Thank you Paramount Pictures for sending us a Blu-ray to review!

Dungeons & Dragons is a popular role playing game that was originally released in the 70s. There have been many revisions since its launch and some popular video games as well. Fans of the board game and videogames will recognize locations like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter which are part of the Forgotten Realms world of Faerûn.

The main character is a thief/mistral named Edgin who is played by Chris Pine. He is accompanied by an intimidating warrior woman named Holga. Together, they are doing time in prison and are up for a parole trial. During that trial, you’ll get to hear Edgin’s backstory about losing his wife from a vengeful red mage and how Holga took pity on his daughter, Kira, and helped raise her.

Edgin heard about a relic that can revive someone from the dead and tried to acquire it with the help of Holga and his aspiring mage buddy, Simon. Unfortunately, the job did not go as planned and that’s how Edgin and Holga got incarcerated.

Once they’re out of prison, Edgin and Holga attempt to reunite with Kira who has lost her faith and trust in her father. Along with acquiring the relic to revive his wife, Edgin must also restore his relationship with his daughter. This won’t be easy as there are many obstacles in their way.

Many CGI enhanced battles await them as well as some character plot twists. Violence and magic use are prevalent. You’ll get to see severed limbs and eyes dangling out of their sockets. Necromancy plays a big part in the story as one would expect from a guy wanting to bring his wife back from the dead. There is also mention of reincarnation.

In this two-hour and fourteen-minute film you get a few chuckles and be enamored by the special effects. It's not a theatrical masterpiece, but it is enjoyable and light-hearted. There’s plenty of action and the characters are intriguing. Because of the fighting and violence, it’s rated PG-13. Fans of the DnD franchise will likely enjoy this film as long as they’re okay with magic, necromancy, and fighting. If you’re not comfortable with Dungeons & Dragons, then this movie is a hard pass.

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you G Fuel for sending us a review sample!

G Fuel’s Rapid Fire mandarin orange flavored drink is officially licensed with Konami to use the Contra branding on the packaging. I’m not sure how the fruity flavor and orange color are related to the popular game, but the branding is attractive to middle age gamers who can benefit from a low-calorie caffeinated beverage.

The flavor is good and tastes like a more tart version of Tang. Since they're both orange flavored powders and I'm not much of an energy drink connoisseur, this is the best comparison I can come up with. Sucralose (Splenda) is used to sweeten the drink and as a result, does not cause a sugar crash. Another added benefit to Sucralose is that each of the forty servings is only fifteen calories.

Antioxidants and focus aminos are present in every serving to promote healthy cell production and to stimulate your brain. Multiple vitamins including C, E, B12 and B6 have also been added without overpowering the flavor.

Caffeine is a major ingredient, and you’ll find 140 mg in each cup you drink. This is double the amount found in other energy drinks. For reference, 8oz of coffee has 96 mg. When I did my unboxing/first impressions video, I consumed a glass at 6:30PM. I’m normally really tired at 9:30PM since I’m up at 5:15AM almost every morning. At 10:30PM I was not tired and was quite alert. I forced myself to go to bed since I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t. Falling asleep took a little more effort than usual but it was not that difficult. Having a purring cat at my side lulled me to sleep.

My sleep quality wasn't great because I was woken up by coyotes at 1:30AM. I won't blame G Fuel for that. My mental clarity was solid and I didn't experience any sided effects like jitters. I'm always busy doing something in regards to pets, farm animals, or bees and I had plenty of energy to spare.

The price is a bit steep at $35.99 for forty servings, but they’re currently running a buy one get one free special which sweetens the deal. If you subscribe to a monthly delivery, you can save an additional 5%. Flat rate shipping will set you behind $8.49. It’s definitely not cheap, but other energy drinks are expensive too. If you’re looking for a fruity low calorie caffeinated drink, G Fuel Rapid Fire has got you covered.

Thank you Disney for sending us a digital review code! Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania begins with a flashback of Janet Van Dyne during her thirty-year stay in the quantum realm. During this time, she made a lot of friends and some powerful enemies. After her rescue (in Ant-Man and the Wasp) she has kept quiet about the inhabitants in the Quantum Realm. As the film goes on you’ll learn more about her mysterious past. Since the previous film, Hope Van Dyne (Wasp) has been keeping busy with business and philanthropy endeavors. Scott Lang (Ant-Man) has been doing well for himself. He has a bestselling book and everyone in town knows his name and wants selfies with him. Or at least with their dog. His daughter, Cassie, has been in and out of jail due to political protests. She has also been using the shrinking technology Dr. Hank Pym invented. Hank Pym and Cassie have been working together and she has invented a device that can communicate with the Quantum Realm. Since the communication is bidirectional, the enemies that Janet made are able to lock in on their location and pull the entire family into the Quantum Realm. Not surprisingly, the family gets split up which gives Scott and Cassie father/daughter bonding time. The other group consists of Hank Pym, Hope, and Janet. This group gets to learn about Janet’s past. When someone is gone for thirty years, new romantic relationships are in the realm of possibilities and that’s the case between Hank and Janet. Despite their previous transgressions, they still love each other. Other than digging up past relationships, you’ll get to hear some language (*ss, d*mn) and the Lord’s name used in vain. Throughout this two hour adventure you’ll see lots of eye candy as the Quantum Realm is a beautiful place with plenty of mysterious creatures. Not all of them are friendly! There are lots of battles with some blood and death scenes. On the flipside, there’s a good amount of humor to keep things generally upbeat. If you enjoyed the previous Ant-Man movies, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is worth watching. From the looks of the after credits scenes, the villain will be back in future Marvel movies.

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you Pure Noise Records for sending us this digital album to review! As a gamer I appreciate Final Fantasy soundtracks and I love the metal remakes that The Black Mages/Earthbound Papas gave them. Galactic Empire Special Edition does a metal makeover on Star Wars music. I love how it begins with the 20th Century Fox Fanfare theme that’s in the beginning of many movies that are near and dear to our hearts. The next song is the main Star Wars theme mixed with Revenge of the Sith. It’s the longest track at seven and a half minutes and makes you want to play air guitar along with it. The Imperial Suite isn’t as familiar to me, but still entertains for two and a half minutes. Dark Side Assault gives me boss music vibes, and as my kids would say, it slaps. Sadly, I have not seen The Mandalorian, but those that have may recognize the fifth track. I can’t vouch for its accuracy, but it sounds pretty good and makes me regret not seeing it yet even more. Obi Wan Kenobi has his own metalized music compilation too. Since this didn't sound familiar to me, I'm assuming it's based off of the TV series. Star Wars: The Bad Batch is another show that I haven’t seen. I’m not familiar with its theme, but the metal rendition is good. It should come as no surprise that I haven’t seen The Book of Boba Fett either, but the theme song rocks and is one of my favorites on this album. I like the background "Hey!" vocals. The Battle of Hoth is from The Empire Strikes Back and sounds good with the metal treatment. The final song, Victory Celebration, is a good ending song and is more cheerful than the previous track. I'm not sure the origins of this song, but its decent. Galactic Empire Special Edition is available on BandCamp for $7, or you can purchase tracks individually for $1 apiece. The audio tracks are available in many formats, including MP3, FLAC, and more. I was sent WAV files and I converted them to FLAC to save space and also to MP3 so my 2012 car stereo can play it. They all sound great! A few of the tracks are available to listen to ahead of time. If you're like me and have only watched the movies, many of these songs may be over your head. Just because they're not recognizable doesn't reduce their quality in any way. I just think that people who watched the TV shows may enjoy this album more. Fans of heavy metal and Star Wars should check this album out!

 

Thank you Scarlet Moon for sending us this digital album to review!

Mario Mixtape by Mustin Enterprises is a father and son collaboration that only took 88 days to make. They reached their goal of releasing this album before The Super Mario Bros Movie. This is my first time hearing Mustin’s work, and I must say that I’m impressed. Though I’ve only played the NES and SNES Mario games, I’ve heard my husband and son play the others, so I’m familiar with the rest.

In total, there are twelve tracks that’ll keep you entertained for close to half an hour. Here’s a breakdown of the tracks:

New Super Mario Bros. - Ground BGM 02:17
Super Mario Sunshine - Delfino Plaza 02:22
Super Mario Galaxy - Attack of the Airships 02:43
Super Mario World - Game Over 02:18
Super Smash Bros. Melee - All-Star Rest Area 02:29
Super Mario Bros. - Underground BGM 02:32
Super Mario 64 - Piranha Plant's Lullaby 02:27
Dr. Mario - Dire, Dire Docs 01:19
Super Smash Bros. Melee - Menu 01:56
Super Mario Galaxy - To the Gate 02:58
Super Mario Bros. 3 - Athletic Theme 02:05
Super Mario 64 - Dire, Dire Docks 02:51

As you can see, there’s a good representation of the various Mario games here. Even though the Attack of the Airships is from Super Mario Galaxy, I picked up on the Super Mario Bros. 3 Airship song similarities. That’s not the only mashup. I enjoyed the Dr. Mario and Dire, Dire Docs mix too.

Most of the songs like All Star Arena, Piranha Plant’s Lullaby, and Underground BGM are smooth and easy listening while To the Gate and the Super Mario Bros. 3 Athletic Theme have a more electronic feel to them. Delfino Plaza has an upbeat ska vibe.

Overall, I enjoyed the whole album and don’t have any particular favorites or disliked songs. If you enjoy relaxing Mario-themed music, Mario Mixtape is worth checking out. You can give it a listen on BandCamp and buy the digital album's FLAC or MP3 files for $9.99. The tracks can be purchased individually for $.99 apiece.  The physical version of the CD will be available on April 20th.  I look forward to more father and son collaborations!

Goat Guns AR-15 Model Gun
Developed by: Goat Guns
Release date: 2017
MSRP: $39.99

Strong points: 1:3 scale; diecast metal; nicely detailed
Weak points: A little pricey; assembly took longer than advertised

Thank you Goat Guns for sending us a review sample!

My home state of Illinois has banned assault weapons this year. Granted, there are some appeals in place, but at the moment, the only legal way to get an AR-15 shipped to my house is in a 1:3 scale diecast model format.

This model is nicknamed “Charky” and measures 11.5” long and weighs 12oz. The website claims it takes five minutes to assemble, but it took me closer to 15. If I disassembled it and reassembled it a few times, I would get faster at it no doubt. I don’t think I’ll be able to beat their record holder’s 21 seconds though!

If you’re struggling through the assembly, there are detailed instructions and a how to video available. I was stubborn and just stuck with the instructions. There are seven steps and the first one involving the hard-guards took me the longest. With the pressure needed to slide these parts in place, I’m thankful for this model being made out of metal!

Once the gun is completed, you can mount it on the included stand. Many hobbyists paint their models to make them look more rugged or used. There are some how-to videos on their website. I was surprised to find accessories available for these models. If desired, you can purchase a gun rack, slings, and dummy rounds. Other forms of merch including mugs and t-shirts are available for order too.

The price is a little steep at $39.99, however, If you subscribe to their mailing list, you can get a 10% off coupon code. I can’t deny the quality and attention to detail. I have gotten many compliments on my completed gun. Goat Gun models make an ideal gift for gun aficionados.

Thank you Paramount for sending us this Blu-ray to review!

Star Trek: Prodigy is a new CGI animated series that is catered to a younger audience. Fans of the earlier shows will recognize cameos from the original and Next Generation series. Star Trek: Prodigy’s ragtag crew has a couple of younger members, including an eight year old and a seventeen year old. The self-appointed captain, Dal, seems to be a teenager, but it’s hard to know for certain with aliens, especially blob ones like Merf.

This series takes place on a mining planet called Tars Lamora where the captives there mine valuable ore for the Diviner, who runs the prison colony. The miners have different languages, and for the most part, are unable to speak to one another. The Diviner has a seventeen-year-old daughter named Gwyn, who can speak many languages and is able to converse with the captives. She feels bad for the child laborers, but is powerless to do anything about it.

There’s a fugitive alien named Zero that the Diviner is wanting tracked down. Zero eventually makes contact with Dal, a prisoner constantly coming up with new ways to escape this prison colony. Gywn wants Dal to lead her to Zero, but instead they all find themselves on an abandoned starship, the USS Protostar. The crew manages to leave the planet, but the Diviner is constantly following them, as he has plans for that ship.

With the help of a hologram form of Kathryn Janeway, the crew departs far into the galaxy to forge their own destiny. Trouble seems to follow this crew with every ship and planetary interaction they make. However, they learn from their mistakes and grow as a team as a result. There are some hard lessons learned about trust and betrayal. Never giving up hope is a popular theme throughout the show.

Other than the first episode, most of them run a little over twenty minutes apiece. I must admit that this series was better than I expected. Other than cartoon violence, there's not much to worry about on the moral front. I look forward to watching future episodes! This series can be yours for under $20 on Blu-ray.

 

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you tomtoc for sending us two review samples!

I like to protect my gaming gear and I’ve been using tomtoc’s Urban Sling Bag despite it not being designed specifically for the Switch. Not only is the Urban Sling Bag spacious, it’s quite sturdy as well.

The tomtoc Slim Switch Carrying Case is indeed slim. If you’re hoping to have room for ear buds, USB cables and charger, you’ll want to look elsewhere. This case will only hold your original or OLED Switch and ten of your favorite game cartridges.

There are many color options available, including some neat gradient offerings. There are thirteen different options on the Amazon page, including solid colors and camouflage. I would think twice about bringing a camouflage carrying case on a hiking or camping trip! We were sent the Cherry Blossom and Sky Blue models to review. Both of these models have nice gradient color transitions.

tomtoc is known for their military-grade protection and these carrying cases live up to those standards with their water-repellent EVA hard material. Their store page states that Switches in these cases survived military-standard drop tests. I’ll take their word for it.

Not only does tomtoc offer a 12-month warranty, they also have a 30-day money back guarantee. They want you to be happy with your purchase and to take comfort in knowing that you have your product covered.

Along with a Switch case, I highly recommend applying a screen protector (sold separately). The $29.99 asking price is a bit steep compared to other cases available, but there’s a 10% off coupon available on Amazon at the time of this review.

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you Honeydew Sleep Company for providing us with a body pillow and case to review! 

The Honeydew Sleep Company was founded in 2017 but has roots dating back to 1987.  They offer five different pillow types and accessories like covers and additional filling material for you to customize their pillows to your liking.  

The body pillow is currently on sale with a 25% off discount, which comes to $149.99 with free nationwide shipping, and a 60-night money-back guarantee.  Honeydew Sleep Company stands behind their products with a three-year warranty that covers any defects in materials and workmanship.  

Here’s our 2022 Christmas buying guide! Below are our favorite gadgets and family appropriate titles we have played throughout the year. More reviews can be found on ChristCenteredGamer.com! Each game is given a gameplay score for the overall gaming experience and a moral score for how suitable it is for younger gamers. The Amazon and Humble Store links will benefit Christ Centered Gamer by giving us a small % of the sale.

Platform	Title	Game Score	Moral Score	Buy it!
PC	Crossing Guard Joe	88%	98%	Steam
macOS, PS4, PS5, Switch, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S	Disney Dreamlight Valley	88%	86%	Humble Store
Atari VCS, Linux, macOS, PS4, PS5, Switch, Windows, Xbox One/Series	Gravitar: Recharged	86%	98%	Steam
Switch	Kirby and the Forgotten Land	88%	90%	Amazon
Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X	Paw Patrol: Grand Prix	86%	98%	Steam
Steam	Splatoon 3	92%	87%	Amazon
PC	Super Dungeon Maker	88%	96%	Steam
VR	Synth Riders Lindsey Stirling Music Pack	86%	100%	Steam
PC	The New Chronicles of Noah's Ark	86%	100%	Steam
Switch	Ultra Mega Xtra Party Challenge	86%	86%	Amazon
PS4, Stadia, Switch, Windows, Xbox One	Windjammers 2	88%	91%	Steam
Atari VCS, Linux, macOS, PlayStation 4/5, Switch, Windows, Xbox One/Series	Yars Recharged	88%	98%	Steam
Audio	Encuentro De Sangre – A Metal Tribute to Castlevania	N/A	N/A	Bandcamp
PC	FiFine K658 RGB USB Gaming Microphone	N/A	N/A	Amazon
Android	Gamevice Flex Mobile Gaming Controller	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PS4, PS5, PC, Switch	JBL Quantum 610 Wireless Gaming Headset	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC	Maono AU-HD300T USB/XLR Microphone	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC	Neat King Bee II Cardioid Solid State Condenser Microphone	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC	ROCCAT Burst Pro Air Wireless Gaming Mouse	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC	ROCCAT Kone XP Wired Gaming Mouse	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC	ROCCAT Vulcan II Max Optical RGB Gaming Keyboard	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S	Turtle Beach React-R Controller	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC, PS4,PS5,Switch, Xbox One/Series X|S	Turtle Beach Stealth 600 Gen 2 MAX Wireless Gaming Headset	N/A	N/A	Amazon
PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S	Turtle Beach VelocityOne Flight Universal Control System	N/A	N/A	Amazon

 

Thank you Scarlet Moon for sending us a digital album to review!

The genre Metroidvania is combination of Metroid and Castlevania which revolutionized platformer games.  Growing up, I played more Castlevania games than Metroid and most of my time in the series was spent in Castlevania III.  Upon hearing about a metal tribute album featuring songs from the first three Catlevania games, my interest was piqued.  I was sold on checking out the album upon funding out that Ferdk was one of the performers.  I really enjoyed his rendition of NieR: Automata and Undertale songs.  

Along with Ferdk, other collaborators (that I now admire) include Pokérus Project. ThePlasmas, and Thennecan.  Each group/artist contributes three songs to this tribute album.  All of the songs are exceptionally done and there are no weak links here. Each game is equally represented with four songs apiece.

This product was sent to us through Amazon Vine and since our account was restricted from reviewing it on their platform, It’s now here for your reading pleasure!

In a household with multiple Steam Decks, I like to have mine stand out from the rest. Aside from a custom boot video, I thought a body and screen protector would be nice to have, especially with my cat who has been known to knock laptops off tables.

For less than $22 on Amazon, you can get the Narati Steam Deck Protection kit which includes:

1 Protective Case
1 Screen Protector
6 x Stickers
2 x Dust Filter Covers
4 x Dust Filter Plugs
4 x JoystickThumb Grips

Installation is pretty straightforward. You only get 1 screen protector, so make sure you have it perfectly aligned and not 1mm off like I did in my unboxing video! My second attempt was perfect. I highly recommend ordering a backup screen protector for this reason or for future cracks. The headphone jack and USB-C dust covers are a nice touch, but are easy to lose and some may deem them not worth the hassle.

The rear button stickers look and feel nice, however, I had to scrap the touchpad stickers as they did not properly detach from the adhesive paper. That’s my only complaint with this kit.

I like the bigger joystick grips though some may prefer Valve’s original configuration here. Since these will eventually wear out, the extra set will come in handy. I also installed the wire mesh filter covers around the air intakes to reduce crumbs or dust from getting into my Steam Deck.

The external grip is easy to install and very comfortable to use. I’m happy to report that my Steam Deck still fits in its original carrying case with the protective case on.

If you’re looking to protect your gaming investment at a low cost, this Narati Steam Deck Protection Kit is definitely worth checking out. I hope you have better luck with the sticker installation than I did.

This product was sent to us through Amazon Vine and since our account was restricted from reviewing it on their platform, it’s now here for your reading pleasure!  

Adults and children can benefit from protecting their Switch from drops, dings, and general wear and tear.  I was disappointed that this protective kit did not include a screen protector.  I would highly recommend purchasing a screen protector along with this case for all-around protection.

One of the biggest benefits of this protective case is how it makes holding the Switch much more comfortable with the bulkier controller grips.  Before I had this case, I was using third party controllers that have a similar shape and lack the drifting defect that plagues the Nintendo branded controllers.  Although it’s a tight fit, my Lizard Skinned controllers do fit in this case.  

This product was sent to us through Amazon Vine and since our account was restricted from reviewing it on their platform, it’s now here for your reading pleasure! 

I’ve had the pleasure of playing many Sonic games growing up and have shown them to my kids along with the movies. Unsurprisingly, they’re fans of the series. Sonic is a likeable character and my son does a pretty good voice impersonation of him. I ordered this light with him in mind.

This night light can be powered by 3 AA batteries or with the included micro USB cable. A 5V AC adapter is not included. What you will find is the base, 3 interchangeable 2D Sonic see-through poses, and a remote control to configure the base’s color scheme.

You can hard lock the color to various shades of red, green, blue, white, and mixtures in between. In total, there are sixteen color options. By default, the colors will rotate automatically. You can adjust the brightness and animation type to flash, strobe, fade, and smooth.

The three Sonic poses have him running, giving a thumbs up, or in a fighting stance wielding a sword. You’ll have to peel off a protective wrapper before inserting the pose of your choice into the base.

Overall, this is a nice looking light that works well on a computer desk. My teenage son is a bit old for a nightlight, but he does like using this as a decoration on his desk. The asking price of under $20 is reasonable. Any Sonic fans looking to spruce up their room or gaming environment should check this lamp out!

This product was sent to us through Amazon Vine and since our account was restricted from reviewing it on their platform, it’s now here for your reading pleasure!

Our previous comforter set has served us well for a few years and the brown ribbon lining on it has been coming off more and more as of late.  Given that our cats and dog often rest on it throughout the day and usually at night, it still smelled like animals, despite washing it multiple times in a row.  Long story short, it was time for a new one!

We recently moved and many of the walls in our house are grey.  I thought that this grey and white comforter set would blend in nicely with our grey walls, dark bed frame, and white trim.   Overall, I’m pleased with how this comforter looks in our room.

This product was sent to us through Amazon Vine and since our account was restricted from reviewing it on their platform, it’s now here for your reading pleasure! 

I’ve been using a Vivofit 2 for several years and it finally gave up the ghost. My daughter had a Vivofit 4 that suffered from an expanding battery that has a risk of exploding. With those two issues happening simultaneously in my household, I thought it was an appropriate time to try a different brand. For under $40, the Hongmed Smart Watch looks like a good deal. At the time of writing this review, you can save an extra $4 by applying a 10% off coupon on Amazon.

Like many electronics, you should fully charge the watch before using it. I was surprised to find that the watch straps are not factory installed so set aside a couple of minutes to do that. Once the watch is charged and fully assembled, it’s time to download the free app and configure it.

The app has four tabs with the first one displaying the steps, distance, and calories burned. You can customize your daily step goal; I try to do at least 10,000 steps a day. A strange quirk with this tab is that your goal will display zero if you have already exceeded it. However, if you swipe down on your phone, it will display the complete stats.

The second tab in the app will show you the quality of your sleep. Not only will it show you how long you slept, but how much of it was deep versus light sleep. The health tab will trigger the watch to calculate your heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature on command. From the watch interface, you can retrieve your heart rate and temperature, but not your blood pressure.

The fourth tab lets you track various exercises using your phone’s GPS tracking. You can track walking, running, cycling, climbing, and swimming this way. On the bottom of the app, you’ll find a device icon which will enable you to customize your notifications, alarms, and reminders. You can also download different watch face designs or upload your own from here. The watch face marketplace is slow, but functional. After a couple of tries, I was able to set a background picture of my smiling bearded dragon as my watch’s wallpaper. If you grant the app enough permissions you can take remote selfies with it.

From the watch I can control my music player and see the weather. Unfortunately, the weather is displayed in Celsius, which I am not used to. You can turn the watch into a makeshift flashlight or use it to help you locate your misplaced phone.

This watch is IP67 waterproof which withstands rain just fine. Out of habit, I have worn it into the shower a couple of times and it survived the process. The battery lasts over a week on a single charge, so I’m happy with its performance.

All in all, this is an excellent watch for the money. It has many great features and the reminders to move and drink water regularly help me to live a healthier lifestyle. I have few years to go before I need to enable the medicine reminders!

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you Universal Studios for sending us this Blu-ray to review! Minions: The Rise of Gru is a prequel that gives you a little bit of insight into Gru’s childhood in the 70s. At the tender age of eleven and three quarters, his role models were a group of villains called the Vicious 6. After betraying their leader, Wild Knuckles, they had an open position. Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) applied for it and earned an opportunity to interview with them. At this point in time, Gru lives with his mother who sells Tupperware on the side. The minions are living in the basement of the house working on Gru’s evil lair. The minions are supportive of Gru’s interview with his heroes until they realize that they’re not invited to go with him on it. That doesn’t stop a few of them from tailing him on the way there. The Vicious 6’s headquarters is at a record store that’s run by a tinkerer (voiced by Russell Brand) who gives Gru his first gadget. The Vicious 6 didn’t expect Gru to be a child and dismissed him right away. They told him to come back when he impressed them. Taking that as a challenge, Gru manages to steal their prized zodiac medallion with the help of the new gadget and the minions. The Vicious 6 gives chase and on the way back to Gru’s lair, the medallion is traded for a pet rock. The rest of the movie revolves around Gru, the Vicious 6, and Wild Knuckles all seeking the misplaced zodiac medallion. Along the way, Gru makes a new friend and some of the minions learn Kung Fu. Like the previous minion movies, there’s a lot of slapstick humor that’s bound to make you chuckle. I also enjoyed the two short films on the Blu-ray. My favorite of the two was the Dungeons and Dragons based one called Minions and Monsters. For the most part, this film is family-friendly. You will be exposed to seeing some minion rear ends and plenty of cartoon violence. The voice acting is superb (I love the Minion gibberish) and I liked how the crustacean-themed villain Jean-Clawed, is voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme. The nun villain, Nun-Chuck cracked me up as you don’t expect to see nuns as the “bad guys”. If you enjoyed the previous Minion movies, this one is definitely worth checking out. The Blu-ray sells for less than $25 on Amazon and it supports Dolby Atmos audio.

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you Roadside Attractions for sending us a screener of this film to review!

Gigi & Nate is based off of the true story of Ned Sullivan and his capuchin monkey service animal. The film begins with Gigi the capuchin monkey being rescued from a poorly maintained petting zoo that looks like a run-down travelling circus. The group that rescues Gigi trains her to be a service animal.

Meanwhile, Nate is living it up as a teenager in North Carolina and he completes a dare to dive from a high waterfall ledge. Little does he know that this dive will give him meningitis, which only has a 20% survival rate. Thankfully, Nate survives but is wheelchair bound and in pain. His parents have to sell the North Carolina property and move to Tennessee to build him wheelchair accessible accommodations and hire a caregiver and a physical therapist.

Nate is very depressed and is not making much progress with his physical therapy. His mom looks into service animals and introduces the family to Gigi. Not everyone is onboard with the idea of having a monkey in the house. (Especially their dog!)

It takes Gigi a while to be comfortable enough with Nate to help him with his therapy. The family almost returned her! When Gigi starts helping Nate, she really makes a difference with his mental health and physical dexterity. She helps Nate with reading books by turning the pages for him and Gigi also helps him with grocery shopping. That’s when Gigi gets the attention of an animal rights activist who pushes for banning capuchin monkeys as service animals. The family and town will have to fight to keep Nate and Gigi together.

I’ll leave the rest of the details as a surprise since I don’t want to spoil this heartwarming film. There are some appropriateness issues worth noting before showing this film to younger kids. Some mild language (hell and sh*t) is present. Nate and Gigi attend a college party which starts trending on social media as both of them consume alcohol there.

If you’re looking for a comedy film, Gigi & Nate isn’t it. However, it is a touching story that shows that it’s not always humans rescuing animals, but it’s sometimes the other way around. The actors do a great job and the picture quality is great. I highly recommend this film if you don’t mind the language and alcohol usage.

Thank you Paramount for sending us a digital copy of this move to review!

I’m a long time fan of Mel Brooks and I haven’t seen his name in recent movies until Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Not only does Mel Brooks lend his voice to The Shogun, but he contributed to the screenplay. There are some similarities between this computer-animated film and his classic: Blazing Saddles. And yes, there’s a hilarious bean and fire scene in Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.

The film begins with a high-ranking official, Ika Chu (voiced by Ricky Gervais), anticipating a visit from The Shogun. In order to impress The Shogun, he wants his palace to be immaculate and doesn’t like the “eye sore” village of Kakamucho ruining the view of the landscape. Wiping this village off of the map isn’t easy and this town is known for being under the protection of a powerful samurai.

Kakamucho’s samurai eventually turns tail and leaves the town to be raided by Ika Chu’s thugs. The town reaches out to The Shogun to send a replacement and he tasks Iku Chu to supply a replacement. Ika Chu has to obey the order despite not wanting to aid the town. To fulfil the order and cripple the town, Ika Chu has the brilliant idea of sending a canine prisoner, Hank (voiced by Michael Cera), who is about to be executed to the all feline town of Kakamucho as their Samurai.

Hank wants to be a samurai, but lacks the training. Fortunately, there’s a retired Samurai, Jimbo (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson), in Kakamucho who begrudgingly begins training him. Throughout the training, you’ll see some humor and multiple instances of breaking the fourth wall. While Hank is training, Iku Chu is planning more attacks on the town before The Shogun arrives. Iku Chu’s personal guard, Ohga, is voice by George Takei and you’ll hear his signature phrase ‘Oh my!” used multiple times in this film. While there is no swearing, Samuel L. Jackson’s character utters the phrase “what the mother-father cocker spaniel is going on here?” Violence is a given and there are many cartoon-like battles throughout the film. Even though you’ll see an arrow going through a character’s hand, no blood is shown.

My family enjoyed watching Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank together, though we’re not in a rush to watch it again. We had some laughs, but it’s not anywhere near the caliber of Blazing Saddles.

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Thank you Paramount for sending us this Blu-Ray to review!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 picks up after the first movie with Doctor Eggman trying to make the best of living on a distant planet filled with various mushrooms. He unsuccessfully tries to make a mushroom-infused coffee while contemplating on ways to leave the planet and getting revenge on Sonic. With the help of one of Sonic’s quills, Doctor Eggman is able to generate power and send an SOS beacon which gets the attention of Knuckles, who is also trying to locate Sonic. Knuckles is under the impression that Sonic knows the location of a powerful emerald that grants the wishes of its owner.

Meanwhile, Sonic is still living with the Wachowskis who treat him like a son. In the middle of the night, Sonic moonlights as a superhero, but often leaves chaos and disorder after his attempts at justice. After Sonic’s latest justice attempt makes the front page of the morning paper, Tom Wachowski and Sonic have a man-to-man talk about growing into their roles and not diving in prematurely. Shortly after this conversation, the Wachowskis head to Hawaii for a wedding.

Sonic enjoys having the house to himself, but it’s not long before he has unexpected company. Tails locates Sonic and warns him that Knuckles and Eggman are looking for him. Upon meeting Knuckles, Sonic and Tails realize that their brains and speed are no match for his strength. A tactical retreat is necessary so they can form a battle plan to have a chance against Knuckles and Doctor Eggman’s minions.

Doctor Eggman has a loyal lackey, Agent Stone, who runs a café shop. Agent Stone is either obsessed or in love with Eggman as he often makes latte art of Dr. Robitnik in his customers drinks. When Eggman comes in town, he sets up his headquarters at Agent Stone’s coffee shop. Chaos shortly ensues, but I’ll leave the rest of those details out so I don’t spoil this movie for you.

Other than Agent Stone’s fascination with Doctor Eggman, there are some other moral issues to be addressed in this PG-rated film. Slapstick violence is commonplace and you’ll see people beat up, blown up, and crushed, but no blood or death is shown. Language has some near misses for the sake of humor. In the beginning of the movie as Doctor Eggman is leaving the mushroom planet, he says that he’s leaving the Shiitake planet. Last but not least, lying and deception is shown by multiple characters.

If you enjoyed the first Sonic film, this sequel is definitely worth checking out. If you haven’t seen the first movie, I strongly suggest watching that before this one. A third movie is hinted at and has a target release date of December 2024. I look forward to the latest installment. In the meantime, this Blu-Ray (with Dolby Atmos support) can be yours for under $23 on Amazon.

(Amazon Affiliate Link)