Deck the Halls (2006)

The perfect Christmas movie uplifts and inspires, sometimes makes us laugh, often makes us cry, and always gives us the warm, fuzzy feeling of Christmas. “Deck the Halls” did absolutely none of those things for me. Matthew Broderick plays Steve Finch, the town eye doctor and also the chairman of the Christmas Festival. The town has been getting ready for the holidays and so has Steve, with his obsessive-compulsive need to organize everything down to the last speck. His wife (Kristin Davis) tries to help him see that they don’t need to be so uptight about the schedule, but he’s … Continue reading →

The Friday Movie Round-Up

What’s playing in theaters this weekend that you and your spouse or you and your family can see together? Let’s take a look: For Parents: You might want to check out the 3:10 to Yuma. It’s a remake of the 1957 Glenn Ford film and based on the novel by Elmore Leonard. The film features Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and while this is a rated R film and definitely not for the kiddies, it’s a treat to see a well done Western returning to the big screen. Parents interested in taking their teenagers should be aware that there is … Continue reading →

The Derby Stallion (2005)

Tonja Walker, who I first saw as Alex Olanov on “One Life to Live,” produced this PG-rated family-oriented film and also starred as the mother. Patrick McCardle (Zac Ephron) has been playing baseball at his father’s behest, but hates it. He’s taken to skipping practice to go hang out with Houston Jones (Bill Cobbs) a former jockey and horse trainer, to talk about the animals and the sport of steeple chasing. When Patrick’s father (William R. Moses) asks him why he doesn’t come to practice, they have a bitter argument in which the father expresses his deep disappointment in the … Continue reading →

An American Tail (1986)

“An American Tail” is a Steven Spielberg film, directed by Don Bluth. I wanted to like it, I really did. Knowing that the main characters were Jewish-Russian mice, I thought, “What’s not to love?” I’ve always been intrigued with the Jewish-Russian culture, one of my favorite movies is “Fiddler on the Roof,” and I even got to go to Russia as a teenager. I was prepared to enjoy. I didn’t get anything I’d hoped for. To start with, these mice have to leave their homes because the Cossacks have raided their village in a pogram. Our main characters, the Mousekewitz … Continue reading →

A Troll in Central Park (1994)

Dom DeLuise voices Stanley the troll in the 1994 Don Bluth film, “A Troll in Central Park.” Stanley is different from the other trolls – where they are mean and ornery, he is happy and joyful. He literally has a green thumb and can use his magic to make plants grow wherever he is. This causes a problem for him in the Troll Kingdom, however – Queen Gnorga has decreed that no flowers shall grow in her land. When Stanley gets a little too ambitious and causes a rosy posy to grow in the middle of his hidden garden, it … Continue reading →

Marjorie Morningstar (1958)

I almost hate to post this review. I never thought this day would come. But I shall take a deep breath and . . . proceed to state that I hated this Gene Kelly movie. Those of you who follow my reviews know what a big Gene Kelly fan I am, but not for “Marjorie Morningstar.” Our main character is Marjorie Morgenstern (Natalie Wood) the oldest daughter of doting Jewish parents who have raised her with high moral beliefs. She is being courted by a young man named Sandy who wants to marry her, but she wants to experience a … Continue reading →

Dudley Do-right (1999)

Have you ever been struck so speechless that you just had to sit there with a really vacant look on your face until you figured out what was going on? I had that experience just the other night, watching “Dudley Do-right” with my husband. We watched “George of the Jungle” together a few weeks ago and laughed our heads off. Although “Dudley” was made in the same format, with the wry announcer, silly slapstick, and the same star, it was nowhere near George’s caliber. We all recall the old Dudley cartoon from the days of “Rocky and Bullwinkle.” Dudley is … Continue reading →

Bye Bye Birdie (1963)

“Bye Bye Birdie” has been one of the most famous plays, and then famous films, ever made. It’s one of those classics that everyone has seen and admits is a part of our modern culture. So when I popped it in, I was expecting something so marvelous, so witty, wonderful, hysterical beyond belief – and was sadly disappointed at every turn. I can’t for the life of me understand why this thing got the following it did. Essentially, it’s a satire on the effect Elvis’s drafting into the Army had on the nation. Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson) has been drafted, … Continue reading →

A Goofy Movie (1995)

In this rated G film, Goofy is a single father, doing his best to raise his teenage son, Max. Playing roles of both father and mother, Goofy cleans the house, makes the meals, does the laundry and makes the beds all before heading off to work for the day. He genuinely cares for Max and wants what’s best for him, but despite all of this, Max is deeply ashamed of his father. In fact, he literally has nightmares that he grows up to be just like Goofy. It’s the last day of school and Max wants to go out with … Continue reading →

Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)

The “Thomas the Tank Engine” books have been delighting children everywhere since they first came on the scene in the 1980’s. I guess movie makers felt they had a surefire hit on their hands when they decided to make Thomas into a full-length feature film, but I think the poor producers were a little bit deluded in their dreams of grandeur. In “Thomas and the Magic Railroad,” Mara Wilson stars as Lily, an eleven-year-old who is going to visit her grandfather (Peter Fonda). Taking a wrong turn along the way, she ends up in the town of Shining Time, and … Continue reading →