Author Archives: Carey Bunker

It’s….”Groundhog Day” (1993)

“Groundhog Day“, starring Bill Murray, is one of the those movies that no matter how many times you watch it, its still pretty funny. Of course, it feels like you’ve seen it a zillion times, even if you’ve watched it only three, because of the crux of the story. Phil Connors, a TV Weatherman, is a real jerk. He’s stuck with the job of reporting on the Punxsatawny Phil groundhog for the fourth year in a row and he’s not too happy about it. He does a terrible job and makes the lives of his co-workers Rita and Larry miserable. … Continue reading →

The Little Princess (1995)

The 1995 remake of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Little Princess” is a lush and visually pleasing movie. It opens with the story of Prince Rama and his wife Sita, and the evil demon Ravana that seeks to separate them. Young Sara Crewe is telling the story to her Governess and the woman’s son. It is from the poem “The Ramayana”, and it intertwines throughout Sara’s story, often mirroring events in her life. When Sara’s father must go to fight in World War I, he takes Sara to New York City where he feels she’ll be the safest. He enrolls her … Continue reading →

Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker

Alex Rider is a typical 14-year-old. His only family is his Uncle Ian, and Jack, their housekeeper/governess. Alex believes his uncle has a really boring job as a banker, but in fact he works as a secret agent for a division of MI 6 (a British agency). When Ian is killed on a mission, Alex begins to suspect that something wasn’t right. His investigation leads him to secret, undercover MI 6 offices, where the director tells him that Ian had been training him all his life to become a spy (he holds a black belt, speaks at least three languages, … Continue reading →

The Black Cauldron

“The Black Cauldron“, based on the novel by Lloyd Alexander, is a Disney animated feature from 1985. It’s quite possible that you’ve never heard of it. It’s the first animated Disney film to garner a PG rating and it is certainly a bit darker than the usual Disney fare. It actually bombed when it was first released to the theaters, but has since found a new audience since its release on DVD. Young Taran is an assistant pig-keeper who dreams of adventure. But one day, he learns that the pig he helps take care of, Hen Wen, is no ordinary … Continue reading →

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Fresh off the heels of rewatching “Emma”, I was excited to watch this movie (plus, all the commercials had made the movie look terribly romantic). I really thought I would like “Pride and Prejudice” more. I thoroughly enjoyed Emma, but that movie has much more lightness and fun about it. This version of “Pride and Prejudice” isn’t anywhere near as fun to watch. The story involves the Bennett family, whose matriarch is anxious to marry off her five daughters. They hope to match the eldest, Jane with Mr. Bingley. The engagement seems eminent (though I kept finding myself wondering why … Continue reading →

Emma

Emma Woodhouse lives in a world filled with politeness and decorum. Her governess has just married (thanks to Emma’s matchmaking) and while sad about it, Emma decides to take on the introduction of a new friend into her circle. Harriet Smith is an orphan, raised mainly by her governess. Fresh off the success of her last match, Emma is determined to find Harriet love as well. While Emma’s intentions are good, she feels that the man Harriet has feelings for, a farmer, isn’t good enough for her and seeks to match her with Mr. Elton. Only Emma doesn’t realize that … Continue reading →

Hoot

“Hoot”, based on the novel by Carl Hiaasen, is about Roy, a young teen who has just moved from Montana to Florida. Being the new kid, he’s immediately subjected to bullying by his school’s resident bully Dana Matherson. While he’s being picked on his first morning on the school bus, he sees a kid around his age running nearly as fast as the school bus. He’s intrigued, and looks around school for the kid, but doesn’t seem him anywhere. Roy is saved from the bully by Beatrice, who’s even bigger than Dana (in height anyway) and although she’s reluctant, she … Continue reading →

Back to the Future Part III

“Back to the Future II” ends with Marty McFly receiving a letter and part three starts right up in the same place. Marty learns that Doc is trapped in 1885 and that the lightning that struck the DeLorean fried the time travel circuits, leaving Doc trapped in the Old West, and Marty trapped in 1955. All is not lost though. Doc left the DeLorean hidden in a cave knowing that 1955 Doc would be able to repair it so that Marty could go home to 1985 and destroy the time machine. But Marty can’t leave his friend trapped in the … Continue reading →

Quest for Camelot

Young Kayley grew up with the story of King Arthur and how, on the day that she was born, a young boy stepped forward and claimed the sword from the stone to become king. Her father, Sir Lionel, is one of Arthur’s knights and it is Kayley’s dream to some day become a knight herself. But Kayley’s world changes one day when her father is killed protecting King Arthur from a man named Ruber. She becomes more determined and grows into a young woman holding the same dream. One day, a huge griffin (a lion/eagle type creature) enters Camelot and … Continue reading →

Howl’s Moving Castle

If you’ve never seen one of Hayao Miyazaki’s animated films, you are truly missing great works of art. Normally cartoons are intended for younger audiences, but Miyazaki’s films are just as much for adults. The story lines are smart (though sometimes a bit confusing) and interesting. “Howl’s Moving Castle” is no exception. Sophie is a young hat maker who, after an encounter with a wizard, is turned into an old woman by a vengeful witch called the Witch of the Waste. Sophie takes her transformation in stride and leaves her home in search of someone who can transform her back. … Continue reading →