Sunday, February 28, 2016

Fitness & Coffee Sundays: "Achieve Pure Performance" with ETB Fit!



Tonight will be last workout in the Master's Hammer & Chisel 8-week program, which features a mixture of light weightlifting and cardio. It had been years since I had lifted weights regularly, so it took my body a little while to adjust.

During these 8 weeks, I made sure to drink at least one protein shake per day; typically mixed with skim milk. There are many different brands of pre & post workout protein mixes, so finding the best one to suit your needs can be challenging.

Earlier this month, I received a sample box full of Grizzly Protein samples from ETB (Eat The Bear) Fit, featuring three different flavors - Chocolate, Vanilla and Chocolate Peanut Butter. Each Non-GMO Whey Protein Isolate flavor is free of banned substances, gluten and lactose.

The Grizzly Protein Vanilla contains zero sugars, zero fat, 25g protein and 100 total calories. Vanilla isn't my favorite flavor for a protein shake as I've tried several ones that have tasted bland. To my surprise, this vanilla protein mix actually tastes pretty good.


Friday, February 26, 2016

Book Blogger Hop: February 26th - March 3rd

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

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 your children, siblings, or other family members enjoy reading as much as you do?

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: 

Not anymore! I don't have any children. I grew up an only child, though I do have two half-siblings that I've never met; though I do chat with my sister on Facebook. My parternal grandmother (I'm adopted on this side of the family) passed away in 2009. She loved reading books. My maternal grandmother loves books too, but her eyesight isn't the best, so she doesn't read much anymore.


Linky List:

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Blu-ray Review - The Good Dinosaur



Rated - PG; $39.99; 94 minutes; Amazon
Now available to purchase on Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and Digital HD, is Disney's & Pixar's second computer-animated film from 2015 (the other being Inside Out), titled The Good Dinosaur. Directed by Peter Sohn, with a screenplay by Meg LeFauve, the film features the talented voice-cast of Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A. J. Buckley, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand and Steve Zahn.

The Good Dinosaur is set in a world where the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs completely missed the Earth. Millions of years later, the dinosaurs have evolved and can now talk. The film centers on a young Apatosaurus named Ario (voiced by Raymond Ochoa), who is the runt of his family. He is much smaller than his sister Libby (voiced by Maleah Padilla) and his brother Buck (voiced by Marcus Scribner), so small that he can't help his father (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) with the chores on the farm. To make matters worse for the Ario, he's deeply afraid of everything!

After a tragedy occurs, Ario must fight his fears to trap the creature that has been eating the food from the family's silo, which turns out to be a young caveboy (later named Spot). Ario chases the boy and accidentally knocks them into the river. He becomes unconscious after hitting his head against a rock. When he comes to, he learns that the river has taken him away from his home and beyond the mountains.

To find his way home, Ario must befriend Spot, as well as a few Tyrannosaurus, to venture into the unknown prehistoric land and finally defeat his own fears.


The Blu-ray is loaded with bonus extras:

The Filmmakers' Journey - Director PeterSohn and team share their experience of making the movie. 

Hide And Seek - Watch a short animated promtional clip. 

True Lies About Dinosaurs - Learn what separates the movie's dinosaurs from real ones! 

Recyclosaurus - The crew cempetes to create the best dinosaur ever... from discarded items!

Every Part Of The Dinosaur - Explore the movie's special animation challenges.

Review - Rotten School: The Teacher from Heck



It's been a busy day and it almost slipped my mind to reread the 8th book in the Rotten School series. Thankfully, I did remember to read the book this afternoon along with drinking a cup coffee. The book is barely over 100 pages, so it didn't take me long to read it.

The Rotten School series is set in a boarding school called Rotten School (which you probably could figure that our yourself) and centers on a 4th-grader named Bernie Bridges. "The Teacher from Heck" finds Bernie and his Rotten House friends having a Water War with the Nyce House, which is lead by his nemesis, Sherman Oaks.

Unfortunately, the Water War gets out of control and the Rotten House's dorm mother, Mrs. Heinie, gets caught in the crossfire; leading her to quit her job.

At first Bernie and his pals are happy that Mrs. Heinie left as they can do whatever they want in their house, but their newfound happiness disappears when they meet her replacement - Mr Skruloose, the teacher from heck. Their new teacher is extremely strict! He makes poor Bernie do push-ups when he is only a few minutes late to class. Mr. Skruloose plans on turning every student into the perfect solider..I mean student.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

DVD Review - Frankenstein: The Complete Mini-Series Event



177 minutes; NOT RATED; Amazon
Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is one of the most popular horror novels, though in reality the book is less horror and more of a Gothic-romance. Since it's first publication in 1818, the novel has been adapted into plays, books, cartoons, films and television mini-series. The most popular being the Universal Pictures' monster flicks in the 1930s and 40s.

Now available to own from Mill Creek Entertainment is the 2004 Hallmark 2-part mini-series Frankenstein. Directed by Kevin Connor, the mini-series starred Alec Newman, Luke Goss, Julie Delpy, William Hurt, Ian McNeice and Donald Sutherland.

Frankenstein centers on Victor Frankenstein (played by Alex Newman), a young man who has been obsessed with death ever since he was a child. After his mother (played by Julie Delpy) dies of scarlet fever, he is determined to attend the University of Ingolstadt in Germany to learn everything he can about science.

Upon arriving at the school, Victor is mentored by Professor Waldman (played by William Hurt), who sees great potential in him. However, after witnessing the death of a dog that brings back a bad childhood memory, Victor begins to tamper with electricity in the hope it will bring life back from the dead.

Shutting himself off from his friends and family, Victor begins his experiment by stealing body parts from a cemetery; resulting in his "creature" being nearly eight feet tall. Shortly after bringing the "creature" (played by Luke Goss) to life, Victor becomes repulsed by his creation and flees from his laboratory. When he later returns, the "creature" has disappeared.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Popcorn & Coffee: The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar



$19.99; 44 minutes; TV-Y; Amazon
Wow! I didn't realize that Disney's The Lion King is now over twenty-years-old. It's considered to be one of Disney's best animation films. It spawned two direct-to-video sequels (The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The Lion King 1/2) and a spin-off television series, The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa, which the latter ended in 1999.

The franchise seemed to be over until Disney Junior aired a one-hour pilot movie called The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar last year; followed by a weekly series that started on Jan. 15th. The pilot is now available on to own on DVD and Digital HD. The only bonus feature on the single-disc is the music video "Here Comes the Lion Guard" by Beau Black. It also comes with a 'free" talking backpack pull.

"Return of the Roar" centers on Simba and Nala's young son, Kion, who has developed a mighty roar. Upon hearing about his son's roar, Simba announces that he will reinstate the Lion Guard, which was once led by his evil uncle, Scar, and Kion will be the new leader. The Lion Guard are responsible for protecting "The Circle of Life" in the kingdom.

Kion's first assignment as the Lion Guard leader is to enlist a team of the best lions, but sadly he can't find any that would be the perfect fit. However, he invite his friends to join  - Beshte (a hippopotamus, the strongest), Bunga (a honey badger, the bravest), Ono (cattle egret, the keenest of sight) and Fuli (cheetah, the fastest).

Monday, February 22, 2016

Monday Morning Madness #58: Kick Start Your Mornings With These Coffees!


There's no better way to kickoff a Monday morning than drinking a great cup of coffee! And coffee has becoming more and more popular because of the KEURIG craze!

Now, I don't own a KEURIG, but I do have a Hamilton Beach Flex Brew, which also uses K-Cups!

Earlier this month, I received the Java Factory Variety Pack, featuring 40 single-serve cups.

It has six different flavors:

Choconut (chocolate+coconut flavored coffee)
DA BOMB (extra bold dark roast coffee)
Wakey Wakey (light roast coffee)
Smooth Caffeinator (medium roast coffee)
Dark And Handsome (extra bold dark roast coffee)
Vanilla Dream (vanilla+butter toffee flavored coffee)

DA BOMB!

Friday, February 19, 2016

Book Blogger Hop: February 19th - 25th

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

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 have a favorite place to read?

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 don't really have a favorite spot to read; though I do prefer to read in a quiet room.


Linky List:

The Friday 56: Sword Of Shannara: 35th Anniversary Edition



Rules:
Grab a book, any book. 
Turn to page 56. 
Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 
Post it. 
Add your (url) post below in the Linky at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Review - Rotten School: Dudes, This School Is Haunted!



111 pages; Amazon
Just by reading the title alone, one would think Rotten School: Dudes, the School is Haunted! would be a scary book along the same vein R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books, but, sadly, you would be mistaken. Remember this is the Rotten School series, so the main focus is slapstick humor.

Set in the private boarding school called Rotten School, the series focuses on a troublemaker 4th grader named Bernie Bridges, who is always coming up with some sort of scheme to make money or try to win the heart of the prettiest girl in class, April-May-June.

On a rare field-trip to the Lousy Town Zoo, Bernie's shy friend, Chipmunk, accidentally gets the school bully, Joe Sweety, in trouble and everyone thinks he is a hero. Well, all except for chipmunk, who wants to just hide underneath his bed in fear that Joe might hurt him.

After learning that Joe is afraid of scary movies, Bernie has the perfect plan to scare the living daylights out him. First, he tells Joe a little white lie that Rotten School is haunted by a student who was bullied by another student named Joe. Eventually the student became so scared that he died, but he returns every five years to haunt a new student that happens to be named Joe.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Review - Blue Ribbon Trail Ride by Miralee Ferrell


208 pages; Blog Tour; Buy Link

Now available to purchase in bookstores is the fourth installment in the Horses and Friends series, titled Blue Ribbon Trail Ride, by Miralee Ferrell.

While I'm not a horse lover, I have been reading the Horses and Friends series this month. The series centers on a thirteen-year-old girl named Kate Ferris, who moved with her family to Oregon to live on her late grandfather's farm. Kate got her very own horse in "A Horse for Kate" (book 1). Her parents opens up a boarding stable in "Silver Spurs" (book 2). Then in "Mystery Rider" (book 3), Kate's best friend, Tori, got a horse too.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Review - Mystery Rider by Miralee Ferrell


Pub. by David C. Cook; 224 pages; Amazon

If you have been following this blog for the last few days, then you would know that I've been reading the children book series Horses and Friends by Miralee Ferrell. The series centers on a thirteen-year-old girl named Kate Ferris, who moved to Oregon with her parents and her younger brother to live on her late grandfather's farm. Kate is a horse lover and she eventually gets her own horse, Capri. In book two, Silver Spurs, her parents open up a boarding stable.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Review - The Good, The Bad, and the Grace of God



Pub. by Thomas Nelson; 240 pages; Amazon
Description: A Moving Story of Redemption and Second Chances. Jep Robertson, the youngest son of Duck Commander Phil Robertson, and his wife, Jessica, open up about their personal trials, their early years together, and the challenges that might have destroyed them both had the grace of God not intervened. Jep describes being molested as a child and his reluctance to tell anyone until only a few years ago, his downward spiral into drug and alcohol abuse, and the eventual intervention of his family. Jessica shares about the difficult failure of her first marriage while still a teenager and the hurt that came along with it, much of it from the church. Her insecurities spun out of control as she wondered whether she would ever be good enough or pretty enough. This book is their love story but, more importantly, their love story for God. 'We are desperate to let people know that no matter what you've done; no matter what you've lived through, you can come out of it. You can be washed clean. You are redeemed.'

Final Thoughts: I've never really understood the appeal of so-called reality television; though my grandmother watches about every show that is on cable. She's the one that got me interested in watching Duck Dynasty of A&E a few years ago. While many of the episodes clearly look staged, the shows is funny. Plus, the Robertson clan seem to be nice people.

Anway, the Robertson family has co-written many non-fiction titles over the last two years, including last year's The Good, The Bad, and the Grace of God, which is written by the youngest Robertson Jep and his wife Jessica with a little help from author Susy Flory.

Review - Silver Spurs by Miralee Ferrell


Pub. by David C. Cook; 240 pages; Amazon

If you read yesterday's post on my review for A Horse for Kate, book one in the Horses and Friends series, then you would know that I'm reviewing the first three books in the series this week prior to my review post for the fourth book, which is part of a book blog tour on Wednesday.

The second book in the series is titled "Silver Spurs" and once again centers on pre-teen Kate Ferris, who had left the big city and moved with her parents and younger brother to a small town in Oregon, where they are now calling home to the ranch that once belonged to her late grandfather.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

The Return of Tae Bo


I almost forgot about writing this week's post, so I'm listening to the last half of the new "Castle" episode while I'm writing this. Then a little bit later tonight I'll have do my late night workout, which will be last day of week six of the "Master's Hammer & Chisel" workout program. The last two weeks of the program starts tomorrow. I'm not for sure what I'm going to do after the program; though I'm considering doing the "Beast Body" workout program, which I already own the DVDs. 

However, I need to add some more "cardio" into my weekly workouts as I'm not seeing any weight loss on the scales; though I have seen a little body fat loss around my chest and arms, but not so much around my love handles. 

I lost a lot of weight a few years ago when I was doing Tae Bo workouts. Yes, I know Tae Bo is considered "old" and out of style to many, but the exercises are very intense and an easy way to get into shape. Sadly, things came up in my life, which I will not name here, and I didn't have time to exercise; resulting in some weight gain. When I eventually went back to Tae Bo, I started having issues with my knees/legs and my back, which was probably caused by the lack of exercise and the weight gain. I did a few Beachbody workouts last year and lost about ten pounds, but I took around five months off from exercising last fall and gained all the weight back.

My plan is to slowly start adding Tae Bo back into my workouts; probably starting tomorrow. Yes, I do have an arsenal of Tae Bo DVDs. Starting around 2008 or 2009, I would buy almost every new Tae Bo title that came out. I got most of the older titles on eBay over the years. During the time I wasn't doing Tae Bo, I was still keeping an eye out for new releases, but for some reason Anchor Bay quit releasing new ones. Then, Tae Bo Fitness updated their website and began producing new titles through their BG Star Productions, where you could only buy the new DVDs on their website. I was aware of the new titles, but I didn't purchase them because the DVDs were more than twice the price of what they used to be. 

Review - A Horse for Kate by Miralee Ferrell



208 pages; Pub. by David C. Cook; Amazon

I've had a slight cold for the last few days and the last thing I wanted to do was to read over the weekend, but that is exactly what I've been doing. Awhile back I had signed up to review Blue Ribbon Trail Ride by Mira lee Ferrell as part of a blog tour that kicks off later this week. The title is actually book four in a series, so the publishers kindly sent me the previous three books to read before reviewing it.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Book Blogger Hop: February 12th - 18th

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

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!

Are you able to read in the car?

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: 


The strange thing is - I don't drive.

When I was a kid, I would bring a book with me to read when my parents were driving. Now as an adult, if I'm a passenger in somebody's car, I don't take a book a with me.


Linky List:

Popcorn & Coffee: The Alien Files



Rated R; $9.98; 364 mins; Amazon

No, this title isn't related to The X-Files revival, but instead it is an newly released Mill Creek Entertainment DVD, featuring four science fiction flicks - Night Skies, Alien Hunter, Ghosts of Mars and The Day The World Ended.

Directed by Roy Knyrim, Night Skies was released in 2007, and starred A. J. Cook, Jason Connery, George Stults, Ashley Peldon, Joseph Sikora and Gwendoline Yeo. The plot involves a group of friend driving an RV to Las Vegas, NV. After a wrong turn and a slight accident, the group end up in the middle of nowhere, where they encounter the strange "Phoenix Lights" in the sky.

Alien Hunter is an underrated 2003 science-fiction thriller from director Ron Kraus. The film centers on Julien Rome (played by James Spader), a Cryptologist who is sent to Antarctic to investigate a strange alien-looking vehicle that mysteriously appeared in the snow. The vehicle is sending out some sort of signal. By the time he decrypts the signal, which gives the warning "Do not open!", it's already too late. I saw the film on television several years ago and it isn't a bad low-budget film.

Back in 2001, Cinemax aired a series of movies called Creature Features, which remade old creature films. The Day The World Ended was one those films, which is a remake of the 1955 film of the same name. Directed by Terence Gross, the remake stars Nastassja Kinski, Randy Quaid and Bobby Edner. The plot involves a young boy that believes he's part alien just as a series a strange murders occur all over town. Honestly, this is a horrible movie with bad acting and dumb special effects.

Popcorn & Coffee: Legend: The Complete Series



$14.98; 9 hrs 58 mins; Buy Link: Amazon

I'm sure there are many television series that we liked, but were quickly for canceled. Luckily, many of these titles are now available on DVD.

The short-lived "Legend" that air on the UPN in 1995 and was released on DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment last month, featuring all 12 episodes.

The series started Richard Dean Anderson, who at the time just ended his run as MacGyver, and John de Lance ("Q" from Star Trek: The Next Generation). Anderson played Ernest Pratt, a dime-store novelist who gets dragged to small town, where someone has been impersonating his fictional character, "Nicodemus Legend."

Upon arriving he quickly learns that Janos Bartok, an European scientist/inventor (played by John de Lance), has been using "Nicodemus Legend" to help save the townsfolk of Sheridan, Colorado. Ernest stays around to help, but had all intentions of leaving immediately. However, he had been suffering from writer's block prior to meeting Janos, and decides the best way to come up with new adventures is to actually experience them.

Episodes on the two-disc set are:

Birth of a Legend
Mr. Pratt Goes to Sheridan
Legend on His President's Secret Service
Custer's Next-to-Last Stand
The Life, Death, and Life of Wild Bill Hickok

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Review - Rotten School: The Heinie Prize


110 Pages; Buy Link: Amazon
My quest to "reread" the Rotten School series by the best-selling author R.L. Stine continues this week with the sixth entry, titled Rotten School: The Heinie Prize.

For those of you who haven't read the Rotten School books or have never read my past posts, I'll give you a quick history on the books.

Rotten School is a private boarding school for elementary kids. The series centers on a Bernie Bridges, a 4th grader troublemaker, who is always finding away to skip glass and con the other students into giving him money. He stays in the Rotten House with his pals Feenman and Crench, as well as a few other goofy characters.

While Bernie isn't the best student at the school, he's determined to win "The Heinie Prize," an annual award that is given to the very best 4th grader in Mrs. Heinie's class. Unfortunately, the runner-up for the award this year is Bernie's nemesis, the rich kid named Sherman Oaks.

Shockingly, some bad news hits the Rotten School after Belzer (Bernie's personal slave/classmate) receives a letter from a his parents, informing him that since he isn't learning anything at the school, except for doing Bernie's chores & homework, they are pulling him out of the school.

Now there is noway Bernie is going to let his slave... his friend get kicked out of Rotten School. So there is only one way to get Belzer's parents to let him stay - Bezler is going to have to win this year's Heinie Prize.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Popcorn & Coffee: Queens of Scream


PG-13/R; 372 minutes; Buy Link: Amazon

No matter what your entertainment budget is, it's pretty cheap to buy a horror flick on DVD as many of them can be purchased for $5 at Walmart; many of these DVDs contains several flicks. Mill Creek Entertainment is known to release horror movies at a decent price, and they recently released Queens of Scream, which contains four horror movies - I Know What You Did Last Summer, When A Stranger Calls, Vacancy, and The Cave.

When A Stranger Calls is the 2006 remake of the 1976 classic of the same. While the original was pretty scary, the remake is very bland with hardly any scares. Now it's only known for having small parts by Katie Cassidy (CW's Arrow) and Clark Gregg (Marvel's Agents of Shield).

The Cave is an underrated action-horror film that was released in 2005, the same year the classic The Descent came out, which had a similar plot. The film has a pretty big cast, including a pre-Game of Thrones Lena Headey. Despite predictable scares and silly dialogue, I actually liked it.

Vacancy is a 2007 horror film starring the weird pairing of Owen Wilson and Kate Beckinsale. They play a troubled married couple that take a wrong turn on a highway and are eventually stranded at a motel after their car breaks down. After watching a snuff film that was left in their room, they realize the film was shot right there in the motel. Of course they attempt to get the hell out of Dodge, but unfortunately the killers are already there. I first saw the film when it was originally released and I thought (and still do) it was a really good scary movie. It will make you think twice about checking into a motel.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Blu-ray Review - Spectre

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

PG-13; 148 minutes; Buy Link: Amazon

With all the Star Wars mania that went on last year, I had almost forgotten about the newest James Bond adventure (twenty-fourth to be exact), titled Spectre which arrives tomorrow on Blu-ray and DVD. My review copy arrived on my doorsteps early this morning, and being a big 007 fan, I went ahead and watched the Blu-ray this afternoon.

There are two reasons why I didn't see the film in theaters:

1. It received mixed reviews from mainstream critics.

2. I live in a small town and the film never arrived at the one-screen theater.

 The previous film, Skyfall, was the biggest grossing entry of the franchise and it was a critical hit as well. The director Sam Mendes returned to helm Spectre, which the film had a handful of product problems including the 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment hack and rumors of the production going way over budget; with the final budget estimated between $245 to $250 million. While Spectre didn't make as much money as Skyfall, it was still one of the biggest grossing films of 2015, taking in $877.9 million.

In Spectre, James Bond is on a more personal mission this time after he received a recorded video message from his deceased boss, M (a cameo played by Judi Dench). With the 00 division about to be canceled, Bond is on a race against time to overthrow the terrorist organization known as Spectre. His only lead to them is Dr. Madeleine Swann (played by Léa Seydoux), the daughter of Mr. White (played once again by Jesper Christensen). Of course he gets a little help from Moneypenny (played by Naomie Harris), Q (played by Ben Whishaw) and the new M (played by Ralph Fiennes) along the way.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Popcorn & Coffee: All Hallows' Eve 2



91 mins; Not Rated; Buy Link: Amazon
You would think that a Halloween-themed horror flick would do better if it's released before Halloween, but that isn't case for All Hallows' Eve 2, which was released on February 2nd.

Honestly, I've never seen the first film, so I have no clue what it was about. All Hallows' Eve 2 is an anthology from RLJ Entertainment, featuring shorts from directors Elias Benavidez (A Boy's Life), Mike Kochansky (Mr. Tricker's Treat), Andres Borghi (Alexia), Bryan Norton (Seven Hells), Antonio Padovan (Once Upon a Time, Inc.), Marc Rouseel (The Last Halloween), Ryan Patch (If I Give My Soul), Jay Holben (Hunger) and The Kondelik Borthers (Airplane VS Volcano).

The film opens up with a woman watching an old VHS tape. Trapped inside the VHS is the serial killer "The Trickster," who will be released from his prison after the she finishes watching all the shorts. Does this make any sense?

Some of the shorts have a Halloween-theme, while others have nothing to do with the holiday. The first story happens to the best. "Jack Attack" is a blood-tale about a young woman teaching a boy how to carve a pumpkin and roast pumpkin seeds. It's very short, but terrifying. And it has a few throwbacks to John Carpenter's Halloween.


"Mr. Tricker’s Treat," "The Last Halloween," "Alexia," "Descent," "The Offering," and "M Is for Masochistare" all below average stories with hardly any scares. I hate to admit it, but I fell asleep several times during these shorts.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Where To Store Those Extra K-Cups?



If you're as big of a coffee drinker as I am, then you probably have tons of K-Cups just laying around in the way.

Personally, I already own a drawer-type K-Cup storage, but I still have many K-cups just tossed about. Luckily for me, I was sent the Oak Leaf K-Cup Carousel Tower to test out and review. The #OakLeaf tower retails for $52.99, but it can be purchased on Amazon currently for $13.29.

The storage tower is made from strong metal that has been painted black; though the handle is gray. The bottom part the carousel has a felt padding, so it won't scratch whatever surface it is placed on. Both sides of the tower will hold 15 K-Cups.

DVD Review - The Lizzie Borden Chronicles


$26.99; 337 minutes; Buy Link: Amazon
The name Lizzie Borden has become somewhat of a legend over the years; mostly thanks to wild tales, books, television movies and feature films.

For those that don't know who Lizzie Borden was, I'll give you a quick history lesson. Lizzie was thirty-two-years-old when she was accused of brutally murdering her father, Andrew, and her stepmother, Abby, in 1892 at their house in River Fall, Massachusetts. Andrew was hit with a hatchet 18 or 19 times and Abby was hit with a hatchet 11 times. Lizzie was arrested for the murders; which was quite odd for a women to be accused of murder at the time, and the media went crazy over the trial. In the end, Lizzie was acquitted, though many people believed she was guilty.

In 2014, Lifetime aired a 90-minute television movie, titled Lizzie Bored Took An Axe, which starred Christine Ricci (Adams Family, Casper) in the title role. While the movie followed actual events, most if was fictionalized. The movie was a big hit for the cable channel with 4.4 million viewers.

A little over a year later, an eight-part limited-series, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, premiered on Lifetime with Christine Ricci returning as Lizzie Borden and Clea DuVall returning as her sister, Emma. The series was released to DVD on February 2nd from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Special features includes deleted scenes and a gag reel.

Set after the trial, the series shows what happened to Lizzie and Emma as they try to get on with their lives, which all the plots are speculative and fictionalized. While their father was rich, he had a lot of bad investments, so Lizzie and Emma have a hard time trying to get a hold of their inheritance. The situation gets worse when their half-brother, William (played by Andrew Howard) shows up wanting his part of the family fortune. Lizzie has no choice, but to go back to her old ways and get rid of their problems in a bloody fashion.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Book Blogger Hop: Feb. 5th - 11th

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

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!

Does your significant other share your reading passion?

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: 


Since I'm currently single, I can't really answer this week's question. Though if I ever do get married, hopefully she will like to read books.


Linky List:

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Review - Rotten School: Shake, Rattle, & Hurl!


Buy Link: Amazon
I almost forgot about this week's Thursday ReRead, until I noticed that I had left the book Rotten School: Shake, Rattle, & Hurl! was on my desk. After that, I made a cup of coffee, grabbed the book and started reading it this afternoon.

Once again, Bernie Bridges is the main character, a fourth-grader living who attends the private school, Rotten School. He thinks that he's the coolest kid at the school, even though in reality he's the rottenest of the students.

The school is going to hold a talent contest, which the winners will win tickets to The Plopps concert. The Plopps are Bernie's favorite singers, so he has to find a way to win the contest. Plus, he plans on inviting the prettiest girl at the school, April-May-June, as his date.

Unfortunately, the Nyce House Band is also going to enter the contest, which one of the band members is Bernie's archenemy, Sherman Oaks. Despite Bernie's dislike for the band, the Nyce House Band are actually good. To make matters worse, Bernie isn't musically inclined.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Review - The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday


Buy Link: Amazon
The Berenstain Bears is one of the most popular and the longest-running picture book series on the market today. The first book was released in 1962 and was written and illustrated by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Sadly, both authors has passed away, but their son, Mike, has taken over the franchise; adding Christian themes to the most recent releases.

The newest book, titled The Berenstain Bears' Easter Sunday, was released last month to bookstores. Like the title suggests, the story is set on Easter Sunday morning, where the Bear family (Papa, Mama, Brother, Sister and Honey) are getting ready to attend church. This is when the cubs asks why everyone has to wear bright colors that day. Mama answers, "Bright colors are for happy, joyous occasions."

The cubs enjoy Easter Sunday's sermon at church, where Preacher Brown tells the story of Jesus. Afterward, the cubs participate in an Easter hunt. No, they're not hunting for colored eggs, but instead they are hunting for gift boxes, which has a Noah's ark figure inside each one.  The cubs end up learning that Easter is so much more than just colored eggs and chocolate bunnies.

Q&A with Carmen Fox, the author of "Divide and Conquer"



Q&A with author Carmen Fox



When did you become interested in storytelling?

At a fairly early age. Lying is a way of telling stories, right? I also wrote poems when I was little, then articles for the school paper in my teens. It was my nana who gave me the final nudge to write down my stories after I left college.

What was your first book/story published? 

Divide and Conquer was my first. It was published amid delays and close to the publication date of my second book, Guarded, so Divide and Conquer never got the attention I owed it. Such a shame, because it’s quirky and unusual, with a good deal of humor and romance.

What inspired you to write Divide and Conquer?

Frustration. I was fed up with the usual couplings of man and man in the traditional buddy cop movies and of man and woman in paranormal fantasy. So I wanted to write about the lives of two inherently different women who come together for a common purpose. Each follows her own romance interest without sacrificing her friendship with the other, but their bond is at the heart of the story.


What character in Divide and Conquer is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Can I Watch HBO In Australia?


 

HBO has become more popular than ever thanks to the awarding-winning series Game of Thrones, True Detectives and Veep. Now with the long-awaiting Deadwood reunion movie finally moving forward (the script has been green-lit), I'm sure it will bring in even more viewers.

Of course technology has changed since Deadwood ended 10 years ago as you access your favorite shows (True Blood) & movies with a HBO GO subscription on any device (tablet, cell phone, laptop, etc.). Sadly, this service is not available in some areas, such as the UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, etc, as you can only have access if you are living in the fifty states of the United States of America.

The good new is that there are a few ways around this problem!

HBO GO can detect if a user isn't located in the United States by the user's unique IP Address. If you use the Smart DNS Proxy Service, you can bypass any regional restrictions, so you can be able to watch your favorite HBO programming in HD anywhere around the world.

DVD Review - Saban's Power Rangers Dino Charge: Unleashed


Retail: $14.98; Buy Link: Amazon

Kicking off a brand-new season on Nickelodeon last Saturday was Saban's Power Rangers Dino Super Charge. Fans (young & old) can also be entertained by the recent DVD release from LionsGate, titled Power Rangers Dino Charge: Unleashed, featuring four action-packed episodes from the twenty-second season.

Power Rangers Dino Charge debuted last February. Just like previous seasons, the series borrows Zords footage, props and costumes from the Japanese Super Sentai series (Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger). 

"Powers From the Past" begins with an
intergalactic bounty hunter Sledge, in his spaceship prison, arriving on Earth in the pursuit of a alien named Keeper, who is the possession of ten Energems that Sledge is desperate to have in his clutches. Keeper outsmarts him by bonding each Energem to a dinosaur. Fast-forward sixty-five million year, where we are introduced to Tyler Navarro (played by Brennan Mejia), a young man searching for his missing father. After bumping into the evil creature Iceage, he must team up with a wannabe archaeologist Shelby Watkins (played by Camille Hyde) to save the day as the new Red and Pink Rangers.

"Past, Present and Fusion" starts out with Iceage still not defeated. Tyler and Shelby must team with Riley Griffin - the Green Ranger (played by Michael Taber), Chase Randall - the Black Ranger (played by James Davies), and Koda - the Blue Ranger (played by Yoshi Sudarso) to destroy Sledges newest evil plan to retrieve the Energerms.

"A Fool's Hour" Sledge unleashes his monsters on Earth and the Power Rangers must use their new Zords to save the day.

Monday, February 1, 2016

[Review] - Bonner by Sherri Burgess


I love reading all books, but I'm not the biggest fan of non-fiction titles. Typically, when I receive a press release about a non-fiction book, I just automatically delete it. However, that wasn't the case when I heard about Bronner: A Journey To Understand by Sherri Burgess as I noticed that I had the same last name as the author. After reading the synopsis, I thought I would give the book a try.


Usually, I write a few paragraphs describing the plot of a book, but I'm finding it hard to do this for this title. Bronner: A Journey To Understand is a spiritual journey of healing and the power of faith. The author uses her own personal pain and suffering when she lost her two-and-half-year-old son, Bonner, in 2008 to teach others that faith in the Lord can help you get through the toughest ordeal, even the death of a child.



Final Thoughts

I was instantly hooked by the author's narration from the get-go. While I don't have any children, I felt the author's pain. Losing a child must be the most painful thing in the world to experience; Sherri, her husband, and their children were able to survive by the grace of God. Sherri shares her memories of her youngest son, the day of his death, and how she has slowly moved on with her life. Now with this book, she can help others that have suffered from the death of a loved one. Overall, Bronner: A Journey To Understand is a well-written, emotional read.