Finding Nemo (DVD) Review

Finding Nemo (DVD) Review

by: Britt Gillette

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Finding Nemo continues the Disney tradition of producing high-quality, blockbuster films that entertain audiences of all ages. Featuring the wonders of the Pixar animation technology, the film is a breathtaking window into the future of animated pictures, with borderline 3-D visual effects and the introduction of original animated film techniques certain to influence future masterpieces. Boasting a slew of talented voiceovers such as Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, and John Ratzenberger, Finding Nemo is certain to maintain a place in the hearts of children of all ages for generations to come.The epic story begins somewhere in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia. A clown fish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) lives a wonderful life in a peaceful underwater colony of fish and other fascinating sea life with his wife. However, that serene setting is demolished when a vicious predator attacks their home, killing his wife. Distraught, Marlin takes comfort in the egg left behind which grows into his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). Because of this early trauma, Marlin is extremely overprotective when it comes to Nemo. He follows a step behind everywhere his son goes, makes Nemo stay in the house whenever possible, and remains quite apprehensive about his son going to school. Marlin’s fears are realized when Nemo is captured on his first day of school and taken away to live in a fish tank on land. Intent on freeing his son, Marlin sets out on a bold and daring quest to retrace the path of the abductor’s boat. Wandering through the ocean depths, he meets up with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) – an absent-minded, yet friendly – fish who remains determined to help her new friend recover his lost son. Together, they encounter a pack of sharks and a countless array of diverse and fascinating underwater creatures. Meanwhile, Nemo is plunged into a dentist office fish tank overlooking Sidney Harbor where he meets a number of new and exciting friends. The other aquatic life, long confined to the tank themselves, initiate Nemo into their fraternity, revealing the history of their attempts to escape. Enlisting Nemo as their point man (or fish), they concoct a number of schemes such as clogging the tank’s filter so they can make a break for it when they’re taken out for the tank cleaning. With the threat of the dentist presenting Nemo as a present to his nerdy niece, the stakes are raised for our young hero and time is of the essence. Sporting one of the best written animated screenplays of all-time and a breathtaking original score by Thomas Newman, Finding Nemo is a pleasurable affair for both parents and children. The writers pull off an admirable job of combining adult and kid humor throughout the script in such a way that it doesn’t detract from the experience for either age group. With a number of likeable characters, the audience will find itself rooting for Marlin, Nemo, and all their friends to accomplish the task before them. Overall, this is a must-see film for all age groups, not only because of the great story and artful performances, but if anything, simply because the animation is a wonder in-and-of itself.

Free Bingo Game Cards

Free Bingo Game Cards

by: Lee Pickrell

Bingo is meaningless without Bingo game cards. Now www.bingobase.com brings to you an amazing offer to enjoy Online Bingo to your heart’s content.  www.bingobase.com gives you free bingo game cards. Bingo can not be played without bingo cards and a player needs to purchase these cards before she can begin playing. It is in these cards where the numbers are present, which would make your luck shine and earn you riches. BingoBase.com has made the game more attractive and fun by introducing free bingo game online. In free bingo game online, you would get free bingo game cards with which you can play, have fun and also keep earning bonus and shout BINGO with glee.A bingo game card can be of 2 types. One is meant for the 90 ball Bingo game and the other is for 75 ball Bingo game. In a 90 ball bingo game, the cards would have a table of 3 rows and 9 columns. This card would have 5 numbers and 4 blank spaces per row. These numbers would range from 1-90, as suggested by the name of the game. On the other hand, in a 75 ball game, the card would have a table of 5X5 and there would be 24 random numbers with the center space blank or marked. As the name suggests, these 24 numbers can be randomly selected from among 1-75. Before a new game starts, one must keep in mind the pattern that is required to win the game. A player at the beginning of each game would have his or her own bingo game cards and therefore the numbers of those cards would be visible to you. When you playbingo free online, you must keep an account of every number being flashed as you never know when a new number may arrive. With every number declared, you strike off the number if it is present in your card. Some of the softwares in online Bingo do this for you. Just when you complete the pattern that is required to win the game, you shout Bingo or House. Some of the patterns popular in bingo are tree, ladder, pyramid etc. Bingo is a very easy and fun filled game, where winning is easy and your luck plays an important part in your winning. When played with the right spirit, you can thoroughly enjoy your game and also win treasures.

The Beauty of Playstation 2 Games

The Beauty of Playstation 2 Games

by: Morgan Hamilton

Can you remember the first videogames that introduced the world to the joys of videogames?  I’m talking about the ones that were introduced in the 80s. We had the ever-popular Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Centipeed. Those outstanding innovations were the bomb!  I remember how I used to play pitfall on my Atari and it was great fun.It is really cool that it has gotten even better now.  It amazingly just keeps getting better and better. Those amazing electronics and graphics always improve.  It really is an endless source for fun and relaxation. For example, check out some of the more recent playstation 2 games. Wow, what a difference from the old-school Atari. I mean, the game depths alone are amazing.  It is startling to think that there are people all over the world that love playing PlayStation 2 games. Do you have it too? Are you a big PS2 fan?  When the council first came out I was blown away. The big pitch didn’t only concern the playstation 2 games, but also the DVD option.  PS two was actually a flexible enough to use as a DVD player. Folks loved this convenient option. Suddenly they didn’t need to purchase a DVD player. You could actually watch movies with the period It was an all-in-one deal.  How cool is that? I recall the first time I headed over to my brother’s house to take a look at his new PS2 and his new playstation 2 games. Being out of the video game loop since the first Nintendo, I was utterly flabbergasted at the realistic graphics and sound effects. These new playstation 2 games are just so real.  It is such a quantum improvement over the classic Atari games that it isn’t even funny. No more stick men. There was anything from martial arts games to sports games to spy adventures. It looked incredibly lifelike.  Who wouldn’t love playstation 2 games? Now people all over the world take great pleasure in playstation 2 games. They compete against friends and strangers alike, and battle the bad guys for as long as Mom and Dad allows it. One of the great benefits of the PS2 is the versatility. Regardless if you had a PS1, you could still play the games on your PS2 as well.  How many other products can you do that with? If you’re on the lookout for new playstation 2 games, you can always find a huge selection at your local Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores, or simply go online where you’ll find the best deals.  Buying used PlayStation 2 games really add up to considerable savings. With the world at your fingertips, you will surely find that playstation 2 game you’re searching for.

How to Watch Movies on Your PSP

How to Watch Movies on Your PSP

by: Neil Wallace

If you’re like most people who own one of Sony’s beautiful PlayStation Portables, you’re probably in love with it. But you also want to be sure you get the most out of your investment and enjoy every one of its incredible features. And that includes the ability to watch all your favorite movies.Sony’s PlayStation Portable or PSP, built primarily for gaming, comes fully equipped with superb multimedia features. So if you thought it was just for playing games, think again. Not only can you play multiplayer games over the Internet, you can also watch movies, listen to music, browse the Internet, and more. It uses a small, yet powerful, Memory Stick PRO Duo, and the performance is superb due to advanced technology using Mp4 encoding. Mp4, also known as MPEG-4, is the global multimedia standard defined by the Moving Picture Experts Group that delivers professional-quality audio and video streams over a wide range of bandwidths. Mp4 enables DVD-quality video to be delivered at lower data rates and smaller file sizes, and that’s very important on smaller devices with limited storage capacity. Your PSP comes ready to play music and movies in Mp4 format. Transferring music and movie files to your PSP is easy. First, download the files you want from the Internet to your PC. Second, ensure any movies are in mp4 format. Third, transfer the files to your Memory Stick PRO Duo. Your PSP instruction manual offers several ways to do that.  Finally, insert the Memory Stick PRO Duo in your PSP and select either video or music from the home menu. This is a beautiful device and it would be a shame to use it only for one purpose and to miss out on all its other uses. So I guess now you’ll be watching movies, listening to music and playing games, all day long. Who’s going to get any work done?

Classic Christmas Songs

Classic Christmas Songs

by: Morgan Hamilton

Christmas songs are as assorted and diverse as anything I can think of.  But what exactly do I mean by that statement?  Well just think about the incredible variety of Christmas songs that have been produced throughout the years and I think you’ll agree.  If you grew up in snowy regions you may recall going for sleigh rides or caroling around a snow-covered tree.Of course, roasting chestnuts on an open fire is something you may have not only done, but also listened to Bing Crosby saying about. And of course hearing sleigh bells in the snow and dreaming of a white Christmas are ageless lyrics that will endure forever. If you had any number of Christmases from 1969 through the early seventies, the early eighties, the early nineties, or the early oughts—that is, through the Vietnam, Granada, Gulf War, and current wars you may think of how much meaning the song I’ll be home for Christmas has.  And who can forget all of those wonderful Perry Como and Bing Crosby Christmas specials that were filled with beautiful Christmas songs. And, of course, many of us will fondly recall at least an earful of kids’ songs, chattered by The Chipmunks, lead vocalist Alvin notwithstanding; “All I Want for Christmas (is My Two Front Teeth);” and the racy “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” But Christmas songs like so many other things continue to evolve.  From the beautiful and stirring classics like “O Holy Night” (which is my personal favorite) and “Little Drummer Boy,” sung by cute little kids in Christmas pageants or pious choirs once a year without fail and simple ditties about food and presents and figgy pudding and nog, Christmas songs have gone into penetrating, challenging, bonding, and spiritually elevating realms.  Just hearing the sounds can bring back a flood of wonderful memories. John Lennon, I think, started the trend of a Christmas song with a higher consciousness—with “And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?” and “And so this is Christmas (war is over), for weak and for strong (if you want it), the rich and the poor ones, the road is so long….”  Imagine (or remember) how those frolicky, campy, or solemn and religious Christmas songs now had the words “war” and “fight” directly stated rather than implied?  This just goes to show you that even Christmas songs can contain political statements just as they contain statements of peace and love. And then came the unusual duo or unlikely star remake trends for Christmas songs, which were, really, equally moving:  Bing Crosby joined David Bowie to remake “The Little Drummer Boy.” Which is one of my all-time favorite songs, by the way.  And how about the king, Elvis Presley belting out “Blue Christmas”, how could you not love that? And for a few years we have strayed from lyrics, per se, and have indulged in the saintly sounds of chanting Monks.  I love these original options, as much as I still get chills when I hear original or other versions of those songs that had such limited meaning when I was kid doing solos for the elementary school parents.  Everyone is different of course, and our tastes in Christmas songs is no exception.  But for my money I’ll take the old classics because as I see it these are not only beautiful Christmas songs but some of the sweetest sounds you’ll ever hear.

Basic Photography Tips from Photo Field Imaging

Basic Photography Tips from Photo Field Imaging

by: Stephen Cornfield – Photo Field Imaging

You found this articile because you are interested in photography or live in the Newmarket Ontario area, which is located just north of Toronto.  My name is Stephen Cornfield and I own a company called Photo Field Imaging (www.photofieldimaging.com).  We provide photographic as well as digital photo editing and digital scanning services (photographs, negative and slides).   As a photographer in Newmarket Ontario, I have found that no matter where you are, there is a seemingly endless amount of subjects to shoot.  All you have to do at times is to open your eyes and go find them.  Sometimes when I go out I do not know what I will find.  Often, though, I will have an idea of what I would like to shoot, but finding the exact subject and location for my idea do not always come together. In the Newmarker area there are many outdoor places that can provide you with photographic opportunities.  Fairy Lake (my favourite) and the trial systems are just a couple.  You can also shoot indoors at “The Tannery” once a permit has been attained. As you go around and talk to photographers you will find that some love landscapes, for others it is wildlife but for me it is people.  Does that mean that I do not occassionaly go and intentionally shoot landscapes or wildlife?  Of course I do, when the opportunity arises.  I love shooting people in both formal and informal settings.  By formal settings I mean for occassions when people are dressed up and are expecting to be posed or posing in certain ways (i.e. weddings).  Informal settings could be birthday partings, social get togethers, etc..   To me, when I am looking for a shooting location I am always thinking background, background, background.  What is in the background?  Will the background be a distraction in the photograph?  Will the background serve as simply background or a backdrop?  Is there garbage or other unwanted artifacts lying around?  Will the background add to or take away from the subject?  Trust me.  A background can either make or break a photograph. The second thing that I look for is lighting.  What time of day is it?  Is the sun high in the sky?  Is it overcast (i.e. cloudy)?  Etc.  I personally love to shoot on overcast days, where the light is more diffused (i.e. no harsh shadows or “speckly” backgrounds).  If the light is harsh then I prefer to shoot in shady areas where the light can be more controlled.  If I am shooting a subject that is out in the open I try to make sure that the scene is not backlit.  If a scene is backlit it can make it very difficult to get proper exposure for the intented subject. Last, but not least, is the subject.  Even a photo of my beautiful wife can turn out bad if the first two steps have not been completed properly.  When working with your subject some things to be considered are:  How is the subject posed?  How is their posture?  Are they sitting/standing straight or do they have rounded shoulders?  How are there hands positioned?  Are their hands simplying hanging like clumps of meat or are they doing something?  I personally like to have the guys with their hands behind their backs or one hand in their pocket with the other leaning or resting on someone or thing. I believe that if you are mindful of these things, your photographic results will greatly improve. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments. Stephen Cornfield

Tupac And Biggie: I Shake My Head

Tupac And Biggie: I Shake My Head

by: Redemption Mosala

I shake my head not because it ended bad.When I think of all the talent that they had. My sadness stems from all the troubles that they were close to ending. The badness in the ghetto’s was what they thought they were mending. Yet they became victims of their own predicament, when their destiny was bent. Black people are made weak by borders, those borders create new world orders. The one side feels strong in fighting the other side, and they’ll never be “down to ride!” Africa has so many tribes with a very close link. Yet they’ll never admit to being part of the same click. An African foreigner is met by negative hysteria, Which is delivered by way of xenophobia. They said it was all about the east side and the west side: which one was the best side? I say who’s east coast and who’s west coast, who are we to boast? Ultimately we are all just visitors to the earth. Which is symbolized by our birth. We spend so much time fighting about the smaller things like who’s better than who and Yet we forget that we all share the same fear, where did we come from and where are we going? Yet the important thing is what on earth are we doing. Pac and Biggy were icons not because they had the illest rhymes, but because they spoke of the times. Whoever you are if you let down the blinds of preprogrammed propaganda. You will see they had an intense agenda. It was personal yet social; it may have been their hands and voice used, But yet they spoke for all the people who had been abused. I shake my head because they were victims of what they had to maintain. They were black men in America and thus could not escape the mordern day lash of the gunshot. Their hatred for each other is what killed them is the story we bought. But I don’t, it just makes no sense how Tupac could be killed in the busiest street in Vegas one of the biggest nights, a Mike Tyson fight night! You can’t tell me because it was night time and blacks were involved no one saw anything, because I know the road was packed. Whatever the case may be their legend can never be shot down or lashed and for that I honour their memory. TWR www.beyond2010.co.za

Where Is Modern Symphony Going?

Where Is Modern Symphony Going?

by: Oksana Birch

Recently I read an interesting article on the topic of the modern symphony.  However, it left me wondering.  The author spoke of titans of symphony in the twentieth century, yet Prokofiev, Honegger, and Shostakovich completely escaped his attention. Was this an accident? It seems like the mighty stream of modern symphonic music of these composers has not been appreciated enough in the  critical literature of European music.  More appreciation of the atonal avant-garde and dodecaphony (Schoenberg’s music and the Second Viennese School, and late works of Stravinsky), but less of the tonal and traditionally melodic approach.Another question: Should we write symphonies for the public, or only for an elite audience? Is it possible that New Age composers have a historic mission to foster the public’s experience of  the highest music genre – to share it with people “not trained,” or “unprepared” for a professional music experience? Where else in music today does the public have a such a chance to submerge itself in the ocean of orchestral sound without fear of being lost, and to actually emotionally enjoy it? The answer is New Age! And of course, in the music of cinematography. But soundtracks shouldn’t count because they are not free from visual images, and so they can’t be experienced in the same purely musical way. The electronic era has created possibilities beyond imagination. We can experience sounds remotely recognized as orchestral, or something absolutely new with no connection to anything we have heard before. Symphonies written with this new kind of sound – is it something yet to come? Next question: Is there anything common among all the symphonies ever written, starting with the era of classicism? Considering the differences of the centuries – artistic styles, ethnic or class-based bonds, religious or cultural priorities, and personalities of composers – is there anything that unites all the symphonies, not only on the level of the definition of the symphony as a music genre or form, but fundamentally deeper? Another way to ask the question is this: What gives a listener the impression of a symphony? Let’s say that you turn on a radio in the middle of a piece you never heard before. If it’s a symphony, there’s a very good chance that you will recognize it as such.  But how do you know? Is it by the sound of a large orchestra? Then what about symphonies with smaller orchestras? Is it by its monumental way of expression? Then what about lyrical and intimate kinds of symphony? It seems that these features of the symphonic genre still do not define it. It seems that the scope of what symphony can possibly encompass is incredibly wide. Of course, there are basic similarities of musical form. For a very long time the most distinctive characteristic of symphony as a music genre was the sonata form in the first movement. But like everything else, genres evolve and our perceptions do too. Shouldn’t we start searching deeper? Really, an average person wouldn’t appreciate how thesis, antithesis, development and synthesis can create a music form ( and even these are not necessarily all a part of symphony anymore ). Still all human beings seem to appreciate symphonic music on its different levels. So, is there something else, something global, rooted in our human sensibilities by which we recognize a symphony, as if by a certain language or code? Was it invented, or just discovered, at a certain level of civilization?   Could it be like recollecting something you knew before, but have forgotten from not using it, so it feels more like an essential part of our reflection? Does it have to do with how we feel  TIME? Because basically, symphony as a form very much depends on how it comes into existence, changes, develops, and transforms in TIME.  That’s probably why we can relate to symphonic music – as a reflection of our own traveling through life. If this is an answer, then classification of a symphony as a complex musical composition for an orchestra usually composed in four movements, at least one of which is in sonata form,  is outdated, isn’t it? Lots of questions!

Would You Trust Your Life to a Talented Amateur?

Would You Trust Your Life to a Talented Amateur?

by: Oksana Birch

A few days ago a friend of mine, who is a professional singer with a gorgeous tenor voice, told me a story about how after one of his performances, a man from the audience approached him and asked for an audition. The man sang a few songs. Although my friend complimented the man on his pleasant voice, he also mentioned that it would be a good idea for the man to get some formal training to improve his singing. The man then proceeded to pull my friend into a debate on the vanity of musical training for singers. And my highly educated friend couldn’t prove him wrong.It’s a funny story, isn’t it? Unfortunately, this man’s opinion is based on a very common point of view, the lack of value placed on education in the fine arts. Many people do not recognize a necessity of education in music performance, writing, especially in poetry and music, etc. They say “Talent is all you need.” In reality, all fields (the arts included) require training.  Would you trust your life to a very talented surgeon with no proper training? Why is it that we understand that a plumber needs training in order to know how to install and fix pipes, while we fail to see the need for training in the arts? Singers, poets, dancers, composers spend all their lives learning, perfecting. When they choose their profession, they know that they are about to embark upon a challenge that will last a lifetime. My hope is that our society will finally endeavor to see how important and rewarding for our culture it could be to respect and appreciate the value of artistic education.

You Can Easily Learn To Play The Harmonica

You Can Easily Learn To Play The Harmonica

by: Morga Hamilton

If you’d like to learn to play the harmonica the best thing you can do is to take one. Even though there are hundreds of programs offering sheet music and instructions, may be it would be better for you to start experimenting on your own as playing the harmonica is not really hard. You can start on your own and later get formal instructions of various harmonica masters.If you stick up to my advice, you’ll get what’s really valuable – your own ideas and understanding of the instrument. I personally learnt to play the harmonica about seven years ago and most of the time I was experimenting on my own, though I admit to having used some formal instructions from time to time, too. As the harmonica is laid out in an intuitive way, learning how to play it by yourself is not a difficult task and it’s worth trying. You can purchase a harmonica with a small introductory packet explaining the layout enclosed in the box. What is important to know is that everything is already set up in the chords. You need to play most kinds of music on a richter, or ten hole diatonic, harp, which gives you the opportunity to pick out basic melodies as soon as you try playing the harmonica for the first time. Having the basic knowledge, you can easily improve your skills by regularly practicing playing this beautiful instrument. If you have already learnt the basics, then you might consider getting some professional help. Of course you can start taking harmonica lessons by a teacher or you can simply start listening to harmonica music played by other musicians. Music is said to be the best teacher, so why don’t you gibe the second option a try. In case you do so, you will get many new ideas and in addition to that playing the harmonica might enable you to give your own musical expressions which will be added up to your repertoire. If you choose to get a harmonica teacher verify that they are experts in playing the exact same style that you want. For instance, imagine you learned to play the harmonica in the Chicago bells mode, then you would not be able to play bluegrass or country blues harp as they all are very different styles.