Thank you Daniels Murphy Communications for sending us a screener for this special!

It has long been debated about the effects of video games on the human brain.  Do they make people more violent?  Can they be addicting?  Are there practical uses for them?  The BBC’s special Your Brain On Video Games which premiered on the Science Channel on November 1st, 2016 set out to answer all of those questions.

More and more violent video games are coming out every year and despite the bad press they are receiving, they only account for 5% of the games that are released.  There are 1.2 billion people in the world who play video games and a majority of them are over thirty-five.  Many of them have been gaming since their childhood and video game addiction is only attributed to less than 1% of them.  Gamers who play extended gaming sessions every day (on the tune of 20 hours a week) did not scientifically qualify as addiction through both the use of personality tests and brain scans.  According to Valerie Voon from University of Cambridge, one of the indicators of video game addiction is requiring instant gratification in many real life scenarios.  

Many professors including Craig Anderson and Doug Gentile from Iowa State University and Brad Bushman from Ohio State University have studied the effects of playing violent video games and how they raise levels of aggression.  Their findings indicated that after playing a violent video game the aggression level of college aged students showed an increase between 4-9%.  Studies have also revealed that gamers are desensitized to real world violence after playing violent video games.  

Despite the desensitizing and slight aggression level increases there is no direct correlation of video games influencing violent crimes.  In fact, many of the professors featured in the special believe the opposite.  They believe the routine activities theory is taking place where less opportunities are available for potential criminals since they are too busy playing video games instead of committing crimes.  

Thank you Lionsgate for sending us this DVD set to review!

This is the first time my kids have watched Power Rangers and they enjoyed this series.  My son more so than my daughters, though they related with the female rangers.   This collection ends in a cliff-hanger and is missing the holiday episodes so I wouldn’t really consider it complete.  However, the less than $10 asking price is still pretty reasonable for twenty episodes and seven hours of entertainment. 

The first episode introduces the high school students soon to be the next generation of Power Rangers.  Troy, who becomes the red ranger, is good at handling adversity and is a martial arts expert.  Gia, with her calm demeanor, morphs into the yellow ranger.  Emma is Gia’s best friend and appreciates nature; she transforms into the pink ranger.  The nerdy, but likable Noah becomes the blue ranger.   Last but not least is Jake, who is strong, has a crush on Gia, and turns into the black ranger.

The character development is decent and held the interest of my daughters while my son likes the battle scenes with the insect-like alien invaders.  The special effects are cheesy and make Sharknado look like Avatar.   Each episode features a new insect-like invader with a different method to thwart the Power Rangers and to take over the world.  Thankfully, their plans get squashed every time until the final episode.  I won’t know the result of the epic battle until the next season of the Super Megaforce Power Rangers.

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

Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales first aired on Disney XD in the summer of 2015.  With its recent DVD release, everyone can now enjoy the retelling of the Star Wars saga from C-3PO and R2-D2’s perspective.  The overarching story is that R2-D2 has been kidnapped and while chasing after his captor C-3PO recalls and shares his adventures with different audience groups during some downtime.  This 115-minute DVD is broken down into five episodes and here’s a quick summary of each one:

Exit from Endor – The victorious rebels are celebrating and Luke Skywalker sees the ghosts of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace Windu.  At the campfire,C-3PO recalls the story of Anakin’s childhood and run in with Qui-Gon Jinn and Queen Amidala.  Extra comedy is added into the retelling of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones including several severe injuries of Jar-Jar Binks and Darth Maul’s overuse of the word awesome.

Crisis on Coruscant – While still tracking down R2-D2’s whereabouts, C-3PO shares his version of what happened in Revenge of the Sith.  General Grievous and Count Dooku “kidnap” the emperor in order to lure Anakin to join the dark side.  Darth Vader makes his appearance in this episode.  On a lighter note, Yoda’s line, “Oh heck what the” cracked us all up.

Mission to Mos Eisley – C-3PO heads to Tatooine to track down R2-D2.  He reminisces about A New Hope where he and R2-D2 are sold to Luke Skywalker after all of the other robots scavenged by the Jawas mysteriously break during their inspection.  Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Obi-Wan and Yoda and later destroys the Death Star.  At the end of this episode, C-3PO reunites with Chewbacca and continues his quest of rescuing R2-D2 from his mysterious captor.

Thank you BH Impact for sending us this DVD set to review!

Touched by an Angel began in 1994 and was almost cancelled after its first season. However, it was brought back for eight more seasons after the fans of the show wrote enough letters to change CBS’ mind.  During season’s three through six, Touched by an Angel was one of CBS’ highest rated series.  While it was nominated several times for the Golden Globe Awards it never won them.  It did however win multiple Outstanding Drama Series awards, and rightfully so!

The series begins with a couple of angels named Tess and Monica.  Tess is Monica’s supervisor and Monica is a newly promoted “case worker” who lends a helping hand to people in dire situations.  The show doesn’t pull any punches with the topics it discusses.  There are shows about alcoholism, drug addiction, AIDS, cancer, teen pregnancy, racism, homosexuality, and that’s just within the first couple of seasons!  While many of the shows are kid safe, some of them have serious themes and minor language that may not be suitable for young children.   I am happy to report that intimate relationships are eluded to and not explicitly shown.

I also like how this show displays God's love and even though we may be going through tough times, God never abandons us.  It also makes it clear that tough times are not necessarily a punishment and our mistakes still have consequences despite repenting and being forgiven for them.  The angels are not depicted as being perfect either; both Tess and Monica let their pride and emotions get to them and they get set back on track and confess their sins and make amends.  Andrew (from season two on), the angel of death, often appears in the show as well.  His appearance doesn't always mean that someone is going to die, but it's usually the case.  

Throughout the nine seasons and fifty-nine DVDs in this set there are numerous guest appearances from many popular celebrities including Bill Cosby, Celine Dion, Montel Williams, Randy Travis, and Wynonna Judd.  I also like how the show’s finale has guest characters from the first season reprising their roles and bringing closure to this inspiring series.   

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

This one hour and ten minute DVD contains five episodes that focus on keeping and restoring friendships.  Here’s a rundown of what each episode is about:

Make New Friends but Keep Discord – Fluttershy and Discord are unlikely friends since Discord is the ruler of chaos.  During one of their tea parties, Fluttershy mentions that she’s been invited to the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala and that she’s bringing Tree Hugger as her guest.  As the name suggests, Tree Hugger is very in-tune with nature and maintaining her chakra.  Discord is greatly offended and is jealous that some pony is getting between him and his Fluttershy.  He’ll have to keep his feelings in check and communicate with Fluttershy before things get out of hand at the Gala.

Slice of Life (100th episode) – Cranky and Matilda are a couple of donkeys in love and planning to get married.  Their only problem is that their wedding invitations that were sent out to everyone had the wrong date on them!   While scrambling to reschedule everything, their village is attacked by a bugbear.  Steve, an effeminate dragon hair dresser gives Matilda advice by telling her that it's not the marriage that's important, but the ceremony.  What?!!!   

Amending Fences – Twilight Sparkle has made many great friends since moving to Ponyville.  The problem is that she has forgotten about her previous friends in Canterlot.  To make matters worse, she left on bad terms with some of them too.  Twilight Sparkle returns to Canterlot to make amends with her friends and seek forgiveness for her previous wrong-doings.

Thank you PBS kids for sending us this DVD to review!

The Odd Squad is a government agency that’s run by kids.  Their mission is to investigate and rectify strange occurrences and to keep everyone safe.  All of the agents have names that begin with the letter “O”.  Field agents Otto, Olive, and their boss Miss O., are in each of the six episodes on this 90-minute DVD.  As the title suggests, each episode is musically themed and most of them use math logic to solve the perplexing mysteries in their neighborhood.

Here’s a break-down of each episode:

Dance Like Nobody is Watching – The agency is under a lockdown as their alarm system got triggered.  Their scientist, Oscar has put many booby traps in place and has long forgotten their patterns.  Otto gets to show off some of his dance moves while de-activating a tricky laser trap. 

Sound Check – There’s a hot boy band called Sound Check and all of the townsfolk and agents (except for Olive) are digging their new single – “Take Away 4.” The problem is that whenever people hear the song, four of their items disappear!  

Thank you Disney for Sending us this DVD to review!

Dear Sofia: A Royal Collection DVD features six episodes with wonderful life lessons and special appearances from popular Disney princesses to aide Sofia in times of trouble.  This 114-minute DVD is available on Amazon for less than $13 and is well worth it for any princess loving girls out there.  

Here’s a breakdown of the six episodes on this disc:

• The Amulet and the Anthem – Sofia is randomly picked to sing the Enchancia Anthem and the privileges that go with it get to her head.    Her friends that were hoping to get picked get tired of her bragging and leave Sofia to her duties.  The only problem is that Sofia suddenly becomes cursed to randomly ribbit!  She discovers that this curse is from her special amulet.  Despite apologizing to her friends, the curse is not lifted.  Admirably, Sofia does not disobey her father to give the amulet to Cedric to undo the curse.  Instead, Belle comes to the rescue and helps Sofia and her friends feel better.  
• Princesses to the Rescue – Princes James and Jin stumble upon a treasure map of the Jade Jaguar.  They set off to locate the treasure doubting the existence of the Jade Jaguar.  When the kings find out, they set off immediately to stop the young boys.  Unfortunately, they all get caught in the same trap together.  With the advice of the mage, the princesses set out to rescue them by taking a side entrance into the jaguar’s cave.  The path is perilous and all but Sofia want to give up.  Mulan shows up and encourages them to keep going and to think outside of the box to solve many obstacles in their way.
• Winter’s Gift – Sofia made a wand holder for Cedric, but after hearing him complain about the useless gifts he had received in the past she doesn’t deem her gift worthy and sets off to find another.  On her journey with her rabbit, Clover, they meet a fawn named Winter who is cursed.  Whatever or whomever Winter touches, becomes frozen in enchanted ice.  In order to undo this curse, Winter must appease the mountain witch with a nice gift.  After failing at offering a gift, princess Tiana appears and teaches them that gifts from the heart are worth more than any material thing.
• Two to Tangu – The princesses are heading to a party and risk taking a magic carpet instead of their royal carriage.  Unfortunately, they get lost on the way and end up in the town’s marketplace instead.  A fortune teller there gives them directions but the two princesses still manage to get stranded because their magic carpet has yet to be tamed.  Jasmine appears and teaches them how to tame their carpet and the princesses discover that some risks are worth taking.
• Minimus is Missing – Princess Amber is struggling to learn how to ride a flying horse and is on the verge of giving up.  After a lunch break they discover that all of the flying horses have gone missing!  While searching for their horses, Amber learns how to fly a gryphon and learns that sometimes it takes a few tries to learn something, but it’s always worthwhile in the end.
• Cool Hand Fluke (bonus episode) - Sofia visits and offers to throw a party for the merpeople.  However, Fluke is jealous of Sofia  and tries to one up her and her friends.  In an attempt to get a pearl, he winds up stuck in a giant clam.  When Sofia and Flip rescue him, he is ungrateful and doesn't care that Flip was injured during the process.    Upon learning that mantacorns shed their horns once a year, Fluke gets the (bad) idea to take an old horn to replace Flip's broken one.  Again, Fluke gets trapped and upon rescuing him, everyone learns that jealousy is bad and that asking is always better than taking.

I like how each episode teaches one or more valuable lessons.  Better yet, they're not overly preachy either.   As an added bonus, there is some stationary bundled with this DVD collection.  My daughters, despite getting older,  enjoyed the stationery as well as the episodes.

Thank you Disney for sending us this DVD to review!

Almost everyone likes Star Wars and kids love Legos.  So mixing them together is a match made in heaven.  Add in everyone's favorite characters with their famous lines, a solid script, and it'll be 92 minutes well spent.   The humor in this series had both kids and adults cracking up.

Darth Vader had many funny moments with his voice getting messed up due to a short in his wiring.  His cape also got in his way often and choked him while flying his pod racer.  Another great moment was when he scolded a storm trooper for being clumsy and then tripped over him!  I dare say that these episodes are more entertaining than the original movies.

Here's a synopsis of the four episodes in this DVD:

Thank you Click Communications for sending us this DVD!

Miles From Tomorrowland is a futuristic space themed animated series on Disney Junior.  It came out in February of 2015 and has some recurring characters with famous voice actors including Bill Nye, Alton Brown, Wil Wheaton, George Takei, and Mark Hamill.  The main character, Miles, is an enthusiastic and curious kid that often finds himself in and out of trouble.  His sister, Loretta, is the complete opposite and follows the rules and is the smarter of the two kids.  Their mother, Phoebe, is the spaceship's captain with their father, Leo, as the ship's engineer.  The parents work for Tomorrowland's Transit Authority and undertake many missions to keep outer space safe for all of its travelers.

The Let's Rocket DVD contains ten episodes including:

• Runaway Shuttle -There's an out of control ice cream truck heading to one of Jupiter's smoldering moons, Io.  The Callistos have been summoned to assist their former schoolmate, Lucky, who is trapped in the ice cream vehicle.   
  
  
• Surfing the Whirlpool - Miles wants to go surfing with his dad where he used to hang out as a younger surfer dude.  While the mother and daughter stay behind, they learn of a huge gamma ray burst heading straight for Miles and his dad.
  
  
• Ocean in Motion - The Callistos have been summoned to figure out why a probe has received water damage.  The most unusual part of this mystery is the planet that the probe is on, doesn't have any water.  Or does it?
  
  
• Explorer Exchange - Blodger Blopp visits the Callisto family as part of a Cosmic Explorers exchange program.  
  
  
• Game On - While a new highway is being setup in an uncharted quadrant, the Callistos are sent to introduce themselves to the alien races in that sector to start an alliance.  They get captured as prisoners instead.
  
  
• How I saved My Summer Vacation - The Callisto family is on vacation, but the vacant planet they visit is nothing like the pamphlets describe it.    
  
  
• Who Stole The Stellosphere?  While Miles is left behind to clean his room, his family's spaceship is stolen.  Can Miles stall the thief to help his uncle and family reclaim their ship?
  
  
• Rock N' Roll - Miles is finally big enough to use the Exoflex.  His whole family is certified to use it, and it adds pressure for Miles to learn how to use it quickly.  Unfortunately, he's not the natural he had hoped he would be.  Miles will have to overcome his doubts and save his family from a rock slide on the moon using the Exoflex.
  
  
• The Goldilocks Zone - Miles gets reunited with a former skating buddy of his. As sweet at the reunion is, the situation could have been better since his friend's home planet was destroyed.
  
  
• Hiccup In The Plan - The Callistos accept a mission to locate a missing beacon.  However, the mission would be a lot easier to accomplish if Merc, the robotic ostrich, didn't have ship shaking hiccups.

My kids enjoyed this two hour DVD and are new fans of the Miles From Tomorrowland series.  My son liked the bundled blastboard flashlight.    The DVD sells for a little over $12 on Amazon and is worth buying for any kid that likes outer space.

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 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 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 Cartoon Network for sending us this DVD to review!

As the name suggests, Uncle Grandpa is a very odd show.  I'm not even sure how to describe it other than it being "face palm" funny.  The main character, Uncle Grandpa, helps kids by taking them on adventures to solve their problems.  While he does have the ability to replicate himself and conjure up items from thin air, he often makes things harder on himself than necessary.  

Uncle Grandpa is often accompanied by his friends Belly Bag (his fanny pack), Pizza Steve, Mister Gus, and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger.  Whenever Uncle Grandpa's  RV needs that extra boost, Giant Realistic Flying Tiger happily helps out with his rainbow flatulence.  

The Good Mornin' DVD collection features twelve episodes and runs for 132 minutes.  Here's a list of the episodes in this collection:

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

Have you ever wondered how ponies in Equestria get their unique markings on their flanks?  My Little Pony: Adventures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders explains the whole process.  Ponies are not born with their "cutie marks" - they are obtained when discovering their unique talent or characteristic about themselves.  It's a rite of passage that every young pony strives to achieve.  

Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom are three young ponies with one thing in common:  they are all lacking their cutie marks.  They form a friendship and call themselves the "Cutie Mark Crusaders."  This DVD collection contains five episodes and spans 110 minutes in length.

Here's a breakdown of each episode:

• The Cutie Mark Chronicles - The Cutie Mark Crusaders want to find out how Rainbow Dash got her cutie mark so they ask her and learn her story along with several others.  Coincidentally, many of the Mane Six ponies got their marks as a result of Rainbow Dash's.
• The Cutie Pox - Apple Bloom steals some potion ingredients from Zecora in order to speed up her cutie mark process.  Instead of one cutie mark, Apple Bloom gets several along with new abilities that she must perform constantly.  After missing out on valuable sleep and realizing her wrong doing, Apple Bloom must confess the truth and learn patience.  
• Flight To The Finish -   The Cutie Mark Crusaders wish to carry the Ponyville flag to the Equestria games.  Can they agree on a routine?  Their friendship will be tested as they learn and cope with the strengths and shortcomings of the trio.
• Pinkie Pride - Pinkie Pie wants to be in charge of planning Rainbow Dash's birth-iversary party.  However the job is given to a visiting pony named Cheese Sandwich who is voice acted by "Weird Al" Yankovic.  They challenge each other to a goof off to see who is best suited for the job.  
• Twilight Time -   Twilight Sparkle is kind enough to privately tutor the Cutie Mark Crusaders but word quickly spreads and all of their friends want to spend time with Twilight Sparkle too.  How can they keep everyone happy?

All episodes were great and taught valuable lessons on telling the truth, keeping promises, and valuing friendship.  My favorite episode was Pinkie Pride because I totally did not expect to see "Weird Al" in this show.  All of my kids enjoyed were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the whole disc.  I highly recommend this collection to any My Little Pony or "Weird Al" fan.

Thank you Cartoon Network for sending us this DVD to review!

Adventure Time: Frost & Fire is a collection of sixteen episodes from seasons one, three, four, five, and six.  The title episode begins with Finn and the Flame Princess on a date and the Ice King gets in the way. Hilarity ensues when the Ice King and the Flame Princess duke it out.  Not only was this fight entertaining to watch, Finn experienced a pleasant dream that he wanted to experience again.  To make that happen he sends fake letters to both parties and waits for the battle to take place.  While he gets to see them fight again, and experiences a variation of his original dream, Finn regrets his actions and attempts to make things right. 

Other than the title episode some of my favorites include Jake the Brick where Jake wants to experience the collapse of an old beat up shack, by being one of its bricks.  Since being a brick is pretty boring, he entertains himself by narrating the nature around him.  Little does he know that Finn is broadcasting his rambling across Candy Kingdom with the help of a walkie-talkie.

I was pleasantly surprised to find another gender reversing episode  with Fiona and Cake in The Prince Who Wanted Everything.  Lumpy Space Prince takes the lead role in that episode.  Since season five or six have not come out on Blu-Ray or DVD yet, many of these episodes were new to us.  There are some classics thrown in like Memories of Boom Boom Mountain that explain how Finn and Jake met.  

While the list price is under $20, it can be yours for less than twelve dollars on Amazon.   There is close to three hours of entertainment (176 minutes) to be had in this DVD collection.   While this DVD can provide hours of entertainment for people of all ages, make sure you're okay with fart jokes before letting youngsters watch this show.    Despite the juvenile potty humor, there are redeeming qualities and good lessons to be learned from this series. 

My Little Pony has been on TV for a very long time. Ever since it started back in the 80's, My Little Pony has been adored and loved by fans from the beginning. From then to now, fandoms have been hoping that the show will bring some excitement. They still are hoping with their hands folded as we speak. The show will always be respected and remembered as a loved classic and will always be in our hearts.

But now, we enter into the the new series of My Little Pony. It has been titled "Friendship is Magic". I'm sure you all have heard of it. And with this new show comes the dawn of the Bronies. Bronies are the strangely adult fans of My Little Pony. Some people think that the show needs Bronies to continue the show. And now that the new show has come out, there are more Bronies then ever, even with all the Bronies from the past combined.

Now Bronies are grinding their teeth and folding their hands for the next season of My Little Pony : Friendship is Magic to come out on TV. It is now going for a fifth season and probably will continue after that. This next season is probably going to be about Twilight Sparkle and her pony friends having a whole bunch of adventures, as we have grown to excpect from the other seasons.

If you haven't seen the Teaser Trailer for the next season, then you can watch it now. Enjoy!

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD set!

I remember collecting and playing with My Little Pony toys as a kid.  I don't recall watching the show much though.  Fortunately with the helpful DVD set My Little Pony Classic TV Collection, I can relive my childhood and be reminded of how animation has vastly improved since the eighties.  :)  The lessons of helping others and treasuring friendship are timeless and my kids enjoyed watching the 4 disc set.

Each disc is approximately 3 hours, so there's twelve hours of entertainment to be had.  My daughters and (surprisingly) my son enjoyed watching the show.  For any person who has seen The Simpsons, they will recognize the voice of Nancy Cartwright who also voiced Bart Simpson.  

The episodes are pretty short, being around eleven minutes each.  Not surprisingly, there are many multi-part episodes so it's important to watch them in their proper order.  There's a wide variety of ponies including earth ponies, pegasus ponies, unicorns, sea ponies and Spike, their dragon friend.  Some episodes feature male ponies!  (I always wondered where the baby ponies came from!)  Megan and her sister Molly are their human friends that tag along for many wild adventures.  

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD set to review.

Transformers Beast Hunters takes place after the Beast Wars series.  In this universe the part organic part robotic Maximals are descendants of the autobots and are led by Optimus Primal who has a gorilla like appearance.  The Decepticons are now known as Predacons with Megatron as their leader.  The scenery on Cyberton has changed as the planet is lifeless and mostly empty with the exception of deadly Vehicon drones patrolling it. Since Cybertron is filled with Enregon, both factions are fighting to save or control it.  Can the Maximals master their beast like forms and stop Megatron from taking over? 

This DVD series has 4 DVDs which include both seasons and all twenty-six episodes.  There are 690 minutes of nonstop action with 3D rendered computer animation.  The voice acting and character development is pretty good if you can look past their animal appearances.  Many episodes teach about the value of friendship, teamwork, restoration, and forgiveness.   While those are good attributes, there are some flaws worth mentioning as well.  There's some adult humor and a few phrases may go over younger kid's heads.   For younger kids/preschoolers  I recommend the Rescue Bot series since the action in Beast Machines may be a bit intense for them.    

For grade school age boys this is a DVD set worth looking into.  The price is a reasonable $22, especially for nearly 700 minutes of entertainment!

Thank you Cartoon Network for sending us this DVD!

The Finn the Human DVD has sixteen episodes from various seasons and will entertain people of all ages for 176 minutes.  Here's a breakdown of the episodes:

1. The New Frontier - Finn dreams of Jake's demise; can he save him from his fate?

2. The Lich - The world is in danger and it's up to Finn and Jake to save it.