Apple’s “Dads” premieres globally on Apple TV+ on June 19

Apple’s “Dads” premieres globally on Apple TV+ on June 19

AppleTV+ invited me to join a round-table video chat withBryce Dallas Howard to talk about her new documentary DADS. This is Bryce’s first major film directorial debut. Pulling together a collection of very famous faces and regular Dads that you’ve seen a playground near you.  It really is a heartstring pulling documentary, spliced between interviews and footage from when Ron Howard was becoming a dad as well.

Check out the trailer – if you’re expecting your first child or just want some belly laughs about the common things all dads stress over its a great watch. I  got to ask Bryce about what she was giving her dad Ron for Father’s day… I  think documentary sums it up pretty nicely.

“Dads” is a heartfelt and humorous documentary that celebrates the joys and challenges of parenting in today’s world. Featuring six extraordinary fathers from across the globe, this film offers a firsthand glimpse into the trials and tribulations of modern-day parenting through revealing interviews, rare home-movie footage, viral videos, and hilarious and thoughtful testimonials from some of Hollywood’s funniest celebrities, including Judd Apatow, Jimmy Fallon, Neil Patrick Harris, Ron Howard, Ken Jeong, Jimmy Kimmel, Hasan Minaj, Conan O’Brien, Patton Oswalt, Will Smith and more. Making her feature directorial debut, Bryce Dallas Howard also offers an intimate look at the dads in her own family, including remarkable interviews with her late grandfather Rance, her father Ron and her brother Reed.

“Dads” is part of Apple’s exclusive, first-look deal with Imagine Documentaries. The film is produced by Nine Muses Entertainment, in association with Dove Men+Care.

FLCL: PROGRESSIVE & ALTERNATIVE COMBO PACK – comes home to Blu-Ray/DVD

FLCL: PROGRESSIVE & ALTERNATIVE COMBO PACK – comes home to Blu-Ray/DVD

The Cult Anime Series FLCL: PROGRESSIVE & ALTERNATIVE is out now on Blu-Ray & Digital. The wait is over! Adult Swim’s popular anime series FLCL: Progressive and FLCL: Alternative, both release for the first time ever as a Blu-ray combo pack from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

Based on the original anime series written by Yōji Enokido and from director Kazuya Tsurumaki, the collection propels Haruko and her yellow Vespa back into action with 12 episodes from FLCL: Progressive and FLCL: Alternative. The Blu-ray Combo Pack is priced to own and comes with digital format as well.

From the legendary anime studio Production I.G and Adult Swim, FLCL: Progressive & Alternative Combo Pack will include a 15-minute never-before-seen documentary that dives into the making of both seasons featuring interviews with voice talent and crew. Additional special features include a “Meet the Creators” piece focused on the new era of show creators, a segment about “The Pillows” relationship with the series, a glimpse at the English voice actors behind FLCL together, and a look into the production of FLCL: Alternative.

The highly anticipated sequel to the 2001 original FLCL, FLCL: Progressive tells the story of 14-year-old Hidomi and her classmate, Ide, as the war between Medical Mechanica and Fraternity continues. Now in the form of their teacher, Haruko Haruhara returns alongside another otherworldly being, Jinyu, a gorgeous Chrysler Bel Aire and her yellow Vespa to unleash their hidden potential.

FLCL: Alternative, the third and final season centers on the misadventures of 17-year-old Kana and her friends, Mossan, Hijiri and Pets. Living a seemingly normal life, the group’s lives are flipped upside down when Mecha falls from the sky and arrives with the guitar-wielding Haruko Haruhara. Once again determined to take out Medical Mechanica, Haruko works to awaken Kana’s N.O. channel before the relentless iron takes over the world.

BLU-RAY COMBO PACK SPECIAL FEATURES

  • The Making of FLCL: Progressive & Alternative: An in depth look behind the scenes featuring interviews with the cast and crew.
  • Meet the Creators
  • The Pillows
  • English Voice Actors
  • Production: Behind-the-Scenes

Also out now is Funko Pop featuring Haruko who is ready to fight the Medical Mechanica And Fraternity. If you love FLCL you might want to pickup this four pack of characters, which includes Naota Nandaba, Haruko Haruhara, Mamimi Samejima and Canti. As one knows Funko Pop has a unique styling of its characters and these really line up to that great anime art feel of FLCL.

The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music celebrates the royal summer break with Digital and DVD release

The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music celebrates the royal summer break with Digital and DVD release

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has a royal adventure to add some fun to your summer break with The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music [amazon].

Princess Odette and Her Friends a back 25 years later… I cant believe it!

Your favorite princesses are back in an all new feature length musical adventure! Princess Odette is hosting a music competition to celebrate Princess Alise’s birthday – the winner will sing at her grand birthday ball! Prince Li of Cathay has entered, but his sister PrincessMei Li has stowed away on his ship to seek help from Odette and Derrick for Chen, who has been cursed to live as a dragon. Lucas and Alise are reunited but Prince Li’s arrival makes Alise doubt her feelings. While Li and Lucas fight for Alise’s heart, Derek and Odette try to help Mei Li and Chen break the curse. Who will win the music festival and will Chen ever be free from his curse?

Included with the Kingdom of Music DVD are interactive sing-alongs featuring two all-new toe-tapping tunes from the film and a behind-the-scenes featurette that explores how the world and characters of the film were brought to life.

Craft Project: Water Bottle Maraca [view image full size]


THE SWAN PRINCESS: KINGDOM OF MUSIC has a runtime of approximately 83 minutes. Both films are rated G.
THE SWAN PRINCESS: KINGDOM OF MUSIC CAST AND CREW
Director: Richard Rich
Executive Producers: Seldon O. Young, Laura M. Young
Producers: Richard Rich, Seldon O. Young, Jared. F. Brown
Story By: Richard Rich and Brian Nissen
Screenplay By: Brian Nissen
Cast: Nina Herzog, Yuri Lowenthal, Joseph Medrano, Jennifer Miller
Save your photos and memories in your own personal cloud with ibi

Save your photos and memories in your own personal cloud with ibi

I was asked to review a new device called ibi thanks to my friends over at Kidzvuz.com. They know I take a lot of photos and videos of my kids. They also know I have lots of thoughts about data privacy, there’s a lot going on today and one thing we know is that our data is out there but does it have to be? Is there a solution that keeps your data on your device? There is now.  Meet ibi. How about creating a private space for you to keep all your photos, from your phone, from your cameras, from your online accounts (Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox, Google Drive, Box and more) all in one place.

ibi comes with 2 TB of space which can easily hold about 500,000 photos. That’s a lot of photos… and when you have a collection that large, you’ll need ways to find your photos, which ibi makes super easy with its search by keyword. You can also search by a location. If your photos have geotagging they’ll pop right up. Or you can look by a calendar view. Once you find the photos you can create a private feed  – just for your family and loved ones… or you can create an album and keep it private (say that class trip you went on the other day). Lastly you can create shared albums letting your friends upload their photos, perfect for a wedding, baby shower, or other special day.

ibi also comes with multiple ways to view your content beyond the mobile app. There’s a desktop app that makes it easy to manage your photos (and add new ones with drag and drop interface).  Friends don’t even need to download an app to view your pictures. If company is over, you can stream videos via Chromecast or Roku TV.

I’ve been pulling data off old external hard drives that we haven’t plugged in for years to make sure we’re putting all the data in one place and ibi has been a fantastic assistant in organizing all those photos and videos. 

Want to learn more about ibi? visit the website: meetibi.com  Or just check it out on Amazon.

 

Goosebumps 2 scares up some fun at home

Goosebumps 2 scares up some fun at home

GOOSEBUMPS 2 is now available on DVD/BluRay, and Digital HD. Slappy the devious ventriloquist dummy returns to run amuck, in this second installment of the family-friendly franchise based on R.L. Stine’s beloved book series. Standing in Slappy’s way is a terrifyingly talented cast including Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs), Madison Iseman (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), Jeremy Ray Taylor (It), Caleel Harris (Castle Rock), and Chris Parnell (Rick and Morty), with Ken Jeong (Crazy Rich Asians).

This sequel is set after the original Goosebumps movie (which you dont need to see – this sequel works totally as a standalone but there are some nice throwbacks to the original).

Be careful what you wish for. With their after school junk business, best friends Sonny and Sam hope to find treasure in other people’s trash. But when cleaning out the old Stine house, they open a locked book that frees a supernatural nightmare – Slappy! Now, with the help of Sonny’s sister Sarah, they’re in a race against time to get the sinister dummy and all the creatures he’s brought to life back into the pages before he unleashes total pandemonium!

Based on the beloved Scholastic book series by R.L Stine, GOOSEBUMPS 2 is for everyone… We watched this movie with my 3,5,10 year old children and each of them found something about this movie they really enjoyed.  The 3 year old loved the gummy bears, my 5 year old thought the movie was spooky (but in a really good way) she loved the School scene, my 10 year old loved how they made it really part of the Goosebumps universe, as he is a fan of the books.

Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Bonus Materials Include:

  • Gag Reel
  • Three Deleted Scenes:
  • Five Featurettes
    • “Thrills & Chills – The Making of Goosebumps 2”
    • “Meet The Monsters”
    • “Science With Slappy”
    • “Junk Brothers – Call Now”
    • “Slappy’s Audition”
  • Three Slappy-Oke Sing Alongs

GOOSEBUMPS 2 has a run time of approximately 120 minutes and is rated PG for scary creature action and images,
some thematic elements, rude humor and language.

We also have a great at home experience of making Gummy Bear Slime…

Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” The Heart-felt, Inspirational Story of the Timeless Classic Comes Home

Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” The Heart-felt, Inspirational Story of the Timeless Classic Comes Home

Just in time for summer break, Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” from acclaimed director Ava DuVernay, comes home on Digital HD and Movies Anywhere and on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, DVD and On-Demand. The stunning story of an ordinary girl’s extraordinary adventure through time and space offers exhilarating entertainment and positive messages for the whole family—encouraging self-confidence, inclusion and pushing imagination to the next level.

More than 50 years after Madeleine L’Engle’s young adult novel “A Wrinkle in Time” was awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal, the big-screen retelling of this timeless classic takes audiences on a transformative journey, exquisitely illustrated through jaw-dropping visual effects, a stirring musical score and diverse, star-studded cast. Three celestial guides, Mrs. Which (two-time Academy Award® nominee Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Emmy® winner Reese Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling), come to Earth to share their wisdom and love with struggling eighth-grader Meg Murry (Storm Reid) as she journeys across dimensions with classmate Calvin (Levi Miller) and younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) in search of her father (Chris Pine), a world-renowned physicist who mysteriously disappeared four years ago.

As fantastical as the film’s premise and imagery may seem, “A Wrinkle in Time” centers on a universal human need that feels particularly relevant and relatable today. “This is a story about belonging,” says DuVernay. “It’s about a girl who just doesn’t feel strong in her mind, body and spirit. But through this epic journey, she finds her strength and learns that the center of the universe starts inside her. It’s about Meg feeling like she belongs in the universe and has a mighty part to play… as do we all.”

Bonus features include**:

BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:

  • A Journey Through Time – Take an up-close look at the making of this magnificent movie with Director Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, and the cast and crew.
  • Deleted Scenes (with optional director audio commentary)
    • Ant on a String
    • Aunt Beast
    • Meg Learns About Calvin’s Dad
    • Papergirl
  • Audio Commentary
    • Director Ava DuVernay
    • Producer Jim Whitaker
    • Co-Screenwriter Jennifer Lee
    • Production designer Naomi Shohan
    • First assistant director Michael Moore
    • Editor Spencer Averick
    • VFX supervisor Rich McBride
  • Bloopers
  • Original Songs/Music Videos
    • “I Believe” performed by DJ Khaled featuring Demi Lovato
    • “Warrior” performed by Chloe x Halle