How the West was Fun

Recently I discussed the movie “The Challenge” in which Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were the stars. That was a later movie filmed by the girls in which they were older and more mature. Another one of their movies that is a favorite in my family is “How the West was Fun”. In this movie the girls can be seen in their younger years. The two girls live in the city with their father. Their mother passed away. A year or so after her death, the family receives a letter from the mother’s favorite childhood ranch. It seems that the … Continue reading →

The Challenge

Recently my children and I watched “The Challenge”. We are great fans of the Olsen twins and have several of their movies. “The Challenge” was filmed when the girls were older and is based on a television reality show. The girls, playing Shane and Lizzie, do not get along since their parents’ divorce two years ago. Shane lives in LA with one parent and Lizzie loves in Washington with the other. The twin girls are completely opposite. Shane loves nature and is a laid back environmentalist. She is also a vegetarian. Lizzie is more into comfort and less of a … Continue reading →

Where the Red Fern Grows

I was pleasantly surprised to turn on the television and find that “Where the Red Fern Grows” was about to begin. It had been several years since I had watched the movie or read the book. The G rated Doty-Dayton Productions movie was released in 1974 based on the novel by Wilson Rawls. This heartwarming story shows how one young boy learns the lessons of a man as he struggles with his family through the tough times of the 1930s. There is nothing more that Billy wants than a coon hound pup. However his father cannot afford one. His grandfather, … Continue reading →

The Adventures of Milo and Otis

“The Adventures of Milo and Otis” began as a Japanese film in 1986. By 1989 it was redone in the English language and released in the United States. This rated G children’s movie is unique to all others in that the two stars, Milo and Otis are an orange tabby kitten and fawn pug pup duo. The film is live action without animation in the creation of the two characters. Other animals are introduced throughout the movie however humans do not come into play in the story. The movie also greatly differs from others in that the animals do not … Continue reading →

Arctic Tale (2007)

Made after the tradition of “March of the Penguins,” the new movie “Arctic Tale” is a documentary about life in the wild. We begin our story with the birth of Nanu, a polar bear cub, and her little brother. Her mother dug a birthing cave and climbed into it to have her babies, and when the time came for them to come out of their snowy home, she hadn’t eaten in six months. She’s ready to come out into the world and teach her babies how to hunt and be bears. We also see a new walrus baby, Seela. It’s … Continue reading →

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007)

At last, a family movie that we truly can all enjoy, from my husband down to my toddler. “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” had something in it for each of us. Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) is a very old man, and I don’t just mean elderly. He’s over two hundred years old, and he’s had a great many adventures. His childlike appreciation of life has made all who know him appreciate it too, and now, in his later years, he shares that love with the customers in his toy store. His store manager, Molly Mahoney, is also is very good friend. … Continue reading →

High School Musical (2006)

Ever since “High School Musical” debuted on the Disney Channel in 2006, it seems everyone with a preteen or who is a preteen is talking about it. I decided to watch it and see what all the hype was about, especially after seeing Monique Coleman on “Dancing with the Stars” a couple of seasons ago. Yes, I’m afraid I do let “Dancing with the Stars” govern some of my life’s decisions. Anyway. Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) is at a ski lodge with his parents on New Year’s Eve, and wanders in to the teen New Year party for lack of … Continue reading →

Funny Girl (1968)

“Funny Girl” was Barbra Streisand’s first film, but you would never guess it. She performs in this movie as though she’d done it a thousand times. Every line, every song, is perfect. She plays Fanny Brice, real-life vaudeville star. Fanny wants to be on stage more than just about anything in the world, but she’s not a very pretty girl. Her eyes are too close together, her nose is too big, and, let’s face it, she’s flat-chested. That doesn’t keep her from going down to the theater and auditioning. It’s not her looks that get her the part, of course … Continue reading →

The Cheetah Girls (2003)

Sabrina Bryan was my favorite competitor in this last season of “Dancing with the Stars.” I knew she was a Cheetah Girl, but to be honest, all I really knew was that the Cheetah Girls were some kind of girl group. They’ve certainly created quite the sensation amongst the preteen set, so I decided I’d watch this movie and see what the fuss was about. Raven stars as Galleria (yeah, that’s right) a teenager who writes music. Together with her friends Aqua (Kiely Williams), Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), and Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan) they are the Cheetah Girls, a band that sings … Continue reading →

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

I’m not much one for westerns, although I’m trying to broaden my horizons. I didn’t get a traditional western out of “Support Your Local Sheriff!” – instead I got a slapstick spoof, and I loved every minute of it. James Garner plays Jason McCullough, a man who’s just passing through town on his way to Australia. The people in the community have just become rich, hitting upon a vein of gold just a short time before, and they’re having a hard time adjusting to their sudden wealth. Fights are breaking out all over town, greed is getting the best of … Continue reading →