3 Pigs And A Baby

It's pretty cool when you can take old stories and put a twist on them, without trashing the original. In an attempt to do just that, the Jim Henson Company is releasing the "Unstable Fables" series. The latest one is 3 Pigs And A Baby. Until now, I only associated Jim Henson with the Muppets. So, I was a little confused when I saw the Henson logo on a CGI animated film. After watching 3 Pigs And A Baby, I was surprised when it turned out to be a funny and witty animated film! With Brad Garrett, Jon Cryer, and Steve Zahn providing the voices for the 3 pigs, this film has enough humor to appeal to both kids and adults. 3 Pigs And A Baby takes the fable "Three Little Pigs" and turns it into a modern story similar to 3 Men And A Baby (remember that?). Just like the fable, the wolves can't break into the pigs' home. So they devise a plan to drop a baby wolf on their doorstop, which the pigs will eventually raise as their own child. Once the baby is grown up, he'll fulfill is duty as a loyal wolf and let the others in to feast on the pigs. But, things don't go quite as planned when the wolf grows up thinking he's a pig. By the time he becomes a teenager, he rebels against his 3 dads and finds himself in the hands of the wolves. Then, he is unknowingly set up to finish the wolves' plan. However, once he figures out what's really going on, what will he do? Will he choose to help the 3 pigs who raised him, or the wolves? The ending will surprise you as it answers these questions. Overall, this animated comedy is sure to produce a lot of laughs among its viewers.

3 Pigs And A Baby is out now on DVD.

Flash Point (DVD)

Flash Point

We need more detectives in the world like the character Jun Ma in the film Flash Point. Gang warfare would surely drop if guys like this existed. Jun Ma (played by Donnie Yen) proves to be an unstoppable force as he breaks bones and bashes heads with his extreme martial arts skills. I haven't seen a cop so intense on film ever since Mel Gibson did Lethal Weapon. Flash Point follows Jun Ma and his undercover partner as they try to bring down a ruthless gang. No thugs can stop this human weapon. If he's not caught in a shoot-out, he's involved in some killer martial arts fighting. And that's where the strength of this film lies. The martial arts sequences are taken to another level. Think Bruce Lee meets Ultimate Fighting Championship, and you have an idea of the how the fighting scenes are. An added bonus is that they don't sacrifice the story just to make it a great action film. The film is engaging with its dramatic plot, as well as the explosive fights. And the ending? Let's just say that every time you think the film's about to end, they crank up the energy with more chases and fights, finally leading up to a deadly showdown. Will the hero come out alive? Or will the bad guys prevail? You'll have to see for yourself.

Flash Point comes out on DVD April 22. One thing about the DVD that I really enjoyed is that the dialogue is translated in English. I always had a problem with subtitles distracting me from the movie. But if you like subtitles, you have that option on the DVD as well.

Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture

Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture
Daniel Radosh

I feel like I've been down this road before. Wait, I have. Last year, I read the book Body Piercing Saved My Life, which was an agnostic's experience in the world of CCM. That book dealt primarily with the Christian music genre. Expanding on that into the world of evangelical pop culture is Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture by Daniel Radosh. The evangelical subculture has recently gained sudden interest from outsiders of the group. There are some who criticize it with a vengeance. Then there are others who offer "fair and balanced" (I hate using that term) critiques, like Daniel Radosh. A self proclaimed secular Jew, Radosh explores this subculture with hardly any knowledge about it at all. It's quite comical to hear his reports as he interacts with Christians of all flavors. During the many scenes in the book, he meets with conservative and liberal Christians, takes a trip to a Christian book convention, goes to wrestling matches, rock music festivals, and even visits a "hell house" with Revolution Church NYC's Jay Bakker. Rather than getting a biased report from an inside evangelical, Rapture Ready turned out to be an informative (and entertaining) guide to a subculture that has practically gone unnoticed, until recently.

Batman Gotham Knight

Getting closer...
























Batman Gotham Knight will arrive July 8, 2008 on DVD.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TRAILER!

a'tris - Lensing

a'tris
Lensing

It used to be that the popular bands out of Boston were New Edition and NKOTB. Those times have certainly changed. Lately there have been some quality alternative rock bands from the Boston area, such as State Radio, and now a'tris. a'tris is more than just a band with a catchy name that's spelled in all lowercase letters. Their latest album Lensing shows off the diverse skills this band possesses. Led by frontman Mason Taylor's ethereal vocals and tight keyboard playing, Lensing is loaded with experimental sounds that would make some veteran bands envious. The particular tracks that stood out to me were Paradise Is A Boxcar, Selling Oxygen, and Automatic Doors. Overall, Lensing is an album that puts a'tris in a category of bands to keep an eye on.

SpongeBob Squarepants: Pest of The West

If only this show was around when I was a kid. I swear, kids have it made these days. I get more laughs from watching SpongeBob than all of the cartoons I watched during childhood. I just can't get enough. And if you're like me, you'll be happy to hear that a new DVD was just released titled SpongeBob Squarepants: Pest of The West. This DVD, which comes in a nifty Wild West themed cover, contains seven hilarious episodes of this famous cartoon. See how SpongeBob finds out he's related to a Western hero named SpongeBuck in the episode "Pest of the West". Or, if you're really fond of bathroom humor, see squeaky clean Spongebob versus bad hygiene Patrick in the hilarious episode "The Battle of Bikini Bottom". Those are just a couple of the episodes on the DVD that had me rolling with laughter. SpongeBob Squarepants: Pest of The West is out now on DVD and it is the perfect addition to any SpongeBob fan's collection.

My Boy Jack

My Boy Jack
"Own it on DVD April 22, 2008"

It's very easy for a child actor to get stuck in the stereotype they get put in. In a smart move by Danielle Radcliffe (Harry Potter), he took a role as author Rudyard Kipling's son in the film My Boy Jack. After playing Harry Potter for the first 5 stories, Daniel stretches himself a bit in playing the role of Jack Kipling. The time is 1915 and Jack wants to join the military. With his dad speaking publicly to get England's support in the fight against Germany, Jack seems passionate to join the fight. Just as passionate as young Jack is, it seems Rudyard is more passionate than he. At one point, you start to wonder if Rudyard is the reason that Jack is joining the military. Anyway, things don't come easy for Jack. He first gets rejected by the Navy for his bad eyesight. And the chances for him to join the Army seem just as hopeless. That is, until his dad uses his influence to get Jack in. While all this is happening, World War 1 is about to begin and the numbers don't look good for England's troops. They are severely outnumbered by Germany's massive military. Once accepted in the military, Jack has a hard time adjusting with his glasses constantly falling off during weapons training. After his glasses are repaired to remain fastened to his face, his perseverance proves him to be a valuable soldier. Back home, family tensions rise as Rudyard begins to wonder if Jack going to war was the right choice. On top of that, his relationship with his daughter and wife get rocky as they are worried about Jack's safety. This film is a powerful example of how war affects not only a nation, but individual families as well. The emotion displayed by the family during this difficult time hits hard as you feel their pain. The DVD will be released by BBC Video on April 22, 2008 and it also includes exclusive interviews with the cast that includes Radcliffe, David Haig, and Kim Cattrall. I highly recommend this great film.