101 Dalmatians: Diamond Editon
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wolfgang Reitherman
Voice Cast: Rod Taylor, Cate Bauer, Betty Lou Gerson
Ben Wright, Lisa Davis, Martha Wentworth
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Retail: $36.99
ASIN: B00OZLF4AG
Running Time: 79 minutes
Rating: G
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Getting the Diamond Edition Blu-ray treatment on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 is the classic Disney animation film 101 Dalmatians!

The film is based on the 1957 book by Dodie Smith, which was adapted to the screen by Bill Peet.  Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske and Wolfgang Reitherman co-directed the film, which was original titled One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It arrived in theaters in 1961 to critical acclaim and was re-released several times to theaters over the years. A live-action version was released in 1996, followed by a sequel in 2000. A short-lived animated series aired in 1997 and in 2003 the direct-to-video sequel, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, was released.

101 Dalmatians centers on a male dalmatian, Pongo, and his bachelor owner, Roger, whom run into a single woman, Anita, and her female dalmatian, Perdita, while out for a walk on the streets of London. Roger and Anita fall in love and get married and so do their dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita. The dalmatians eventually have their own pups, fifteen to be exact - Patch, Lucky, Rolly, Penny, Freckles and Pepper. (The names for the other pups are never mentioned in the film.)

Anita's old schoolmate, Cruella De Vil, is wanting to purchase all fifteen puppies, but Roger and Anita decide to keep all the dalmatians. Everything seems to be perfect for the family until the puppies are kidnapped...

Bonus Features include:

Poker Night
Director: Greg Francis
Starring: Beau Mirchoff, Titus Welliver, Michael Eklund, Ron Eldard, Corey Large, Halston Stage, Giancarlo Esposito, Ron Perlman
Studio: XLrator Media
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Retail: $14.99
ASIN: B00PV09C6M
Running Time: 105 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD from XLrator Media on Tuesday February 10, 2015 is the crime thriller Poker Night. The film is written & directed by Greg Francis and it stars Beau Mirchoff, Titus Welliver, Michael Eklund, Ron Eldard, Corey Large, Halston Stage, Giancarlo Esposito and Ron Perlman. There are no special features on the disc.

Poker Night is set in Warsaw, Indiana and centers on a rookie detective Stan Jeter (played by Beau Mirchoff) and his nearly underage girlfriend, Amy (played by Halston Sage), whom are kidnapped and tortured by a sadistic masked serial killer (played by (Michael Eklund). Stan must use the knowledge handed down to him by his veteran officers, Calabrese (played by Ron Perlman), Bernard (played by Giancarlo Esposito), Davis (played by Corey Large), Maxwell (played by Titus Welliver) and Cunningham (played by Ron Eldard), so he can outsmart the killer.

The film was released on VOD on December 5, 2014 and received a limited  theatrical release on December 20. It received mostly negative reviews from critics and holds a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Make Time to Think

Disconnect

Don’t Skip Meals

Now, I just have Gaby, who is an older cat (I don't know her exact age). She's not a very playful kitty, but she does love any toys with catnip and she likes to the chase the laser lights.

This afternoon I received the Petoyo™ Birds Flying Feather Cat Teaser Toy in an oversize box from Amazon.com. I picked the "natural" toy that has feathers and a small bell that are attached to a fishing swivel. The swivel is attached to a black cord and the cord is attached to a 20-inch rod (flexible plastic). You are suppose to wave the cord back and forth in the attempt to recreate the movement of a bird. Though domestic cats are pretty tame, they are still felines, so deep down they still have hunter instincts in them, so this toy should get their attention.

"What Is This?"

Gabby inspecting her new toy!

Man Of The House
Director: Stephen Herek
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B00QMWEIVC
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Being re-released to DVD today from Mill Creek Entertainment is the 2005 comedy Man Of The House. The film was directed by Stephen Herek and stars Tommy Lee Jones. There are no special features or extras on the single-disc DVD.

Man Of The House centers on a group of college cheerleaders, Heather (played by Vanessa Ferlito), Evie (played by Monica Keena), Barb (played by Kelli Garner), Anne (played by Christina Milian) and Teresa (played by Paula Garcés), whom witness a murder. The girls are brought to the local police station to take their statements, but the all have different descriptions of the shooter. With no other choice, Texas Ranger Roland Sharp (played by Tommy Lee Jones) is assigned to watch over the cheerleaders just in case the murderer attempts to harm them.

Of course Ranger Sharp doesn't get along with the five young woman, especially since he is living with them. All the girls want to do is party and prepare theor cheerleading skills for the next home-game, but all Ranger Sharp wants them to do is to stay in their house. This way it is easier for him to protect them. He wasn't planning on the cheerleaders trying to rebel against, attempting to steal his pizza, wearing clothes around the house that shows way too much skin and interfering with his relationship with his estranged daughter  Emma (played by Shannon Marie Woodward). The cheerleaders even try to help him on his date with the English teacher, Molly (played by Anne Archer.

While Ranger Sharp is being distracted by trying to protect the cheerleaders, the murderer is getting closer and closer to finding their location.

The Dandelion Field
by Kathryn Springer
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub. Date: January 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0310339632
Pages: 352
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1yGTVen
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/kspringer

Review:

I don't read very many contemporary novels as I prefer historical settings, though I do from time to time find myself reading one. It could be because I recognized the title's author or the cover art dazzled me or I liked the blurb on the back cover. Or in the case of The Dandelion Field, I just liked the title, so I took a chance and signed up to review it.

The Dandelion Field centers on a single mother, Ginevieve Lightly, who decides to stay in Banister Falls, Wisconsin with her daughter Raine when her car breaks down, well, until her daughter graduates high school. She has high hopes for her daughter's future that is until she learns that Raine is pregnant and her pans on leaving the town at the end of school year comes to a halt.

Dan Moretti has grown up in Banister Falls and has been working as a firefighter. A few years back his friend was killed in a fire and ever since then he has been looking after his friend's wife, Evie, and his son, Cody. He has raised Cody to be a good person, but Dan is shell-shocked when Cody and his girlfriend Raine announce that they are going to parents.

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues
A Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper
by Cindy Vincent
Publisher: Mysteries by Vincent, LLC
Pub. Date: September 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-1932169287
Pages: 250
Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1xrwgJb
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/cvincent

Review:

About fourteen-years-ago, I stumbled up on a few Cat Who books by Lilian Jackson Braun and I quickly fell in love with the series. I purchased the other books in the series on eBay and I bought every new book up until the series sudden end because of the author's death in 2011. Similar to the Cat Who series is A Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper series, but with a slight difference; instead of the books being in the point-of-view of the human owner, this series is from the point-of-view of the cats.

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cats Statues finds the detective duo, Buckley and Bogey, investigating their biggest mystery. It all starts when someone breaks into their human mom's antique store and leaves a mysterious package. Of course Buckley and Bogey take the package with them in  attempt to give it back to the original owner, but it is not as easy as it sounds as many people show up wanting it.

All of this may have something to do with the little fact that a priceless jeweled statue collection is on display at the St. Gertrude Museum. Two of the statues disappeared over 150 years ago, which is another mystery the cat duo would like to solve.

Pom Poko
Director: Isao Takahata
Voice Cast: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Clancy Brown, J.K. Simmons, Tress MacNeille, Kevin Michael Richardson
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Retail: $35.99
ASIN: B00PYAE2IM
Running Time: 119
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray for the first time in the United States is the 1994 Japanese anime Pom Poko. The film is directed by Isao Takahata and features the American voice cast of Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Clancy Brown, J.K. Simmons, Tress MacNeille and Kevin Michael Richardson. Bonus Features include the Original Japanese Storyboards and the Original Japanese Trailers.

Pom Poko takes on the Japanese folklore - the tanuki, intelligent raccoon dogs that can transform into any almost anything imaginable. The film begins in 1960, a time when the raccoons are living in an area called the Tama Hills, but their land is being destroyed by the development of houses and shopping malls. The raccoons find it harder and harder to find food and shelter, so they decide to adapt to their changing environment. 

By the time the raccoons enter the 1990s, they have perfected the art of transformation, so they can appear as humans. Their original attempt was to scare off the humans, but they will eventually learn how to balance their lives with the modern world.

Tales from Earthsea
Director: Gorō Miyazaki
Voice Cast: Timothy Dalton, Cheech Marin, William Dafoe and Mariska Hargitay
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: February 3, 2015
Retail: $36.99
ASIN: B00PYAE2M8
Running Time: 115 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray for the first time in the United States is the 2006 Japanese anime Tales from Earthsea. The film is directed by Gorō Miyazaki and features the American voice cast of Timothy Dalton, Cheech Marin, William Dafoe and Mariska Hargitay. Bonus Features include the Original Japanese Storyboards, the Original Japanese TV Spots & Trailers, The Birth Story Of The Film Soundtrack and the Behind The Studio: Origins Of Earthsea.

Based on the "Earthsea" book series by Ursula K. Le Guin, Tales from Earthsea takes place in a mythical world called Earthsea, a place where the crops are dying out just as the legendary dragons have reappeared and threatens all of humanity.

The film centers on a famous wizard Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk (voiced by Timothy Dalton) and a young prince, Arren (voiced by Matt Levin), whom go on a quest to discover what is threatening to destroy their world.