Love & Mercy
Director: Bill Pohlad
Cast: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti
Studio: LionsGate
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Retail: $19.98
ASIN: B01127XNEE
Running Time: 122 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:
 
Now available to own on DVD from LionsGate is the musical biopic Love & Mercy. Directed by Bill Pohlad, the film stars John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti. Special Features include deleted scenes, A California Story: Creating the Look of Love & Mercy Featurette, A-Side/B-Side: Portraying the Life of Brian Wilson Featurette and an audio commentary.

Based on the real-life story of Brian Wilson (the co-founder of The Beach Boys), the film stars John Cusack as a middle-aged Brian Wilson. After his father died during the 70s, he became deeply depressed and spent two years isolating himself from the world, overeating, drinking too much alcohol and taking drug. In October 1975, Brian's family hired a therapist Dr. Eugene Landy to help him.

From left to right: Brett Davern ("Carl Wilson," left), Paul Dano ("Brian Past," center) and Kenny Wormald ("Dennis Wilson," right) star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's LOVE & MERCY.

The film opens up in the 1980s, where Brian meets his future wife, Cadillac saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter (played by Elizabeth Banks) while looking for a new car. The two have an instant chemistry and Brian leaves his phone number for her, just before the controlling Landy (played by Paul Giamatti) intervenes. Brian attempts to have a relationship with Melinda, but Landy thinks she's a problem. However, Melinda is determined to save Brian.

John Cusack ("Brian Future") and Elizabeth Banks ("Melinda Ledbetter") star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's LOVE & MERCY.

Throughout the two-hour running time, the movie flashes back to the 1960s when a younger Brian Wilson (played by Paul Dano) is trying to change The Beach Boys sound by writing and composing their eleventh album, Pet Sounds. Despite his band members', including his brother Carl, objections to the new sound, Brian was confident in his music.


I recall seeing the film advertise on television during the summer, but I had no idea that it was about Brian Wilson. I'm not the biggest fan of music biographies, but this film has an unique feel to it, mostly thanks for the filmmakers deciding to flashback to the early days of The Beach Boys. Both John Cusack and Paul Dano give great performances as Brian Wilson. Overall, Love & Mercy is surprisingly entertaining film.



*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

One of the most popular (and oldest) hobby is coin collecting. People of all ages, including kids, love collecting coins from around the world. It's also a great investment, as some older coins are worth a lot money.

The best places to find older coins is at antique stores, coin collecting shops and the internet, but please be advised on what the correct price of a coin is as you don't want to over pay.

The only way to find the current correct prices for coins is to look in The Official Red Book: A Guide Of United States Coins, which is published by Whitman. The 2016 (69th edition) is now available to buy in book stores, coin shops, hobby shops or online at www.whitman.com/store.

A few months back, I was sent The Official Red Book: A Guide Of United States Coins 69th Edition hardcover ($16.95 retail). This year's book is edited by Kenneth Bressett (Senior Editor), Q. David Bowers (Research Editor) and Jeff Garrett (Valuations Editor).


The book gives you a quick introduction the world of coins in "Welcome To Numismatics." Then it jumps right into the coin values, which are divided into the following sections:

Pre-Federal Issues - Colonial and Post-Colonial Issues.

William Castle Horror Collection
Director: William Castle
Cast: Rosemary DeCamp, Glenn Corbett, Tom Poston
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: August 18, 2015
Retail: $14.98
ASIN: B00ZGIOL42
Running Time: 7 hours 18 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Just in time for the Halloween Season is the two-disc DVD release from Mill Creek Entertainment, titled William Castle Horror Collection, featuring five films from the director William Castle. The films are 13 Ghosts, 13 Frightened Girls!, Mr. Sardonicus, Homicidal and The Old Dark House.

While the 2001 remake was full of gore, the 1960's 13 Ghosts is more of a family-friendly ghost story about a family that inherits a mansion from a rich uncle, Dr. Plato Zorba. They quickly realize that the house is haunted by 12 terrifying ghosts - a lion with it's headless tamer, an executioner with a severed head, a wailing lady, a pair of clutching hands, a floating head, a skeleton,an chef that keeps murdering his wife and her lover in the kitchen and Dr. Zorba.


The 1963 flick 13 Frightened Girls! is less horror and more of a teenage movie in the vein of Gidget. Set in a Swiss boarding school for girls, the films centers on a sixteen-year-old that develops a crush on an intelligence agent, which leads her to uncovering the mystery behind the death of a Russian diplomat.


William Castle once stated that the 1961 Mr. Sardonicus was one of his favorites that he had produced. The plot centers on a greedy man that digs up his father's corpse just so he can get the winning lottery ticket that was in the coffin, but recovering the lottery ticket comes with a frightening cost - his face is now permanently fozen into a hideous grin.

The Memory Weaver
by Jane Kirkpatrick
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: September 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-0800722326
Pages: 352
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

While I've read many books by Christian authors, I only recently started reading Jane Kirkpatrick titles, though my grandmother has been reading her novels for years. Now anytime I learn that one the author's books is available for review, I eagerly signed up.

The Memory Weaver centers on Eliza Spalding Warren. When she was just a ten-year-old, she was kidnapped by the Cayuse Indians during a massacure that occured in 1847, where she was forced to be an interpreter. Though she's now married with two children, she is still haunted by her childhood.

Now her husband wants them to pack up their belongings and head off for the territory that she had spent in captivity. To deal with the ordeal, Eliza turns to late mother's journal to learn how she had dealt the trama that took place in 1847 and hopefully find a way to find piece with her own past.

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews!

Do you belong to Shelfari, Goodreads, LibraryThing, and other similar sites? If so, can you list all of the book sites you belong to so others can take a look at them?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

  

My Answer: 

   I'm a member of all three sites!

While I don't share too many gambling related posts on here, I thought I let everyone know about the upcoming CPT Punta Cana Main Event, a cool poker tournament that will be held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in November. It'll feature six online poker tournament champions, whom will all compete for a piece of a $500,000+ prize pool.

So far, four of the five players have won their spot to Punta Cana. The sixth player will come from the final tournament game on October 2nd.

The five known players are:


Daniel Montagnolli (30 years old from Austria) - He won  a $2700 prize from an online satellite tournament Final in June. As of September 1st, is now a full-time poker player.

Derek Scallon (32 year old from Chicago) - He's s a professional poker player that produced a poker documentary film, Bet Raise Fold, a few years ago.

Neal Slade, Hampshire (44 year old from Hampshire, UK) - He's a builder and a father of two, who in his spare time plays online poker games. He has won seats at WSOP, WPT, UKIPT and GPS events.

Steven Lovey - There's not much known about this player, except for he's an entrepreneur in the toy industry.

Phil (?) (29 year old) - He just won his way to the CPT Punta Cana earlier this month.

Creature With The Atom Brain
60th Anniversary Series
Director: Edward L. Cahn
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B011PS50W8
Running Time: 70 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

During the 1950s throughout the 1960s, a slew of B-horror films were released to theaters, which were popular with the younger crowd. I recall watching a few of these films when I was a kid in the early 90s on AMC (way before they had commercials on the channel). These movies are rarely seen on television these days, but luckily for us fans many of these films are being released to DVD or Blu-ray. Mill Creek Entertainment has released the 1955 classic Creature With The Atom Brain as part of their 60 Anniversary Series DVD releases.

Directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by Curtis Siodmak (The Wolf Man), the film stars Michael Granger, Gregory Gaye and Richard Denning (Creature From The Black Lagoon). Originally released by Columbia Pictures, it was part of the double-feature with It Came from Beneath the Sea.

Creature With The Atom Brain centers on criminal Frank Buchanan (played by Michael Granger) teaming up in an ex-Nazi scientist Wilhelm Steigg (played by Gregory Gaye) to help him get revenge on the people that were involved in his deportation. Steigg re-animates all of Buchanan's dead henchmen and orders them to kill specific individuals. The only person in their way is police doctor Dr. Chet Walker (played by Richard Denning), who must unravel the mystery before the zombies kill again.

The hit Nickelodeon animated series Sanjay and Craig has now a graphic novel from Papercutz, titled Sanyjay and Craig: Fight The Future With Flavor!

The 52-page graphic novel is the the debut of a brand-new collection of graphic novels from Nickelodeon and Papercutz. Sanyjay and Craig: Fight The Future With Flavor! centers on Sanjay and his pet snake Craig as they hangout with friends, watch cheesy movies and eat hot wings.

It's available in paperback and hardcover on now, in stores, online and in libraries.