Mommy Brain

(Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of review.)

It’s the ultimate race to the finish line as the Tortoise and the Hare face off once again in this entertaining tale from the storied Jim Henson Company. Once upon a time, “sure and steady” Mr. Tortoise won the race…and speedy Mr. Hare is determined to make sure it doesn’t happen again in the rematch of the century. Join Danny Glover, Jay Leno, Vivca A. Fox, Drake Bell, and Keke Palmer as they lend their voice talent to this animated hit that runs circles around the classic tale!

Tortoise vs. Hare is the second Unstable Fable we’ve reviewed at our house. Three Pigs and a Baby was our first exposure to the series, and the kids absolutely loved it. Tortoise vs. Hare lived up to its predecessor. It has a new witty take on the old tortoise and hare fable, and includes some good life lessons along with the humor. The voices are great, and the sports announcers following the race are hilarious. The boys have watched it three times since it arrived earlier this week.

Noah’s review: It was very, very funny. It shows that you shouldn’t be so competitive against anyone, just have a good race. If you’ve seen Three Pigs and a Baby, you might see some of the same characters. 5 stars.

Josiah’s review: Butch’s dad is very funny. His name is Mr. Hare. I like when they roll up in the giant snowball. 5 stars.

Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare will be available on DVD on September 9th. The DVD special features include “How to Draw a Character” with director Howard E. Baker, the making of Tortoise vs. Hare, and a sneak peek at the next unstable fable.

(My Friends Tigger & Pooh and Mickey’s Storybook Surprises were both provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of this feature and giveaway.)

Join Pooh, Tigger, Darby and all your pals from the Hundred Acre Wood for this delightful treat full of fantas-terrific fun!

It’s fall, the time of year filled with surprises, and the gang needs YOU to use your super-sleuthing skills to answer a few tricky questions and solve some spooky-fun mysteries. Can Piglet’s friends help him overcome his fear of thunder and lightning by playing the Flashidy Freeze game? And when a piece of the moon “breaks off,” will Eeyore really take a rocket-ship trip to fix it?! There’s much more excitement in store, so get ready to laugh, play and sing along as you and your friends celebrate the harvest season and proudly proclaim, “This mystery is history!”

Yes, that says “Darby.” Christopher Robin is absent from this installment of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, which I find slightly blasphemous. It didn’t bother my 6-year-old Josiah, though, who enjoyed this DVD very much.

My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt will be available on DVD on September 2nd. The DVD special features include a special Halloween episode of Handy Manny and the “Super Sleuth Fall Harvest Festival” game.

The only thing more fun than listening to a story is actually being part of it. So just say the magic words, “Meeska Mooska, Mickey Mouse” - and let the enchantment begin!

When Donald Duck turns into a frog after drinking Professor Von Drake’s new potion, only a kiss from Princess Daisy can change him back. But she’s locked away in the Tallest Tower! Will you help Mickey choose the right Mouseketools to rescue Daisy and de-frog Donald? There’s nonstop fun, excitement and new challenges around every corner as you help solve a Goldilocks-style mystery, wake Sleeping Minnie from a hundred-year-nap, outsmart pesky Pete on a race through the woods and more!

Let your imagination soar as you join Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and the whole Clubhouse gang of classic characters as they set off on amazing, music-filled storybook adventures inspired by your favorite fairy tales. No matter what your age, Mickey’s Storybook Surprises will make you believe in Mousekemagic!

We haven’t had time to watch this one yet, but Josiah loves the other Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD we have, so I’m sure it will be a hit, too.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Storybook Surprises will be available on DVD on September 2nd. The DVD special features include the “Tales from Toodles” Game.

Now, the fun part. I have one copy of each of these DVDs to give away to my readers. Here are the specifics:

1. Leave a comment on this post before 11:59 pm PST, Sunday, September 7th.

2. In your comment, please tell me which DVD is your first choice, which is your second choice.

3. On Monday, September 8th, I will use Random.org to generate two random numbers. If both winners prefer the same DVD, the first number chosen will get their first choice.

4. This giveaway is open to readers in the US and Canada only. (I’m paying shipping myself.)

5. Normally I say one comment per reader. However, this time I have a way for you to earn one more chance to win. Click over to my other blog, Books and Movies. Look around and find one book that I’ve reviewed that you would like to read, then come back here and tell me about it. Your comment must include a book that you saw me review at Books and Movies, or it won’t qualify for a second entry. While you’re there, you can also enter to win a copy of the novel Guernica.

Good luck!

(The Blue Elephant was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of review.)

Follow The Blue Elephant on a breathtaking journey, complete with endearing characters, belly laughs, and an uplifting message about the power of courage. Khan is a little elephant with big dreams of becoming a hero. When he gets separated from his herd, he’ll need the help of his new friends and a whole lot of bravery to find his family and fulfill his royal destiny. Join Miranda Cosgrove, Martin Short, and Carl Reiner, as they lend their voices to this fun family adventure!

It’s always fun to find a new animated film to enjoy with the kids. This is a cute story that has a great message, and lots of humor for the little ones. And with Martin Short and Carl Reiner, of course the voice talent is brilliant.

Noah’s review: I like the colors. I like the characters, and the history in the story. 5 stars.

Jonathan’s review: It’s a really good movie and there’s a battle, but not too violent. It’s a really good movie, and there’s nothing bad in it. 5 stars.

Josiah’s review: I can’t believe how Kahn grew up to be a big elephant. When he was at the training place, I can’t believe he broke through that wood. 5 stars.

The Blue Elephant will be available on DVD on September 2nd.

(The Little Mermaid - Ariel’s Beginning was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

See how it all started for one of Disney’s most beloved characters in the all-new movie, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning.

Imagine a time long before Ariel met Prince Eric and walked on land - a time when music was banned from the underwater kingdom of Atlantica. Torn between family duty and her love of music, Ariel must make the most difficult choice of her life. With the help of her friends, Sebastian and Flounder, and her six amusing sisters, will the young mermaid be able to restore music, friendship and love to the kingdom?

An all-star cast returns, including Jodi Benson (Ariel) and Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian) - plus meet the deliciously wicked villain Marina Del Rey, voiced by Sally Field - in a marvelous musical adventure teeming with surprises, breathtaking animation and all-new songs.

The Little Mermaid is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies, and I love that they brought back the original voices for this prequel. The music is fun, the story is a little like Footloose - a little predictable, but still an enjoyable tale.

Natalie’s review: When Ariel was a little girl her mother loved music. She sang and sang and Ariel’s big family was happy. But when Ariel’s mother died everything changed. Music was banned from Atlantica. Ariel wants to know why it has to be banned from this place, why her father thinks music is bad when she thinks it is beautiful. Then as Ariel explores her home she finds a secret club of music. I like this movie very much. 5 stars.

The Little Mermaid - Ariel’s Beginning will be available on DVD on August 26th. The DVD Special Features include deleted scenes, a sing-along feature, and the Mermaid Discovery Vanity Game - discover secrets about King Triton’s daughters by clicking on their personal scrapbooks, or find out which sister you are most like with the Personality Profile Game.

(Wayside School: Season One was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

The comically absurd and wacky Wayside School - Season One is available for the first time on DVD in an awesome 2-disc set! It’s 13 way cool episodes filled with hilarious off-the-wall events and foolish shenanigans. Based on Louis Sachar’s bestselling book series, it’s the crazy tales of students of Wayside School, a quirky grammar school that was accidentally built 30 stories high! Join the new kid Todd as he enters a school where cows roam free, class elections are decided by a game of dodgeball, and falling asleep in class is not only okay but encouraged. Wayside School is more than just another classroom comedy - it is a fantastic, defiant romp through the peculiar twists and turns of kid logic.

Way wacky. Way cool. It’s Wayside School!

My kids love Wayside School, and it didn’t take them very long to plough through the episodes in Season One. It’s pretty goofy, but harmless fun.

Noah’s review: Very, very, very funny. My favorite episode is “Our Great Leader” because Principal Kidswatter thinks that the students are planning to kill him. 5 stars.

Jonathan’s review: I thought it was a very good show. My favorite show was “At the Aquarium” because he said, “Paste it, no erasies.” And there’s this girl named Marisia who loves Todd. 5 stars.

Josiah’s review: It was really funny how the other students except Todd thought that a cow was their substitute teacher. My favoritest one was “Kindergarten King” because the kindergarten kids built him a castle. 5 stars.

Wayside School: Season One is available now on DVD.

(The Nightmare Before Christmas: Two-Disc Collector’s Edition was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

Experience Tim Burton’s hauntingly fabulous classic film you’ve always loved, like never before! Now digitally restored and remastered with state-of-the-art technology, The Nightmare Before Christmas is deeper, darker and more brilliant than ever - just as Tim Burton originally envisioned it.

Can Christmas be saved? Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere!

I was in college when The Nightmare Before Christmas came out in theaters - it was before I was a mom, before I was even a nanny, so I had no reason to see it. And, frankly, I thought it looked a little weird. But the kids and I sat down and watched it over the weekend, and we actually really liked it. I still think it’s a little weird, though.

I appreciated the stop-motion animation by director Henry Selick, who is directing the upcoming film version of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. We are anxiously anticipating the February release after loving the book so much.

Noah’s review: It was very, very funny and it’s very interesting and it tells a very good story about how the seasons came. And, on the second disc there is Frankenweenie and Vincent, which were little shorts that were also good. 5 stars.

Jonathan’s review: I think it’s pretty fascinating. It’s pretty funny when it showed this bubble-headed freaky guy. 5 stars.

Josiah’s review: 5 stars. (He’s a man of few words. )

The Nightmare Before Christmas: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition will be available on August 26th. The 2-disc special collector’s edition has a ton of bonus features: What’s This? Jack’s Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour; Frankenweenie (Uncut Version) with new introduction by Tim Burton; Vincent - short film; Tim Burton’s original poem narrated by Christopher Lee; all-new audio commentary by Tim Burton, director Henry Selick and music designer Danny Elfman; Behind-the-Scenes Making Of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas;” The worlds of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” - Halloween Town, Christmas Town, The Real World; deleted scenes; storyboard-to-film comparison; and original theatrical trailers and posters.

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599 by James Shapiro was a different book than I expected. I thought it would be a book about Shakespeare’s life. What I didn’t know is that very little is known about Shakespeare’s personal life.

What this book is, instead, is a discussion of the plays Shakespeare wrote in 1599, and how those works were influenced by and spoke to the events in England at the time. During that year, Shakespeare was amazingly proficient, producing four of his greatest works: Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and Hamlet. Each of these plays had moments, actions, and references that would have resonated with the Elizabethan audiences because of their experiences in daily life and the political scene of the day.

I like reading history books because of what I learn. Sometimes a history book will also grab me in and keep me turning the pages, like McCullough’s 1776 and Ambrose’s Band of Brothers. Other times, I read the book in fits and starts. The writing style may not grab me, may even be a little dry, but the information is still interesting enough that I want to finish the book. This was one of the latter type of reading experiences. In spite of the fact that it wasn’t riveting, I am happy to have read it and I know much about Elizabethan politics that I didn’t know before.

3 out of 5 stars

(The Best of Comedy Central Presents II was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

The Best of Comedy Central Presents is back with an all-new array of your favorite comedians. Watch as they rant about proper concert etiquette, help you discover the true meaning of “time-traveling,” and impersonate some of today’s biggest stars. So, what does this all mean? Probably that you’ll end up spending (wasting?) hours of your precious day on the couch, giggling like a little schoolgirl.

Um.

Yeah. I probably shouldn’t have agreed to review this one. To be honest, I missed the whole “uncensored” portion of the title, or that would have tipped me off. Kevin and I attempted to watch this last night, and I made frequent use of the fast-forward button on the remote.

We used to like watching comedians. It used to be that comedians could be funny without being foul and profane, but apparently that’s not the case anymore. We did enjoy Frank Caliendo, who does spot-on impersonations, but found nothing to like in the other performances.

The Best of Comedy Central Presents II will be available on DVD on August 26th.

(Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3D Concert Movie was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

The sold-out concert event that rocked the nation is bursting onto Disney DVD for a limited time only in a two-disc extended edition with a 3-D concert experience so real it’s like having a backstage pass! “Make Some Noise” and get ready for the year’s most eye-popping, dance-in-your-seat music experience with Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Movie!

For the first time ever, Miley performs as both herself and Hannah in the same epic show! With a special appearance by the Jonas Brothers and exclusive bonus features, including a sing-along mode, additional songs and a rare, inside look into the rock star lives of Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers, this movie sensation is “as close as you’ll come to achieving the best of both worlds.” (Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News)

Here’s Natalie’s review:

My friend, Catie, took me to this movie and then my mom got it to review. This video has 16 songs - 2 of them sung by the Jonas Brothers. Miley is a very talented singer. This DVD shows how they made the concert and like the back-up singers and the dancers and just Miley goofing around.

The songs on this DVD are:

1. Rock Star
2.Life’s What You Make It
3. Just Like You
4. Nobody’s Perfect
5. Pumpin up the Party
6. I Got Nerve
7. We Got the Party (With Jonas Brothers)
8. Jonas Brothers, When You Look Me In The Eye
9. Jonas Brothers, Year 3000
10. Start All Over
11. See You Again
12. Let’s Dance
13. Right Here
14. I Miss You
15. G.N.O. (Girls Night Out)
16. Best of Both Worlds

If you like Disney Channel and great singers, this girl is for you! I really liked it!

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds 3D Concert Movie will be available on DVD on August 19th. The DVD bonus features include: “The Ultimate Personal Tour: Spend a Day with Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers,” additional songs, and a sing-along with the movie feature.

(Camp Rock was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

This summer is gonna Rock! Get ready to sing and dance like never before with the electrifying Disney Channel Original Movie Camp Rock! Disney’s exclusive DVD explodes with “Too Cool” bonus features, including an exclusive extended ending and “How To Be A Rock Star,” a sensational series full of tips and secrets from the Camp Rock cast to help make your real-life rock star dream come true!

When Mitchie gets a chance to attend Camp Rock, her life takes an unpredictable twist, and she learns how important it is to be true to yourself. Join the platinum-selling Jonas Brothers and the hottest cast of performers at the coolest summer camp anywhere! Experience Camp Rock in a whole new way in this Extended Rock Star Edition DVD, packed with hit music, hip dance moves, and bonus features that will have you singing, dancing and rocking over and over again.

(Were there enough exclamation points in the above description for you? )

If you have a tween or teen in your home, chances are you know who the Jonas Brothers are. Natalie is a huge fan, and was very excited to have the chance to review Camp Rock, especially since I forgot to set the VCR to record it when it was on TV. Oops.

Here’s what Natalie thought:

This movie is like a dance and sing movie. I like those kinds of movies especially if there are really good singers in the movie. I really like the Jonas Brothers and the main girl, Demi Lovato, is a great singer also.

Mitchie gets to go to Camp Rock where all the people that want to be like, famous, go there. Well, when she goes there, she is living a lie. Trying to be popular. But when the lie comes unfolded she sees how she can just be herself here.

I really liked this movie and I advise you to watch it!

Camp Rock will be available on DVD on August 19th. The DVD Bonus Features include: “How to Be a Rock Star,” “Jonas Brothers: Real-Life Rock Stars,” “Introducing Demi Lovato,” “Camp Memories,” “Hasta La Vista - from Rehearsal to Final Jam” and “Too Cool: Setting the Scene” - as well as music videos and a sing-along with the movie option.

(Smart People was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

From the producer of Sideways - get to know a lovable yet dysfunctional family everyone can relate to in this lighthearted comedy People calls “smart and enjoyable.” When Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) - a widowed and self-absorbed professor - falls for his attractive former student (Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker), his all-too-predictable life suddenly turns sunny-side up. That is, until his freeloading brother (Thomas Haden Church) and his sharp-tongued overachieving daughter (Juno’s Ellen Page) speak up, making “chaos” the word of the day. Now on DVD, Smart People is even funnier with never-before-seen interviews, deleted scenes and hilarious outtakes.

I watched Smart People on a mom’s movie night with Michelle last week. It’s a good thing, too, cause I don’t think Kevin would have liked it much - not enough explosions.

Professor Wetherhold’s life is turned upside-down when he falls from a fence while trying to sneak his briefcase out of the university impound lot, where his car has been towed. His bump on the noggin induces a seizure, which means no driving for six months. His daughter, played by the ever-wonderful Ellen Page, isn’t too happy to have this inconvenience thrust on her right before she takes the SAT.

Enter Wetherhold’s adopted brother (the “adopted” fact is repeatedly emphasized by Wetherhold), played by Thomas Haden Church. He’s an unambitious teenager in a man’s body, and he agrees to drive his brother in exchange for a place to stay for a while. Church’s character tries to help Wetherhold’s daughter lighten up and act more like a real teenager, but that effort goes drastically wrong.

Wetherhold is trying to date his doctor and former student, but he’s out of practice and doesn’t know how to relate to anyone except from his academic pomposity, which doesn’t go over well on a date. Their relationship takes some odd turns, and Wetherhold finds his life irrevocably changed.

Dennis Quaid is very good as Professor Wetherhold - I was impressed with how he physically embodied the character. His walk changed, his manner of speaking changed - he was very different than in any other role I’ve seen him in. In fact, all of the acting was very good, but I can’t say I loved the movie. It had a few laugh-out-loud moments, but most of it was just okay.

Smart People is available on DVD on August 10th. The DVD special features include deleted scenes, interviews with the filmmakers and cast, a blooper real, and commentary by the filmmaker and writer.

Just popping in on the hotel’s wireless connection to tell you that Nan and I went to see Mamma Mia last night, and I posted a review at Books and Movies.

(Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

Cybertron, the Transformers’ home planet, is on the brink of destruction as an ominous Black Hole looms. In order to save their world, the Transformers embark upon an intergalactic scavenger hunt across the universe, searching for the lost Cyber Planet Keys. The evil Decepticons, villains unlike any you have seen before, are in a race against the Heroic Autubots to recover these lost Cyber Planet Keys - keys that have the power to unlock the Cybertron planet itself, creating the greatest Transformer the universe has ever seen! The battle will span the galaxy in a race to wield the all powerful Planet Keys and to save their home world of Cybertron from certain doom!

OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS face one of their greatest challenges ever as they battle to save their home planet and the universe itself in TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON: The Ultimate Collection, arriving in a seven-DVD set on July 22, 2008 from Paramount Home Entertainment. This power-packed release features all 52 episodes from the long-running 2005 Cartoon Network series based on the classic program from the ‘80s. TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON: The Ultimate Collection includes hours of adventures full of intrigue and surprise and is the ultimate gift set for fans of the legendary “robots in disguise”.

Okay, I have to tell you that any day that brings the arrival of 52 episodes of Transformers on DVD ranks up there with Christmas in my boys’ minds. They were so excited, especially since it arrived on the same day as the final disc of the Avatar series. And since I am having major short-timers disease and not wanting to do anything besides get ready to leave on vacation on Sunday, I have had no problem with letting them veg out in front of the TV. Don’t worry, though, every once in a while, the good mommy kicks in, and I send them outside to ride their bikes.

They have only watched a couple episodes of this so far, but they are each giving it two thumbs up.

Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection is available on DVD now.

(Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3 Fire, Vol. 4 was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of review.)

The kids return to the Fire Nation and prepare for their final confrontation with firelord Ozai, but they discover that the Firelord has plans of his own: he has ordained himself Phoenix King and appointed Princess Azula as the next Firelord.

In the spectacular four-part finale of Avatar Book 3: Fire, Aang fulfills his destiny as the Avatar and confronts the Firelord in the greatest battle of the series.

We have been huge fans of Nickolodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series since we first started watching it on TV. When we got rid of our satellite, we kept up on DVD through Netflix. The kids sat yesterday and watched all six episodes on this final disc yesterday. (I know, I’m a bad mom, but we are on summer break.) I could tell from the cheers and satisfied smiles that they loved the way the series ended.

Don’t tell Noah I told you this, but he was glad Aang got to kiss Katara in the end.

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3 Fire, Vol. 4 will be available on DVD on July 29th. Special features include commentary by creators, cast, and crew.

(College Road Trip was provided to me by Click Communications for the purpose of review.)

Get ready for a wildly hilarious ride with Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symone in Disney’s chaotic comedy College Road Trip. Ambitious and confident Melanie Porter (Raven-Symone) is eagerly looking forward to her first big step toward independence - a girls-only road trip to check out colleges. But this rite of passage takes a wrong turn when her overprotective father (Martin Lawrence) insists on escorting her instead - and Melanie’s dream trip quickly turns into a nightmare of wild and wacky curves. So fasten your seat belts for a nonstop, laugh-out-loud, madcap adventure that’ll drive your silly.

I’m not a big fan of Raven-Symone, so I only agreed to review this one if Natalie writes the review. Here are her thoughts:

“From way at the beginning when Melanie was born, her dad started to plan out where she would go to college. Her dad is the kind of dad who is really attached to his daughter and then his daughter is not very happy, that sort of thing.

Well, Melanie’s dad wants her to go to a college that is only about 20 minutes away. Well, Melanie has other plans, she get accepted into Georgetown in D.C. She then plans to go with her friends to D.C. but her dad doesn’t want her to.

So they, well, Melanie’s dad, plans out a road trip father-daughter thing. So Melanie goes along but doesn’t like it at all! Her dad needs to realize that she isn’t a little girl anymore and that her dad needs to trust her.

This movie has a good moral and a very happy ending! I encourage you all to watch this Disney Channel Movie!

Natalie”