Thank you Sunshine Sachs for sending us a DVD screener of this film!

Thanks to his girlfriend of five years, Damon Gameau has been eating a healthy diet with very little sugar in it. With a baby on the way he wants to see firsthand what impact seemingly healthy foods would have on his trim body. His goal is to eat the national average of forty-four teaspoons of sugar a day for two months and to record the negative changes his body goes through as a result. Instead of indulging on known sugary food like candy and ice cream, his new diet will include food with hidden forms of sugars in food such such as yogurt, granola, and fruit juices. 

To document his journey, Damon enlists the help of several doctors and a nutritionalist. While they monitor his calorie intake and the deterioration of his liver, Damon still exercises as he did before this experiment. Not surprisingly Damon started to develop fatty liver disease, mood swings, and loss of energy throughout this documentary. His abdomen and rear end grew in size as well.

That Sugar Film is not just about Damon - he travels across Australia and to the United states to interview Aborigines and other people impacted by sugary sodas like Mountain Dew. Soda addiction has put many Aborigines in the grave or on dialysis and there was a seventeen year old in the US with such badly rotten teeth that he needed to have them pulled and get dentures. The dental procedure is a little graphic and there are some images of naked Aborigines. 

Other than those scenes, there are some light hearted skits and silly songs featuring famous actors like Stephen Fry and Hugh Jackman. Most of the film is as serious as the issue at hand. People have to learn to read the labels on all of their food items; many foods look innocent, but contain the daily suggested amount of sugar by themselves! After seeing That Sugar Film and Fed Up, our family has been paying closer attention to how much sugar is in the food we are eating and have eliminated sugary cereals from our pantry. Thankfully we have never been big soda drinkers, but we have been fooled by seemingly healthy food. I highly recommend watching this movie, and if you don't please pay more attention to the amount of sugar (in all of its forms) in the foods you are eating.

Thank you Destination America for sending us a screener of the first episode!

People often ponder what happens after we die.  Do the lights simply fade out, or is there more to it than that?  The Bible says that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He who believes in him, though he may die, he shall live. (John 11:25)  The team of Project Afterlife set out to talk to various people who have clinically died and have miraculously come back.  Their stories thus far indicate that there is indeed more to come after we die.  Are you ready for that day?

Each of the six-part series will look at two extraordinary cases.  The team consists of an investigative filmmaker, a paramedic, an ordained minister, and a retired state trooper.   A camera man and another teammate (who has some expertise on the case at hand) will interrogate the resurrected person and those involved with their death and resuscitation.    

The first episode has a case about a non-believer in his fifties that had a massive heart attack and died at a hospital shortly after his arrival.  He was pronounced dead and was unresponsive for forty minutes.  Despite all of the doctors' efforts, they cleared the room with the exception of one nurse.  The doctor in charge left the room and was audibly told to pray for the man and to try reviving him again.  The doctor obeyed after being told twice by this voice in his head (whom he believed to be the Lord's).  Even though his actions were questioned by the nurse and another doctor who entered the room, he prayed for the deceased man and shocked him one more time.  After putting his reputation and possible career on the line, the once dead man came back to life despite his body darkening after the massive heart attack he suffered.   

While that man was not a believer at his death, this experience changed his views and he lives a completely different life now as a result.   The doctor who obeyed and saved him was greatly impacted by this experience as well.  I won't go into too much more detail as this show is worth seeing firsthand.

Thank you Jones & O'Malley for sending us this CD to review!

Donna Allen has been making R&B music since the eighties and released a couple of CDs, "Perfect Timing" in 1986 and "Heaven on Earth" in 1988.  She released some singles in the '90s and her song "He is the Joy" appeared on the Precious soundtrack.  In 2010 she released the single "He's Got the Power" which is the final track in her latest CD: I'm Your Bride.

Those who watch the show, The Voice, may have seen her singing "You Are So Beautiful" and blowing away Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera.  

After seeing her performance, there's no denying that she has a powerful and great voice.  It's even more inspiring that she uses it to glorify God in her latest album.

Thank you Falco Ink for sending us this blu-ray to review!

Brother's Keeper tells the compelling story of identical twins, Andy and Pete Goodwyn who tragically lost their parents at a young age.  As a result, they rely on each other and go in completely opposite directions with their lives.  With their high school graduation drawing near, Pete is planning for his future by making arrangements to marry his girlfriend and attending a seminary to become a preacher.  His brother on the other hand, has no plans other than picking fights with those that look at him the wrong way.  

Both of their lives are forever changed when Pete is framed for a murder that he did not commit.  To complicate matters further, the town's police and witnesses are bribed to pursue the death penalty for Pete.  As a devout Christian, Pete's faith is greatly challenged as his situation is getting more and more dire.

Though he doesn't notice it right away, Pete does make a positive impact on the people he interacts with in prison.  Not to mention the transformation that his brother, Andy goes through.  Pete does have his dark moments and a fellow believing inmate (played by Travis Tritt), offers him some solid and Biblical advice.  

Thank you DreamWorks for sending us screener episodes!

Turbo the movie came out in 2013 and my kids really liked it.  The Wii U videogame that followed was a dud though.  Fortunately, the animated series that premiered later that year does a lot of things right. Including the rap intro song!  

My kids enjoyed some of the episodes available in Netflix's new and exclusive season that includes thirteen shows.    The two episodes we watched were Home On Our Own and the Sting of Injustice.  In Home On Our Own, most of the snails are away for a seminar while Skidmark and White Shadow stay behind to catch up on their favorite show, Gossip Snail, on SnailFlix.  While they're binging, their place is getting broken in by a couple of crabs attempting to rob them.  Fortunately, their attempts are thwarted and the snails get to find out the identity of Gossip Snail in a humorous fashion.        

As funny as Home on Our Own was, we enjoyed The Sting of Injustice more.  In this episode a superhero hornet moves into town and recruits Turbo as his side kick.  At first their intentions were good as they got the price lowered for theater popcorn.  While the townspeople didn't mind cheaper popcorn, they did not enjoy getting ticketed for silly offenses like exceeding the speed limit at a race track. Turbo and his friends have to work together and find a way to get rid of an unwanted  and over-reacting super hero.  

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

Unlike previous seasons, the disc set for season five has twice the number of episodes in it. There are fifty-two action packed and wacky episodes in this collection.  There are shows about love, breaking up, getting married and becoming parents.  This season has it all!

Even though Jake and Rainicorn become parents in this season, they are not the ones getting married.  That honor goes to Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig and it's officiated by the king of Ooo.  Princess Bubblegum doesn't like this impostor king and nearly ruins the wedding trying to discredit him.  

Finn still has feelings for Princess Bubblegum and tries to woo her after his relationship with the Flame Princess goes cold.  Speaking of cold, the Ice King makes many appearances this season as he is living with Finn and Jake since they destroyed his ice castle in the previous season.  There are many flash backs regarding him and his attempts at raising Marceline and keeping his sanity while wielding the power of his crown.  True to his corrupted self, he still kidnaps princesses and tries to get them to marry him.  *spoiler alert* When those attempts fail, he marries his foot instead. /*spoiler alert*

Thank you Falco Ink for sending us this DVD to review!

Any Day is the story of a boxer named Vian (Sean Bean), who was recently released from prison after serving twelve years for killing a man with his bare hands.  Now that he is free, he must find a place to live and a job to get back on his feet.  His sister, who is a single mom, lets him stay in her garage for a couple of weeks as long as he stays sober.  Her son Jimmy bonds with Vian instantly and appreciates his staying there since he does not have any friends or a father to talk to.

Finding work is difficult for Vian since most places don't want to hire an ex-convict.   Vian does eventually find work at a pizzeria that many school kids hang out at. His boss (Tom Arnold) is a recovering alcoholic that instantly trusts Vian enough to offer him a partnership opportunity if he can come up with $15,000.  

Since Vian doesn't have $15,000, a house, or a car of his own, the partnership opportunity seems unlikely unless a miracle happens.  God is brought up several times and it seems that everyone is a Christian with the exception of Vian.  Even though God is clearly at work in his life, Vian doesn't acknowledge his handiwork.  

Thank you Bohlsen Group for sending us this book to review!

John Hayden is a Christian certified fitness trainer that uses his skills to train others to stay fit and glorify God.  The goal of Godfit is to challenge believers to be both spiritually and physically well.  If believers stay healthy, they can live and serve others longer.  This 117 page book is broken down into a six week program that has both exercise routines and devotional questions.

Before you begin, you should make sure you have the required equipment including dumbbells, kettlebells, and a Bible.  The book also recommends using a photo of yourself for inspiration.  There's a core strength assessment that is highly recommended to complete in order to gauge your fitness level.   There is a spiritual questionnaire to evaluate your religious life as well.

Each workout is between twenty and thirty minutes long.  There are various warm-up and cool down routines to choose from.  If you're unsure of how to do an exercise, there are video examples on http://www.godfit.com.  The videos are password protected but the password is in the book (page 5).

Thank you Sunshine Sachs for sending us a screener of this movie to review!

Call Me Lucky is a film directed by Bobcat Goldthwait who was inspired by Barry Crimmins in many ways.  Barry used to go by the nickname "Bear Cat" to which Bobcat Goldthwait followed suit.  Besides helping Bobcat stay sober, Barry has helped launch many successful comedians in his Boston area comedy clubs.  Some of the comedians he worked with include Kevin Meany, Steven Wright, Dennis Leary, Steve Sweeney,  Paula Poundstone, Jimmy Tingle and many more. 

Barry was known for being a political satirist in the '70s and '80s and he didn't hold back in bashing our government and the Catholic church.  Since the pope has joined twitter, Barry has tweeted him daily asking to be excommunicated.  Barry holds an understandable grudge against the church because he was abused by both a family friend and by a priest as a young boy.

While Barry vented on stage and cursed often, he had a gentler side that helped give a voice to those who needed to be heard.  He visited wounded children in Nicaragua during Reagan's term and he helped the government and AOL toughen their policies and prosecute pedophiles when the interest was in its infancy stages.  Thanks to his efforts  thousands of pedophiles have been arrested.

Thank you Click Communications for sending us a DVD to review!

After a wonderful summer together, Brady and Mack (Mackenzie) are heading back to school together.  Even though they're celebrating their three month "meetaversary", their relationship is about to be seriously tested as they discover that they are complete opposites when it comes to their academic studies.    

Mack has her future planned out with wanting to become a marine biologist.  She already knows which college she wants to go to while Brady doesn't even know what he's going to have for dinner at night.  Even though biology isn't Brady's strongest subject, he's not stupid.  In fact, he's designing many great surfboards.  The problem is that he's lost his confidence and doesn't want to share his passion with his girlfriend for fear of being rejected.  

Other guys are taking notice of Mackenzie and Brady is getting jealous of the attention she is getting.  Between the jealousy and the secrets, Mack is wanting some time away from Brady.  Back in Brady's favorite '60s movie, Wet Side Story (a surfers versus bikers rendition of West Side Story), the main characters Lela and Tanner are sensing some trouble between Mack and Brady and come to the future (our present day) to save them. 

Thank you Entertainment One for sending us a screener of this movie to review!

An over protective nestrian father  is on the move again after his son, Finny, had just settled in and started making friends.   Finny isn't happy about the change, but this time it can't be avoided since the global flood is coming and they have to head towards the ark.  Once they arrive at the ark, the nestrians run into a setback as they are not on Noah's list of animals to bring along.  Perhaps it has something to do with their fictitious species?   Another unique species called grimps, did make the cut though.  The father and son disguise themselves as grimps and stow away on the ark.  The female grimp isn't happy about the nestrians becoming a part of their fictitious family.  

Finny and the young grimp, Leah, get along for the most part and start exploring around the ark.  Panic sets in when they discover that they were not actually on the ark when it has taken off without them.  After a while, the parents notice and try to convince the lion captain to turn the ark around.  Their request is denied and they decide to take matters into their own hands.

Meanwhile, Leah and Finny are trying to find high ground and avoid becoming dinner for a couple of flying creatures that are pursuing them.  Along the way, they meet some other stragglers that didn't make it onto the ark either.  Despite the grimp's nature of being a loner, Leah learns the value of friendship, teamwork, and forgiveness.   

Thank you HarperCollins for sending us a copy of this book to review!

The videogame industry is a huge multi-billion dollar industry.  It started and flopped in the early eighties with notable failures like Atari burying between 700,000 to three million copies of ET in a landfill.   Nintendo and Sega continued on and started a battle that defined a generation.  Console Wars is a 576 page book written by Blake J. Harris and weaves the history of these two companies based on over two hundred interviews from family, friends, and former employees of Sega and Nintendo.    

In 1990 Nintendo was dominating the videogame market with its 8 bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and soon to be released 16 bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).   Even though Sega's Genesis was the first available 16 bit console, it didn't get much recognition and as a result it failed to sell very well.  That changed when Tom Kalinske was personally recruited by Sega of Japan's president to become the CEO of Sega of America.  

When Tom started at Sega, he didn't know much about videogames, but he did know how to market things with huge successes including Barbie, He-Man, and Flintstone multivitamins.  He specialized in uphill battles and this story is no exception. It's so good, a feature film is being made about it!

The book goes into the humble beginnings of Sega, Nintendo, and eventually Sony's endeavors into the videogame industry.  Nintendo has an interesting past with their playing cards origins and briefly owning a hourly rental hotel.  They definitely became more family friendly later on which gave Sega a target for their aggressive commercials aimed at slightly older gamers.  Sonic the Hedgehog gave Nintendo and their mascot, Mario, a run for their money.  

Thank you No Starch Press for sending us a copy of this book to review!

My kids have learned many programming languages like JavaScript and Ruby thanks to the helpful books published by No Starch Press.  Build an HTML5 Game assumes that you are familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and will teach you how to create a game from start to finish using them.  You don't have to be an advanced coder to read this book, but some foreknowledge will go a long way since you won't be learning the basics of these programming/scripting languages. 

This 198 page book written by Karl Bunyan will teach you how to make a browser based bubble popping game similar to Bust-A-move.  There are eight chapters and the first seven are dedicated to programming the game while the final chapter discusses other HTML5 capabilities such as retrieving data, webSockets, WebGL (for 3D) and security.  The final chapter also makes some suggestions on other games HTML5 would be well suited for including solitaire, platformers and match-3 games like Bejeweled.  

You won't be getting any history lessons as the first chapter has you diving in and coding right away.  Some of the goals achieved during the development process include randomizing the game board, calculating the firing angle and stopping point for the bubbles fired, dealing with collisions, keeping track of the score and handling new levels and the game's ending.  

Throughout the book, there are many helpful explanations and points to consider.  While the author recommends using Google's jQuery files, we have found the program to run better with them hosted locally.  The source code is readily available to download and view if you're stuck and can't figure out why the game isn't running. 

Thank you Universal Pictures for sending us this DVD to review!

Curious George is back and up to his usual unintended trouble making.  The story begins with George and Ted (the man in the yellow hat) flying a kite in a park.  For most people the worst case scenario is losing the kite to a tree, but for George it's a very expensive excursion with many food vendors  getting their carts knocked over and losing any chance of  turning  a profit.  The man in the yellow hat hands out yellow contact cards with his insurance information to those impacted by George's kite flying.  It makes me wonder what his insurance premiums are.  

Later George and his owner head back to the museum where Ted works and they are greeted by Mr. Houston.   There is an opening for an astronaut to go on a mission to alleviate the massive flooding in Africa.    George is eager to go, but the man in the yellow hat isn't sold on the idea right away.  Fortunately for George, he relents and lets him go on the mission.

Sadly, the mission doesn't go as planned and George gets lost in Africa.  Houston and his team estimate George's location within a 500 mile radius.  Not surprisingly, most of the movie revolves around locating George.   Even though George starts off alone, it's short lived as he befriends many unlikely wild animals.  

Thank you Falco Ink for sending us this DVD to review!

Not everyone grows up with a perfect family.  Many kids are raised by a single parent, and in most cases it's the mother.  It was the opposite for me as I grew up fast when my mother ran off when I was a teenager.  Comeback Dad struck a chord with me as I chose to forgive and reconcile with my mom. I was curious if the daughter, Nina, would do the same for her absentee father (Charles Dutton) in this movie.  

I won't spoil the ending in this review.  Nina is an up and coming composer who learned from her father on how to play the piano.  Her successful fiancé, Spence, loves her despite knowing that she can't trust him fully due to her broken relationship with her father.  Spence encourages her to make amends before their wedding and that includes an out of state trip to meet her estranged family. 

Unfortunately, this movie reinforces the false teachings of works to earn a person's way to heaven.    Nina mentions getting double heaven points for making the trip to see her family.    The Bible clearly teaches in Ephesians 2:8 and in Romans 9:16 that it is by God's grace alone that we are saved, not by our works.

Thank you Click Communications for sending us this DVD to review!

Strange Magic is a CGI animated musical that borrows from Shakepeare's "A Midsummer’s Night Dream" and Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast." After seeing George Lucas's attempt at romance in Star Wars II Attack of the Clones, I wasn't expecting much.  I began watching this movie with three of my kids and one of them left half way through to read a book instead. Of the two that remained to the end, only one liked the movie.   My son wasn't a fan of it.  Then again, George Lucas was inspired by his daughters to make Strange Magic.

The movie begins with a fairy princess, Mary Ann, preparing for her wedding day.  Along the way of her collecting materials for her fiancé's boutonnière, she runs into her husband-to-be kissing another fairy.  Not surprisingly, the wedding was called off and her father, the king, wants Mary Anne  to make amends with her ex, Roland.   Instead Mary Anne vows to be independent and swears off love entirely.  

Mary Anne is not the only one uninterested in love.  In the nearby Dark Kingdom, the wretched insectiod King Bog has forbidden anyone to fall in love and use of love potions is forbidden.  To ensure that his ban remains in effect, he sealed away the sugar plum fairy who is the only one that can concoct love potions.  

Thank you Fox for sending us a DVD of the season premiere!

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader is entering its sixth season with Jeff Foxworthy as the host.  There have been some format changes implemented this year.  Instead of five 5th graders, there are now six and it's a new cast this time around.  Another change is that the 11th question for one million dollars comes from a sixth grade text book.

The questions start at one thousand dollars and after the 5th question is answered correctly for $25,000, a contestant will be able to leave with that as their minimum winnings.  A contestant can choose to walk away from further questions with all of their winnings to that point or try to answer the question on their own or with the help of the 5th graders.  

The contestants can choose questions from topics that range from first to fifth grade.  Beside the player is a 5th grade student who will answer the questions secretly with them.  (The students change throughout the show.) When the contestant and respective classmates lock in their answers, the correct  answer is revealed.  If the contestant answers incorrectly but the student is right, a save feature will be used once to  keep the contestant in the game.  If the player is unsure of their answer they can peek at their classmate's answer and choose to go with it or they can blindly copy the answer with no option to decline it.  If the classmate is incorrect, they will lose the game.  

The questions start off easy but get more challenging as the grade level increases.  From watching the season premiere I learned that the eagle is holding 13 arrows on the Great Seal of the United States.  l also learned that there are four planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) in our solar system that have a larger radius than the earth.  In  my defense, I did already know that forty-eight states shared borders and the proper way to spell nickel.  Regardless, I'd be wary of going on national TV to press my luck.

Thank you Frank Publicity for granting us access to a digital screener of this movie!

Dukale's Dream is a documentary featuring Hugh Jackman and his wife Deborah on a trip to Ethiopia to learn about World Vision's efforts there.  World Vision does more than give hand outs, they give hand-ups.  What that means is that they provide more than relief, they help improve the economy in poverty stricken areas.  

While helping out a coffee farmer named Dukale, Hugh witnessed firsthand the hard work required to sustain Dukale's family of seven.    Even though coffee is in high demand, the soil only yields harvestable beans every other year.  Dukale has to diversify his crops to stay afloat.  Even still he is barely scraping by.

Fortunately World Vision has improved his family's health and ecological sustainability.  World Vision has setup a methane gas converter that transforms cow manure to usable gas that Dukale's wife can cook with.  By using this gas, it makes their hut smoke free and improves his family's respiratory health and doesn't tear up their eyes.  

In order to improve living conditions for all of the Ethiopian coffee farmers, people need to consider buying fair trade coffee.  Fair trade coffee ensures that the farmers are not being taken advantage of and guarantees them a minimum price.  The farmers in turn must be certified and follow environmentally sound practices.  It's a win-win for everyone if we're willing to make sure the coffee that  we drink is fair-trade compliant.

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this movie to review!

Maya the Bee was originally a German fairytale that dates back to 1912.  Since then it has been published into other languages, has become a TV show, and now it's getting the Hollywood treatment.  While the movie is a bit different than the book, much of the story remains the same.

Maya is born into an unstable beehive.  The aging queen is seen as "too soft" by her advisor and she schemes to replace her.  Meanwhile Maya is having trouble trying to find her role in the bee community.  Nobody seems to be as carefree as her and she seems to cause more trouble than is useful.  

After exploring the Meadows without permission from her teacher, she befriends a grasshopper and other insects.  It's here that the story borrows a bit from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  Wasps and bees are hostile towards each other and any reason will suffice for starting a war with the opposing side.  Young bees and wasps are instructed not to communicate with other insects, but especially not bees or wasps.

Naturally, Maya and her best friend, Willy, meet a young wasp and save his life from a spider.  To save face from his angry father, he confesses that they saved his life, but denies his friendship with them.  They meet up later in the movie and he apologizes for that.

 Thank you Bohlen Group for sending us this book to review!

Extravagant Graces is written by Jeanette Chaffee, a survivor from the TWA Flight 840 that had a bomb detonate in mid-air. She goes into detail with her story and how she believes that a guardian angel was among the passengers to spare the structure of the plane and many of the lives within it. Upon sharing her story over the years, she has chronicled twenty-two other stories that defy luck and show God's grace in the midst of chaos.

There are two plane crash stories and two stories of martyrdom. Many people are familiar with the five missionaries who were speared to death by the Ecuadorian Acua tribe in 1955. Not only does this book retell that story, but it goes into details about the lives of the widows and how the Auca tribes people heard the musical score from the 2005 movie, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, before it was even released!

In the 1960s Phyliss and Phil Masters went to Dutch New Guinea to reach out to the cannibal Yali tribe. After converting several tribesmen, including the shaman's son, there was some hostility. This cost Phil his life in 1968. Amazingly, Christianity still thrived within the tribe and when a plane crashed nearby later that year, the only survivor was a nine year old boy that the tribe took in as an attempt at peace.

Not all of the stories are heavy hearted, like the one of Shirley Dobson leaving her hometown of thirty years to move to Colorado Springs. Her husband, James Dobson, joked that she left drag marks from California all across the Rockies. By their faithfulness, their ministry has flourished and is still going strong today!