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Reviews
Oh Heavenly Dog (1980)
We loved this movie in 1980 and we love it even more now-IGNORE the snobby film critics and watch this gem of a movie!!
I saw Oh, Heavenly Dog! At the movies when I was 14 years old in 1980 when it was a new theatrical release. I remember everyone of all different ages in the theater seemed to really like and enjoy it. I just bought the DVD for Christmas for my adult son and me to watch. We really enjoyed it, and will watch it again soon to watch the background scene activity. I enjoyed it even more almost 44 years later. It's charming and funny and Benji is adorable and Chevy Chase is likable and pairs well with the wonderful Jane Seymour. The story is actually not bad at all, and it should've been a way bigger box-office hit. Do NOT listen to snobby film critics-this gem of a film is a genuine winner. It's perfect to just chill out and eat popcorn. I wish more movies like this one were made today. I also enjoyed watching this movie for the nostalgia-It's practically a period piece now, with rotary telephones and non-high tech kitchen appliances, furniture, and late 70s-1980 wardrobe and fashions. Some of the jokes are corny, but SOooo much fun. Treat yourself and find this movie streaming or on DVD. It's definitely worth a watch. 8/10.
Saturday Night Live: James Franco/Kings of Leon (2008)
Really watched it just for the Kings of Leon ......
This was a rather funny episode with James Franco, but the 9 stars are for the two fabulous songs performed by the talented Kings of Leon. They are so far just such an underrated band. Hopefully, this new album of theirs will help them and not spoil them. "Sex on Fire" has to be the most catchy and original tune by any band in a few years. They are also very easy on the eyes without being sissy-boybandish looking. There was also one short but very funny sketch of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" with an alternate ending. I was surprised that James Franco was as funny as he was because he is usually so serious in his movies. Overall, REALLY GOOD SHOW !!
Booky & the Secret Santa (2007)
What a great Christmas movie to watch with young children....
This was one of the best Christmas movies made recently. I really enjoyed watching this movie with my family. It is SO hard to find quality films that are not offensive (really) in any way, but this "Booky" hits the mark. Megan Follows is one of my favorite Canadian actresses, and she does her usual fine job, so no surprises there. My thanks to CBC-Windsor, Ontario, for airing this excellent movie, and I hope that they will consider rerunning it for Christmas or the New Year. When a movie like this can capture the attention of two young teenage boys, someone must be doing something right! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2008 to everyone!!!
Mr. Brooks (2007)
Keven Costner's star shines again!!!
I saw this movie with high hopes to see a good performance out of Kevin Costner. He didn't disappoint in a movie that very well could have failed--but didn't! I liked the idea of a 'nice-guy with a conscience' serial killer theme, but serial killer movies have been done to death. Costner and the script writers manage to give new life and a refreshing twist on this movie theme, and William Hurt's performance as his evil alter-ego is first-rate. This arrangement was better than just a run-of-the-mill voice-over by Costner's character. It reminded me a bit of a modern-day version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," which is one of my favorite novels. I'm happy to see all of the actors in this film finally get a good script and story to work with after many disappointments for them and the movie-going public.
Hotaru no haka (1988)
I LOVED this movie...and I really hate Japanamation!
I watched this film with my teenage son last year. It taught him more about the sad truth of the bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima more than anything else and kept his attention the entire time to boot. This gem of a film taught him more than he ever learned in school about this piece of history, and it was probably told in a more accurate and heartfelt manner than any history book could have presented it. We watched it on the Turner Classic Movies Channel. I was dreading watching it with my son that evening (he is an anime fan), but Robert Osbourne (the host of TCM) said to stay tuned to this movie and really give it a chance even if you were not a Japanamation/anime fan. I was absolutely floored, as was my son. It really touched both of us, and it is difficult to reach teenagers in this day and age. It made tears come to our eyes, and we still talk about this movie rather often. This film is a masterpiece and could be used to teach the horrors of war and the innocent victims who have no political vote or voice at all. I hope to God that Ted Turner knows what good work he has done in saving this wonderful film. I hope that I can find it on DVD one day, as I have not been successful in doing so yet.
The Bingo Robbers (2001)
Not bad for a digital movie from Canada.......
I saw this movie in 2002 (I think) on CBC-Channel 9-Windsor, Ontario across the Detroit River one day as I was flipping through the channels. It intrigued me because, in my own opinion, bingo is a waste of time and money. I was pleasantly surprised to see how the game and the people who frequent bingo halls were portrayed as total losers. I laughed a few times. Barry Newhook is kind of cute, and Lois Brown was rather funny. They both seem talented, and they should work again as an on-screen couple. Movies like "The Bingo Robbers" are more interesting than the usual stupid, predictable high-budget-type movies. Movies made about normal people who don't have great jobs or a lot of money just seem more enjoyable because regular people can relate to these kinds of movies better.
Catscratch (2005)
This cartoon is one Nick's best cartoons ever!
I love this show! Mr. Blick, Gordon, and Waffle are cats so different from each other, yet they refer to themselves collectively as 'brothers.' I often find myself trying to imitate the tired, sighing accent of their butler, Hovis, or even the Scottish borough of Gordon. There should be more episodes made about Human Kimberly. The episode about the cats disguising themselves as pre-teen girls to gain admittance to Human Kimberly's slumber party in order to get their thirsty paws on their favorite drink, Rootbeer, is a hilarious classic. We can't drink rootbeer in our house now without either doing the Catscratch voices or the Hanson Brothers from the movie 'Slap Shot.' Future classic. Where can I get the first two seasons on DVD??
The Chiefs (2004)
Excellent, truthful film about hockey and real life................
I watched this movie with my teenage son. Every parent of a kid who aspires to become a hockey player or just plays hockey should watch this film and take notes. We both thought this movie had some very funny scenes, but it wasn't a comedy. The hard life that semi-pro and minor-league hockey players live due to low wages and tough travel schedules is downright heartbreaking. The way hockey players are used and discarded like yesterday's trash after accomplishing what they were traded or brought to the team to do is sad beyond words. This movie shows the 'win-at-any-cost' mentality of some owners, and the consequences it has on players. The sport is not as brutal as the insensitive and greedy owners are. We wish all of the real-life players and their families in this movie all the best. This film brings to mind the proverb 'All that glitters is not gold....'
Eight Below (2006)
WOW!! What a beautiful movie!
I just bought this DVD for my 13-year old son today. We watched it together and , WOW, what a beautiful movie! This movie can be enjoyed by anyone of any age, and the cinematography was great. Loyalty and keeping promises seemed to be the central themes of this movie. Dogs are definitely man's best friend. Paul Walker was solid as the leading man, and very easy on the eyes in an outdoorsy, rugged way. The dogs were handsome and stole the show. I am so sorry that we missed seeing it on the big screen at the theater. I would have gladly shelled out full-price to see this one. It was a humid 87 degrees outside today, but this movie cooled us down with the scenery of the great Antarctic. Some of it was filmed in Norway and Canada but, nonetheless, it was 'cool.' Definitely worth buying the DVD.
Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice (2002)
Not even the Hanson Brothers could save this one............
The script for Slap Shot 2-Breaking the Ice should have been thoroughly reviewed over and over with a fine-tooth comb before they started filming. It was up against the awesome classic original and the writers and producers knew very well that fans of the original Slap Shot were just thirsting for a really funny and good follow up if one was going to be made at all. A control group of viewers who saw the original back in 1977 at the theater should have been consulted (Me, for one.) I'm only giving this movie a generous 3 stars out of 10, one for each of the Hanson Brothers. They deserved better than this. The message of hockey becoming too antiseptic and "entertainment" instead of sport was lost in the mess. I did NOT like the "hockey chick" thing with Jessica Steen playing the new female coach, and she had the personality of a doorstop. Stephen Baldwin must have come very cheap, but doesn't do the worst job. The skating sequences were all blurry and slow-mo cheesy, and NOT using Johnstown, PA, instead of Vancouver, B.C. for the shooting location was more than sad. By the way, didn't the team move to Minnesota at the end of the original Slap Shot??? They could have written something hilariously funny into the second one about the Hanson Brothers going home to Minnesota. (Note to readers: Steve Carlson and Jeff Carlson were born and raised in Virginia, Minnesota. Dave Hanson was born in Wisconsin.) If the writers and producers of the original "Slap Shot" want to brainstorm for another truly funny and more accurate sequel, they should consult with fans for ideas. ($100 dollar bills raining from the sky will happen first before another sequel ever does thanks to this one.) The bottom line is that moviegoers want more of the Hanson Brothers and old-time hockey than this. It would also increase the bottom line $$$, especially if it would have a theatrical release, and not be released straight-to-video (kiss of death.)
ABC Afterschool Specials: Dinky Hocker (1979)
This was one great Afterschool Special...........
I remember sneering at most of the ABC After School Specials back in the 1970s. I used to dismiss most of them as nauseatingly preachy, and I used to laugh at the ones that tried to be the most serious and "very special." I saw this one when I was probably about 15 or 16 years old, the same age as the kids in the movie. Nobody but Wendy Jo Sperber (God rest her soul) could have played this whiny, overeating, yet emotionally neglected teenager better. June Lockhart (Mrs. Robinson from Lost in Space) played her upper-middle class mother who freely gives Dinky almost anything she wants, including all the food she can eat to fill the emotional void due to her own disinterest in Dinky's emotional upbringing. Mrs. Hocker is much more interested in her pet charity projects with getting teenage smack (heroin) addicts clean and "rebirthing" them. Dinky decides her mother loves them more than her and devises a befitting "revenge" on her mother at the end. This movie was pretty close in staying true to the novel.
Cinderella Liberty (1973)
A great movie to watch on a rainy weekend afternoon......
I remember seeing this movie as a kid at the movies. I really liked this movie because it didn't candycoat anything to make the storyline more digestible. It was sailor meets hooker, sailor falls for hooker, hooker does sailor wrong. It wasn't doctored up like Pretty Woman was years later. It was very sad in parts, had some funny and happy moments. Most of all, I found myself drawn in by all four main characters. You could actually find yourself caring about what happened next to them. That is rare in a movie nowdays. I liked the ending, however, it would not be likely to happen nowdays with all the high-tech identity trackers that are used now. It was probably feasible back then in 1972 or 1973, though. This is probably James Caan's best movie.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000)
I waited a long time for THIS????
I love the animated Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. I live in Michigan, so of course, I got every joke, even as a small child. When I found out that this movie was being made, I could not wait. After all, didn't it HAVE to be good if Robert DeNiro was backing it, and it WAS Rocky and Bullwinkle. It was probably the biggest cinematic letdown I have ever experienced in my movie-going lifetime! (I still want my money back.) I felt sorry for the animated characters having to be in such a horrible film beside such terrible real-life actors. Imagine that, feeling sorry for the ANIMATED characters! I also saw on some late-night talk show Steve Martin explaining away about how he came up with his 'original' character in the movie. He even made physical gestures to justify his claim. Well...it just so happens that earlier, the very same day, I happened to be flipping through the cable channels and landed for a few minutes on Turner Classic Movies. "I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang" from about 1931 was showing. Guess what? It was right on a scene where Paul Muni's character's wife, a blonde, floozy, cheating, bimbo, received a phone call that he answered. It was one of her college-boy 'boyfriends' asking her to come out for a good time with them. He was the very same character that Steve Martin claimed he had totally and originally created himself!! He PLAGARIZED that character, right down to the thick glasses, haircut, speech pattern(lisp), and suit with a bow-tie!!!! Shame on you, Steve! I have exposed you.......
Slap Shot (1977)
A true hockey fan can watch this movie every day and recite every line word for word.....
I saw this movie at the drive-in when it was released in 1977. I had to go to the theater to see it again over and over to be able to hear the dialogue well enough. (I looked older than my age.) These were the days before videos and DVDs. I can recite the movie line for line, word for word. I had a HUGE crush on the Hanson Brothers! I couldn't decide which one I liked the most, and my girlfriends all called me crazy! Hey, I guess I have a thing for the long hair and the glasses....
This has to be Paul Newman's BEST movie, and he was totally convincing as a hockey coach/player. The Hanson Brothers were the funniest guys I have ever seen or heard ever!! Their scene with the toy slot cars is hilarious, a totally a classic scene. The movie was so realistic. I grew up in a hockey town surrounded by hockey players in my neighborhood, so I was impressed. They couldn't have cast this movie any better. The use of real-life hockey players and former/retired players from the minor leagues was a great idea. Things were way different back in the helmetless era of hockey, which was just winding down at about the time the movie was supposed to take place. Everything about hockey was more exciting back then. I was so impressed that a woman, Nancy Dowd, wrote this screenplay. She really humanized the players, not just portray them as "goons." I thought that the swearing and constant cursing throughout the film only added to its charm. Most guys talk like that in that kind of environment anyway. It seemed so real.
Buy or Rent this movie, pop some corn and get yourself a stinkin' rootbeer (or just beer!), and watch "Puck Talk with the Hansons" on the bonus features, too! You will laugh through it from beginning to end, even if you aren't a hockey fan.