Movie Review: The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Hi all! I had a chance to see The Forbidden Kingdom yesterday. And it’s kind of a mixed bag for me I’m afraid — sort of The Karate Kid meets House of Flying Daggers. Not that it didn’t have its moments...
View ArticleDVD Review: Into the Wild — A Titanic Journey?
Hey all… Had a chance to watch Into the Wild on DVD the other night. Though this isn’t an uplifting movie, there’s quite a bit to take away from the amazing story of Chris McCandless and his two year...
View ArticleThe Martian Child — Aren’t ALL Kids From Mars?
Hi all… Had a chance to watch The Martian Child on DVD this weekend, starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Joan Cusack, Oliver Platt, Richard Schiff, Anjelica Huston, and Bobby Coleman as Dennis the...
View ArticleAlien vs. Predator: Requiem — Not So Great
Hi there… Ok, so much like when you drive by an accident on the highway you feel the need to check it out to see how bad it really was… I rented AvP: Requiem (the sequel to Alien vs. Predator in 2004)...
View ArticleCD Review: The Smithereens Are Still the Bomb! New Live Album 5/27/2008
Hey all… I had the good fortune of being sent an early copy of the Smithereens‘ new live album — Live At The Court – Greatest Hits and More — just last week. And all I can say is WOW… What an awesome...
View ArticleDVD Review: Balls of Fury Wasn’t Exactly on Fire…
Hey all… I had a chance to watch Balls of Fury on DVD the other night… And before you say “what the heck were you thinking??” let me just say that I like oddball comedies now and then. This appeared...
View ArticleIron Man Rocks!
Hi there! Ok… Yes, I saw Iron Man on Friday. Yes, I loved the movie. Yes, I loved Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Yes, I loved Gwenneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. And yes, this was the kind of comic...
View ArticleReview: Everyday Cat Excuses
Hi all… Had an opportunity to check out Molly Brandenburg’s new book — Everyday Cat Excuses: Why I Can’t Do What You Want. Anyone who has owned a cat (or been owned by one) knows that cats don’t listen...
View ArticleCD Review: Mindi Abair’s Stars
Hi all… I recently had an opportunity to check out Mindi Abair‘s latest CD — Stars, and thought I’d share my findings… My impression of Mindi Abair’s music over her last few albums has been pretty...
View ArticleDVD Review: Avatar the Last Airbender, Book 3: Fire , Volume 3
Hi all… I finally had a chance to review the latest Avatar the Last Airbender release on DVD with my girls earlier in the month. We love Aang and his adventures with Katara, Sokka, Toph, and of course...
View ArticleBook Review: The Tiniest Tiger by Joanne McGonagle
Hi all! I recently had the great opportunity to read a new children’s book from Joanne L. McGonagle. The Tiniest Tiger documents a lost kitten’s journey through the zoo, talking with the other big cats...
View ArticleDVD Review: Tai Chi Master Packs a Punch! Released July 29!
Hi all! I was recently given a rare treat to review – a martial arts movie made in the early 1990s starring Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. Tai Chi Master, also known as Tai ji: Zhan San Feng, was directed...
View ArticleSoundtrack Review – Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Hi all… Let me preface this review with some thoughts about John Williams. I’ve loved his music ever since seeing Star Wars in the late 1970s. Since then, I’ve probably seen 90% of the movies that John...
View ArticlePC Game Review: The Princess Bride Game Is Fun!
Hey all… Sometimes I get the opportunity to review games slightly before they are released. Not often, but I’m very happy when it happens. The Princess Bride Game is based, of course, on the classic...
View ArticleDVD Review: Avatar, the Last Airbender, Book 3: Fire, Volume 4
Hi all… It seems it’s time to review the last DVD for the Avatar: The Last Airbender series. I can’t believe it. The Book 3: Fire, Volume 4 DVD has 6 episodes of Avatar: Chapter 16: The Southern...
View ArticleBook Review: Devil May Care (James Bond is Back in the Cold War!)
Hi all… I am a huge James Bond fan. Was a big fan of the books not long after I was introduced to Dr. No as a kid. Ian Fleming wasn’t the greatest author in the world, but his world was so vivid that I...
View ArticleBook Review: Little Bit & Big Byte by Craig T. Feigh
Hey all… I recently had an opportunity to review a new children’s book from Craig T. Feigh called “Little Bit & Big Byte.” This is a children’s book with big, colorful pictures and memorable...
View ArticleDVD Review: Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
Hey all… I can’t say I was a big fan of Super Size Me (I still get longings for McDonald’s now and again), but with his latest movie – Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? –Morgan Spurlock again...
View ArticleLet me introduce you to Rip Squeak and Friends…
Hi all… Last weekend I was in Monterey, CA, with my wife, and we stumbled into this little store called Rip Squeak Books and Art on Cannery Row. My wife took a glance inside when we got there and I...
View ArticleMusic Preview: L.P.’s Tantalizing Untitled Album
Hey all… Had a chance to listen to a sampler of L.P.’s still untitled album that’s due in early 2009. Though I’d never heard of L.P. before, when I took a listen to the first song on the preview –...
View ArticleDVD Review: The Blue Elephant (Coming to DVD on September 2!)
Hi all! Before I get into this review, I have to start with a little story. Once upon a time, there was a boy who believed that Jim Henson was a god among men. He had the Midas touch combining...
View ArticleDVD Review: Mickey’s Storybook Surprises
Hey all! I recently had an opportunity to check out the new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD – Mickey’s Storybook Surprises. This DVD contains 4 separate episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and will be...
View ArticleDVD Review: Fist of Legend, available Sept. 9
Hi all… It was my pleasure recently to watch Fist of Legend in its Two-Disc Ultimate Edition from Dragon Dynasty. This 1994 film starring Jet Li and Chin Siu-Ho teams them with a brilliant fight...
View ArticleBook Review: Brocabulary Coming in October
Hey all… When I saw the cover of Brocabulary: The New Man-i-festo of Dude Talk, I was intrigued. When I see the term “bro,” I now think of two different things. The first is fraternities, of which I...
View ArticleBook Review: Johnny Big Ears, The Feel-Good Friend
Hi there! Occasionally, I get to review great children’s books. Johnny Big Ears, the Feel-Good Friend, written by John Paul Padilla and illustrated by Mike Andrulonis is one of those. All too often the...
View ArticleDVD Review: Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Complete Book 3 Collection
Hi all! Once again, I’ve had the privilege of reviewing more Avatar, The Last Airbender, DVDs. This time it’s the Complete Book 3 box set. The box set includes all 21 episodes of the third and final...
View ArticleBook Review: Kathleen Beisel – Eat Your Way to Natural Good Health
Hi all! Recently I had an opportunity to review a new book from Kathleen Beisel – Eat Your Way to Natural Good Health. This is not exactly a diet book, more of a lifestyle change than anything else,...
View ArticleBook Review: The Last Days of Krypton by Kevin J. Anderson
Hi all… Wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve been drawn into a story where I already knew the ending, let alone a science fiction story straight from the comic book universe. Kevin J Anderson has...
View ArticleBook Review: Paul of Dune – Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson
Hi all… Back in the mid-1980s I read the original Dune novels from Frank Herbert – Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, and God Emperor of Dune. I never got as far as Heretics of Dune or Chapterhouse:...
View ArticleDVD Review: Shaun the Sheep – Off the Baa!
Hi all… As huge fans of Wallace and Gromit, we were honored to get a chance to take a look at Shaun the Sheep – Off the Baa! when it was announced. Shaun the Sheep first came on the scene in Wallace...
View ArticleDVD Review: Spin City – The Complete First Season
Hi all! Spin City was an ABC sitcom that began in 1996 starring Michael J Fox as Deputy Mayor of New York City Mike Flaherty and Barry Bostwick as Mayor Randall Winston. Mayor Winston’s quirks require...
View ArticleDVD Review: The Longshots
Hi all! About once a year or every other year, we see a football movie on the big screen. 2008 was no different. The Weinsteins brought us The Longshots, which stars Ice Cube as Curtis Plummer, an...
View ArticleUnstable Fables: Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
Hi all! Watch as the Jim Henson Company presents a new take on an old story. Goldilocks and the 3 Bears takes the traditional story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and gives it an animated, reality...
View ArticleDVD Review: Soul men
Hi there! Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac in a movie together? What’s not to like? When Soul Men hit the theaters back in November 2008, it was one I wanted to see. It combined two of my favorite...
View ArticleDVD Review: The Tale of Despereaux
Hi there! In 2008, we read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo with our daughters as a bedtime story. In this fairy tale, Despereaux is a small mouse with big ears and a bigger heart who finds...
View Article