Thank you Content Media Corp for sending us a screener to review! The Halo series began in 2001 and after a few studio swaps, is still going strong to this day.  The current studio, 343 Industries, and Microsoft have worked together to make Halo: The Fall of Reach. It is based off of the popular book and is a prequel to the games, ...

Thank you MPRM for sending us a screener of this film! Many people are familiar with the humanitarian work that Mother Theresa has done in India.  She tried to deflect all of the recognition to God and said that she was merely a “pencil in God’s hand.”  In fact, she nearly declined accepting her 1979 Nobel Peace prize in person, but ...

Thank you No Starch Press for sending us this book to review! Teach Your Kids to Code is a book designed for parents and kids to work together and learn the Python programming language.  The author, Dr. Bryson Payne has been teaching computer science to students of all ages from kindergarten to college age pupils at the University of Nort...

Thank you EG PR for sending us a screener link!

Many people enjoy at least one cup of coffee throughout the day.  I must admit that I’m not one of them.  I’ve tried coffee before, but in order for me to enjoy it, I had to drown out the taste with so much milk and sugar that I may as well just drink a glass of milk instead.  After watching Caffeinated, there’s a good chance I just drank some crappy coffee and perhaps a specialty coffee may change my opinion on this popular commodity.

Even though coffee isn’t a big part of my life, the production of it is truly fascinating and this two-hour documentary explains how it is planted, harvested, hand sorted, washed, de-pulped, dried, roasted and then processed or prepared by a barista.   While the movie does mention mass produced coffee, its main focus is on specialty coffee and the farmers that make it.

Farmers from Nicaragua, India, Mexico, Turkey, Ethiopia, Honduras, and Guatemala are all interviewed to share how they rely on this fruit for their livelihood.  I learned that coffee comes from two different plant types, Arabica and Robusta, and that they grow in 4-6,000 feet altitude in the tropical band of our planet.   The Robusta plant is heartier and produces coffee beans with more caffeine and sugar, but less of an aroma.

Thank you Rogers and Cowen for sending us this DVD to review!

I have read and listened to the Bible in different formats and in a few translations.  I have also seen many film adaptions of Biblical stories and the life, death, and resurrections of Jesus.  Many of these films and story books leave out verses and some context from the scriptures.  The Gospel of John doesn’t have that issue as this is a word-for word movie adaptation of the entire book of John.  It has support for many different languages and translations.  I found it humorous that the KJV version is in stereo while the NIV translation is in 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio.  I guess those still stuck on the old fashioned KJV don’t have modern stereo equipment?      

The Bible translation is spoken over the Aramaic dialogue of the actors.  I didn’t recognize any of the actors in this film or even Jesus at first.  He didn’t look like typical painting portrayals of being Caucasian with brown hair.  In this movie he was more Semitic with black hair and a beard with a touch of gray in it.    

While my kids watched this 161-minute movie with us, it did lose the attention of my youngest a couple of hours into it.  Thankfully the whipping and crucifixion scenes were not as graphic as depicted in The Passion.  The message was very clear and touching to the point of putting a lump in my throat a couple of times.  

Thank you Harper Collins for sending us a copy of this book to review!  I've never heard of Tim Hawkins or the term Jackwagon before. Tim Hawkins is a Christian comedian whose humor is suitable for the whole family to enjoy, despite some whiskey references here and there.  Since I didn't get an explanation of the title in the 209 pag...

Thank you Bohlsen Group for sending us a copy of this book to review! There are many theories about the end times, the anti-Christ and the mark of the beast.  I have read theories of the anti-Christ being the current or future President or Pope.  While the Catholic church is referenced as the “wounded head of Revelation,” the author,...

Thank you MPRM for sending us this DVD to review! Shelby is a beagle that has lived in a dog pound for as long as he can remember.  He has a habit of escaping at every opportunity, and Doug the dog catcher (played by Tom Arnold) catches him every time.  Just when Shelby was about to be generously adopted by a rich mother and her spoi...

Thank you BuyCostumes.com for sending us a deluxe Bowser costume! BuyCostumes.com, a division of BuysSeasons Inc. was founded in 1999 and is one of the largest internet retailers of costumes and accessories.  Their motto is “Life’s Better in Costume.” While Halloweeen costumes are their biggest market, they sell costumes for events and co...

Thank you Sicily Publicity for sending us a screener of this film!Jay Bartlett and Rob McCallum live in Canada and have been lifelong friends and fans of Nintendo games since the NES era. Although Jay had a decent NES collection, he longed to eventually own all 678 Nintendo licensed games. Over the summer Rob gave Jay a lofty challenge: To col...

Here’s a quick breakdown of the most family friendly games we have reviewed in 2015. More reviews can be found on ChristCenteredGamer.com! Each game is given a gameplay score for the overall gaming experience and a moral score for how suitable it is for younger gamers. The Amazon and Humble Store links will benefit Christ Centered Gamer by giving u...

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD to review! We have previously reviewed My Little Pony Rainbow Rocks and Equestria Girls and my kids thoroughly enjoyed those movies.  Surprisingly, my son enjoyed them all as well. Along with those two movies, Friendship Games is included in a 3 movie combo pack that will list for ...

Thank you SMT Entertainment for sending us a digital copy of this CD! Ozwald Bozwald is a Harlem, New York City based recording artist, producer, and DJ.  He's been in the music industry for nearly fifteen years and most of his music was hip-hop and rap based.  In his new album, Transformed, he changes his music style to dance; and i...

It’s been a year since we were pulled into #GamerGate.  A lot has happened since then.  We’ve been around since 2000 and were quite accustomed with people poking fun at our reviews and sharing them on various forums for a laugh.  Parents and Christians still found them useful, so we pressed on and grew thicker skin over the year...

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 ...

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

While my kids and I were not necessarily looking forward to watching a sports related movie, we're all glad we gave it a shot.  Golden Shoes is about an eight year old boy named Christian Larou who lives and breathes soccer.   He wants to be like the professional footballer Christiano Ronaldo.   Christian's dad is on active duty in Afghanistan and his mother is working long hours and struggles taking her son to soccer practice.  

For some reason their neighbor, Frank, has a chip on his shoulder and is blackmailing the coach to put his twin boys on the playing field more than Christian. As a result, Christian's athletic abilities are suffering.  Instead of catching a break, Christian's life gets more difficult when his mother is bed-ridden in the hospital for a while.  Since Christian has no relatives and his dad is MIA, he is forced to live in Frank's basement until his mother recuperates.

Much like Cinderella, Christian is treated very poorly compared to Frank's sons and is given some golden soccer shoes that unlock his hidden talent that propels his team into the play-offs.  Not only does Christian become an inspiration to his teammates, he becomes a local hero that attracts the attention of talent scouts, and even the president of the United States.       

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 Bohlsen Group for sending us this book to review!

When Melinda Cerisano, the author of Heaven Is For Animal Too, was ten years old she asked a Methodist minister if animals go to heaven.  He told her that they did not since they lacked souls and were not made in the likeness of God.  As a certified animal trainer, behaviorist, and accomplished equestrian, she was not satisfied with that answer and  set out on a seven year journey to prove that animals do indeed go to heaven when they die.

This 257 page book began as eight verses in the Bible that comforted Melinda and several of her friends when they suffered the loss of their pets.  After seeing how these verses (Gen 1:30, Hos 2:18-19, Pro 12:!0, Ecc 3:21, Joel 1:18,20, 2:22, Rom 8:20-21) affected her friends and even brought some of them closer to God, she embarked on her journey to write a book. While she doesn't claim to be a theologian, she does cite and reference various Bible translations, texts, and scrolls in their original language.  

The Bible translations used include the New King James Version, the Darby New Translation, the New Living Translation, the New International Version, the New American Standard Bible,  and the Dead Sea Scrolls.  The Interlinear Bible is used for translating between Greek, Hebrew, and English.

I found it fascinating that most of the modern day translations replace the word "soul" for "creature" instead.  With the word soul in place, verses like Genesis 1:29-30 give animals more hope of joining us in heaven one day.  There is an entire chapter dedicated to explaining the word for word translation and its significance.  

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

John F. Hunter, the author of Living The Christian Life is a pastor, evangelist, chaplain, and a missionary.  He put together an eighty-eight page book that nicely summarizes the basics of Christianity without going over people's heads.  There are plenty of life stories, analogies, and scripture references to back up the fundamentals of living a God honoring life. 

There are thirteen chapters  discussing salvation, baptism, communion, praying, serving, and reaching out to others.  I like the analogy of the hub, spokes, and rim being all part of a tire much like God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all integrated into one God.  The author recommends spending some alone time with God and listening to what his purpose for your life is.  Though I'm not sure if I would spend a couple of weeks in the wilderness like he did and deal with ticks, raccoons, and thunderstorms.  To each their own.  

Some of the other life stories are fascinating as well including a vivid dream he had about his unborn daughter and got to meet her nine months later and the mysterious person/potential angel that helped his family out when their truck's engine threw a rod in the desert.  When they got their truck looked at, nobody knew of anyone by the helpful person's name.  

Since I was raised Christian, I can't really say that this book has changed my life much.  I have put into practice many of its teachings including: prayer, fellowship, Bible study, witnessing, worship, and giving.  However, I do recommend this book to new believers and those who are curious to what Christianity is all about.  The language is pretty easy to understand and the concepts are straightforward and easy to follow.  Because this book is so short and I was able to finish it in two sittings, I recommend getting the $3.99 digital version as opposed to the $15.99 paperback.  Unless of course, you're getting it as a gift for someone you love.

Thank you Click Communications for sending us this DVD to review! This 115 minute DVD features three problem solving and singing episodes that involve ghosts, pirates, and your favorite Disney characters. Included in the DVD is a trick or treat bag that is more of a novelty than useful given its small size.  Thankfully, my kids still enjo...