My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic: Spooktacular Pony Tales
Voice Cast: Tara Strong, Ashleigh Ball
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Retail: $14.97
ASIN: B00KQ82IO2
Running Time: 132 minutes
Rating: TV-Y
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD this Tuesday, September 9, 2014 from Shout! Factory is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Spooktacular Pony Tales, featuring six spooky episodes. As an added bonus there is a Sing-Along featurette, a collectable poster and fun pumpkin stencils.

The My Little Pony franchise was first created by American illustrator and designer Bonnie Zacherl in 1982; creating the successful toy line for Hasbro. The animated film My Little Pony: The Movie was released in 1986 followed by a My Little Pony cartoon series. While the popularity slowed down in the early 90s, the franchise stayed alive with new toys being released by Hasbro over the years; not to mention the short-lived My Little Pony Tales series and several direct-to-video releases. In 2010 a brand new animated series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic debuted on The Hub Network. The new series has been successful and a fifth season is planned for 2015.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Spooktacular Pony Tales is a Halloween themed single-disc DVD set featuring the episodes:

Yes, it is that dreadful time that comes around once a year and no, I'm not referring to the holidays. I'm talking about my birthday, the 33rd to be exact and to be even more specific, it will take place tomorrow on the Sept. 7th; despite the fact that I received a belated birthday card from my aunt on the 4th!

Now I have nothing against birthdays or becoming another year older. To tell the truth, I don't even care about my birthday. The last birthday party I had was when I was a six-year-old and I don't miss having a party or a big celebration. Its just no big deal to me, so nobody needs to send me an eCard or a link to a website for BabyBoomers, as I'm not that old yet.
 
After having the flu bug for the last few days, I'm starting to feel back to my old self. The downside is that I'm a few days behind on writing review posts here on my blog There are six or seven audiobooks that I need to listen to before I can review them; not to mention several printed books I need to read and review in the next week, including Christopher’s Diary: Secrets of Foxworth by V.C. Andrews. I did find time to watch the DVDs I received in the mail, though I also need to write reviews for them too. The DVD titles are: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic – Spooktacular Pony Tales; SpongeBob Scary Pants Collection; Cabin Fever: Patient Zero; The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill and Prisoners of War: Season Two. As you can see by the titles, I love to watch cartoons and horror movies.

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!

How many bookcases do you have, and are they all in one room or different rooms?

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 have six or seven actual bookcases, but I have books piled up here and there in different rooms and closets.

Now available to owon on Blur-ray, DVD and Digital HD is Universal Studio Home Entertainment's action-packed war movie - Jarhead 2: Field of Fire. The film is directed by Don Michael Paul and stars Josh Kelly, Cole Hauser, Bookeem Woodbine, Esai Morales, Stephen Lang, Cassie Layton, Danielle Savre, Jesse Garcia, Ronny Jhutti and Jason Wong.


Jarhead 2: Field of Fire is inspired by Jarhead, the highly praised feature film that follows a naïve young recruit and his platoon mates from the intensity of boot camp to being deployed to a lonely outpost in a surreal desert setting. Jarhead 2: Field of Fire transports the action to the brutal battlefields and dusty villages of Afghanistan, where a band of Marines risk their lives to save a woman fleeing certain death at the hands of her Taliban pursuers.

Battle-scarred and disillusioned by the war, Corporal Chris Merriman (Josh Kelly, Transformers franchise, “Army Wives”) is put in charge of a unit whose next mission is to resupply a remote outpost on the edge of Taliban-controlled territory. While driving through the hostile Helmand province, a Navy SEAL (Cole Hauser, Olympus Has Fallen) flags down their convoy and enlists the unit on an operation of international importance: they must help an Afghan woman famous for her defiance of the Taliban escape the country. Without tanks or air support, Merriman and his team will need all the courage and firepower they can muster to fight their way across the war-torn country and shepherd the woman to safety. Jarhead 2: Field of Fire is a thrilling action-adventure that celebrates the courage and patriotism of the men and women in the U.S. Marines.>

The Killing: The Complete Third Season
Starring: Joel Kinnaman, Elias Koteas, Hugh Dillon, Amy Seimetz, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Julia Sarah Stone, Max Fowler, Peter Sarsgaard Mireille Enos
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Retail: $29.95
ASIN: B00KHA99BY
Running Time: 528 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Not since the original Star Trek has a television series been canceled as many times as The Killing. Based on the the Danish television series Forbrydelsen, The Killing debuted on AMC in the Spring of 2011 and despite acclaimed reviews from critics, the series was barely renewed for a second season, which aired the following spring. After a drop in ratings, the series was canceled - or so it seemed to be. 20th Century Fox made a deal for the series to air new episodes on AMC just before they aired on NetFlix. Ratings stayed the same and once again the series was canceled for a second time, well that is until NetFlix picked the series up for a fourth and final season, which just ended its run last month.

The third season finally arrived on DVD this summer, but only through Amazon's Video on Demand service. I recall requesting to review The Killing: The Complete Third Season along with seven other 20th Century Fox Home Enterainment television series back in early May. Most the of the release dates came and went. I had forgotten about the titles until I received a box out of the blue in July with all the titles. I just finished watching The Killing DVD a few days ago.

Season three takes place one year after the Rosie Larsen case was closed. Homicide detective Stephen Holder (played by Joel Kinnaman) seeks the help of his ex-partner Sarah Linden (played by Mireille Enos), who had stepped down from being a detective after the conclusion of the Rose Larsen case and is now working as a Transit Authority employee. While investigating the death of a runaway girl, Holder and his new partner Carl Reddick link the girl's death to a past murder that was originally investigated by Linden. 


The 12 episodes on the 3-disc set are:

The Glades: The Complete Fourth Season
Starring: Kiele Sanchez, Carlos Gómez, Michelle Hurd, Uriah Shelton, Jordan Wall, Matt Passmore
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 3, 2013
Retail: $29.95
ISBN: B00KHA9BQ2
Running Time: 572 minutes
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Fans of A&E's Longmire are grieving over this week's cancellation. A similar situation occurred with another A&E series, titled The Glades, when it was canceled after four successful series, ending the series with a cliffhanger. Fans were shocked as the fourth season did better in ratings than the previous season did. At least fans can re-watch the final episodes with the this summer's Amazon VOD release of The Glades: The Complete Fourth Season.

Matt Passmore returns as Jim Longworth, a Florida detective, who investigates oddball cases, from gypsies to rum-soaked shot girls to haunted plantations and even zombies. While he works on each case, he must also deal with major dramas from his family and friends; not to mention whether or not Callie will ever accept his marriage proposal.

The episodes on the three-disc set are:

Wilfred: The Complete Third Season
Starring: Elijah Wood, Jason Gann, Fiona Gubelmann, Dorian Brown
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: June 24, 2014
Retail: $29.95
ASIN: B00L9IJF8A
Running Time: 286 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD over the summer is FXX's Wilfred: The Complete Third Season, which is made available for fans through the Amazon VOD service. It is the American version based on Australian TV series of the same name that also starred Jason Gann as Wilfred. There are no extras or special features on the two-disc set.

Yes, the series came to an end last month, but the fans can still enjoy the 13 episode third season, in which Ryan (played by Elijah Wood) is still seeing the man-like-dog (payed by Jason Gann) that belongs to his neighbor, Jenna Mueller (played by Jenna Mueller).

Poor Ryan starts to question his sanity as Wilfred continues to make his life a living hell. He decides to search for Wilfred's first owner to seek out why the dog is talking to him. Their friendship is put to the test when Wilfred befriends the mailman. Things take a twisted turn when Jenna forbids Ryan from hanging out with Wilfred.

The episodes on the two-disc set are:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson
Studio: Marvel Studios
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Retail: $32.99 (Blu-ray)
ASIN: B0090SI3GQ
Running Time: 136 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand on Tuesday September 9, 2014 is the action-packed Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Solider. The film is directed by brothers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, and Samuel L. Jackson. Bonus Features includes: On The Front Line: An Inside Look At Captain America's Battlegrounds; On Set With Anthony Mackie: Cut The Check!; Steve Roger's Notebook; deleted & extended scenes; gag reel and commentaries.

Following off of the footsteps of 2012's Marvel's The Avengers and last year's Thor: The Dark World is this year's sequel to the 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. Set two years after The Avengers, The Winter Solider opens up with Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) and Agent Natasha Romanoff (played by Scarlett Johansson) leading S.H.I.E.L.D.'s counter-terrorism S.T.R.I.K.E. team to rescue hostages from mercenaries, but S.H.I.E.L.D has another agenda for the mission, which was ordered by Director Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson) - extract data from the ships computer.

Unable to encrypt the data, Director Fury is ambushed by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s soldiers and the Winter Soldier (played by Sebastian Stan), but before his apparent death, he informs Rogers that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised.

What Your Heart Needs for the Hard Days 
by Holley Gerth
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: September 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0800722883
Pages: 256
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving in bookstores today from Revell, a Baker Publishing Group, is the 52 day devotional, titled What Your Heart Needs for the Hard Days by Holley Gerth.

Everyone has had at least one hard day in their life; whether it is at school, work or at home, the Lord is always there to help guide you through it. As Jesus said, "live on bread alone, but on every word that comes with the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4). When times are tough we sometimes forget that we're not alone - "taste and see the that the Lord is good." (Ps. 34:8)

Yes, I'm well aware that the book is targeted for women readers, so you might be wondering why a male reader would want to review it. Well, first off, I have always enjoyed reading daily devotionals and I'm planning on giving my review copy to my mother for Christmas. Plus, I like the coffee cup that is featured on the cover.

14 Blades
Director: Donnie Lee
Starring: Donnie Yen, Zhao Wei, Wu Chun, Kate Tsui and Qi Yuwu
Studio: Anchor Bay
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Retail: $29.99
ASIN: B00L6AW1IW
Running Time: 113 minutes
Rating: R
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray for the first time in the United States is the 2010 wuxia film 14 Blades. The film was directed by Donnie Lee and stars Donnie Yet, Zhao Wei, Wu Chun, Kate Tsui and Qi Yuwu. There are no extras of special features on the Blu-ray.

Set during the late Ming Dynasty, 14 Blades centers on the Jinyiwei commander, Qinglong (played by Donnie Yen), who is ordered by the emperor's uncle, Prince Qing (played by Sammo Hung), and the Jinyiwei chief, Jia Jingzhong, to retrieve a safe box that is in the possession of imperial councilor, Zhao Shenyan. Unknowingly to Qinglong, Prince Qing and Jingzhong are planning on revolting against the emperor and they tell him that the box has evidence that the councilor is going to revolt.

To his surprise, Quinglong learns that he has been tricked, as the box contains the Imperial Seal, and he soon becomes an enemy to his fellow Jinyiweis. Now seen as a traitor to the emperor, he has no other choice, but to join the Justice Escort Agency, while he continues to stay loyal to the emperor by looking for more evidence against Prince Qung and Jingzhong.

There's A Mouse Hiding In This Book!
Tom & Jerry
By Benjamin Bird
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Pub. Date: September 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1623701253
Pages: 32

Review:

Tom & Jerry has been entertaining millions of cartoon fans since 1940 with its simple premise of a cat chasing a mouse. From theatrical shorts, animated series and made-to-video animated movies, the cat and mouse have stayed popular over the years with each  generation of children.

Arriving on in bookstores from Capstone Young Readers is the picture book, There's A Mouse Hiding In This Book staring Tom & Jerry.

Tom the cat is upset that Jerry the mouse has entered his picture book. Jerry has stepped into some paint and his footprints are on each page. Tom follows the footprints in the hopes of finally catching the mouse. From mousetraps to a dog, it seems Tom keeps running into anything and everything except for Jerry, as the mouse is too clever for him.

A Light in the Wilderness
by Jane Kirkpatrick
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: September 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0800722319
Pages: 320
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving in bookstores tomorrow is the historical western A Light in the Wilderness by Jane Kirkpatrick. I'm a big fan of historical westerns, but I have never read read a title by the author, though I'm more than aware of the author's works, as my grandmother has read the Tender Ties series. That being said, I was looking forward to reading A Light in the Wilderness, which I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A Light in the Wilderness tells the true story of Letitia Carson, who was one of the first free African Americans, as she journeys from Kentucky to Oregon. After being freed by her owner, Letitia joins a wagon train that is headed west, where she meets an Irish immigrant cattleman, Davey Carson. Eventually the two get married and start a family, even though back then their marriage wouldn't have been legal. After her husband's death, Letitia had to fight to keep the land that she owned.

This book not only tells the story of Letitia Carson, but it also tells the story of two other strong women, Nancy Hawkins - a white woman, who travels in the same wagon train that Letitia is in and becomes friends with her; and Betsy, a Kalapuya Indian living in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, who also befriends Letitia.