Delivery Man
Director: Ken Scott
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Cobie Smulders, 
Studio: Touchstone Home Entertainment/ DreamWorks Pictures
Release Date: March 25, 2014
Retail: $32.99
ASIN: B00HSM7HB8
Running Time: 105 minutes
Rating: PG-13






Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray this week from Touchstone Home Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures is the comedy-drama Delivery Man, directed by Ken Scott (Starckbuck) and starring Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers).

Bonus Extras Include:

• Building Family - Explore the challenge and fun of creating this modern family, and learn how 142 young actors cast as biological siblings bonded both during and after production.
• Vince Vaughn: Off The Cuff - Vince Vaughn is the master of comedy, so when he says, "Do you want me to improv?" - yes, we do.
• Bloopers
• Deleted scenes

Delivery Man is a remake of the 2011 French-Canadian film, which is also directed by Ken Scott, and centers on slacker David Wozniak (played by Vince Vaughn). He happens to owe $80,000 to a few loan-sharks and of course he doesn't have the money, as his only occupation is being a deliveryman for his father's butcher shop. He's pretty much a failure in the eyes of his family and even to his girlfriend Emma (played by Cobie Smulders).

His life takes an unexpected turn when Emma announces she is pregnant and that she would rather raise the child by herself, as David isn't a reliable person. Then, out-of-nowhere, he is visited by a lawyer representing a sperm bank and delivers some startling news. David has fathered 533 children via donations he made twenty years earlier!

It Had To Be You  
A Christiansen Family novel, book two
By Susan May Warren
Publisher: Tyndale
Pub. Date: January 17, 2014
ASIN: B00E1O6UT6
Pages: 480
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/swarren
Buy Link: Paperback

Review:


As most of my blog readers already know, I prefer historical romances over most contemporary romances, but I signed up to review It Had To Be You because the cover reminded of the romance book jackets from the 80s. Plus, I'm already fan of Susan May Warren's novels.

It Had To Be You centers on Eden Christiansen, who has put a hold on her dreams to help her younger brother, Owen, get his life on track. She would rather be focusing on her writing career, but she is stuck writing obituaries. Plus, she gets sidetracked every time a family member or friend needs her help. In this case, Owen doesn't even want her help, which makes the whole situation even more stressful for Eden.

Owen is an NHL rookie and if he doesn't get the correct guidance, his life will easily run off course in a hurry. Eden steps in, less like a sister and more like a surrogate mother, when she approaches the hockey star enforcer, Jace Jacobsen, who acts tough on and off the ice. Asking this hothead to help her brother is not going to be harder than what she thought it would be.

Wildwood Creek
Moses Lake series, book 4
By Lisa Wingate
Publisher: Bethany House
Pub. Date: February 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0764208249
Pages: 384

Review:

There are many writers in the Christian market today and, sadly, many of them don't standout of the crowd for me. If I don't recall the author's name, then the book probably didn't leave a lasting effect on me. However, I do recall reading "Never Say Never" by Lisa Wingate when I first started blogging. Though I haven't read very many of her other titles, her name stood out for me when I decided to sign up to review the title, Wildwood Creek, courtesy of Bethany House.

Wildwood Creek centers on two women, Allie Kirkland and Bonnie Rose, from two different times. Allie is a modern day woman who takes a production assistant job on a docudrama set near Moses Lake, Texas. Bonnie Rose is an Irish schoolteacher back in the year 1861.

Allie has been kinda lost. Her still mourns for her late father. Her relationship with her mother, stepfather and her step-siblings is estranged. Her father was a director and she finally has a chance to follow in his footsteps when she takes a job working on a docudrama.

She multitasks by working in the costume department and playing the part of Bonnie Rose. The docudrama is about what happened at Wildwood Creek when the townspeople mysteriously disappeared in 1861. During the production, Allie begins researching the real-life events that occurred in the town, but there is danger just around the corner for her.

Robert Ludlum's The Janson Option
By Paul Garrison
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pub. Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-0446564489
Pages: 368

Review:

Author Robert Ludlum died over a decade, but stories based on his characters and ideas are still being published; written by other authors; similar to the ghostwritten V.C. Andrews’s paperbacks or the recent continuation of Robert P. Parker's book series. Last week, Grand Central Publishing released the third installment in the Janson series, titled The Janson Option.

The first book in the series, The Janson Directive, was published posthumous, a year after the author's death. Author Paul Garrison stepped into Ludlum's shoes to pen the sequel, The Janson Command, in 2012 and returned to write the third installment.

The Janson Option centers on ex-Navy Seal and former member of the U.S. government covert agency, Consular Operations, who now spends his time as a corporate security consultant. This time around Janson is hired by the president of the petroleum division of American Synergy Corp., Kingsman Helms, to help rescue his wife, Allegra Helms.

Allegra is a 30-year-old Italian countess, whose last known whereabouts was aboard the yacht Tarantula when it was hijacked by the Somali pirate Maxammed and his goons in the Indian Ocean. This sort of rescue mission would typically be easy for Janson and his partner, Jessica Kincaid, but they encounter several twists and turns around every corner.

I'm barely awake, as I'm patiently waiting for my coffee to finish brewing, while my bed fittings are being washed in the washing machine, so it is a typical Monday morning. I fully agree with Garfield when he said, "I Hate Mondays."

It seems nothing was on television over the weekend except of the overblown coverage of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. For me there is less actually news and more wild conspiracies. At least The Walking Dead was new last night, though the season finale is next week. That leaves only Games of Thrones on Sundays, which starts up again next month. Luckily, I did receive the Beetlejuice: Seasons Two & Three DVD Saturday, but I only got around to watching one episode.

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 Kisha!

 

What is your favorite weekly meme?

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 have time to participate in weekly memes anymore, except for hosting the Book Blogger Hop, so I don't have any favorites.

Saving Mr. Banks
Director: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 18, 2014
Retail: $36.99
ASIN: B00HT944D4
Running Time: 125 minutes
Rating: PG-13

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray this past week is the critically acclaimed Disney film Saving Mr. Banks, starring Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Special features includes The Walt Disney Studios: From Poppins To The Present, "Let's Go Fly A Kite" and deleted scenes. The film is also available on DVD and Digital HD.

The 1964 musical, Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Almost everyone knows the tale of the nanny Mary Poppins flying down on her umbrella to babysit the Banks children. The film, along with P.L. Travers book series of the same name, has been entertaining kids for generations, but some people may not know the struggles that went into making the film.

Saving Mr. Banks is based on true events involving the creation of Mary Poppins and the tension between Walt Disney and P.L. Travers. Walt had made a promise to his daughter to make a film version of Mary Poppins, but it took twenty-years to acquire the rights.

P.L. Travers has never been impressed with anything Disney has ever created and is very skeptically on Disney's version of Mary Poppins; therefore, she travels from England to Los Angeles, where she collaborates with the Mary Poppins creative team at the Walt Disney Studio.

A Sky Without Stars
Quilts of Love, Book 15
By Linda S. Clare
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Pub. Date: February 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1426752797
Pages: 272
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/campaigns/a-sky-without-stars-linda-clare
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Last year, I happen to stumble across the Quilts of Love series from Abingdon Press. Though I don't know how to quilt, I have several family members that do, so I do respect the hobby and is one of the reasons why I signed up to review the newest book in the series, A Sky Without Stars, written by Linda S. Clare.

Set in 1951, the fifteenth installment centers on a Lakota woman, Frankie Chasing Bear, who finds herself raising her son, Harold, alone after husband is suddenly killed. To honor their heritage, she is trying to pass down the Lakota ways to her son, but it is difficult for her to do with her son uninterested in his past.

Lakota decides the only way to help her son respect their ancestors is to make a Lakota Star-pattern quilt, something that can be passed down to him one day and become a reminder of his heritage.

I Know What You Did Last Summer
Director: Jim Gillespie
Starring: Jeniffer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Phillippe
When A Stranger Calls
Director: Simon West
Starring: Camilla Belle, Brian Geraghty, Katie Cassidy, Clark Gregg
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: March 18, 2014
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B00HZMZ29U
Running Time: 3 hours 6 minutes
Rating: R/PG-13

Review:

Arriving in a single-disc DVD is the horror film double feature of I Know What You Did Last Summer (starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Ryan Phillippe) and When A Stranger Calls (starring Camilla Belle, Brian Geraghty, Katie Cassidy, Clark Gregg) from Mill Creek Entertainment. There are no extras or special features on the disc.

I Know What You Did Last Summer was released in the fall of 1997, loosely based on the book of the same name by Lois Duncan; though besides from the title and characters' names, it hardly resembles the young adult novel. Kevin Williamson (he wrote the Scream movies) penned the script.

The film revolves around four seniors accidentally running over a stranger that was walking in the road. Since they had all been drinking, they decide to take the body to the nearby docks and dump the body in the water. One year goes by and Julie (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) has never gotten over that horrifying night. She returns home from college for summer break, only to be tormented by random letters saying, "I Know What You Did Last Summer." Julie, Helen (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, Barry (played by Ryan Phillippe) and Ray (played by Freddie Prinze Jr.) are all being stalked by a crazed killer. They start to suspect that whoever they dumped in the docks last summer might be still alive and wanting revenge.

Riding the backbone of the original Scream movie, I Know What You Did Last Summer was a box-office success. A sequel with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddy Prinze Jr., titled I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, was released in 1998. A direct-to-video sequel, titled I Always Know What You Did Last Summer, was released in 2006 with a brand-new cast, but was unsuccessful.

Hocus Pocus Hotel: The Thirteenth Mystery
By Michael Dahl
Illustrator: Lisa K. Weber
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Pub. Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1434265098
Pages: 214

Review:

Arriving in bookstores earlier this month is the third and final book in the Hocus Pocus Hotel trilogy.  I enjoyed reading the first two books in the series, so I was eager to read third installment from author Michael Dahl.


Charlie Hitchcock is pulled out of class by his so-called friend, Tyler Yu, because the magician, Abracadabra, is missing. Abracadabra, or as his friends call him, Brack, is a famous magician that owns the Abracadabra Hotel, and occasionally he does have a habit of faking his death.

Tyler Yu, along with his parents, lives and works at the hotel. Though he isn't exactly friends with Charlie Hitchcock, they do get together to solve the strange mysteries hidden in the hotel. And once again Tyler needs Charlie's help in finding out what happened to Brack.

If you own a business, then you need to have a web presence. To make the most of your web presence, you need to work with a qualified web hosting provider. Here are three tips for finding the best web host company available. When you are looking for a quality provider, look for a company that has a great, long-standing reputation in the area, helps you understand all of the costs, and comes highly recommended from a number of their existing customers.

One of the first things you should look for when you are finding a high-quality web host is a company that has a positive reputation in the local area, as well as one that has been operating in the area for a few years. The last thing you want to worry about is hiring a company to provide services and then have the company disappear months, a year, or even a couple years later.


Cost is obviously going to be an important consideration when you are choosing a hosting company. However, it is crucial that you determine all of the things you will be charged for. Make sure that you know what all the fine print says, as many hosting companies may try to rope you into costs that you were not expecting or were not aware of. Make sure that the services you need are those that are offered and that there are no other things you are being charged for that you did not sign up for.

The wait is over! The long-awaited Veronica Mars feature film is now in theaters and on Digital HD.

On the eve of graduating law school, Veronica Mars has put Neptune and her amateur sleuthing days behind her. While interviewing at high-end New York law firms, Veronica Mars gets a call from her ex-boyfriend Logan who has been accused of murder. Veronica heads back to Neptune just to help Logan find an attorney, but when things don't seem right with how Logan's case is perceived and handled, Veronica finds herself being pulled back into a life she thought she had left behind.

Following a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign that ended on April 12, 2013, Veronica Mars was shot over 23 days during June-July 2013. It will be released in selected theaters nationwide on March 14th, 2014.


Think you know all there is to know about Neptune, California? Test your Veronica Mars knowledge with all 3 levels of super-fan trivia and find out if you are the ultimate Marshmallow!

Out Of The Furnace
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, William Dafoe, Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Retail: $29.99
ASIN: B00HOGBXTU
Running Time: 116 minutes
Rating: R

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray and DVD last week was the thriller/drama Out Of The Furnace starring Christian Bale, Woody Harrelson, Casey Affleck, Forest Whitaker, William Dafoe, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Shepard. Special Features include Inspiration: The stars of Out Of The Furnace reveal what inspired them to become actors; A Conversation with co-writer/director Scott Copper; Crafting the Fight Scenes; and The Music of Out Of The Furnace.

The film centers on ex-con, Russell Baze (played by Christian Bale), who had went to prison for vehicular manslaughter. During the time he was locked away, his girlfriend, Lena (played by Zoe Saldana) dumped him for the local police chief (played by Forest Whitaker) and his father passed away.

After being released from prison, Russell returns to work at the town's steal mill. His younger brother, Rodney (played by Casey Affleck) had returned from Iraq prior to his incarceration, but during Russell's absence Rodney began making a few extra bucks by participating in underground fist-fighting.