Mill Creek Entertainment; Amazon

Come on! I know everyone has heard of Robin Hood, the heroic outlaw from the English folklore who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. The character has appeared in countless novels, comic books, plays, television series, and feature films!

Speaking of feature films, Mill Creek Entertainment just released Robin Hood Origins ($14.98), which features 5 classic movies, though only four involve Robin Hood. (All explain more of that later!). The five films are split up on two discs, so don't expect excellent film quality. There are no special features or bonus extras.

The fives films are:

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946; 87 minutes) - Based on the novel Son of Robin Hood by Paul A. Castleton, the film centers on Robin Hood's son (played by Cornel Wilde) leading the Merry Men to rescue the King of England, who happens to be a kid.

The Prince of Thieves (1948; 72 minutes) - Based on Le Prince des voleurs by Alexandre Dumas, the film centers on Robin Hood (played by John Hall) teaming up with Sir Allan Claire and  Lady Marian Claire to rescue Sir Allan's bride-to-be, Lady Christabel, who is being forced by her father to marry someone else.

The Black Arrow (1947; 76 minutes) - Based on the novel of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson, the film centers around Richmond Shelton (played by Louis Hayward) returning home after fighting in the War of the Roses. Upon arriving at his family's home, he learns the estate has been claimed by his uncle, Sir Daniel Brackley (played by George Macready), who just happens to be his father's murderer. Shelton ends up leading a small army against his uncle and his minions.

Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950; 80 minutes) - Directed by Gordon Douglas, the film centers on Robin, Earl of Huntington (played by John Derek), a.k.a - the son of Robin Hood, taking over his father's legacy by leading the Merry Men against King John.

Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960; 80 minutes) - Produced by Hammer Film Productions, the film has Richard Greene reprising his role as Robin Hood from 1955 - 1959 British television series The Adventures of Robin Hood, though none of other cast-members return for the movie. Robin and his Merry Men try to expose the Sheriff of Nottingham's (played by Peter Cushing) wicked plot of attempting to kill the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Final Thoughts

AMAZON

Released this month to DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the dark-comedy The Oath (Rated R; 93 minutes).

Ike Barinholtz wrote, produced, and directed the movie, as well as starring a the main character. The film also stars Tiffany Haddish, Nora Dunn, Chris Ellis, Jon Barinholtz, Meredith Hagner, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen, and John Cho.

Set in a way-too-realistic future, the plot involves the United States President making the citizens sign a “The Patriot’s Oath," which means you have to vow to stay loyal to the President, no matter what he does. Despite objections, almost everyone citizen has signs the oath; well, except for Chris and Kai (played by Barinholts and Haddish), a suburban couple.

While hosting Thanksgiving dinner for their family, two government agents (played by Cho and Magnussen) arrive at their home to bully them into singing the oath. The deadline for the "The Patriot's Oath" is the very next day, Black Friday, and the agents are there to make sure they sign the oath! However, things don't go as planned, which results in Chris and family taking the agents hostage.

Special Features include:

• Deleted Scenes
• 2 Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes
• "Fake News or Facts"
• "Turkey Day Trauma"
• Photo Gallary
• Theatrical Trailer

Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @  Caffeinated Book Reviewer!

I'm finally getting around to reading Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin! As I am writing this, I'm on page 504, which means I have about 200 pages left to read. I'll attempt to finish reading it today.

Ashes in the Snow
(Winter Reads)

Who I Am With You
(Winter Reads)

.

Grab a book, any book.
Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader.
Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it).
Post it.
 Add your (url) post below in the Linky at: www.fredasvoice.com
Add the post url, not your blog url.

Queen Alyssa wanted her daughter attended by suitable companions of her own age and station, no doubt, but that was not her sole motivation in sending these ladies to Dragonstone.

page 156, Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin

  My Thoughts

AMAZON; Barnes & Noble

As many of you probably already know, my least favorite historical setting to read about is WWII. I don't really have a reason why; I just don't like reading books set in this era. It just doesn't interest me, though I do like watching WWII movies and documentaries.

Over the last few days, I have been reading Ashes in the Snow by Ruta Sepetys, a WWII drama about the the genocide of Baltic people in 1941. The book was originally published as Between Shades of Grey, but was retitled to tie-in with the film adaptation that was just released to limited theatres and VOD on January 11th!

The novel centers around Lina Vilkas, a fifteen-year-old girl who, along with her mother, Elena, and her 10-year-old brother, Jonas, are removed from their home in Kaunas, Lithuania on June 14, 1941 by the NKVD (Soviet officers). Lina's family has been put on a list of citizens (teachers, scholars, lawyers, doctors, etc.) who are threat to Russia's leadership (a.k.a. - Joseph Stalin). Separated from her father (a professor), Lina, Jonas, and their mother are forced into a train car with many other innocent people who are deemed as criminals.

Given barely little food, Lina and her family survive the extremely long train ride, though many of the other people didn't survive the journey. They are taken to a work camp in Siberia, where they are all treated cruelly by the NKVD. Lina befriends Andrius Arvydas, a teenager boy who she met on the train. Their relationship grows throughout the years. And, yes, I mean years, as Lina and many others were imprisoned for twelve years.

Final Thoughts

AMAZON; Barnes & Noble

I spent yesterday morning sipping on a cup of coffee while reading the newest romance from bestselling author Robin Lee Hatcher, titled Who I Am With You, which is book one in "A Legacy of Faith" series.

Set in Hope Springs, Idaho, the novel centers around pregnant Jessica Mason, who had lost her husband and daughter in a car accident five months ago. Now her Grandma Frani has passed away. To deal with all this grief, as well as learning about her husband's betrayal, she turns to great-grandfather's Bible for guidance through this troubling time.

Since this is a romance, there has to be a leading male character, which happens to be Ridley Chesterfield, who finds himself hiding from the media in Hope Springs after a political scandal. The last thing on his mind is romance, but that's exactly what he is thinking about after he befriends his neighbor, Jessica.

The book is split up into two different timelines - one set in the present day with Jessica and Ridley and the other set in the 1930s centering around Jessica's great-grandfather, Andrew Henning. Inside the Bible, Andrew had marked specific verses and scribbled words in the margins, which mysteriously connects to what Jessica is currently going through emotionally.
a Rafflecopter giveaway