezer. Don't get me wrong, there are a bunch of them, marked with "Freeze It" above every recipe that they deem freeze worthy. But there are also a bunch of other types of make ahead recipes. Like, overnight, make a day before, set it and forget it in the crockpot, etc...  At first, I was irked like a lot of people who have commented about the freezing thing, but then it dawned on me that:
1. It says Make Ahead in the title, not Freeze
2. This could actually teach me something here :)
If you're like me, Monday through Friday is exhausting. When I get home from work, I am too drained to even think about what to eat, let alone cook it! I love to cook though and always enjoy it like a hobby on weekends. SO, what this book made me think was that there are some recipes that I can freeze for later in the coming week, or even way ahead of that, and some I can prep and whip together quickly Monday and Tuesday. It takes the guess work out of weekday suppers and makes it easier than starting from scratch.

The other big thing about this book (if you have never made or heard of America's Test Kitchen recipes before) is you can rely on these folks. These recipes are not hit and miss and this book is not going to collect dust. Make enough of them, and you start noticing techniques repeat into a habit, like blooming spices and garlic in oil, and you feel more confident as a cook. At least that has been the case with me. I really trust them.

I do have one gripe and that is just how it is organized. It is appetizer, casserole, sauces... I wish those were sub-categories and the big categories were Freezer Recipes: appetizer, casserole, sauces...; 1-2 Days Ahead Recipes, etc. Just because I feel the need to mark with highlighters or post-its all the freezer recipes to make navigation for them easier, and I don't like marking books like this.

But again, I found there to be so much good information and SO many recipes (It's over 400 pages with often more than 2 or 3 recipes on the page and even variation ideas) that I can't help forgiving them for that. :)

One last thing a lot of folks may find useful and not be expecting it: There's a whole section on double duty recipes which are ones that help you do something with leftovers besides just eat them as is again.
93042
Jack frost won't stand a chance, it will thaw hell if it ever freezes over (again joe walsh). it killed frosty the snowman. it blows very well and is quiet, fit in well too.
2067793
He continues to please with this latest episode. There is something formulaic about the way he writes - predictable outcomes and almost D&D-like encounters - but I don't mind as it is reassuring to know that the good guys will win yet again. But I would like the occasional George R. R, Martin type of shock. Recommended
4677962
While I love all the characters from Frozen, I must admit to being partial to Olaf.  The living snowman was so absolutely funny, and I just loved his scenes.  And his song.  A snowman singing about the joys of summer was just so funny (plus I love summer myself).  Naturally, when I saw in the 2014 Dreambook that Hallmark was doing an ornament of Olaf, I knew I had to buy it.

The pose really does capture Olaf well.  Hes standing on one foot with his stick arms outstretched and a big grin on his face.  You can just imagine him saying, I love warm hugs as he runs toward you to give you one.  Yes, the long carrot for his nose is present as well.

That right there alone is enough to make me smile.  I mean, seriously, he looks like the movie and his personality is coming through as well.  What more could you want?

As Hallmark often does with this snowman ornaments, his body is covered with glitter.  Its one of those things I love and hate.  It looks fun and catches the light, but theres no way to hold it without getting glitter on your hands.  But really, thats the only drawback Ive found.

With Olaf only standing on one foot, the ornament doesnt have enough flat surface to stand up with any stability.  However, the hook at the top back of his head allows him to hang straight.  Or straight enough.  He looks like he is on his tip toes, but its even more fun that way.  It really does look like hes running faster to give you that warm hug.

I predicted that Olaf would prove to be a popular ornament, and Ive been correct.  Even though he was released this weekend, hes already selling out in stores with some stores creating waiting lists in case they are able to get more.  My suggestion is if you want this ornament, buy it now.
882211
This machine is outstanding.  Essentially foolproof if you follow two simple rules.

1.  The freezer where you chill the vessel over night must be cold.  Very cold.  Like, zero degrees cold.

2.  The custard or milk/cream mixture must also be cold.  Not frozen.  But as cold as you can get it in the fridge.

If you follow these rules, you will make outstanding ice cream every time.  You can enjoy it right away if you prefer a soft serve texture or freeze it for at least two hours for a more firm texture.

Honestly, this machine is as good as it gets in this price range.
1944250
If your family has huge fans of Frozen, this snow cone maker will surely catch your eye! He will also have a prominent spot on any counter top as he is rather hefty at ~15" high (19" if you count Olaf's 'hair') x 9.5" wide x 12" deep (to the tip of Olaf's nose).

The good:
* The area where the ice comes out is large enough to accommodate a variety of bowls or dishes.
* The snow cone holder easily detaches for cleaning.
* The texture of the ice crystals were perfect - nice and grainy like it should be.
* Olaf was quieter than my Hawiian shaved ice maker.
* Olaf's surface is easy to clean and the cover for the opening is a huge plus.

Considerations:
* Olaf's features are all fixed - the eyes/arms don't move. Some bells and whistles here would have been nice given the price point. Also, his nose which protudes quite far from the rest of his body is really hard/sharp plastic and could be a safety risk if it is near eye-level for anyone in your household.
* The cord connects high on the back of Olaf's head and hangs loose. It would be nice if there was a clip or something that could keep it more streamlined down his body and minimize the risk for accidental entanglement.
* The button you press to make the snow cone is smaller than on our shaved ice maker and I found it a little more challenging to apply pressure.
* The unit comes with 2 ice molds, but without covers. I find covers to be really useful to minimize evaporation and to be able to stack them while freezing.
* When shaving down the ice, there is always a section that is left. This is common for all units that we have. What I didn't realize with Olaf is that since his compartment is quite deep, it's difficult to get the extra ice out since you can't just flip him over and using fingers is tricky.
* The instruction manual advises to only run the unit for 3 minutes at a time, which doesn't make it a practical choice for large parties or heavy use all at one time.
* The included snow cones are paper, not re-usable plastic.

Given his size and lack of bells and whistles, I'm giving Olaf 4 stars.
3502901
If you are reading Volume 3, then you are in this for the long haul. You accept that there will be story arcs spread over several volumes in the series. You have faith that the nine stories will converge at some point.

This book in the series doesn't disappoint. There are a few drop-the-book surprises like in the second book. Things start coming together albeit very slowly.

There are obvious connections to the nine stories. But there are many subtle ones too. Part of the fun of the book is catching the throwaway references.

Since this is MZD, there are all the typographical fun and games you have come to expect from him.

This third book in the series is just as good as the first two. Can't wait until 'Winter 2017" when Volume 4 comes out.
3193022
This is the Cryo so many fans of the original have been asking for.
Lighter? Done.
Grippier handle? No problem.
Better looking? You got it.
I love my original Cryo, but this one is better in every way. It's my go to EDC and I have a lot of good knives to choose from. Absolutely one of the best value to quality ratios you'll find.
4082141
He's a terrific little guy... we froze him in ice water (i.e. carbonite) for my child's Star Wars birthday party, so the kids could rescue him!  Perfect size, nice detail, and he still looks great after being in ice for several days!  ;-)
3857441
Another first class collection from the man who took over John Dickson Carr's mantle. I only wish the publishers Crippen and Landru could improve their publication schedule of these volumes from glacial (the last story in this volume was published in 1991!) to merely slow. Perhaps there are copyright problems with the original publishers. But it seems the publishers themselves are not too clued-in. As of this writing, I am avidly reading this volume, while Crippen and Landru's site says it "is in proofs".
I very much appreciate the work that Crippen and Landru do, but it does seem they are run by people who can't quite remember where they left yesterday's old tea-bag just to get one more cuppa from it.
4123881
This five star rating I gave is based off of just the extra content. I haven't even watched the actual movie yet, honestly I didn't even buy this for the movie, I bought this for the 4 episodes of Batman The Animated Series that came along with this. There is the great introductory episode for Mr. Freeze, "Heart Of Ice" and "Legend of the Dark Knight" which is 3 kids telling their stories of Batman with different style art for each segment, one silver age and one segment is straight out of Frank Miller's, "The Dark Knight Returns". Totally awesome. They are upscaled so you will see some jagged lines and still some debris on the film, but it's still slightly upgraded over the DVD quality previously released of this Dark Deco masterpiece.

There is also a great documentary on Batman's Rogue Gallery and a cool doc on Bob Kane. I got this pretty cheap and even if I don't really end up enjoying the feature, the special features are well worth the purchase. I've already watched the Heart of Ice episode three times. Any episode of Batman the Animated Series directed by Bruce W. Timm and written by Paul Dini are just ridiculously f&#@ing good. I recommend this to any Batman fan, and any fan of classic animated shows like Johnny Quest, and Max Fleischer's Superman.
1018079
Having read all of the series , I will post one review that addresses them all.  I felt that Bones, the male lead of the series, was one of the most charismatic, fun male characters I've read in a fantasy novel of any genre, vampire or otherwise. He completely made this series for me.  Cat was ok, but a bit rigid. Ms. Frost is very good at writing action, and some of the plot scenarios are very creative.  Each book had a dramatic and exciting ending. Having said this, I would say the first two or three books are the best, with the characters gradually diminishing until they become less and less full bodied. Towards the end we don't see that much of the Bones that was so compelling and humorous in the earlier books. And the plots start to feel a little forced.  Nevertheless I very much recommend reading the whole series. It's much better than much of what is out there, and I enjoyed every book.  I hope once Ms. Frost has had some time away from the series, she will come back to it refreshed. It seems there was room left open for that. And the first spin off book with the Spade character further explored I found nowhere near as interesting as this series.