Dudley DoRight

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Dudley DoRight
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked

Man, this movie was pretty bad.  And it wasn't bad b/c all the actors were acting like cartoon characters (very fake-ish), the plot line was just pretty slim.

We meet Dudley DoRight (Brenden Fraiser), a Canadian Mountie.  We don't get much of his background.  All we know is he has wanted to be a Mountie his entire life, and he's some kind-of moron.  Then there is Nell (Sarah Jessica Parker).  She's the sweetest gal in town.  And our villian is Snidley Whiplash (Doc Oc from Spiderman 2).  He's got a kick butt name, and he lives for causing trouble.

The problem is, I'm kind-of confused about Snidley's plan.  He buys some gold, plants it all over town, and tells the media that there is "free gold here in Canada!".  All the Americans sprint up to Canada to pan for the gold.  They are getting rich, and spending money in their town.  That doesn't seem so bad.  Oh yeah, Snidley has pretty much bought everything IN town, renamed it "Whiplash City" ... so he is making a huge profit off this.

Snidley and Dudley duel over Nell.  They have a final showdown with the help of some local Indians, and of course Dudley wins.  It was all just ... over.  Not much plot happening.  Even some random Eric Idol and Regis and Kathie Lee (yes, this was in the Kathie Lee days) can't save this movie.

Bandits

Who:  Amber
What:  Bandits
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  It had Bruce Willis in it

I just looked up this movie on IMDB, and it was nominated for some awards.  No wonder I could barely watch this movie.  I don't normally 'do' award winning movies.

This movie started out great!  Bruce Willis (long hair tough guy) and Billy Bob Thorton (glasses wearing nerd) are in jail, giving an interview with a TV show.  They are bank robbers, and they've been caught.  I kind-of like it when movies practically tell you what's going to happen, and then you watch how it all unfolded.

Too bad this movie didn't keep my attention AT ALL.  I never even made it to the end, so forgive me if I finish up this review in mid sentence ...

Billy Bob and Bruce Willis are in jail.  They manage to escape and continue on with their bank robbing ways.  They are known as the "Sleepover Bandits".  They kidnap the managers the night before the robbery.  They spend a quiet (and sometimes enjoyable - nothing dirty) evening at home with their families, then they arrive to work with the manager before the bank opens.

Then a bored housewife is tired of her jerk husband runs away, she ends up with these 2 criminals, and helps them out.  She's attracted to Bruce Willis ... then makes her way over to Billy Bob Thornton's room ... you can see where this is going.

Eventually one of the bank managers realize that Bruce and Billy Bob won't hurt them, and he decided not to play along with the robbery.  Cops arrive ... and this is where I stopped watching.  It was just too bored.  I guess I can't recommend this movie at all!

Music and Lyrics

Who:  Amber
What:  Music and Lyrics
Where:  @ home - free HBO
Why:  Bill already Movie Yak'ed about it, and he made me want to see it

This movie was super cute!!!  I highly recommend it.  It combined 2 things I really enjoy:  '80's music and Drew Berrymore.  (I think I spelled her name wrong).

The movie starts out with a cheese-ball music video by everybody's (fake) '80's band POP!  "Pop goes my heart"  It's a duo of 2 guys - like Wham.  And just like Wham, one of them continues on to fame, and the other one pretty much seems to die.

This movie is about the 'dead' member of Pop.  His name is Alex, and he's living comfortably in NYC.  He's fully aware that he's an 80's has been, and it's ok with him.  He does shows at little state fairs, at some 1987 high school reuinion, etc.  The ladies still love him and his sexy hip action!

The problem, the Brittney Spears-like singer of this time, named Cora, wants a to collaborate with an '80s had been.  Whom ever can write a song in 3 days gets the job and gets to tour with Cora!  Alex is all over this challenge - he could become an UN-has been!

Drew Barrymore (Sophie) is at Alex's house, watering his plants or something.  Alex is trying to write a song and play a tune on the piano.  Alex says some lyrics, and Sophie opens her big mouth and whips out some genius lyrics.  She's a natural song writer.  3 straight days of Alex writing music and Sophie writing lyrics and wha-la - a hit song!

I wont' give away the rest to you, but it ends pretty much how you would expect it to.  It's a super cute movie, with some super groovy songs.  Make sure you pay attention to the Pop Up Video during the credits.  Man, I could watch Pop Up Videos all day long ...

MADE OF HONOR

Who: Kerri
What: Made of Honor
Where: At Home
Why: Got it on DVD

This is a lot like "My Best Friends Wedding" Except reversed, this time Patrick Dempsy plays the Julia Roberts role and tries to break up the wedding of his best friend. Tom and Hannah became best friends in college, fast forward 10 years, they're still best friends, and he's still sleeping around with all the women he can find.

Hannah goes to Scotland for 6 weeks, and when she returns she has a fiance, and wants Tom to be her Made of Honor since he's her best friend.

There's some cute things with all that, a guy trying to learn how to do girl stuff, and his guy friends teasing him, then helping out with it.

The Hitch here is that when Hannah goes away for 6 weeks, he realizes how much she really means to him, and 'she's the one.' So coming back with the fiance really puts a crimp in those plans. Hijinx ensue when Tom attempts to break up Hannah and the seemingly perfect Colin.

Will Hannah remain friends with Tom and Marry Colin? Will she dump the Scottish accent guy and realize she loves Tom??? Tune in and find out. It's a cute romantic comedy - nothing really 'new' as far as romantic comedies... but then again when was the last 'original' one made?

Epic Movie

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Epic Movie
Where:  @ home - free HBO
Why:  Jonathan picked it

What happens when you mix Narnia + Pirates + every other movie from 2006?  You get a load of crap!

Well, it wasn't complete crap.  It actually kind-of liked the quick pace of this movie.  With in the first 5 minutes they made fun of Snakes on a Plane (love that movie!), X-Men, Nacho Libre and the Da Vinci Code.  This movie really kept me on my toes.

Although it basically made fun of Narnia.  4 orphans (who look nothing alike, who are 4 different nationalities) all find a Willy Wonka golden ticket!  They come to Willy's creepy factory and need a hiding place from creepy Willy.  One by one they find the wardrobe and arrive in Narnia.

Once in Narnia the writers manage to throw in some Pirates of the Caribbean 2, the TV show Punked, Click and probably some other stuff I forgot.

The movie ends (thankfully!) with some good old fashioned Borat.  I can't belive they made this movie, and they continue to make movies like it.  Thankfully Disaster Movie was a total bomb at the box office.  Maybe they'll finally stop.

Monsters, Inc.

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Monsters, Inc.
Where: Fort Wilderness Campfire Movie
Why:  This was the scheduled movie of the evening

This might be my favorite Pixar movie.  It's so hard to choose, but this is top 3 for sure.

Monsters, Inc. has everything!  It's hilarious (Billy Crystal is fantastic).  It's adorable (how cute is Boo?!?  I mean, they found the most perfect 2 year old girl to babble into a microphone and it works).  It's a little adventurous, a little scary, and it's so different!

Most stupid movie studios would've made a movie about weird looking monsters, and it would've been about their wacky adventures.  But Pixar made a movie about weird looking monsters, and how they have feelings (along with their wacky adventures).  I'm hungry for a lemon snow cone all of a sudden ...

I think Jonathan said it best ... "This is the best ending of a Pixar movie ever.  Look how happy (Sully) is."  Amen to that!

Emergency! AKA "The Wedsworth-Townsend Act"

Who: Bill
What: Emergency! Pilot movie
Where: Rented DVD from Netflix
Why: Used to watch the series each week

Emergency! was a popular one hour drama that first aired on NBC Saturday nights from 1972 to 1977 and continuing as a series of TV movies through 1979. The show followed Firefighters/Paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto of Rescue Squad 51 as they responded to a variety of urgent calls such as fires, accidents, medical emergencies and other traumas, often in coordination with the emergency department of Rampart General Hospital. The show has been credited with the formation of Paramedic services in most major communities throughout the United States. In the early 1970’s, Paramedics administering vital on-scene medical assistance was only being used in a few cities.

On January 15, 1972, NBC aired a two hour made-for-TV movie dramatizing the formation of the Paramedic program in Los Angeles. Fireman Gage (Randy Mantooth) is frustrated by the limited resources he can use in rescue operations. He signs up to train as a Paramedic, then in the testing phase pending passage of a bill by the California Legislature. Gage reluctantly agrees to the training and upon completion is re-assigned to newly-built fire station 51 with fellow Paramedic DeSoto (Kevin Tighe). Meanwhile, Rampart ER head Dr. Kelly Brackett (Robert Fuller) is doubtful a Paramedic program can actually succeed. His reasoning is that only trained medical doctors should administer emergency treatment and not “hose jockeys”. But his colleagues Dr. Joe Early (Bobby Troup) and Nurse Dixie McCall (Julie London) believe otherwise. Complicating matters is that Brackett and McCall are also dating each other-- an element that would quietly be dropped after the show’s first season. Eventually Dr. Brackett sees how a program would increase survival rates and enthusiastically testifies in favor of the pending bill. Of course, it passes just in time as Gage and DeSoto perform critical medical care at a massive cave-in during a late night thunderstorm.

The original two hour Emergency! movie is only available as part of the DVD release of season one. “The Wedsworth-Townsend Act” is the alternate title used when it was repeated during the show’s fifth season as a two-part episode, as Gage and DeSoto reminisce about becoming Paramedics. This was the version used when Emergency! went into rerun syndication. In either format, its worth checking out as a look back at how controversial the Paramedic program was seen early on, a vital life-saving service that we now take for granted. From a casting standpoint, fans of Lost will enjoy seeing Kevin Tighe playing a really good guy as opposed to his occasional role as evil con artist Anthony Cooper. Singer Julie London and musician Bobby Troup (he was the writer for the classic song “Route 66”) were married to each other; however, London had been previously married to Emergency! executive producer Jack Webb.

Finally, while the series itself appealed to young viewers, the pilot movie contains some mild profanity that would definitely earn a PG rating had it appeared in theaters.

Speed 2: Cruise Control

Who:  Amber
What:  Speed 2:  Cruise Control
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  I searched for 'cruise' on my DVR (hoping for travel shows about cruises, but I found this)

I had seen this movie before.  I knew it was a bucket full of cheese, but it's a good movie to watch while I'm cleaning the kitchen or playing on the computer.

This movie almost leaves off where Speed 1 ended.  Annie (Sandra Bullock) is trying to get her driver's license, so she doesn't have to take the bus anymore.  She's dating Alex (Jason Patrick - what happened to that guy?!?), a LA Cop.  Annie actually mentions Jack (Keanu Reeves - star of Speed 1) and mentions why they broke up.

Annie and Alex are headed to the Caribbean for a cruise.  Party time!  Too bad Willem Defoe is also headed to the same cruise, and he plans to crash the party.  Willem Defoe is a master of cruise ship technology, and he rigs the entire ship to run off a little remote control that only he possesses (yeah, like that could ever happen.  This guy sneaks in and out of secure places on the ship like he's a magician).  He sounds the 'abandon ship' alarm to save most passengers.  Of course, Annie and Alex, and a handful of others are left behind.

The ship is going to crash and blow up ... will Alex save the day - of course.  Will there be a random cameo at the end of the movie with somebody from Speed 1 (not Keanu) - of course. Does Sandra Bullock have a lot of horrible, cheesy, un-natural dialog - yes!!!  But it's a fun movie with a lot of random action scenes.  Plus I like anything to do with a cruise ship.

Oh, there is also a cute teenage girl on the ship who is deaf and 'speaks' via sign language with Alex, the movie's hero.  She's a cutie.  And I looked her upon imdb.com.  Turns out she really is deaf and she's an advocate for deaf actors/actresses.  I thought that was kind-of cool.

40 Days and 40 Nights

Who:  Amber
What:  40 Days and 40 Nights
Where:  @ home - just being lazy
Why:  Recorded off some random cable channel

All I have to say is "meh!".  This movie was decent, but it was also lame at the same time. 

The premise is pretty lame - a (cute) guy tries to go 40 days with out any sexual content.  It's what he's giving up for lent, I think.  (Sorry, I don't celebrate lent - is that 40 days long?) 

Now, maybe I'm not a guy, but that doesn't sound like pure torture (it's only 40 days - not 40 years!), but it sure is for Josh Hartnet!  And, to make matters worse, his ex-girlfriend (of 4 months) met somebody and is engaged already!  It's so "Made of Honor"-esque.  Now that I think about it, I like this movie less and less ... I can't even talk about it anymore.  It was a giant waste of my time.

Penelope

Who: Rochelle
What: Penelope
Where: At Home via Movie on Demand
Why: Nothing good on TV

I was searching for a good story that wasn't too mushy. This stars Christina Ricci plays a girl, Penelope who was born with a curse from her dad's family. The first born girl would be born looking like a pig. Sounds way out there I know! The only way to break the curse is for her to find one like her and marry him. So her mother protects her from the outside by keeping her in the house her whole childhood. Her whole goal in life was to prepare to marry so the curse could be broke.

Her mother, played by Catherine O'Hara from Home Alone, is a complete basket-case. She tries everything to find a man for her daughter so that she can be normal. While it sounds like she wants the best for her daughter she really just wants her own life to be normal. Through a series of events she meets a boy and he is the only one so far that doesn't run away once he sees what she looks like. He likes her but won't marry her but it isn't because of her looks. That is what she thinks so she runs away to the city. It is her first time outside her house and there are reporters trying to get a picture of her. She goes public with her picture and the whole city falls in love with her. There are many little things that happen along the way but so I don't give everything away I'll just say it has a very happy ending!

I remember seeing the previews for this but I never heard anything about it. It seemed like a child's storybook that had been turned into a teen/adult movie. It was interesting but at times seemed childish. The time frame of the movie was set in today but the story seemed very make-believe like; kind of like a darker version of Enchanted. The lead boy was played by James McVoy--not my type but beautiful eyes. Reese Witherspoon also makes an appearance in this one! I would classify this movie as a good rainy day flick!

Thomas Crown Affair

Who:  Amber

What:  Thomas Crown Affair
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  I LOVE the crazy soundtrack

It's true - I watch this movie when ever I see it on TV because of the crazy soundtrack.  I can't describe the music, it's kind-of like a chant with people clapping in the background.  Regardless, it makes the whole "stealing priceless art" very exciting!

Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is a super rich, and super boring NYC business man.  He also is a master thief, specializing in ripping off art work from a NYC art museum.  The opening of the movie shows him stealing a painting.

Renee Ruso is a sex pot who is trying to catch the guy who stole the painting.  She works for some art insurance company and gets about $5 million bucks if she gets the painting back.  Her way of investigating Thomas Crown is to go on dates with him and sleep with him.  She knows he did it, and he toys with her the entire time ... will she find the painting?

Thomas Crown offers Renee Ruso $10 million dollars if she gives up and runs away with him.  She's crazy for him, and he's crazy for her, but she's got a job to do.  Crown offers to return the painting, then she must meet him at 4pm at some airport.  Does she trust this thief ... or will she continue to do her job (which she's really good at) and find that painting?

Did I mention the music rules!?!

Psycho

Who:  Amber
What:  Psycho
Where:  @ home - I own it on DVD
Why:  I enjoy it!

I think I am the ONLY person who likes this movie.  No, I'm not talking about Alfred Hitchcock's famous Psycho ... I'm taking about the stupid FRAME BY FRAME remake somebody made in the 90's.  It's the exact same movie, only with different actors.  It's the same dialog, the same scenes - everything is the same.  Lame I know, but I love it!

Maybe I'm a big jerk, but I just don't like black and white movies, so I really enjoy this version of Psycho in color.  Plus, this time Anne Heche is the damsel in distress.  Say what you want about her, but she's great in this movie.  And Vince Vaughn runs the hotel.  Great stuff.

I think we all know the premise of Psycho - but if you are also not a fan of black and white horror movies, here we go:  Anne Heche is running away (with a bunch of money) and stays in a rinky dink hotel run by Vince Vaughn.  Vince Vaughn's crazy mother stabs her to death in the shower (I think we've all seen this scene).  The police and Anne Heche's sister come looking for her ... they confront the crazy mother ... and this is where I leave you hanging ...

Deep Blue Sea

Who:  Amber
What:  Deep Blue Sea
Where:  @ home - I own it on DVD
Why:  I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!

This is my all time favorite "I just need something random to watch/listen to" movie.  I've probably seen it 100 times.

Researchers in some under water base are messing around with sharks brains to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.  Great for mankind - bad for sharks.  While they are trying to save the world, the sharks are getting smarter and smarter as a 'side effect'.

Samuel L. Jackson (love him!) comes to the underground lab for some reason.  He's a billionare and he's going to fund their research or something.  A hurricane hits, so they can't get off their 'island'.  Did I mention that the sharks are becoming smarter and smarter?!?

The sharks starts to break into the underground lab, which starts a flood ... which also starts the sharks' eating frenzy.  Who will live, and who will die?!?  The answers may surprise you.

And I think the GREATEST SCENE IN A MOVIE ever is in this flick.  Just wait until Samuel L. Jackson's shark encounter ... awesome!!!

Open Season

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Open Season
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan picked it 

Normally non-Pixar movies are always 100% kid and kind-of lame.  But I really enjoyed this movie!

Boog is a bear.  A bear who lives in a garage of a forest ranger.  I guess she rescued him when he was a cub, and Boog is very happy living in a garage.  He's got a warm cozy bed, an adorable teddy bear, a toilet (how does a bear use a toilet and not break it?), and a great forest ranger mom who loves him very much.

Elliot is a deer.  A little teeny tiny weeny deer.  Elliot breaks into Boog's garage, introduces him to candy ... and then run into town to eat more candy at a 7-11 type store.  When the cops find the animals, they send Boog & Elliot into the wild to live.  Boog is just too big and potentially dangerous to live with people anymore.

Unfortunatly it's Open Season for hunters.  Plus Boog has no clue how to live in the wild!  The best part of his 'getting to know the wild' learning was going to the bathroom with out a toilet.  He asks Elliot where he goes to the bathroom and he replies, "you know, I never thought about it."  All the while, little deer turds are falling out his butt.  It sounds lame and gross, but it was just very realistic (and hilarious!) poop.

Hunters show up, so Boog and Elliot round up all the animals (crazy squirrels, cute beavers, war veteran ducks, etc...) to scare the hunters away.

Will Boog scare the hunters away and find his way back to down to his safe garage?  Stay tuned ...

Righteous Kill

Who: Jaclyn (and my dad)
What: Righteous Kill
Where: AMC Pleasure Island
Why: Who can resist a De Niro/Pacino movie?

Two NYPD partners Turk and Rooster (Robert De Niro and Al Pacino) go on a hunt for a serial killer who kills people they feel should be punished for their actions/crimes.

Another two cops from the other side of town, Perez and Riley (John Leguizamo and Donny Wahlberg) end up joining Turk and Rooster on their manhunt since one of the vicitims lands in their jurisdiction. The more time that passes, Perez and Riley begin to think the killer is a cop and go to great lengths to prove it. Oddly enough, 50 Cent is in this movie too.

The movie starts off slightly boring but it starts to get better about 15 minutes in...but not by much. I'm glad I saw it, but it's nothing that hasn't been done before. Save your money kids.

Bonus: We happened to be at DTD Westside at the right time...the Year of a Million Dreams dork squad were handing out free Mickey ear hats.

Batman and Robin

Who:  Amber
What:  Batman and Robin
Where:  @ home - recorded it off cable
Why:  Batman is all the hype this summer

Man, this movie is CHEESY

With all the hype over the new Batman (George Clooney) movie, I figured it would cool to go back and watch all the old Batman movies.  I was never a big fan of the old movies.  I really wanted to see the one with Two Face, to see how he compared to the new, super gross Two Face.  But all I could find on cable was Batman and Robin.  Seriously, what is the deal with Robin?  He seems so lame.

Ar-nuld as Mr. Freeze is the cheesiest of them all.  "The ice man cometh!"  "Let's kick some ice!"  I guess his character is kind-of cool.  He falls in a vat of liquid nitrogen (or something).  He survives, but can only live when he body temp. is 0F.  He wears a sweet suit powered by diamonds of all things, and had an ice gun.  The bummer about his ice gun, is that while it freezes people, then can be unfrozen and still live.  So basically it's a giant stun gun.

Poison Ivy - what's her deal?  She kisses people and they die.  I guess she's some eye candy, but her character basically has no purpose in this movie.

Speaking of eye candy, we're introduced to Bat Girl (Alicia Silverstone).  She comes out of nowhere, and wears a suit with plastic pointy boobs.

There's a nice little side story of Albert (Batman's butler) being sick.  The only person who save him is Mr. Freeze - the old, normal scientist Mr. Freeze.  Will he turn from bad into good and help save Albert?!?  As Jonathan says, "yes he will ... and Albert will turn into a younger British man."

Outsourced

Who: Jaclyn
What: Outsourced
Where: At Home
Why: Random Curiosity

For anyone who has worked in a call-center or for anyone who has called a call-center, this movie will make you laugh.

After his department gets outsourced to India, American novelties sales supervisor Todd Anderson (Josh Hamilton) has to travel to India to train his replacement and get their center up and running.

Upon arrival in India, nothing seems to go right for him. He has a big case of culture shock and everyone keeps calling him Mr. Toad (picture the accent saying "Todd").

Todd has a deadline to get the call times down before he can leave so he's in a hurry to make this happen since he is not enjoying his stay until he gets to know one employee who he ends up liking.

Complete with Bollywood music (it's fun to dance around the house to) this movie has a good message with humor throughout.

Me, Myself and Irene

Who:  Amber
What:  Me, Myself and Irene (did I spell that right?)
Where:  Home - FX channel
Why:  I've never seen it, and Jim Carrey is pretty funny

How old is this movie?  I noticed a $1.13/gallon gas price.  Arg!  I'm going to take a guess and label this post '90's.

Jim Carrey marries his sweetheart - Natalie from Monk.  Their wedding limo driver is Tony (something), the black little person from Bad Santa.  Wife gives birth to 3 babies (were they triplets?  I wasn't really sure), and the 3 kids are black.  Jim Carrey loves them anyways, and Natalie ends up running away with her little person limo driving lover, leaving the kids behind.

As Jim Carrey (I forgot his name in the movie!  Doh!) raises the kids and serves and protects the highways of Rhode Island as a highway patrol man, he's pushed around by everybody.  Finally he SNAPS and a multiple personality appears.

He needs to escort Renee Zellweger to NY for something - and the nuttiness begins!  Jim Carrey snaps in and out of his 2 personalities - one very sweet, one a huge jerk.  Renee/Irene likes the sweet guy and slaps the jerk around (which he loves!).  Of course the cops are after Irene and the FBI is after them too (for various reasons).

It ends just as you would suspect it would, but it's very sweet.  The 3 black sons are really funny, and they love their father dearly.  Also, Jim Carrey (as the jerk personality) makes fun of Renee Zellweger for having a squinty face as well as other flaws (no offense Renee - but I think you're kind-of weird looking).  Bingo!

Gus

Who: Bill
What: Gus
Where: Old tape from a Disney Channel airing in the 1990's
Why: Are you ready for some football?

It’s that time of year again for high school, college and NFL action. It seems appropriate to look back at an unusual sports film. In 1976, Walt Disney Productions presented the story of Gus, the place-kicking mule.

In Yugoslavia, Andy Petrovic (Gary Grimes) discovers his pet mule Gus is quite adept at kicking a soccer ball pretty far. All it takes is a ball at Gus’s feet and a call of “Oyage!” But Andy’s family is less-than-impressed, considering their other son is a famous soccer player. Meanwhile in California, the Atoms football team is dead last in the NFL. After reading about Gus’s kicking abilities, team owner Hank Cooper (Ed Asner) and Coach Venner (Don Knotts) arrange to bring Andy and his “miracle mule” over to the states if only to entertain the audience during halftime. But then Cooper has an idea: why not use Gus in the games themselves to kick long-range field goals? Improbable it is, but Cooper uses a loophole in the NFL rules book to let Gus become a team player. Soon, the Atoms are easily winning their games and become contenders for the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Will Gus take them all the way? Do Disney movies have happy endings?

It is a silly premise, but very entertaining. Incredibly, Gus was filmed with the cooperation of the National Football League. So expect to see plenty of references to actual teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and a few made-up for the movie. There are also some famous names from the NFL’s past who turn up: Dick Butkus (Chicago Bears), Johnny Unitas (Baltimore Colts), Timothy Brown (Philadelphia Eagles) and in an unaccredited role as an Atoms player, Fred Dryer (at the time of filming, he was a Defensive End for the Los Angeles Rams). Producer Ron Miller, Walt’s son-in-law, was a tight end for the Rams in 1956. Along for the fun are other familiar faces including Tim Conway, Tom Bosley, Bob Crane, Harold Gould, Dick Van Patten and Dick Enberg.

As is the case with most Disney live-action films of the 1970’s, Gus is suitable viewing for the whole family. Dads and sons will especially enjoy the football sequences. However, the movie comes up short in two areas: first, many of the close-up shots in the football scenes were done in a studio against a backdrop and this looks too obvious, even by mid-1970’s standards. Second, a scene where Gus gets loose and causes chaos in a supermarket is funny, but lasts far too long.

Still, Gus is a movie that can be enjoyed anytime of year, football season or otherwise. Oyage!

3 Caballeros

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  3 Caballeros
Where:  at home - Jonathan bought the DVD
Why:  We love the ride at Epcot, now it was time to see the movie!

I love old Disney cartoons.  Jose Carioca (green parrot) is smoking a cigar 24/7 and Panchito (red bird) has 2 pistols and he shoots wildly into the air constantly.  That sort of thing would never fly these days!  It's fun to see.

This movie/live action flick stars Donald Duck.  It is kind-of a sequel to Saludos Amigo, where we first met Jose Carioca.  Donald receives many birthday presents from his friends he met in South America (from Saludos Amigos).  Every time he opens one, a new adventure is around the corner. 

He visits Mexico City and Baja (in Brazil I think?).  We also meet Pedro, a cute little penguin who lives on the South Pole, but longs for warm weather (ahhhh - don't we all!).

This movie is a little hard to understand, since it's 90% Donald Duck talking and 10% in Portugues and Spanish.  Although it's classic Disney, so you have to love it!

Soapdish

Who: Jaclyn
What: Soapdish
Where: At Home
Why: Free HBO!

I loved this movie when it first came out and completely forgot about until now! This movie has everyone in it! Sally Field, Robert Downey Jr, Carrie Fisher, Ben Stein, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Shue, Teri Hatcher, Garry Marshall and Whoopi Goldberg (just to name a few).

The whole movie is based upon a soap opera, its crazy actors and writers. They all have relationships on and off the set.

It revolves around the main character Celeste (Sally Field) who used to star on the show (and have a relationship with) Jeffrey (Kevin Kline) until he got booted off the show. He hates her now and is performing dinner theater while she remains a huge soap star.

It sounds boring and uneventful, but there are fantastic plot twists and the comedic factor between these characters is hilarious.

If you're in the mood for silly daytime cheese, this is the movie for you.

Saludos Amigos

Who: Amber & Jonathan
What: Saludos Amigos
Where: @ home - Jonathan bought the DVD
Why: Jonathan is a Disney freak, and he has never seen this movie before!

I hesitate to call this a "movie", since it's only about 40 minutes long ...

Back in the '40s (??) Walt Disney took a airplane full of animators down to South America for a goodwill tour. This movie chronicals their journey.

At first, this "movie" starts pretty slow, and I got worried that I was about to bore myself with a boring documentary. But in true Disney fasion, there are hilarious cartoon segments staring Donald Duck, Goofy and a cute little airplane called Pedro (he's adorable!). 

And, introducing ... Jose Carioca! (that green parrot from the 3 Caballeros).

The Sweetest Thing

Who: Amber
What: The Sweetest Thing
Where: @ home (I own it on DVD)
Why: It's hilarious!!!

I am so glad my roommate James introducted me to this movie. It is so funny, and so girly.

Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate are best friends, with super quick witty banter and throwing guys away like yesterdays trash.  Selma Blair is thrown in the mix, for apparantly no reason, but she's great regardless.

A cute guy comes into play, a roadtrip ensues, their is a montage of horrible dresses being tried on, etc ... Throw in some Jason Bateman (this was before having Jason Bateman in a movie was cool!) and yourselves have a kick butt movie!!!

I highly recommend renting the "unrated version".  You will have the Penis Song stuck in your head for the rest of your life!!!  And "unrated" back in 2002 didn't mean actually seeing any private parts (cough *Walk Hard* cough), it just meant singing about them.  It's one of my all time favorite movies.

Evan Almighty

Who: Kerri Scott Emily & Mitchel
What: Evan Almighty
Where: The Living Room
Why: We were bored, needed a movie to watch!

The nice thing about our cable is that we have On Demand! which means any movie on HBO, Cinemax, Starz, etc that we subscribe to, we can pull up at any time and watch free. We were bored and needed a movie to watch, since both kids are there I needed something PG that was good for the whole family.

Evan Almighty did fit that bill - it was 'family friendly' although with a mimicking autistic son there was still a lot of things that got him giggling and copying what he saw, but none of it offensive.

This is obviously a 'loose' sequel, if you can call it that, to Bruce Almighty. Although you really don't need to see the first one to catch on to this one. Except that the first one was funnier.

Morgan Freeman is back as God, and really anytime Morgan is on the screen in any movie, he can make it better.

Well, God insists that Steve Carrell's character (a newly elected congressman) must build an Ark because a flood is coming. Well, as everyone from his family, co-workers, constituents hear this they all think he's crazy. Some wacky hijinks and chaos ensues. Although with Steve Carrell, it did have a shot at being a lot funnier. It wasn't a bad movie - although had I seen it in the theatre I may have been disappointed. Seeing it for free in the living room - I was entertained and amused.

Ghost Ship

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Ghost Ship
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  I've wanted to see it

I remember wanting to see this movie when it came out (2003?), but I heard it was just awful - almost the worst movie ever made.

You know what - it wasn't half bad.  I like my horror movies to be creepy and no questions left unanswered.  Normally there is a bad guy, and you don't understand why he's bad, and why he feels the need to kill people.  Thankfully, a little girl ghost helps us see the entire back story via flashback.  I love it!!!

The opening scene of this movie was pretty darn sweet.  It's 1962 on a luxury cruise ship.  Everybody is gathered together, dancing the night away.  All of a sudden, a cable snaps and goes hurling thru the passengers.  And I mean that literally - THRU the passengers.

Fast forward 50 years, a ship of scavengers finds the cruise ship and plans to tow her back to shore.  They find a little girl ghost onboard.  Then things start to go horribly, horribly wrong.

All in all, I say it's a worthy horror movie.  Even the ending was kind-of unique.  

If you like horror (it wasn't even very scary), then I recommend it.