Croquet Is Good Old Fashion Fun

People have been playing croquet for years and all ages can enjoy it. Children love croquet because they have a chance to play against other family members and often they can beat an older player.

All croquet sets are basically the same. They consist of mallets, balls, and some type of wire loops that the ball goes through. The loops are called wickets. It is set up on a lawn in a pattern that allows up to six players the chance to try to navigate the course. It is different than Mimi golf, but the same principle.

Family reunions are a great place to set up a game. Lots of different generations can play and it only takes a short time to complete a game. If the weather is nice and there is a flat lawn area, the game can be set up in a few minutes. Even children can set of the basic area and have it ready to play. For years people have been playing with Franklin croquet sets and the easy to follow directions make the game enjoyable for everyone. So many games have difficult rules to follow and can be hard to understand, but this is one game that follows the traditional game rules that people have played for years.

The game can be played with teams and often that is a great option when playing with several different age groups. For family night, let the kids plays the parents and then offer small prizes for the winner. Of course everyone is really a winner because they get to be outside and have fun.

Croquet sets come in various price ranges. Franklin croquet sets are well known and can be found at department stores for great prices. They are well made and if taken care of, can last for many years. Because they are often made with real wood, they need to be put away after each use. Some of them come in a case and others sit on a stand made just for them.

Croquet sets make great family gifts at Christmas. It is a gift that can be for everyone in the family, so there is no need to buy separate things, or spend extra time and money for things most people never use. This is a game that most people have played and are familiar with. They are usually happy to have a new set to use for family picnics, birthday parties and group gatherings.

This is the perfect game for grandparents to play when the grandkids come over. It will give them a chance to enjoy each other and everyone has fun. No video games, movies or electronic devices, just plain old fashion fun. Everyone should have a set ready for a sunny day. So, go ahead, pull out the set from the back of the garage and dust off the mallets and get ready to have some good old fashion family fun.

Kevin Wright author.
http://www.kandyvines.com/
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The Hunger Games: Movie Review

I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games books, so when the film was announced, I was very eager. But I'm not going to lie, I was also very excited. The trailers looked good for the film, but I was always a bit skeptical.

So the film is now out and and was a huge hit and was very successful. Critics and fans loved the movie. I thought the film was pretty good. I think it was an almost perfect adaptation of the book. But they did leave out some elements of the book that did seem important. I know things change from book to screen, so I'm not really complaining at all.

The acting was good for the most part. I was a little nervous about Josh Hutcherson, but he was fine in it. Jenifer Lawrance was perfectly cast in the role as Katniss Everdeen. Liam Hemsworth was good as Gale, even though he wasn't in the movie that much. All the other kid actors were passable, but could've been better.

The action was well directed and the shaky camera was effectively used. The film has a nice gritty feel to it. All the sets and locations are fantastic. I think all the scenes during the actual hunger game, are all effective.

The CGI is good for the most part. All the sets are enhanced by CGI and most of those look fine. The animals and things are a hit and miss. The wolf creatures at the end aren't that good, but the insects look fine. The scenes in the movie with fire are also mixed. The forest fire is a blend between practical fire and CGI fire, and you can totally tell.

The pacing in the movie is fine for me. The hunger games don't start until about an hour into the movie. It was nice to get a build up of what the hunger games is and see what these characters have to go through. I think the ending of the movie leaves you wanting more and that good.

Overall this is a satisfying adaptation of one of the most popular teen novels. Its a dark toned film with very adult topics and it works very well.

Final Score: 8.7

The Blu-ray version of this film is top notch. The sound and picture are fantastic. On the Blu-ray of this film you get about three hours of special features and they are a good insight on how the film was made.

There are three different versions of the film on Blu-ray, in terms of boxing. Target, Best Buy, and Walmart are all selling a different version. Best Buy has a huge box with Blu-ray, DvD, digital copy, and Ultra violet. Its a nice box and it comes with a special gift with it. But its sort of plain. Walmart has the most uninspired boxing out for the film. Its just the regular Blu-ray with a necklace included, all stuffed inside a card board box.

Target is your best option, It comes with three disk. One disk is the film, the second is three hours of special features, the third is an exclusive disk with an extra hour of the special features. The case is in a nice slip cover, the slip cover is all black that has the mockingjay pendant of the front and has the title on it. Its very effective. The actual case is very nice and you cant get it any where else. Go to target.com to see what I'm talking about.