Warner Bros Festive Films

Warner Bros know exactly the sort of thing I like to find in my Christmas Stocking.  Nothing beats a good Blu-Ray as a gift and this Christmas they have sent me The Dark Knight Rises and New Year's Eve.

New Year’s Eve celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, with intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.  With an all star cast, it is a feel good movie that is perfect for this time of year.  It's a fabulous seasonal chick flick with an excellent soundtrack.  My eldest daughters really enjoyed watching it in the run up to Christmas and it got them into the spirit of the season.  It was funny, moving and entertaining in equal measure.  We enjoyed spotting all the A-list stars in their roles and particularly loved Ashton Kutcher and Bon Jovi!  This film is exactly the sort of film we love to sit down and watch together!  We thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Dark Knight Rises is the final installment to the gritty superhero trilogy.  Batman has gone from hero to fugitive after taking the blame for events that was for the greater good of Gotham City.  Eight years on he is a shadow of his former self.  The arrival of hulking masked man Bane threatens to destroy Gotham.  Can a broken, tortured superhero find it in himself to get back to his former glory and save the day?  

The action scenes are immense!  The appearance of Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman is a revelation. The back stories are interesting, the emotional content of the film is powerful and the villains are as ever amazing.  The story is very dark and heavy, but the over-riding theme of heroism and the emotional conflict of Bruce Wayne is a great portrayal of the human spirit.

Both films are available to buy now from stockists such as Amazon and both are well worth a watch!  

LEGO® Batman™ 2: DC Super Heroes

Our Review Of Lego Batman 2 For The XBox 360

Batman and Robin return in LEGO® Batman™ 2: DC Super Heroes, the highly-anticipated sequel to the best-selling LEGO® videogame of all time, which to date has sold more than 11 million units worldwide.  This time the Dynamic Duo join forces with other famous DC super heroes including Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern to stop the notorious villains Lex Luthor and The Joker from destroying Gotham City.   Batman fans of all ages will enjoy a new and original story filled with classic LEGO videogame action and humour as players fight to put the bad guys back behind bars.

We were sent a copy of Lego Batman 2 for the XBox 360 to try out.  I was particularly excited about this as I had had a sneak peek of the game at the Warner Bros Blogger Event earlier in the year where it was demonstrated on a cinema sized screen.

The most exciting development in this title is that for the first time the characters can speak, allowing for plot progression using dialogue.  Favourite characters are beautifully portrayed in Lego form and you can get to play as some other iconic comic heroes such as Superman, who can even fly!

A whole host of vehicles such as the Batmobile and Batwing can be used in the game, and new suits and gadgets allow the characters to solve certain tasks along the way.  There are super powers to be discovered such as Superman's heat vision and superbreath, making this the most exciting Lego game to date!

Gameplay is solo or co-op which allows for some real family fun as players adopt the roles of the Dynamic Duo et al!  An amazing Gotham City hub can be fully explored which is absolutely breathtaking.  It includes all the famous landmarks such as Wayne Manor. You can the city and interact with the landscape collecting items and discovering mini-games.  Once you complete the game, free-play is unlocked and you can even get to fly over the city as Superman, which I witnessed at the Warner Bros. event.  The addition of the John Williams' Superman theme tune is nothing short of pure genius.

Ian and the kids have been playing Lego Batman 2 and are enjoying the challenge of solving puzzles and completing levels.  The co-op experience is always an enjoyable aspect of the Lego games which my family loves.  The game leads you through the levels quite nicely giving hints along the way making it great for novice gamers and younger players alike.  The use of the suits is an interesting way of solving certain problems.  Robin's Acrobat Suit helps him climb to inaccessible areas and the Invisibility Suit helps Batman to sneak past the security systems.

This game is pure entertainment.  Beautifully made with superb graphics, this game is a joy.  The soundtrack is very movie-like and the voice talents add an extra element of fun.  My family adored the Lego characters, The Joker being our favourite!  The familiar Lego gameplay of building things and bashing things and collecting things remains the same and is fondly carried out.  The humour is simply brilliant and includes a great deal of slapstick that the little ones giggled at.

There is so much to do in Lego Batman 2.  For instance there are 250 gold bricks to find (we have about 3!!)  Characters and items can be unlocked and levels replayed extending the longevity of this title. It really is fun for everyone, and equally fun to sit and watch being played which is a real bonus for those of us who don't get a go on the XBox very often! 

Lego Batman 2 is currently available to buy from GAME for £34.99.

Warner Bros Welcomes Bloggers

Batman, Ultra Violet and Blinkbox With Warner Bros!

Yesterday I ventured into the big smoke with my blogging buddies Lou and Helen to attend the Warner Bros Bloggers Event at their head office in Central London.  Upon arrival, we were greeted by a lifesize Batman and a six foot tall Happy Feet Mumbles penguin model.  My love of movies was instantly re-ignited!

We were given the opportunity to find out more about the latest technologies in film viewing including Ultra Violet, blinkbox, Rovi, Flixster, X Box Live and PSN.  We also had a sneaky peek of a brand new WB game due for release in Summer.  There was a plethora of knowledgeable young men eager to chat about their areas of specialism, plus a constant supply of food and drink.  I was set for a good couple of hours of being immersed in the Warner Bros. experience.

Here Inside the Wendy House, we love films.  I was really interested to discover the new ways to watch them, utilising games consoles, tablets, laptops, iphones and PCs.  The world of digital technology is opening up our viewing options allowing us to have movie experiences wherever, however and whenever we want them.  With options to stream or download films, this is the future of movie entertainment.

I was particularly impressed with blinkbox which is a simple and easy to use, non-subscription based service enabling you to pay for the things that you want to watch and view them instantly.  With a huge library of over 10,000 titles from all genres of movie and TV, blinkbox lets you watch movies on your Smart TV, games consoles (such as via XBox Live), PC or tablet.  New films become available on the same day as they are released on DVD making your choices totally up to date.  Films can be rented for 48 hours or purchased and remain on your account indefinitely. Excitingly, blinkbox has just become part of Tesco.  Anytime you buy a new DVD release  from Tesco and swipe your Clubcard, you will get a digital copy stored on your blinkbox account to watch anytime you like. I have made an account and am really impressed with the range of free films and shows available to watch and the special offer rentals which start at just 99p.  I've already watched Battle Royale  for free on my laptop!  I was very pleased to see the series of Alcatraz on blinkbox as I missed the first two episodes...I'll be catching up tomorrow!

Ultra Violet seems to be the next step in flexible film viewing.  Blu-Ray Triple Play Packs include a UV digital copy allowing you to watch your film on the go.  The movies are stored in a free online personal library so they can be viewed on laptops, tablets or smart phones, anytime, anywhere.  It adds another dimension to your choice when it comes to buying and watching films.  Warner Bros are at the forefront of this, being the first studio to launch Ultra Violet enabled titles last year.

The real appeal of having 'virtual' copies of films as well as the original discs, is the fact that I will no longer have to deal with the unholy combination of kids and DVDs.  I like my children having the independence of watching a film on their own terms, but hate the aftermath of sticky finger prints, scratches and lost discs.  Letting them choose from a virtual library online will keep my discs safe and sound.  Especially now when we are venturing into ugrading our collection to Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray, the discs are more expensive and I'd hate to see them damaged by my over eager film buffs.  I wonder how long it will be before hard copies become obselete?

The highlight of the day for me was watching some of the yet to released game Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, being played by the supreme gamer Dan on a cinema size screen!  I know it's a bit geeky but I thought it was totally awesome!  We are big fans of the Lego videogame franchise having the Harry Potter, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Batman titles.  I love the combination of humour, action, puzzles and animation that make up the games.  They are sheer genius.  The latest title takes the genre a step further with some amazing  new features.  The Dynamic Duo join forces with other DC super heroes to stop the notorious super villains from destroying Gotham City.  The new and original story sees players fighting to get the bad guys back behind bars.  The co-operative play is intuitive and entertaining, and the unlockable characters are a joy to behold!  I won't give away too much as it is all a bit hush hush at the moment...but this is definitely going to be on my wishlist this summer!

A range of Lego toys:  The Super Heroes DC Universe collection have just been released and include sets such as the Batcave and three buildable action figures.  Well worth checking out!  The Lego Joker was fantastic.

We were given a fantastic bundle of goodies to take home with us including some 3D Blu-Ray titles.  My husband has now got the excuse he has been waiting for to invest in a 55" 3D TV.  He has started Googling them already!   On our way out, me and Lou took a look at an amazing display of genuine Harry Potter props including the Nimbus 2000 and a Death Eater mask.  We got a bit over excited truth be told!  Unfortunately the tight security did not allow photos to be taken, but trust me when I say it was quite incredible.

I left the event, very excited about the future of film, gaming and their associated technologies...thank you Warner Bros!