Happy Thanksgiving from PRAKTICALA to all our readers! We hope you enjoy the holiday with friends, family, and good times.
If you’re like us and are pinching pennies this season, here are some of our favorite Black Friday deals for 2016 that won’t cost you an arm and a turkey leg! No need to set your money on fire like in the reused illustration above! Check back throughout the weekend for updates!
Continue reading PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Black Friday Deals for 2016!
With the Academy Awards coming this Sunday, I thought it important to weigh in on why MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is the best picture of 2015.
Yes, it has wall-to-wall action and testosterone out the wazoo, but is that enough to make it the BEST film of the year? Does it justify its ranking above this year’s other heavyweight awards contenders like SPOTLIGHT, CAROL, BRIDGE OF SPIES, et al?
Continue reading Why MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is the Best Picture of 2015
Good deal on Amazon right now for a couple of double feature Blu-ray sets: TROY and GLADIATOR or THE GREEN MILE and FORREST GUMP for $6.99.
Wolfgang Petersen’s TROY is one of those “guilty pleasure” movies for me and I watch it pretty frequently when I want to see big-budget sword-and-sandal carnage and Eric Bana kicking ass. GLADIATOR is of course a modern day classic in the same genre.
If you like Tom Hanks (and who doesn’t???), you can’t pass up on either FORREST GUMP or THE GREEN MILE if you don’t have them already. GUMP harks back to an age of filmmaking when stories had humor, heartbreak, colorful characters, great acting, seamless visual effects, and memorable music. They don’t make many movies like that anymore.
Link: TROY / GLADIATOR Blu-ray Double Feature on Amazon
Link: THE GREEN MILE / FORREST GUMP Blu-ray Double Feature on Amazon.
Which of these movies is your favorite?? Let us know in the comments below!
Disney (sigh) just released the new trailer for THE BFG, a film based on the popular children’s novel by Roald Dahl about a girl name Sophie and her adventures with a Big Friendly Giant.
The film has a powerhouse crew, with Steven Spielberg directing and bringing along his usual team of stone-cold pros: Janusz Kaminiski (cinematography), Michael Kahn (editing), and John Williams (original score). Weta Digital (THE LORD OF THE RINGS) is doing the visual effects. Additionally, the screenplay is written by Melissa Mathison (E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL), so we can’t help but expect great things from this movie.
Mark Rylance plays the BFG; we saw him recently in Spielberg’s BRIDGE OF SPIES and he gave a fantastic performance. We look forward to seeing him next year in the role of a giant!
See the trailer below:
THE BFG comes to theatres on July 1, 2016. It also stars Penelope Wilton, Bill Hader, Rebecca Hall, Jemaine Clement, and Ruby Barnhill.
Happy Thanksgiving from PRAKTICALA!
We hope you spend the holiday with friends and family. On the other hand, we acknowledge the rush one gets from Black Friday shopping. So why not compromise a little and do your shopping at from home, in your pajamas?
We’ll compile some of our favorite Black Friday deals here, so come back often for updates!
TECH:
Need a tablet? You can get the Kindle Fire from Amazon for a measly 35 bucks!! WHAT?!
If you’re into streaming TV, the Amazon Fire TV Stick is on sale for just $25! You can steam Netflix, Amazon Video, and much more to your TV.
Low on hard drive space? Get a blazing fast solid state drive from Sandisk – 240GB for only 60 bucks! No spinning disks or other moving parts to wear out!
MOVIES:
My favorite movie from 2015, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD for $16.81 at Amazon! Read our review here!
JURASSIC WORLD Limited Edition Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD is only $10 on Amazon! Free shipping with Prime!
Or if you need the whole series (all four movies), the JURASSIC PARK Collection on Blu-ray is only $25!
Need more sci-fi? EX MACHINA on Blu-ray + Digital HD is only $5, also shipped free with Prime!
Also, the STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy is also only $5!
MORE sci-fi! The ALIEN QUADRILOGY Blu-ray, including all four ALIEN films, is just $15 on Amazon! Awesome deal on one of the greatest film series ever!
One of our favorite comedies from the last few years, BRIDESMAIDS, is on Blu-ray + DVD for $5 from Amazon!
BOOKS:
One of my favorite books ever – The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes – only $4 for the hardcover on Amazon with promo code HOLIDAY30! If you have that one already, you can also get the great The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes (hardcover) for $4, or The Essential Calvin and Hobbes for $5!
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Photographers – Adorama has the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8 lens starting at $249. This is a great price on a fast wide angle lens! Available for Canon, Nikon, and more.
STYLE:
Looking for a pair of shoes or some AWESOME dress shirts (review coming soon)? Get 20% off your order at Charles Tyrwhitt by clicking here and entering the code CYBER20 at checkout! Or, get 15% off plus free shipping by clicking here and entering the code CYBER15! (expires 11/30)! Read my review of their Clarence Cap-toe Semi-Brogue shoes here!
Great watches don’t all need to be expensive. Take 50% off the Timex Weekender watch with promo code TIMEXGIFT to make it a cool $11 (multiple colors available!
OUTDOORS:
Amazon has a folding knife with Speedsafe from Kershaw for $10! A great name in knives if you are into camping and the outdoors. Might need to refresh a few times to see the price!
Stay tuned for more Black Friday deals throughout the weekend! Have a tip on a hot deal? Leave a note in the comments!
Have a safe and fun Thanksgiving!
If you’re wondering where PRAKTICALA takes its style cues from, the answer is JAMES BOND.
If I’m dressing professionally or want to be taken seriously in any way, I just ask myself, “Would James Bond wear this?”
Continue reading Would James Bond Wear This?
Yep, the new trailer for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is out. This trailer gives us a closer look at the characters that will be featured in Episode VII, including Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). Still no sign of Luke though?
Action, explosions, drama, and Industrial Light & Magic kicking it into overdrive – looks like everything STAR WARS should be. Let’s hope it’s good!
Watch the trailer and unleash your inner geek! What is your reaction to the trailer? Let us know in the comments!
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is directed by J.J. Abrams (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III, STAR TREK) and will be released on December 18, 2015. The film stars also Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong’o, Domnhall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow.
The first cast photo from the upcoming STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE is out and features a very cool ensemble cast, not the least of which is… holy crap, DONNIE YEN!
Read more about the film here.
Donnie Yen is a veteran martial artist, actor, and badass, probably best known for playing my ancestor, the legendary IP MAN, in the film of the same name and its sequel. They are both great films and are currently available on Netflix; or you can get them at Amazon here.
STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE is currently in production and is directed by Gareth Edwards. It is scheduled to be released on December 16, 2016.
This is too cool not to share!
Director David Sandberg shot a short film, KUNG FURY, after successfully acquiring funding through Kickstarter’s fundraising platform.
Sandberg and his team managed to make the 30-minute film for just a little over $630,000. It features time travel, giant robots, Lamborghinis, tyrannosaurs, kung fu fighting Hitler, and more.
It’s a silly homage to action films of the 80s, with awesome music, bad dialogue/acting, and cheesy special effects. Very entertaining!
After debuting at Cannes, KUNG FURY made its way onto the internet, for free! Check it out below:
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is the blueprint for action movies. The characters drive the action and the action drives the characters. They do things for a reason, and they are a product of their circumstances.
Continue reading Review: Mad Max: Fury Road
