Find A Way - DVD Review

God appoints a time for our birth and a time for our death. It's what we do with the dash in between that makes a difference in the life of a believer. Word Films introduces their latest DVD, Find A Way, which features an all-star high school football player, Smiley Cain, has it all together both on and off the field. Not only is he well known, but he is an all around guy. One who wears his faith as much as he wears his football jersey. Never one to turn down helping out someone in need from someone named "Stick" who is getting bullied, to a young girl, Casey, who has just been broken up with my her boyfriend because she doesn't seem to have the right look. Not only that he inspires and encourages his teammate and best friend Nick Whitefield, the coaches son, who dreams of following his passion in music over playing football like his dad wants.

Then one day, Smiley doesn't wake up and is immediately rushed to the hospital where the town takes stock in their own lives. From Casey who is watching her family fall apart while she is struggling to come to terms with her recent break up and now watching the one man who had faith in her struggle to survive while he is in the hospital. Her mother is simply too busy with her career and her older sister has plans that involve pursuing her own career with shopping at the mall for the latest in fashions. Her father is struggling to keep the family together but it seems like it is all in vain.

The coaches family faces a similar situation when Nick's mom overhears his father talk down to him about his music career telling him it's a waste of time. When she attempts to correct her husband, he reminds her where her place is in the family and that is of a wife and nothing more. Soon she wonders if divorce from him, might just be the best thing for the family. Finding faith in the midst of difficult circumstances is the theme in this movie.

I received Find A Way from Word Films compliments of Edify Media Inc and Word Films for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review, aside from a free copy of this DVD and the opinions contained here are my own honest personal ones. I would have liked to see this movie made from a higher quality film company because the edits on this one were pretty bad on both the sound and focus issues in certain scenes. The sad thing is that this is meant to have a great impact and with the acting portrayed by the people in this film, you find it hard to truly care about any of the characters in this story. This is based on the true story of Harry Cohen, which should have been the true star of the movie and unfortunately for this reviewer and her family, it fell far short of our expectations. For this reason, I would rate this one a 3 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about Find A Way, Word Films or where you can pick up a copy of this movie today, please click on the links below:

Find A Way from Word Films

You can find Word Films on Facebook to stay up to date with all their latest movies and DVDs.

Catching Faith - DVD Review

Who doesn't want the perfect family. Successful, strong marriage, loving home, wonderful children who are striving for success in their own personal ways? What if that was all an illusion to those who were living that life? What if from the outside, things looked perfect, but underneath, is was all a well staged act in hopes that one day it might become real?

Catching Faith is the latest DVD which showcases the lives of the Taylor family and from the outside, it all looks perfect. John and Alexa are the loving married couple who are the epitome of parental involvement in the lives of their two children Beau and Ravyn. They attend all of Beau's football games because as the quarterback, he is well on his way to a professional career and one that is finally giving his team hopes of a championship. Ravyn is on track to become her high schools valedictorian, acing every single one of her courses and when she learns she has been accepted for early enrollment at the college of her choice, she is beaming with the wonderful news.

But on the inside it is all a facade. Beau winds up attending a party at the home of friends whose parents are out of town, and finds himself drinking to keep up with the pretenses of everyone there who idolizes him among his peers and teammates. Ravyn learns that unless she can improve her grade in Latin, she will fall from her status as graduating from a valedictorian to a salutatorian, which is something she can't stomach. When she is asked to make copies of the Latin final, she learns that the answer key is also among the papers and feels she has been given a way out.

But when tragedy strikes and Alexa loses her father, things will begin to spiral downhill as the family attempts to deal with the circumstances while trying to maintain the perfect image of what their family should look like to those in their community. It is a true struggle of what it truly means to have faith in God that He will make all things right in His own timing even though we might not like the outcome in how the world will see us. It shows that if you stick together, you have a great starting point in changing circumstances for the better but only through your faith in God first!

I received Catching Faith by RLJ Entertainment and Edify Media Inc for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. This DVD is currently available for preorder at your local Christian retailer right now, and will be released in early August. For fans of football movies that teach about faith, you will definitely want to add this to your collection. It opens up some great topics of conversation with your family from personal faith, commitment, drinking and cheating and what those outcomes might be like for those who participate in them. In my opinion, there is no greater need right now than to enforce a strong sense of faith within the family than ever before and the reason why I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Catching Faith, RLJ Entertainment, or where you can preorder a copy of this DVD today, please click on the links below:

Catching Faith by RLJ Entertainment

You can find Catching Faith on Facebook to stay up to date on all the movies information.

You can preorder a copy of Catching Faith from Amazon.

23 Blast - DVD Review and Giveaway

Growing up Travis Freeman was your typical boy who loved playing football. In fact between Travis and his best friend Jerry Baker, they were a true all American pair who could read each other like no one else. It was no surprise when in their senior year, Travis and Jerry would find themselves playing for the RedHounds in a small Kentucky town. Knowing this could simply be an unforgettable year for the team Travis is ready for scholarship opportunities during this season. Yet when a sinus infection invades his body, antibiotics refuse to work and subsequently lead Travis to losing his sight. How does a young man who has all his hopes and dreams laid out in front of him respond to having it all taken away?

That is the true story behind 23 Blast, a new inspirational movie from Ocean Avenue Entertainment, Toy Gun Films and Touchdown Productions. Travis will need to learn to be dependent on not only his parents, his mobility coach, his best friend and his former team to help him through this dark storm. It will take not only his athletic ability, but the courage and perseverance to digger deeper than he ever dreamed possible to find a way to play football again against all the odds and people who oppose the coach wanting him to play again.

This is truly a must see for fans of movies like Rudy and Facing the Giants, and teaches us the value of not letting anything define who God created us to be. .There truly is nothing we can't achieve with the love and support of our faith, friends and family. This movie is rated PG-13 due to the brief drinking of alcohol on school property). It runs for 98 minutes and comes loaded with some amazing special features like The Travis Freeman Story, Whatever Happens to Jerry Baker?, Bloopers, Behind the Scenes Featurette and more.

I received 23 Blast compliments of Propeller Consulting, LLC, for my honest review and did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. The only flaw I found in the film was that it moved pretty fast in the beginning to get to Travis's blindness. At one point he has swelling in his eyelids and is diagnosed with a sinus infection and in the next scene he is being taken into surgery because the antibiotics aren't working. There is a scene in which the doctor comes out of surgery but the discussion he has is not heard in the movie. The parents are the ones to explain to Travis when he wakes from surgery what has happened. You learn through the Travis Freeman Story and subsequent information on the website that the infection destroyed his optic nerve which rendered him blind. That would have been helpful to understand in the movie. Overall a great film that teach how to move past obstacles and find the light at the end. I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to the generosity of Propeller Consulting, LLC, they are offering a giveaway copy of this DVD to one lucky follower of my blog. Here are your guidelines.

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. 

2. "Like" 23 Blast's Facebook page.

3. Be a resident of the US or Canada or have a US or Canada mailing address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

4. Leave a comment below, telling me why you'd love to win a copy of this DVD. Don't forget to include your email address otherwise I won't have any way to contact you if you're the lucky winner of this giveaway.

I will email the winner when the giveaway ends on February 6th.

For more information about 23 Blast and how you can get a copy, please click on the links below:

23 Blast - Based on An Incredible True Story

You can find 23 Blast on Facebook to stay up to date with all the latest from the movie.

"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. 

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

A Life Intercepted

Well all hope that when we walk this path called life, that adversity will somehow overlook us, that it will happen to the "other" guy and not us. We'd prefer it that way but so often it does happen to us and begs us to ask the question, now that this has happened, how will we manage? Will it change the course of our lives so much that we don't move forward, that we forget how to live without that title, that salary, that marriage, that family any longer. What truly defines who we are inside? Certainly not our circumstances as one man is about to find out.

In the latest novel from Charles Martin, A Life Intercepted, takes us through the struggle and adversity of what happens to the rising football star Matthew "the Rocket" Rising. He was the greatest thing to ever happen to Gardi, Georgia. From his high school career as quarterback it was as perfectly scripted as you would hope a life as a quarterback would be. The back to back wins throughout his years in high school, back to back wins subsequently in college, and the hope of a future with his wife and high school sweetheart Audrey. He was much different than all the other football heroes because he refused to take any personal credit for the teams wins, instead emphasizing that it takes an entire team and not just one man.

That was what set him apart from everyone else. He had his heart and mind in the right places and not just on his skills as a football player. Even his wife supported his game from the humble beginnings to the cusp of success. But just before he got to the top of his future game, just when it looks like all his dreams would come true, the lights would be turned out and his life would take a turn he never saw coming and all those who truly believed in Matt's character would begin to doubt they ever knew him at all. Now the only thing facing him would be 12 years behind bars at prison for a crime he didn't remember committing and one that would change how the world would forever label him including his wife Audrey. This is Matthew's story of what happened and how he would attempt the come back of his life.

I received A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin compliments of Center Street Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Groups for my honest opinion. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions in this review are strictly my own. I've been a huge fan of Charles Martin's novels because they truly cut to the core of who we are as humans and this is no exception as he begins to strip away Matthew Rising from his humble beginnings to his pinnacle of success. What dedication he has to encourage and motivate his fellow teammates and to showcase the true unconditional love he has for his wife Audrey. I couldn't imagine how painful this was for her and even his close friends. This is a fictional novel but based on the Author's Notes at the end, shows the true inspiration of this idea for the novel. It truly shows the power of forgiveness and creates an inspiration for those areas in our own life where we might need to exercise forgiveness and just what it really means for us. For fans of football fiction with a side of romance thrown in for good measure or if you are just a fan of Charles Martins' novels, definitely pick this one up. I would rate it a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Charles Martin, A Life Intercepted, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

A Life Intercepted by Charles Martin

You can find Charles Martin on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

For more reviews on A Life Intercepted, please visit Center Street Publishing's website. 

Season of a Lifetime - DVD Review

When faced with the challenge of having to face coming to terms with being diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, headcoach of the Greenville Patriots, Jeremy Williams chose a different path than looking at his life with a definitive end point ahead of him. His story is now being captured in the DVD release from Word Films, Season of a Lifetime, showcases how he uses his faith to pull through what would be the end for most of us when faced with a terminal illness at such a young age.

Jeremy was showcased on Extreme Home Makeover and the viewers get a glimpse of that season's show as well as how he inspired the cast and crew in their own walk of faith as they prepared a home that would enable him and his younger son Jacob, who is was diagnosed with spinal bifoda which keeps him confined to a wheelchair to enjoy life more.He shares his life with his teenage daughter as well as his high school sweetheart he married.

What this DVD captures is much more than Jeremy's final season as coach for the Greenville Patriots, it captures the resilience of a man faced with a difficult disease that will claim his life all too soon, and how he uses that faith to motivate the men he coaches on his football team. It's pretty inspirational to watch how Jeremy never sees what happened to him as a crutch but as a tool to motivate others to never give up. It's simply over, when it's over.

I received Season of a Lifetime compliments of Word Films and Edify Media Inc for my honest review and received no monetary compensation for a favorable one. This is not a fictional based movie but more along the lines of watching the last season in Jeremy's life as a coach and how he motivated his team not only to become a great football team but to become better people outside of the game. His goal is to inspire others and I think he does just that, not only with the members of his church family, but fellow coaches and players in rival teams. It truly does change your perspective in how will you face life when adversity comes your way. Hopefully we will all follow Jeremy's example and do it with grace, strength and dignity. I personally rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Season of a Lifetime, Word Films or where you can pick up a copy of this DVD today, please click on the links below:

Season of a Lifetime by Word Films

You can find out more information about the movie and Jeremy Williams on Facebook. 

Abel's Field - DVD Giveaway and Review

Sometimes it's harder to forgive ourselves than it is to seek God's forgiveness. Seth McArdle is about to learn that very lesson in the unlikeliest of places. Seeking to raise his twin younger sisters after the death of his mother and now the abandonment of his father who fails to returns phone calls or even come home to see how his family is managing. While trying to finish up high school, avoid the quarterback of the football team who seems to bully Seth whenever possible, and hold down three jobs just to put enough food on the table. Now when a man appears searching for his father, Seth learns that his father hasn't been paying the mortgage payments on the house and it's now going to be foreclosed upon if the payments are made current.

When those around Seth offer help, he seems too proud to take it or even to ask for it. He is trying to find a way to keep his family together even though it's falling apart all around him. Even his brother, Keith, seems to have abandoned the responsibility of helping out when he can and instead finds solace in drinking. When Seth pushes things a bit too far with the football team, he finds himself the only one facing punishment. The football coach assigns him the task of working with Abel (Kevin Sorbo) the janitor/groundskeeper of the high school to get the sprinkler system up and working before the big game. Abel attempts to find a way to reach inside Seth and help him find the path back to God and to keep him from making some foolish mistakes that may cost him everything in the end.

In the DVD, Abel's Field by Affirm Films, makers of such wonderful family films like Fireproof and Courageous, now bring you another great family film that deals with forgiveness and understanding the circumstances that life can bring about when our choices seems to much to deal with. This is the perfect family movie to watch to show you how easy is can be to ask God for forgiveness and how hard it is for each of us to find forgiveness in ourselves. This one rates a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion and I received Abel's Field, compliments of Propeller, FlyByPromotions and Affirm Films for my honest review. Once again if you're looking for a wonderful film to watch with your entire family without worrying about the subject matter, than this one is perfect to add to your DVD collection.

Thanks to the generous folks at Propeller, FlyByPromotions and Affirm Films, they are offering a giveaway copy to one lucky follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart. Here are your details to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog, Reviews From The Heart.

2. Be a resident of the US or have a US shipping address. Please No P.O. Boxes.

3.  Leave a comment below telling me why you'd love to win a copy of Abel's Field. Don't forget to include your email address as well. You can use the words (at) and (dot) instead of the symbols.

I will notify the winner by email once the giveaway ends on January 29th.

For more information about Abel's Field, please click the links below:

Abel's Field Website

You can also find more great trailers and details about the movie on Facebook. 

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."