CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor. |
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2. |
DVD Giveaway: Kick-Ass
Ends Aug 1, 2010
Get ready to have your ass kicked when this DVD of awesomeness releases to the home entertainment market. |
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DVD Review: Bionicle 3 - Web of Shadows
by R.J. Carter
Published: October 22, 2005
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Rating: 
Country: USA
Release Date: October 11, 2005
Distributor: Buena Vista Home Video
Director:
· David Molina
· Terry Shakespeare
Cast:
· Kathleen Barr
· Alessandro Juliani
· Paul Dobson
Related Sites:
· Bionicle
· IMDb
Grade: B
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The third installment in the legend of Bionicle find the elementally-powered Toa warriors returning to Metru Nui to rescue the trapped Matoran, who are guarded by the evil Roodaka and King Sidorak, ruler of the Visorak hordes.
If you feel you need a glossary to get through that last paragraph, I feel your pain. Not having prior exposure to the LEGO toyland that makes up the world of Bionicle, I had to watch this one with the captions turned on, just so I could get the proper spelling of all the bizarre sounding names. But even with unfamiliar names, the storyline -- once settled in -- is quite accessible.
Vakama is the leader of the six Toa -- warriors who are embued with the powers of Fire, Air, Earth, Stone, Ice and Water. They have returned to save their people, the Matoran, who are all encased in little egg-shaped cocoons. But the Toa are quickly captured by Sidorak and his army of metallic spider-like creatures, the Visorak. The Toa become infected by the spider venom, called Hordika, and mutate into larger, uglier, and more powerful versions of themselves, as the beast within each of them is freed. When Vakama begins to doubt his leadership abilities, he leaves the group and goes off on his own, where he falls under the thrall of Roodaka, who wishes to not only overthrow Sidorak, but also use the powers of the Toa to free her lover, Makuta, who's imprisoned in a big red crystal -- imprisoned by the Toa themselves!
As the remaining Toa seek a cure from the legendary Keetongu, aided by a Rahaga called Norik (just go with it, people), Vakama becomes more deeply ensnared by the "dark side", giving in to his new bestial urges, turning against the friends he once led. And if the Toa no longer have the unity that was their greatest strength, they cannot hope to defeat Sidorak and rescue the Matoran.
Okay, it may be confusing at first, but imagine how your parents must have felt when you first tried to explain Hobbits, Sauron, and Nazgul to them. What's easy to comprehend, however, is the animation, which is probably some of the most visually stunning CGI I've ever seen. Dark and moody, CGI is the perfect rendering tool for these metallic warriors and the world they inhabit.
Previews on this disc include "Chicken Little", "Bionicle 2", and "Sky High". Additional sneak peeks can be accessed via the menu and include "Bionicle: Mask of Light", "Spider-Man: The Venom Saga", "Tarzan", "Kronk's New Groove", and "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!".
The Bonus Features menu includes a direct link to the Bionicle website, a montage of advertisement clips (1:18), a Web Movie (6:02) rendered in a more traditional 2D animation style, a musical track (sans video) of "Caught in a Dream" by All Insane Kids, a comic book story (more of a narrated slideshow called "Shadow Play", clocking in at 7:34) and -- most importantly -- an Explorer option wherein the viewer can learn in-depth about each of the characters in the world of Bionicle.
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