Author Archives: Carey Bunker

Field of Dreams (1989)

“If you build it, he will come.” “Field of Dreams” is one of those movies that 1) never fails to make me cry at the end and 2) I have to stop and watch if it is on TV. It’s that good. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), his wife Annie (Amy Madigan) and daughter Karin live on a farm in Iowa. We learn through the opening montage that Ray grew up mostly with his father (his mother passed away when he was young), his father was a die hard White Sox fan and that he met Annie in college, they married … Continue reading →

Sleepless in Seattle

Widower Sam Baldwin (Hanks) is struggling. So, he decides to make a fresh start and moves across the country to Seattle. But, it doesn’t really work and he’s still miserable. The only person in his life is his son Jonah (Malinger). Jonah sees how sad his father is and decides one evening to call a popular radio show hosted by “Dr. Marcia Fieldstone” in an attempt to help his father find a new wife. Dr. Marcia (as she likes to be called) tells Jonah to get his father on the phone and Sam, however reluctantly, starts talking about his wife … Continue reading →

The Shaggy Dog (2006)

Disney’s latest incarnation of “The Shaggy Dog” takes a huge step away from the original movie which stared Tommy Kirk and Fred MacMurray. In the original film, young Wilby (Kirk) was changed into the titular dog by means of an ancient spell. The spell could be broken by an act of bravery. In this latest venture, Tim Allen plays Dave Douglas, a lawyer who spends too much time working and not enough time with his family. His daughter (Grey) has started rebelling (though nothing too horrible…in fact most of her energy seems to be channeled into protesting animal cruelty) and … Continue reading →

The Ice Princess

Casey Carlyle (Trachtenberg) is a top physics student and her mom Joan (Cusack) couldn’t be prouder. Her dream is to get a scholarship and get into Harvard, but first she needs an impressive project to present to them. She gets inspired to do her project on the physics behind figure skating. Her initial project, though, is dry and her guidance counselor suggests that she take a look at some local skaters. So Casey goes to the local ice rink to watch the junior skaters. She starts filming them but gets in trouble with the rink’s owner, Tina (Cattrall), who is … Continue reading →

Cars

Lightning McQueen is a shiny, cocky red race car on the fast track to success (couldn’t resist that pun!). He’s adored by his fans and is an upstart in the racing community. Everyone wants to know him. But his latest race ends up in a three-way tie and he must race the other two cars again to prove he’s the best. But on the way to the big race, he gets separated from his rig and crashes (literally and figuratively) into a town called Radiator Springs. He accidentally causes a ton of damage to the road and is sentenced to … Continue reading →

Eragon

Many years ago, Alagaesia was a land that prospered. It was a peaceful time, and the land was guarded by beautiful and fierce dragons and their magical riders. But one rider sought power for himself, and managed to turn dragon rider against dragon rider. A terrible war ensued and all dragons and their riders were killed, save the one usurper, Galbatorix (Malkovich). Under his rule the land and people of Alagaesia have suffered terribly. So begins the story of “Eragon” (in a nutshell anyway). It is based on the book by Christopher Paolini, who penned the novel when he was … Continue reading →

While You Were Sleeping

Year: 1995 Rated: PG for some language Starring: Sandra Bullock, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Bill Pullman Lucy (Bullock) is lonely. She works as a ticket collector for Chicago’s “L” train, she doesn’t have any family and just a few friends (mostly from work). She yearns for someone to love her and to be a part of a family again. The highlight of her day is when Peter (Gallagher) comes through her booth. She fancies herself in love with him though they’ve barely spoken and fantasizes that he’ll come in and sweep her off her feet. But on Christmas afternoon, Lucy’s … Continue reading →

Hook

Year: 1991 Rating: PG Starring: Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Caroline Goodall, Maggie Smith, Julia Roberts Peter Banning (Williams) seems to have a great life. He’s got two wonderful children, Jack and Maggie, and a loving wife, Moira (Goodall). The problem? He’s never around to enjoy them. He works too much, and consequently misses out on important events, like Jack’s latest baseball game that he promised to attend. But one night, while Peter and Moira are attending an event, Jack and Maggie are kidnapped by none other than Captain Hook (Hoffman). Peter doesn’t want to believe, but the evidence is irrefutable … Continue reading →

Santa Baby

Rating: NR, Made for TV- momentary language Starring: Jenny McCarthy, Ivan Sergei, George Wendt, Kandyce McClure Mary Class (McCarthy) is a smart, hardworking business woman in New York City. It’s all about what’s new, what’s hot and how you can make it better. She owns her own consulting firm and is great at what she does, but she’s got a little secret. Her father is Santa, and her last name is really Claus. Mary’s just landed a huge new project when she gets a phone call from her mother telling her her father has had a heart attack. Mary immediate … Continue reading →

The Polar Express

Rating: G Starring: (the voice of) Tom Hanks For the past few years, ABC Family has run a “25 Days Until Christmas” promo, highlighting several different holiday films between December 1st and the 25th. While some are definitely high on the cheese factor (and no one loves cheesy holiday movies more than me) ABC Family is also offering some really good movies this year. One in particular is “The Polar Express”. “The Polar Express” is based on the book by Chris Van Allsburgh, who also penned “Jumanji” and “Zathura.” It is the story of a young boy who begins to … Continue reading →