Susie's Hope DVD

Susie's Hope is based on the true story that helped to pass "Susie’s Law" in North Carolina, which seeks stricter punishment for animal abusers. Susie’s Hope brings to life the inspirational relationship between pit bull attack survivor Donna Lawrence and Susie, a pit bull-mix puppy found beaten, burned and left for dead.

Realizing that abuse was largely to blame for the tragic attack that nearly caused her to lose her life 10 months earlier, Donna rescues the battered puppy. As they both heal and recover from their life-threatening injuries, Donna and her friend, Ramona, lead a historic effort to seek justice and protection, not only for Susie, but all animals. Starring Emmanuelle Vaguer (40 Days and 40 Nights), Burgess Jenkins (Remember The Titans) and Andrea Powell (Ender’s Game, The Twighlight: Breaking Dawn Saga: Part 2), Susie’s Hope is an incredible story of love, loss and redemption.

Watch and share the Susie’s Hope trailer!

My Review: The film deals with many tragic events, but does so in a manner that does make it acceptable for family viewing. There is recovery and healing, but also a strong message to portray about the neglect and abuse of pets. I confess that I don't quite understand people who treat their pets as children, but I do love animals and definitely think those who abuse them should be punished. My only negative to the film was that I felt like the audience was being manipulated during the courtroom scene. I found it distracting. Of course, that is also to be expected for a film that is not only telling a story, but also is supporting a cause. You want the audience to be entirely on your side.

I did watch with my teenaged grandson, who does have pit bulls, and does not have the prejudice toward that breed that many others have. His opinion of the film: "It was very touching." I think the film could be used as an educational tool to raise awareness of the tragedy behind the abuse of animals and to demonstrate what a difference it makes to treat your pets with kindness and care for them. The relationship between Susie and Donna was healing for both of them and for Donna's husband, Roy.

"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.

GIVEAWAY: Propeller Consulting, LLC also has a DVD for one of my readers. Please leave your name and a comment on the blog post to be entered into a drawing. Drawing will be Mon, Dec 15th at 1pm CST. Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

About Susie:

Susie was found nearly dead in Greenfield Park in Greensboro, North Carolina on August 20, 2009. Just a puppy, Susie had licked the face of her owner’s newborn baby. Her owner became violent—she was beaten so severely her jaw was broken. That wasn’t enough, though. She was then set on fire and left for dead. Incredibly and against all odds Susie survived. Donna Lawrence adopted her two months later. Susie is now a trained therapy dog and even won the American Humane Association’s American Hero Dog this year!

Check out and share Susie’s Hero Dog Award Video here!

This website is a GREAT resource for all things Susie / Susie’s Hope related

Hero

Hero: Joe Finn (Burgess Jenkins) was a local legend in the world of baseball, but a miserable failure as a husband, father, and friend. Now, seven years after leaving home, he returns just in time to say goodbye to his dying wife (Ashlee Payne) and hello to a son (Justin Miles) and a community who consider him as good as dead.

Intent on making his life right, he turns to the only thing he knows -- baseball. But Little League is all but unrecognizable in Miller's Gap, and parental involvement is at an all-time low. Even as his actions begin to warm the hearts of some, others in the community threaten to get rid of Joe's team for good. Can Joe win back his son and revitalize a dying game, or is he seven years too late to redeem the mess of his own making?

Hero is directed by Manny Edwards, who also co-wrote with John Fornof. The stars are Burgess Jenkins, Justin Miles, R. Keith Harris, Gregory Alan Williams, Mark Joy, Ashlee Payne, Fred Griffith, Jim McKeny, Andrea Powell, and Nicholas Edwards as "Sammy" Also starry Blaine Goodwin, Sam Dubin, Ty Myatt, Kenny Hinkle, and Walker Anthony. George D. Escobar, Burgess Jenkins, and Michael Snyder are the producers.

Official Selection - Christian Worldview Film Festival
Official Selection - Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival

My Review: I have been hearing about this film since it was first being made, so I have kept up with the progress from the beginning. So, although I expected to like it, I truly did not expect to get drawn into the story as quickly as I did. I always watch a film a minimum of twice because my attention wanders; I consider the first viewing to just give me a general idea of the story before I really watch it. Within 5 minutes, I was sitting down, fully focused on the story being told.

This is a story of hope, forgiveness, reconciliation, and redemption. I noticed a couple of little glitches, but nothing overly distracting. I enjoyed the acting, the cinematography, the sound (too often I have to go back to try to understand what was said in other films), and that there was closed captioning. At only 94 minutes, it's not too long, and it is great for a Family Film Night. Some of the material may be harder for kids younger than 10 to understand, but they will probably like the baseball scenes. I highly recommend this dvd.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this DVD from EDIFY MEDIA as part of the movie's promotion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

GIVEAWAY: Edify Media has another copy of HERO to give away!! Just leave a comment on the blog to be entered. Deadline to Enter is Sept. 30 at Noon (CDT)Reminder: I do monitor due to Spammers. Be patient, and contact me only if your comment does not appear with 24 hours. Thanks!

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