Sleeping Beauty: Diamond Edition
Director: Clyde Geronimi, Les Clark, Eric Larson, Wolfgang Reitherman
Voice Cast: Mary Costa, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy Barbara Jo Allen, Bill Shirley, Taylor Holmes, Bill Thompson
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 7, 2015
Retail: $36.99
ASIN: B00KB3PZ60
Running Time: 75 minutes
Rating: G
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Being released from the Disney vault this week is the 1959 animated classic Sleeping Beauty, directed by Clyde Geronimi, Les Clark, Eric Larson and Wolfgang Reitherman. The Diamond Edition features the film on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD. Bonus features include 3 Deleted Scenes, The Art of Evil: Generation Of Disney Villains, @DisneyAnimation: Artist in Motion - Extended Edition, Once Upon A Parade - Join Sarah Hyland from ABC's Modern Family as she tell us the tale of Walt Disney World's New Festival Of Fantasy Parade, Beauty Oke - Sing-Along, Picture Perfect: The Making Of Sleeping Beauty and Eyvind Earie: A Man And His Art.

Based on the fairy tales La Belle au bois dormant by Charles Perrault, The Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Little Briar Rose by The Brothers Grimm, tells the story of King Stefan and Queen Leah's daughter, Princess Aurora. On the day of her christening she is visited by the evil fairy Maleficent, who casts a curse of the young princess. The curse states that on her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. Horrified by the curse, the King and Queen have no other choice but let the good fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather raise and protect Princess Aurora, who renamed Briar Rose.

On her sixteenth-birthday, Aurora goes out to collect berries where she meets Prince Phillip. Later that day, the three good fairies tell her about her heritage, which leads a raven to inform Aurora's location to Maleficent, who will do anything to make sure the curse is carried through.

At the time, Sleeping Beauty was Disney's biggest budget animated film, costing nearly $6 million, but the film only earned around $5.3 million at the theaters. The film received mixed to negative reviews during its original release, though over time the film was been re-released to theaters, finally becoming a box-office success.

With the MLB baseball ending their season with this month's playoffs and the World Series, that means sports fans can focus their attention on the NFL season, which is currently in  its fifth week. Many football fans also participate in a fantasy football league, where an individual can be their own manager, draft real-life players or trade players with other members in your league.

While many fantasy football leagues are "just for fun," there are a few that prefer to give a prize to the winner. Sorry, I'm not talking about a Super Bowl ring, but I am referring to a fantasy football plaque or a fantasy football trophy. Sure, money would make a great prize too, but placing a fantasy football award in your office, in a trophy case or in your man cave will give you a chance to showoff your accomplishment to your friends and family.

Sleepy Hollow: Children Of The Revolution
by Keith R. A. DeCandido
Publisher: Broadway Books
Pub. Date: September 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-0553419009
ASIN: 978-0553419009
Pages: 304
Buy Links: Paperback, Kindle

Review:

The television series Sleepy Hollow was a surprise hit last year on FOX, which just started its second season a few weeks ago. Similar to other fantasy television shows, Sleepy Hollow has entered into the world of novelizations with last month's release of Sleepy Hollow: Children Of The Revolution by Keith R. A. DeCandido, an author who has written a novelization of from almost every popular science-fiction and fantasy franchises.

Sleepy Hollow is based on the classic short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving and centers on Ichabod Crane (played by Tom Mison) waking up from his grave in our time and of course the Headless Horseman, whom is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, comes back from the dead too. Crane teams up with Lt. Grace Abigail "Abbie" Mills (played by Nicole Beharie) of the Sleepy Hollow Police Department to defeat the rising demons and the upcoming apocalypse. He is still searching for his long-lost wife Katrina Crane (played by Katia Winter), who is a witch that is stuck between the living and the dead.

Children Of The Revolution takes place between the season one episodes "The Golem" and "The Vessel." Ichabod Crane is still adjusting to living in the twenty-first century; minding his own business while walking in the park that is until he receives a new vision from his wife, Katrina, telling him to seek out the Congressional Cross that he received over two-hundred years ago.

Houdini: Extended Edition
Director: Uli Edel
Starring: Adrien Brody, Kristen Connolly, Evan Jones, 
Studio: LionsGate
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Retail: $29.99
ASIN: B00LX26FSU
Running Time: 174 minutes (Extended Version)
                      150 minutes (Original Broadcast Version)
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD this week is Houdini, the exciting two-part miniseries that aired on the History Channel last month. The miniseries is directed by Uli Edel  and is based on the book Houdini: A Mind in Chains: A Psychoanalytic Portrait by Bernard C. Meyer, M.D.. The Blu-ray features both the Original Broadcast Version and the Extended Version (with an additional 20 minutes!). Special features include The Great Escapes, The Real Houdini, Cheating Death and Houdini the Great.

Kristen Connolly ("Bess") and Adrien Brody ("Harry Houdini") star in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's HOUDINI - 2 DISC EXTENDED EDITION.

Adrien Brody (Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Pianist, 2002) stars the The Great Harry Houdini (though the actor is a lot taller than the real Houdini). The film chronicles Houdini's life through flashbacks, showing him traveling with a magician during his childhood, meeting his future wife Bess (played by the lovely Kristen Connolly) and his "close" relationship with his mother.

Million Dollar Arm
Director: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell and Alan Arkin
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Retail: $39.99
Running Time: 124 minutes
ASIN: B00KYYFHGO
Rating: PG
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on October 7, 2014 is the Million Dollar Arm. The film is directed by Craig Gillespie (Fright Night) and stars John Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell and Alan Arkin. Special Features include: Training Camp: actors Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal face the same daunting challenge that their characters Rinku and Dinesh did - learning how to pitch a baseball; Their Story - the real JB Bernstein, Rinku and Dinesh explore the legacy of the Million Dollar Arm contest and its impact on the lives and aspirations of children in India ... and their own lives as well; Million Dollar Music By A.R. Raham - The Oscar-winning composer (Best Original Score, Slumdog Millionaire, 2008) talks about creating music that encompasses two worlds - India and the U.S.; alternate ending; deleted scenes and outtakes.

Based on the true story, Million Dollar Arm centers on JB Bernstein (played by Jon Hamm), a sports agent who is struggling to keep the doors to his business open. After flipping through channels late one night, he stumbles upon Britain's Got Talent and a cricket match, resulting in an idea that may save his business. Bernstein and his business partner Ash (played by Aasif Mandvi) convinces Chang, a sports business investor, into backing their idea of running a contest called the Million Dollar Arm in India. The contest is to find the best cricket bowlers, which the winners receive $100,000 and will travel to the United States to train for a tryout for the MLB.

Bernstein doesn't find just one suitable candidate, but he finds two - Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal, two young men that have no clue how to play baseball.

A Million Ways To Die In The West
UNRATED
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman
Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Retail: $34.98
ASIN: B00KM9MP9I
Running Time: 116 minutes (Theatrical Version) - 135 minutes (Unrated Version)
Rated: R
Buy Links: Blu-ray, DVD

Review:

Arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on October 7, 2014 is the comedy-western A Million Ways To Die In The West. The film is co-written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, who happens to play the main character. Special Features include a Gag Reel, A Fistful of Dirt ... In Your Mouth and a Feature Commentary. Blu-ray Exclusive extras include the UNRATED Version, Alternate Opening & Ending; Deleted, Extended & Alternate Scenes; Once Upon a Time in a Different West and UNRATED Feature Commentary.

A Million Ways To Die In The West centers on Albert Stark (played by Seth MacFarlane), a sheep farmer living in the small town of Old Stump in the year 1882. He becomes known as a coward to the townsfolk when he talks his way out of a gunfight, which embarrasses his girlfriend Louise (played by Amanda Seyfried). She quickly dumps him for Foy (played by Neil Patrick Harris). Feeling like a loser, Albert shelters himself from the town that is until his best-friend Edward (played by Giovanni Ribisi) and his prostitute girlfriend Ruth (played by Sarah Silverman) try to encourage him to start dating again.

Meanwhile, Anna Barnes-Leatherwood (played by Charlize Theron) is fed up with her murderer boyfriend, Clinch Leatherwood (played by Liam Neeson) and arrives in Old Stump to lie low. She is accompanied by one of her husband's men, Lewis (played by Evan Jones). When Lewis gets arrested for murder, Anna runs into Albert and they start an unlikely friendship when Albert challenges Foy to a duel, but there is one problem - Albert doesn't know how to shoot.

2. Enter the link to your terrifying tale in the haunting 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 a curse).

 

3. Visit other haunters in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new creeper.  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.
 

I vividly remember when I was around five-years-old (prior to starting kindergarten) when my parents and me lived in an old two-story house in the country. I was looking at a Berenstain Bears book (I don't think I knew how to read a complete book yet) in my bedroom when suddenly a shadowy image of a little girl walked across the room, opened up the cabinet door and began tossing my stuffed toys towards me. I grabbed my book and ran downstairs screaming. I don't recall what happened afterwards, but I remember my parents moving the beds to the family room and we slept in there until we eventually moved into town. Now every time I pick up a Berenstain Bears book, I think about the little ghost girl playing with my toys. 

Linky List:

R.I.P. Tombstone

It seems just like yesterday that I was taking down last year's Halloween decorations, but I will once again drag out everything and decorate my yard for Halloween Night in a few weeks. For me, this has been an annual tradition since I was a middle-grader. I'm now in my 30's and I still enjoy giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, which there are normally between 120-130 trick-or-treaters every year.

Last year, I put out a creepy cemetery in my yard, which I received positive praise from trick-or-treaters and their parents. Of course I want to expand the cemetery this year by adding a few more creepy things, so I teamed up with Oriental Trading, who kindly sent me a few complimentary Halloween products to review.

Up first is the R.I.P. Tombstone (IN-13687750), which is a 22" tall foam tombstone that comes with two plastic ground stakes. The tombstone has a realistic weathered look to it, as well as a cross and R.I.P. on the front of it. The tombstone retails around $9.50, bu it is currently out-of-stock.

I'm rating this 4 out of 5!

Light-Up Gothic Tombstone

Having a few creepy tombstones can spook up any yard, but if you really want your yard to pop out, then you're going to have to get some decorations or props that have lights in them. That is why the next item I reviewed was the Light-Up Gothic Angel Tombstone (IN-13636966), which retails at $22. The 22" tall tombstone is made from foam, unlike what the description on the Oriental Trading website states - it is not made out of plastic. It also doesn't come with batteries like it says in the description You'll need to purchase three AAA batteries. It does comes with two plastic ground stakes.

You'll also need a small Phillips screwdriver to remove the lid, so you can install the batteries. There is also a strobe light that is located below the In Loving Memory R.I.P. engraving.

The Light-Up Gothic Tombstone is not as detailed as I thought it would be, but the strobe light does give the tombstone a creepy look.

I'm rating this 3.5 out of 5!

Light-Up Gothic Tombstone's light!

"R.I.P." Tombstone in box!

Next is the "R.I.P." Tombstone (IN-42/123), which retails at $21, but its currently on sale for $19.98. The tombstone arrived in two different part which were packaged together. You'll have to slip the cross into the slot that is located on the top part of the bottom half of the tombstone. The overall height of this tombstone is 35" and comes with two plastic stakes. 

"R.I.P." Tombstone

Cons: The multicolor eyes lights never worked. I thought maybe it was the batteries, which were included, so I changed the batteries and it still didn't work. Since I received the product "free" for review purposes, I decided instead of contacting Oriental Trading about the problem, I would just repair the lights myself. After taking the battery panel, I realized it was just a faulty panel. Therefore, I just purchased a new pair of eye lights and a battery panel. The panel was slightly bigger than the old one, so with a knife I carefully cut out the exact size I needed from the back of the cross foam. Then I placed the eye lights in and hot glued the battery panel.