The Ontel Magic Vibrant Tracks is a toy that offers a unique and interactive play experience for children. It is a set of race tracks with colorful LED lights that can be assembled and customized into various shapes and designs. The tracks are flexible and can be bent and twisted to create loops, ramps, and tunnels, allowing kids to unleash their creativity and create their own racing adventures. The vibrant LED lights add an extra element of fun and excitement as the tracks light up in different colors, creating a visually stunning race experience. The Magic Vibrant Tracks also come with battery-powered cars that can traverse the tracks with ease, adding another level of engagement for children. This toy promotes imaginative play and helps develop fine motor skills as kids manipulate and assemble the tracks.
Lily's African Adventure: The Quest for the Hidden Treasure" is a captivating tale that takes young readers aged 5-7 on an unforgettable journey through the heart of Africa. This beautifully crafted story follows Lily, a bright and curious girl from the small town of Harmonyville, as she embarks on a thrilling quest to uncover a hidden treasure.
This enchanting story is not just an adventure , but a journey of self-discovery that inspires young readers to believe in their own potential and the magic of their dreams. At the top of the prison s hierarchy is Blackbeard Steve Tientcheu , a towering, intimidating figure who rules with an iron fist and commands the respect of the hundreds of men who call the prison their home.
This toy promotes imaginative play and helps develop fine motor skills as kids manipulate and assemble the tracks. It also encourages problem-solving skills as they figure out the best track configuration for their cars. Overall, the Ontel Magic Vibrant Tracks is a captivating and entertaining toy that provides endless hours of racing fun for children while promoting creativity and skill development.
Review: Storytelling Becomes a Riveting, Visceral Affair in Captivating Night of the Kings
Though it may be stating the obvious, stay with me here: filmmaking is, at its core, storytelling. Fictional or otherwise, a film is grounded in its narrative; every other creative choice is intended to expand, clarify or otherwise serve that narrative. What happens, then, when the film itself is about storytelling, about the interplay between narrator and audience (on screen and off), about the value and importance of fables, legends and fairy tales? In Philippe Lacôte’s riveting and visceral Night of the Kings, the storytelling itself becomes central to our understanding of the world in which we find ourselves, that of a rural prison in the African country of Ivory Coast, a society fully governed and managed by the inmates themselves.
Image courtesy of Neon
At the top of the prison’s hierarchy is Blackbeard (Steve Tientcheu), a towering, intimidating figure who rules with an iron fist and commands the respect of the hundreds of men who call the prison their home. But there are warring factions and threats to his authority, chief among them his own failing health. Code inside the prison is that once a Dangoro is too sick to rule, he must not only abdicate his position but take his own life by way of removing himself from the line of succession. Though he’s tethered to an oxygen tank and moving far slower than he surely did in his younger days, Blackbeard has no interest in removing himself from power. In search of ways to maintain his position, he recruits a new arrival at the prison to keep the rest of the population captivated overnight on the occasion of a red moon, a sort of storytelling ritual called “Night of the Roman.”
The Roman he’s selected (Bakary Koné) is as young and untested as Blackbeard is old and weathered; with wide eyes and a nervous energy, he takes center stage in a common yard in the prison. Neither he or we are quite sure of what will come out of his mouth once he begins, but it’s clear that he has no choice but to weave a story that keeps the hungry, aggressive audience satisfied throughout the night. It’s his life that’s on the line if he finishes before the red moon sets. And so Roman starts, sharing the story of Zama King, a wanted criminal he ran with before finding himself in prison; it soon becomes a sweeping epic that includes an ancient African queen, a battle against her own brother for power and the rough streets of Zama King’s territory known as the Lawless Quarter. Lacôte takes full advantage of his visual medium, transporting us from the dingy walls of the rundown prison to the beaches of Africa and more where Roman’s story unfolds. The juxtaposition of these worlds makes them both all the more striking, the dank darkness of the prison seeming to close in on Roman while the white sand and rich blue waters evoke a world far, far away from his current reality.
As Roman’s story goes on, more than once he seems to run out of narrative, unsure where to take the story next. But his fellow inmates are a rabid audience, and when it’s either keep talking or die at their brutal hands, he finds new threads of the story to weave into what he’s already shared. As his confidence grows, the inmates around him become so engrossed they begin to act out the various moments he’s describing, from evocative native songs about Zama King and his pursuits to strikingly choreographed vignettes of action and confrontation. Their participation in the storytelling takes the whole experience to a next level, as if now they’re all performing for us, not just Roman for the inmates. Layers upon layers upon layers, and each one is more impressive than the last.
One of the true joys of cinema is the sense of discovery that comes with experiencing a film so beautifully crafted, so thoughtfully produced that its full impact is evident only once one can reflect back on what’s just transpired. Lacôte achieves that elusive accomplishment in a film that builds broad and grand worlds, within the prison and without, populated by characters who, though they remain mostly a mystery, are fully formed and worthy of our attention. Roman crafts a captivating story to last him through the night; Lacôte has crafted a superb vehicle to share it with us.
Night of the Kings is now playing in select theaters, including the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.
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Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
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Reviews for "Ontel Magic Vibrant Tracks: A Game-Changer for Home Organization"
- Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Ontel magic vibrant tracks. The tracks were constantly coming apart and not staying connected, making it nearly impossible to build a functioning track. The vibrancy of the tracks also quickly faded after just a few uses, so it didn't live up to its name. Overall, I would not recommend this product as it did not meet my expectations.
- John - 1/5 stars - The Ontel magic vibrant tracks were a complete waste of money. The tracks were flimsy and would easily break even with gentle play. The cars that came with the set were also very poor quality and didn't work properly on the tracks. The concept of the product was great, but the execution was extremely poor. Save your money and look for a different track set.
- Emily - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for the Ontel magic vibrant tracks but was let down with the poor quality. The tracks were difficult to put together and would constantly pop apart, making it frustrating and time-consuming to play with. The cars would also frequently get stuck on certain sections of the track, which made it hard to have an enjoyable playing experience. I wouldn't recommend this product to others.