SPY
Director: Paul Feig
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart and Allison Janney
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Retail: $39.99
ASIN: B013C6OQNK
Running Time: 120 minutes, 130 minutes (uncut)
Rating: R
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Now available to own on Blu-ray and Digital HD is this summer's action-comedy SPY. Directed by Paul Feig (The Heat, Bridesmaids), the film stars Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart and Allison Janney.

The single disc includes both the theatrical and the unrated versions of the film. Special Features includes 3 Redacted Scenes, 15 Classifed Alternate Scenes, 2 Top Secret Gag Reels, Cutting Room Floor Outtakes including Susan and Her Man, The Great Rick Ford, For Your Eyes Only: Jokes-A-Plenty, How SPY Was Made: 8 Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes Commentary, Director of Intelligence Feig Makes the Cast Do His Bidding, Super Villain Rayna Can’t Keep it Together, Super Vermin, The Many Deaths of Anton, The Trouble With The Covers, The Handsy World of Spies, Speaking is an Art Form, Super Villains of the Animal World, Gallery and the The Filmmakers Tell You How Spy Was Made While You Watch The Movie! aka The Commentary Track (Jessie Henderson, John Vecchio, Paul Feig, Robert Yeoman, Walter Garcia).

SPY centers on the CIA analyst Susan Cooper (played by McCarthy), who witness the presumed death of CIA Agent Bradley Fine (played by Jude Law), through the camera that is built into his contact lenses while he was on a mission in Varna. While Cooper has never been on a field mission before, she has been Fine's partner for years and she has developed a crush on him.

Fine's murderer is Rayna (played by Rose Byrne), the daughter of Tihomir Boyanov, and she knows the identities of all the CIA's top agents.

Wanting revenge, Cooper volunteers to go to Paris and track down Sergio De Luca (played by Bobby Cannavale). Her mission was to watch and report back to her boss Elaine Crocker (played by Allison Janney), but things don't go exactly as planned as CIA Agent Rick Ford (played by Jason Statham) is also on the hunt for De Luca and he bumps heads with Cooper.

Doctor Who: The Dorsten's Curse
by A.L. Kennedy
Publisher: Broadway Books
Pub. Date: July 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0553419443
Pages: 368
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I stumbled up on the first season of the Doctor Who reboot when it aired on the Scifi Channel (now known as Syfy) in 2006 and I quickly became a big fan. I later learned about the original the series that started in the 1960s to the 1980s and that the new seasons (well series in the Britain) are a continuation. Since then, I've watched a handful of episodes featuring the original incarnations of the Doctors on DVD.

Now available in paperback is Doctor Who: The Dorsten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy, which is an adventure featuring the 4th Doctor (whom was played by Tom Baker from 1974 to 1981). Set at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel, the plot involves golfers disappearing into thin air and of course the Doctor is there in the nick of time to investigate it.

Once again the Doctor recruits two new companion, Bryony, a Fetch Brothers’ Junior Receptionist,  and alien named Putta Pattershaun, to help unravel the mystery behind why the golfers are vanishing. To make matters worse, the other people at the spa are acting weird, especially Mrs. Fetch and and the twin grandchildren; all of which seem to have the ability to read minds.

As most Doctor Who stories go, there is something alien-like that is causing all the chaos and the Doctor Bryony and his companions must stop it.

Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson and James Spader
Studio: Marvel Studios
Release Date: October 2, 2015
Retail: $32.99
ASIN: B00WAJ8QQO
Running Time: 141 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Links: DVD, Blu-ray, Digital HD

Review:

Now available to own on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD is this summer's blockbuster Marvel's Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Directed by Joss Whedon, the film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson and James Spader. Bonus Features on the Blu-ray includes From The Inside Out - Making Of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, The Infinite Six, Global Adventure, Deleted & Extended Scenes, Gag Reel and Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Joss Whedon.

Taking place after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Tony Stark/Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jr.) has reformed the Avengers team - Captain America (played by Chris Evans), Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth), Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner), so the can fight the evil Hydra. After destroying the Hydra science base where Baron Wolfgang von Strucker was experimenting with Loki's scepter, Stark and Banner use the scepter's gem to create an artificial intelligence for the Ultron global defense program.

Unfortunately, Ultron (voiced by James Spader) grows a conscious of his own and comes to the conclusion that the Avengers are a danger to the world. Ultron uses what resources that were left behind at Strucker's base to build himself a robotic body as well as an army or robotic minions. He recruits the twins Pietro/Quicksliver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (played by Elizabeth Olsen) to help him kill the Avengers.

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting 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 a curse).

 

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper.  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.
 

 I would go with an old classic, titled Morris & Borris Halloween by Bernard Wiseman.

Linky List:

It should be no surprise to anyone that knows me that I go a little crazy around Halloween, even on this blog. For the entire month, I will be posting 31 Halloween Madness posts!

A great way to kickoff the Halloween event is with a review of a new horror flick - The Invoking 2 (SRP: $27.97) from RLJ Entertainment. If you've never heard of the first film that was released in 2013, well, then you're not along as I've never seen the movie either.

The sequel is actually an anthology with six different supernatural tales - U-Turn, Insane, Alone, Do Not Disturb, Natal and Melissa.

Directed by Jamie DeWolf (Smoked), U-Turn centers on a man driving on Highway 116 in the early morning hours. Out of nowhere, he stumbles upon a young woman holding a baby on the side of the road and he offers them a ride. Little did he know that it would be the worst mistake of his life.

Directed by Adam O'Brien (Zombieworld), Insane takes place at Wavel Hill, WV, where a horror movie director is getting a tour of an abandoned hospital that is said to be haunted, but he soon realizes that he's in his very own horror flick as the evil spirits there have awaken.

Directed by Jay Holben (Back Tar Road), Alone is set in Killington, Vermont and centers on a paranoid young woman who believes that someone or something is in her home. Sadly, her suspicions come true and a supernatural force comes for her.

Directed by Patrick Rea (Nailbiter), Do Not Disturb is set in Dartmouth, Massachusetts and centers on a serial killer that is hiding out at a hotel while there is a manhunt for him. All he wants is some peace and quiet while he plan his next move, but a supernatural being has other plans for him.

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.