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.

Leo-SuperHero: A Sunday Morning Adventure
by The Brothers
Publisher: TheBrothers
Publ. Date: November 28, 2013
ASIN: B00EUX4C70
Pages: 25
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

Since the Super Bowl doesn't start until tonight and the small fact that there is a few inches of snow on the ground, this would be a perfect to read to a good book.

I would like to recommend the picture book Leo-SuperHero: A Sunday Morning Adventure by The Brothers! The book centers on a seven-year-old boy named Leo who lives with his parents, a younger sister and a curious cat named Milkshake.

Early one Sunday morning while everyone else is a sleep, Milkshake wakes up Leo as the cat wants to show him something. Leo hops out of bed, slips on his superhero costume and follows Milkshake downstairs into the kitchen. That is where he discovers a hole in the wall and inside the hole is a frighten little mouse.

Where I Belong
by Mary Downing Hahn
Publisher: Clarion Books
Pub. Date: September 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0544230200
Pages: 240
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

One of the best children book authors is Mary Downing Hahn. The first book I read by her was Closed For The Season a couple of years ago. Now everytime I come across one of her older titles at a thrift store, I make sure to buy it.

Her newest book Where I Belong was published last spring and centers on Brendan Doyle, an unpopular young man who doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of his classmates. He is bullied everyday and he is treated poorly by his foster-mother and teachers.

Brendan distracts himself by hiding in books and takes many hobbies, including carving and drawing. He is basically a daydreamer looking for a way to escape his life. While walking in the woods, he comes across a man and he comes to conclusion that this man is the magical Green Man, the guardian spirit of the forest.

The Doll Graveyard
Hauntings Series
by Lois Ruby
Publisher: Scholastic
Pub. Date: June 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0545617864
Pages: 256
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

I have always preferred reading printed novels over eBooks, which is probably one of the reasons why I had forgotten this children book was on my Kindle until I stumbled upon it last week.

The Doll Graveyard is written by Lois Ruby and centers on Shelby and Brian Tate, whom have just moved into the Cinder Creek house. This isn't just an ordinary house as the kids start to believe it is haunted. Strange cries can be heard throughout the night and objects suddenly move on their own.

All of this probably has something to do with the fact that there is a graveyard in their backyard. The oddest thing about the graves is that they are extremely tiny, as if the graves were meant for dolls.

Salsa Dance Workouts
Studio: DanceCrazy.com
Release Date: January 1, 2008
Retail: $39.99
ASIN: B000FP2T0Y
Running Time: 106 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Buy Link: Amazon

Review:

If you have been following my blog regularly for the last few months, then you have probably noticed that I have been reviewing several learn-to-dance type DVDs.

While the other DanceCrazy DVDs that I have tried out were strictly learn-to-dance for beginners, this workout is suppose to be a full-blown workout that is suppose to help you lose weight and get fit. Similar to other the dancing workouts, there is only one male and one female instructors that shows you step-by-step how to do each move. The workout features music from Benny Velarde y SuperCombo and Anthony Blea y su Charanga.

The Salsa Dance Workout is split into different sections with a 19 minute Stretching and Isolation warmup, Beginners Footwork: Salsa Basics (20 mins), Intermediate Footwork: Breakdown (30 mins), Intermediate Workout with Music (30 minutes) and a 7 minute bonus workout.