Abbott and Costello: Funniest Routines, Vol. 1 (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Abbot & Costello: Funniest Routines Vol 1 is a great collection of classic routines from my favorite comedy team. There is close to an hour and a half of comedy on the disc, and they're the type of bits the whole family can enjoy.
There's a wide variety of stuff here, and it all looks great. Two of the bonus features have been colorized, the rest are presented from a great B&W print, that is probably the best one I've seen. The bonus features that are presented in color are the Trailer for "Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein" and a Campbell's Soup commercial. Here's hoping for an all out colorized version of A&C Meet Frankenstein!
For the curious among you, here's a list of the included routines:
-Hole in the Wall
-Mustard
-The Magic Act Bit
-Aspirin
-Army Drill
-Niagara Falls
-Jonah and the Whale
-7 X 13 is 28
-The Piano Bit
-The Lemon Bit
-The Dice Game
-Who's on First?
DVD has truly been a blessing to us fans of old time TV. This, and Volume 2, are a great way to have some classic Abbott & Costello routines available to enjoy whenever you want.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Abbott and Costello: Funniest Routines, Vol. 1 (2008)

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Abbott and Costello: Funniest Routines, Vol. 1 (2008)

Read More...

Dennis the Menace (Special Edition) (1993) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)"Dennis the Menace", directed by Nick Castle, is based on the hit 60's sitcom, by the same title.
PLOT SUMMARY: Mason Gamble stars as Dennis Mitchell, a young kid who just can't seem to stay out of trouble. He doesn't MEAN to cause trouble...he just well, does. Walter Matthau stars as Dennis's grumpy next door neighbor, Mr. Wilson, who can't STAND Dennis. When Dennis's parents go away (Robert Stanton and Lea Thompson), Dennis must stay with the Wilsons, and Mr. Wilson is extremely unhappy about this. But when Dennis gets out of line, Mr. Wilson gets so angry that he yells at Dennis, which makes Dennis run away. That's when the real trouble begins...Dennis encounters an old neighborhood thief, Switchblade Sam (Christopher Lloyd), who kidnaps Dennis, and soon Dennis learns that Switchblade Sam has stolen some items from the Wilsons' house (and others from his neighborhood), so it's up to Dennis to save the day.
MY OVERALL THOUGHTS: I haven't seen this film in a long time, but I remember it well. The acting from the entire cast is great. The storyline is light-hearted and fun. Mason Gamble was a perfect choice for Dennis. The directing is wonderful, too.
From the looks of the DVD, there is going to be some great special features. The bonus features will include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a documentary on Dennis the Menace, a special "memories" document with Mason Gamble, a conversation with Walter Matthau, and another conversation with writer and producer, John Hughes. The DVD will also include trailers and a DVD-ROM game. The DVD will be available in wide screen format.
I highly recommend "Dennis the Menace".
Score:
89/100
B+

Click Here to see more reviews about: Dennis the Menace (Special Edition) (1993)

Hank Ketcham's popular comic-strip kid comes to uproarious screen life in Dennis the Menace, from writer/producer John Hughes, the creative force behind the family mega-hits Home Alone and Beethoven. Young Mason Gamble is all-boy, all-menace, all-Dennis right down to his slingshot and dog, Ruff.DVD Features:Challenges:Dennis's Tin Can ChallengeDVD ROM Features:Garbage Contraption gameFeaturette:Behind-the-scenes featuretteInteractive MenusInterviews:Memories of a Menace, a 10th anniversary visit with Mason Gamble; conversations with Walter Matthau and John HughesScene AccessTV Special:Original network special "A Menace Named Dennis"Theatrical Trailer:Trailers of this and the sequel "Dennis the Menace Strikes Again"

Click here for more information about Dennis the Menace (Special Edition) (1993)

Read More...

The Castle (1999) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a Pom who has just moved back from Australia, I thought I would buy this DVD to remind me what I'm missing. It is, of course, a great film and a funny one. However, I should warn anyone who has seen and loved the film in its original Australian release that there are some rather annoying edits for the American market. For example, Darryl now thinks that 'The only thing funnier than Funniest Home Videos is the best of Funniest Home Videos'. RIP Hey Hey it's Saturday. He's also waiting for some 'Cheap facing' for the extra room he's building. Oh, and no-one in the family has 'ever left their home town'. The idea that 'no-one's been further than Alice Springs' was obviously deemed meaningless.
Not only that, but (and I'm sure this isn't my imagination) there are some rather interesting background music additions. Some of it is pretty sappy.
Unfortunately, until a DVD version is released in Australia there is no alternative for people who want to get a copy of this film, but be warned - if you're a die-hard purist you will find this a bit annoying.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Castle (1999)

In the laugh-filled tradition of THE FULL MONTY, THE CASTLE is a hilarious comedy treat critics hailed as one of the year's funniest movies! Even though there's an airport practically running through their backyard, the eccentric Kerrigan clan loves their humble home. But when the airfield needs room to expand, the government says that the Kerrigans have to go! With an irresistable charm and irrepressible humor everyone is sure to enjoy, the hilarity then really takes flight when this funny family decides to stay and fight for their beloved "castle" ... no matter how far the conflict goes!

Click here for more information about The Castle (1999)

Read More...

Patrice O'Neal - Elephant In The Room (2011) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This stand up special is rooted in Patrice's unique views on topics we might have heard covered by other comics but not like this. Patrice not only makes every topic his own, he takes you places you may not have wanted to go making you laugh along the way.
He covers race, sexual harassment, cheating, relationships, animals, football all in an hour special that makes you wish he was given two hours. He has a charisma that connects with the audience that most comics (at least the comics on Comedy Central) seem to be lacking.
Patrice is one of the best comics that America has not heard of and not for his lack of talent and comedic ability. Buy this special, see him live, you will not be disappointed.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Patrice O'Neal - Elephant In The Room (2011)

Get 16% OFF

Click here for more information about Patrice O'Neal - Elephant In The Room (2011)

Read More...

The Bad News Bears (1976) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The great Walter Matthau (all saggy jowls) plays Buttermaker, an ex-pitcher turned pool cleaner who tools around all day on his jobs in a chop-top station wagon with a cooler of beer in the backseat. A local businessman talks (with money) Buttermaker into coaching a youth-league team of castaways. Seems this is one community that takes its youth league baseball seriously. A little too seriously.
What follows is the familiar plot of a bunch of underdog kids coming together as the "Team Nobody Believed In" and contending for the championship against a team that represents everything that's wrong when parents spoil simple pleasures for their children (the Yankees, coached by Vic Morrow, in a neatly-observed performance). Look, I don't know if "Bears" even did it first, but this movie certainly does it best, and without the labored sentimentality of its progeny.
"Bears" never turns cartoonish. It captures just the right atmosphere- slanting, late afternoon sunlight during the games, the bikes parked behind the dugouts, the post-game chants. The kids, led by Tatum O'Neal and Jackie Earle Haley all perform well, and each has a sharply defined personality. Even Morrow, as Buttermaker's antagonist, isn't portrayed as bad or evil- just a guy with misplaced priorities that make him act like a jerk.
But Matthau makes this movie, conning kids into making martinis for him and cleaning pools while he regales them with increasingly drunken stories of his baseball glory days... until he passes out on the mound in a litter of beer cans. Matthau plays Buttermaker as a modern day loser who discovers (eventually) he still has a better nature.
Bright, smart and funny, "The Bad News Bears" is a joy to watch, full of quick-witted exchanges and even heartbreak. If you've seen one too many "Mighty Ducks" flicks, do yourself a favor and watch this one. It goes down as smooth as one of Buttermaker's ice cold ones on a hot afternoon.
And look for that kid who played Eddie in "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" as Morrow's son and the Yankees' star pitcher. He has a ballpark epiphany that's true and heartbreaking. Just another aspect of this marvelous little movie.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Bad News Bears (1976)

First of a trilogy of films takes an unflinching look at the underbelly of little league baseball in Southern California. Former minor leaguer Morris Buttermaker is a lazy, beer swilling swimming pool cleaner who takes money to coach the Bears, a bunch of disheveled misfits who have virtually no baseball talent. Realizing his dilemma, Coach Buttermaker brings aboard girl pitching ace Amanda Whurlizer, the daughter of a former girlfriend, and Kelly Leak, a motorcycle punk who happens to be the best player around. Brimming with confidence, the Bears look to sweep into the championship game and avenge an earlier loss to their nemesis, the Yankees.

Click here for more information about The Bad News Bears (1976)

Read More...

Sordid Lives (2001) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I caught this film in a theater in Ft. Lauderdale and I was bowled over. AT last, it's been released on DVD and it's worth the wait.Seeing it again, I laughed even more than the first time - the characters get under your skin with their bizarre antics and the direction is truly clever, juxtaposing a running plotline about a white-trash funeral and the surreal characters who come together as a result. Special kudos to Bonnie Bedelia, who is shrill but ultimately a real character. And Leslie Jordan as a drag-queen in a mental institution channeling Tammy Wynette is flat out HYSTERICAL.
The DVD has some standard extras - deleted scenes, extra songs, a new opening, and commentary from stars and the director. I promise you - this is a movie you will share with your friends and laugh laugh laugh! Sure, it can be corny and superficial at times, but lemme tell ya...the characters are never less than 3-dimensionsal.
This is a sharp, witty, humane movie with a terrific ensemble cast that deserves attention. An intertwined collection of small town stories about faith, love and redemption, "Sordid Lives" has more laughs in its first 15 minutes than most comedies enjoy in two hours. The performances are uniformly file, including Bonnie Bedelia, Delta Burke, Olivia Newton-John (a sweet and pleasant surprise), Leslie Jordan, and Beau Bridges. There are moments of sheer bliss as a town prepares to bury one of its own against a backdrop of angst, humor and real drama. Even the hysterical parts are handled with great sentiment and care. The audience I saw the movie with was cackling with laughter! A terrific film!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sordid Lives (2001)

Get ready for laughs the size of Texas when Olivia Newton-John, Beau Bridges, Bonnie Bedelia and Delta Burke lead an all-star cast in this twisted, white-trash tale "that puts the 'fun' in 'dysfunctional'" (Toronto Sun). The hilariously sordid details about a southern family surface with a vengeance when relatives converge for the funeral of "Grandma Peggy," who died after tripping over her lover's wooden legs! Toss in a couple of feuding, big-haired daughters, a jumpy aunt who just quit smoking, the scorned neighbor from hell, and crazy, cross-dressing "Brother Boy" - and you've got an outrageous "train wreck you can't help but watch!" (Chicago Tribune)

Get 50% OFF

Click here for more information about Sordid Lives (2001)

Read More...

Long Long Trailer (Ff) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Directed by Vincent Minelli, this comedy, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez, was filmed at the height of the popularity of their television show, "I Love Lucy". In this film, Lucy was never funnier, and Desi was never better as her comedic foil.
The plot is surprisingly simple. Tacy Collins (Lucille Ball) and Nicholas Carlos Collini (Desi Arnez) are about to be married. Tacy persuades him that having a trailer home would be ideal, since he has the type of job that takes him away so often. This way, she could always be there to take care of him no matter where he is working, as their home would always go with him, wherever he may be. Nicky buys into her logic, and the rest is history.
They purchase a top of the line trailer home, a new car to tow it, and get married. Tacy and Nicky then hit the road and have a number of very funny adventures. They will have you belly laughing, as the personas of their film characters do not differ greatly from that of Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, the characters of their television show. If it ain't broke, why fix it?
Keenan Wynn has a small role as a traffic control cop whose path briefly crosses theirs. Don't blink, or you may miss him. Some of the footage is shot in gorgeous Yosemite National Park and the cinematography is a treat, with beautiful scenic vistas replete with mountain views.
Not only was this film a hit for MGM in 1954 and the best grossing comedy of the year, but it was also their best grossing comedy to date, beating MGM's previous record holder, "Father of the Bride". If you are a fan of Lucy and Desi, or if you simply want a film that would be fun for the whole family, you cannot go wrong in choosing this one.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Long Long Trailer (Ff)

Click here for more information about Long Long Trailer (Ff)

Read More...

The Long, Long Trailer (1954) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Watching the Lucille Ball/Desi Arnaz film "The Long, Long Trailer" some 50+ years after it was made, is a rather surreal experience. By 1953, The "Baby Boom" was indeed booming, tract housing was all over the place like crab grass, trailer parks multiplied like jackrabbits, and Americans were inundated with the wonders of "space age" technology. Big, flashy-looking cars, refrigerators, TV sets, "streamlined" furniture, and snazzy clothes were the things that everyone wanted to have. It was as if America wanted to wipe away its gritty, unglamourous past and face the space age all polished and waxed and Simonized. To see Eisenhower's America as depicted by MGM in better-than-real-life Technicolor and filmed largely on MGM's backlot (interspersed with location photography of Yosemite Park,etc) I feel like I'm watching home movies that were shot in a suburb of a distant planet! "The Long, Long Trailer" was made to capitalize on the overwhelming popularity of TV's "I Love Lucy", which finally made a star of 40ish Lucille Ball, who had never really achieved "big stardom" in the 20 years she had been in showbiz. So, if you REALLY loved Lucy, you could go and spend money to sit in a theater and watch Lucy and Desi on a big screen in an "Air-Cooled" theater in COLOR, and with no commericials! This film has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I first watched it with my sister on our parents' blonde wood console black-and-white TV back in the mid 1960s. See Lucy fall in the mud (I have to admit I get a rather sadistic pleasure out of watching this bit over and over again). See Lucy try to prepare a gourmet dinner while in a moving trailer, with disastrous results (God, the things they did to this lady!) See Desi perform a medley of songs while driving a huge convertible, pulling an even MORE huge trailer, all in stunning Technicolor. How could you NOT like this film? I must have seen this film at least 50 times when I was growing up! Detractors call this film one long "I Love Lucy" episode which, of course it is, but it certainly isn't dull, and Lucy and Desi were very talented, hardworking people. Who cares about their less-than-happy personal life? The supporting cast is great, filled with many characters actors who had long, long careers, such as Marjorie Main, Keenan Wynn, Moroni Olson, Madge Blake, and Bert Freed. The picture quality on the DVD is beautiful, with crisp imagery and breathtaking color. One can really understand why Lucille Ball was dubbed "Technicolor Tessie". She looks great. The location photography is picture-postcard lovely, and all of the pathologcally "Fifties" trappings, such as the Helen Rose clothes and humongous cars, remind us of a VERY different time. This film is a real time piece, it brings back very fond memories of a time that really seems "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." Where's my TV dinner?

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Long, Long Trailer (1954)

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz live slaphappily ever after as newlyweds honeymooning in The Long, Long Trailer, breezily directed by Vincente Minnelli. They quickly find that the interior of a moving trailer is ideal for tossing a Caesar salad - and everything else. That backing up their 40-foot, three-ton home is only a little more difficult than threading a needle wearing boxing gloves. And that trailer-park folks are neighborly sorts who turn the lovebirds' rig into the wrong, wrong trailer by crashing the wedding night. Co-starring comedy pros Marjorie Main and Keenan Wynn (Ball's frequent co-star in her MGM days), this smash was filmed at the height of the I Love Lucy craze and is packed with the inventive sight gags and physical humor that made the series a TV landmark. If you like the Trailer, you're going to love the movie!

Get 47% OFF

Click here for more information about The Long, Long Trailer (1954)

Read More...