2 comments about The Faithful Traveler: Philadelphia's Miraculous Medal Shrine.

1. I have seven children who range in age from 6 to 18. Last night, everyone was looking forward to watching a movie together. As they all sat down with their popcorn, I announced I wanted to watch The Faithful Traveler first. I admit it -- there were some audible moans. But Mom rules here and if they wanted the movie, they were going to get some religion first!
   
   Well, it turned out they loved The Faithful Traveler! In fact, the planned movie got put off another 1/2 hour because the kids insisted on watching all the DVD extras. Mom and Dad moaned this time, but it turned out we enjoyed them too.
   
   This is not your typical stuffy religious documentary. The camera work is very good and Diana von Glahn does a great job hosting. She is professional yet hip. Also, my older children complimented the music. They especially liked the theme song by Sarah Bauer, All Access, which they already knew.
   
   All in all, it was a fun DVD. Yes, it's true, you can have fun visiting shrines and old churches. Done well, you come out thinking, "Wow, God is so cool. That was really neat."
   
   The Faithful Traveler took us to the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal, taught us some new things about the saints and about Philadelphia, and we had an enjoyable family hour. I'm looking forward to future realeases!



2. I heard about this DVD from my sister, and so I watched it and loved it! The cinematography is very up to date, as opposed to many religious videos of this type. It was informative and inspiring. I showed it to my kids, and they wanted to watch it again! Right away! We sure did learn a lot, and are now hoping to go to Philadelphia to check out the real shrine. I'm eagerly anticipating the next version of the Faithful Traveler.

1 comments about Great Hotels Season 2 - Episode 27: Grand Wailea Resort & Spa.

1. Absolutely wonderful! It makes you feel like you're right there with Samantha Brown. I would recommend it to anyone who loves to travel and loves Maui.

1 comments about Sedona - The Spirit of Wonder (Large Format).

1. Sedona: The Spirit of Wonder (Frances Grumman, 1998)
   
   Sedona, Arizona is one of the most fantastically beautiful spots on the planet, and a hotbed of tourism. To capitalize on that, the town of Sedona built a SuperVue theater and commissioned a short movie about the town (one hesitates to call it a documentary) and the surrounding red rocks. First-time director Frances Grumman was behind the camera, and A&E regular Don Morrow narrated. What they put together is alternately breathtaking and breathtakingly silly.
   
   Sedona's red rocks are rather like Ayers Rock; pictures will not do it justice. (Having not seen this at the IMAX, I'm not sure whether the hugeness of the image on the REALLY big screen changes this.) Still, for those who have been, the photography here will be a wonderful reminder of just how amazing it is down there. The aerial photography, especially, is stunning, but that's to be expected from an IMAX movie. Some of the narration (Morrow's bits, mostly), is a good overview, as well. But man, the rest of it is likely to have you balled up on the floor with laughter. The hypothesis of the creation of Sedona is all well and good, but the stock sea and lava footage really needed somewhere else to be at that particular time. The flashbacks to earlier ages in the settling of the wild country would likely have been more effective had the actors all not been wearnig modern clothes. (Well, maybe not; they seemed more like live-action dioramas than scenes.) The soundtrack is almost as bad as bits of the narration. In other words, just hit the mute button, you'll be better off. And fast forward through anything that's not scenery and other nature footage. If you do that, it's wonderful. ** ½

1 comments about Lonely Planet Six Degrees Series 3: Taipei.

1. I enjoyed the relaxed style of the DVD a great deal. Taking vidio snapshots of various people's lives in Taipei appealed to me. The scenes and neighborhoods contributed to my excitement for my upcoming trip. This isn't a "museum" or "monument" guide but instead gives a bit of flavor for the culture and experience opportunities that can be had. I didn't feel that I couldn't recreate the experiences for myself and I am looking forward to the trip.

5 comments about Discovery Atlas: Australia Revealed [HD DVD].

1. Do not buy this if you use Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. It does not work. Amazon don't tell you this and are misleading buyers.



2. This is an excellent example of HD video. Crowe does a great job of narration. Very informative and interesting HD DVD on Austrailia. You need the 1.5 firmware if you have a Toshiba HD-XA2 player. Sound is OK nothing over the top. Crowe's voice comes through very clean through the center channel. A little long, but still very interesting title.



3. Fortunately, my Toshiba HD-A2 with the latest firmware 1.5 can play this disc without any problem. I really enjoy this wonderful documentary. The PQ is great except a few scenes particulary the lifeguard competition which has grainy scenes. Overall the PQ looks stunning.
   
   The only small problem is some of the extra features can't play properly with occasional freezing. If you're not into the extras then this will be a great disc. Highly recommended!



4. This is one of the best documentaries of a nation i have ever seen. You get a look at the many different ways Australians have adapted to and use their land. The footage is beautiful. It surely made me want to move to Australia.



5. Australia has always been of interest to me. I have known some Aussies and they've always struck me as being laid back and eager to have fun. This travel documentary narrated by Russell Crowe takes you into areas of Australia you didn't know existed and explores the land and its diversity of people. I was disappointed in this presentation in that it was heavy on the people, especially those Aborigines in the Outback and the rural sheep and cattle ranchers, and light on things I expected to see but didn't. I wanted to see more of the South Coast, the Mountains, and Tasmania. Too much time was spent on a Vietnamese commedian who immigrated after Saigon fell, and a young woman swimmer in an iron woman competition, and a young female rancher in the Outback. Even though the photography and editing were superb, the content was lacking and I was disappointed. This could have been a lot better.

No comments about Japan: Kyoto & Western Honshu Island.

1 comments about Cruise Panama Canal.

1. A good travelogue of the region. But only a few short minutes of the CANAL itself. Title is very misleading. Spends precious little time on the building of the canal, the experience of transversing it, et al. Focuses on the geography and culture of the cities in the area and the culture, etc. But very dispappointing regarding the CANAL itself.

No comments about Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown Season 1 Episode 7: Munich, Germany.

No comments about Big Boats and Busy Harbors.

No comments about Globe Trekker - Jamaica.