Dance 'Til Dawn (1988) Review

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(More customer reviews)I first saw "Dance Til Dawn" in 1990 on NBC -- it originally aired in 1988. This 'made-for-TV' film starred a virtual pantheon of 1980s T.V. pop culture icons like Tempest Bledsoe, Tracy Gold, Alyssa Milano, Alan Thicke, and Christina Applegate. Since then, it has become an obscure, much sought-after piece of 80s nostalgia. I've seen it sell for a lot of money (I've lost two auctions on this one, and I bid high - trust me). Future "Friends" star Matthew Perry is a featured cast member in this film as well; was probably his first or second role in Hollywood (besides "Married with Children", and "Just the Ten of Us").
The basic gist of the storyline is this: the most popular guy in school (played by a then seemingly destined-for-fame actor, Brian Bloom) decides he doesn't want to go to the prom with the most popular girl in school (played by a stunningly cute Alyssa Milano), so he asks the not-so-popular girl (Tracey Gold) to the prom [the day of, mind you] because he hears [not true] that she's "easy". The fun starts here, within the first ten minutes.
BUT, the funniest character by far (please believe me!) is the man who plays Tracey Gold's dad...the one and only Kelsey Grammer. Kelsey's character is understandably concerned that his daughter (Tracey) is going to the prom with the most popular guy (Brian Bloom) in school. Let's put it this way: Kelsey's character is a pharmacist at the drugstore. Brian Bloom's character walks in to obtain a necessary 'drugstore' product to enjoy his prom night "safely". Later that night when Brian Bloom's character shows up at the doorstep of Kelsey's house to pick up Tracey??? Uh-oh.
Of course there is another major subplot (Alyssa Milano's character) but I will leave that for you to discover for yourselves. Also note the great music by Richard (Dick) Rudolph, a great 70s and 80s producer (New Edition, his late [great] wife Minnie Riperton for example). Heatwave's "Grooveline" makes an appearance at the dance as well. What an awesome movie folks...especially if you don't mind a little 'star-studded' cheese every now and then.
By the way...I rented this film at a video outlet close to where I live. I couldn't believe my eyes when I found it. All I can say is that if you remember loving this movie when you were younger, and laughing out loud...I can almost guarantee that you will still laugh out loud today. I did - especially at Kelsey Grammer's character...he's the best.
Thanks for reading!
C.H.R.

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Item Name: Dance 'Til Dawn; Studio:Henstooth Video

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Straight Boys Gay Boys 3-Going Undercover Review

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(More customer reviews)Toby Ross does it again and again with his newest title.
The movie is filled with hot, sexy guys. Some call it soft core.
I call it Hot Hot Hot........

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Product DescriptionThe third installment to this fun series is comprised of smaller shorts, each with its own story and lovely lads of course. In "Love Me Even If You Don't," a hot muscular gay farm boy (Bryan Wilde) who has spent years entertaining straight boys is getting tired of this dead end routine and realizes that what he really needs is a different thing completely. He zeroes in on a blond fair skin neighbor with a 10" dick (Newcomer Mike Austin) to quench his love thirst. He will be ready to pay Mike's rent for a whole two months if that stud can pretend to be his lover for one day only (not just sex the whole emotional "husband" Enchilada.) The soft-core erotic session that follows is one of the most riveting Toby has ever filmed, it includes a hammock milking session, camping in a tent and much more. The second short features Shawn Lane and Brenden Black finding themselves in a photo session...totally turned on. The scene is purely magical as the 18-year-old Brenden drools over Shawn's massive endowment, trying to pull himself together and remain professional. It's hard. The third short, starring Ryan di Noor from Like a Moth to a Flame, is about a gay guy, who in a very cunning way, with the help of his girl buddy, manages to lure Jonathan Taylor into a hysterical web of deceit. In the fourth short, Jordan River has the daunting task of researching the campus heteros and finding who of them has had sex with another man...term papers can be hell. He finds Jake Red a very sexy redhead and as he asks him intimate questions his fantasies are running wild. In the fifth short Brenden and Shawn reunite a few months later, this time Shawn that straight enigmatic neighbor is willing to do so much more, he certainly expanded his horizons. The sixth and final short is the story of a gay snob who is just too good for about anything, well at least that is the facade he is trying to promote. He never acts as the submissive one, does not do any drugs, and hates poor people. His friends are on a mission to expose the real him to the world in a very tricky and funny and sexy way. Anyone who remembers "Soir de Paris" from SBGB 2 this one here is it's distant cousin. Filmed in one of Chicago's fanciest gym telling a story that is both hysterical and poignant.

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Sabrina Bryan: Byou - The Hot New Dance Workout (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this DVD so my daughter and I could dance along together and get some exercise -- however it is far too difficult for a young person to follow, and get this -- even with my many years of dance training, it was too difficult for ME to follow! The moves are NEVER broken down by count, and the instruction is incredibly poor. Virtually every dance class I've ever taken - including Master classes - broke down moves by count, so you can be on time, "on" the music. Not so here.It felt muddled and confusing. Additionally, in the "instruction" segment, the moves are shown just once, from one angle, so if you aren't already familiar with the move shown, the guidance is inadequate.
It gets the two stars only for its appeal to teens & tweens, an underserved group when it comes to mixing exercise and fun.I'd like to see more dance/exercise videos for this age group, but PRODUCED BETTER.

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What About Your Friends - Weekend Get-Away (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie is a positive , a movie that you can watch with the whole family and it is a lesson in it for the girls, my family
enjoyed this movie.

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Pirates Scourge Of The Seven Seas Review

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(More customer reviews)Very well done, as expected, coming from the Discovery Channel. Interesting facts about the many pirates and privateers, and the geographical areas they sailed. I learned a lot and will be watching this again to pick up bits and pieces I missed the first time around. Included is a Mythbusters pirate special that was very informative as well, dispelling popular myth surrounding the scourge of the seas.

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Private Lessons (25th Anniversary Edition) (1981) Review

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(More customer reviews)Private Lessons is one of the top grossing independent films of all time pre-Miramax. Private Lessons was released in 1981, starring Sylvia Kristal, Eric Brown, and Howard Hessman(W. K. R. P. in Cincinnati). Private Lessons was the first in a genre of soft core, teenage, wet dream, pictures.
Originally, based on the novel, Philly by Dan Greenberg. Originally, the story was supposed to be a horror story with a blackmail plot, but when Silvia Kristal was cast the producers decided to turn the story into a sex comedy.
Alan Myerson, Dan Greenberg, and Howard Hessman handle the commentary on the DVD. Generally, they reminisce about what a pain this movie was to make, but generally they say it was a good experience.
I liked this movie, but just to let you know, it has been altered from the version, which is on VHS tape. It has also been revealed that Silvia Kristal had a body double, her name is Judy Helden.
However, Ms. Helden only appears in two scenes in the movie, and they are not the famous scenes which those of us in the 35 to 40 age group, who love the movie all know. Miss Helden's scenes appear towards the end of the movie, where we see aroused nipples on a breast, in one shot of the backside that does not match up with Sylvia Kristal's.
If you are a fan of Sylvia Kristal's, you will like this movie. If you are 35 to 40, and you can remember when this movie was released. You will probably like this movie. I will close this review with a question. Do you want to feel like you are 15 again?

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The Sasquatch Gang (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie was recommended to me by a friend, who said it was one of the funniest films he's ever seen. I'm always a little sceptical when people tell me this, as I've been tricked into watching really lame movies many times. This one, however, definitely lived up to my friend's description. I was expecting something similar to Napoleon Dynamite when I put it on, which is essentially what I got. But I believe this film is even better.
The actors all have brilliant comedic delivery (especially Justin Long as the character Zerk and his friend Shirts) and the plot is interesting and unique (something unusual for a comedy). It depicts "nerds" and "losers" in a funny and sort of affectionate way. It's really refreshing to see something like this, when all other comedies out there are either terrible teen flicks or the dreaded "romantic comedy" genre.
I've already watched it four times since I bought it, which, for me, is always a sign of a good movie. I think this would appeal to just about anyone, kids and adults alike. Definitely check it out!

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Scooby-Doo (Full Screen Edition) (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)The key to enjoying SCOOBY DOO is not to expect too much. The producers have billed the film as half hommage, half parody; in truth, it isn't really close enough to the original cartoon to be called hommage and it really doesn't go far enough to be called parody, and as usual Hollywood makes the mistake of trying to cover up the script's inadequacies with big-budget production values and expensive but actually so-so special effects. All the same, the film does have its moments. The story finds Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy splitting up due to ego conflicts--and then being unexpectedly reunited when the owner of a teen resort called "Spooky Island" invites them in to find out why his guests arrive as normal teens and then depart as, well, ZOMBIES.
The script is fairly mundane, but it does have a few zingers, as when Velma says "Let's get jinky with it!" And although the cast is a mixed bag, they work hard to bring it off. Freddie Prinze is wildly miscast as Fred and Sarah Michelle Gellar is not an ideal Daphne, but they play with tremendous energy; Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini, however, are so dead on target with their performances that they create an amazing sense of deja vu. As for Scooby Doo, he is (of course) a computerized animation. And so are most of the monsters the gang encounters on Spooky Island. Although it works reasonably well, it isn't anything to write home about.
I would recommend that parents preview the film before unleashing it upon their kids; some younger children may be unnerved by the monsters. The DVD comes with a number of extras that include some cut scenes--and they offer an interesting contrast with the film, for they are very satirical. Seeing them left me with the feeling that the film would have been much more entertaining if those scenes had been left in and the whole thing had been done with the same bite. As it is--SCOOBY DOO is neither a great film nor a memorable film. But we're all occasionally in the mood for some mindless fluff, and it fills that niche very well indeed.

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AFTER AN ACRIMONIOUS BREAK UP, THE MYSTERY INC. GANG AREINDIVIDUALLY BROUGHT TO AN ISLAND RESORT TO INVESTIGATE STRANGE GOINGS ON.

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When in Rome (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)"When In Rome" continues the Olsen twins world tour of movies, this time taking the girls to Rome for a summer fashion internship.
THE STORY:
It's summer and Charlie and Leila Hunter (Mary-Kate and Ashley) earn a summer internship at an International Fashion company in Rome. Once in Rome the girls embark on a rollercoaster ride of adventure as they struggle to keep their jobs, battle off rival interns, thwart a hostile corporate takeover plot and of course engage in Romance with some cute boys.
THE ANALYSIS:
All in all, "When In Rome" includes all the action, adventure and romance you've come to expect from an Olsen Twins film. It's pure clean fun for the whole family.
THE DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:
Like most Olsen DVDs you've got a stuffed DVD features section, but unfortunately most of it is fluff. Included in the DVD special features are:
1.Behind the Scenes mini-feature: 9 1/2 minute feature where the cast and crew (primarily the twins) talk about the movie, their experiences filming it, the various characters in the film and their experiences touring Rome.
2.Alternate ending. I actually this ending better than the actual one...
3.Trailers: The Multi-million dollar Olsen marketing machine was in full force here!!! The twins shill the following from their extensive product line:
a."When In Rome" Movie Trailer
b."Sweet 16" Videogame
c."When In Rome" Soundtrack
d.Their extensive DVD/Video Catalog
e.Their "So Little Time" tv series action dolls.
f.Their line of books
g.The "Mary-Kate and Ashley in Action" cartoon series on ABC.
h.Their website "MarykateandAshley.com" where you can get all the latest information!!!
i.And finally and a "non-related" trailer, the trailer for the Scooby Doo movie (????)
THE VERDICT:
In all, overselling in the DVD features aside, the movie was great for a family viewing on the weekend. Olsen fans should love this installment in their ever-growing "world tour" video franchise series and parents should be pleased with another clean, quality product from America's favorite twins. Overall, not a bad addition to their franchise and a fine choice to add to your Olsen collection if your so inclined.
GRADES:
Film: 4 stars
Extras: 3.5 stars
Overall: 3.75 stars
Highly Recommended

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Teenage sisters Charli and Lola are on the verge of an experience beyond their wildest dreams! Pack your bags and jet off to Rome as the girls start their summer internship working for the legendary Derek Hanson - the totally cool international tycoon whose empire reaches from airlines to cutting-edge fashion. Amid the fabulous sights of this exciting city, the girls do their best to impress their boss, while still finding time to design their own line of very hip clothing, meet some very cute guys and turn their summer abroad into one awesome adventure they - and you - will never forget!

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Sooner or Later (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)Somewhere I read that a viewer rated this movie as having 10 stars, in part because of what it was about, but mostly because of how it made them feel. And how does it make me feel, like I am thirteen all over again. As Jesse puts it, NICE! This little gem of a movie has stayed with me for years and I surprise myself on how much of it I remember. I only saw it once 26 years ago and I still remember it as though I saw it yesterday.
I have read from other comments that it was viewed as a afternoon school special in 1979. But I recall that it was shown on prime time the year before. One of those movie of the week things. I had kept, for almost 10 years, the t.v. guide clipping of the film so I know the year of the original release was 1978. On the clipping, Michael's age was written down as 19, not 17. I don't know if that was a T.V. guide error or if it was the original age his character was suppose to be and they later changed it because the age difference was larger. Sadly, the clipping is long gone, having been discarded a few years after college when I cleared my stuff from my parents place.
Watching the film again brought me back to the end of eight grade when I first saw it. Being the same age as Jesse in the movie, I was just months away from turning 14. Unlike the movies, I wasn't lucky enough to get a gorgeous, rock star, boyfriend, but it was and still is fun to see how Jesse got hers. It's a rare film that lasts through the years and changing times and still packs an emotional wallop. The message remains the same. Your first love, will always be the sweetest, most fondly remembered moment.
I just ordered the DVD of the movie, as well as the three books (Sooner or Later, Waiting Games, Now or Never) since I only discovered they are now available. I read from other viewer comments that the third book ends abruptly, leaving the door open for a fourth book? Seems the story of Michael and Jesse is not yet over. I hope Bruce and Carole Hart will heed our plea and conclude the Michael and Jesse story with a happy send off.
The songs were wonderful, "Simply Jesse" being my favorite with "You take my Breath Away" a very close second. It's a film you can watch again and again. Though dated, it's appeal is still strong. A nice glance back to our teenage years during the late seventies, early eighties, when Shaun Cassidy was the latest hottie, station wagons ruled the roads, and feathered hair was the look to die for.

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SOONER OR LATER - DVD Movie

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Over the Edge (1979) Review

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(More customer reviews)Over the Edge is as relevant today as it was when it appeared in 1979, maybe even more so. It's a teenage rebellion movie in the best tradition of films like Rebel Without a Cause and The Blackboard Jungle. I can't think of a movie that better depicts the boredom of the American teenager in a sub-divided suburban wasteland where nothing to do becomes a full time activity.
New Granada is a planned community in the middle of nowhere. It's a resounding success. At least the adults want to believe it is. They make money, make deals, and want to attract business and create something in the middle of nowhere, a shiny happy place to live, away from the big city. Meanwhile the kids are stuck in limbo with nothing to do and nowhere to go save a Rec center run by an older hippy woman who lets the kids drink, smoke, toke, and generally make a science out of boredom.
Carl is a good kid from a good home, but he's beginning to fall in with the wrong crowd of kids, one of whom is Richie (Matt Dillon in his first film), a rough and tumble teen who sparks the now all too believable climax. The photography is beautiful and lends the film an eerie quality as it depicts New Granada as an ambitious moral failure, a new but already rotting development. The money to build a promised shopping mall and bowling alley has run out, leaving the kids with a Rec center that is eventually shut down by a police force (led by Dough Boy from Taxi Driver) that puts the pressure on until something has to give.
It's supposedly based on a true story, but which true story is unimportant. There are countless New Granadas in America, and the film was shot in a planned community in Aurora, Colorado. The landscape is bleak, with a consistently gray and grainy sky. The 70s trappings, the promise of 'Tomorrow's City...Today' and the grim reality of its cultural bankruptcy all create a depressing and desperate atmosphere. The powder keg finale probably seemed unlikely and over the top in 1979. Not so today as we're reminded of another Colorado suburb named Littleton.
Like Kids, the cast of Over the Edge actually look to be the appropriate age they are depicting (not your typical Hollywood 25 year olds playing high school students). This film is a sharp contrast to the popular teen films of the 80s such as the John Hughes oeuvre and even Fast Times at Ridgemont High. While kids today are more plugged into the outside world (literally) with computers, the internet, video games, and a greater exposure to mass media, the themes of alienation, frustration, and parents who are trying to save their kids but more concerned with property values are still relevant. Today, however, the more kids have to do, the more scapegoats people can find for their actions in the wake of events like Littleton.
Highly recommended, if you can find it. This is screaming for a proper DVD release.

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"Tomorrow's city...today" is how the planned suburban paradise of New Granada promotes itself, but something has been left out of the plans. No one is paying attention to the town's teens. Jonathan Kaplan directs this hot-blooded cult classic (a 1979 London Film Festival Outstanding Film Award winner) about kids left to discover their own values and coming up with enough drugs, booze and discontent to push everyone Over the Edge. Fourteen-year-old Matt Dillon makes his screen debut as the kids' charismatic, doomed leader Richie. The anthemic soundtrack by Van Halen, The Ramones, Cheap Trick and others provide the film's rock-n-roll heart. DVD Features:Audio Commentary:Commentary by Director Jonathan Kaplan, Screenwriters Charlie Haas and Tim Hunter and roducer George Litto Theatrical Trailer

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No One Would Tell (True Stories Collection TV Movie) (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)Candace Cameron and Fred Savage shake off the goody-goody images associated with the roles that brought them teen stardom on Full House and The Wonder Years. Cameron plays Stacy Collins, a normal high school girl full of insecurities who happens to land the class hunk. Savage is Bobby Tennyson, high school wrestler and all-around popular guy. When these two get together, Stacy finally knows what it feels like to be a part of the in-crowd and is so grateful she's willing to look past Bobby's numerous faults.
Their relationship starts off normal enough with Bobby wooing Stacy with flowers and love poems, but he gets progressively more possessive and jealous. Stacy initially thinks it's cute that Bobby is so protective until it gets to the point where he becomes overbearing and irrational. Even when he starts hitting her, she defends him to her friends telling them that you stick by the people you love. "Everything's fine" becomes her mantra even though those closest to her can plainly see that it's not the case.
This relationship closely mirrors the one in which Stacy's mother is involved. Her mother is too absorbed in her own dating situation to understand and acknowledge what's going on with Stacy. Stacy assumes the maternal role, in fact, berating her mother for allowing her boyfriend to treat her badly though she's willing to overlook Bobby's abusive nature. In fact, when her mother confronts her about the abuse, Stacy says "That's your story, not mine." That Stacy's mother backs off at this point is a disgrace and this film strives to point out that in any situation no one should let abuse slide.
This film came out in the early 1990's and was one of those Sunday Night movies aimed at letting teenagers know the ills that will befall them if they're not careful. It's stuck with me all these years because the message is delivered without a scolding undertone, but instead as a reminder of what can go horribly wrong if you let things spiral out of hand. Sally Jessy Raphael has a guest role as the judge in Bobby's trial and she reminds those present who witnessed Stacy's abuse that we have a responsibility to the people who we care about. It's a foolish and dangerous practice to simply shake off abuse with the adage "Love Hurts." It shouldn't.

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Confessions of an American Girl Review

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(More customer reviews)Highly Recommended as an Example of How to Stage and Sequence a Complex Scene.
If you like black comedy, you should enjoy "Confessions of an American Girl". Rena (Jena Malone) is the embodiment of that old cartoon where the guy is sitting on the ground with a noose around his neck and a broken rope in his hand; captioned "some people can't do anything right". Rena lives in a mobile home with her somewhat "strange" family, is suicide challenged, is pregnant by a guy who doesn't want to be seen in public with her, and blames it all on the unfair eight year absence of her loving father, who is in prison for murder. Her dim idealic memories of her father are somewhat biased.
The highway and its exit ramps are metaphors for her life and her desire to end her life. The film is not quite as good as "Ghost World" but has much the same tone and feel.
Alicia Witt plays Rena's half-sister. Because Malone and Witt are arguably the most intelligent actresses in Hollywood, you immediately wonder about the wisdom of casting them as moronic trailer trash. But Malone has a special talent for playing this kind of "slack-jawed" character and Witt's standard sarcastic teen character works fine even in this environment. Their scenes together are the best ones in the film; with their reconciliation scene toward the end especially good.
Brad Renfro does a good job as Rena brother, O-Lon Jones (remember the waitress in Seinfeld's "Bubble Boy" episode) is excellent in a small role and Clifton Collins Jr. is great as Buddy, the prison trustee, who quickly sizes up the situation and sets the forces of change in motion.
While "American Girl" is an above average film, its main scene (the picnic at the prison which actually takes up the majority of the film) pushes it into cinema classic territory. This scene is an example of the way storytelling should be done, and the pacing is absolutely inspired. It is staged perfectly as Buddy orchestrates a sequence of revelations that changes all four visiting family members. Even if you hate the subject of this film it is worth watching just to see how wonderfully they manage this climatic scene. The disasterous visit over, the family leaves the prison with the statement "it went better than it could have".
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.


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