Most faith-based films typically get ignored by Hollywood, where they are produced by smaller production companies and either premiere as a television movie or direct-to-video. However, there has been a new interest in films with biblical themes in recent years, which such big-budget titles as Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings. Even a few low-budget films (God's Not Dead, Heaven Is for Real, Fireproof) made an impact at the box-office.

Arriving on DVD on Tuesday March 24, 2014 from Cinedigm is the Christian film Confessions Of A Prodigal Son (Retail: $14.93; ASIN: B00R8ILF06). Directed by Allan Spiers, the film stars Kevin Sorbo, Nathan Clarkson (whom also wrote the screenplay) and Rachel Lee.

The low-budget movie didn't exactly go the traditional filming route as it was funded on Kickstarter in the spring of 2013, raising nearly $14,000 over the course of 58 days.

Confessions Of QA Prodigal Son centers on a young man named Sean Matthews (played by Nathan Clarkson), whom is struggling to find who he is suppose to be. His father (played by Kevin Sorbo) is a pastor, so he grew up with religion all around him, but somewhere he has become lost. After begging his parents to give him his college tuition early, in which they only give him half of the money, he leaves his small town and heads for the city to start a new beginning, but this life isn't exactly what he wanted it to be.

For two years, he ignored his parents phone calls as he would rather party hard with his friend Cameron (played by Azel James). As his life spirals out of control, so do his college grades. If doesn't keep get his grades up, his parents won't give him the second half of the tuition. Eventually, he starts questioning the way he has been living after he meets a lovely dancer Ali (played by Rachel Lee), whom helps him finally find his way home.

While I do have a new electric razor, I still have to use a few disposable razors if I go without shaving for a few days. Razors can be a bit pricey anymore, so I typically buy the cheapest off brand I can find.

A few weeks ago I was sent a Schick Hydro® 5 Disposables (3-Pack) to review, which I have seen in stores for around $10! The razor has five blades and it is extremely flexible, so it can curve around your face and neck, giving a closer shave.

Pros: Like I already mentioned, it has five blades and it shaves pretty close to the skin;  longer lasting than other disposable razors, so you it will last for several shaves.

You don't have to be a seamstress or a quilter to be interested in owning a sewing kit as you never know when you need a needle and thread to reattach a button to a shirt or jacket.

I received the Quick Stitch Sewing Kit a few days ago, which features a measuring tape, a thimble, 12 spools of thread (white, black, light pink, pink, tan, blue, yellow, red, green, dark blue, light blue, brown), a seam ripper, a safety pin, stainless steel scissors, three buttons, two quilting pins, two thread cutters, 16 needles in a round dispenser and a black zipper storage bag.

I'm sure many people who sew already own everything in the kit, but keeping one of these in your car or in your suitcase/bag can be a lifesaver with traveling. It also can be a great little starter kit for a new quilter or seamstress.

While I'm neither a seamstress or quilter, I do know how to cross stitch, so I was interested in the kit for the seam ripper, the needles and the scissors. I already own a seam ripper, but having an extra one can come in handy as they ends of them tend to break easily.

Penguins of Madagascar
Director: Eric Darnell & Simon J. Smith
Voice Cast: Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, Conrad Vernon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, Annet Mahendru, Peter Stormare, John Malkovich
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Retail: $36.99
ASIN: B00SK573RU
Running Time: 92 minutes
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, DVD and Digital HD today is the exciting 3D computer-animated action-comedy Penguins of Madagascar. Directed by Eric Darnell & Simon J. Smith, the film features the talented voice cast of Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, Conrad Vernon, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ken Jeong, Annet Mahendru, Peter Stormare and John Malkovich. The Blu-ray is loaded with Special Features, such as Top-Secret Guide to Becoming an Elite Agent, "He Is Dave" Music Video, Flipper Slap Shake Waddie and Roll, "Celebrate" Music Video by Pitbull, Do the Penguin Shake with tWitch, Deleted Scenes, Madagascar Mash-Up, Global Flight Plan, Cheezy Dibbles Ad,World of DreamWorks Animation and a Gallery. The Blu-ray Combo Pack also comes with 2 Poppin' Penguins!

After a brief flashback showing how Skipper (voiced by Tom McGarth), Kowalski (voiced by Chris Miller), and Rico (voiced by Conrad Vernon) rescued Private (voiced by Christopher Knights) just before he cracked out of his shell, the film picks up directly after the ending of Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. To celebrate Private's birthday, the Penguins leave the circus and head to Fort Knox, as they want to steal enough money to buy Private the perfect birthday present - Cheesy Dibbles, which has been discontinued.

Out of nowhere, they are ambushed and taken to a submarine base in Venice, where they meet Dave (voiced by John Malkovich), an octopus who disguises himself as a human named Dr. Octavius Brine. Once upon a time, Dave was the main attraction at the Central Park Zoo that is until the penguins arrived, whom stole all his thunder. Now he plans on kidnapping all the penguins from the world and turning them all into hideous creatures. The Penguins almost become the first victims in Dave's madness that is until the North Wind saves them.

NYPD Red 3
by James Patterson & Marshall Karp
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Pub. Date: March 16, 2015
ISBN: 978-0316406994
Pages: 416
Buy Links: Hardback, Kindle

Review:

It's definitely difficult to keep up with all the new James Patterson's books as there is practically a new title (sometimes two) being released every month. I came across Patterson's titles about twelve years ago when my late grandmother wanted me to read one of his books (I don't recall the title) as she had just became a fan of works. I started buying every new Patterson book, even the young adult titles, and gave each one to her. After my grandmother's death in December 2009, I continued buying each new release, but my heart just wasn't in the mood to read them. However, I recently started reading Patterson's books again, including his middle grade ones.

Arriving this week in bookstores is NYPD Red 3 by James Patterson & Marshall Karp, the exciting third entry in the police procedural series. Little, Brown & Company was nice enough to send me an advanced copy to review a few weeks ago.

NYPD Red is an elite task force that is assigned to protect the rich and famous. The third installment centers on Detective Zach Jordan and his partner Kylie MacDonald, whom just happens to be an ex-girlfriend he had back in police academy. While it has been an awkward beginning working with Kylie, Zach is trying his best to adjust to everything. His personal life has improved as he's now in a relationship with NYPD psychologist Cheryl Robinson, but his New Year getaway with her comes to a complete halt when a bizarre crime occurs.

The decapitated body of Peter Chevalier, the chauffeur for the billionaire businessman Hunter Alden Jr., is found in a limousine in a parking lot, but his head is nowhere to be found. Of course,  Zach & Kylie check into Peter's background and besides from a few parking violations, he had no criminal history. While the detectives don't have any leads, they do suspect that Hunter Alden Jr. is hiding something.

Though green tea is native to China and India, it is used all over the world for its many benefits, such as a digestion aid, to control bleeding & to heal wounds, increase brain function, lowers cholesterol and assists with weight loss. It's usually available as a herbal tea or as a dietary supplement.

Many people actually prefer to drink a cup of green tea over a cup of coffee due to the fact that it is extremely high in natural antioxidants and polyphenols, which help boost your immune system and defend your body against diseases & free radicals.

I've been trying to add at least one serving of green tea into my system daily just to give me that extra antioxidants boost. Now I'm not always in the mood to drink green tea, so a dietary supplement like Advanced Green Tea Extract from Zenwise Labs comes in handy.

Each bottle has 120 vegetarian capsules and one serving (1 capsule) contains 725mg of Green Tea and 60mg Vitamin C. It's free of gluten, wheat, egg, milk, peanuts, shellfish and soy. Zenwise Labs always uses all natural ingredients and is NSF & GMP certified. All of their products are cruelty-free and are made in the USA.

The Promise of Palm Grove
Amish Brides of Pinecraft, Book One
by Shelly Shepard Gray
Publisher: Avon Inspire
Pub. Date: January 27, 2015
ISBN: 978-0062337702
Pages: 228
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/sgray
Buy Link: http://bit.ly/1aQJuw2

Review:

I'm not going into details about my weekend, but I was very busy and almost forgot about reading The Promise of Palm Grove by Shelly Shepard Gray. I was due to post my review today, so I made a pot of coffee and read the entire book this morning.

The Promise of Palm Grove centers on a young Amish woman, Leona, who traveled from Ohio to Florida with her cousin Sara and her fiance’s sister Mattie. Ever since she got engaged to Edmund, her entire family & community has become obsessed with her upcoming wedding. She was thrilled when she was invited on a mini-vacation to the Amish community in Pinecraft, Florida as it is a way for her to relieve the stress of planning a wedding. Well, at least that is what she told Mattie and Sara, but the truth is that she need to take a break from Edmund, whom can be a little controlling at times.

The one thing Leona didn't plan on was meeting the handsome Zachary Kaufmann, a resident of Pinecraft, whom she takes an instant liking to. Zachary has the same affection for Leona and enjoys spending time with her.

Now Leona must decide whether or not to return to Ohio and marry Edmund or stay here in Pinecraft for a possible life with Zachary.

Something Wicked
Director: Darin Scott
Starring: Shantel Van Santen, John Robinson, Julian Morris, James Patrick Stuart and Britney Murphy
Studio: ARC Entertainment
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Retail: $15.98
ASIN: B00RDEITYU
Running Time: 91 minutes
Rating: R
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD this week from ARC Entertainment is the long awaited release of Britney Murphy's (Clueless, 8 Mile) final movie, Something Wicked. Directed by Darin Scott, the film also stars Shantel Van Santen (Gang Related, Final Destination), John Robinson (Transformers, Lords of Dogtown), Julian Morris (The New Girl, Once Upon a Time) and James Patrick Stuart (Supernatural, Hot in Cleveland). There are no extras or special features on the DVD.

Filmed in 2009, Something Wicked centers on a young couple Christine (played by Shantel Van Santen) & her fiance James (played by John Robinson), whom are the only survivors of the car crash that killed her parents. Traumatized by the events, her sister, Susan (played by Britney Murphy) and her brother-in-law, Bill (played by James Patrick Stuart), try to help her pick up the pieces, but it isn't easy when somebody starts stalking Christine.

Everybody in Christine's life becomes a prime suspect, but as the bodies start piling up, she must dig deep into her past to unveil a deep forgotten secret.

Teeth & Blood
Director: Al Franklin & Pamela J. Richardson
Starring: Glen Plummer, Michelle Van Der Water, Sean Christopher
Studio: RLJ Entertainment
Release Date: March 10, 2014
Retail: $27.97
ASIN: B00QHCKHJE
Running Time: 101 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Now available to own on DVD and Digital Video from RLJ Entertainment is the horror flick Teeth & Blood. Directed by Al Franklin & Pamela J. Richardson, the film stars Glen Plummer (Saw II), Danielle Vega (Hulu's "East Los High"), King Kedar (Preacher's Kid) and Michelle Van Der Water (VH1's "Single Ladies").  There are no special features or extras on the DVD.

Teeth & Blood takes place on the "Chapel Blood" movie set, a film that is being directed by Vincent Augustine (played by Glenn Plummer). It seems that some of the film's profits will be donated to the city for a new synthetic blood bank, the current blood donation supply for the city is awfully low.

After the film's star Elizabeth Thornrich (played by Steffinnie Phrommany) is murdered on the set, the body disappears from the corner's van. This gets the attention of detectives Mike Hung (played by Sean Hutchinson) and Sasha Colfax (played by Michelle Van Der Water), who are assigned to the case. They plan on solving the case before the press find out about the murder.

Halo: Nightfall
Director: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
Starring: Mike Colter, Steven Waddington, Christina Chong
Studio: Microsoft Studios
Release Date: March 17, 2015
Retail: $20.99
ASIN: B00QSHWZA2
Running Time: 98 minutes
Rating: TV-14
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on DVD & Blu-ray this week from Microsoft Studios is Halo: Nightfall, a live-action Xbox Originals web-series that debuted last year. Directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, it starred Christina Chong, Christian Contrearas, Luke Neal, Alexander Bhat, Jennie Gruner, Eric Kofi Abrefa and Alexis Rodney. Special Features include Over 35 Minutes Of Exclusive Behind The Scenes Footage and Unlock Over 17 Minutes Of Second Story Extras, Including Highly Confidential ONI Eyes Transmissions To Discover More About Halo:Nightfall.

Halo: Nightfall is based on the best-selling first-person shooter video game franchise. It centers on Jameson Locke (played by Mike Colter). He is an agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), the Earth's most powerful military branch.

After investigating what sounds like terrorist chatter on the distant planet Sedra, Agent Locke and his team are caught in a biological attack. Only his team of skilled soldiers can stop the new threat, but they must first cross the rocky planet in search for a hellish artifact.