Anaconda
Director: Luis Llosa
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, John Voight, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson
Studio: Mill Creek Entertainment
Release Date: July 22, 2014
Retail: $9.98
ASIN: B00K31RC52
Running Time: 89 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray on Tuesday July 22, 2014 is the 1997 adventure-horror film Anaconda, directed by Luis Llosa and starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, John Voight, Eric Stoltz and Owen Wilson.

Despite receiving negative reviews from most critics and receiving six Razzie Awards nominations, the film managed to become a box-office hit. A sequel, titled Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, was released to theaters in 2004 followed by two made-for-Syfy sequels, Anaconda 3: Offspring and Anacondas: Trail of Blood. The film also inspired countless low-budget ripoffs, most of which are made for Syfy.

Anaconda follows a documentary film crew led by anthropologist Steve Cale (played by Eric Stoltz). His crew includes director Terri Flores (played by Jennifer Lopez),the cameraman Danny Rich (played by Ice Cube), production manager Denise Kalberg (played by Kari Wuhrer), sound engineer Gary Dixon (played by Owen Wilson) and producer/narrator Warren Westridge (played by Jonathan Hyde). They're traveling on the Amazon River, shooting a documentary about the lost Shirishama tribe.

Shadows from Boot Hill
by L. Ron Hubbard
Directors: Jim Meskimen and Tait Ruppert
Voice Cast: Phil Procter, Corey Burton, R.F. Daley, John Mariano, Jim Meskimen, Tait Ruppert, Fred Tatasciore, Josh R. Thompson
Studio: Galaxy Press
Release Date: October 24, 2011
Retail: $9.98
ISBN: 978-1592123476
Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Buy Links: Audiobook, Paperback

Review:

Saturday, July 26, 2014 is the official National Day of the Cowboy, which is an official holiday in 8 states. To celebrate the holiday, I'm reviewing several western titles by the late L. Ron Hubbard. The audiobooks are produced by Galaxy Press using a talented voice cast and outstanding sound effects. These stories were published in the 1930s and 1940s, or otherwise known as the Golden Age, in Pulp magazines.

Shadows from Boot Hill first appeared in the June 1940 issue of Wild West Weekly and centers on the hired-gun, murderer and outlaw, Brazos, who bailed out on his payment for killing a banker, as lawmen were hot on his trail. He takes shelter briefly in Los Hornos, where his so-called friend, Whisper Monahan, offers him $200 to murder a man named Scotty Brant.

Scotty Brant has beeb using cyanide to extract gold from an oxide ore, which is located on the land owned by Whisper. Now all 4,000 of acres of his land has been poisoned. All Brazos has to do is kill Brant and collect the $200. It may sound simple enough, but Brant has a surprise in store for him - a witchdoctor, who happens to put a curse on Brazos.

For All Time: A Nantucket Brides Novel
Nantucket Brides Trilogy, Book Two
by Jude Deveraux
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pub. Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0345541826
Pages: 400
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

While most of my blog readers already know that I enjoy reading romance novels, a few may be surprised that I'm reviewing a non-Christian title. What you don't know is that I admire author Jude Deveraux's writings. My mother has always been of fan of her novels, so naturally I read a few of her books while growing up; the titles A Knight in Shining Armor, Legend and The Black Lyon are the few that come to mind.

The majority of Ms. Deveraux's novels involve either the Montgomery and the Taggert family and that tradition continues in the Nantucket Brides Trilogy, which began last year in the first novel, True Love.

The second installment, For All Time, centers on Toby Wyndam, a wedding planner and a bridesmaid of Alix Madsen, who is marrying Jared Montgomery. Though she isn't a professional wedding planner, she had done most of the work on her friend's wedding herself. Her work has gotten the attention of a few of guests, which means a possibility of planning other wedding on Nantucket. The one thing she wasn't planning on doing is bumping heads with the groom's cousin, Graydon Montgomery.

The Revealing
The Inn At Eagle Hill, Book 3
by Suzanna Woods Fisher
Publisher: Revell
Pub. Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0800720957
Pages: 336
Buy Link: http://ow.ly/ywEHT
Blog Tour: http://litfusegroup.com/author/sfisher

Review:

A few of you might be wandering how I read so fast. And all I can say is that I read one page at a time. I learned how to speed read at early age; plus, if the plot is really good, I literally fly thru the pages, which is exactly what happened when I read the final book in The Inn At Eagle Hill series, The Revealing, last month. Suzanna Woods Fisher is becoming one my favorite authors and she doesn't disappoint in her latest novel.


The Revealing centers on Naomi King, who is in love with Tobe Schrock, but due to a few circumstances (Please read the book, I'm not giving away any spoilers!) beyond their control, any sort of future together will probably never occur. To make matters worse, a mysterious young woman arrives at the Eagle Inn with a startling revelation that will that rock Tobe's world.

Meanwhile, a new guest, who happens to be a genealogist, is stirring up a bit of trouble for the Schrock family.

Do you remember the Rugrats? The series aired from 1992 to 2004 and spawned three feature films, The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and Rugrats Go Wild. Nickelodeon will be releasing two Rugrats DVD titles this Tuesday, July 8, 2014.

Outdoor Shenanigans! (ASIN: B00J5G1NTW; Retail: $9.98) features six outrageous adventures:

• Discover America
• Barbeque Story
• Moose Country
• Sound Ho!
• Gold Rush

Join Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Angelica and the other toddlers as they go on an imaginary tour of America. The toddlers help Tommy on a rescue mission to save his favorite ball that was tossed over the fence. After grandpa told them a tall tale about a moose, the toddlers go in search for their own moose. Grandpa tells them another story, but this time it is about pirates, resulting in the toddlers playing make-believe pirates. The toddlers have gold fever after finding a nickle in the playground.

Reptar Returns! (ASIN: B00J5G1PQS; Retail: $9.98) features the toddlers in three exciting episodes, including the very first made-for-TV movie.

• Runaway Reptar
• Reptar 2010
• Big Showdown

After arriving at the drive-in theater, the toddlers get bored and they imagine that they are in the movie, Robot Reptar. The double-length episode, Runaway Reptar, was so popular that it inspired an amusement park ride at Kings Island. The toddlers later supply their own ending to the Reptar movie when the VHS tape breaks. Then its all our war after Did remodels Tommy and Dil's room without their permission.

Prisoners Of War: Season One
Starring: Yoram Toledano, Ishai Golan, Assi Cohen, Mili Avital. Yael Abecassis, Adi Ezroni, Hadar Ratzon-Rotem, Salim Dau
Studio: Shout! Factory
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Retail: $29.93
ASIN: B00JJOY44G
Running Time: 500 minutes
Rating: TV-MA
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

While the political thriller Homeland airing on Showtime has become a ratings hit and has won many awards, probably very few of you are aware that it is based on the Israeli television drama, Prisoners of War. The series premiered in 2010 and the series' creator Gideon Raff plans on making a third season. The first two seasons has been available on Hulu, but it will be arriving on DVD for the first time in United States on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, from Shout! Factory. Bonus features include An Open Wound: Making Prisoners of War and episode commentaries with creator Gideon Raff and director of photography Itai Neeman.

Prisoners of War: Season One centers on three Israeli soldiers returning home after spending the last 17 years in captivity. Nimrod Klein and Uri Zach return to their families alive, while Amiel Ben-Horin returns in a coffin. Much of the first season shows Nimrod and Uri trying to adjust to society, which the nation considers them heroes, and renters their wives' and children's lives, which isn't easy as their families have moved on. To make matters worse, the military suspects that they are hiding something.

Episodes on the three-disc set are:

Summer is definitely here, but if the hot weather is too much for you to handle, then you should stay inside and watch some great toons with your family. Nickelodeon Home Entertainment is releasing two DVD collections featuring some of the most popular Nickelodeon characters from their hit series, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sanjay and Craig.

Heroes In Action (ASIN: B00J5G1NA6; Retail: $9.98) features five action-packed adventures. First up, SpongeBob's best friend, Patrick, becomes a superhero in Patrick-Man! and battles the Dirty Bubble, but wrecks havoc on Bikini Bottom! SpongeBob must come to rescue in Gary's New Toy when Gary becomes obsessed with a new red ball.

After Michelangelo was caught skateboarding in the lair, the Turtles get grounded in I Think His Name Is Baxter Stockman, but they sneak out to encounter Baxter Stockman in a mechanical battle armor. The Turtles must out-think the scientist, if they plan on saving the city from total destruction.

After Sanjay and his snake pal, Craig, grow huge muscles, they join the police force, Muscle C.O.P.S. In Cold Hard Cash, Craig and Sanjay teamup to locate a frozen treasure that is worth $100 before Baby Richard Dickson gets his hands on it.