DVD Review – Taken

Synopsis - A former spy relies on his special skills and killer instinct as he hunts down the men who kidnapped his daughter in Taken, an adrenaline fueled drama available on Blu-ray Disc (BD) and two-disc extended cut DVD with digital copy May 12 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Academy Award®-nominee* Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List) stars as Brian Mills, a former secret agent trained in hand to hand combat who struggles as a divorcee and father of 17-year old Kim (Maggie Grace, “Lost”). Living with Brian’s ex-wife Lenore (Famke Jansson, X-Men: The Last Stand), Kim rarely gets the chance to see her father, but when she does he is often smothering and overbearing. When the opportunity arises to travel to Europe with her best friend, Kim convinces her dad to let her go on the trip by leaving out some very important details. The first stop for the girls is Paris, but hours after they arrive they are victims of a disturbing break-in and abducted by an Albanian criminal organization. Now, with only 96 hours to find his daughter before she will disappear forever, time is running out and Brian Mills must put his CIA expertise to the test before its too late.

MY Thoughts – Loaded with action, suspense and excitement at every turn, TAKEN is one of the few movies I’ve watched recently and in the process, lost the opportunity to catch some much-needed shut-eye. Parents or people with newborns in their home will know what I’m talking about. Yes, people, it’s that GOOD!

The movie begins slowly but picks up pace until it’s practically going at light speed and taking your pulse with it. Liam Neeson is excellent as the quiet but deadly spy who won’t stop at anything to rescue his daughter. Action scenes are plentiful and slick with Neeson exploding into swift but brutal action time and again whether it’s with a gun or fists, using a car or his own two feet. It’s deadly efficiency at its peak and has been captured most beautifully. The plotting is also good and while this is not a “whodunit”, the suspense is still excellent and leaves the audience wondering if the father will get to rescue his daughter before the 96 hr deadline is up. I also liked the fact that while high-technology is used, unlike Bond movies this movie does not heavily rely on them and there is some actual detective work done. But like in Bond movies, the lead character miraculously escapes serious injury time and again. It’s not very convincing but it sure makes for fun watching.

Maggie Grace wasn’t very good as a bouncing 17-year old. Only when bad things start to happen, does her acting begin to get convincing. The talented Famke Jansson is wasted as the indulgent mother. Most of the other characters just put in brief appearances.

I watched the unrated version (the standard DVD has both theatrical and unrated versions in it) and was bowled over. Additional bonus features include audio commentaries by the director, writer and cinematographers, exclusive behind-the-scenes “making of” featurette and action packed side-by-side comparisons.

In Short – Hubby and I both enjoyed this movie, my hubby more than me. (He asked that I mention that in my review!)

My recommendation – Enjoy this movie with the man in your life. He’s guaranteed to love it!

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*** This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided. The information provided here at the A Bookworm Mom’s Diary blog is for entertainment purposes only and reflect only the personal opinion of this blogger. Readers of this blog reading and/or using any of the information they glean here, do so at their own risk. ***

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The Fragrance Collection by Glade – Review and Giveaway!

Like many others, I’ve been impressed and amused by those clever and appealing Glade commercials. I’ve bought and loved Glade candles before and as such could relate to those women in the ads. And now, Glade has come up with something new!

The Fragrance Collection by Glade is a new collection of home-fragrances including reed diffusers, soy candles and multi-wick soy based candles in six premium scents; Currants & Açai, Sheer White Cotton, Lotus Bamboo, McIntosh Apple, Earthly Awakening and Orange Vanilla.

The soy candles were great to use – their exotic fragrance soon filled my home and because of their wide and low shapes they were really easy to light up as well. No injured fingers! So was the case with the reed diffuser as well!

GIVEAWAY

The Prize

One lucky reader of this blog will get a candle and reed diffuser.

To Enter, go here – LINK

Good luck!

No entries will be accepted at this post!

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*** This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided.
The information provided here at the A Bookworm Mom’s Diary blog is for entertainment purposes only and reflect only the personal opinion of this blogger. Readers of this blog reading and/or using any of the information they glean here, do so at their own risk. ***

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DVD Review – Leap Frog : Letter Factory

Leap Frog : Letter Factory

Have Fun learning about letters and their sounds! LeapFrog characters spring to life in this engaging and educational DVD. Popular LeapFrog characters, Leap, Lily and Tad go on a wild adventure to the Letter Factory. Led by wacky Professor Quigley, Tad joins Js jumping on trampolines and Ks practicing karate kicks as new letters learn their sounds. Fun songs will have kids singing letter sounds in no time.

Leap, Lily and Tad really fun and make learning fun, which is Leap Frog’s philosophy anyway. I’ve enjoyed Leap Frog products before and this one is right up to par. My son (with his broken but extremely cute English) and I had a great time together singing along and watching the letters jump and prance about with gusto.

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*** This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided. The information provided here at A Bookworm (Mom)’s Diary blog is for entertainment purposes only and reflect only the personal opinion of this blogger. Readers of this blog reading and/or using any of the information they glean here, do so at their own risk. ***

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Strong As Steel

With a toddler and now an infant in tow, the only exercise I get these days is running after them, changing diapers and other household chores. Going to a gym is becoming a fast-fading memory! Keeping this mind as  well as to celebrate their now very affordable line of durable Stainless Steel Appliances, GE has created a workout routine entitled “Strong As Steel.”

This exercise routine uses nothing but GE kitchen appliances as workout equipment! Their fitness pros cook up a sweat as they show viewers the perfect form for doing Oven Squats, Dishwasher Lunges, Refrigerator Curls, and much, much more!

Check it out here: http://www.strong-as-steel.com/
 

In addition, for a short period of time you can buy any GE Stainless Steel Appliance for the same price of their regular appliances! Currently you can also to enter their Free Stainless Steel Upgrade Sweepstakes!

It’s really interesting to see how we can exercise right in our homes using everyday appliances! Check it out and don’t forget to come tell me all about your experience.

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DVD Review – Speed Racer

Speed Racer: The Next Generation – Comet Run
Speed Racer The Next Generation: Comet Run the Movie is the 3rd one from the series The Next Generation. It’s an action packed movie about Speed and his buddies trying to win the entire company of trillionaire Dickie Radford. They end up taking part in a 3-day race full of adventure, speed, and face several challenges along the way!! Can Speed and his team win?? Do they have what it takes to compete against in the toughest competitor they have ever raced??

My car-crazy little boy loved this DVD. Although, in the interest of fairness, I have to confess – it was probably the model car that came with the DVD that had him fascinated the most. The story is good, the idea simple enough to follow and the eco-friendly message is well-delivered.

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*** This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided. The information provided here at A Bookworm (Mom)’s Diary blog is for entertainment purposes only and reflect only the personal opinion of this blogger. Readers of this blog reading and/or using any of the information they glean here, do so at their own risk. ***

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Free Song – Diane Birch

Soul-stirring songstress Diane Birch is an iTunes darling! Starting May 19, iTunes has Diane’s song “Rise Up” as the FREE Single of the Week at the iTunes store. Diane has also been chosen by the Apple folks to be part of an elite group known as their iTunes Next Big Thing artists. Apple knows a thing or two about good music so you can be sure she’s good!
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Mamapedia

As a mom, I have been faced with issues and questions regarding my children over the years where I wished that I had advice from other mothers who had “already been there, done that.” Ranging from how to deal with a newly discovered allergy to deciding on the safest car seat for your kids, moms take on the important task of family decision-making everyday.

Advice, however, does not always prove easy to come by in our time-crunched lives. Perhaps you have even had a question that you would rather not discuss with your friends and family, but still need the answer to. In comes Mamapedia, providing all these answers aggregated in a single destination.

Mamapedia enables you to search answers for your most pressing questions, such as eczema, breastfeeding, childhood crushes, renting a house, and summer camps, to get empathetic and insightful answers from moms around the country. A virtual encyclopedia of Mothers’ wisdom, Mamapedia allows you to quickly navigate through thousands of diverse categories to find the thoughtful, sympathetic-and most importantly-helpful answers to all of your questions. Mamapedia brings millions of women together online, both nation-wide and in our own communities, so we can help each other tackle those difficult parenting questions or even just give recommendations on our favorite pediatricians, playgroups, and kid-friendly restaurants.

Check out the new Mamapedia, which can be found on their website at http://www.mamapedia.com/.

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3M Filtrete

 

We have reached the time of the year when temperatures rise, flowers begin to bloom, and we start spending more time outside with our families. However, for people who suffer from allergies, spring is a time of itchy eyes and sneezes.

While the tendency may be to head indoors for relief, United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies indicate that indoor levels of many pollutants may be two to five times higher than outdoor levels, making it one of the top five urgent environmental risks to public health.  In fact, many seasonal activities such as cooking, spring cleaning and redecorating can spread indoor pollutants.

Did you know:

·    Poor indoor air quality can cause a lack of concentration in school-aged children (Journal of Indoor Air)

·    Every year, asthma accounts for an estimated three million lost work days for adults and over ten million lost school days for children (American Lung Association’s Trends in Asthma Morbidity and Mortality)

Thanks to Mom Central, I recently came to know of Dr. Neil Schachter, M.D., past president of the American Lung Association of the City of New York, who suggests a “home health check-up” to help make your home a healthier place to live. He recommends avoiding cleaning products that contain ammonia or chlorine, and limiting your pet’s access to certain areas of the home, including the bedroom. A high performance air filter, such as a Filtrete filter, may also help improve indoor air quality. Listen to these tips and more on Dr. Schachter’s podcast on www.Filtrete.com. While you’re there, play the Filtrete Clean Air Fact or Fiction to test your knowledge of indoor air quality. You could win a home inspection from Steve Ramos, featured home inspector on HGTV’s House Detective.

It’s recommended to change your air filter at the start of every season, or every three months.  Recognizing that this may be the last thing on the mind of a busy Mom, 3M, the makers of Filtrete filters, offers the Clean Air Club.  Moms can receive seasonal e-newsletters featuring special offers, filter change reminders, better home living tips and more.  Plus, the first 50 people to sign up each week will receive a free bamboo plant – a natural air purifier.

Visit www.Filtrete.com today!
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Frosted Flakes : Plant a Seed

Back in January, I’d blogged about Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Earn Your Stripes program – a field renovation program that aimed to renovate neighborhood sports fields across the U.S. Since that time, thousands of fields were nominated some with as many as 700,000 supporters! Those fields have now been narrowed down to 100 finalists and your vote will help determine the winning fields.

The semifinalist fields were chosen based on the feasibility of the field makeover, the location and age of the field, how often it gets used, how many events take place, what teams use it, the number of other athletic fields in the community, the demand, condition, and the impact a field renovation would have on the community.

From May 1st through the 31st, I encourage you, my readers, to vote for your favorite semifinalist field at www.frostedflakes.com. These renovations will help to build community and provide better places for kids to stay active and play.

Go vote today!

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DVD Review – Into the Blue 2 :The Reef

Into the Blue 2: The Reef

Synopsis

Two young scuba divers, Sebastion (Chris Carmack; “The O.C.”) and his girlfriend Dani (Laura Vandervoort; The Lookout, “Smallville”), run a small scuba business in Hawaii and often look for sunken treasure that would allow them to live on any beach in the world for the rest of their lives.  After years of searching, they begin to think of the treasure as nothing more than wet sand until they meet a wealthy vacationing couple – Azra (Marsha Thomason; “Lost,” “Las Vegas”) and Carlton (David Anders; “Heroes,” “Alias”) – who are willing to invest in the legend.

Azra and Carlton generously share their opulent lifestyle with the beach couple, who in turn introduce them to Hawaii’s best diving and nightlife.  However, when Dani and Sebastion turn up relics that may be from the treasure, the barnacle-covered gold also uncovers the truth about their new friends.  As Dani and Sebastion dive deeper into the ocean and further into their lies, they discover there’s more to fear in the water than sharks and sting rays—and the most dangerous creatures of all may be the ones they brought with them on the boat.

Special Features

The Into The Blue 2: The Reef DVD is presented in widescreen with English Dolby Surround 5.1 sound.  Bonus content includes:

• “All Wet” Featurette
• “Run For Your Life” Featurette
• “Back To The Beach” Music Video

My Thoughts

Although slim on the plotting side, there are plenty of slick action scenes, accompanied by some gorgeous visuals of underwater diving sequences as well as a good-looking cast, that makes this movie watch-worthy. The acting is average, but there are enough gratuitous scenes involving scantily-clad/topless female characters that’s certain to keep a section of the audience glued to their seats.

Overall, I generally liked watching Into The Blue 2: The Reef, even though it’s nothing spectacular.

*** This product was received for review consideration. No other compensation was provided. The information provided here at A Bookworm (Mom)’s Diary is for entertainment purposes only and reflect only the personal opinion of this blogger. Readers of this blog, A Bookworm (Mom)’s Diary, reading and/or using any of the information they glean from A Bookworm (Mom)’s Diary, do so at their own risk. ***

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