Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts

Dance a GoGo : Sexy Nightclub Workout Review

Dance a GoGo : Sexy Nightclub Workout
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I have bought so many workout DVDs, and this is by far THE BEST I have ever bought because it has EVERYTHING a workout video needs. It has step-by-step instructions for each of the workouts. The dance music is hip and great. The dances are sexy and fun. In addition, the workouts here require you to move ALL OF YOUR BODY and keep your heart rate at the target zone AT ALL TIME!! You can tell that they actually spent a lot of time choreographing the dances and making this DVD. Everything is done by the very professionals instead of just some sexy/party girls dancing together in a basement. I am sure that many of you who have bought many workout videos will know what I am talking about. Most of the weight loss workouts are not fun or sexy, and most of the sexy workouts won't speed up your heart rate enough to lose weight. If you want a dance workout DVD with everything: that is fun, hip, and sexy; has nice music; teaches you how to dance; and helps you lose weight; this is the number one DVD that I will recommend. I think Andrea needs to put out more dance/workout DVDs.

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About Dance a GoGo : Sexy Nightclub Workout Anyone can dance but only a real woman can Dance a GoGo. This is the only DVD of its kind, a dance instruction video by women for women that combines not just choreography and exercise but also sexiness, grace and empowerment. Created by celebrity dancer/choreographer Andrea Lin, Dance a GoGo uses the hottest night club moves to provide a female fitness routine designed specifically to bring out your inner sex appeal while toning your body.Andrea Lin has appeared in videos for everyone from Britney and Madonna, to Mariah Carey, to Velvet Revolver, to L'il Kim to Dave Chappelle, and now she turns her years of professional experience to crafting a completely unique dance instruction experience, unlike any DVD you've seen before. Incorporating hip-hop, ballroom, salsa and cutting edge asian moves into her unique blend of 21st century mojo, Andrea takes expert techniques and makes them accessible to any woman with a passion for movement, regardless of experience level. Ladies, embrace your inner dance-floor-vixen on no one's terms but your own!About Dance a GoGo : Product ApproachDance a GoGo is a wholly unique approach to the Dance instruction DVD genre, completely unlike anything else on the market. It is unique in that it uses nightclub and music video-style routines to craft a workout. Unlike the start/stop style of other DVDs, Dance a GoGo is continuous and teaches the viewer as she exercises.Femininity, empowerment and strength are at the core of the Dance a GoGo ethos, and it was designed exclusively with a female audience in mind. However, Dance a GoGo, is also about bringing out the consumer's latent sex appeal in a positive and healthy way. This broadens the appeal to include the boyfriends and husbands of the intended market as well.Dance a GoGo is packed with original choreography and easy to follow instructions, but it is defined by its attitude. Andrea Lin's dance routines and screen presence do more than just entertain and instruct. She has imbued the DVD with a philosophy and a positive outlook that speak directly to the viewer's sense of self and womanhood. This stimulates a unique connection to the material that builds a brand and a long-term relationship between the market and the product.

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Max Rules (2005) Review

Max Rules (2005)
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MAX RULES is a great movie for children and families. One of the few movies these days that is truly fun to watch without concern about unpleasantness to spoil your entertainment. Great gift too.

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Item Name: Max Rules; Studio:Peace Arch Entertainment

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CHAOS Director's Cut (2005) Review

CHAOS Director's Cut (2005)
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By now everybody knows that "Chaos" is supposedly a violent, unrestrained film. It IS violent, and yet restrained, it's one of those films that promises a lot with it's hype and premise, and in this case delivers something FAR below expectations. You know your production is in trouble when the director is a guy who calls himself "The Demon," in this case David "The Demon" DeFalco. Oh DeFalco has spent a lot of time and energy defending the piece as a look at "real life" and pure evil blah blah blah, claiming this is the most brutal movie ever made eventhough Mel Gibson's "The Passion Of The Christ" outdoes the film in pure blood and violence, DeFalco and his producer have also been waging a childish print and video debate with Roger Ebert who rightfully gave the movie zero stars. At the end of the day what brings "Chaos" down isn't the subject matter, but the mere fact that this is pretty poor filmmaking. First there's the look of the movie, it looks like a straight to video production with really simple, pale lighting that doesn't even make the movie look sinister. This really looks more like a first term student film by students still learning to use the equipment. The camera work consists of a few hand held shots and pretty basic framing, nothing too intense. The actors are also very unconvincing, they deliver either performances that come off as too cheesy or too overdone. The biggest problem here though is the script which is so poorly crafted. Characters are cardboard cut-outs with no personality, they merely exist for the purposes of running, grinning, screaming and looking tough or scared. The dialogue is laughable and the story advances with such a choppy, simple rhythm that we can't take any of it seriously. The violence itself only reaches a shocking climax in two scenes, this is not a non-stop orgy of death and killing, in fact, I found the movie to be quite restrained. Oh sure the nipple slicing scene is pretty grotesque, and the final murder in the woods is also birthed from a disturbing use of the imagination, but a more intense, graphic movie would be Meir Zarchi's "I Spit On Your Grave" which makes "Chaos" look like child's play, or Pasolini's "Salo" based on the Marquis De Sade's "120 Days Of Sodom." DeFalco also needs to be a little more original, movie buffs are already signaling out all the obvious "Last House On The Left" rip-offs present in the movie. I see the film more as one of those cheesy attempts by a guy who thinks he's tapped into reality at trying to make "something real" when in fact it doesn't feel real at all. Evil is a topic best looked at when it's done with a balanced blend of violence and psychology as in "The Silence Of The Lambs," "Seven," "The Exorcist," and horror works best when it is attempted with a real sense of the disturbing and gritty as with the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." "Chaos" is more of a geek show, with scenes of pain, breasts and slobbering villains in a B-movie setting. This is not the most brutal movie ever made, or one of the best, or one worth checking out.

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As Good As It Gets (1997) Review

As Good As It Gets  (1997)
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"As Good As It Gets" is a rarity among today's movies, a truly witty and poignant romantic comedy with an unusual protagonist. That protagonist is Melvin, played with relish by Jack Nicholson. Melvin is a highly successful novelist who is also an abrasive misanthrope suffering from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. (Not your typical hero for sure!)

As one would expect, Melvin is a recluse and resistant to any changes in his life until he is forced to interact with a down-on-his-luck gay neighbor, Simon, portrayed by Greg Kinnear, and Simon's perky little pet pooch, Verdell. Melvin also becomes reluctantly involved with the pretty and patient waitress Carol, played by Helen Hunt, who serves him breakfast every day at a local cafe. Other than Carol, none of the other cafe's employees will deal with the impossible Melvin.

When Carol abruptly quits her job, Melvin tracks her down and offers her financial incentives to return to her post. Melvin increasingly finds himself drawn into Carol's personal life, and he eventually falls for the plucky single mom.

"As Good As It Gets" is a quirky update of the fable "Beauty and the Beast". Gifted writer-director James L. Brooks has assembled a superb cast to re-tell this classic tale. Besides the pitch perfect lead performances by Nicholson, Hunt, and Kinnear, there are sparkling supporting performances by Cuba Gooding Jr., Shirley Knight and others.

Too many of today's so-called comedies are mindless, uninspired concoctions profuse with sophomoric vulgarities and sexual obscenities. "As Good As It Gets" reminds us that there are still a few determined filmmakers willing to bring qualities such as intelligence, inventiveness, sophistication, and charm back to the silver screen. It is a shame that there are not more artists like these to inspire and entertain much-deprived audiences.

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Cheeky - Unrated Review

Cheeky - Unrated
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Have you ever bought a DVD that delivered EXACTLY what you were expecting? It's a good feeling, huh? Well, that's what CHEEKY did for me. I bought it for a surplus of nudity, and that's what I got! In addition, the movie is also a lot of fun and has some comical scenes in it.
Yuliya Mayarchuk is absolutely stunning as the main character (Carla). She travels from Italy to London where she plans to wait for her boyfriend to arrive. Along the way, some mis-understandings lead to a thrill ride of sexual mis-adventures. Mayarchuk is nude thru most of the movie, which is just fine w/me. Sometimes there's no particular reason for her to be naked, but she is anyway. That's just fine w/me too! She is absolutely adorable.
In this day & age when it seems like the whole world is falling apart, DVDs like CHEEKY are extra-important as they form an avenue of escapism. If you want a movie that is full of mindless fun and lots of gorgeous naked women, then this one should be at the top of your wishlist!

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Romance on the High Seas (1948) Review

Romance on the High Seas (1948)
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Doris Day began her long and phenomenally successfully screen career when she arrived on the Warner Brothers lot in 1947 to begin filming "Romance on the High Seas".
The project had been kicking around the lot for a while and there had been, at various times, talks about borrowing Judy Garland from MGM or Betty Hutton from Paramount to star in it.
At the time Doris Day was a recognized singer with a very successful six year career as a top big band and solo vocalist to her credit, including a couple of Gold Records. She had no interest in pursuing a film career but was heard singing at a Hollywood party, was screen tested, and the rest is cinema history.
"Romance on the High Seas" is a glossy, bon-bon of a film, decked out in lush settings, with a lot of nice-looking people, pleasant tunes, and wrapped up in some breathtaking technicolor. It's irresistable.
The plot involves a married couple who don't trust one another. The husband hires a private eye to follow the wife on a cruise she is taking to find out if she is being faithful. In the meantime, the wife hires someone to take her place on the cruise so she can remain in New York City to check up on the husband. The private eye falls in love with the woman who is purporting to be the wife and by the closing minutes of the film all of the confusion has been settled to everyones' satisfaction, especially the audiences.
Thanks to the skill of Director Michael Curtiz, who keeps the proceedings moving along smoothly and the attractive cast making the improbabilities rather believable, it works much better than it sounds.
The husband and wife are played by Don DeFore and Janis Paige. It's clearly evident why Defore's movie career was never stellar. On television's "Hazel" he was more at home.
Miss Paige handles her limited screen time with grace and charm. She wears a stylish wardrobe attractively but displays not one iota of chemistry with DeFore.
Jack Carson, as the detective, tends to overact in a number of scenes but in his scenes with Doris Day there is genuine warmth and, at times, subtlety. This was the first of three films they made together and it is clear that their personal friendship contributed to their on-screen playing.
Although billed fourth in the credits, Doris Day stole the picture and received the lion's share of acclaim from critics and moviegoers.
She is a natural, and it's difficult to believe that this is her first film. She has a natural affinity with the camera and it has a love affair with her. In color, she is a radiant dream, genuine, sincere, unaffected, and heartfelt. There are already traces of the comic timing and skill that would serve her so well in her later box-office blockbusters in the 1950's and 60's.
As a "dreamer" who hangs around a travel agency wanting to go someplace, there are traces of Betty Hutton in her style, but once she gets her chance to masquerade as Paige's wife, she develops her own unique personality that has the audience clearly on her side.
S.Z. "Cuddles" Sakall is his usual self and Oscar Levant, the famed author, wit, and musician, is wry and sarcastic as Day's longtime boyfriend. Year's later he boasted that he knew Day "...before she was a virgin...", a remark that has followed her to this day.
Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne put together a pleasing group of songs for this film including "I'm in Love", "It's You or No One", "Put em in a Box...." and the film's mega-hit, "It's Magic". Doris Day's recording of this Oscar nominated song, topped the charts for months, becoming a Gold Record hit and a tune forever identified with her. When she initially sings it during a lovely scene with Carson at an outdoor cafe, a star was indeed born.
If you're looking for an entertaining film that won't place any demands upon you but will leave you feeling warm, fuzzy, and uplifted by the time the end credits roll, then set sail for some "Romance on the High Seas".

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Elvira is supposed to go on a cruise, but decides to stay home when she suspects her husband is cheating on her. Her husband suspects the same of his wife, and sends an investigator to spy on her on the cruise - but he is really spying on Elvira's husband.

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The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) Review

The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)
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In my opinion, "The World's Greatest Athlete" may very well be the best Disney comedy of the '70's, even better than "Freaky Friday" or "Apple Dumpling Gang." It's also incredibly underrated, with Leonard Maltin seemingly alone among major critics in loving it.
Without giving anything away, it is a goofy, inspired slapstick comedy with a terrific cast including an absolutely hilarious Tim Conway as an inept assistant coach, a well-cast Jan-Michael Vincent as a superathlete, the wonderful Roscoe Lee Browne, rising above his stereotypical, potentially offensive role as
an African witch-doctor, and the wonderful Nancy Walker as a blind landlady who mistakes a tiger for a drunken
frat boy.
But top acting honors go to John Amos as the losingest college coach in history. The fact that he is black is important to the story set-up, but is completely uncommented on in the film and therefore makes the film ahead of its time, at least for Disney studios, who I believe had never before had a black lead actor in one of its films. This is also the film in which Howard Cosell plays himself in a hilarious bit and delivers the great line: "I have never seen anything like this in my entire illustrious career!"
The only reason I don't give "The World's Greatest Athlete" better than a *** rating is that it isn't yet available in the remastered, wide-screen special edition DVD it deserves. Come on, Disney, get on the ball. You have a real gem in your vault and you act like you don't even know it.

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Get on track with Disney's hilarious offbeat comedy starring Jan-Michael Vincent (TV's AIRWOLF) and Tim Conway -- now on Disney DVD. Coach Archer (John Amos) is more famous for losing than winning, but a fateful African safari with his wacky assistant (Conway) leads them to a boy wonder named Nanu (Vincent) -- who just might give them a winning streak. Coaxing him to America is one thing, but the laughs never stop when Nanu meets Jane, fame, and brings the jungle to the gym on his way to becoming the World's Greatest Athlete. Don't miss a chance to take the field with wild family fun for everyone!

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Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004) Review

Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus (2004)
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This film was originally shown on the Hallmark channel in 2004 and I know it is being repeated this year. It's a sappy charmer but the best Christmas movies tend to be sappy charmers anyway and this one does a very good job. The movie stars Steve Guttenberg who had really kind of disappeared for a few years but seems to be making a but of a comeback even if it's not in A features.
Guttenberg is Nick, the son of Santa Claus. His dad is retiring and Nick is going to take over the job but before he can he has to find a Mrs. Claus. Now obviously this is same plot used in the Santa Clause 2 so while it's not terribly original, it's pulled off well for a TV movie. Anyway he heads to Southern California where he eventually meets Beth played by Crystal Bernard. He of coruse has to win Beth over and convince her to believe in Santa. Beth is a hard-working career woman, widower, and mother who has a son named Jake. She works for an ad agency and Nick actually plays Santa in commercials that the company does. Well of course you know how the film turns out, right?
Guttenberg is always a likable guy and brings a regular guy charm to his roles. Bernard is equally likable, always playing the nice girl. It's a good family picture. Hallmark had made a sequel called "Meet the Santas" which should be popping up any day now. As they say...check your listings!

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White Feather (1955) Review

White Feather (1955)
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This is great movie and a must have for anyone who loves the classic Western. Robert Wagner plays the leading role as surveyer Josh Tanner. Tanner befriends the young chief Little Dog of the Cheyenne (Jeffrey Hunter) and falls in love with the young chiefs sister played by Debra Paget. The Cheyenne and other tribes are to be moved from their Wyoming hunting grounds and John Lund as Colonel Lindsey leads U.S. army's push to resettle the indians. Tanner's attraction to the chiefs sister threatens to endanger a peaceful settlement. The highpoint of the tension between army and Cheyenne arrives when Little Dog and his friend American Horse send an arrow with a white feather their symbol to wager war.

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Princess of Thieves (2001) Review

Princess of Thieves (2001)
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Cruelly drubbed by many reviewers for folklore inaccuracies (Robin Hood's daughter is of noble blood etc), blatent historical inaccuracies (revealed in the final reel) and the Disney-fied vision of medieval life. This movie (originally made for television) is actually well worth a look and really not all that bad if taken for what it is (a fantasy re-imagining of the what if the good hearted English outlaw Robin Hood had a daughter who followed in her fathers footsteps). With some great acting - especially from Malcolm McDowell as the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham and rising Hollywood star Keira (King Arthur, Pirates of the Caribbean) Knightley as the title character Gwyn.
Revolving around the attempts of Robin Hood (and subsequently Gwyn) to safely transport King Richards illegitimate son Phillip to London in an effort to thwart Prince John's designs on the English throne. The movie has enough action to keep the young ones happy and enough drama and romance to make it a diverting picture for the adults.
Kudos also to director Peter Hewitt for providing a light commentary on this DVD.

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Sherwood Forest has a courageous new hero -- Gwyn, the daughter of Robin Hood -- in this thrilling new adventure packed with swashbuckling fun for the whole family. Possessing the cunning skills of her legendary father and the beauty and intelligence of her mother Marion, Gwyn (Keira Knightley, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL) is anxious to follow in Robin Hood's footsteps. But he'd rather see her remain safely behind under the watchful eye of Friar Tuck and her best friend Froderick. As King Richard nears death, Robin Hood and his Merry Men are summoned to help bring Richard's son, Prince Philip, to his rightful place on the throne before the evil Prince John can assume power. But when Robin Hood is captured by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Malcolm McDowell, MY LIFE SO FAR) and sentenced to death, his life and the future of England lie in Gwyn's inexperienced hands.

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The Librarian - Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006) Review

The Librarian  - Return to King Solomon's Mines (2006)
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THE LIBRARIAN 2: RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES is the sequel to THE LIBRARIAN: QUEST FOR THE SPEAR (2004) and again features Noah Wyle as Flynn Carsen, the titular Librarian who, on the surface, toils in the New York Metropolitan Public Library but whose true purpose is to safeguard the ancient, historical (and often mystical) artifacts stored in a hidden section of the library - fabled artifacts such as the Holy Grail, the sword Excalibur, Pandora's Box, Tesla's Death Ray, Adam & Eve's apple, etc. As a side job, Flynn also gets to unlock the world's greatest mysteries. As he says in the movie, "You'd be surprised at what you can learn at the library."
TNT debuted THE LIBRARIAN 2: RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MINES on Sunday, December 3, 2006 and, yes, I tuned in with my large order of pizza and Pepsi. The breezy movie tagline for this one is "New Continent. New Adventure. Still No Clue." which is a strong hint to the viewer that it's time yet again to indulge in esoteric, anthropological silliness. When Flynn Carsen first got the Librarian position, he was nerdy, clumsy, inept at physical activities, and not good with women. Now, after over a year of settling in...well, he's still all of those. But, hey, at least he still lives with his mother (who just tried to set him up with a third cousin).
Here come the plot and the SPOILERS: the movie opens with an enigmatic scroll being mailed to Flynn, which sends him once more furiously scampering around the globe on a desperate quest, but not before Charlene, the librarian director, advises him: "Be safe. Don't get killed. Save your receipts." This time, Flynn must try to piece together clues to the location of the legendary King Solomon's Mines. Of course, it can't be as easy as it sounds. Our maladroit librarian must contend with a secret mason society, hungry hippos, a beautiful, competitive archaeologist, family secrets, and a corrupt warlord who really, really wants the treasures of King Solomon. Not to mention, he faces the possibility of having to consume termites. Working in a library has never been more perilous.
Noah Wyle remains endearing in his nebbish but, nevertheless, heroic lead role, while the straight-faced Bob Newhart (Judson), Jane Curtin (Charlene), and Olympia Dukakis (Margie Carsen, Flynn's mom) adequately reprise their supporting roles. I do miss Sonya Walger, who played the sexy and uber-capable Nicole Noone, but lovely Gabrielle Anwar, here sporting a faux Brit accent and, in one sequence, a drool-enducing red outfit, ably steps in as brilliant archaeologist Emily Davenport, whose vaunted academic skills may surpass even that of Flynn's (she has one more PhD than Flynn, which incenses Flynn). Now, can a dorky bookworm find love with an upper class, brainy beauty who's so way above his league? With Wyle's excellent, humorously combative rapport with Anwar, he's got a chance.
Jonathan Frakes directs this one with a decidedly tongue-in-cheek aplomb. In channeling the Indiana Jones and the Mummy features, Frakes and the producers make no bones about their intention to craft a homage and transport the viewer to a simpler era when the cliffhanger adventure films of the '30s and '40s ran amok in cinema. True, like in the first movie, THE LIBRARIAN 2 does adopt a certain B-movie sensibility, with its requisite campiness. Frakes knows we're not about to take this series too seriously; yet he manages to infuse enough humor, character development, storyline, high adventure, and fun facts within the film that I found myself being charmed and hugely diverted. Granted, the special effects range from decent to dubious and won't even impress a 5 year old, but the acting performances, the fantastical premise, the old-school, globe-trotting derring-do, and the exotic locales will spark the viewer's imagination and sense of adventure. It's good, hokey fun, worth 3 and half stars. Can't wait for the third film.


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LIBRARIAN:RETURN TO KING SOLOMON'S MI - DVD Movie

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Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (2009) Review

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (2009)
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I would like to recommend this movie to anyone who knows what it is to sit through 20 sequential showings of the same film because of a 5-year-old's obsession. This movie is the only one that none of us mind seeing over and over again. The story is genuinely funny and moving (Big Bird is taken away from Sesame Street and adopted by Dodos) and wants to go home. Meanwhile, the folks on Sesame Street are trying to find him to bring him home. And finally, a very funny couple of "Sleaze Brothers" have kidnapped him to turn him into the Blue Bird of Happiness for their 10-rate carnival. This is very well done and performed with genuine love by a very talented set of actors. See it -- enjoy!


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Follow that bird Big Bird, of course for an imaginative, magical treat starring the cast of TVs Sesame Street in their first movie. Jim Hensons beloved characters Kermit, Oscar, Bert, Ernie and Cookie Monster plus other Sesame Street regulars join Big Bird in a big-hearted, cross-country adventure. A meddling social worker sends poor Big Bird off to live with a feathered foster family in Illinois. But try as he might, he doesnt fit in and runs away to return to Sesame Street. Can his old friends find him before he runs "afowl" of trouble en route? Be on the lookout and be there for big entertainment from guest stars Chevy Chase, John Candy, Sandra Bernhard, Waylon Jennings and more.

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The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995) Review

The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995)
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"All this fuss...over what? Is it a hill, is it a mountain? Perhaps it wouldn't matter anywhere else, but this is Wales."
So what happens in this epic story about the Englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain? On Sunday, 17 June 1917, cartographers/retired army officers Reginald Anson and George Garrad come to a Welsh village to measure Ffynnon Garw to determine whether it's a hill or a mountain. Their presence causes anxiety among the villagers, who are on pins and needles when they hear the British standard of a mountain defined as anything over 1,000 feet. The Britons stay at the inn of the cheeky Morgan the Goat (as opposed to Morgan the Sheep?), intending to leave after their task is completed. However, guess what height Ffynnon Garw is less than?
The villagers put things in motion with two objectives: one, to make sure their beloved Ffynnon Garw becomes a mountain, and two, to extend the Britons' stay, such as something involving two pounds of sugar and a gas tank, and a knife. The first objective forms the action of the movie, villagers moving dirt from their gardens bucket by bucket, tray by tray, through toil, sweat, and sacrifice, and placing them...guess where? And excuses for delay? The war--take note of the date listed above.
There's also a conflict between the religiously fervent Reverend Jones and Morgan, as the latter doesn't go to church and plies alcohol. When Jones asks Morgan, "Have you no shame?" Morgan flippantly pats himself down and says "No, can't think where I left it" and walks off, leaving Jones fuming.
During the movie, we see that the younger Anson is more sympathetic and humble to the villagers, while the stout and older Garrod is more logical, arrogant, and looks down on the Welsh. A typical British attitude during the period of Empire there. Anson is also taken by Betty, a maid who comes to help Morgan tend bar and also to charm the cartographers. It all goes back to Anglo-Welsh relations. The Welsh have had a rough time of it all, like the Irish. Those who survive the trenches of France return to labour only to die for coal. Sad times indeed for the Welsh.
The whole point of the movie is not just the standard height set for a mountain, but Welsh pride, of national identity. For the Welsh, all they have for monuments are mountains, no pyramids or temples. And if Ffynonn Garw isn't a mountain, then Anson might as well redraw the map and put the Welsh in England. After all, as Morgan tells Betty, "Maps are the undergarments of a country, they give shape to continents." And what's in a measurement anyway? As Morgan says, "Do we call a short man a boy or a small cat a dog? No! This is a mountain, our mountain, and if it needs to be a thousand feet, then by God let's make it a thousand feet!δΈ’ In other words, it's all relative.
The concept of telling the village people with identical surnames by their occupation or personality is ingenious and charming, so we can tell the difference between Williams the Petroleum from Williams the Deaf. Some are more telling, as in the case of Johnny Shellshock. And there are the Thomas Twps: Thomas Twp and his brother Thomas Twp 2. As one of them says, "we've no learning than most, so people say we're twp, but we're not twp as to not know that we're twp." Right, that makes sense.
All the leads are splendid, particularly Colm Meaney as Morgan the Goat and Kenneth Griffith as the strict but passionate Reverend Jones. And Hugh Grant (Anson) has another charming leading lady, Tara Fitzgerald (Betty), who ranks up there with Andie McDowell (Four Weddings) and Martine McCutcheon (Love Actually). She really has a winning smile and saucy brogue that makes her character lovable. And darn if Ian Hart keeps popping up, be it Harry Potter, Michael Collins, and now here, as Johnny Shellshock.
A wonderful little movie with a wonderful Celtic score, as the ideas and themes that emerge make this more than a one-joke movie. And for you boyos, this was written by Hamlow_the_Writer_Who_Went_Up_A_Paragraph_But_Climbed_Down_A_Review.

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Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) Review

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)
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One can set up a debate between a Jesuit priest supporting the sanctity of life and the secularist dedicated to worldwide birth control, but perhaps the message of the beauty and mystery and wonder of family would be better delivered by this comedy than by a recitation of the catechism. Henry Fonda's character is right: nothing new has been written since "Fanny Hill".
A reviewer wrote that she was disappointed at the children's disrespect toward the adults. But I thought the children's less than perfect behavior was essential to the film and the film's message. Yeah, having children, be it three or eighteen, is a burden. There's no guarantee they'll be grateful for the sacrifices you make for them or that they'll allow you to have any sort of life of your own. The children in the film are not angels. Few are. Indeed, I would argue they're rather normal, with the scales leaning heavily toward good. They're bratty, tender, difficult, warm, self-centered and giving. That's the beauty of life and humanity and it's more or less what Fonda tried to explain to Lucy's oldest daughter when she questioned him about sex. "You tell him that this is what it's all about."
Notice how the film places a certain amount of focus on Tim Matheson's character. Early on, he spikes Lucy's drink and then giggles as she humiliates herself. (Shades of the "Otter" character he would play ten years later.) But eventually he decides that she's not so bad - at about the time, not coincidentally, that he's becoming a man - then he accepts her and, being a natural leader like his father, persuades his siblings to elect her "our mother, for life".
That scene, indeed the whole film, would not have worked had the children been so unrealistically and quickly accepting of the stepmother. As it's played and as it's written, it comes off without the sense of being false or manipulative. Not an easy thing to do in film.
Without meaning any disrespect, I feel a certain amount of pity for the reviewer that grew up in Germany and wrote that they considered families of four or more "trash". (For the sake of Germany, I hope that's not true.) To each his own, I suppose. But if you can't appreciate this film and it's celebration of life and humanity, I'm not sure what you can enjoy. I will say that people that come from large families almost always laugh more than people that do not.
Still, I would not label "Yours, Mine and Hours" family values propaganda. Had that been the intention, there would not have been the classic drunk scene nor the part where a somewhat randy Fonda tells the parking valet, "Keep the motor running." I don't believe they were trying to do anything but tell a warm, funny story. They succeeded tremendously.

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Based on a true story and co-starring Van Johnson and Tom Bosley, Yours, Mine And Ours keeps the laughs coming in a "clean, wholesome family comedy" (Life).This population explosion occurs when widowed Navy nurse Helen North (Ball) meets handsome Naval officer and widower Frank Beardsley (Fonda). They have much in commontoo much in factshehas eight kids and he has ten, and when they tie the knot, anarchy reigns in the Beardsley-North merger. The opposing camps of step-siblings do all they can to sabotage each other and their parents' union. But, through it all, mother lovingly cares for her "troops," while father patiently coaches his coming-of-age kids in more delicate matters, and resentment soon gives way to respect and something bigger than anyone could have imagined!

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