My Week In Movies - The Mule Still Talks

Just Go With It (2011) About 10 minutes into Adam Sandler's new romantic comedy you realize that he's not going to end up with the girl you're supposed to think he's going to end up with because it's not Jennifer Aniston, and Jennifer Aniston is a much bigger star than the other girl. The other girl in question is played by swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker. Her and Adam Sandler's doctor character meet and fall in love, but after a serious of wacky mishaps that only happen in the movies, Sandler talks his assistant, Jennifer Aniston, and her family to pretend they are his ex-wife and kids to impress his new younger girlfriend. Of course, while all this is going on I'm thinking how in movies a relationship built on lies is all going to backfire in the end, we've seen it all a million times. I'm happy to report that Just Go With It wisely skips the majority of the predictable ending they set up and stick mostly to playing the film just for laughs. All I ever ask from a comedy is to be funny and keep being funny, and this fluffy romantic slapstick delivers. Jennifer Aniston is great and even outshines Sandler in the comedy department. Brooklyn Decker sizzles on the screen and proves to be a much more competent actor than anyone would give a swimsuit model credit for. Comedian Nick Swardson is hilarious as Sandler's brother who gets mixed up in the whole affair and pretends to be Aniston's new boyfriend Dolph Lundgren. I also gotta give Nicole Kidman props for hamming it up in a small supporting role. Good times at the theatre. Rated PG-13, for commercial purposes. There is almost nothing offensive in this lighthearted film, except for a few minor curse words and a moment or two of sexuality. It might have been rated PG-13 just because Brooklyn Decker is so scorching hot!?


You Again (2010) Oh boy, was this a bad movie! Kristen Bell returns home for the wedding of her older brother only to find out he's marrying her high school nemesis. As it turns out, the fiance's aunt is Bell's mother's high school nemesis. Then all wacky holy heck breaks loose! The cast is impressive, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and Betty White, but the script is so flat and silly and once again with the "isn't this funny" musical score. Half of this movie is accompanied with wacky, mischievous music cranked up so loud...all the time trying to tell you - wait for it, wait for it, this is going to be funny! Even Betty White can't save this mess from making any sense. Just not a good movie. Rated PG, surprisingly not a single curse word is muttered nor is there any sex or off-color jokes.

Francis Covers The Big Town (1953) In the fourth instalment of the Francis the Talking Mule series, Francis and his buddy Peter end up in New York City where Peter gets a job at a newspaper. Francis gets all the dirt in town chatting to the police horses and passes the news onto Peter who quickly becomes the top reporter at the paper. This seems to be the perfect gig for Peter since he still hasn't learned to keep his mouth shut about his talking animal friend. Now all Peter how to do when questioned about the whereabouts of his information is simply remind everyone that a good report never divulges the source of his information. But trouble soon finds Peter and Francis once again and it's all more fun than you can shake a carrot at! There's three more Francis movies for me to see, but they aren't out on DVD so I'll have a harder time tracking them down. I've really been enjoying these films. Again, this one is not rated but does have some mild violence.

Bedtime For Bonzo (1951) President Ronald Regan stars in this
wacky comedy where he adopts a chimp, hires a young pretty housekeeper to help out and then tries to juggle his girlfriend and a monkey throwing things around. This is exactly like a good ol' fashioned Disney comedy (which it's not) and Bonzo provides plenty of laughs and charm to carry the picture. But the added bonus of having Ronald Regan on board, who didn't usually play roles like this and knowing that he would be president of the most powerful nation in the world...it all makes the movie more fun. Supposedly, this was Regan's least favorite film that he was in - but it also happens to be his most widely remembered role. None of the cast of this picture signed on for a sequel - Bonzo Goes To College - which is not on DVD and that's a crying shame because it would be next on my Netflix queue. Not rated.


Scooby-Doo: Curse of the Lake Monster (2010) Why is it that these direct-to-DVD prequels are better than the two theatrical films. This fourth live action Scooby Doo mystery is every bit as faithful and true to the original cartoon is a cartoon-to-live action film should be. A simple story involving the Mystery Inc. gang getting summer jobs at a country club and helping to solve the mystery of a legendary monster nearby. There are a few supporting roles played by some familiar faces from classic TV and there are a couple of nice hidden references to Hanna-Barbera. The kids and I are definitely on board for a 5th go-round! Unrated, but basically a G. There is some very mild crude humor and some romantic undertones.

In The Navy (1941) After the success of their first staring vehicle, the Army themed Buck Privates, Abbott and Costello enlisted in the Navy for another service picture. This follow up features more of the same ingredients that made the first movie so much fun including The Andrew Sisters and plenty of Abbott and Costello's classic comedy routines. The DVD includes production notes which says that In The Navy went into production in mid-December 1940 and hit theatres by the end of January 1941. That's some turn around that modern day Hollywood could never touch. To top it off, the film was one of the highest grosses of 1941. Not rated - good old fashioned fun!

The Filthiest Show in Town (1973) Via Netflix, I thought I had discovered an unheard of sketch comedy film from the early 70's, instead what I discovered was that I had rented an early 70's soft core porno. The set up is a parody of The Dating Game, complete with commercials and obscenity trail. Besides being dull and boring, this film's biggest crime is that it just wasn't funny! Rated R for language, non-stop nudity, and graphic sexual situations.

Goofy For Disney Cruise Line

This is a piece of animation done to promote a new feature with the Disney Cruise Line check in process. It was done in the style of Goofy's "How To" cartoons from the 40's & 50's. Very brief, but Big Fun!

Smurfs Ahoy

It's been a little over a year since we last mentioned my all-time favorite amusement park ride, Smurf Mountain. You know, the super slow train ride though a mountain to visit the village of the Smurfs at Kings Dominion!? Well, as I'm sure we've mentioned before, Smurf Mountain had a sister ride at Kings Island in Ohio called Smurfs' Enchanted Voyage. It was basically the exact same ride except you traveled through the scenes in a boat. I was lucky enough to take a ride on the Smurfs boats back in 1988. Well, Smurfs Enchanted Voyage is no longer with us. It's joined the big mushroom in the sky along with Smurf Mountain and Smurf Island at Carowinds and Smurf Forest at Canada's Wonderland. Somebody recently posted a very smurfy video of a few minutes of the Ohio ride. It's awesome to see again...

Classic Commercial Sunday - #54

This used to be a real radio station that I was forced to listen to all the time in the car growing up...

My Week In Movies - Tossed Salad For Everyone!

Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985) This is one of those movies that when I tell people how good it is they automatically write it off because they think Sesame Street and they think counting and letters and it's all just for little kids. When in reality, this is a very funny - very fun - movie for the whole family that doesn't play down to children and can be totally enjoyable for adults as well. This was the first big screen outing for the Sesame Street gang and it's a perfect example of how to bring a small screen show to a feature film format. Big Bird moves away from his New York home on Sesame Street to live with an adoptive bird family in Ocean View, Il. Big Bird quickly learns that he's made a mistake and sneaks away in the middle of the night to walk home to Sesame Street. He figures it will take him about three hours, since it took two to fly there. When news of Big Bird's departure hits home, the Sesame Street gang splits up and sets out to find Big before mean Ms. Finch from the adoption agency does.

Unlike the second Sesame Street movie, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland, Follow That Bird gives almost equal screen time to all the major characters. Oscar, Cookie Monster, Grover, The Count and Bert and Ernie all have big parts in this movie.

The Muppet-filled movie has two of my all time favorite jokes in a movie, one involving a tossed salad at Oscar's favorite restaurant, the Don't Drop Inn. As with all great Muppet movies there are plenty of cameos by human celebrities including Chevy Chase reprising his Weekend Update role which is pretty much worth the price of admission alone. I've seen this movie 200 times, it was nice watching it with children for once. My kids loved it, and our Friday night viewing sparked a weekend of listening to the soundtrack album in the car as well as a repeat screening on Sunday. I love when even a 5 and 7 year old can let their guard down and watch something silly and fun instead of super heroes and giant lizards. If you don't have a kids, but have a fondness for Muppets and/or your ol' pals from Sesame Street - get yourself a copy of this movie, pull down the shades and get ready for an incredibly entertaining 90 minutes. If you have kids and they haven't seen this yet, do everyone a favor and watch it. Good times!

Of course, this epic is Rated G and contains nothing offensive or off-color. Over-sensitive parents of over-sensitive kids should know that there are some bad guys who are played for laughs but they do say things like "shut up" and "idiot" and they lock Big Bird in a cage. But the young viewing audience is always kept in mind, and this is a solid G.

What's Good on the Tube

This is a feature I've been meaning to do for years where I sporadically weigh in on the top 5 shows that I'm enjoying on television at the moment. If you have exquisite taste in entertainment, like myself, you should watch these shows too!

Hot In Cleveland (Wednesday 10:00pm, TV Land) Simply put, Hot in Cleveland is the single best traditional sitcom to air on television in at least five years. The comedy all-star cast features Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick as three gals who decide to uproot from their hectic L.A. lifestyles in and settle in Cleveland, Ohio where they are all considered hot and glamorous. Golden Girl Betty White plays the owner of the house they all live in. As you should know, I've been a huge Betty White fan since her days on The Golden Girls. I didn't just jump on this new Betty Bandwagon after her Super Bowl commercial and SNL appearance last year. I've been seeking out her appearances for years. Watching her work is watching one of the all-time comedy greats practice their craft. Mrs. White nails every single line with pin point comedy precision - it's amazing to watch. Hot In Cleveland doesn't get by on just Betty White alone, not only is the rest of the cast great but the show doesn't shy away from using tried and true sitcom plots and conventions to have a good time. This show celebrates it's sitcom heritage, not only by shooting in front of a live studio audience but also by casting several familiar faces from TV comedies past in supporting roles. It's just another great reason why I love this program and look forward to it every week. (Season One just came out on DVD!)

Holly's World (Sunday 10:30pm, E!) You know I loved me some Girls Next Door, which appears to have been canceled but this spin-off is the next best thing. All three of the gals from Next Door have had their own shows. Kendra has Kendra, which to me feels like it's grabbing at straws trying to come up with material to justify it's existence. Bridgete had Bridgete's Sexy Beaches which was a really fun travel show but it was cancelled after one season. Holly's World follows Holly Madison as she stakes her claim as the new Miss Las Vegas. Holly stars in Peepshow at Planet Hollywood in Vegas, as well as having her hand in a ton of other charities and events around town. What made Girls Next Door so interesting was it's behind the scenes look into Playboy Magazine and life at the Playboy Mansion. In this show, we get to see the inner workings of a town like Las Vegas, plus Holly and her friends are all good fun. Really fun half hour of tube that I look forward to each week!

Parks and Recreation (Thursday 9:30pm, NBC) Right now NBC is running a three hour block of comedies on Thursday night. That's not attempted much in network television. Of those 6 shows, 3 are on my list here today. At the moment, Parks and Rec is my favorite simply because it's the newest but also because the show has really found it's voice in it's third season. The characters, the actors, the writing and the situations have all gelled nicely. Season three saw the addition of two new cast members including the always terrific Rob Lowe. Amy Polher, Aziz Ansari and Nick Offerman are three more reasons why this show is so terrific.

30 Rock (Thursday 10:00pm, NBC) In my opinion, television writing has never been better than what is on display at 30 Rock. Each episode is packed the the gills with so many clever jokes, references and more jokes that it's sometimes exhausting trying to keep up. 30 Rock has also maintained a good pace of keeping story lines flowing from week to week without turning the show into a soap opera. Each show is a comedy masterpiece. Alec Baldwin continues to be The Man!

The Office (Thursday 9:00pm, NBC) While I've never abandoned The Office, I felt it strayed off course in recent years. The storylines kept getting in the way of the show just being funny. The shows seems to have settled down into just being laugh out loud funny week after week! Steve Carell is heading off the show at the end of this year, but this is one show that seems to be able to keep on chugging without it's star. There are of other characters to keep The Office open for many more season. According to some tweets I've read, Will Ferrell is expected to do a multi-episode arc later the season. That should be comedy gold! (As long as he doesn't play a 70's sports star.)

Classic Commercial Sunday - C Is For Commercial Break

My Week In Movies - Don't Tell People Your Mule Talks

Splendor In The Grass (1961) Apparently, this was one of my mother's favorite movies. Her and I talked about movies alot and she introduced me to some of her favorites but I never heard her mention this one. When she passed away, some of her high school friends were telling me about the role movies played in their teen years and Splendor In The Grass kept coming up as one of the most memorable titles. In fact, my mom had left behind a poem that she wanted read at her funeral - it turned out to be a poem prominently featured in this movie. So, I decided to start watching some of mom's favorite movies and after watching Splendor, I can see why she never sat down and watched it with me. It's a pretty torrid story of teenage lust and sexual repression. The film takes place in the 1920's and follows a young couple played by Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood. Of course, Beatty wants to go "all the way" and young Natalie knows that good girls don't do that. So finally out of frustration and respect, Beatty's character breaks up with his girlfriend. This sends Wood into a downward spiral that ultimately ends her up in a mental institution. It's a very interesting look at how people were expected to behave themselves vs. how they wanted to behave. The content of this movie for 1961 audiences was probably pretty shocking and taboo but by today's standards this would only rate a PG maybe a PG-13. The sexuality is mostly implied with very little steam on the screen. Still, it's a really good movie that I think would play well with today's audiences.

Francis Goes to West Point (1952) In my never ending quest to find the silliest and most plotless films ever made, I found myself watching the third movie in the classic Francis The Talking Mule series. Round three has Francis and his human sidekick Peter attending West Point Academy. It was understandable in the first film or two, but by the third picture Peter should learn to just keep him mouth shut about having a talking mule for a buddy. Instead of thinking up ways to cover up his interactions with Francis, Peter just goes about telling everyone he talks to an animal. It's only when Francis finally speaks up and chats with others that these movies seem to bring about any laughs. The storyline involves a misunderstanding between commanding officers and Peter's roommates. Francis has very little to do with the story that drives this movie, but when a film is just so silly and harmless it can get by on it's simple charm alone. This picture is unrated and made at a time when they avoided using the word "pregnant" so you can assume there is nothing objectionable here.

Wall-E (2008) This might just be near the top of my list of favorite Pixar movies. I was blown away by it when I caught it in theatres a few summers ago, and this second viewing was just as captivating. I'm not a big science fiction watcher, but I think some of the futuristic ideas in this movie are extremely clever and poignant. For those of you that don't know, Wall-E is a robot that was left to clean up Earth while the human race boarded a spaceship and left the trashed planet behind. Not only does Wall-E end up saving the world, he also finds love in the form of another robot. This very well done movie is about much more than robots and spaceships. It will teach you alot about friendship, loyalty and respecting the Earth. A Masterpiece. Rated G.

NFL Best Fans Ever Super Bowl Commercial

Highlight of last night's telecast including brief clips from two of my favorite shows:

Classic Commercial Sunday - #52

Before It Was Tangled

I've been in a bit of a writing slump this week but I wanted to get something up here today and I was thinking about this random picture so I dug it out.



This picture was snapped in June 2009 at The Art of Disney Animation attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida. It's Tanner standing in front of some art work for Disney's new animated feature Rapunzel. By the time the movie came out in November 2010, the name had been changed to Tangled. Anyone whose seen the movie will agree that Tangled was not a very good title for that film, yet I don't think Rapunzel was the best choice either. In Japan it was probably called The Girl With Long Hair Who Lived in a Tower. Actually, here's the Japanese poster.

My Week In Movies - Debbie Gibson & Tiffany Wrestle In A Cake

The Social Network (2010) A rare viewing of a Best Picture nominated film The story of how Facebook came to be is pretty darn interesting. The way this movie goes about telling that story is a little less interesting. Right out of the gate, the dialogue is very hard to follow. That's supposed to be a gimmick but it didn't work for me or the other people I was watching this with. It was exhausting just getting through the first scene. The movie also takes about 20 minutes before it clearly establishes that it's being told as a series of flashbacks from the point of view of several different people at different points in time. It's all a bit confusing. Perhaps, if you're a young whipper-snapper and enjoy that kind of thing - it's all good for you. It took me about an hour to finally decide to ride the movie all the way out. Like I said, it's a pretty interesting story especially if you are like myself and enjoy the Facebook quite a bit. The lead, Jesse Eisenberg finally seems to drop him Michael Cerea impression, and Justin Timberlake (as the guy who founded Napster) is really good as well. In an odd bit of casting, Brenda Strong who plays some girl on the obnoxious Suite Life of Zach & Cody on The Disney Channel is also in the cast. She shows that she can act, instead of the over acting she does on Disney Channel, and it's kind of wild to see somebody from a kid's show in a sex scene. By the way, it's Rated PG-13. You would think a movie like this would carry an R rating, but I would bet they were shooting to keep this accessible to kids. Language and drug use is kept to a minimum and the sex scene is mostly implied with no nudity.


Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010) I'm not a big fan of style-over-substance in movies, but I thought this one might be a little different since it was a romantic comedy at heart. Visually, this flick is very fun to look at. Much of the film is made to look like a video game or a comic book and it's all a neat element to the film. But, this movie is too long. There's not enough story here to fill out two hours and the story is so self-aware silly that it can't carry the weight of a two hour runtime. In order to date a new girl, Scott Pilgrim must defeat her seven evil ex's. There's plenty of fight scenes that are exaggerated fun, but after the third fight it starts to get a little old. Rated PG-13 for sexual situations, some mild swearing and stylized violence.

Mega Python Vs. Gateroid (2011) Simply put, this is TV-movie film making at it's finest! The battle of giant reptiles is the first new SyFy Network original movie of the new year. It pits giant steroid injected gators against giant snakes who ate steroid injected gators. The movie also features the first on-screen match up of 80's teen pop stars Debbie Gibson and Tiffany. Debbie Gibson plays a radical environmentalist who tries to save rare snakes from captivity. Tiffany plays an Everglades park ranger who attempts to save the dwindling gator population of her park. The reptiles do battle in grade Z computer special effects while the pop stars do battle at a charity gala with cakes and pies. This sci-fi romp is masterfully crafted. It's tongue placed firmly in cheek, it never once winks at the camera that it's all silly but also never once for a moment takes itself seriously. The story is simple, tight and moves quickly like a great roller coaster ride. For someone like myself, who has been a huge life-long Debbie Gibson fan it was a treat to see Debbie in a leading role and to see her match wits with Tiffany. It's been noted in the press before that the "rivalry" between Deb and Tif was mostly manufactured by publicists back in their hay-day. Lately, Debbie and Tiffany have been playing up their silly feud for entertainment purposes. It's the great basis for a really silly, enjoyable movie that I look forward to watching again. Rated TV-14, quite a bit of swearing and violence plus it was a bit gory in parts.

New Feature!
January movie count: 20
Best new movie: Waking Sleeping Beauty
Best rewatch: The Little Mermaid
Worst Movie: Cavegirl

Classic Commercial Sunday - #51

Bizarro Flintstones

This video got some attention this week on various sites and we feel it's our duty to present it here for our All Things Flintstones archives. This is a 1986 commercial...for something...featuring teenaged Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm along with Dino, who apprently now has a job as a soda jerk. Oh yeah, and did we mention it's from overseas...

Where The He's Meet The She's on Skis

Just look at the poster for this 1965 wacky comedy, Ski Party, and know that I saw this poster in a movie book about 15 years ago. Now you'll know how much I've wanted to see this movie since I laid eyes on this beauty. Thanks to the wonderful folks at Netflix and their Watch Instantly feature, I finally got to go on this ski trip last week and it was a delight. Simply put, movies do not get more vapid, idiotic, fluffy and wafer-thin than the "beach party movies" of the mid 1960's. Wait a minute, what...beach party movie? This looks like a skiing movie, Ed! Well yes, it does feature skiing but it's part of the great Beach Party Movie craze of the 60's.

My mom was a big fan of these movies and introduced them to me a long time ago. Basically, in 1963 a little movie was made called Beach Party. This silly movie was nothing more than teenagers surfing, dancing, and listening to rock and roll music. The movie was such a surprise smash hit that it spawned 6 sequels and a flood of imitations and spin-offs. Some of these movies traded the beach for a racetrack or a ski lodge but they all followed the same basic blue print. Ski Party is one of the official spin-offs as it features most of the same actors and production team from the original Beach Party movies.

This movie is great for so many reasons. First of all, in a beach movie there needs to be no explanation for anything. For example, girls skiing in bikinis. Not a single person in this movie finds it odd that girls are out in freezing cold temperatures wearing next to nothing. They are pretty girls. They are wearing bikinis. They are skiing. So what?

Ski Party features two great rock n' roll performances by Lesley Gore and James Brown. Yes, the legendary James Brown. When the gang decides to go on the ski trip, we cut to their bus rolling down the highway. For no reason at all chart topping singer Lesley Gore is riding in the bus singing her big hit "Sunshine Lollipops." She doesn't play a character in the movie and she doesn't appear anywhere else in the film except on the bus ride to the ski resort. She doesn't even had a line of dialogue. She just lip syncs her record while standing there like a oil-neglected robot.

At least they took the time to somehow fit James Brown in to the picture. The not yet legendary Godfather of Soul wanders into the gangs chalet one night with his backup singers. They are the local ski patrol and warn the kids of the terrible weather out. Then one of the girls shouts, "Hey, you're not the ski patrol! You're James Brown!" At which point Mr. Brown rips off his winter coat and sings and dances his way through "I Feel Good." It's actually quite entertaining even if it makes no sense whatsoever!

Another bizarre bit in the movie is a running gag involving a polar bear skiing and yodeling. I'm not quite sure what that's all about, but the way it's all staged suggests that it's probably a reference to a television commercial of the time.

As with any beach movie worth it's weight in sand, there are also plenty of scenes that just involve teenagers dancing. Every so often, the camera will drop just a bit and hold a lingering shot on someones gyrating buttocks. It was the 60's, they were just discovering sex in the movies.

James Brown, robot Leslie Gore, the skiing polar bear and a hint of a butt shot are all represented in the great theatrical trailer for this masterpiece:


This flick is available on a double feature DVD with Muscle Beach Party. You can get the double DVD from Netflix or watch either instantly on your computer or other such device. You should ski this movie!

My Week In Movies featuring The Greatest Movie EVER

The Little Mermaid (1989) This will come as no surprise to anyone reading this blog, but I absolutely adore every single frame of this movie! The Little Mermaid holds my personal record for movie I've seen most times in the theatre...7 to be exact. (The Flintstones is second place with 6 screenings.) I had to twist my kids ankles to watch it because they think it's a girlie movie which brings me to my thesis on why I hate the Princess marketing campaign. But once we were two minutes into the movie, both my boys were totally into it. And for good reason, the music is fantastic, the colors are awesome to look at and the story is so tight and zippy that you can't deny The Little Mermaid is a masterpiece of film making! (And easily the best Disney film since 1967's The Jungle Book.) Rated G - nothing offensive but some little ones find the climatic ending a little too intense.

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) This wasn't the first time I've seen this classic comedy, in fact I'd probably mark it down as one of my favorite older movies. Cary Grant is always awesome. He plays an artist who becomes the object of affection to high school student Shirley Temple. Through a series of wacky
"only-in-the-movies" mishaps, Grant is court ordered to pretend to be interested in the younger girl in the hopes that her crush will die off quicker. It all results in madcap black & white hilarity! If you are only familiar with Shirley Temple as the little curly haired doll singing Good Ship Lollipop, let me just got on record here as saying Mrs. Temple grew into a pretty hot teenager. (I can say that because she was 19 when she filmed this movie and I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has run out on lusting after a teenager in a 64 year old movie.) After her string of popular movies as a little girl, she took some time off from acting and then staged a comeback in her teen years. Most of those films are obscure finds on video and DVD, Bobby-Soxer is considered one of her later classics. Good stuff! Not rated because it's old.

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2010) This engrossing documentary should be mandatory viewing for anyone whose given someone a hard time about saying they read Playboy for the articles. In fact, naked girls and other such things only make up about 5% of this movie. Not only did Hefner usher in the sexual revolution, he was also instrumental in the civil rights movement. He is a vastly creative man who projects and talents reach out in many different directions. I've seen a few television documentaries on Hugh before, and this one forgoes interviewing subjects who've been documented before. In fact, I was more than a little disappointed to only find my gals from Next Door only pop up in a few archival clips. This is an engrossing, well done documentary that stays away from cheap titillation and focuses on the story of one of modern times most influential people. Rated R nudity (almost exclusively stills from the magazine,) sexual discussion and some profanity.

The Ugly Dachshund (1966) I was so proud of my kids when they chose this classic Disney comedy as our Friday night movie. This is light, fluffy Disney entertainment at it's best with Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette as a young couple with a houseful of dogs. Mrs. Garrison loves her four dachshund puppies while Mr. Garrison prefers his Great Dane. The real problem is Brutus, the great dane, thinks he a tiny little dachshund...and then the fun begins. Great Danes can't be as mischievous and rascally as dachshunds! Oh, the destruction! There's three major set pieces to this film, each involving mass chaos when the dogs go on a destructive rampage. Each scene more elaborate than that last. When you watch the film, and remember that this was made in the mid-60's, you gotta wonder what kind of animal actor laws they had in place back then. It sure looks like they hurled those dogs into all sorts of things. There was no CGI back then, and 1960's special effects usually stick out like a sore thumb. But hey, what do we know? This is a great, fun movie. Not rated but classic wholesome Disney fun in every frame.

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000) You would think that I would be appalled at a made-for-video sequel to one of my tippy top all-time favorite movies. This lower budget production is by no means a "good movie" but it's not all that bad either. The story this time picks up a few years after the original tale with Ariel and Eric happily married sharing life with their daughter Melody. Ursala's sister shows up to seek revenge for her sister's death, and before long Ariel has to get her fins back and "return to the sea" to help rescue her daughter. The animation is not horrible, but, again, it's not very good either and poor Ariel looks off-model in several scenes. There's not much of an attempt to make this go-around a musical. There is a brief opening number and a closing number but that's about all that is needed since the songs are no where near as good as the stable of classics from the original film. It's Disney, so of course it's all rated G - even the climax is a little softer for the younger kids to stomach.

Mad Monster Party

May I recommend Monster Puppets from Made By Me Junior? This is a wonderful arts & crafts kit that Santa Claus brought us (although I've also seen it at Wal-Mart for $10.) What I thought would be a one-time craft project turned out to be more than that. The kit comes with five basic hand puppets and then 75 pieces of different body parts likes eyes, mouths and hair. The really cool part is that the pieces are all backed with velcro so the kids can literally make hundreds of different puppets. They had a blast creating all different kinds of monsters. Elias even took to sketching some designs out before he made the puppets. You don't know how rare it is to spend an entire weekend evening at our house with the kids asking once to turn on the TV or the Wii.

I used to LOVE puppets when I was little. Let me just say that if YouTube had been around when I was their age, there would be 5,000 videos of my puppets online for you to enjoy. Here's the next best thing...my kids doing their own puppet video. (I don't like to brag, but I kind of directed it.)

And yes, there is an episode 1 too.

How to Avoid Bob Evans Killing You

Since the heart attack I had a little over a year ago, there are many foods that I simply have not had. One of the things that I was really starting to miss and crave was one of those heaping plates of pancakes or waffles with fruit and creme and all kinds of other good stuff all over them. Friendly's had some Apple Caramel Nut Waffles (or something like that) all summer long that kept mocking me from the pictures in the restaurant window or even worse the little tri-fold card that sits on the table inside. But I resisted! One of my all-time favorite things to get at a restaurant was some concoction Bob Evans' had that was something to do with bananas and creme and waffles. Even before the heart attack, when I saw the nutritional information on that dish I stayed away from it! But I had really been craving something like it lately.

My brain literally doesn't work this way sometimes, but it just dawned on me that ordering fruit/creme pancakes at a restaurant wasn't my only option in obtaining their deliciousness. I could make something similar at home and use better ingredients and portion control. Sometimes I forget that you can make food in your very own home!

So, I set out to create my own Banana Waffle Goodness. And let me tell you something my friends, they hit the spot!

When ever we make waffles at our house we use the Bisquick Heart Smart Pancake and Baking Mix. It has slightly better nutritional numbers than their other brands, plus I use skim milk and egg beaters in the recipe. (My philosophy is cut the numbers down where ever you can!) Next I topped it with sliced banana, that's all good! I used Smucker's Sugar Free Caramel, which is also fat free and tried not to smother it with Fat Free Redi-Wip topping. I didn't realize that the caramel needed to be melted by running the jar under hot water for a few minutes, so it came out a little lumpy in spots. While I was in the ice cream topping section of the grocery store, I also picked up a little can of crushed nuts. There's nothing really healthy about them, so you got use just a pinch.

They were delicious and so tasty they didn't need the accompaniment of maple syrup! My wife, whose not necessarily a big fan of such dishes really enjoyed them and even my completely unadventurous kids liked them - though they prefer their waffles and pancakes with just ketchup.

I'm not sure what the exact Bob Evans dish that I used to enjoy was called, but they currently have something on their menu called Stacked & Stuffed Strawberry Banana Cream Hotcakes. According to the Men's Health website, one order will cost you just under 1200 calories, plus 42 grams of fat and 191 carbs! (If you do a carb exchange thingy, that's over 18 of your 21 daily carb servings!) Using the labels on the products I used and factoring in a little extra since I didn't use exact measurements on all the ingredients, a plate of Ed South's Banana Waffle Goodness has 335 calories, 11 grams of fat and 55 carbs. Well played, Ed South! Well played!

*I'm not claiming this is "good for you" it's just a healthier alternative to what a restaurant would serve you.

Still hungry? Check out my friend Amy's Pumpkin Pancakes. I'm trying to figure out a way to just conveniently appear on her porch one morning when she's making these!

Classic Commercial Sunday - #50

The girl on the left looks like there is a gun just off camera pointed to her head.

My Week in Movies - Let's Hear It For Animals in Clothes

Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) An awesome documentary about the Walt Disney Feature Animation Studio between the years 1980 and 1995. What's so special about those years, you may ask?! This is the time period when the studio went from making movies like The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective to making classics like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Besides the fact that this is a very well made Disney documentary, filled with rare clips and interesting facts and stories...this movie really spoke to me. I've mentioned before how much I love The Little Mermaid and how it's always been a special movie to me because after years of idolizing the old classic Disney animated movies, The Little Mermaid was the first one released in my lifetime that really hit a home run and was every bit as magical and magnificent as the old films Walt Disney himself had produced. So here's a movie that takes this little moment from my life and blows it up and puts a spotlight on it and shows that it was really a turning point for the legacy of the Walt Disney Company as a whole. It is perhaps one of the most captivating documentaries I have ever seen. It features scores of behind the scenes footage of the making of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. Two of the highlights in the film, for me, were a clip of a lecture that Mermaid lyricist Howard Ashman gave to the animators about the role of music in animated film. Another was a brief clip of Ashman in the studio coaching/directing the voice of Ariel, Jodi Benson, through the recording of Part of Your World. Both of these clips appear briefly in the movie but the DVD includes expanded scenes from the film which included 10 minute clips of both the lecture and the recording session. The Mermaid recording session is especially magical. A wonderful movie; a must for Disney fans but I think anyone would find it pretty darn interesting. Rated PG for a couple of curse words tossed off in interviews.




Easy A (2010) Really funny, very fresh and very likable teen sex comedy has Emma Stone leading a talent heavy cast in this high school retelling of The Scarlet Letter. It's pretty clever in parts and there's alot of energy throughout the whole picture, best of all it's just laugh out loud funny the entire time. Emma Stone shows she can really carry a picture. The supporting cast includes Amandy Bynes, Thomas Haden Chruch, Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Michalka, Stanley Tucci and SNL's Fred Armisen. I really enjoyed this movie alot and found it to be easily the best high school movie to come out in a while. It's Rated PG-13 for language and sexual discussion.

Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks With The Circus (1960) One of the few live-action Disney films that I hadn't seen it, I caught it on the Hallmark Movie Channel (which, by the way, has the most obnoxious and intrusive promos pop up at the bottom of the screen during the movie!) Disney staple Kevin Corcoran plays Toby, who leaves his somewhat abusive adoptive parents for life in the circus. Walt Disney's love of nostalgia is on display here with lovingly recreated scenes of the circus parade making it's way down old fashioned Main Street U.S.A. There was an excitement about the circus back then that is simply lost today. The movie is pretty plot-thin, even for an old Disney film. But of course it makes up for it with plenty of charm and good wholesome fun. Plus, it's hard to frown at a movie that features a chimpanzee in overalls and in one scene he holds a town hostage with a pistol. Let's face it folks, chimps wearing clothes and toting guns is pretty darn hilarious. This movie is also a nice snapshot of what life in the circus was like back in the old days. Not rated - it contains nothing objectionable except for maybe a monkey with a gun.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2010) There's been alot of very positive talk about this documentary which follows comedian Joan Rivers as she tries to stay busy at age 75. There's a bit of a backstory about her career and her early days, but the focus of the movie is Joan's attempts to reinvent herself and her drive to keep on working after all these years. It's entertaining enough and fairly interesting, but it's hard to find too much sympathy for someone who brings their troubles upon themselves. Rated R for crude and vulgar language of the first degree.

You "Auto" Get This DVD!

I could not have been more excited when I heard the news that Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch was heading down the road to DVD. Good gracious, that is a fine animated program that I can't wait to get my hands on! I professed my love for Wheelie in a post four years ago and now in 2011 he's coming to DVD!

Warner Bros. is doing a great job of opening the flood gates and diving into the Hanna-Barbera vault to bring some great stuff to the screen that hasn't been seen in years. If I were to make a list of H-B shows I'd like to have on DVD, Wheelie would be at the top of my list!

Here's the write-up on the series from the Warner Bros. website:

Zoom into gear with Wheelie, the world’s greatest stunt racing car, and his girlfriend Rota Ree as they outmaneuver the sneaky motorcycle gang Chopper, Revs, Riser and Scrambles in this 3-Disc, 13-Episode Complete Series Collection! Not the smartest bike in the bunch, Chopper’s schemes range from scaring Wheelie with ghost cars at the car cemetery, tricking a trail bike into spying on Wheelie and cheating at a tractor-roping competition, plus many more shenanigans that never end well for the gang. Besides outwitting Chopper in these 39 adventures (3 per episode), Wheelie aids other vehicles needing a helping wheel, like a lost scooter, a sick tow truck and a stranded bulldozer. Honk for great family fun and motor to the couch for a night of drive-in entertainment!

I'm the first one in line for a good car pun, but I don't think I even get "motor to the couch".

Here's the super-catchy theme song and you can thank me later when you are humming it in your head all day!


Anyways, the DVD comes out next Tuesday and it looks like you'll have to order it online from the Warner Bros. Studio Shop. Or you could just come on over to the WWoB offices and we'll run it in our screening room!

Fantasyland, PA - Then and Now

Tucked away in the woods, just a stone's throw away from the battlefields of Gettysburg, PA once sat a quint little children's fairytale park called Fantasyland. I actually wrote about the place a few years ago. It was a small park, similar in idea to Maryland's Enchanted Forest or New Jersey's Storybook Land. Unfortunately for Fantasyland, the people of G'burg do not like anything un-Civil War related anywhere near their battlefields and so the park was eventually purchased by the National Parks Service and the park was removed from the map and also from the memory of most people around these parts. The park is not a sacred childhood memory like the Enchanted Forest is to me and others that grew up near it. I've never really been able to dig up too much info on the park. Years ago, I went snooping around the land where the park once sat and snuck past a few No Trespassing signs and snapped a few photos. I've been wanting to share those pics here for quite some time, but only just found them this past weekend.

The fence in the photo above still stands, but the rest of the park entrance is long gone. The area was used for overflow parking to the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitors Center, but in recent years that facility has moved into a new building further away so who knows what's going on in Fantasyland's parking lot now...?

There wasn't much to see when I went snooping around the former Fantasyland. But my coolest find was an old stone bridge sitting in the middle of nowhere. Here's a before and after shot of the bridge. The first snapshot is a publicity photo from the park probably somewhere in the 60's or 70's.

And here's the bridge in 2001. I found the old photo later on, it would have been neat to look for any other remnants of the Santa Village over the bridge. Here's some more photos I snapped...the first picture looks like it's a hay bale from a Little Boy Blue attraction. (Click the photos to enlarge them!)

Now here is the above pictured lake in it's glory days...

Finally, one more picture. This structure was one of the only buildings still standing on the property. My guess is that it was a snack bar of some sort...

Perhaps when the weather gets nicer I'll head back out that direction and snap a few more pictures of the state of this former kiddie park.

SNL Recap 1/15/11 - Gwyneth Paltrow

I though SNL was really on fire this week. There were alot of great celebrity impressions and just about every skit was right on the money. Host Gwyneth Paltrow has a good comic sensibility and even the musical guest Cee-Lo (who ever that is) got in on more than one sketch. Seth Meyers even cut loose with a little bit of stand-up during Update. But I think easily, the highlight of the show was the Digital Short which featured an impressive guest cast.

(This is safe-for-work, but probably not for children. It's not vulgar, but it does have a few PG-13 words in it.)


There's already some buzz of Pee-Wee hosting later this season!

Classic Commercial Sunday - #49

No shocker here, but I loved me some Superbar!

Finally, One Of My Kids Toys Is A Safety Hazzard

If you ever take the time to look, you'll notice that toy companies recall an awful lot of their own products. Every time I see that something we have is recalled, further investigation reveals we don't have one of the affected products. Which I realize is good news, but honestly the prospect of getting a new version of one of our toys for free just sounds too good to pass up. During the big lead paint scare a few years ago we had several items that appeared on the list. But after checking teeny tiny production codes on the bottom of toys, it turned out only a little Thomas The Tank Engine train was recalled. The kids were past their Thomas stages, so I just threw the very unuseful engine in the trash. A while back I noticed that some Big Wheels were recalled including a Go Diego Go bike. I dug our bike out of the garage and checked it against the instructions on the company's website and sure enough - our Diego bike (along with several Barbie and Dora bikes) has caused some genital bleeding for a few unfortunate children. It turns out that a little pretend ignition key near the handle bars sticks out a little too much causing some discomfort for children who bounce forward from their seat. ...And by discomfort I mean Genital Bleeding!

Genital bleeding?! That's way more exciting than boring ol' lead paint from China. Better yet, unlike every other recall - Mattel wasn't asking for proof that you had the bike. If you requested the Safety Recall Repair Kit they'd send it to you at no charge! Oh, we're in!

A few weeks later a box urgently marked Safety Recall Notice appeared in our mailbox. The contents of the box were a few slips of paper instructing you how to repair your genital snagging bike (in English and Spanish - Thank you Diego!) and a replacement for the offending key. The box was big enough to ship two Homicide: Life on The Streets Complete Series DVD sets, yet they could have gotten away with shipping a small padded envelope.

The blue key pictured above is the older key that needed to be replaced. It's approximately one inch longer than the new grey key they shipped. The new key is a neutral color, I suppose so it could also go onto Barbie or Dora's bike which I would also assume are either pink or purple. It seems like alot of time and money went into correcting this issue. Perhaps it would have been easier for Mattel to just issue a statement recommending the bike not be enjoyed by well-endowed children.

Here's Tanner enjoying all the fun of turning the new grey key on his Go Diego Go bike while traversing the countryside confident in the security and comfort of knowing that his genitals are free from risk of internal injury. Go Diego Go!

My Week In Movies - Let's Go, 2011

Super Mario Bros. (1993) The poster says "This Ain't No Game," but what it should say is "This Ain't Nothing To Do With The Game!" My kids were pretty excited when they learned from their old man that at one time somebody had made a Super Mario Bros. movie with "real people." I remember thinking the movie was pretty clever when I saw it in the theatre 18 years ago. Unfortunately, this is yet another movie that I'll have to move off the list of movies I saw when I was younger and really liked to the list of movies that I can barely sit through anymore. This jumbled mess of a motion picture has little to do with the classic Nintendo video game which it's based upon. Instead, we get a fairly confusing tale of two plumbers who get sucked into another dimension and have to save the world from the ruler of an alternate universe where everyone evolved from dinosaurs instead of apes. Sound confusing? It is. It's one of those movies where they've created this whole other world and while it's supposed to be futuristic and really cool - it's just plain weird and confusing. The filmmakers didn't even include any of the iconic sound effects from the game. The only thing this film has in common with the video game are some character names. Bob Hoskins (of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? fame) plays Mario and John Leguizamo is his brother Luigi. Hoskins is a British actor and Leguizamo is usually associated with Latino roles. Casting these two as brothers, is only the beginning of where this movie goes wrong. Still, without it's association with the source material it's an okay popcorn movie. My kids seemed to enjoy it. Rated PG for some action, silly violence and a few off-color words.

The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009) You might not know who the Sherman Brothers are, but you sure know their music. They are mostly associated with Disney movies starting with Mary Poppins and continuing with The Jungle Book, Winnie the Pooh and so many others. This recent documentary, put together by children of the subject matter, offers a history lesson and a look at the tensions between working siblings. A rivalry that has gone fairly undetected by Disney fans up until now. There are plenty of juicy rare clips as well as plenty of toe tapping tunes. At more than one occasion, you'll be surprise to discover that "they wrote that song too!" Although the movie starts off teasing a dark side to the brothers' that never really pans out, The Boys is a fascinating and entertaining documentary. It's non-fiction film making done right! Rated PG for some adult themes and a few mild curse words tossed off in conversation.

Francis (1950) If you know me, ya know I like my movies feather-weight. I'm not much for story or any of that nonsense, I'm just looking for some laughs and smiles. I'm starting to discover, the further back in Hollywood's history you look there are some super light weight movies that have less story than a Police Academy marathon. Which brings me to the Francis the Talking Mule series. There were seven movies made in the 50's staring Francis, a talking Army mule who only spoke to Donald O'Connor and then a few other people if the situation called for it. This is all a precursor to Mr. Ed, the more famous talking horse which was produced by the same people as Francis. In the first movie, hilariousness abounds as Francis befriends Peter, a young Army soldier. Francis gives Peter insider information which helps Peter further his career in the Army. Of course when Peter gives his buddy Francis all the credit, good times ensue! Good stuff!

Francis Goes to the Races (1951) I liked Francis so much, I watched the sequel the next night. The second film picks up right where the first one left off and moves briskly along. Since we've already met Francis at the top of the film, the laughs start off quickly. Here, Peter and Francis end up at a race track and Peter gets mixed up with some mobsters when they discover Peter has some insider tips on who's gonna win each race. Guess who gave him the tips? I'll give you a hint...it's someone who can talk to horses! More fun! Can't wait to get my hands on the third instalment. Not rated but does contain scene involving a drunk mule.

The Fox and The Hound (1981) It's kinda lame that my kids had never seen this semi-classic but they've seen the silly direct-to-DVD sequel a handful of times. The Fox and the Hound is a beautifully made movie. It's very moody and quiet and comforting. I was a bit disappointed to discover my copy is not widescreen. Rated G.

Cavegirl (1985) Here's the plot of this gem...a nerdy high school kid (who looks like he's in his early 30's) goes on a field trip and somehow gets zapped back in time to the caveman period. There he meets a beautiful young bikini-clad cavegirl. Instead of trying to find a way home, he invests all his time and energy into getting the cavegirl into bed. He even builds a bed. They actually attempted to make this movie funny throughout, but most of the gags fall flat. The cavegirl is very easy on the eyes, but the rest of the cast is hard to stomach - both their appearance and their acting. Rated R for language, nudity and sexual situations.

Disney Afternoon Fan Themes

How great would a Darkwing Duck revival be!? Apparently, I'm not the only one who would think so...



And also for your viewing pleasure, the theme song to Disney's DuckTales:

SNL Recap 1/08/11 - Jim Carey

It was great to see Jim Carey get back to what he does best - just being silly - on this weekend's Saturday Night Live. He didn't roll out any familiar characters from In Living Color, I was hoping for an Ace Ventura nod...but no such luck. Twitter was abuzz with the hopes of a revisit to the Ride The Snake skit he did years ago when he hosted, but no. It was all new wackiness for Mr. Carey. This skit was one of my favorites, showing off Jim Carey's uncanny celebrity impersonations:



I also liked this skit which kind of poked fun at "It's a Small World." Everybody thinks they've been on Small World when it broke down, but the truth is the boats get backed up pretty regularly so it is often that you sit still on that ride for far too long. (At least that's true with the Walt Disney World version.)

I'm also a sucker for a good audio animatronic impression!

Classic Commercial Sunday - #48 Super Jingles

There's two magazine jingles from years gone by that I often catch myself humming for no good reason whatsoever...except of course that I soaked up too much television when I was a kid.



I had a subscription to TV Guide when I was like 13. I saved every issue in a box in my closet until I very quickly had something like 200 issues that I couldn't imagine what I'd ever do with `em. (I'm pretty sure I cut out all the pictures of Alf and then threw the rest away!)

Netflix Find: It's Showtime (1976)

When I was younger, I used to spend hours in my local video store (Video Systems, Holler!) discovering tons of movies that I was curious to see. The Watch Instantly feature of Netflix has become my new Great American Video Store. There are quite literally thousands of titles just sitting there waiting to be discovered. A good number of recent additions are movies not available on DVD or even VHS.

This morning while searching for artwork for another post, I stumbled across the poster for a movie called "It's Showtime." Let's look at the number of reasons this movie was quickly elevated to Must-See Status. First, look at this awesome poster! I love movie posters that are cartoony illustrations of the cast. Second, I love clip movies - compilations of scenes from other movies. They don't really make these anymore, but I discovered them a few years ago and they are great fun. In the 60's and 70's, there were several documentaries on classic cinema released. They are fun, bouncy, and very silly. Last, I love animal movies - especially when an animal is talking and/or wearing clothes. I like the sentimental more realistic animal movies too, but if you put an animal in clothes and then get him to talk...that's movie magic in my book! All these things aside, I would also plop down money sight unseen to view a movie with the title It's Showtime.

So, anywho...after seeing this mind-blowing poster I headed over to Netflix on the off chance they had a copy of this fine film to borrow. Turns out they don't have a DVD of it, but you can watch it streaming to your computer or TV...which is exactly what I did later that evening!

It's Showtime is kind of a jumbled mess. It's mostly JUST clips of various animal scenes from movies from the silent era up through the 1960's. There are a few segments devoted to types of animals: horses, dogs, cats and monkeys. Then there are also segments of the film spotlighting specific animal movie stars. Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, and Flipper are all featured as well as some lesser known animal stars. My kids were laughing hysterically throughout the clips featuring Daisy from the old Columbia Pictures Blondie films. Which got me to thinking, there really aren't a whole lot of Blondie movies out on DVD. And that's a shame.

Usually, when I watch this type of movie-movie, I keep a pen and paper handy to jot down the names of movies mentioned that I'd like to hunt down. Alas, the narration in It's Showtime is kept to a minimum, so you really have no idea what movies you are seeing clips from. Still, if you like animals, old movies or bizarre packages of old movie clips you should check out this wacky little relic of Hollywood history. You'll go APE for it...or...it's DOG gone good. Oh wait, It's purrrrfectly awesome. Nevermind.

Pebbles and More Pebbles

On the back of the boxes of the latest batch of Post Pebbles Cereals is an ad for Pebbles Treats. Just like Rice Krispie Treats, Pebbles are set to soon be prepackaged and ready for on-the-go snacking and lunch boxes everywhere. What makes them better than Rice Krispie Treats is that the packaging will feature the likeness of a one Mr. Frederick J. Flintstone. I haven't seen them on my grocer's shelf yet, but in the meantime I'll enjoy this ad from the back of the cereal box. The image of Barney licking the giant stone wheel is a little off-putting but, hey - we take what we can get, right!? Also, check out below these two cool ads for the new treats featuring Wilma...

Earlier last year, Post also introduced Cupcake Pebbles which filled a void the breakfast world had been calling out for - Cupcake flavored cereal! This stuff tastes like dumping one of those little sugar packets down your throat! But, again, the packaging is really cool - this time giving Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm the spotlight.

The back of the package features the whole gang and little place cards you can set out at your party along with a cut out game "Pin the Tail on Dino!" I can't imagine anyone hosting an actual party and using cutouts from a cereal box, but hey who am I to judge? Here's also a print ad for the Cupcake flavored cereal featuring suggestions for other things to do with the breakfast product besides actually eating it for breakfast.

You shouldn't have any trouble finding Cupcake Pebbles in the stores now and we'll keep you posted on the Treats.

Classic Commercial Sunday - #47 Brady Edition

Here's a nifty little video someone threw together featuring three different commercials staring child actors who later went on to become known as members of The Brady Bunch.