Ragamuffin is based off the life of Rich Mullins, who was a very talented Christian singer and song writer.  Although the title is unusual, it symbolizes “the burdened, the wobbly and weak-kneed, the inconsistent, unsteady disciples... the smart people who know they are stupid... the honest disciples who admit they are scalawags”*.  Rich Mullins was a little rough around the edges but he was clearly gifted, humble and on fire for God.  This movie depicts him in an honest light and shows him struggling with loving his father, drinking and cussing.  Because of this portrayal, I don’t recommend this movie for young children. 

The visuals are definitely low budget; they were going for the indie/ragamuffin look. (They succeeded.)   The story however is great and the musical talent of Michael Koch who portrays Rich is top notch.  If you’re a fan of Rich Mullins and his music (Awesome God, Creed, Elijah) I highly recommend checking this movie out.  

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Ragamuffin_Band

Thank you Fox for sending us this DVD to review!

One of the most talked about TV shows from 2013 was The Bible Series.  While my family didn't watch it on Cable, we did purchase the series on Blu-ray and loved it!  Those who already own The Bible series on DVD or Blu-ray may want to pass up on Son of God if you’re looking for something different.  Most of the footage is re-used but re-arranged to focus on Jesus’ ministry, persecution, death, and resurrection. 

The movie is 138 minutes and there are lots of extras with commentary from Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Charles Jenkins, and Touched by an Angel’s Dr. Della Reese-Lett.  There’s footage from behind the scenes and a promotion for Compassion International. 

Son of God is rated PG-13 for violence due to the beatings and cruel death our savior endured for our salvation.  The message is bold and powerful, my kids were moved to tears for the suffering Christ endured for them.  While this movie isn't as child friendly as Miracle Maker, it’s not as gory as The Passion of the Christ.    I’d say it’s a happy medium and a great evangelistic tool.  

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

Eli Shane and his friends are taking it easy after defeating the vile Dr. Blakk who used modified slugs for his evil purposes.  The Shane Gang get reports of similar type slugs in the 99 caverns and they head out there to investigate.  Eli confronts and does a battle with a new kind of slug that invades the mind, can he defeat him or has he met his match? This action packed adventure lasts 44 minutes and there is a cute slugisode in the bonus features titled Burpy & Friends Take a Dive. 

Fans of the Slugterra series will enjoy this DVD, but given how short it is, I’m not sure it’s worth the $15 asking price.  If you do see it on sale, it’s worth picking up though. 

Thank you Cinedigm for sending us this movie to review!

Matthew 10:30 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it

Jason Fields directs and stars in this Christian film about a college graduate balancing his newfound faith, family, and pursuing a career in professional basketball.  The main character, Damon Sharp struggles with temptations and tries to relate with his broken family still healing from their father/husband leaving them.    Damon’s mother isn't taking good care of herself and his brother Darrin (starred by “Day of Our Lives”, Sean Douglas) is still living a partying lifestyle with a young son depending on him.    

Damon is trying to relate to his brother and seeks advice on life and sports with his Christian athletic friends.  Several professional basketball players star in this film and share their faith filled testimonies.  The roster includes Corey Maggette, Allan Houston, and Anthony Tolliver.  Not surprisingly, there is rap music and it too, is Christian themed.  While it’s not my style, the artists who rapped were clearly talented.  Unfortunately this movie only offers stereo sound so people with 5.1 or better setups won’t be able to benefit from it.

The visual quality could be better, but the message of God’s love and grace is still shown clearly.  Midrange is only available in DVD format for less than $15 on Amazon. 

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

Transformers Energon was released in 2004 and this 154 minute DVD includes the first seven episodes. This series takes place ten years after Unicron's destruction. Optimus Prime and his autobots are gathering Energon from Earth when their cities are attacked by Terrocons. To make matters worse, Megatron is resurrected and is seeking revenge. Can Optimus Prime's autobots save Earth once again?

Here's a list of the action packed episodes included on this DVD:

• Cyberton City

• Energon Strike

The Hornet's Nest is a very powerful and scary look at the Afghanistan war from a journalist who was surrounded by enemy forces for nine days.   Very real, very scary, I highly recommend watching this before enlisting in the armed services!  Since it's an accurate documentary there is some foul language.  Truth be told, I'm honestly not sure what I would be saying if I had real bullets whizzing past me!  Definitely not a movie for kids, but for everyone else this film will open your eyes to what war looks and feels like and how strong of a bond soldiers have with one another and how precious life is and how we should appreciate our freedom that these heroes gave their lives for.  

I'm grateful for these brave soldiers and pray that the people in Afghanistan are liberated and get to enjoy the liberties we take for granted.  Please pray for the soldiers risking their lives and for the innocents impacted by this war.  

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

Before King Arthur was seeking the Holy Grail, Spain's comic book hero, Prince Killian was entrusted with it.  Well, he had most of it.  The fabled Lucifer's stone was no longer there.  There is an evil army that wants to reclaim the Grail and make it complete again to bring Lucifer back into power.  This is a dangerous mission, but Prince Killian has the help of several friends including the young Crispin, and Goliath who is always hungry.  Prince Killian has escaped death numerous times when his attackers discovered his special marking on his neck.  (There are lots of occult symbols in this film!) This marking and his purpose in life are all revealed in this action packed 107 minute movie.

Make sure you check the audio settings if you want to enjoy this movie in English.  Spanish is the native language and when we watched it in English, the dubbing was obvious.  The voice acting was good, it just wasn't in sync with the lip movements.  The special effects were so-so and got better as the movie progressed.   Overall this was a good movie, but it didn't have the budget of the other popular super hero movies out there. 

Thank you Nest Entertainment for sending us this DVD to review!   This is a great DVD for the Easter season. 

The Messiah Comes opens up with Roman soldiers using their power to mistreat the Jews and they long for their Messiah.  The corruption has spread into the temple at Passover and Jesus is shown overturning the tables.  His softer side is revealed as He later heals a blind man. Upon seeing and hearing of these miracles the Jews start to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the priests are now upset with Jesus.     Nicodemus puts his reputation at risk and speaks with Jesus and truly believes that He is the son of God.  

Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is shown and the people sing Hosanna Halleluiah.   The singing and voice acting is well done.  Jesus is voiced by Ivan Crosland.  The art style is similar to many Disney films, but the quality could be better as this former VHS movie shows its age a bit.  Fortunately, the message is timeless.  Nest Entertainment offers this twenty-seven minute DVD with a downloadable interactive activity and coloring book for $21.95.    

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

While this 82 minute DVD entertained my children, I was disappointed at how many of the characters were portrayed.  God was shown as being lazy and using props for "special effects".  Noah was humble and righteous (though not very intelligent), but his daughter in laws bickered all of the time and his sons were useless as they didn't lift a finger to help him in building the ark.  Instead they just fought among themselves.   Unlike the Bible's version of the great flood, this show adds a couple of greedy stow-aways onto the ark.

In the animal kingdom, their lion king is an indecisive womanizer who is spoiled and incompetent.   Some of the female animals are sexualized and there are hints of mating and a few instances of potty humor.  This is a far cry from the Veggie Tale accuracy and humor we are used to.  On a positive note, this DVD does teach kids the importance of working together.

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

The Pound Puppies live for finding the perfect human for every dog.  In the episode Hello Kitten, they make an exception and assist a young cat with finding their new home.  The dog pound has a secret underground base that has a computer network for matching dogs with their forever homes.  Some dogs are tougher to match up than others.  A puppy that is scared of humans warms up to them after accidently going to camp with hyper girls scouts in the episode No More S’Mores.  In the episode Beauty is Only Fur Deep talks about not judging a book by its cover when one of the dogs goes bald and gets over confident when given fake hair.  Ironically, the dog pound manager is dealing with the same issues when it comes to his toupee.  Human kindness is the theme in the episode Working K9-5.  In that episode a young paper girl is late in delivering papers, but is not given a chance to explain why until the end.   

Both my daughters and son enjoyed watching this 110 minute DVD.  It’s a great show for cat and dog lovers alike!

Thank you Time Warner for sending us this movie to review!

Delivery Man is about a meat truck driver name David Wozniak who has made several mistakes in the past and has a knack for losing money.  He’s now deeply in debt and unless he repays it, his life is in danger.  As David’s life is continuing its downward spiral, his relationship with his girlfriend is on the rocks and he finds out that he is the father to over five hundred children.  To make matters worse, the sperm donor company informs him that more than one hundred and forty of the offspring want to know his real identity. 

Despite being told by his lawyer friend, not to have anything to do with his kids, David enjoys acting like a guardian angel to several of them.  Without revealing his identity, he helps many of them launch their career, build their self esteem, and even kick drug use.   There’s a lot of variety in his children as they each have various skills and abilities.  One of them is a professional basketball player while another is unresponsive and wheelchair bound.  

While the overall message of this movie is positive, there are some issues worth mentioning that make this movie not so family friendly.  It does earn its PG-13 rating for language, sexual themes, including homosexuality, drug and alcohol use.  

In the beginning of the movie David tries to grow marijuana to help raise money to pay off his debt.  Later in the film as he gets to know one of his daughters, he saves her from overdosing on heroin.  Another one of his daughters puts him in the protective dad role as she is very attractive and gets many cat calls with her skimpy outfits.  In another scene, David is following one of his sons only to find that he is an active member in the gay community.  Sex outside of marriage is promoted in this film. Lastly, given the nature of the plot, there are several sexual innuendos about how these children were created.

The Transformers Rescue Bots show is geared for a younger audience and provides plenty of action, but teaches teaches important lessons as well.   The episode Little White Lies teaches that although white lies seem harmless, they can backfire and hurt people's feelings.  Learning from our past and the importance of History class is taught in the episode The Lost Bell.   Transformers Rescue Bots: Heroes to the Rescue has five episodes and runs for 110 minutes.   Both my son and daughters enjoyed watching this DVD.  The colorful animation, action, and humor is sure to keep the attention of grade school age kids. For less than $15, this DVD is a solid buy for any Transformers fan.     

Episode List:

• The Lost Bell
• You've Been Squilshed
• Little White Lies
• Shake Up
• Rescue Boy

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

SlugTerra Heroes of the underground is the fourth volume available for the popular cartoon show.  It features five episodes and runs for 110 minutes.  My son who is new to the series enjoyed watching the slug slingers shoot their tiny yet powerful slugs at relentless enemies.  Eli Shang leads the Shang Gang and offers a reasonable policy of giving the enemies a chance to repent before he duels them.  Sadly, nobody takes him of on his offer.  In this DVD, the Shang Gang faces off against the Hooligang, a giant ice troll, a mad scientist, thieves, cyclops and robots.  While the cute slugs were not able to win my daughter over, my son enjoyed them and all of the action packed into this DVD collection.  For less than $12, this DVD is worth every penny.

Episode List:

• Snowdance
• Inheritance
• A Distant Shore
• The Journey Home
• Roboslugs

Thank You Click Communications for sending us the Blu-ray for Adventure Time: The Complete Third Season!

Even though Adventure Time is in its fifth season, the third season is now available in DVD, Blu-Ray, and digitally via UltraViolet.  Having recently watched the first two seasons, I think it’s safe to say that this show keeps on getting better.  This collection comes with twenty-six episodes and will entertain both parents and children for 286 minutes.   While some of the humor goes below the belt, this show is pretty family friendly as the main hero Finn tries to be an honorable hero.  His shape-shifting dog, Jake, is goofy and farts a lot.  The Ice King still kidnaps princesses in hopes of making one of them his wife. The two-part Christmas episode featuring him and his secret diary tapes are silly and religion free.  The citizens of Ooo acknowledge a deity named Glob and their form of OMG is “Oh my Glob!”.   

My favorite episode is the heart warming Thank You which features Snow Golem and his unlikely and short friendship with a fire pup.  The runner up is the gender switching Adventure Time With Fionna and Cake.    

Here’s the complete list of all of the episodes included in this set:

1. Conquest of Cuteness
2. Morituri Te Salutamus
3. Memory of a Memory
4. Hitman
5. Too Young
6. The Monster
7. Still
8. Wizard Battle
9. Fionna and Cake
10. What Was Missing
11. Apple Thief
12. The Creeps
13. From Bad to Worse
14. Beautopia
15. No One Can Hear You
16. Jake vs. Me-Mow
17. Thank You
18. The New Frontier
19. Holly Jolly Secrets (Part 1)
20. Holly Jolly Secrets (Part 2)
21. Marceline's Closet
22. Paper Pete
23. Another Way
24. Ghost Princess
25. Dad's Dungeon
26. Incendium

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

This action packed 88 minute DVD features four episodes from various seasons of Transformers Prime and Transformers Prime Beast Hunters.  Each episode features Bumblebee kicking some metallic butt even when he loses his guns and ability to transform in the two part episode Operation Bumblebee.  Fans will learn why and how BumbleBee lost his ability to talk like the other robots do. The ambitious Starscream is the main villain in Masters and Students as he tries to become the new ruler of the Decepticons.  He awakens Skyquake who still follows Megatron's orders and not Starscream's.     Megatron is back in the fourth episode Deadlock which is the third season’s finale of Transformers Prime Beast Hunters.  In that episode the fate of earth is decided as the Autobots and Decepticons fight an epic battle.  Bumblebee really shines here and isn’t disobeying orders like he has in the previous shows on this DVD.  This collection is great for any Bumblebee fan out there.  For the reasonable price of $9.99, I highly recommend it!

Thank you Nest Entertainment for sending us this DVD to review!

This twenty-six minute DVD opens up with a pretty song that describes God's love for us by sending our savior. As the opening credits scrolled on, I noticed that Orson Scott Card wrote the screenplay. The story begins with Simeon telling an elderly lady (presumably Anna) that he has been promised to see the Messiah before he dies. King Herod gets wind of the Messiah's coming and vows to eliminate him. After that scene, Gabriel tells Mary that she will bear God's son and although she doesn't understand how it is possible, she complies. I was surprised to see how easy going Joseph was about this situation when Mary told him the news. In this DVD he had a dream explaining the divine pregnancy before Mary announced it. According to the Bible he was troubled by the news and later comforted by the dream and felt at peace knowing that Mary was not unfaithful to him.

Later in Mary's pregnancy, Caesar Augustus proclaims that everyone must return to their city of birth to be counted and taxed. As they near Bethlehem Mary starts to go into labor, but they have no place to stay since the inns are full. A kind man gives them shelter in a stable. Baby Jesus arrives (no gory details shown) and is visited by nearby shepherds while the wise men start their journey to meet the king.

Anna and Simeon get to meet their promised savior when Mary and Joseph present an offering at the temple. King Herod hears about Jesus' birth and tells the wise men to let him know where to find the baby. When they disobey, every baby boy pays the price (again no details are shown). Thanks to Joseph's dream warning them to leave Bethlehem, they fled safely to Egypt and raised Jesus there until king Herod died.

That is where this DVD ends and if you like Biblical stories with good voice acting, I recommend continuing the story of Jesus' life by watching Jesus, The Son of God. The animation is a bit dated since it's from the eighties, but the artwork has a Disney like style to it. While the normal price is $9.95 I have seen it for $5 on Nest Entertainment's website and for less than $12 shipped on Amazon.

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

What happens when you combine Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasus', Breezeies (bug like ponies with wings and antennae) and dragons? You get some wild adventures that teach lessons like being true to yourself, compromising, and taking responsibility for your actions.

The My Little Pony Classic Movie Collection consists of two DVD's with two episodes each. With all of the episodes combined the total running time is 114 minutes. I'm not sure why they didn't put all four “movies” on one disc.

Here's a breakdown of the shows included:

Thank you Nest Entertainment for sending us this DVD to review!

Even non-believers will acknowledge that Jesus was a good teacher. Through this twenty-five minute DVD, your kids can experience and learn the meaning of the following parables:

• The tares and the wheat (Matt 13:24-30)
• The pearl of great price (Matt 13:45-46)
• The ten virgins (Matt 25:1-13)
• The sower and the seeds (Matt 13:18-23)

As if the parables were not convicting enough, seeing Jesus' audience leaving after being shamed or convicted from the teachings really drove the messages home. Each of the people leaving Jesus' teachings represent the seeds from the sower that went to the wayside (refuses to understand God's word), had shallow roots (left when persecuted), got choked by thorns (put possessions before God) and those that landed in good soil (receives and follows God's word).

Though the animation is a bit dated, it still looks good and you can see some artistic similarities between these and Disney films. The voice acting and singing is well done. The parable of the pearl has its own song about the man gladly selling his possessions. While the song sounds fine, if my kids were to sing it in public, they would get some silly stares.

This twenty-seven minute DVD illustrates Mary, Joseph and the twelve year old Jesus going to the temple for Passover. (Luke 2:42-2:52) The young Jesus is carrying a young lamb and Mary and Joseph shopping around and haggling for a clay pot and some bundles of wood. The family present their offering (no blood is shown) and Jesus impresses rabbi's with his knowledge of the law and wisdom. As Mary and Joseph are packing up to leave they discover that Jesus is not with them and assume that he's with his cousins. When they discover otherwise, they search all of Jerusalem only to find him at the temple doing his Father's work. As a parent I'm impressed with their attitudes and grace as I would have been an angry and emotional wreck.

As the movie progresses it has some beautiful singing and shows Jesus growing older and preparing for his Father's work. They depict Jesus comforting Mary after Joseph’s passing (but never show any children between Mary and Joseph as mentioned in Matt 13:55). The orchestral music is very emotional and tugs at your heart strings a bit. The voice acting is pretty solid and has aged well. While you can tell the animation is older, it still looks decent. Some of the artists that made this movie used to work for Disney and I can recognize some artistic similarities. My children enjoyed this video and I highly recommend it for children of all ages.

This video was sent to us from Nest Entertainment and is available for purchase at their website for $15.95 (retail price is $29.95). You can download a free activity book to accompany the DVD from their site as well.   

Episode List:

• Mean Isn't Your Color
• Russel Up Some Fun
• Eve of Destruction
• Frenemies
• Summertime Blues

This DVD collection features five episodes, a sing-along, a Zoe toy and collector card, all for the reasonable price of less than $15. Each episode is around twenty minutes long and they are entertaining, informative and teach some good lessons. One of the episodes has Blythe coming to grips

with the concept of her father starting to date. Other episodes encourage teamwork, getting along, expressing, believing in and being yourself. Not every message is a positive one though. There's a bonus sing-along to the song Fun Being Fun. While it is silly, it's promoting rebellion.

For the most part this show is family friendly and isn't obnoxiously girly. All of my kids (including my son) enjoyed this DVD and went back and watched Petacular Escapades after finishing this one. There's plenty of humor and the pets each have their own personalities and quirks. If your children like the toys or TV series, this is a worthy addition to your DVD collection.