Category Archives: Movies

Business, Deals, Home, Money, Movies, Style, Technology

PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Deals for Black Friday 2017!

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black friday 2017
Recycled illustration from last year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Here are just a few of PRAKTICALA’s favorite deals for Black Friday 2017 (check back regularly for updates).

Movies

War for the Planet of the Apes (Blu-ray) – $8 at Amazon

X-men: Days of Future Past 3D (Blu-ray) – $7 at Amazon

Alien: Covenant (Blu-ray) – $9 at Amazon

Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection (Blu-ray) – $30 at Amazon

Video Games

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4) – $15 at Target

Style

Beckett Simonon – many shoes $149 by clicking here and using promo code VIP149 (see our recent review for their Durant brogues here)

Home

Lodge 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet – $10 from Amazon (I now cook almost exclusively with this)

Simplisafe – $200 off the Beacon home security package, or 15% off any other new system package

Stay tuned for more Black Friday 2017 deals throughout the weekend!

Art, Deals, Home, Money, Movies

PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Black Friday Deals for 2016!

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black friday deals for 2016

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! →

Business, Movies, Style, Thoughts, Video

The Relaunch of the Terry Crews YouTube Channel

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I’ve been working on the relaunch of the official Terry Crews YouTube channel lately, and it’s finally here. Really proud of the work so far, and there will be a lot of exciting content to come – motivation, fitness, family, behind the scenes, and more!

In our first video, Terry talks about the paralyzing effects of discouragement and self-pity, and how to counter them with an attitude of gratefulness.

Terry Crews is known as a movie and television star, fitness guru, motivational speaker, outspoken family man… the list goes on.

Terry is awesome. You know you want more of this guy. Watch our first video embedded above, and check out the channel and subscribe at youtube.com/terrycrewsfans!

Movies, Thoughts

Why MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is the Best Picture of 2015

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mad max fury road title card

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 →

Movies, Technology, Video

Watch: Anyone Can Quantum

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Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Information and Matter has released a new YouTube video, Anyone Can Quantum, a humorous short film about Ant-Man, time travel an ageless Keanu… well, just watch it.

The film stars Keanu Reeves, Paul Rudd, and the great Stephen Hawking. It’s directed by Alex Winter, aka Bill S. Preston, Esq. from the BILL & TED films, who was recently seen in the cool real-time thriller GRAND PIANO.

Check out the video on YouTube. What do you think?

Deals, Movies

Deal: TROY / GLADIATOR or THE GREEN MILE / FORREST GUMP Blu-ray Double Feature

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“Look, brother Paris. A great deal lies ahead.”

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!

Movies, Video

New Trailer for HAIL, CAESAR!

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There’s a hilarious new trailer for the new film by the Coen Brothers, HAIL, CAESAR!

It’s always great to see a new movie by Joel and Ethan Coen. FARGO, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, and TRUE GRIT are on regular replay at my house, and many of their other films are also personal favorites of mine.

See the new HAIL, CAESAR! trailer below:

HAIL, CAESAR! is directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and will be released on February 5, 2016. The film stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Channing Tatum.

Movies, Video

New Trailer for THE BFG!

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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.

Deals, Movies, Photography, Style, Technology

Happy Thanksgiving + Black Friday Deals

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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!

Movies, Style

Would James Bond Wear This?

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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? →