Hot Wheels - Acceleracers - Ignition (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)The story of Vert Wheeler and his racing friends that started on the "Hot Wheels World Race" DVD continues here.
"Vert" Wheeler is now a more experienced drivers with a street racing team called the Teku. The Teku Team have an intense rivalry with another team called the Metal Maniacs.
Both teams are recruited by Dr Tezla to drive in the "Racing Realms", which are other dimensional tracks that test a driver's racing skills to their extreme limit. Whoever reaches the finish line of each realm first receives an "Accelercharger", which grants the user's vehicle a special power (frictionless driving, hyperspeed, etc). Scattered throughout the realms are "Hyperpods", which the driver's car can attach to give it special abilities as well.
Unfortunately, the evil Gelorum has obtained the Wheel Of Power (see the Hot Wheels World Race DVD) and her robots will stop at nothing to obtain all the Accelerchargers!! If they do, they will be able to take over the world, which is NOT a good thing for us humans!
I have mixed feelings about the Acceleracer Series.
First, I (and especially my children) were thrilled to hear that more adventures with the Hot Wheels drivers that started on the World Race would be continued.
Secondly, the storyline is richer with many running subplots that will develop as future Acceleracer DVDs are released
But I have to seriously question several decisions that were made for this story:
- I do NOT support the fact that these drivers are street racers. While I'm sure it adds a "coolness" factor to the characters, why encourage a dangerous activity such as street racing?
- Also, the rival racing teams strongly resemble rival gangs. Again, why make this look fun and attractive to kids?
- The CGI animation for this series is much poorer than what was used in the World Race DVD. The drivers are now completely cartoonish with ridiculously proportioned features (check out those arms!).
- The violence content was seriously amped up from the World Race. My children were literally shocked at the opening sequence of this DVD when Dr Tezla was attacked by the drones, as there was nothing like that on the World Race DVD.
That being said, my children DO enjoy this DVD, and looks forward to the Hot Wheels Acceleracers: Speed Of Silence DVD that will be released in August. I would recommend this DVD for children 7 or older.
The Cartoon Network has already broadcast the third part of the Hot Wheels Accceleracers saga, Breaking Point, and will be airing the fourth episode Hot Wheels Accceleracers - The Ultimate Race on October 1st of 2005. If you missed part 3, they usually rebroadcast them the day before the new episode, so looks for it on Friday, September 30, 2005.
This DVD comes with 4 micro-episodes, that contain racing and plot elements in realms not shown in the main movie (the Lava Realm and the Cavern Realm). Othe bonus features include a gallery of the cars and bios of the drivers.
The adventures of these characters is continued in the Hot Wheels Acceleracers: Speed Of Silence DVD. And an earlier (and more kid friendly) adventure of these characters can be found on the Hot Wheels World Race DVD. See my reviews of those titles for more details.
P.S. - Note the car that Dr Tezla is driving at the beginning of this episode. You might see something like it later....

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Kidnapped - The Complete Series Review

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(More customer reviews)Kidnapped told the story of a wealthy New York City couple (Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany) whose teenage son (Will Denton) is abducted and, the investigative team assigned to find him (headed by an ex-FBI operative played by Jeremy Sisto).
The series debuted back on September 30, 2006. NBC cancelled it after just three episodes. The network told the writers to wrap up the storyline in thirteen episodes but it was pulled off the air after five.
The network posted the unaired episodes online but a lot of people missed them -- slow connections, older computers, etc.
How many other shows have been pulled off the air and will likely never be released? Smith, 3lbs., Reunion, The Nine, Six Degrees, Runaway and on and on...
The fans have been incredibly supportive of this show from the beginning and it is only because of their constant letters, emails and calls that this show is being released on DVD.
Congrats you Knapp-heads!

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KIDNAPPED:COMPLETE SERIES - DVD Movie

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Crunch - The Perfect Yoga Workout: The Joy of Yoga & Fat-Burning Yoga (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)The philosophy of all videos in the Crunch line is to make working out accessible to all people, regardless of size or experience. Their yoga videos are no exception, as they take a non-mystical approach and are taught in a very straightforward manner by instructor Sara Ivanhoe. Ivanhoe's down-to-earth style (she frequently uses words like "scooch") is completely non-intimidating; she comes across as a friendly workout buddy.
Joy of Yoga begins with a focused breathing series involving forward bends and down dogs (there are many repetitions of this position) and then moves on to additional standing poses, including warrior, lunges, and twists. The floor portion of the workout consists mostly of relaxing stretches, but there is one tough segment which alternates arm/leg stretches with yogi pushups. This practice is about 35 minutes long. Fat-burning yoga is a more active practice, although not quite to the level of aerobic conditioning or power yoga. Again, the practice begins with breathing and then introduces the use of vinyasas: several poses are combined together in a flowing sequence and then the entire sequence is repeated several times. After a brief warm-up, there is a long, sun salutation-type vinyasa containing lunges, push-up pose, simple backbends, and many repetitions of downward dog. For each repetition, a slightly more difficult variation is introduced, and by the end of this series, your arms and shoulders have gotten an intense workout. Additional vinyasas include twisting lunges, proud warrior, triangle, and side angle pose. This practice ends with a short abs section containing a few boat poses, seated backbends, and two Pilates-like exercises. Finally, there are some brief seated stretches and an even briefer relaxation pose for about 45 total minutes.
Ivanhoe's cues are detailed enough for those new to yoga, and both practices are probably doable by most beginners, especially with the modifications provided. However, for complete yoga novices, I think that some prior familiarity with basic yoga postures would be beneficial. Also, it is important to keep in mind that both of these practices contain some fairly intense moves which demand some pre-existing fitness capacity; Fat-Burning Yoga in particular is a more strenuous practice that will challenge even intermediate yogis. Finally, Ivanhoe's strong emphasis on breathing is a plus for all levels of yoga practitioners, and those who like her friendly, no-nonsense style are likely to enjoy these videos.

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""Upbeat, athletic-style yoga class of basic standing and floor postures."" Shape Magazine Two complete yoga workouts led by a friendly, down-to-earth instructor. They both feature a medley of classic yoga poses (e.g. downward facing dog, plank, warrior, cobra, triangle and mountain pose) ""Joy of Yoga"" provides the improved flexibility and relaxation benefits of traditional yoga without the intimidating attitude. Sara's unusually laid-back style makes it unusually easy to do (e.g. ""if your knees are doing this, just flop them out"" or ""now just kinda wiggle your fingers""). Her emphasis is always on enjoying the movement, not perfecting each one. It has more energetic, upbeat music than most yoga videos. The second program, ""Fat Burning Yoga,"" also features classic yoga moves. Sara's solid cuing and non-mystical style makes it an effective and exceptionally yoga workout. And by helping you achieve a balanced lifestyle and a deeper body-awareness, it provides a key element in weight-loss success (but it's really too slow to immediately burn much fat...). It ends with a short, but intense, segment of traditional ab-focused floorwork. Bright, colorful, airy set. ©1997 & 2001. (80 min.). Note: VHS version is only the ""Fat Burning"" program; it does not include ""Joy of Yoga.""Amazon.com description

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