Author: Francine Brokaw

‘Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape’ on DVD

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


From Shout! Kids the new DVD Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape is a fun animated tale, or should I say “tail”? In this story Sherlock Holmes is a dog and his sidekick Watson is a cat.

Mack is a thief who steals from the rich to give to the poor. He is not considered a bad guy by most of the people. But Holmes uses his keen powers to catch the thief, to the dismay of the people. Now it is four years later and Mack has escaped from prison.

Holmes is intent on recapturing the fugitive. His intelligence and powers of investigation leads him to Mack, however there are extenuating circumstances to this story. Sherlock decides to give the guy a break and let him fulfill his last wish. Holmes is a sensitive guy at heart.

Things go awry when Mack’s daughter is kidnapped. This gives Holmes another case to work on and he must use all his intellect and powers of deduction to solve it. But as we all know, Sherlock Holmes always solves his cases and this is no exception.

The movie was produced in Hong Kong and the look of the characters reflects the country in their characteristics.  There are fun and cute characters, including Carlson Fox, Gordon Gorilla Riller, Shinny Monkey, Little Rabbit, and more.

The DVD and digital platforms are available beginning March 23, 2021. This is a cute movie for kids with plenty of adventure and everyone’s favorite detective. Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape is not rated however it is appropriate or all ages.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

‘Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape’ DVD GIVEAWAY

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


In the late 19th century, Mack, a heroic outlaw who stole from the rich to give to the poor, was loved and respected by the people. When the world’s greatest dog-tective, Sherlock Holmes, assisted in catching Mack, the people were angry with him for arresting their hero! But four years later, Mack has escaped from prison. While Sherlock is on the case to recapture Mack, he discovers the heartbreaking reason behind the outlaw’s escape, and decides to let him fulfill his final wish before Mack’s voluntary surrender to the police. However, everyone’s plans change when Mack’s daughter is kidnapped. Sherlock must employ all his wits if he is to rescue Mack’s daughter and save the day.

We have some copies to giveaway.

To be eligible to win a copy of Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape, email us at [email protected] with “Sherlock Holmes Giveaway” in the title. Please supply your name, address, phone number and email address (so we can let you know if you are a winner).

 

The deadline for this giveaway is March 19, 2021.

‘Sometime Other Than Now’ shows there are second chances in life

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

Donal Logue and Kate Walsh star in Sometime Other Than Now, a drama about life, love, and family.  It is about separation and reunions.

Sam (Logue) abandoned his wife and daughter over 25 years ago. He has been traveling the country on his motorcycle and living a fairly happy life. But deep down he wants to see how his daughter is faring, especially since he heard the news that her mother just passed away.

Upon returning to the New England town, he immediately crashes his motorcycle and is left without any transportation or identity, since his wallet was washed into the ocean. Kate (Walsh) lets him rent a room in her motel/café and the two begin a sweet relationship.

She is a lone and lost soul herself, and commiserates with the feelings of Sam. And when he finally confides the story of his past, she is the one who helps bring Sam and his daughter together. But will she be open enough to let him into her life after he abandoned her when she was a young child? And now that she has a daughter of her own, will she trust him enough that he will not do the same thing to them as he did to her over two decades ago?

This is truly a family drama. Opening up and forgiveness, even for horrible acts, is important when the contrition comes with remorse and a desire to set things right. Although Sam cannot replace all the years in which he was away, he can start anew with his family, if they allow him to do so.

And Kate is also in a transitional situation. She feels stuck in her life and desperately wants to get away. So, like she came to Sam’s aid, he returns the favor.

Sam learns he can finally connect with another person and commit to his family and to Kate. And Kate finally finds a man with whom she can feel empathy, and yes, even love.

These two lost souls are very dramatic and unhappy characters. But by chance, they meet and perhaps the future is not as gloomy as it has seemed. For the first time in a long time, both Sam and Kate have fun, joy, laughter, and love in their lives.

Sometime Other Than Now is not rated however it could be considered PG due to subject matter and sexual situations.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is a sweet and heartfelt story

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

The latest animated film from the folks at Disney is Raya and the Last Dragon. This movie has plenty of enjoyment for the entire family and includes action and adventure, along with plenty of humor.

Once upon a time there was the wonderful world of Kumandra, where dragons and humans lived in harmony. That was until an evil force came and the dragons were forced to sacrifice themselves in order to save the humans. All the dragons turned to stone as did humans who came in contact with this evil force. The people split into five regions which became at odds with each other. That was 500 years ago.

Now Raya’s father, Chief Benja, has a dream to unify the regions and live in peace once again. Unfortunately, things do not go according to his plan and things get even worse than before. It is up to Raya to find Sisu, the last dragon, and get his help in restoring peace to the people and all the lands.

 

Once Raya locates Sisu, their journey just begins. Along the way they interact with several interesting characters, including an adorable little baby named Noi, who is a conniving little thief, but an adorable one nonetheless. There are others who come to Raya’s aid, like a cute little street smart boy named Boun, and more, while she tries to retrieve a special item from each of the regions (Heart, Spine, Tail, Fang, and Talon), to unite them an get the magical power to vanquish the evil force and bring harmony back to the land.

Raya is the chief’s daughter, therefore she could be considered a Disney princess. We all know every Disney princess has a sidekick. Raya’s sidekick is Tuk Tuk, a combination of a pill bug and an armadillo. Let’s not forget about the Ongis who are monkey-like con artists. And yes, these characters are available in the Disney Stores and on shopDisney.com.

The main lessons learned in the film are that teamwork and trust go a long way in solving discourse.

The voice talent includes Kelly Marie Tran as Raya, Awkwafina as Sisu, Izaac Wang as Boun, Gemma Chan as Raya’s foe Namaari, Daniel Daw Kim as Benja, Alan Tudyk as Tuk Tuk, Thalia Tran as Noi, and Benedict Wong as Tong the giant. There is no doubt Raya and the Last Dragon will be well received, especially in this time of Covid. It is a fun fantasy and an uplifting escape. And were we not all longing for a new Disney heroine?

Raya and the Last Dragon is rated PG.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

My Singing Monsters Fandemonium

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

The 115+ million fans from around the world will soon get to know more about their beloved Monsters than they ever thought possible. For the first time in the iconic franchise’s nine-year history, fan favorites PomPom, Mammott and Furcorn will speak, sing and come to life each with their own unique personalities in My Singing Monster Fandemonium. A show like never seen before, Fandemonium is a LIVE animated interactive EVENT series for families.  This music-infused variety show will allow fans to connect with the Monsters and participate in the storytelling in a ground-breaking way.

“My Singing Monster Fandemonium is letting us break a number of boundaries in the entertainment world,” said Catherine Winder, CEO, Wind Sun Sky Entertainment.  “Not only are we broadcasting live animation, with interactive elements from a live audience, but we’re bringing together an already passionate fan group in ways never done before. And we’re giving them things that they’ve been asking for for years, including bringing the Monsters to life with voices and fully realized personalities. And this is just the beginning.”

My Singing Monsters, published by Big Blue Bubble, is a beloved award-winning top-grossing mobile game with more than 115+ million players worldwide. The free-to-play family-friendly title explores rich intriguing worlds as players are engaged in discovery, creativity, and delight by breeding and feeding Singing Monsters to build unique melodies.

In addition to the live show and the game, Wind Sun Sky will bring My Singing Monsters fans a true multi-platform experience, including new music, social media challenges between broadcasts, and additional partner announcements.

My Singing Monsters Fandemonium will stream weekly on Fridays starting March 12 at 7:30pm EST/4:30 pm PST on the My Singing Monster YouTube and Facebook channels, owned by Big Blue Bubble.   Each 10-15 minute broadcast will encourage fans to interact with the Monsters.  Fans can participate in the storyworld both in real-time during the broadcast and between broadcasts with fun challenges and calls to action.

‘The Zoo: San Diego’ on Discovery+

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

 

Animal lovers will rejoice when watching The Zoo: San Diego on the Discovery+ streaming service. This season is heartwarming and endearing as the vets and assistants care for a wide variety of amazing and wonderful animals.

First there is Funami, a river hippo about to give birth to an adorable little baby. It is a delight to see this new mother care for her baby and watch the baby learn about life with her mom. Let’s face it, no matter how big or small, babies are adorable!

There is also Omeo, an orphaned koala joey. This little fellow was almost given up for dead. The professionals in Australia did not give him much hope of surviving, but the caregivers at the zoo would not give up. They kept him company, fed him, played with him, and lo-and-behold the little guy began to grow and thrive. It will take him awhile to get to his natural state, but in the meantime, he is under the best care in the world. And he’s a cute little fellow to watch.

The elephant team from San Diego travel to Kenya to the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary to help them with their elephants. With the collaboration of the San Diego team and those at Reteti, they are able create a milk formula for the young elephants who do not have mothers to nurse them. Viewers also see a young orphan calf survive and get accepted by a group of elephants, giving him a home for the first time in his young life. It is definitely heartwarming to watch this young elephant begin his new life and fight for survival.

The San Diego Zoo is home to more than 700 species and 6,500 animals. Besides just being a home to these animals, it is a research area where knowledge about animals is gained and shared around the world. This is a place dedicated to the wellbeing of the animal kingdom, it is not simply a place for visitors to go see the animals. The dedicated staff has personal relationships with the animals and it is an amazing thing to watch as the stories unfold. There are plenty of great stories in season two, which is now available to stream on Discovery+

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

‘Looking for Life on Mars’ is amazing

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


PBS’ NOVA’s newest show, Looking for Life on Mars, is an amazing look at how technology is rapidly progressing to bring humans closer to living and working on Mars. Recently the NASA spacecraft deposited the Perseverance rover on the red planet. Now the work begins.

Perseverance is like no other rover that has been on Mars. It has been specially designed to drill holes, retrieve soil samples, and store them for a future spacecraft to retrieve them and bring them back to Earth. This sounds like science fiction. It is not fiction. It is simply science.

Now, besides that incredible task ahead for the rover, there are several other “new” jobs that will be attempted on Mars. First there is MOXIE, which is a device that will attempt to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. For humans to breathe we need O2.  The Mars consists of CO (Carbon, Oxygen).  So MOXIE needs to take the CO and delete the C as well as add another O. This is necessary for humans to survive on the planet

Now, there is yet another amazing advancement that will be taking place during this mission. There is a small helicopter that will try to fly in the atmosphere. Can it get the lift it needs in the thin Martian atmosphere?

“Scientists have been searching for life on Mars for decades, from the Viking missions of the 1970s to the Curiosity rover—whose discoveries set the stage for the Mars 2020 mission,” said producer Terri Randall of Randall Productions. “Despite the enormous challenges, thousands of scientists and space explorers across the globe came together with the single goal of finding answers to a fundamental question about our place in the universe. Their commitment to discovery and exploration is incredibly inspiring, and we are excited to share it with NOVA viewers.”

Before the craft left Earth, all the scientists and technicians and engineers had to be at the top of their games. They put so much effort into this and have been personally invested in this mission. The craft had to be in the cleanest clean room ever created and continually wiped down. After all, they did not want any human germs to go with the craft. They need to collect pure samples from Mars. The samples might finally answer the question if whether there is/was life on the red planet.

“Not only did this team put together the most sophisticated Mars mission to date, but they also successfully launched the spacecraft on time amid a global pandemic,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Julia Cort. “LOOKING FOR LIFE ON MARS is an exhilarating and wide-ranging look at this groundbreaking mission and the remarkable science and engineering developed in our quest to find life beyond Earth.”

According to the 2000 movie Mission to Mars, the inhabitants of that planet had to leave due to a catastrophe. They set out into space and populated Earth. Maybe that’s not science fiction. Also, the 2015 movie The Martian had Matt Damon surviving on the planet. Some of his experiences are not fiction.

Humans have been drawn to space and specifically to Mars, our nearest neighbor, for as long as we could look up and see the heavens. We are now on our way to building a working lab on Mars. NOVA’s film will not only entertain, but will also inspire us all to look up and wonder – what and who is up there?

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.

Courtesy photo

‘The Croods: A New Age’ GIVEAWAY

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


The Croods: A New Age reunites the characters and the voice talent for a new look at the prehistoric family along with some new friends. The Crood family meets another prehistoric family, The Bettermans, who have managed to modernize their lives and invite the Croods to join them.

With all the characters – and voice talent – from the original movie plus new characters, this is a fun and entertaining film for the entire family.

We have a 4K version to giveaway. It includes a Blu-ray disc, a 4K Ultra HD disc, and Digital Code.

To be eligible to win a copy of The Croods: A New Adventure, email us at [email protected] with “Croods Giveaway” in the title. Please supply your name, address, phone number and email address (so we can let you know if you are a winner).

The deadline for this giveaway is February 25, 2021.

‘The Croods: A New Age’ is a true delight

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

The 2013 film The Croods was a fun film for kids and adults. Now The Croods: A New Age reunites the characters and the voice talent for a new look at the prehistoric family along with some new friends.

In this new adventure Grug (Nicolas Cage), Ugga (Catherine Keener), Thunk (Clark Duke), Sandy (Kailey Crawford), Eep (Emma Stone), Guy (Ryan Reynolds), and Belt (Chris Sanders), meet a new group of cave people, only this new family is different. They are more advanced and live in a tree rather than a cave. They have created tools to help with their lives. They are the Bettermans. There is the father, Phil (Peter Dinklage), the mother, Hope (Leslie Mann), and daughter Dawn (Kelly Marie Tran) along with Dawn’s sash (James Ryan).

The Bettermans were friends of Guy’s family when he was a young boy, and the reunion between them is a heartwarming surprise for Guy. Eep and Dawn become best friends. After all, neither of them has had a girlfriend before. They bond immediately.

Meanwhile, Grug cannot conform to this new way of living. He misses sleeping in a pile. With the Bettermans everyone has their own bed. So Grug decides his family must move on, but Guy and Eep want to stay.

Then the whole thing blows up when a monster, and some punch monkeys attack. Soon it is up to the women to save the men who have been taken by the monster. Girl power is on display as the four women, along with Thunk, use their brains and their brawn to come to the rescue.

If you are 4K compatible, by all means get the 4K edition. The colors are bright and beautiful and the visuals are stunning. Unlike the original movie, this sequel is filled with plenty of colors and even more imagination, if you can believe it. The modernizations made by the Bettermans are quite ingenious and when you add the Croods to the mix, everything is bumped up a notch. They are a loveable family with their own way of living. Now they must adjust to a more comfortable life created by the Bettermans. Can they hack it with the “modern” conveniences? Just try to stop them!

There are some fun bonus features on the disc, including a gag reel with the voice talent creating their memorable sounds. There are two short films with the characters and some deleted scenes. A family album and plenty more additions make this a fun-filled disc for the entire family.

The Croods: A New Adventure is rated G. It is a wonderful and comical way for families to spend an evening together.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, from Sourced Media Books, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.