#DMR Prize Redemption: National Treasure Blu-ray/DVD

I've been saving up points at Disney Movie Rewards since February planning to get a Blu-ray copy of National Treasure as my next prize in time for the holidays. (I own a Blu-ray copy of National Treasure: Book of Secrets and wanted the set.) A few days ago, I hit the total points needed and redeemed in the nick of time for a projected Christmas delivery. (I celebrate Yule.)

I love arcane treasure hunter adventure movies (and books, too). It's like a calling. As a child, I wanted to be a swashbuckling archaeologist long before I'd ever heard the name Indiana Jones.

In an odd coincidence, I actually owned a real bullwhip as a child and became quite proficient in its usage. I found it in a thrift store and somehow convinced my mother it was only a toy. If she'd had any idea of how dangerous it proved before I mastered its snapping lash, she likely would have howled and burned it.

Deciphering clues to follow an esoteric trail thought lost and in order to discover secret knowledge or valuables seems like an ideal career.

I love Indiana Jones, of course, but I particularly identify with the Gates character (played by Nicholas Cage) in the National Treasure series. He's a mechanical engineer, historian, and licensed scuba diver, among other things. He understood that in the quest for Knowledge, the true Holy Grail, one must always be prepared. (I always thought that I should have been a Boy Scout.) It was, in many ways, like watching a version of myself on screen.

I enjoyed both National Treasure films (though the first one was a cut above the second) and look forward to watching them both again over the holidays.

I'm hoping to acquire the Robert Langdon trilogy of films next, but as these are Sony titles I'll have to get creative with the Sony Rewards program (or find them on sale). Perhaps, I can work out a redemption by my next spate of down time. Eventually, I'll have enough films in this genre to be able to setup an all-day viewing marathon.