tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6552515466653890672024-02-08T20:18:41.614-05:00FilmFatherMovie Reviews for DadsFilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.comBlogger265125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-51785009383068072382013-07-02T11:31:00.001-04:002020-10-13T10:30:41.782-04:00Wiener Dog Nationals (2013)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHgvaool56nOOTSGR_0GikOU0EwXtkKtNYkR1KyRLGdw0hKTvJD6EaA4Aotqqk0nHVQPsf6762Bax8oraVpESGhRL7ddFxX9tlOaiocnjT1b5jy5tDPHO4VpLb2HsXEyiXSTNCA4xoMWo/s125/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%231+(125x118).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHgvaool56nOOTSGR_0GikOU0EwXtkKtNYkR1KyRLGdw0hKTvJD6EaA4Aotqqk0nHVQPsf6762Bax8oraVpESGhRL7ddFxX9tlOaiocnjT1b5jy5tDPHO4VpLb2HsXEyiXSTNCA4xoMWo/s125/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%231+(125x118).jpg" /></a><b>RECENTLY, JACK-JACK WAS OBSESSED with dachshunds, aka “wiener dogs.” </b>Whenever he’d see one, he’d point it out and giggle until the little four-footed frankfurter was out of sight.<br />
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So when I heard there was a new family film all about wiener dogs, I was on it like relish on a…well, you know…<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bpKrW1mssPE/UdLt_YteMZI/AAAAAAAAEq4/hBUEOz2C9k0/s1600/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%232.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bpKrW1mssPE/UdLt_YteMZI/AAAAAAAAEq4/hBUEOz2C9k0/s200/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%232.jpg" width="200" /></a><i>Wiener Dog Nationals </i>introduces us to the Jack family: unemployed widower Phil (Jason London) and his three children, teenager Skip (Austin Anderson) and kids Bridget (Caitlin Carmichael) and Danny (Julian Feder). When Danny adopts a wiener dog named Shelly for his birthday, he discovers Shelly’s got speed and enters her – unbeknownst to Phil – in the Wiener Dog Nationals, a real-life dachshund race sponsored by the <a href="http://www.wienerschnitzel.com/" target="_blank">Wienerschnitzel</a> fast food chain. With the help of Wiener Dog Nationals employee Melanie (Alicia Witt), Shelly and the Jacks keep one step ahead of the scheming Ms. Merryweather (Morgan Fairchild), a filthy-rich debutante who’ll stop at nothing to see her wiener dog, Princess, win the big race.<br />
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For a film called <i>Wiener Dog Nationals </i>– about a wiener dog who enters a series of wiener dog races – <b>the amount of screen time dedicated to wiener dogs is shockingly minimal. </b>Ironically, Shelly is marginalized in her own film. In fact, there’s so much screen time dedicated to the Jack family’s internal strife and miscommunication, the film should’ve been called <i>A Fractured Family – Oh, and They Have a Dog Too.</i><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WX4rZtRrFoE/UdLt7t5jKpI/AAAAAAAAEqs/wUbsORA7tbY/s1600/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%233.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WX4rZtRrFoE/UdLt7t5jKpI/AAAAAAAAEqs/wUbsORA7tbY/s200/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%233.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>First-time feature director Kevan Peterson </b>should have added establishing scenes of Shelly bonding with Danny and his family beyond the dog races (of which, there are only three in the entire film). How about the kids playing with the dog? Getting into wacky antics much to the dismay of their strict father? Even when Shelly turns on the hijinks, it’s all shown after the fact: ripped-up couch pillows here, a chewed-up newspaper there. Where’s the fun in that?<br />
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<b>As the exasperated dad, London spends the entire film looking either perplexed or annoyed. </b>Fairchild comes off as Cruella DeVil Lite as she schmoozes the race’s head judge (<i>Mad Men</i>’s Bryan Batt) when not resorting to espionage and blackmail (!) to get Shelly disqualified. And don’t get me started on the always-painful experience of watching extended scenes of marginally talented kid actors struggling to deliver dialogue to each other (see <i><a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2010/12/opposite-day-2010.html">Opposite Day</a>, <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2012/07/labou-2009.html">Labou</a></i>).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oOyfCTshY6c/UdLt_CAwm-I/AAAAAAAAEq0/TNmanPBDAYk/s1600/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%234.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oOyfCTshY6c/UdLt_CAwm-I/AAAAAAAAEq0/TNmanPBDAYk/s200/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%234.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>By the time the stakes are raised in <i>Wiener Dog Nationals</i>’ last act, it’s too little too late. </b>Shelly’s screen time has been scant, simple questions are left unanswered, and it all ends with (spoiler alert!) a happy ending, but an underwhelming one that basically says, “Shelly didn’t win the big race, but thanks to two completely unrelated disqualifications, she’s the winner by default!” Um, yay?<br />
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Flat and forgettable, <i>Wiener Dog Nationals</i>’ ultimate flaw is simple: It has too much dialogue, and not enough dachshunds. Or, as my wife puts it, “Too many words, not enough wieners.” <br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBFedBiOTHz2F6eph25F83tDVR7w6OsH8zy83oyRMnuYtFTYnWtrksa9crtAYMQE-IBjAxAF9uy2TaHlyY0mzfxz6U3dTXgAwiYHhY4JflrPaDXqdglOTqfw53D9EeavKEsJLk2oGgpPY/s119/rating_2.0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBFedBiOTHz2F6eph25F83tDVR7w6OsH8zy83oyRMnuYtFTYnWtrksa9crtAYMQE-IBjAxAF9uy2TaHlyY0mzfxz6U3dTXgAwiYHhY4JflrPaDXqdglOTqfw53D9EeavKEsJLk2oGgpPY/s119/rating_2.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy52RLCosVfex2Z33TBHyPs-ZcZ6bu-6t3H3LzTwwhApxLJOhkQ8s5ZR1yq0GaLVglKcK2CkrWGow_S7ND3vevRyvXShzpBB6B8-T22iBGNnHM9gof-rXsjSxLQbzNd72hi-GSKfXhGKq/s125/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLy52RLCosVfex2Z33TBHyPs-ZcZ6bu-6t3H3LzTwwhApxLJOhkQ8s5ZR1yq0GaLVglKcK2CkrWGow_S7ND3vevRyvXShzpBB6B8-T22iBGNnHM9gof-rXsjSxLQbzNd72hi-GSKfXhGKq/s125/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" /></a><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What did FilmBoy and Jack-Jack think?</span></b></span></div>
All I could get out of FilmBoy regarding <i>Wiener Dog Nationals </i>was complete indifference. Did he like it? “Sort of.” Jack-Jack could not be reached for comment (he fell asleep before the ending).<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<i>Wiener Dog Nationals </i>is suitable for all ages. A few uses of “stupid” and “losers,” and Phil and Melanie make awkward advances toward each other, but that’s about it.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nzWmqKuPPpw/UdLvc7h4ocI/AAAAAAAAErc/sEI57gAc7_I/s100/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%2311B+(93x100).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nzWmqKuPPpw/UdLvc7h4ocI/AAAAAAAAErc/sEI57gAc7_I/s100/Wiener+Dog+Nationals_%2311B+(93x100).jpg" /></a><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</b></span></span></div>
My wife was unimpressed with <i>Wiener Dog Nationals</i>’ plot holes and overall B-movie feel. She did hope that with Shelly’s race winnings, the Jacks can afford to get Danny a haircut. Major white kid ‘fro going on there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENqbKz_e6bI4MV0JHd0Jidl7U9uQVkBlSCfVIlYaHD4Gw3fjLzZn38sxMXgYs8-ltZ6cmOXDUo592-g1q9wMyZDQsTPMbFIhOQlPV9GGbdDjvAu5QPZXnzwKRW42B9ns9r67tjEoKV93F/s774/Wiener+Dog+Nationals+Jason+London.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENqbKz_e6bI4MV0JHd0Jidl7U9uQVkBlSCfVIlYaHD4Gw3fjLzZn38sxMXgYs8-ltZ6cmOXDUo592-g1q9wMyZDQsTPMbFIhOQlPV9GGbdDjvAu5QPZXnzwKRW42B9ns9r67tjEoKV93F/s320/Wiener+Dog+Nationals+Jason+London.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bad: Your dog drinks your milk.</div>
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Worse: She's lactose intolerant. </div>
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<b>Wiener Dog Nationals (2013)</b><br />
* Director: Kevan Peterson<br />
* Screenwriter: Gregory Gutierrez<br />
* Stars: Alicia Witt, Jason London, Morgan Fairchild, Marque Richardson, Bryan Batt, Caitlin Carmichael, Chris Moss, Laura Ann Kesling, Austin Anderson, Julian Feder<br />
* MPAA Rating: G<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00CA5MAOM" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Wiener-Dog-Nationals/70276292" target="_blank">Rent <i>Wiener Dog Nationals </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-87593422179287723912013-06-19T16:54:00.000-04:002013-06-19T16:54:02.706-04:00Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie (2013)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayQHx3uo5ts/UcIYinqX1oI/AAAAAAAAEpI/7oCtqYvzidI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ayQHx3uo5ts/UcIYinqX1oI/AAAAAAAAEpI/7oCtqYvzidI/s200/2.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>SUMMER, 1988. I’m 19, working at a crappy factory job. </b>And since I’m underage, my nightlife is practically nil.<br />
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But then, while channel surfing one night, I come across a talk show. Well, it’s <i>technically </i>a talk show; it has an audience, guests, and a host. But the audience is near riotous, the guests look shell-shocked, and the host – with a loosened tie, wide eyes, and ever-present cigarette – is shouting self-righteous rhetoric at them when he’s not telling them to shut up. Or, in his oft-repeated catchphrase, to “Zip it!”<br />
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I had never seen anything like it in my life. And I was hooked for the rest of the summer.<br />
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<b>Before there was Maury Povich, Jerry Springer, or even Glenn Beck, there was Morton Downey, Jr.</b> For two years in the late 1980s, <i>The Morton Downey Jr. Show </i>drew in viewers looking for a fight. And with every episode, they got one, if not several. Downey was provocative, incendiary, controversial, confrontational, and often downright rude – and his audience loved it, frequently jumping to their feet in roars of applause.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMBleDetmL5qoByeF09gjS25Hk6KQD0Gb-c_d3vHDPAFxcNoXVvOLXeMe6FRdjBOs5zMWabUNKIGdtXN72ig0TJWc9nNwR2WH7uN65qUIgzHLywOQrj_j9aPXVV_5cQlPUoogxu8TItgc/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMBleDetmL5qoByeF09gjS25Hk6KQD0Gb-c_d3vHDPAFxcNoXVvOLXeMe6FRdjBOs5zMWabUNKIGdtXN72ig0TJWc9nNwR2WH7uN65qUIgzHLywOQrj_j9aPXVV_5cQlPUoogxu8TItgc/s200/5.jpg" width="200" /></a>Through archive footage, animated segments, and interviews with former colleagues, guests, and audience members, <b><i>Evocateur </i>tells how Downey skyrocketed to fame (some say infamy) and crashed just as fast. </b>Directors Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, and Jeremy Newberger, all recovering Downey fans, do a good job balancing footage of Downey’s show with interviews and home videos. The middle meanders a bit and struggles to keep things compelling when not talking about Downey’s show, but things pick up with the discussion of frequent guest Reverend Al Sharpton – who, like Downey, knew the value of controversy and schemed with the host to keep things fiery and memorable.<br />
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<b>While claiming to be a voice for the common man, Downey was actually a child of Hollywood </b>(his dad was a famous Irish tenor, his mom an actress/dancer) and he was a family friend of the Kennedys. And like many pop culture personalities who put on an act, the misogyny of Downey’s TV persona bled over into his personal life (colleagues talk of physical confrontations with female guests and his own wife), and he soon became an egotist spiraling out of control: affairs, bouts of rage, rock star extravagance, climbing debt, and perhaps worst of all, believing his own hype.<br />
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<b><i>Evocateur </i>ends with the two events of Downey’s professional and personal demise: </b>his infamous hoax when he (incorrectly) spray-painted a swastika on his face and claimed he was attacked by skinheads, and his death from lung cancer at 67. (The footage of a gaunt, hoarse, and humbled Downey in the final stages of his life is especially hard to watch.)<br />
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<b><i>Evocateur </i>effectively states the case that, for better or worse, Morton Downey, Jr. was the prototype of today’s television </b>– the precursor to the fight-centric circus of raucous talk shows and reality TV. He deliberately provoked his guests. He knew the power of manipulation. He discussed topics on an emotional level, not an intellectual one. He attacked his guests with a ferocity never before seen on a talk show – creating an awkward, dangerous atmosphere that, nearly 25 years later, still permeates the television landscape today.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0oKDZJg1oGMYL8oJ1pCpNDnEDN4JinzlxMH4P23glm5v6KpqRiMSZAWmGp0C4_zjrrKEyqyuuTVmPfWtDTd9MhW1JV6SrlRvPjbavNKaoRnJaUnXQyJWgCxch5KzvKNWwlcVawV7EoBD/s1600/rating_3.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0oKDZJg1oGMYL8oJ1pCpNDnEDN4JinzlxMH4P23glm5v6KpqRiMSZAWmGp0C4_zjrrKEyqyuuTVmPfWtDTd9MhW1JV6SrlRvPjbavNKaoRnJaUnXQyJWgCxch5KzvKNWwlcVawV7EoBD/s1600/rating_3.5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<i>Evocateur </i>is rated R for “language and some nudity.”<br />
<b>Language: </b>Frequent use of four-letter words.<br />
<b>Violence: </b>There are verbal and physical confrontations in clips from Downey’s show.<br />
<b>Nudity: </b>A couple of Downey’s guests get topless.<br />
<b>Smoking: </b>Nearly every frame of Downey has him smoking. He dies from lung cancer.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
I highly doubt she’ll like Morton Downey Jr. or his behavior on his talk show, but <i>Evocateur </i>is a compelling documentary no matter what you think of its topic. This could be one worth sharing with her…provided the kids are asleep or out of the house.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u3pzt7UWWXs/UcIYieEAGeI/AAAAAAAAEpA/2GhuiQMnzmI/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u3pzt7UWWXs/UcIYieEAGeI/AAAAAAAAEpA/2GhuiQMnzmI/s320/1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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"Betsy Ross: Real American or Talentless Tramp?</div>
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That's next on <i>The Morton Downey Jr. Show!!!</i>"</div>
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<b>Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie</b><br />
* Directors: Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller, Jeremy Newberger<br />
* Screenwriter: Daniel A. Miller<br />
* Stars: Morton Downey Jr., Herman Cain, Pat Buchanan, Chris Elliott, Gloria Allred, Sally Jesse Raphael, Alan Dershowitz, Curtis Sliwa, Richard Bey<br />
* MPAA Rating: R<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00D8WI6BW" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Evocateur-The-Morton-Downey-Jr.-Movie/70239464" target="_blank">Rent <i>Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-35237235441629238972013-06-03T13:02:00.000-04:002013-06-03T13:04:28.316-04:00Taken 2 (2012)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYNj78su3yi3aHnyDeIAMK9kaCWOVZa-fx5BiBIEpHRN8KUdoGDeetbz5BnRFmp35whg4I1jqc1mwIZzyZWyOT-Xa0i3kqOiT_4j-pkfA2Xhu2OFMn82XukU1UQlINlhlaHRORS4ISdPM/s1600/1+taken2+liam+neeson+bryan+mills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYNj78su3yi3aHnyDeIAMK9kaCWOVZa-fx5BiBIEpHRN8KUdoGDeetbz5BnRFmp35whg4I1jqc1mwIZzyZWyOT-Xa0i3kqOiT_4j-pkfA2Xhu2OFMn82XukU1UQlINlhlaHRORS4ISdPM/s200/1+taken2+liam+neeson+bryan+mills.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>THE ORIGINAL <i>TAKEN </i>gave us another reason </b>to like the already likable Liam Neeson: We got to watch him dish out some serious kicking of ass in his quest to rescue his kidnapped daughter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAmpCg6RXNr80SYvRMTivO8U9-DdknawQoXrOGabw_2OUsCtuAuAEsI1VgjXZ9Q3rSl5I8donc4a47scf1SCFUE9vRU82x95yM0lK0QGio75YFx-ka7JP0GaJKHH_3E667V61UZsGHOaZ/s1600/2+taken2+famke+janssen+lenore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAmpCg6RXNr80SYvRMTivO8U9-DdknawQoXrOGabw_2OUsCtuAuAEsI1VgjXZ9Q3rSl5I8donc4a47scf1SCFUE9vRU82x95yM0lK0QGio75YFx-ka7JP0GaJKHH_3E667V61UZsGHOaZ/s200/2+taken2+famke+janssen+lenore.jpg" width="200" /></a>In <i><b>Taken 2, </b></i>we’re reacquainted with Neeson’s overprotective dad and former intelligence operative, Bryan Mills, who’s even more overprotective thanks to the events of the first film, where his teenage daughter Kim (<i>Lost</i>’s Maggie Grace) was kidnapped, drugged, and about to be sold as a sex slave. As Bryan copes with Kim’s new boyfriend (Luke Grimes) and her inability to pass her driver’s test, he invites Kim and his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) to join him on a security detail-slash-vacation in Istanbul. But soon after they arrive, the vengeful relatives of the kidnappers Bryan killed in the first <i>Taken </i>kidnap Bryan and Lenore, leaving Kim to elude the captors while trying to find and rescue her parents.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjappSoPtKSY1MzOCTRb4oGZdh2UIe4SdYLreaqBnNYHIUH6HivA6rEMMClN3B58wq_Nm12fRsUSvJQdq4rr-pJ4I9IG8quoUYjpbJyVlA7E5WmwA-k0mcGWk0CCHsWd1IDVOqFvPhQXD6j/s1600/3+taken2+liam+neeson+bryan+mills+fight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjappSoPtKSY1MzOCTRb4oGZdh2UIe4SdYLreaqBnNYHIUH6HivA6rEMMClN3B58wq_Nm12fRsUSvJQdq4rr-pJ4I9IG8quoUYjpbJyVlA7E5WmwA-k0mcGWk0CCHsWd1IDVOqFvPhQXD6j/s200/3+taken2+liam+neeson+bryan+mills+fight.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Let’s be honest: </b>A<b> </b>large amount of the first <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2009/01/taken-2009.html"><i>Taken</i></a>’s appeal was to watch Neeson dole out tactical and brutal revenge against the men who took his daughter. Unfortunately, he doesn’t unleash his very particular set of skills on the bad guys until the last 20 minutes of <i>Taken 2</i>. In the meantime, he’s telling Kim what to do via cell phone as he tries to find a way for him and Lenore to escape their captors.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BuORorfb7h0/UazKw0nyYvI/AAAAAAAAEno/IqS7do7U8hk/s1600/4+taken2+liam+neeson+bryan+mills+maggie+grace+kim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="105" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BuORorfb7h0/UazKw0nyYvI/AAAAAAAAEno/IqS7do7U8hk/s200/4+taken2+liam+neeson+bryan+mills+maggie+grace+kim.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>There are also several scenes of incredulity that hamper the film. </b>Neeson’s captors, who have him at gunpoint, wait until he makes <i>and </i>finishes a call with Kim before abducting him. Kim can’t pass her driving test, but she barrels down the narrow streets of Istanbul in a stolen taxi like Jason Bourne. The overuse of musical crescendos to tip off pivotal moments gets annoying, and a bit insulting. And much like how <i>Taken </i>tried to play off 25-year-old Grace as a high school student, it’s now even harder to buy 29-year-old Grace as a soon-to-be college freshman.<br />
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Despite the efforts of awesomely named director Olivier Megaton, and returning <i>Taken </i>co-writers Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, <b><i>Taken 2 </i>is merely passable and ultimately forgettable. </b>Bottom line, the adventure’s not the same when Neeson’s not the one who’s large and in charge.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Is it suitable for your kids?</b></span></span></div>
<i>Taken 2'</i>s rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sensuality.<br />
<b>Action/Violence: </b>A man is tortured to gather information; there is a lot of hand-to-hand combat; many people are shot; a few people are slashed with knives. There are several intense foot chases and car chases (featuring multiple crashes).<br />
<b>Adult Situations: </b>Kim makes out with her boyfriend, fully clothed.<br />
<b>Language: </b>Several occurrences of “sh*t.”<br />
<b>Alcohol: </b>Bryan and Lenore drink wine in one scene.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
Nothing really for her to see here. If pressed, watch the original <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2009/01/taken-2009.html"><i>Taken</i></a> with her for a better experience, though the theme of child abduction and the intense violence may turn her off.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FOiI2pqm4N8/UazKxlydGnI/AAAAAAAAEn8/avrauGNfkIg/s1600/X+Maggie-Grace-in-Taken-2+Kim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FOiI2pqm4N8/UazKxlydGnI/AAAAAAAAEn8/avrauGNfkIg/s320/X+Maggie-Grace-in-Taken-2+Kim.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That's a helluva way to skip out on the room bill.</div>
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<b>Taken 2</b><br />
* Director: Olivier Megaton<br />
* Screenwriters: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen<br />
* Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, D.B. Sweeney, Luke Grimes, Rade Serbedzija<br />
* MPAA Rating: PG-13<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00B19FQNK" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0067EKYAY" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0067EKYDG" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Taken-2/70243338" target="_blank">Rent <i>Taken 2 </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-55018892154892024942013-05-23T11:29:00.000-04:002013-05-23T11:34:34.316-04:00Kung Fu Magoo (2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzOIxYKo-XOugFROLyxArzZTvSy8YR_gArbt_MhbemK8pDcX8CVchqtNF5PHrGxctfsgq851fBKGyNxNiUW62s-M2NypQvBlhA19D_NFYvAagKpdL8R33MGigL_XPLvdH9Y4jzTcV1yAS/s1600/1+Kung+Fu+Magoo+Jim+Conroy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidzOIxYKo-XOugFROLyxArzZTvSy8YR_gArbt_MhbemK8pDcX8CVchqtNF5PHrGxctfsgq851fBKGyNxNiUW62s-M2NypQvBlhA19D_NFYvAagKpdL8R33MGigL_XPLvdH9Y4jzTcV1yAS/s200/1+Kung+Fu+Magoo+Jim+Conroy.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>MENTION THE NAME “Mr. Magoo” to anyone under 30, </b>and you’ll probably get a blank stare. Or in honor of Magoo’s handicap, maybe a squinting, legally blind stare.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzRrJkYxHjk/UZ4zxoPVEHI/AAAAAAAAElQ/4qEmRTC3wIY/s1600/2+Kung+Fu+Magoo+Jim+Conroy+Justin+Dylan+Sprouse+Cole+Sprouse.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wzRrJkYxHjk/UZ4zxoPVEHI/AAAAAAAAElQ/4qEmRTC3wIY/s200/2+Kung+Fu+Magoo+Jim+Conroy+Justin+Dylan+Sprouse+Cole+Sprouse.png" width="200" /></a><i>Mr. Magoo </i>was a series of cartoon shorts created in 1949 featuring the misadventures of Quincy Magoo (voiced by <i>Gilligan’s Island </i>star Jim Backus), whose incredibly poor vision put him in all kinds of slapstick misunderstandings, with Magoo completely oblivious to what was really happening. Over the years, Magoo has appeared in various TV series, holiday specials, and movies (including a dreadful live-action film starring Leslie Nielsen). The latest incarnation is 2010’s <i><b>Kung Fu Magoo, </b></i>which has Mr. Magoo (Jim Conroy) sharing a home with his nephew Justin (Dylan Sprouse), who mostly rolls his eyes at his uncle’s nearsighted antics.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ScrTMtpHMY0/UZ4zxP2N1EI/AAAAAAAAElA/xSnyGuqMiDI/s1600/3+Kung+Fu+Magoo+Tan+Gu+Lloyd+Floyd.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ScrTMtpHMY0/UZ4zxP2N1EI/AAAAAAAAElA/xSnyGuqMiDI/s200/3+Kung+Fu+Magoo+Tan+Gu+Lloyd+Floyd.png" width="200" /></a>After inadvertently saving a busload of students from a robotic villain, Mr. Magoo is labeled a hero and recruited by the government to infiltrate Bad Bad Island, with Justin and Mr. Magoo’s dog McBarker along for the trip. Bad Bad Island is led by the sinister Tan Gu (Lloyd Floyd), who is holding the Evilympics, where the toughest supervillains compete in events such as building doomsday devices, battling giant spider robots, and yes, knuckle cracking. Also competing is Justin’s hero, action movie star Cole Fusion (Chris Parnell), who’s there to prove he’s more than just another pretty face.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfadbBdd8z-rqHiBMKLOznVXKJmbuhCdM_c0vz_O1_AEYc2qL681F8sagBXEk_7UH0yhHNP1FLq8_mSKgGLWihcbYAQxUYZnxDRH5qQFZNmCbOugJegDjPMtyuaNyKqvY7irwW3kYHk6wb/s1600/5+Kung+Fu+Magoo+robot+spider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfadbBdd8z-rqHiBMKLOznVXKJmbuhCdM_c0vz_O1_AEYc2qL681F8sagBXEk_7UH0yhHNP1FLq8_mSKgGLWihcbYAQxUYZnxDRH5qQFZNmCbOugJegDjPMtyuaNyKqvY7irwW3kYHk6wb/s200/5+Kung+Fu+Magoo+robot+spider.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Despite the film’s title, we don’t get a lot of kung fu fighting from Mr. Magoo. </b>(He gets his moniker because someone thinks he’s striking a <i>Karate Kid</i>-like crane pose while tangled in fishing line.) However, the film makes up for this by providing non-stop action throughout, mostly thanks to the Evilympics events and several chase sequences involving Magoo, Justin, and various pursuants. And while not every one of Magoo’s myopic misunderstandings is laugh-out-loud funny, several are truly hilarious.<br />
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A joint effort from DreamWorks Classics (formerly <a href="http://www.classicmedia.tv/" target="_blank">Classic Media</a>) and Mexican-based <a href="http://www.animaestudios.com/index.php?opmain=-1&lang=en" target="_blank">Anima Estudios</a>, <b><i>Kung Fu Magoo </i>maintains the spirit of the classic Mr. Magoo character within a contemporary, fast-paced, enjoyable film. </b><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B6WmrY8FVOo/UZ40a-FKSuI/AAAAAAAAEmg/LAwOxsU8iGg/s1600/rating_3.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B6WmrY8FVOo/UZ40a-FKSuI/AAAAAAAAEmg/LAwOxsU8iGg/s1600/rating_3.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9piKqx4ZHRjAnEi9boslsrPQLJnUkFGc5z3wNpB-PJuGtnFgPHLx2Be19gIlVP8tEhWLKn7pFWtbo9EYeOLP9VwDA8C1rslFpjIcI-tk2Mp233qFYovUW-acmEIf5nPFAPql_NbH7fWO/s1600/FilmBoy2012+(200x154)+(125x96).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9piKqx4ZHRjAnEi9boslsrPQLJnUkFGc5z3wNpB-PJuGtnFgPHLx2Be19gIlVP8tEhWLKn7pFWtbo9EYeOLP9VwDA8C1rslFpjIcI-tk2Mp233qFYovUW-acmEIf5nPFAPql_NbH7fWO/s1600/FilmBoy2012+(200x154)+(125x96).jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>What did FilmBoy think?</b></span></span></div>
Initially, he didn’t know what to make of Mr. Magoo – but once <i>Kung Fu Magoo </i>got rolling, he was laughing out loud on several occasions.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<b>Violence/Scariness: </b>Cartoonish violence abounds (punching, knife-throwing, laser guns, rocket launchers, etc.); a boy bullies Justin on several occasions, mostly via water balloons.<br />
<b>Rude Humor: </b>McBarker vomits over the side of a boat; a robot is kicked in the groin and self-destructs; a bird poops on Mr. Magoo’s head. Justin’s best friend in school is a poor Indian stereotype, with a thick accent and protruding teeth.<br />
<b>Language: </b>“Jerk,” “freak,” “hotness,” “kicking butt”<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
She could do worse than having to sit through <i>Kung Fu Magoo </i>with your kids. It’s often exciting and intermittently funny. And if she’s a Gen-Xer or older, she might feel nostalgic seeing Mr. Magoo again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIRRLCaQwUsetanWjEoJ32OKqGC1OGhxDXhL8Fuc6J7TJ8w0Hhe68KqmduPniqjRooXdFwl_2VsB5JWy_N_f9GMrZi0Nnfttl7O3uGEl1-vVL-ywfDILQUa9Y2xRlxfyg7-zp3gUwOOSX/s1600/X+Kung+Fu+Magoo+ninjas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIRRLCaQwUsetanWjEoJ32OKqGC1OGhxDXhL8Fuc6J7TJ8w0Hhe68KqmduPniqjRooXdFwl_2VsB5JWy_N_f9GMrZi0Nnfttl7O3uGEl1-vVL-ywfDILQUa9Y2xRlxfyg7-zp3gUwOOSX/s200/X+Kung+Fu+Magoo+ninjas.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">“Um, Bob? You might wanna bring a deadlier weapon next time…”</span></div>
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<b>Kung Fu Magoo</b><br />
* Director: Andrés Couturier<br />
* Screenwriters: Emmy Laybourne, Rob Sosin, Robert Mittenthal<br />
* Stars: Jim Conroy, Lloyd Floyd, Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, Alyson Stoner, Tom Kenny, Chris Parnell, Rodger Bumpass, Maile Flanagan, Wally Wingert, Candi Milo <br />
* MPAA Rating: N/A<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00BSBVKJK" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0037HERMA" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/70124268" target="_blank">Rent <i>Kung Fu Magoo </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-6402454623630753862013-05-15T10:51:00.000-04:002013-05-15T10:51:19.578-04:00Texas Chainsaw (2013)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HchsFCb5UAE/UZOeD8KMliI/AAAAAAAAEjo/m58HLA5pV0E/s1600/Grandpa+Sawyer+(John+Dugan)+Drayton+Sawyer+(Bill+Moseley)+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HchsFCb5UAE/UZOeD8KMliI/AAAAAAAAEjo/m58HLA5pV0E/s200/Grandpa+Sawyer+(John+Dugan)+Drayton+Sawyer+(Bill+Moseley)+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><i>THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE </i>has established itself </b>as a true classic of relentless terror. But its many sequels, prequels, and remakes have delivered continually diminishing returns. This year’s <b><i>Texas Chainsaw </i></b>picks up where the original <i>Chainsaw </i>left off, with an opening sequence that shows the demented Sawyer family holed up in their farmhouse, surrounded by an armed, angry mob. The mob opens fire on the house and then burns the place down, apparently killing everyone inside – including the maniacal Leatherface, who wields the titular chainsaw and wears a mask of human skin.<br />
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Fast forward a couple decades, and we meet Heather (Alexandra Daddario), who learns that a grandmother she never knew has died and left Heather her mansion in Texas. Bringing along her friends Ryan (Trey Songz), Nikki (<i>Lost</i>’s Tania Raymonde), and Kenny (Keram Malicki-Sánchez), Heather heads to her grandmother’s mansion to finalize some paperwork. Turns out that inheriting Grandma’s mansion comes with a little snag: Leatherface (Dan Yeager) is alive and living in the sprawling basement, which he’s turned into his personal butcher shop.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-goQBnl0f22M/UZOeAG8UpXI/AAAAAAAAEjQ/lf57PsY5xCE/s1600/Alexandra+Daddario+Heather+Miller+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-goQBnl0f22M/UZOeAG8UpXI/AAAAAAAAEjQ/lf57PsY5xCE/s200/Alexandra+Daddario+Heather+Miller+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D.jpg" width="200" /></a>Like the many <i>Chainsaw </i>films that followed the largely bloodless original, <b><i>Texas Chainsaw </i>piles on the gore </b>– with Leatherface putting his trusty saw to use on several victims, including his own grisly not-so-magic trick of sawing a person in half. (<i>Texas Chainsaw</i>’s gore comes courtesy of FX master Greg Nicotero, who also worked on <i>Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III</i>.)<br />
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<b>But <i>Texas Chainsaw </i>is more than a story about a boy and his power tool; </b>the sins of the past also come to light, as Heather discovers her connection to the Sawyer family – and uncovers the tragic demise of a family she never knew. Corrupt policemen, brutish locals, and small-town secrets start playing a big (if not bigger) role than the horror of Leatherface, and the film falls into some sort of horror/crime hybrid that dilutes any small shred of terror it succeeded in creating.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nfW_DJkqjXZ6jZZf_u76k7IjtPrLll5yyKjHlxO-nG-DTljw-MfdZoKzJ7d8srk-_CYrs-TsMEHa2COwc7GOBX1LVSEp4ZQWN9oAu1tpChANoVr1YjD1fUG4fQdNWkuktXNVXgrTuclX/s1600/Dan+Yeager+Leatherface+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nfW_DJkqjXZ6jZZf_u76k7IjtPrLll5yyKjHlxO-nG-DTljw-MfdZoKzJ7d8srk-_CYrs-TsMEHa2COwc7GOBX1LVSEp4ZQWN9oAu1tpChANoVr1YjD1fUG4fQdNWkuktXNVXgrTuclX/s200/Dan+Yeager+Leatherface+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D.jpg" width="200" /></a><i>Texas Chainsaw </i>director John Luessenhop should get credit for attempting a fresh approach to bridge to the original film, as well as taking the terror of Leatherface beyond the house of horrors and into the local population (police investigate the killings, and Leatherface chases Heather through a crowded town fair). But not even cameos by the original <i>Chainsaw </i>cast can save this latest lackluster attempt at keeping the franchise alive. Uneven, rarely scary, and hobbled by an awkward and unsatisfying conclusion, <b><i>Texas Chainsaw </i>is yet another sub-par installment in a film series where, nearly 40 years later, the first is still the best.</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1niM-J6hwXxxz1Et5yt0EItHDKGruDC9xjXKMaWBN_xuPxTZKMzIY0vvwI-LyemZFk9y4z6cuylNE6wHdk5t2mxmyOZqRj_5Slxozq9udTeTqLUlSLoMNiuJ80ckAvdcAxWbnpg_yw-v/s1600/rating_1.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1niM-J6hwXxxz1Et5yt0EItHDKGruDC9xjXKMaWBN_xuPxTZKMzIY0vvwI-LyemZFk9y4z6cuylNE6wHdk5t2mxmyOZqRj_5Slxozq9udTeTqLUlSLoMNiuJ80ckAvdcAxWbnpg_yw-v/s1600/rating_1.5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<i>Texas Chainsaw </i>is rated R for “strong grisly violence and language throughout.” So, no.<br />
<b>Violence: </b>People are shot, impaled, bludgeoned to death, beheaded, dismembered, skinned alive, and ground into meat.<br />
<b>Sex/Nudity: </b>Heather and Ryan make out, with Heather only wearing a bra on top. Nikki strips to her bra and panties on several occasions.<br />
<b>Language: </b>Countless four-letter words. A couple mentions of “retard.”<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
Highly doubtful. Even if she’s a horror film buff, avoid this one and watch the original.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DlZxIvfic0k/UZOeBoivVLI/AAAAAAAAEjY/dpKlk8oO8UM/s1600/Dan+Yeager+Leatherface+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DlZxIvfic0k/UZOeBoivVLI/AAAAAAAAEjY/dpKlk8oO8UM/s320/Dan+Yeager+Leatherface+TEXAS+CHAINSAW+3D+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Hmmm...decisions, decisions...</div>
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<b>Texas Chainsaw</b><br />
* Director: John Luessenhop<br />
* Screenwriters: Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan, Kirsten Elms<br />
* Stars: Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde, Scott Eastwood, Dan Yeager, Trey Songz, Shaun Sipos, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, James MacDonald, Thom Barry, Paul Rae, Richard Riehle, Bill Moseley<br />
* MPAA Rating: R<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00CL4BQHE" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00BM4Q4H6" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00BM4Q4N0" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Texas-Chainsaw/70242803" target="_blank">Rent <i>Texas Chainsaw </i>from Netflix >></a></b>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-88303431896803806572013-05-09T08:08:00.000-04:002013-05-15T11:40:19.719-04:00Bee Movie (2007)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ld8Ismt0fnQ/UYgJli-ov7I/AAAAAAAAEhc/2BJArrQ1fkk/s1600/1+bee-pictures-bee-movie-barry-seinfeld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ld8Ismt0fnQ/UYgJli-ov7I/AAAAAAAAEhc/2BJArrQ1fkk/s200/1+bee-pictures-bee-movie-barry-seinfeld.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>MY AFFECTION FOR DreamWorks Animation </b>has definitely grown over the last five years, thanks to more deeply developed offerings such as the <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2011/07/kung-fu-panda-2-2011.html"><i>Kung Fu Panda</i></a> films, <i>How to Train Your Dragon, </i>and last year’s <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2013/03/rise-of-guardians-2012_19.html"><i>Rise of the Guardians</i></a>.<br />
<br />
But before that, <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/search/label/dreamworks">DreamWorks</a>’ output lacked the depth and imagination that <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/search/label/Pixar">Pixar</a> was providing in droves. And 2007’s <i><b>Bee Movie </b></i>is (hopefully) one of the last installments of that earlier time.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUadGkgeq3Q/UYgJevpGl0I/AAAAAAAAEhM/QRaRAPdvp7I/s1600/2+bee-movie-barry-vanessa-seinfeld-zellweger-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wUadGkgeq3Q/UYgJevpGl0I/AAAAAAAAEhM/QRaRAPdvp7I/s200/2+bee-movie-barry-vanessa-seinfeld-zellweger-2.jpg" width="200" /></a>Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) is a college grad who’s eager to begin his career as a worker bee in his hive. Since bees have a short lifespan, he knows he has to make his career choice count – once a bee picks a job in the hive, they’re stuck with it for the rest of their (abbreviated) life. While out collecting pollen, Barry befriends Vanessa (Renée Zellweger), a human who values all living things, including Barry. When Barry is outraged that people have been “stealing” bees’ honey for years, Vanessa helps him file a lawsuit against the human race.<br />
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<b><i>Bee Movie </i>is pollinated here and there with make-you-smile cleverness, </b>but out-loud laughs are few. Many jokes will go over kids’ heads, but the punchlines won’t satisfy the adults who get them. (It really took four writers to come up with this?)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVhe_QPdQK_-8TktygY2O0VnBqL32akyXtPgotFcJMXEbANC69EtWh6_S1UawVh_Aus7GWwYFYE3JZEV_zo4nAEeEiux-ZExsKvSBFXCFgN1zHdHnrBFyleu78jdamL8PLDuYjMjjnNiQ/s1600/3+bee+movie+courtoom+john+goodman+layton+montgomery.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVhe_QPdQK_-8TktygY2O0VnBqL32akyXtPgotFcJMXEbANC69EtWh6_S1UawVh_Aus7GWwYFYE3JZEV_zo4nAEeEiux-ZExsKvSBFXCFgN1zHdHnrBFyleu78jdamL8PLDuYjMjjnNiQ/s200/3+bee+movie+courtoom+john+goodman+layton+montgomery.png" width="200" /></a>In addition to uneven humor and lack of character depth, <b>the film demands huge suspensions of disbelief. </b>The fact that Vanessa accepts and befriends a talking bee after only a few moments is hard to swallow, not to mention the swarms of people in the courtroom during Barry’s lawsuit trial who also seem unaffected by Barry’s ability to speak. It’s also tough buying the seasoned, “lemme tell ya” voice of 53-year-old Jerry Seinfeld as a recent college graduate. (If you’re dying for a Jerry/Puddy reunion, <i>Seinfeld</i>’s Patrick Warburton voices Vanessa’s arrogant and jealous boyfriend, Ken.)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QOJMKcOSx2s/UYgJn07K5gI/AAAAAAAAEhw/KUUrTJSpIsQ/s1600/4+bee+movie+barry+sunglasses+pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QOJMKcOSx2s/UYgJn07K5gI/AAAAAAAAEhw/KUUrTJSpIsQ/s200/4+bee+movie+barry+sunglasses+pool.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><i>Bee Movie </i>starts with a promising premise </b>– questioning the idea of having one monotonous job your entire life (a la <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2012/11/wreck-it-ralph-2012.html"><i>Wreck-It Ralph</i></a>) – but soon devolves into a much less engaging plot involving a courtroom trial that kids won’t care about, much less understand. Uneven and too clever for its own good, <i>Bee Movie </i>provides occasional glimpses of inspiration, but ultimately not enough sting.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoVxwJ37hkY/UYgKarZgDVI/AAAAAAAAEiA/T7mk-jVEbU0/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoVxwJ37hkY/UYgKarZgDVI/AAAAAAAAEiA/T7mk-jVEbU0/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_MFLoT20mPk/UYgKhhf5rTI/AAAAAAAAEiI/Uk6Q1EDWEdY/s1600/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_MFLoT20mPk/UYgKhhf5rTI/AAAAAAAAEiI/Uk6Q1EDWEdY/s1600/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What did FilmBoy and Jack-Jack think?</span></b></span></div>
FilmBoy stayed with <i>Bee Movie </i>for the first hour, but then his attention waned and he started looking at his Pokemon cards. His final verdict: “It was okay.” Meanwhile, Jack-Jack soaked in every bit, getting visibly animated at much of what was going on.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<i>Bee Movie </i>is rated PG for "mild suggestive humor."<br />
<b>Language: </b>A bee accuses Barry of “making out” with Vanessa. When he needs to go to the bathroom, Barry declares he needs to “drain the ol’ stinger.” A bee says of a female co-worker, “She’s hot!” Barry describes a character as being “very Jewish.” In a low moment, Barry and Vanessa jokingly discuss a “suicide pact” and how they would do it. One mention each of “drag queen,” “poo water,” and “heaving buttocks.”<br />
<b>Violence: </b>Vanessa stabs herself with a fork to make sure she’s not dreaming. Barry has a dream where Vanessa crashes a plane she’s piloting and it bursts into flames. There are several scenes of slapstick punching and slapping. Ken tries to swat, smash, and light Barry on fire during a fight.<br />
<b>Adult Themes: </b>There’s an ongoing theme, though handled lightheartedly, of dying and death due to the bee’s short lifespan.<br />
<b>Smoking: </b>A human passerby smokes a cigarette.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
The images and premise of <i>Bee Movie </i>may appeal to her, but she may balk at the pedestrian humor and questionable adult material in such a child-targeted film.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEYTt0e4Z_JSE56S-MefxEh_TSEdv6mX5RL5yFaCgqA7QQrLbR2KT6Eq4luCbEBbA7iEriGq5WuIcQRX950h8B_bZxKNbhuce51u5Mh1_xwoP37uHA_R0y0JQ9ng1nmGo8DDAx5Tv7koe/s1600/X+bee-movie-barry-ken-tennis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQEYTt0e4Z_JSE56S-MefxEh_TSEdv6mX5RL5yFaCgqA7QQrLbR2KT6Eq4luCbEBbA7iEriGq5WuIcQRX950h8B_bZxKNbhuce51u5Mh1_xwoP37uHA_R0y0JQ9ng1nmGo8DDAx5Tv7koe/s320/X+bee-movie-barry-ken-tennis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wow – that's one honey of a serve!<br />
(Oh, boo-hiss to you, too.)</div>
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<b>Bee Movie</b><br />
* Directors: Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith<br />
* Screenwriters: Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, Andy Robin<br />
* Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Eddie Izzard, Alan Arkin, Megan Mullally, Rip Torn, Larry Miller, Barry Levinson<br />
* MPAA Rating: PG<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005MLP71Y" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0011ZNAIC" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00005JPS6" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0044RFTD8" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Bee-Movie/70060010" target="_blank">Rent <i>Bee Movie </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-83444624275412343602013-05-09T08:00:00.000-04:002013-05-09T08:00:13.988-04:00Congrats to the winner of the Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film Collection!And... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowKpu6PJxgH_72yThHyR9QFk2GG2VTX4s4Wb_JHRo1SFjQq7GOVejOC5nzxsvGoAX3WoLGUKYkxZa78iYmIE-KnLEHS1x0aXUfluaSefoQ2RP9_uG_sWDSeBXU_gqLk9TOMsCljbnT_jP/s1600/photo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjowKpu6PJxgH_72yThHyR9QFk2GG2VTX4s4Wb_JHRo1SFjQq7GOVejOC5nzxsvGoAX3WoLGUKYkxZa78iYmIE-KnLEHS1x0aXUfluaSefoQ2RP9_uG_sWDSeBXU_gqLk9TOMsCljbnT_jP/s200/photo1.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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The winner is...<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCN2IBAdwdA/UYsPEGWrl3I/AAAAAAAAEio/23pQcqBbUJo/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mCN2IBAdwdA/UYsPEGWrl3I/AAAAAAAAEio/23pQcqBbUJo/s200/photo.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auWvl5oFEXQ/UVikd1zFYxI/AAAAAAAAEbY/P3qFx8qsOzI/s1600/IMG00477-20130331-1655.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auWvl5oFEXQ/UVikd1zFYxI/AAAAAAAAEbY/P3qFx8qsOzI/s1600/IMG00477-20130331-1655.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Amy Bond</span>!</span></b><br />
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Thanks to everyone who entered the <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2013/05/win-best-of-warner-bros-100-film.html">contest</a> - and for making this my most popular giveaway ever.<br />
<br />FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-7736666949409703602013-05-02T00:00:00.000-04:002013-05-02T00:00:11.015-04:00Win the Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film Collection! (a $600 value)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcg7TEPoHFHYGtOmWd4RT_AlGOhtwtb5OCgKWFLW48r_pCSbQvyPjb7i-tc7adkU8MLXEf7a_FgFBZEiirelmX7lQ3938JWr4YnAnP8WeIoaOt7llulJkPZyMuBDNTwH4SGkykIduVMp6/s1600/Best+of+Warner+Bros+100+Film+Collection-+large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcg7TEPoHFHYGtOmWd4RT_AlGOhtwtb5OCgKWFLW48r_pCSbQvyPjb7i-tc7adkU8MLXEf7a_FgFBZEiirelmX7lQ3938JWr4YnAnP8WeIoaOt7llulJkPZyMuBDNTwH4SGkykIduVMp6/s200/Best+of+Warner+Bros+100+Film+Collection-+large.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>I CAN’T BELIEVE I’m giving this away:</b> You could win the Best of Warner Bros. 100 Film Collection!<br />
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This collection makes a great last-minute Mother’s Day gift. It features 100 classic films (including all 22 of Warner Bros.’ Best Picture™ winners) on 55 DVDs, presented in book-style premium packaging. It also includes two all-new documentaries, <i>Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot </i>and <i>The Warner Bros. Lot Tour, </i>plus hours of commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more on select films, as well as a limited edition 27” x 40” poster and a postcard series of Warner Bros. movie posters designed by the legendary Bill Gold. <a href="http://www.bestofwb.com/100-film-collection.html" target="_blank">View full film list</a><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">How to Enter:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li>Comment on this post by <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #990000;">May 8, 2013</span><span style="color: #660000;">.</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><b>You must provide a way for me to contact you if you win. </b>For example, y</span></span>our e-mail address must be available on the page/site that's linked to your name ("<span style="color: blue;"><u>Bob</u></span> said...") or include your email or Twitter handle in your comment.</li>
<li>I will pick one comment at random and post the winner. </li>
<li>Prize is available to U.S. mailing addresses only. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(No P.O. Boxes, please.)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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After you’ve entered, check out the <b>Mother’s Day Movie Night Blog App, </b>featuring:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Guess-the-Scene </b>– How well do you know the silver screen’s most famous love stories and sing-a-longs? Test your knowledge on the world’s greatest films. The quicker you pick, the more points you score!</li>
<li><b>Words in Film </b>– Select your mood and let quotes and images from film express how you’re feeling.</li>
<li><b>Movie Night Conversation Starters </b>– Watching a classic flick together is the perfect opportunity to catch up and share stories. This Mother’s Day, make it a point to connect with your family and give them a chance to learn something about mom they never knew!</li>
</ul>
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You can also download <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/partners-hub/wb-90th-mothers-day/en/pdfs/PerfectMothersDay.pdf" target="_blank">“My Perfect Mother’s Day” (PDF)</a>, a fun fill-in-the-blank sheet you can fill out and hang on your fridge for your whole family to see.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;">Good luck!</span></span></b></div>
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<center>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="620" scrolling="auto" src="https://archive.partnershub.com/embeds/253/wb-90th-mothers-day/widget/wb-90th-mothers-day/" width="520"></iframe></center>
FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-49104739729174085102013-04-24T08:08:00.000-04:002013-04-24T09:26:33.388-04:00Superfights (1995)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7T9ckpwq8QWsxC6WXdLOhQwH4DPl_N28Q3dhTyuOJIPeebr6UXazopOJ9bYEs9ijfqXivCbEf1bJmHJIt_LfpeSjOZaPfRnBDQma490NDhoxnfUpDoiFOBHqTbbA0Ij8pesWcG4fcdeV/s1600/1+Superfights+movie+cast+superfighters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7T9ckpwq8QWsxC6WXdLOhQwH4DPl_N28Q3dhTyuOJIPeebr6UXazopOJ9bYEs9ijfqXivCbEf1bJmHJIt_LfpeSjOZaPfRnBDQma490NDhoxnfUpDoiFOBHqTbbA0Ij8pesWcG4fcdeV/s200/1+Superfights+movie+cast+superfighters.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>SOMETIMES, I WORRY that I won’t see another film worthy of <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/search/label/Trashterpiece%20Theatre">Trashterpiece Theatre</a>. </b>But then along comes a movie like <i>Superfights</i>, and all is right with the world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh624ZlTgRaS3Cnbfsd8HCck0_vw31e6I5v2hI6jf9YU9qxs_SJVsQuhXwatzgUItLmcXfLriaEuj7X1RIKwRP0VN6B0iiHNm-Tlq6uQsCfC4mm8JDdqDag9nic7tkNPOQKaqdnf3mpY9Dr/s1600/Trashterpiece+Theatre.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh624ZlTgRaS3Cnbfsd8HCck0_vw31e6I5v2hI6jf9YU9qxs_SJVsQuhXwatzgUItLmcXfLriaEuj7X1RIKwRP0VN6B0iiHNm-Tlq6uQsCfC4mm8JDdqDag9nic7tkNPOQKaqdnf3mpY9Dr/s1600/Trashterpiece+Theatre.png" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYlwYgBy061vtV5fUr_8j23fnw_r6tq2eWJPI5YCv3RBSDRkuE27WdV2DnPHaSwC9aA_Ns-3nLIQ0KX9ULbpFIU2xvjegF8cKa4yldchOMYNuloYNOCsWy5Q_Oa13EkfOlvM1y05gvqac/s1600/2+Superfights+Brandon+Gaines+Jack+Cody+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYlwYgBy061vtV5fUr_8j23fnw_r6tq2eWJPI5YCv3RBSDRkuE27WdV2DnPHaSwC9aA_Ns-3nLIQ0KX9ULbpFIU2xvjegF8cKa4yldchOMYNuloYNOCsWy5Q_Oa13EkfOlvM1y05gvqac/s200/2+Superfights+Brandon+Gaines+Jack+Cody+2.jpg" width="200" /></a>“Superfights,” as if I have to tell you, are a type of pro wrestling/martial arts hybrid – “where no one knows the outcome!” the announcer assures us – with Superfighters sporting gimmicky nicknames such as Budokai, Dark Cloud, and Night Stalker. Mega-fan Jack Cody (Brandon Gaines) attends every event, even teaching himself the moves he sees his favorite Superfighters perform. (Conveniently, he works in a warehouse full of mannequins, which he uses as practice dummies.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7Cvlr0e0CaNkYG8J6sx4jUTui0-qE3mTcd8QAQf8LjTuMo3PDkisdVlaBiMaMZHr8xxTqsLm57PG_syJ9mRe4SZ-wFnrgbq-ccDufoi4TDZLz7JKBqHWW93_sc00wgc3GYcst8COVu8C/s1600/3+Superfights+Angel+Kelly+Gallant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7Cvlr0e0CaNkYG8J6sx4jUTui0-qE3mTcd8QAQf8LjTuMo3PDkisdVlaBiMaMZHr8xxTqsLm57PG_syJ9mRe4SZ-wFnrgbq-ccDufoi4TDZLz7JKBqHWW93_sc00wgc3GYcst8COVu8C/s200/3+Superfights+Angel+Kelly+Gallant.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYlwYgBy061vtV5fUr_8j23fnw_r6tq2eWJPI5YCv3RBSDRkuE27WdV2DnPHaSwC9aA_Ns-3nLIQ0KX9ULbpFIU2xvjegF8cKa4yldchOMYNuloYNOCsWy5Q_Oa13EkfOlvM1y05gvqac/s1600/2+Superfights+Brandon+Gaines+Jack+Cody+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>After Jack becomes a local celebrity by beating up a trio of would-be muggers, he’s recruited by Superfights president Mr. Sawyer (Keith Vitali) to compete in the ring. Jack trains with Angel (Kelly Gallant), a freakishly muscular female Superfighter who overtly flirts with Jack but may have ulterior motives. <b>Watch in amazement as Angel trains Jack using the latest advancements in 1995 technology,</b> including punching at a stream of light and dodging giant phallic pipes that dart out of the walls.<br />
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Oh, I almost forgot: Mr. Sawyer’s Superfights empire might be a front for extortion, drug running, mind control, and murder.<br />
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<b><i>Superfights </i>captures the pure essence of direct-to-video, B-movie action flicks of the mid-‘90s. </b>The B-level acting. The hokey, overly serious training montages. The meathead, be-the-best mentality of the fighters. The gratuitous violence. The melodramatic soundtrack, awash in mid-‘90s synth and squealing guitar riffs. This one’s got it all, set against the martial arts hotbed of…Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.<br />
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The film also features other ridiculous moments, such as Jack getting attacked by a ninja while jogging in broad daylight – a ninja who, while fleeing, literally tells Jack to “just say no” to the “vitamins” supplied by Angel as part of Jack’s Superfighters regimen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHY0WjvTX1bSHudpIWZs7QU1xFtCvD8FOiV19quuKdEQx-p1mUAPpG_Lc9cXlC6zBJJ66iIseoGvXG0163xxEF6Cx9isqrhk2Yw7t_yfiKxb1xhdjJkh6y_8LERwWnZUC6bxnoM0n6oiwE/s1600/4+Superfights+Brandon+Gaines+Jack+Cody+Chuck+Jeffreys+Dark+Cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHY0WjvTX1bSHudpIWZs7QU1xFtCvD8FOiV19quuKdEQx-p1mUAPpG_Lc9cXlC6zBJJ66iIseoGvXG0163xxEF6Cx9isqrhk2Yw7t_yfiKxb1xhdjJkh6y_8LERwWnZUC6bxnoM0n6oiwE/s200/4+Superfights+Brandon+Gaines+Jack+Cody+Chuck+Jeffreys+Dark+Cloud.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>All that being said, the fight scenes in <i>Superfights </i>are in-<i>sane</i>. </b>Director and fight choreographer Tony Leung gives us dozens of fights featuring rapid-fire exchanges, impressive editing, and over-exaggerated impact with blood, sweat, and spit flying everywhere. It culminates in a multi-fight finale between Cody and Sawyer that’s so amazing, I immediately replayed it once the credits started to roll.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwckarRhLGD4ZhOmernQALHcTN53ZffE7a9TOj8wvVX15dDO9yjZj9F6rNTnOblpGNim4UZ-g5AvS2qSMzww9JazAMMSVQy8Cy3NlXRwT7HtKb1VsMcgBvJYF3hUBwFjadMmQAAtslX5eW/s1600/5+Superfights+Final+Battle+jack+cody+brandon+gaines.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwckarRhLGD4ZhOmernQALHcTN53ZffE7a9TOj8wvVX15dDO9yjZj9F6rNTnOblpGNim4UZ-g5AvS2qSMzww9JazAMMSVQy8Cy3NlXRwT7HtKb1VsMcgBvJYF3hUBwFjadMmQAAtslX5eW/s200/5+Superfights+Final+Battle+jack+cody+brandon+gaines.png" width="200" /></a>A real-life third-degree black belt, Gaines’ role in <i>Superfights </i>was his first and last in films; he’s now a <a href="http://www.wcspeakers.com/speaker.cfm?ID=9857" target="_blank">public speaker</a>, rabbi, and acupuncturist living in California. Gallant, unfortunately, has had her share of run-ins with the law since <i>Superfights</i>, including a <a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=9573721097744340276&hl=en&as_sdt=2&as_vis=1&oi=scholarr" target="_blank">wrongful death lawsuit</a> and recent arrests for <a href="http://florida.arrests.org/Arrests/Kelly_Gallant_4907365/" target="_blank">DUI</a> and <a href="https://mugme.org/mugshot.aspx?n=Kelly%20Gallant&mid=401216" target="_blank">probation violation</a>.<br />
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<b>Highly entertaining and a candidate for repeat viewing, </b><i>Superfights </i>delivers the goods in both martial arts action and cheeseballiness – rightfully earning its spot in the Trashterpiece pantheon.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jD6aAPBE2V0/UXaxjSDtFeI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/Pxq1GJWdYjo/s1600/6+Superfights+Rob+Van+Dam+Mercenary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jD6aAPBE2V0/UXaxjSDtFeI/AAAAAAAAEfQ/Pxq1GJWdYjo/s200/6+Superfights+Rob+Van+Dam+Mercenary.jpg" width="200" /></a>(<b>Bonus: </b>Watch for a brief appearance by wrestling legend <a href="http://robvandam.com/" target="_blank">Rob Van Dam</a> as a doomed Superfighter. His fight was originally supposed to be much shorter, but the filmmakers were so impressed with his physical abilities that they made his fight longer and took a full day to shoot.)<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLTBotTtPodbpHNsYhTYw1iyAl19Jn5FXzA-h_wH8M-95VoggMC9Piu3wdRxVGRAKJ9DUrJHZyiCCPF-Yc8A_X2Cp0tEeBl0Ai_Q08q650pbLBifge71RsVZ-uuxWsHXRcZnFNQI2eriQ/s1600/rating_4.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLTBotTtPodbpHNsYhTYw1iyAl19Jn5FXzA-h_wH8M-95VoggMC9Piu3wdRxVGRAKJ9DUrJHZyiCCPF-Yc8A_X2Cp0tEeBl0Ai_Q08q650pbLBifge71RsVZ-uuxWsHXRcZnFNQI2eriQ/s1600/rating_4.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<b>Violence: </b>The Superfights get increasingly violent, leading to bloodied faces and broken bones. Superfighters beat up citizens and two-bit hoods while collecting “protection” money. Several people are beaten to death, many with blood spurting from their mouths. A man is bloodily decapitated by a ceiling fan.<br />
<b>Sex/Nudity: </b>Angel is seen briefly nude from behind as she enters a shower. Jack and Angel share a kiss wearing nothing but bathrobes. Angel makes several overt advances on Jack, with lots of grabbing and groping. Sawyer and Angel are shown getting dressed post-coitus.<br />
<b>Language: </b>“A**hole,” “bulls**t,” “s**t”<br />
<b>Drugs: </b>Superfighters are shown taking Sawyer’s steroid-laced, mind-controlling “vitamins.” A man snorts cocaine.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
If she’s the kind of person who enjoys B-movies and talking back to the screen, but doesn’t mind some violence and bloodshed thrown in the mix, <i>Superfights </i>could be a great film for you to share. Otherwise, check it out yourself or with some friends.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Experience the awesome <i>Superfights </i>trailer,</b></div>
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<b>then try in vain to fight your urge to see the film:</b></div>
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o-hcbZpWNA0?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></center>
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<b>Superfights</b><br />
* Director: Tony Leung<br />
* Screenwriter: Keith W. Strandberg<br />
* Stars: Brandon Gaines, Feihong Yu, Keith Vitali, Kelly Gallant, Chuck Jeffreys, Cliff Lenderman, Brian Ruth, Patrick Lung-Kong, Karen Bill<br />
* MPAA Rating: PG-13<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00009B8BU" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Superfights/60028996" target="_blank">Rent <i>Superfights</i> from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-31332594946444648422013-04-20T07:00:00.000-04:002013-04-25T16:33:11.553-04:00Win a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack of The Guilt Trip and a Deluxe Spa Kit!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8vpIl3tip0/UW23MgVy7DI/AAAAAAAAEeU/VM1jGCuo73E/s1600/The+Guilt+Trip+-+Mother%27s+Day+Blu-ray+DVD+Target+-+single.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8vpIl3tip0/UW23MgVy7DI/AAAAAAAAEeU/VM1jGCuo73E/s200/The+Guilt+Trip+-+Mother%27s+Day+Blu-ray+DVD+Target+-+single.png" width="165" /></a><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>JUST IN TIME FOR MOTHER'S DAY:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;">You could win a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack of <i>The Guilt Trip </i>starring Seth Rogen and Barbra Streisand, plus a deluxe spa kit.</span></span><br />
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The Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack comes ready-wrapped and includes a pop-up Mother's Day greeting card with audio message:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBhTLkcF2yJpQxzELe4IUbGwZgfn62P4WwwURODkz6mUTdL9VEleaJk7KbMoKM7yYNb8iJF1GtAEFDjg5wFUIkrSTZIp7P0R3rMpRO5Rc4Ks280pTioCrv_C_bxrHp4tpB2X83TVcqDBA/s1600/The+Guilt+Trip+-+Mother%27s+Day+Blu-ray+DVD+Target+-+spread.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaBhTLkcF2yJpQxzELe4IUbGwZgfn62P4WwwURODkz6mUTdL9VEleaJk7KbMoKM7yYNb8iJF1GtAEFDjg5wFUIkrSTZIp7P0R3rMpRO5Rc4Ks280pTioCrv_C_bxrHp4tpB2X83TVcqDBA/s320/The+Guilt+Trip+-+Mother%27s+Day+Blu-ray+DVD+Target+-+spread.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click to enlarge</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIQGeaRCfaUylu0H6tsFk7tasb3JdPSECbqRk8H5S7cvubU-0elKDWTlrS_hJeHbW5-rN0eD0hGbcpBqWlXnyd-wK3WWw3bnjbVopuT4sbK2ek1fnDDt8gehQT6jyuRN7B-bRRDY0z74m/s1600/GIFT_BASKET_CC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqIQGeaRCfaUylu0H6tsFk7tasb3JdPSECbqRk8H5S7cvubU-0elKDWTlrS_hJeHbW5-rN0eD0hGbcpBqWlXnyd-wK3WWw3bnjbVopuT4sbK2ek1fnDDt8gehQT6jyuRN7B-bRRDY0z74m/s200/GIFT_BASKET_CC.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">click to enlarge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>The spa kit includes: </b>sauna basket, olive & aloe soap, honey & calendula moisturizer, cool mint foot scrub, Whenever shampoo and conditioner, anti-stress shower gel, whitening toothpaste, early-to-bed shower gel, loofa, pumice stone, massaging brush, nail brush, and hair brush.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">How to Enter:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li>Comment on this post by <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #990000;">April 28, 2013</span><span style="color: #660000;">.</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><b>You must provide a way for me to contact you if you win. </b>For example, y</span></span>our e-mail address must be available on the page/site that's linked to your name ("<span style="color: blue;"><u>Bob</u></span> said...") or include your e-mail or Twitter handle in your comment.</li>
<li>I will pick one comment at random and post the winner. </li>
<li>Prize is available to U.S. mailing addresses only. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(No P.O. Boxes, please.)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Good luck!</b></span></div>
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7FMQLzOq1i4?rel=0" width="400"></iframe></center>
FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-8488093033194609092013-04-15T15:23:00.000-04:002013-04-15T23:26:30.806-04:00GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (2012)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0z6-E5O_8vY/UWxRQNkMi6I/AAAAAAAAEdY/UjTrLkP15fw/s1600/1+GLOW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0z6-E5O_8vY/UWxRQNkMi6I/AAAAAAAAEdY/UjTrLkP15fw/s200/1+GLOW.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>I BECAME A FAN OF PRO WRESTLING in late 1984, </b>in the months leading up to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF)’s first WrestleMania. It all started for me with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine defeating Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Championship and tearing Tito’s ACL with the dreaded figure-four leglock. (Don’t worry, fans: Santana regained the title the following summer in a steel cage match.)<br />
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While the WWF (now <a href="http://www.wwe.com/" target="_blank">WWE</a>) had its share of cartoonish two-dimensional characters during the ‘80s, it was nothing compared to the first all-women wrestling organization, the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvjSsW8krvZaIHj-LNRJnVszOLr6fguag1qfSfHNUAxkTy5PPOP0-KXBs8zfIH90Z4kksMAouQvCR-dLdF_h8a3-DPLJfKUDP_qI_tJTR1Wao7MRaq49x8LHpZ-2A4avx3sKk_hvvmYU1/s1600/2+glow+matilda+the+hun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvjSsW8krvZaIHj-LNRJnVszOLr6fguag1qfSfHNUAxkTy5PPOP0-KXBs8zfIH90Z4kksMAouQvCR-dLdF_h8a3-DPLJfKUDP_qI_tJTR1Wao7MRaq49x8LHpZ-2A4avx3sKk_hvvmYU1/s200/2+glow+matilda+the+hun.jpg" width="173" /></a>From 1986 until its abrupt end in 1990, GLOW’s roster was comprised entirely of “gimmick” wrestlers sporting clichéd ringwear and names like Ninotchka, Hollywood, Babe the Farmer’s Daughter, Matilda the Hun, Tina Ferrari, Dementia, Mt. Fiji, Jailbait, Lightning, Godiva, The Heavy Metal Sisters, and Big Bad Mama. With its weekly TV show from the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, which featured matches as well as skits with punchlines on the level of <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062601/" target="_blank">Laugh-In</a></i> or <a href="http://www.heehaw.com/" target="_blank"><i>Hee Haw</i></a>, GLOW made the WWF look like <i>Masterpiece Theatre</i>.<br />
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The documentary <i><b>GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling </b></i>takes a look back at this campy yet groundbreaking organization through interviews with the women who lived it. There are no third-party “experts” or wrestling historians telling the GLOW story; the women speak for themselves, discussing how they each got started, the essence of their characters, and the rigors of training and performing.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xr1iVLJ0BU4/UWxRQM3a_0I/AAAAAAAAEdQ/PM7LDUXfEAI/s1600/3+GLOW+ninotchka+lori+palmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xr1iVLJ0BU4/UWxRQM3a_0I/AAAAAAAAEdQ/PM7LDUXfEAI/s200/3+GLOW+ninotchka+lori+palmer.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>The women also talk about dealing with the mental and verbal abuse </b>doled out by mercurial GLOW director/promoter Matt Cimber, who had a Hollywood background (his ex was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0543790" target="_blank">Jayne Mansfield</a>) and a close friendship with Riviera owner Meshulam Riklis, whose then-wife was actress Pia Zadora (<a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2010/12/santa-claus-conquers-martians-1964.html"><i>Santa Claus Conquers the Martians</i></a>). Interestingly, the two male driving forces behind GLOW – Cimber and creator/host Mike McClaine – declined to be interviewed for the film.<br />
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<b>What’s also interesting about <i>GLOW: </i>Not a single wrestler badmouths her experience. </b>There’s not an iota of resentment from any of them. These women saw themselves as a very unified group (the term “sisterhood” is used more than once) and they’re enthusiastic to discuss their time with GLOW, whether the memories are good or bad. In fact, any hardship at the hands of their bosses – including Cimber’s frequent jabs at their weight – gets laughed off by those who are retelling it.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x21Tio6bzeY/UWxRRUWjMUI/AAAAAAAAEdw/1OtHHAnqNEM/s1600/4+glow+mt+fiji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x21Tio6bzeY/UWxRRUWjMUI/AAAAAAAAEdw/1OtHHAnqNEM/s200/4+glow+mt+fiji.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Similarly, if you’re looking for an exploitative exposé on ‘80s excess, you won’t find it here. </b>There are no scandals, no tales of debauchery, no drug arrests, no steroid use, no complaints of any of the wrestlers being a “bad worker.” And no one is still trudging around the ring like some decrepit relic a la <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2009/02/wrestler-2008.html"><i>The Wrestler</i></a>’s Randy the Ram. (The only sad story is that of Mt. Fiji, who’s interviewed from a hospital bed as she has spent several years in a nursing home.) The film culminates in an emotional GLOW reunion, the only one that’s ever taken place since the organization folded more than 20 years ago.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAwJU8rpRXOLWdrpUzk0YihTy2KKy1ijrLij7A4mcsD3ffA1qGWTxe9j9fg5f_PQtpC3D7JA_NBVqJfqBBBD-juCwtE9ZU9tIkeq3IaO7SK-vATVgCilH9YI8v3izV1syrbzUpeLK2MZW/s1600/5+glow+gorgeous+ladies+of+wrestling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbAwJU8rpRXOLWdrpUzk0YihTy2KKy1ijrLij7A4mcsD3ffA1qGWTxe9j9fg5f_PQtpC3D7JA_NBVqJfqBBBD-juCwtE9ZU9tIkeq3IaO7SK-vATVgCilH9YI8v3izV1syrbzUpeLK2MZW/s200/5+glow+gorgeous+ladies+of+wrestling.jpg" width="200" /></a>What ever happened to the women of GLOW is probably not a burning question on people’s minds in 2013. But for fans of ‘80s wrestling like me, it was enjoyable to watch these ladies reminisce fondly about their time in the ring. <b>They were a band of largely inexperienced sisters who created a weekly, successful all-female program in a male-dominated industry. </b>And that, in its purest sense, is something truly gorgeous.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating:</b></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35MnPF-5Fg6xkkxc-FzP9od1PO1tySGMzE0a4y48hA6du3mVEk8XnizF1vNRimez1SXXR3kWTcp5qFmMBN11NTfCXv0ANeviSvZy1C_hJpfda0sPV-4VTrUAaIx90BAZkE-jvUrgj7My2/s1600/rating_3.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35MnPF-5Fg6xkkxc-FzP9od1PO1tySGMzE0a4y48hA6du3mVEk8XnizF1vNRimez1SXXR3kWTcp5qFmMBN11NTfCXv0ANeviSvZy1C_hJpfda0sPV-4VTrUAaIx90BAZkE-jvUrgj7My2/s1600/rating_3.5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></span></b></div>
<b>Violence: </b>Wrestling matches featuring the GLOW women “attacking” each other. Gruesome footage is shown of Lightning breaking her arm during a match.<br />
<b>Sex/Nudity: </b>Archive footage is shown of a GLOW wrestler wearing nothing but a towel. Hollywood holds her issue of <i>Playboy</i>, though she covers up the photos of her spread.<br />
<b>Language: </b>A few four-letter words and derogatory terms for women.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</b></span></span></div>
Beneath the glitter and spandex, there are messages about women’s empowerment, unity, and perseverance. Any of these could be a reason for your FilmMother to watch this entertaining documentary with you. (Point of reference: My wife entered the room halfway through <i>GLOW,</i> working on other things. By the end, it had her full attention.)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdJGDX6DdQM/UWxRQ-jW7uI/AAAAAAAAEdk/rUC91TCq9Wc/s1600/x+glow+dementia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sdJGDX6DdQM/UWxRQ-jW7uI/AAAAAAAAEdk/rUC91TCq9Wc/s320/x+glow+dementia.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Whoa, whoa, whoa...I take it back, Itakeitback, <i>ITAKEITBAAAACK!!!</i></div>
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<b>GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling</b><br />
* Director: Brett Whitcomb<br />
* Screenwriter: Bradford Thomason<br />
* Stars: Lori Palmer (Ninotchka), Jeanne Basone (Hollywood), Ursula Hayden (Babe the Farmer’s Daughter), Dee Booher (Matilda the Hun), Lisa Moretti (Tina Ferrari), Emily Dole (Mt. Fiji), Trish Casella (Jailbait), Cheryl Rusa (Lightning), Dawn Rice (Godiva), Helena Le Count (Daisy), Donna Willinsky (Spike), Sharon Willinsky (Chainsaw), Lynn Braxton (Big Bad Mama), Matt Cimber<br />
* MPAA Rating: N/A<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00A6TMA0S" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00BLAAV34" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00BLAAJS6" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-26184618228033836592013-04-02T08:08:00.000-04:002013-04-02T09:38:23.274-04:00A Turtle’s Tale 2: Sammy’s Escape from Paradise (2012)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj390FQnlX5-lTpWe9CnmMbTdVWQDBepRoZ58C3eDf1WSLAPMbiPmk-lnkg0r6HG97eNhZewHWIpDIz2f6M6gmXxLoH46P6Y3gPBl4zgsFdnMD9rxPyfyB6Lp_WBrKacOjIhuXFl5RELoMS/s1600/1+sammygescape620+(300x169).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj390FQnlX5-lTpWe9CnmMbTdVWQDBepRoZ58C3eDf1WSLAPMbiPmk-lnkg0r6HG97eNhZewHWIpDIz2f6M6gmXxLoH46P6Y3gPBl4zgsFdnMD9rxPyfyB6Lp_WBrKacOjIhuXFl5RELoMS/s200/1+sammygescape620+(300x169).jpg" width="200" /></a><b>MY MAIN GRIPE ABOUT 2010's <i><a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-turtles-tale-sammys-adventures-2010.html">A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures</a> </i></b>was how such a beautifully animated film could house such a plodding story and minimal character development (not to mention a subtle-as-a-sledgehammer environmental message).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gdclFVrG03KtwCE1aVA8CmaB0ganOh74Td5aSZkH7ANyza0wih_luBcXsx5kD5sg2sJgXzNWcLrM-ll-mwwUr9F6F92r_RmgFcgD3AiH2ejBbvR1qwBz_GmeBtJLNBEec9jENEFsEIb0/s1600/2+Sammy2_looking_out_large+(300x205).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gdclFVrG03KtwCE1aVA8CmaB0ganOh74Td5aSZkH7ANyza0wih_luBcXsx5kD5sg2sJgXzNWcLrM-ll-mwwUr9F6F92r_RmgFcgD3AiH2ejBbvR1qwBz_GmeBtJLNBEec9jENEFsEIb0/s200/2+Sammy2_looking_out_large+(300x205).jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
The hope was that director Ben Stassen would beef up his story and its players for <i><b>A Turtle Tale’s 2: Sammy’s Escape from Paradise, </b></i>where we’re reunited with an advanced-age Sammy (Johnny Wesley) and his best friend Ray (Thomas Lee), who find themselves trapped by poachers and dumped into The Tank, a lavish underwater restaurant/aquarium. As they try to reunite with their grandkids Ella (Shyloh Oostwald) and Ricky (Carter Hastings), who have followed them to The Tank, Sammy and Ray try to hatch an escape plan to get past Big D (Dennis O’Connor), the tough-talking seahorse who rules the aquarium with an iron fin.<br />
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With <i>A Turtle’s Tale 2, </i>Stassen and his team have cut way back on the save-the-earth messaging of <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-turtles-tale-sammys-adventures-2010.html">the original <i>Turtle’s Tale</i></a><i>,</i> but <b>the imbalance between animation and character depth still remains.</b> Once again, the film is beautifully animated, with fluid character movement and sprawling seascapes. Unfortunately, the characters aren’t as engaging, nor is their dialogue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFduRZvyPrv05CjLop1LwmXC2ggsCxouiUbJ0z6oRup-Cp0Rkaq47cpm-k_FJtI_Nt_-Wwgd4N296ZyqNEKMVVXOjch6BXt7RtOj5iQQDmL0sRWsszryIxNp00JydC7BgrSBZvt7LuK-0b/s1600/3+Sammys-Great-Escape-010+(300x180).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFduRZvyPrv05CjLop1LwmXC2ggsCxouiUbJ0z6oRup-Cp0Rkaq47cpm-k_FJtI_Nt_-Wwgd4N296ZyqNEKMVVXOjch6BXt7RtOj5iQQDmL0sRWsszryIxNp00JydC7BgrSBZvt7LuK-0b/s200/3+Sammys-Great-Escape-010+(300x180).jpg" width="200" /></a><b>This one-dimensional approach to the creatures’ personalities isn’t limited to Sammy, Ray, and their grandturtles. </b>The inhabitants of The Tank are also one-note, stock stereotypes – a virtual United Nations of sea life sporting overbearing Spanish, French, and Italian accents, to name a few. And while Big D may be positioned as the big baddie who won’t let Sammy and Ray leave, he’s about as menacing as a tough-talking fish stick from Staten Island.<br />
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Save for one inspiring, extended sequence where Ella and Ricky are chased through the aquarium by a pair of barracudas, the action – whether to advance the plot or merely keep your attention – is virtually nil. It probably doesn’t help when your two leads are <b>a pair of old, slow-moving sea turtles who make <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2009/07/finding-nemo-2003.html"><i>Finding Nemo</i></a>’s Crush look like Usain Bolt.</b><br />
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<i>A Turtle’s Tale 2 </i>does feature an enjoyable yet odd use of a classic rock soundtrack, including Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower,” The Champs’ “Tequila,” and <b>the morbid choice of the B-52’s “Rock Lobster” </b>as a restaurant couple crack apart and slurp up a freshly served pair of the song’s titular crustaceans.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLW28vXwbSDyTOBwi2bhY-5LpRcbFdhOy55IcG5ISh_uTtCTg3TTV07U6x9-tQjs5fLOLpIMMVJYu8qZUV0mtVrtB40ae11xYhwggjKjvlE8xge7VQ6cB94XCg3tomyi7X4536i9oBdGX/s1600/4+A+Turtle%27s+Tale+2+(300x169).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLW28vXwbSDyTOBwi2bhY-5LpRcbFdhOy55IcG5ISh_uTtCTg3TTV07U6x9-tQjs5fLOLpIMMVJYu8qZUV0mtVrtB40ae11xYhwggjKjvlE8xge7VQ6cB94XCg3tomyi7X4536i9oBdGX/s200/4+A+Turtle%27s+Tale+2+(300x169).jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Just like its predecessor, <i>A Turtle’s Tale 2</i> is a disappointing and frustrating experience. </b>Stassen and his obviously talented team of animators and filmmakers have again put immense efforts into creating a visually enthralling world, but little to no effort into the characters who inhabit it. Gorgeous style, very little substance…and another wasted opportunity.<br />
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aka <i>Sammy’s Great Escape.</i><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMVoBRgUlvCZqFUtZ-I8HUSm35AFuqngIKFVqZmEhj7ADN3CpixMMLODtQenig9fjjDPdBHnKEffc6xrC9gQal3yOvU8mmFLI6VuR4Ek33kBLHXbeHSos6uBcJ654XH-OEFNDHpik6MeK/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsMVoBRgUlvCZqFUtZ-I8HUSm35AFuqngIKFVqZmEhj7ADN3CpixMMLODtQenig9fjjDPdBHnKEffc6xrC9gQal3yOvU8mmFLI6VuR4Ek33kBLHXbeHSos6uBcJ654XH-OEFNDHpik6MeK/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBscDRJbZqVaNmL1MbY3ZcM6bgYkYDFKD6OloEo4TD805OSvQNTc7R2Y0JzK4-pFwP2U55CfOdG-XzeGzyLfAJkyk8kKqmUZ34XdM_fMvs_je3siI3oVewUMDIKhbF0BJ1eQKPWJsdFO7/s1600/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBscDRJbZqVaNmL1MbY3ZcM6bgYkYDFKD6OloEo4TD805OSvQNTc7R2Y0JzK4-pFwP2U55CfOdG-XzeGzyLfAJkyk8kKqmUZ34XdM_fMvs_je3siI3oVewUMDIKhbF0BJ1eQKPWJsdFO7/s1600/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" /></a><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What did FilmBoy and Jack-Jack think?</span></b></span></div>
<i>A Turtle’s Tale 2</i> was unable to keep their attention. By the halfway point, they were doing other things while the film played in the background. (Truth be told, I was checking the clock by that point, too.) FilmBoy’s official verdict? “It wasn’t the best movie ever. It was okay. It was definitely better than the first one.”<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<b>Violence/Scariness: </b>Seagulls try to eat a group of turtle hatchlings as they make a run from the beach to the ocean. A couple of dopey little fish are eaten by a pair of barracudas (one gulp, no blood). Ella and Ricky are in danger of being eaten as they’re chased by the same barracudas.<br />
<b>Rude Humor: </b>Seagulls unleash a barrage of bird droppings on a boat’s crew.<br />
<b>Language: </b>One mention of “idiot.” An eel declares, “You don’t have a friggin’ clue.”<br />
<b>Alcohol: </b>Bartenders at a club in the aquarium mix and serve drinks.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
She may want to watch it based on the setting, premise, and cute box art, but steer her clear. She’ll be bored within the first 30 minutes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7JLnkTK_13w1a_x_Deq8IUaZxhcxUK4hdZLkgX3jvYO3MBFLwwufimh2LizlBGIpyEdIal5bOGhJ7TC7NwCAtT91V_b-KSXwQFVlP_jkc85eeeGZcPl4lwwZbZTd4lmus7qXK1fypVxt/s1600/X+A+Turtle%27s+Tale+2+Sammy%27s+Great+Escape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7JLnkTK_13w1a_x_Deq8IUaZxhcxUK4hdZLkgX3jvYO3MBFLwwufimh2LizlBGIpyEdIal5bOGhJ7TC7NwCAtT91V_b-KSXwQFVlP_jkc85eeeGZcPl4lwwZbZTd4lmus7qXK1fypVxt/s400/X+A+Turtle%27s+Tale+2+Sammy%27s+Great+Escape.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">"What a cutie. Shame to eat 'em in just one bite..."</span></div>
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<b>A Turtle’s Tale 2: Sammy’s Escape from Paradise</b><br />
* Directors: Ben Stassen, Vincent Kesteloot<br />
* Screenwriter: Dominic Paris<br />
* Stars: Johnny Wesley, Thomas Lee, Shyloh Oostwald, Carter Hastings, Dennis O’Connor<br />
* MPAA Rating: N/A<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00BSOAQQA" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00B7EQPNE" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/A-Turtle-s-Tale-2-Sammy-s-Escape-From-Paradise/70271110" target="_blank">Rent <i>A Turtle’s Tale 2: Sammy’s Escape from Paradise</i> from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-89380805407536739592013-03-31T17:06:00.000-04:002013-03-31T17:06:25.031-04:00Congrats to the winner of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack!And...<br />
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The winner is...<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auWvl5oFEXQ/UVikd1zFYxI/AAAAAAAAEbY/P3qFx8qsOzI/s1600/IMG00477-20130331-1655.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-auWvl5oFEXQ/UVikd1zFYxI/AAAAAAAAEbY/P3qFx8qsOzI/s200/IMG00477-20130331-1655.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egWPspKL9LY/UT06D43jj6I/AAAAAAAAEVc/1PhvZ7iGkNg/s1600/IMG00455-20130310-2007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtturktpfKVZjkaiTYeIbwvOGKbquwpsNi6NqnfqQsFlMPz5LtNtqM0xOUJe9sSPTIP5IpRqlEuYpZJPuzC2yaEOd9MD5n6Wwuxv9I-BMVfwx-b7TBoBwz1HXBb91DQm-ia5x_Y7-k6y0-/s1600/The+Hobbit+An+Unexpected+Journey+Bluray+DVD+Digital+Combo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtturktpfKVZjkaiTYeIbwvOGKbquwpsNi6NqnfqQsFlMPz5LtNtqM0xOUJe9sSPTIP5IpRqlEuYpZJPuzC2yaEOd9MD5n6Wwuxv9I-BMVfwx-b7TBoBwz1HXBb91DQm-ia5x_Y7-k6y0-/s200/The+Hobbit+An+Unexpected+Journey+Bluray+DVD+Digital+Combo.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/14818211552756821661" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b>Wh<span style="font-size: x-large;">it</span></b></span></b>!</span></b></a><br />
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Thanks to everyone who entered the <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2013/03/win-hobbit-unexpected-journey-blu-ray.html">contest</a>!<br />
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<br />FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-33366595169864001472013-03-26T11:22:00.000-04:002013-03-27T16:33:58.139-04:00A Talking Cat!?! (2013)<h3>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DBC6G_1xPm0/UVGww4ja1CI/AAAAAAAAEYs/9zyVTAhDQv0/s1600/1+A+Talking+Cat+-+Windows+Live+Photo+Gallery_2013-03-26_10-26-19+(200x146).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DBC6G_1xPm0/UVGww4ja1CI/AAAAAAAAEYs/9zyVTAhDQv0/s1600/1+A+Talking+Cat+-+Windows+Live+Photo+Gallery_2013-03-26_10-26-19+(200x146).jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><b>OFFICES OF RAPID HEART PICTURES, BURBANK, CA – SUMMER 2012</b></span></h3>
<br />
“Mornin’, Sam.”<br />
“Mornin’, Ralph.”<br />
“Listen, Sam, we’ve done great with our line of <a href="http://www.rapidheart.com/" target="_blank">Z-grade, homoerotic horror films</a>, but I think we need to broaden our audience. Let’s make a family-friendly kids film.”<br />
“Sure. What’d you have in mind?” <br />
“<i>A Talking Cat!?!</i>”<br />
“A talking cat? Where?!”<br />
“No, no – let’s make a movie <i>about </i>a talking cat.”<br />
“You had me at ‘let’s make a movie.’”<br />
“By the way, <i>A Talking Cat!?!</i> is also the title.”<br />
“We’re going to call a movie about a talking cat <i>A Talking Cat!?!</i>”<br />
“Yep. That’s two exclamation points and one question mark. To emphasize the wackiness.”<br />
“How about two question marks and one exclamation point?”<br />
“C’mon, Sam, that’d just look stupid.”<br />
“Don’t you think we should try and call it something remotely clever or cute, like <i>Cat Got Your Tongue </i>or <i>Kitten Caboodle? </i>Y’know, so it looks like we put an ounce of thought behind it?”<br />
“Nah. <i>A Talking Cat!?!</i> is direct, honest. Parents look for that in movies for their kids.”<br />
“So what’s the plot?”<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEn6Yza5NkbtjENfIIaEsO3YTml7Lg1Z6KUnn0yNRRUImttZ0ql3_KlXm9ZBIwNDyGZqrfg3SQK_c0HIqmr6pZfsX5GaX_NWjs4CHceTDb_WrszQb04ipiPVglANWXtg7xON4P1GoGq9nL/s1600/2+johnnywhitaker-thenandnow+(200x123).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEn6Yza5NkbtjENfIIaEsO3YTml7Lg1Z6KUnn0yNRRUImttZ0ql3_KlXm9ZBIwNDyGZqrfg3SQK_c0HIqmr6pZfsX5GaX_NWjs4CHceTDb_WrszQb04ipiPVglANWXtg7xON4P1GoGq9nL/s1600/2+johnnywhitaker-thenandnow+(200x123).jpg" /></a>“I dunno. Something simple that’s been done a hundred times over. How about two families who need to be brought together for some happy-ending reason…but with a talking cat.”<br />
“Works for me. What about the cast?”<br />
“Get a handful of some marginally competent teen actors. It doesn’t matter if they can actually act…kids who watch this won’t care.”<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yjDCH71CIXDpJGBteKC4jb5chpWn0RZ8OQc0HV5gsXDRFiWHxXhjvM6jyYFtpZJRsV6RvUZ_YD-zvh3yHE6qYOGIgbmxV6AfFW9nDZdibqGMCzZQXKohWmsmD5sg0n3_O-uMnfeUShDg/s1600/2.5+Sigmund+and+the+Sea+Monsters+(196x200).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yjDCH71CIXDpJGBteKC4jb5chpWn0RZ8OQc0HV5gsXDRFiWHxXhjvM6jyYFtpZJRsV6RvUZ_YD-zvh3yHE6qYOGIgbmxV6AfFW9nDZdibqGMCzZQXKohWmsmD5sg0n3_O-uMnfeUShDg/s1600/2.5+Sigmund+and+the+Sea+Monsters+(196x200).jpg" /></a>“Done.”<br />
“We also need some actors to keep the parents’ attention. Get some young actors from the ‘70s to play the adults. For the dad, let’s get the kid from <i>Sigmund and the Sea Monster</i>.”<br />
“You mean <i>Sigmund and the Sea <b>Monsters</b></i>.”<br />
“No, I think it’s <i>Monster</i>.”<br />
“I’m pretty sure it’s <i>Monsters. </i>Y’know, a quick Google search could settle this…”<br />
“No time. Just make sure it’s correct on the box.”<br />
“You got it.”<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-abbZHKppheE/UVGwyOQ-eYI/AAAAAAAAEY8/N2GU6zx1oFg/s1600/3+kristinedebell-thenandnow+(200x120).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-abbZHKppheE/UVGwyOQ-eYI/AAAAAAAAEY8/N2GU6zx1oFg/s1600/3+kristinedebell-thenandnow+(200x120).jpg" /></a>“For the female lead, get that girl-next-door cutie from <i>Meatballs</i>. The blonde.”<br />
“Yeah, she was cute. Those eyes. That smile…”<br />
“Focus, Sam.”<br />
“Hey, speaking of <i>Meatballs</i>, you think Bill Murray would do a cameo?”<br />
“<i>[blank stare]</i>”<br />
“Right. Never mind.”<br />
“Finally, we need someone to voice the cat. And that someone is Eric Roberts.”<br />
“Eric Roberts?”<br />
“Yeah. We can get him, cheap. He owes us for not talking about that <i>thing</i>…you know…”<br />
“Oh yeah…that <i>thing</i>…”<br />
“Mmm-hmm. But don’t have him talk like a fun-loving cat. Have him talk kinda like a smarmy robot. Kids love robots.”<br />
“A smarmy…robot…”<br />
“And make sure his voiceover sounds good. <b>Whatever you do, don’t make it sound like he recorded his lines using a rolled-up paper megaphone while standing in a large bathroom</b>.”<br />
“Question: How will we make the cat’s mouth move without spending a fortune?”<br />
“No sweat. My nephew’s a whiz with Microsoft Paint. I’ll buy him a six-pack of Red Bull, and he’ll make us an animated black hole for the cat’s mouth. In no way will it look like a pulsating black diamond with complete disregard to the actual words Roberts is saying.”<br />
“Great.”<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OLVv2895hO4/UVGwx9ViyNI/AAAAAAAAEZE/8PUpSPrAplo/s1600/4+A+Talking+Cat+(200x110).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OLVv2895hO4/UVGwx9ViyNI/AAAAAAAAEZE/8PUpSPrAplo/s1600/4+A+Talking+Cat+(200x110).jpg" /></a>“Also, work the story so the cat can only talk to each human once. It’ll cut down on the cost of the effects.”<br />
“But…”<br />
“Every penny counts, Sam.”<br />
“Uh-huh. Well, what about a director? Who’s gonna helm this masterpiece?”<br />
“Let’s get David to do it.”<br />
“David DeCoteau, the guy who runs this place?”<br />
“Yeah. He got his start with Roger Corman, so some of that has to rub off, right? At least we know he’ll bring it in under budget.”<br />
“After directing stuff like <i>Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama </i>and <i>Test Tube Teens From the Year 2000, </i>a flick about a talking cat should be no-brainer.”<br />
“Exactly. Oh, and he might use the pseudonym Mary Crawford. It’s his…thing.”<br />
“I wish I had a ‘thing.’ Should we scout locations?”<br />
“Nah. Let’s just use <a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Search?oq=&ac_posn=&v1=1313+mansion&search_submit=" target="_blank"><u>the same mansion from our <i>1313</i> films</u></a>.”<br />
“That was easy. What about the music score?”<br />
“Let’s get the guy who scores all the other films for Rapid Heart: Henry Mancini!”<br />
“Henry Mancini’s dead. I think you mean Harry Manfredini.”<br />
“Yeah, that guy. Did you know he scored all the <i>Friday the 13th </i>movies?”<br />
“Yes. Yes he did.”<br />
“For the trailer, here’s what I’m thinking…”<br />
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“Um, okay.”<br />
“Make sure to use Comic Sans for the title cards. It screams ‘professional filmmaking.’”<br />
“Plus, the kids will love it.”<br />
“Exactly. And make sure you show the cat’s butthole in close-up at least once. Kids will think that’s hysterical and they’ll talk about it for days.”<br />
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<h3>
<b><i>A TALKING CAT!?! </i>DVD RELEASE – FEBRUARY 2013</b></h3>
<br />
“Sam! Look at the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Talking-Whitaker-Kristine-Meatballs-Roberts/product-reviews/B00A47BTFY/ref=cm_cr_dp_qt_see_all_top?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1" target="_blank">buzz </a>for <i>A Talking Cat!?!</i> It’s a hit!”<br />
“Uh, don’t know if those reviews qualify it as a hit: ‘I swear my 10-year-old could make this film on her video camera.’ ‘The cat's acting is all thanks to a laser pointer that is clearly visible.’ ‘This is awesomely bad.’ Ralph, did we really screen <i>A Talking Cat!?! </i>at the Wisconsin Transgender Film Extravaganza?”<br />
“Who cares? The point is, people are talking about this film: on the world wide web, the blogosphere, even in those social mediums. You know what I’m thinking?”<br />
“No. What?”<br />
“Two words: Talking. Pony.”<br />
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<br />
“Oh God.”<br />
“I smell franchiiiiiise!!!”<br />
“I sure smell <i>something</i>.”<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What did FilmBoy think?</span></b></span></div>
Recently, FilmBoy’s been a bit of a connoisseur of bad movies. So it means a lot when he says of <i>A Talking Cat!?!, </i>“It makes <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2013/01/ratatoing-2007.html"><i>Ratatoing</i></a> look like a masterpiece.”<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
Aside from its inherent existence, there’s nothing inappropriate with <i>A Talking Cat!?! </i>Two teen siblings exchange insults such as “shut it,” “I hate you,” “loser,” and “nerd,” but that’s about it.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
If she does, tell her some of these quotes from my FilmMother. She told FilmBoy, “Your brother’s the smartest one in this family: He’s not watching this.” Then at the end, she turned to me and said, “I don’t think I’m ever gonna forgive you for that one.” And she’s a cat person.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARmeVw368MN-8siHIU-ieSgBr4IQaTdLTo0Qb6_b-30L8kvlW3zpOM00qEeh97_rzDNMA7zrLGpaY6OF-IP0g-m1_1JL9cBjvc4XpQlDRH2qRvXXVUd61YJspOw0OvbwaJtJcQ5CKoQrI/s1600/X+file_205291_3_A_Talking_Cat_cast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARmeVw368MN-8siHIU-ieSgBr4IQaTdLTo0Qb6_b-30L8kvlW3zpOM00qEeh97_rzDNMA7zrLGpaY6OF-IP0g-m1_1JL9cBjvc4XpQlDRH2qRvXXVUd61YJspOw0OvbwaJtJcQ5CKoQrI/s400/X+file_205291_3_A_Talking_Cat_cast.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Oh my God...<i>that's </i>what our dailies look like!?!</span></div>
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<b>A Talking Cat!?!</b><br />
* Director: David DeCoteau (as Mary Crawford)<br />
* Screenwriter: Andrew Helm<br />
* Stars: Kristine DeBell, Johnny Whitaker, Eric Roberts, Alison Sieke<br />
* MPAA Rating: N/A<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00A47BTFY" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/70267401" target="_blank">Rent <i>A Talking Cat!?!</i> from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-20299796784383894992013-03-22T08:08:00.000-04:002013-03-26T11:14:57.383-04:00Win The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Blu-ray Combo Pack!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G1SeTmc6YPN_cdOXbJRjCtp5kkc1BY3kdA-5Kfw1FJA5Y-da4LGCxE_yxFeDHZp5O3G_pLjf0LNpjxoNgKR8SY6yBcDXT-3aLjOhyphenhyphengiMHDVsFaTXM3msZBxa6N9OjtDoCHAw-HPdpkEo/s1600/The+Hobbit+An+Unexpected+Journey+Bluray+DVD+Digital+Combo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G1SeTmc6YPN_cdOXbJRjCtp5kkc1BY3kdA-5Kfw1FJA5Y-da4LGCxE_yxFeDHZp5O3G_pLjf0LNpjxoNgKR8SY6yBcDXT-3aLjOhyphenhyphengiMHDVsFaTXM3msZBxa6N9OjtDoCHAw-HPdpkEo/s200/The+Hobbit+An+Unexpected+Journey+Bluray+DVD+Digital+Combo.jpg" width="158" /></a><b><span style="font-size: small;">YOU COULD WIN </span>a copy of <i>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey</i> Blu-ray Combo Pack,</b> featuring a Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy of the film, plus many special features.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis<span style="color: #660000;">: </span></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an amazing quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #660000; font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">How to Enter:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Comment on this post by <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #660000;">March 29, <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span>2013</span><span style="color: #660000;">.</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><b>You must provide a way for me to contact you if you win. </b><span style="color: #660000;">F</span>or example, y</span></span>our e-mail address must be available on the page/site that's linked to your name ("<span style="color: blue;"><u>Bob</u></span> said..."), or include your e-mail or Twitter handle in your comment.</li>
<li>I will then pick one comment at random and post the winner. </li>
<li>Prize is available to United States mailing addresses only. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(No P.O. Boxes, please.)</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Good luck!</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After y<span style="font-size: small;">ou enter<span style="font-size: small;">, check out <span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey </i>Blog App </b></span>below</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">, featuring:</span></span></span><br />
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FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-1757826223262355402013-03-19T09:42:00.000-04:002013-03-19T09:43:38.371-04:00Interview with Rise of the Guardians director Peter Ramsey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5QxN7seXyto/UUc6jff8EEI/AAAAAAAAEWY/PMreYihIeJ8/s1600/LegendOfTheGuardians_PeterRamsey+(250x157).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5QxN7seXyto/UUc6jff8EEI/AAAAAAAAEWY/PMreYihIeJ8/s1600/LegendOfTheGuardians_PeterRamsey+(250x157).jpg" /></a><b>FOLLOWING THE RECENT home video release </b>of DreamWorks Animation’s <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2013/03/rise-of-guardians-2012_19.html"><i>Rise of the Guardians</i></a> – in which Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost come together to battle Pitch, aka The Boogeyman – I spoke with the film’s director, Peter Ramsey.<br />
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Before joining DreamWorks Animation in 2004, Ramsey amassed an impressive resume as a storyboard artist and illustrator for live action films, including <i>Minority Report, Cast Away, Fight Club, Being John Malkovich, Men in Black, </i>and <i>Backdraft. </i>He was also second unit director on films such as <i>Godzilla, Higher Learning, </i>and <i>Poetic Justice. </i>Ramsey spoke about the impact of <i>Guardians</i> on adults as well as children, the importance of nailing Jack Frost’s character, how he got his start in animation, and what’s next for him and the Guardians.<br />
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<b>Congratulations on the home video release of <i>Rise of the Guardians.</i></b><br />
Thank you very much.<br />
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<b>The film does a tremendous job of stressing the importance of children to believe in the Guardians. Do you feel it gives adults a chance to relive that childhood feeling of believing as well?</b><br />
If all the people who’ve spoken to me after tons and tons of screenings is any indication, then yeah, I think so. I can’t tell you how many people have come up and said, “You brought me back to my childhood,” “You made me feel like a kid again,” and variations on that idea. I knew going in to this project that dealing with and embracing these characters might have that effect, but I was kind of surprised by how much it actually did.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMy8izNch4u99Uy9p5cPlPacbjLJuEgwzpxIWX63wpmtj5WIGVnnbx3ab4s_83ZaTKOsXbCS7c2C9wsskEmPGxI1FYAWWGsySQW7vzyp_XU6NOFnpU5ZR9U4Xgdndc9Ym1gB0cV_uPXJ0X/s1600/LegendOfTheGuardians_JackFrost+(150x150).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMy8izNch4u99Uy9p5cPlPacbjLJuEgwzpxIWX63wpmtj5WIGVnnbx3ab4s_83ZaTKOsXbCS7c2C9wsskEmPGxI1FYAWWGsySQW7vzyp_XU6NOFnpU5ZR9U4Xgdndc9Ym1gB0cV_uPXJ0X/s1600/LegendOfTheGuardians_JackFrost+(150x150).jpg" /></a><b>In a way, the film really focuses on one character’s rise to the level of Guardian: that of Jack Frost. Was his journey always the focus of the film, even in the early development stages?</b><br />
It took a while from the time Bill [Joyce, author of the <i>Guardians of Childhood </i>books] first brought us the project to get to that point. When I came on, I felt pretty strongly that we needed one character to track through this incredible fantasy world. You need to have an emotionally relatable idea that you can hold on to in the midst of Santa Claus, and the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy, and all that stuff. If you have one character you can experience it with, who can be the audience’s eyes…that’s really important. Pretty early on, we all felt we should do that through Jack.<br />
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<b>Jack is introduced to many aspects of the Guardians’ world at the same time as the audience. Do you see him as a sort of surrogate for the viewer?</b><br />
Oh, yeah. Very much so. In the beginning of the film, it’s pretty clear he’s not up to the level of these legendary figures. He’s just a normal kid who wants to go out and have fun. He doesn’t want a lot of responsibilities, yet he has questions about his place in the world. All of that makes him a pretty good audience surrogate.<br />
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<b>The film also does a great job of establishing a truly challenging villain in Pitch. He really embodies the classic animated villain: He's scary, sinister, condescending, resentful, smart, and even a bit of a sociopath when trying to convince Jack to join him.</b><br />
Yeah, exactly. In the way that the Guardians each have centers that are positive things, Pitch’s center is fear. We modeled that fear after what kids fear in the real world, how they react to it, and what fear does in terms of limiting or preventing you from living a full, rich life. Kids deal with fear every day of their lives. They know it’s real, they know it exists, and they look for ways to deal with it. To not take the “fear” part of the story as seriously as the “wonder and hope” part felt like a cop-out. A story like this is only as good as its villain. If [the Guardians] don’t have something real to push against, their stature is going to be diminished as well. So we dealt with the theme that while there’s fear in the world, there are also forces out there that are going to help you deal with it if you open up to them.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OLMPQl2HR4c/UUc54uYN5SI/AAAAAAAAEV8/ni1tmlgWYYI/s1600/LegendOfTheGuardians_Pitch+(200x150).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OLMPQl2HR4c/UUc54uYN5SI/AAAAAAAAEV8/ni1tmlgWYYI/s1600/LegendOfTheGuardians_Pitch+(200x150).jpg" /></a><b>With Pitch and Jack Frost, they’re literally the black and white of the situation – the dark and light sides of the same personality.</b><br />
Yes, that was another important point for me. We have Jack Frost, who has these powers and can do amazing things, but he doesn’t have a context or a real picture of who he is. He’s ultimately shown that he has a choice: You come into the world, you have things to offer, but it’s up to you which path you’re going to take. So we dramatized that between Jack and Pitch to demonstrate that, once upon a time, had Pitch done things differently, he could have accomplished what Jack does. We tried to keep the story clear yet entertaining, but there’s a lot of stuff working underneath in the same way that the old fairy tales do.<br />
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<b>You started out working on live action films, then moved to animation with <i>Shark Tale </i>in 2004. What prompted that transition?</b><br />
Actually, the film [where I started in animation] was <i>Shrek the Third. </i>I only worked a little bit on <i>Shark Tale, </i>maybe a week, while I worked on <i>Shrek the Third </i>for about a year. What happened was, in my live-action days, I worked with a producer named Aron Warner on a movie called <i>Tank Girl.</i> He went on to produce the <i>Shrek </i>films. Several years [after <i>Tank Girl</i>], he called me and asked if I’d be interested in animation. He said I should check out [DreamWorks], that they could use a guy with live-action experience. So I checked it out, I liked what I saw, and I starting learning the craft of animation. It was the beginning of the journey that got me in the director’s seat for <i>Guardians.</i><br />
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<b><i>Rise of the Guardians </i>was your first time directing a feature film for a major animation studio. So, no pressure, right?</b><br />
<i>[laughs]</i> Yeah, right <i>[sarcastically].</i><br />
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<b>Prior to directing, you worked on dozens of films as a storyboard artist and illustrator. How far were you able to immerse yourself in the storyboarding for <i>Rise of the Guardians </i>while still dedicating yourself to the responsibilities as director?</b><br />
Not as much as I would have liked, but I had a pretty good dose of it early on when we first began digging into the story. It was a very small story team. I did some of the initial storyboarding just to get the ideas rolling and the feel of the film. For the first four or five months, it was just me and Hamish Grieve, who’s head of the story department [at DreamWorks Animation]. But later on, there were spots where I would come back in, board something myself, and take it to the layout team and the animators. I definitely jumped in wherever I could.<br />
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<b>My family watched <i>Rise of the Guardians </i>together for the first time last week, We all enjoyed it immensely, then my nine-year-old son ran off with it and immediately watched it two more times.</b><br />
Oh, wow. That’s great! That’s so cool.<br />
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<b>So when I asked him if he’d like to ask you a question, he instantly blurted out, “Will there be a sequel?”</b><br />
<i>[laughs] </i>We all want one. We’ll have to wait and see what the moon says. <br />
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<b>In the meantime, what’s next for you?</b><br />
I’m trying to figure that out. I’ve got a couple of projects I’m thinking about, but it’s all in the very early stages. We only finished <i>Guardians </i>at the end of October, then it was three straight months of press, publicity, and awards season. It’s only been within the past month that I’ve been able to actually stop working on it. I’m talking to a bunch of different people. Nothing firm or definite yet, but that’s kind of nice. <br />
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<b>Thanks for taking time to speak with me today.</b><br />
Thank you. I’m so happy your son enjoyed the film. Tell him from me.<br />
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<br />FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-44565249045454686242013-03-19T09:40:00.002-04:002013-10-10T14:10:46.456-04:00Rise of the Guardians (2012)<b>What is <i>your </i>center?</b><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-813qiiDOZuw/UUeCDA4galI/AAAAAAAAEXE/_2ndcVs0Rs0/s1600/1+Rise+of+the+Guardians+(200x121).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-813qiiDOZuw/UUeCDA4galI/AAAAAAAAEXE/_2ndcVs0Rs0/s1600/1+Rise+of+the+Guardians+(200x121).jpg" /></a>That’s the question posed by the imaginative and inspiring <i>Rise of the Guardians, </i>where Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (<a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2011/08/rango-2011.html"><i>Rango</i></a>’s Isla Fisher), and the Sandman try to recruit the reluctant, wayward Jack Frost (Chris Pine) to join them in the fight against Pitch Black (Jude Law), a malicious spirit determined to take over the world and destroy the innocent beliefs and dreams of children.<br />
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Granted, the idea of Santa Claus as a Russian émigré with tattooed forearms, or a six-foot Easter Bunny who wields boomerangs and an Aussie accent, is an acquired taste. But director <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2013/03/interview-with-rise-of-guardians.html">Peter Ramsey</a> soon puts those concerns to rest by giving us deep, fleshed-out characters to believe in without having to delve into their origins. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5oHE6M-EXYVCNXtr1gkyfkugrhQoPSSOZxWZtLeENQQUHPKHRszRPESqNrgrmGSY1RlhYxilGXoIhqoGl7oyObdAhGcMrOEbiU0ZjyRX_MnDSRbE-hpxngGCLQL3CrO79S-kxJxqA0lB/s1600/2+rise-of-the-guardians-7-008+(200x120).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5oHE6M-EXYVCNXtr1gkyfkugrhQoPSSOZxWZtLeENQQUHPKHRszRPESqNrgrmGSY1RlhYxilGXoIhqoGl7oyObdAhGcMrOEbiU0ZjyRX_MnDSRbE-hpxngGCLQL3CrO79S-kxJxqA0lB/s1600/2+rise-of-the-guardians-7-008+(200x120).jpg" /></a>Our guide to this world is the apprehensive Jack Frost, as we follow his quest and internal struggle to determine if he has what it takes to become a Guardian – in other words, to stop making mischief and recognize his true calling.<br />
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What’s at stake here, as Pitch is quite aware, is that if kids don’t believe in the Guardians, they will cease to exist. With the help of a young boy named Jamie (Dakota Goyo) as their unwavering believer, our heroes attempt to prove that even the scariest of boogeymen is no match for the bravery and beliefs of children.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYkjxowU74kVOanXxvlUJlPU4fNTREQ4EpfsGNxZH2Q_qqerWJy7NkD9SFWtG6xrfwfR_BMDK97PyxuH3sXIwR-P8tVDEqbQ_VEr6hu9OmiJuevfG3bScMp-r9EBWqpZ5aJt6Id48DnWf/s1600/3+The_Sandman_Rise_Of_The_Guardians_Wallpaper+(200x113).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWYkjxowU74kVOanXxvlUJlPU4fNTREQ4EpfsGNxZH2Q_qqerWJy7NkD9SFWtG6xrfwfR_BMDK97PyxuH3sXIwR-P8tVDEqbQ_VEr6hu9OmiJuevfG3bScMp-r9EBWqpZ5aJt6Id48DnWf/s1600/3+The_Sandman_Rise_Of_The_Guardians_Wallpaper+(200x113).jpg" /></a>The film features enthralling, breathtaking animation in which Ramsey and his team take full advantage of the 3D without going overboard or making it seem like a retro-fit. The battles between the Guardians and Pitch’s army of nightmare creatures are truly amazing, including a show-stopping finale involving more characters than you can shake a freezing staff at.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE19e7S3mgWM6RV9tZHaWDxvIDVzWGMNLwa0XRZYl-ua5k_gw65CgzEATSpncbh2IzG1TFta0FTrnprPrWsN1SxE_kcB7XQ1_fEE0oX1OWGdgiIRJU4PnIjEXYPKm5tLVp2aG_EN1CyOn/s1600/4+rise-of-the-guardians-review+(225x150).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnE19e7S3mgWM6RV9tZHaWDxvIDVzWGMNLwa0XRZYl-ua5k_gw65CgzEATSpncbh2IzG1TFta0FTrnprPrWsN1SxE_kcB7XQ1_fEE0oX1OWGdgiIRJU4PnIjEXYPKm5tLVp2aG_EN1CyOn/s1600/4+rise-of-the-guardians-review+(225x150).jpg" /></a>With <i>Rise of the Guardians, </i>it’s another crowning achievement for DreamWorks Animation (<i>How to Train Your Dragon, <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2011/07/kung-fu-panda-2-2011.html">Kung Fu Panda 2</a></i>) as they pull even further ahead of Pixar and its recent lackluster offerings (<i><a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2011/06/cars-2-2011.html">Cars 2</a>, Brave</i>).<br />
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If you didn’t experience <i>Rise of the Guardians </i>in theaters, here’s your chance to see what an amazing film you missed. Your kids <i>will </i>believe. And so will you.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FyZyhmcSnrI/UUeCjw24TRI/AAAAAAAAEX0/6LwZ25_kzjQ/s1600/rating_4.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FyZyhmcSnrI/UUeCjw24TRI/AAAAAAAAEX0/6LwZ25_kzjQ/s1600/rating_4.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sP69P26naR0/UUeCctPg-xI/AAAAAAAAEXs/HgA7D8G94l0/s1600/FilmBoy2012+(200x154)+(125x96).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sP69P26naR0/UUeCctPg-xI/AAAAAAAAEXs/HgA7D8G94l0/s1600/FilmBoy2012+(200x154)+(125x96).jpg" /></a><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What did FilmBoy think?</span></b></span></div>
He had high hopes going in to <i>Rise of the Guardians. </i>His verdict? “It was even better than I thought it would be.” In fact, after our whole family watched it, he ran off with the disc and immediately watched it two more times. Can you say “ringing endorsement?”<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_dFG8xRM51E/UUeCDuvK3CI/AAAAAAAAEXY/pZrQOIXYUmE/s1600/X+pitch-the-nightmare-king+(200x114).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_dFG8xRM51E/UUeCDuvK3CI/AAAAAAAAEXY/pZrQOIXYUmE/s1600/X+pitch-the-nightmare-king+(200x114).jpg" /></a><i>Rise of the Guardians </i>is rated PG for “thematic elements and some mildly scary action.” The idea of Pitch turning kids’ dreams into nightmares may be scary for very young children. Pitch kidnaps Tooth’s fairies and later threatens to crush one of them in his hand. Santa wields two large swords when doling battle with Pitch’s army. One of the Guardians appears to be destroyed by Pitch. Jack’s actions inadvertently cancel Easter. Jack’s backstory (shown in flashback) involves him drowning after falling through the ice on a lake while rescuing his little sister. The Tooth Fairy (ironically and comically) knocks out one of Pitch’s teeth. There’s no inappropriate language, aside from the Easter Bunny’s occasional use of the Aussie adjective “bloody” and Pitch tells the Easter Bunny to “go suck an egg.”<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
Yes. <i>Rise of the Guardians </i>is full of tremendous storytelling, amazing animation, and the theme of keeping children’s beliefs alive. Make it essential viewing for Family Movie Night.<br />
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<b>Rise of the Guardians</b><br />
* Director: Peter Ramsey<br />
* Screenwriter: David Lindsay-Abaire<br />
* Stars: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo<br />
* MPAA Rating: PG<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00947N6D8" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005LAIIFS" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00947N6UG" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B005LAIIGC" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Rise-of-the-Guardians/70243449" target="_blank">Rent <i>Rise of the Guardians </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-64300552465764419522013-03-11T11:58:00.000-04:002013-03-11T11:58:00.778-04:00Win a DVD of the new horror film Dark Feed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VHQBOQaeI6o/UTjUwarZU3I/AAAAAAAAEVI/Xl0z05C4fjE/s1600/Dark+Feed+3d+box+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VHQBOQaeI6o/UTjUwarZU3I/AAAAAAAAEVI/Xl0z05C4fjE/s200/Dark+Feed+3d+box+art.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">YOU COULD WIN </span>a copy of <i>Dark Feed,</i> </b>the new horror film from the writers of John Carpenter's <i>The Ward, </i>available on DVD, digital download, and video on demand March 19.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Synopsis<span style="color: #660000;">: </span></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;">A film crew moves to an abandoned psychiatric hospital
with a shadowy past to shoot a low<b><span style="color: #660000;">-</span></b>budget horror film. The late nights
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new inhabitants. As the shoot wears on, members of the crew exhibit
increasingly strange behavior<span style="color: #660000;"><b>, </b></span>making those who are still sane realize they need to
get out of this place before they too succumb to the building’s infectious hold.
The only problem: The old hospital is not ready to let them go.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">How to Enter:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Comment on this post by <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #660000;">March 17, 2013</span><span style="color: #660000;">.</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><b>You must provide a way for me to contact you if you win. </b><span style="color: #660000;">F</span>or example, y</span></span>our e-mail address must be available on the page/site that's linked to your name ("<span style="color: blue;"><u>Bob</u></span> said..."), or include your e-mail or Twitter handle in your comment.</li>
<li>I will then pick one comment at random and post the winner. </li>
<li>Prize is available to United States mailing addresses only. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(No P.O. Boxes, please.)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Good luck!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="color: black;">Official trailer: </span></b></span></div>
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FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-84181313559079503262013-03-11T08:08:00.000-04:002013-03-11T08:08:00.331-04:00Congrats to the winner of the Rise of the Guardians Blu-ray/DVD Gift Pack!And...<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JiSs-E1uCo8/UT06D8sMFJI/AAAAAAAAEVg/By6_sQOwFFc/s1600/IMG00454-20130310-2006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JiSs-E1uCo8/UT06D8sMFJI/AAAAAAAAEVg/By6_sQOwFFc/s200/IMG00454-20130310-2006.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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The winner is...<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egWPspKL9LY/UT06D43jj6I/AAAAAAAAEVc/1PhvZ7iGkNg/s1600/IMG00455-20130310-2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-egWPspKL9LY/UT06D43jj6I/AAAAAAAAEVc/1PhvZ7iGkNg/s200/IMG00455-20130310-2007.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wRf7LBtgkn4/UTjQqYtZglI/AAAAAAAAEUw/O-pe-0Tmnms/s1600/ROTGrdns_Combo_BRD_Front_wEggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wRf7LBtgkn4/UTjQqYtZglI/AAAAAAAAEUw/O-pe-0Tmnms/s200/ROTGrdns_Combo_BRD_Front_wEggs.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;"><b>Jamie</b></span></b>!</span></b><br />
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Thanks to everyone who entered the <a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2013/03/win-blu-raydvd-gift-pack-of-rise-of.html">contest</a>!<br />
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<br />FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-52559277655816961682013-03-04T14:43:00.001-05:002013-03-12T11:50:18.643-04:00Win a Blu-ray/DVD Gift Pack of Rise of the Guardians!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nRiw_cX4qDg/UTTf_6klRWI/AAAAAAAAEUg/gd1cFlokllw/s1600/ROTGrdns_Combo_BRD_Front_wEggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nRiw_cX4qDg/UTTf_6klRWI/AAAAAAAAEUg/gd1cFlokllw/s320/ROTGrdns_Combo_BRD_Front_wEggs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>JUST IN TIME FOR EASTER BASKETS: </b>You could win a copy of the <i>Rise of the Guardians</i> Blu-ray/DVD Gift Pack, featuring two hopping toy eggs inspired by the film!<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Synopsis: </i>In this adventure from DreamWorks Animation, Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost come together to battle Pitch, a malicious spirit determined to take over the world and destroy the innocent beliefs and dreams of children.<span style="color: #660000; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000; font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">How to Enter:</span><br />
<ul>
<li>Comment on this post by <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #660000;">March 10, 2013</span><span style="color: #660000;">.</span></span><span style="color: #660000;"> <span style="color: black;"><b>You must provide a way for me to contact you if you win. </b>For example, y</span></span>our e-mail address must be available on the page/site that's linked to your name ("<span style="color: blue;"><u>Bob</u></span> said..."), or include your e-mail or Twitter handle in your comment.</li>
<li> I will then pick one comment at random and post the winner. </li>
<li>Prize is available to United States mailing addresses only. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(No P.O. Boxes, please.)</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>Good luck!</b></span></div>
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<object height="345" width="432"><param name="movie" value="http://www.paramount.com/webmaster/player/paramount_epk.php" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.paramount.com/webmaster/player/paramount_epk.php" flashVars="cid=7d9f0780d926184cb310949909d8f541fdeef5d1" wmode="transparent" width="432" height="345" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>
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FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-380132170977827072013-02-26T15:25:00.001-05:002013-04-25T15:06:09.454-04:00Sushi Girl (2012)<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iX9L9PVNQRQ/US0X7SvdaeI/AAAAAAAAES4/gtM5E9FYJWU/s1600/1+Sushi+Girl+Cortney+Palm+(200x86).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iX9L9PVNQRQ/US0X7SvdaeI/AAAAAAAAES4/gtM5E9FYJWU/s1600/1+Sushi+Girl+Cortney+Palm+(200x86).jpg" /></a><b>ON A DARK AND RAINY NIGHT, four men who botched a diamond heist </b>six years ago reunite to celebrate the arrival of their fifth member, Fish (<i>The Neverending Story</i>’s Noah Hathaway), who was just released from prison and has kept his mouth shut about his partners in crime and the location of the diamonds. The celebration takes place during a sushi dinner, served off the naked body of a beautiful woman (Cortney Palm).<br />
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However, the celebration quickly turns to suspicion: The four men – leader Duke (<i>Candyman</i>’s Tony Todd), foul-mouthed hothead Max (Andy Mackenzie), recovering addict Francis (James Duval), and effeminate sadist Crow (Mark Hamill) – believe that Fish knows where the missing loot is. And they’ll stop at nothing to find out the truth.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nfG_Gx755u5JOjgAv79AcaVqi9S3Tc_PY9mhuMWgDZU1PgSbBlon2IOqsbZa3n-LKkCUT0PzNqgIaJ6ldwaW5ysUwruQx3R6ZfKt1RBU2Rg4Ir1QuJHw-JECZuWycp58t3cWHTJorzAj/s1600/2+Sushi+Girl+Fish+Noah+Hathaway+(200x124).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nfG_Gx755u5JOjgAv79AcaVqi9S3Tc_PY9mhuMWgDZU1PgSbBlon2IOqsbZa3n-LKkCUT0PzNqgIaJ6ldwaW5ysUwruQx3R6ZfKt1RBU2Rg4Ir1QuJHw-JECZuWycp58t3cWHTJorzAj/s1600/2+Sushi+Girl+Fish+Noah+Hathaway+(200x124).jpg" /></a><b>Comparisons of <i>Sushi Girl </i>to <i>Reservoir Dogs </i>are inevitable and multiple. </b>Much like Quentin Tarantino’s neo-classic, <i>Sushi Girl </i>takes place entirely in one central location; several of its criminals torture and mutilate a person to get information; suspicion grows that there’s a rat among them; their heist and its fallout are shown in flashbacks; and it all revolves around a missing stash of diamonds. <i>Sushi Girl </i>even ends with a Mexican standoff between several members of the crew, a la the final showdown between <i>Dogs</i>’ surviving criminals. (A twist following <i>Sushi Girl</i>’s standoff comes off more as “huh” than “wow.”)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKPaQ0ePbnPvRxpknvEr7ME9Xg3Zp52-_zG2ctLzTSrXlP16wvYhxHQvygkFpX5Ue5jLVjhylG8AhSuqZnWOQ3nhWU2Ouvgcd3PrnfkY2MSKesC1rTqxKspfCjhUv98pFRsFrKDEb9YM4/s1600/3+Sushi+Girl+Mark+Hamill+Crow+(150x150).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKPaQ0ePbnPvRxpknvEr7ME9Xg3Zp52-_zG2ctLzTSrXlP16wvYhxHQvygkFpX5Ue5jLVjhylG8AhSuqZnWOQ3nhWU2Ouvgcd3PrnfkY2MSKesC1rTqxKspfCjhUv98pFRsFrKDEb9YM4/s1600/3+Sushi+Girl+Mark+Hamill+Crow+(150x150).jpg" /></a>Much like <i>Reservoir Dogs</i>, <i>Sushi Girl</i>’s singular setting could lend it to a stage performance – an irony, since the cast delivers their dialogue with such heavy-handed melodramatics it feels as if they’re playing to a theater audience. <b>Nearly unrecognizable in the cast is <i>Star Wars</i>’ Hamill, looking like the love child of Kurt Cobain and Truman Capote. </b>He really seems to be relishing the role, hamming it up without being a complete camera hog. (The cast also includes why-bother cameos by Michael Biehn, Jeff Fahey, and Danny Trejo (<a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2010/09/grind-2009.html"><i>The Grind</i></a>), all crammed into one five-minute flashback.)<i> </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1FoB5vp1_HcAwmgbatLuOrIC2OdZ0oxfqn__U1OteF3E1tMtsFH5RXpJj1Uuj9IR-yhNaZk4jvzvQRvftnKw31W9AzhoBz1vy1pot5MyGN81T4k0Rnm_yxnfTsvtct0dKFgrlU_Tz7ZT/s1600/4+Sushi+Girl+Max+Fish+(200x85).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1FoB5vp1_HcAwmgbatLuOrIC2OdZ0oxfqn__U1OteF3E1tMtsFH5RXpJj1Uuj9IR-yhNaZk4jvzvQRvftnKw31W9AzhoBz1vy1pot5MyGN81T4k0Rnm_yxnfTsvtct0dKFgrlU_Tz7ZT/s1600/4+Sushi+Girl+Max+Fish+(200x85).jpg" /></a><i>Sushi Girl </i>director Kern Saxton (who co-wrote the script with the co-star of Bravo’s <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/the-millionaire-matchmaker" target="_blank"><i>Millionaire Matchmaker</i></a>) offers some wonderful tracking shots and tinges of dark humor. But he makes it hard for us to believe this group of drastically different and combative criminals would even agree on where to get lunch, let alone collaborate on an armed diamond heist. Derivative, gratuitous, and self-indulgent, <b><i>Sushi Girl </i>is indeed raw…but watching it feels like getting food poisoning of the eyes.</b><br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWH-6RUJXH0X7FLB_oTew1MX4qX4DgtAZxE1C7o2tPx_2bIfFLvi48baO8VILjrNOJyhbZBC3jEcJVf6y9v49-O5vgxvgKY56QMpghdL-uGpYmWp3TiwW3AWueyjRoOqm9lcDjEpr9bzs/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyWH-6RUJXH0X7FLB_oTew1MX4qX4DgtAZxE1C7o2tPx_2bIfFLvi48baO8VILjrNOJyhbZBC3jEcJVf6y9v49-O5vgxvgKY56QMpghdL-uGpYmWp3TiwW3AWueyjRoOqm9lcDjEpr9bzs/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzawdsuJjHWm62qKLNthMPfXjajDYSTbX4-ZBkq9dq87fIxOeUPcgqqLKhTRoIB2mkWH3W6CzfYfAidWoRRoy7yHz5qO7hoczuN1CiyR38jwP3tE1wn55rr6gxlajUtVUJUqmGVxG-Xrum/s1600/5+Sushi+Girl+Fish+Crow+Hathaway+Hamill+(150x100).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzawdsuJjHWm62qKLNthMPfXjajDYSTbX4-ZBkq9dq87fIxOeUPcgqqLKhTRoIB2mkWH3W6CzfYfAidWoRRoy7yHz5qO7hoczuN1CiyR38jwP3tE1wn55rr6gxlajUtVUJUqmGVxG-Xrum/s200/5+Sushi+Girl+Fish+Crow+Hathaway+Hamill+(150x100).jpg" width="200" /></a>No. <i>Sushi Girl </i>is rated R for strong bloody violence, torture, language, nudity, and brief drug use.<br />
<b>Strong Bloody Violence: </b>Multiple people are shot, with blood splatterings a-plenty; one man has his hand cut off, and the bloody stump is shown.<br />
<b>Torture: </b>Long scenes of torture, where a character is punched repeatedly, has his ribs broken, chop sticks are driven into his legs, and his face is ripped to shreds from a swinging bag of broken glass.<br />
<b>Language: </b>A countless amount of strong profanities, racial epithets, gay slurs, and crude insults.<br />
<b>Nudity:</b> A woman's nude body is shown in close-up and in long shots throughout most of the film (sometimes with strategically placed pieces of sushi covering the naughty bits).<br />
<b>Alcohol/Drugs: </b>The men at the sushi dinner drink sake. A man snorts a line of cocaine.<br />
<b>Miscellaneous: </b>A man vomits into a sink.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</b></span></span></div>
She may be intrigued by the casting of <i>Star Wars </i>icon Mark Hamill in a way-against-type role, but the overabundance of tough-guy talk combined with the graphic violence and torture will probably turn her off.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gK_VhaMtVP8/US0X75rBw6I/AAAAAAAAETY/JyxqJEMSx7M/s1600/Sushi-Girl-Last-Supper-726x248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gK_VhaMtVP8/US0X75rBw6I/AAAAAAAAETY/JyxqJEMSx7M/s400/Sushi-Girl-Last-Supper-726x248.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>(gulp)</i> "Uh, I'm sorry sir, but your card has been declined..."</div>
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<b>Sushi Girl</b><br />
* Director: Kern Saxton<br />
* Screenwriters: Destin Pfaff and Kern Saxton<br />
* Stars: Tony Todd, James Duval, Noah Hathaway, Andy Mackenzie, Mark Hamill, Cyrus Alexander, Michael Biehn, Sonny Chiba, Danny Trejo, Jeff Fahey, Cortney Palm<br />
* MPAA Rating: R<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00B99J50W" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B008B9JT8G" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B008B9JTVI" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Sushi-Girl/70245658" target="_blank">Rent <i>Sushi Girl</i> from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-34210842065067749652013-02-20T08:08:00.000-05:002013-04-25T15:02:14.851-04:00Junior High Spy (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-yvM3Pxlcs_3xYRghSAPWdtcjGl8ufwHTSVqabGDRFjiHykGiZK8astntvbkf0QJ0jZl2Jz_N6yCW6bfZSRNvhQHLDPBOr-O5clPItVEjgoh_uY9u6wcKqtt1Dw6FL96B8Y9lm8eQXg-/s1600/1+Ricky+and+Dad+(200x111).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-yvM3Pxlcs_3xYRghSAPWdtcjGl8ufwHTSVqabGDRFjiHykGiZK8astntvbkf0QJ0jZl2Jz_N6yCW6bfZSRNvhQHLDPBOr-O5clPItVEjgoh_uY9u6wcKqtt1Dw6FL96B8Y9lm8eQXg-/s1600/1+Ricky+and+Dad+(200x111).jpg" /></a><b>PUT OFF BY the high-quality entertainment </b>and production value of <i>Spy Kids </i>and <i>Agent Cody Banks? </i>Have we got a movie for YOU!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGciyryi50oCz0gE3e4iJl93OypkGGBITCSqceU-8on1XVNnB_3-RUydC914-WPJNmINLgKf3y5EGNdiGlC-uJVNrWhnsEPFZQ524dgJNW2i3eIRaM6dIy_a3CCPQqjEmvuIXCK1ERvllV/s1600/2+Boat+Canadian+flag+(113x150).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGciyryi50oCz0gE3e4iJl93OypkGGBITCSqceU-8on1XVNnB_3-RUydC914-WPJNmINLgKf3y5EGNdiGlC-uJVNrWhnsEPFZQ524dgJNW2i3eIRaM6dIy_a3CCPQqjEmvuIXCK1ERvllV/s1600/2+Boat+Canadian+flag+(113x150).jpg" /></a>Junior high student Ricky (Christopher Lazlo) is a budding secret agent in training, thanks to the support of his FBI father, Richard (Harry Edison). But when his dad is kidnapped by Very Bad Men and the FBI’s leads dry up, Ricky enlists the help of his whiz-kid friend Jack (Matthew Downs) to help him track down the bad guys and bring his dad home.<br />
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Despite the fact that <i>Junior High Spy </i>is centered around the American-based FBI, <b>the film is obviously a Canadian production </b>– from the unmistakable accent (they talk aboot Ricky’s dad being held hostage in a big hoose, eh?) to the maple leaf flag displayed on the speedboat where the bad guys knock Ricky out and abduct his dad.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3anXiZKvz24/USP3CDURJdI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/FucIQu8DXgE/s1600/3+Jack+(200x124).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3anXiZKvz24/USP3CDURJdI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/FucIQu8DXgE/s200/3+Jack+(200x124).jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
This is obviously an independent feature with a limited budget, but <b>the filmmakers should’ve squeezed out a few extra bucks for acting lessons. </b>The kid actors’ wooden, unconvincing performances are fittingly on par with a junior high play, and the adult actors aren’t much better.<br />
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<b>The script by Barry Cowan is solid – it’s the execution that comes up short. </b>Flat delivery of lines, uneven pacing, odd editing, and long stretches where nothing happens to advance the story or character development. And despite an abundance of FBI agents and Very Bad Men, not one gun in sight. (Oh, those polite Canadians and their wacky gun control laws!)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZeLpU7Hsxc/USP3CpN2epI/AAAAAAAAERA/AweLkeS5jIc/s1600/4+mqdefault3+(200x113).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZeLpU7Hsxc/USP3CpN2epI/AAAAAAAAERA/AweLkeS5jIc/s1600/4+mqdefault3+(200x113).jpg" /></a><b>Even at just 87 minutes, <i>Junior High Spy </i>is stuffed with gobs of filler </b>– mostly consisting of Ricky patrolling the mansion grounds on his ATV or cheesecake footage of teenager Kate (Jessica Ducharme) strolling the hillsides in a bikini top and short-shorts. In addition, the musical score consists of exactly four themes, repeated ad nauseum: there’s Main Titles Theme, Investigation Theme, Suspense Theme, and Action Theme.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0c3JvETzEYPMChfwsT7ZKTBukHSGFPtLaWXMPzlGCva9FsNxqqLtGwgWAFhrqAczY4iplVygKzgfoAG2Kfs3di685NN1dhxMds5eJ8dmlSP2HO_Ym82BqTLSTcnZ2Gb1DMMPY_n3vW6-/s1600/5+mqdefault4+(200x113).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0c3JvETzEYPMChfwsT7ZKTBukHSGFPtLaWXMPzlGCva9FsNxqqLtGwgWAFhrqAczY4iplVygKzgfoAG2Kfs3di685NN1dhxMds5eJ8dmlSP2HO_Ym82BqTLSTcnZ2Gb1DMMPY_n3vW6-/s1600/5+mqdefault4+(200x113).jpg" /></a>Halfway through <i>Junior High Spy</i>, FilmBoy and I started talking back to the screen at all the ridiculousness. The stiff performances, the “oh no, not again” recurrence of the film’s limited soundtrack, the unconvincing fight scenes…they all provided fodder for us to make goofy comments and turn the experience from brutally painful to barely tolerable.<br />
<br />
Released by independent studio <a href="http://www.skylightfilms.ca/" target="_blank">Skylight Films</a> and distributed by <a href="http://www.inceptionmediagroup.com/" target="_blank">Inception Media Group</a>, <i>Junior High Spy </i>eventually reaches its happy ending, but leaves the door open for a sequel. One can only hope!*<br />
<br />
*That it never happens.<br />
<br />
aka <i>Ricky Lazio Jr., FBI</i>.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Normally a movie like this would rate 1 star,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
but for unintentional entertainment value, it gets:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94D9S-EeCFIrI4OvgeeAoeANnuCfaDgWiPeBQcOYiJC1vO3PwzLGUwYXCM7HAQ39DTqrMGgYAhyU70fGd0xggYXzTj_jIXGHDrehLlbqwC6Md-3N2GSfLYVrHoZLu02tyyVAz8G6eCXpL/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94D9S-EeCFIrI4OvgeeAoeANnuCfaDgWiPeBQcOYiJC1vO3PwzLGUwYXCM7HAQ39DTqrMGgYAhyU70fGd0xggYXzTj_jIXGHDrehLlbqwC6Md-3N2GSfLYVrHoZLu02tyyVAz8G6eCXpL/s1600/rating_2.0.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What did FilmBoy think?</span></b></span></div>
“Okay. It was good. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever seen.” The repetition of the same four soundtrack themes did start to get on his nerves. He also thought it was hysterical the way the Canadian cast says “house” (“hoose”); the fact that it’s said repeatedly by Ricky only made it funnier.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<b>Language: </b>Mentions of “butt,” “dummy,” and “perv.”<br />
<b>Violence: </b>There are several fight scenes, mostly involving martial arts. No bloodshed or deaths.<br />
<b>Adult situations: </b>Kate is seen in various skimpy clothing and bikinis; Ricky shares a kiss with Kate’s younger sister, Kylie (Mikayla Ottonello). The antics of 12-year-old Jack are sometimes uncomfortable: He describes Kate as “definitely hot,” comments on her “heavenly body,” literally pants over her in one scene, and tries to sneak a glass of wine at a swank party at the mansion. There’s brief mention of the bad guys being involved in “smuggling,” though it’s never made clear exactly <i>what </i>they’re smuggling.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
Can’t think of one reason why she would.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Let's go to work.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<span style="font-size: x-small;">While being </span>mindful of child labor laws.) </span></div>
<br />
<b>Junior High Spy</b><br />
* Directors: Mark McNabb, Kelly Rae Irwin<br />
* Screenwriter: Barry Cowan<br />
* Stars: Christopher Fazio, Mikayla Ottonello, Matthew Downs, Harry Edison, Dorothy Downs, Jessica Ducharme<br />
* MPAA Rating: N/A<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B009V2KOAY" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Junior-High-Spy/70263825" target="_blank">Rent <i>Junior High Spy </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-11841097196813724742013-02-15T08:08:00.000-05:002013-03-26T10:03:38.735-04:00So Undercover (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_ul9z9zEKeAsept5RnkdymTMRhyxMrShOj8C4tcuRDjnzOr6htkRgUIRsy9awPIMhxNTuZyLrXq54ze4Z7A7DXkGP6JEIERlLvKDxKkUF6RSv_XrSg7VJQUHCKNuhn7abIxFh4scC8Yx/s1600/1+so_undercover+(200x150).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_ul9z9zEKeAsept5RnkdymTMRhyxMrShOj8C4tcuRDjnzOr6htkRgUIRsy9awPIMhxNTuZyLrXq54ze4Z7A7DXkGP6JEIERlLvKDxKkUF6RSv_XrSg7VJQUHCKNuhn7abIxFh4scC8Yx/s1600/1+so_undercover+(200x150).jpg" /></a></div>
<b>LET’S GET THIS OVER WITH: </b>Miley Cyrus (<a href="http://filmfather.blogspot.com/2010/03/bolt-2008.html"><i>Bolt</i></a>) plays a private investigator named Molly (that’s Molly, not Miley) who’s hired by an FBI agent (Jeremy Piven) to protect the daughter of a key mob witness while the daughter is living in a college sorority house. To accomplish this, Molly (not Miley) goes undercover as a student to keep the daughter safe, while trying not to blow her cover or fall for beau-hunk classmate Nicholas (Joshua Bowman).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_pFERZY5SEIwOv5Z3WuI5QmZhh5vyH6devJ7vB_L3J4cMUJtqglYFi938Iy7Pu6SMM_uThrpwth3skjlwksg74CPqr6THtznfTiwBRPzlJ45rmRQzqajIr4SPV4iAOf1UgaynKeXY1H5/s1600/2picture-of-jeremy-piven-in-so-undercover-large-picture-number-1+(200x133).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_pFERZY5SEIwOv5Z3WuI5QmZhh5vyH6devJ7vB_L3J4cMUJtqglYFi938Iy7Pu6SMM_uThrpwth3skjlwksg74CPqr6THtznfTiwBRPzlJ45rmRQzqajIr4SPV4iAOf1UgaynKeXY1H5/s1600/2picture-of-jeremy-piven-in-so-undercover-large-picture-number-1+(200x133).jpg" /></a>Whether or not you’ll enjoy – or even tolerate – <i>So Undercover </i>depends on how open you are to believing the FBI would put their trust in a two-bit junior PI to protect the relative of an important government witness. And for someone who’s been assigned to closely protect this relative, Molly spends large amounts of time apart from her as she endures numerous debriefings from Piven’s agent and makes goo-goo eyes at Nicholas.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPftd0oqyxQQZvHX194xdiGCcffU_jecQxkd7-HldpLQnE7dLbHIagntGcmHj-g84XHY9Rbgk4jkJR6B3ccOlnq_Ni0iLmkkjlRjcpXIJkRKsLSKs3w-zeqPf0Im-IFOkZPyIuxr3qAE6/s1600/3+miley-cyrus-is-so-undercover-in-action-comedy-s-first-trailer+(280x400).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJPftd0oqyxQQZvHX194xdiGCcffU_jecQxkd7-HldpLQnE7dLbHIagntGcmHj-g84XHY9Rbgk4jkJR6B3ccOlnq_Ni0iLmkkjlRjcpXIJkRKsLSKs3w-zeqPf0Im-IFOkZPyIuxr3qAE6/s200/3+miley-cyrus-is-so-undercover-in-action-comedy-s-first-trailer+(280x400).jpg" width="140" /></a><i>So Undercover </i>is almost nothing but variations of Molly unknowingly spewing a bunch of inside-speak about her profession, then poorly covering it up with a bimbo-esque declaration. As Molly’s boss, Piven brings more to his role than the film deserves, and it’s a bit sad that this is the kind of work you get after winning three Emmys on <i>Entourage</i>.<br />
<br />
Devoid of laughs, charm, or believability, <i>So Undercover </i>is Cyrus’ latest attempt to shake her teenybopper image and play grown-up, complete with parading around in her underwear and occasionally swearing. But her cherubic looks and disturbingly bleach-white teeth betray her attempt at portraying a cynical FBI operative. Cyrus probably feels like she’s got something to prove to make America forget about <i>Hannah Montana</i>, but <i>So Undercover </i>is <i>so </i>not helping.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlesVcUbaCbh_jWNFiBlNiK5vaWWl6svGSAxmgYuzyjIaAbxtngs0LwyS91QmbrAAwiFF0ZDql8m7ocdP4lDHmrIni_Xy0zbl1f6p6Gs0WGR8fVhOlyn8QWFvv0AoNvRHyoGR4GV0H-V9/s1600/rating_1.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidlesVcUbaCbh_jWNFiBlNiK5vaWWl6svGSAxmgYuzyjIaAbxtngs0LwyS91QmbrAAwiFF0ZDql8m7ocdP4lDHmrIni_Xy0zbl1f6p6Gs0WGR8fVhOlyn8QWFvv0AoNvRHyoGR4GV0H-V9/s1600/rating_1.5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
<i>So Undercover </i>is rated PG-13 for “mature and suggestive content.” It includes mild profanities peppered throughout, alcohol consumption at a party, several close-ups of girls’ chests and/or cleavage, and random gunplay.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</span></b></span></div>
Unless your FilmMother is twelve (and if she is, you’ve got bigger problems), I doubt it.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FxUo3wSm9eo/URwNgp480qI/AAAAAAAAEPo/M6PItFarwV8/s1600/X+miley-cyrus-so-undercover-excl-clip+(300x300).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FxUo3wSm9eo/URwNgp480qI/AAAAAAAAEPo/M6PItFarwV8/s200/X+miley-cyrus-so-undercover-excl-clip+(300x300).jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(*sigh*) Of <b><i>course </i></b>they're making me do</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gangnam Style as part of the initiation...</div>
<br />
<b>So Undercover</b><br />
* Director: Tom Vaughan<br />
* Screenwriters: Allan Loeb, Steven Pearl<br />
* Stars: Miley Cyrus, Jeremy Piven, Mike O'Malley, Kelly Osbourne, Eloise Mumford, Megan Park, Lauren McKnight, Autumn Reeser, Matthew Settle<br />
* MPAA Rating: PG-13<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00BB8VJVO" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00A7E8PA6" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00A7F0LKM" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/So-Undercover/70213474" target="_blank">Rent <i>So Undercover </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-36630156765389520362013-02-08T13:17:00.000-05:002013-04-25T14:55:55.618-04:00The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure (2012)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yjbgWcQ5WAE/URU_JqFqn4I/AAAAAAAAENs/BcIObmtG3bA/s1600/oogieloves1+(200x133).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yjbgWcQ5WAE/URU_JqFqn4I/AAAAAAAAENs/BcIObmtG3bA/s1600/oogieloves1+(200x133).jpg" /></a><b>THEY COME FROM THE MAN who gave us the Teletubbies.</b><br />
<br />
They look like Barney the Dinosaur, the Doodlebops, and H.R. Pufnstuf had a freaky three-way.<br />
<br />
They had <a href="http://movieline.com/2012/09/04/oogieloves-worst-box-office-sequel-cary-elwes-live-tweet/" target="_blank">the worst box-office opening of all time</a>.<br />
<br />
And now, they’re coming to your home.<br />
<br />
Yes, last fall’s infamous bomb <i>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure </i>is now available on home video. It features the adventures of full-bodied puppet-kids Goobie, Zoozie, and Toofie as they plan a surprise birthday party for their friend Schluufy, who happens to be…a gibberish-spewing pillow. But when their friend, a vacuum named J. Edgar (because he’s a Hoover, get it?), trips and loses five magical balloons meant for Schluufy, the Oogies set out to retrieve the balloons in time for the party.<br />
<br />
<i>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure </i>is an interactive movie, with the Oogies talking to the screen and urging preschoolers to get out of their seats at various points in the film and take part in song and dance routines, complete with follow-the-bouncing-ball lyrics displayed at the bottom. <b>These overzealous commands quickly spiral out of control, </b>often coming just minutes apart and sometimes lasting for mere seconds before the kids are told to sit down. (It makes the stand-sit-pray frequency of a Catholic mass look tame.) The songs are of the Chinese-water-torture variety, repeating the same verse over and over until you confess to crimes you didn’t even commit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EP4RqRpJunhg8JdaIHneoLuLkCzeND5KOtVS8muP-jx89iZevgjCLxzm93dZ4Op4NP62Fhb0Td4ydTEsqgPLl18_1zGdYYoSna8LOtNxjnb0B6OHSoVlaxgA2uxG_O-aAF-2rXKqLl0U/s1600/Oogieloves+Human+Actors.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0EP4RqRpJunhg8JdaIHneoLuLkCzeND5KOtVS8muP-jx89iZevgjCLxzm93dZ4Op4NP62Fhb0Td4ydTEsqgPLl18_1zGdYYoSna8LOtNxjnb0B6OHSoVlaxgA2uxG_O-aAF-2rXKqLl0U/s400/Oogieloves+Human+Actors.png" width="135" /></a><b>The Oogies encounter actual human beings in their journeys, </b>and it makes you wonder what career-ending scandals these actors are hiding that allowed them to be blackmailed into appearing:<br />
<ul>
<li>Cloris Leachman as a polka-dot-loving shrew named (wait for it) Dottie</li>
<li>Chazz Palminteri as Marvin Milkshake, who basically hazes his customers into dancing for their drinks at his dairy bar</li>
<li>Toni Braxton (whose recent bankruptcy might explain her presence here) as a pop diva in a painfully long segment where she sings a ballad about coughing and sneezing</li>
<li><i>The Princess Bride</i>’s Cary Elwes, who seems to be enjoying himself <i>way </i>too much as a bubble-loving cowboy whose bouncy swagger makes him look like he has to pee</li>
<li>Jaime Pressly as a latino salsa dancer and her partner Christopher Lloyd, who’s dressed in flamenco garb and speaks only by beating his bongos</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>And just when it seems all of Schluufy’s birthday balloons are safely retrieved by the Oogieloves,</b> they’re lost <i>again </i>due to a strong wind. But before you can say <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina" target="_blank">deus ex machina</a>, the balloons declare, “There’s only one thing stronger than the wind: love!” So the Oogies – and I am not making this up – start blowing kisses over and over to bring the balloons back. It’s at this point your mind starts coming to grips with the fact that the entire film centers around a surprise birthday party for a pillow. (When does life exactly begin for a pillow? Is it the manufacture date on the tag?)<br />
<br />
<b>Spoiler alert: </b>The Oogies’ kisses bring the balloons back and the party is a success, as Schluufy sits there like some kind of stuffed invalid while everyone dances around him, seemingly rubbing their mobility in his face.<br />
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On some level, the Oogieloves’ creator Kenn Viselman (he of <i>Teletubbies </i>and <i>Thomas the Tank Engine </i>fame) should be commended for trying something different with the interactive nature of <i>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure </i>and its world of bright colors, soft shapes, and surreal settings. But factor in the trite, grating musical numbers, stilted dialogue, inept animal puppetry, often-insulting tone, and complete lack of substance, and <b>you’re left with nothing more than an 88-minute mess. </b><i>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure </i>may be filled with the best intentions, but so is the road to Hell.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zg35moJz7kU/URU_FLIv1LI/AAAAAAAAENg/tQSM52gIozs/s1600/rating_1.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zg35moJz7kU/URU_FLIv1LI/AAAAAAAAENg/tQSM52gIozs/s1600/rating_1.5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNNr6xCnl2o/URU_MYVNB1I/AAAAAAAAEOI/tKuPvM2jeSk/s1600/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JNNr6xCnl2o/URU_MYVNB1I/AAAAAAAAEOI/tKuPvM2jeSk/s1600/FilmBoyJackJack2012+(200x166)+(125x104).jpg" /></a><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">What did FilmBoy and J<span style="font-size: large;">ack-J<span style="font-size: large;">ack </span></span>think?</span></b></span></div>
FilmBoy thought <i>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure </i>was awful, declaring at mid-point, “How is the guy who created this not embarrassed?” Jack-Jack kept saying repeatedly, “Why was this in the theaters?” – though secretly, I think he may enjoy the film more than he lets on.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUDAqIJEyK8/URU_J5kmZFI/AAAAAAAAEN0/9CHSricRGq8/s1600/oogieloves_jaime_pressly+(150x96).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xUDAqIJEyK8/URU_J5kmZFI/AAAAAAAAEN0/9CHSricRGq8/s1600/oogieloves_jaime_pressly+(150x96).jpg" /></a><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is it suitable for your kids?</span></b></span></div>
From a strictly content perspective, yes – unless you consider Jaime Pressly kissing the Oogieloves’ pet fish on the lips to be subversive.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</b></span></span></div>
My FilmMother thought <i>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure </i>was trippy, annoying, and devoid of any educational value. Halfway through, she said to me, “We’re never gonna get these moments back, you know.”<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--SQtuBoDJF4/URU_Joa3wSI/AAAAAAAAENw/P2z8W901JOk/s1600/oogieloves-bomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--SQtuBoDJF4/URU_Joa3wSI/AAAAAAAAENw/P2z8W901JOk/s400/oogieloves-bomb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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More like the Oogie<i>hates</i>, amiright?</div>
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Thank you, try the veal.</div>
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<b>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure</b><br />
* Director: Matthew Diamond<br />
* Screenwriter: Scott Stabile<br />
* Stars: Christopher Lloyd, Cary Elwes, Jaime Pressly, Cloris Leachman, Chazz Palminteri, Toni Braxton, Garrett Clayton, Maya Stange, Nick Drago, Malerie Grady, Steve Blackwood <br />
* MPAA Rating: G<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00B9CO2ZC" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B009AMAHO8" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe> <iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFE559&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=filmf-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B009AMAHU2" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Oogieloves-in-the-Big-Balloon-Adventure/70251900" target="_blank">Rent <i>The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-655251546665389067.post-59029540406204813132013-01-29T08:08:00.000-05:002013-01-29T09:14:06.984-05:00Citadel (2012)<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0A5uUeAz0ew/UQbpe1mg4pI/AAAAAAAAEMg/1lxSj_G32VM/s1600/1+(150x150).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0A5uUeAz0ew/UQbpe1mg4pI/AAAAAAAAEMg/1lxSj_G32VM/s1600/1+(150x150).jpg" /></a><b>HERE’S A QUESTION for all the dads out there: </b>Could you protect your child from evil if you were afraid of everything?<br />
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That’s the dilemma posed by the Irish horror import <i>Citadel</i>, where we meet Tommy (Aneurin Barnard), a young father afflicted with chronic agoraphobia after his pregnant wife is brutally attacked by a gang of hooded youths (children, to be exact). When the same gang starts terrorizing Tommy again, intent on kidnapping his baby daughter, he seeks help from a doubting yet sympathetic nurse (Wunmi Mosaku) and a vigilante priest (James Cosmo) to overcome his fear and destroy the gang for good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvxHyRIN561xcU0K0f4UsE9N_XCoTe3s69-GNCG3hu5ZgcaPWFLwx6WmS7D6B2cwFvDVyINfGZNp3K3Z7KWibSDCNsBH5c-3m5rjhGCbW_iTwDmQgu-cawCBPklgfzSxWsa8yzYDzc8cQ/s1600/2+citadel-3+(200x109).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkvxHyRIN561xcU0K0f4UsE9N_XCoTe3s69-GNCG3hu5ZgcaPWFLwx6WmS7D6B2cwFvDVyINfGZNp3K3Z7KWibSDCNsBH5c-3m5rjhGCbW_iTwDmQgu-cawCBPklgfzSxWsa8yzYDzc8cQ/s1600/2+citadel-3+(200x109).jpg" /></a><b>Drawing from his own experience with agoraphobia following a violent mugging, </b><i>Citadel</i>’s first-time feature writer/director Ciaran Foy paints Tommy’s world as a bleak, grimy landscape of blues and greys (much like how Tommy views his life and his future). Foy does an effective job at balancing scares with cares, putting Tommy in the hands of Mosaku’s nurse just long enough to provide the viewer with a false sense of relief before throwing Tommy back into danger at the hands of the gang. (Also great: Foy’s use of Tommy’s old apartment number (111) and the recurring theme of threes.)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cMrGoGDKJtY/UQbpOFEY8mI/AAAAAAAAEL0/3LdsRUctXEI/s1600/3-James-Cosmo-and-Aneurin-Barnard-in-CITADEL-a-Cinedigm-_-Flatiron-Film-Company-release-2012-2+(200x113).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cMrGoGDKJtY/UQbpOFEY8mI/AAAAAAAAEL0/3LdsRUctXEI/s1600/3-James-Cosmo-and-Aneurin-Barnard-in-CITADEL-a-Cinedigm-_-Flatiron-Film-Company-release-2012-2+(200x113).jpg" /></a>Looking and acting like Elijah Wood’s strung-out big brother, <b>Barnard does a great job capturing the struggle of a new parent stricken with a crippling fear and topped with a coating of paranoia.</b> Cosmo’s embattled priest, while quite the screen presence, is a somewhat uneven mishmash of profane wisdom, jarring frankness, and tough love. Also, his exposition explaining the origin of the feral children is muddled and dodges the obvious question: If this gang of children has been around for decades, wouldn’t there now be a few adults in the group?<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HHZrcwVakf4/UQbpOdaLlBI/AAAAAAAAEL8/VGQYX-1jwis/s1600/4+HOODIES-ON-THE-BUS-300x200+(200x133).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HHZrcwVakf4/UQbpOdaLlBI/AAAAAAAAEL8/VGQYX-1jwis/s200/4+HOODIES-ON-THE-BUS-300x200+(200x133).jpg" width="200" /></a>Winner of the Midnighters Audience Award at the 2012 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, <b><i>Citadel </i>is nearly everything a horror film should be </b>– “nearly” because of the third act, a showdown in the abandoned apartment tower where Tommy and his wife lived when she was attacked. This finale plays like a haunted-house action sequence and betrays the creepy, atmospheric tone Foy set in the first hour. The film also ends somewhat abruptly: one side wins, and almost immediately the credits roll.<br />
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As good as <i>Citadel </i>is, a word of warning to anyone who’s an expectant father, a single dad, or a parent of an infant: Before you know it, you’ll soon be wondering if you would have what it takes if faced with the same terrors as Tommy.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tzIrXdpt2VE/UQbqOQfb8yI/AAAAAAAAEMo/e0VuwmRAT74/s1600/rating_3.5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tzIrXdpt2VE/UQbqOQfb8yI/AAAAAAAAEMo/e0VuwmRAT74/s1600/rating_3.5.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Is it suitable for your kids?</b></span></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDorZuS6dgCV8eZqUjpyOWWsFFRIzonEHzKsHygLelKneikaZUNERC0InuEPhEqIPakggZx0kHx5mmpe4R2TCD4ECcOCRtSdvDW-Sv-nBZY03YquVo6WmhCG3btrNJzZwDgazQBUPzr932/s1600/W+(150x113).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDorZuS6dgCV8eZqUjpyOWWsFFRIzonEHzKsHygLelKneikaZUNERC0InuEPhEqIPakggZx0kHx5mmpe4R2TCD4ECcOCRtSdvDW-Sv-nBZY03YquVo6WmhCG3btrNJzZwDgazQBUPzr932/s1600/W+(150x113).jpg" /></a>Absolutely not. In the opening scene, Tommy’s wife is viciously attacked by the gang; Tommy’s emotional breakdowns are harrowing to watch (though he’s oddly emotionless when taking his wife off life support); the hooded children are truly scary: they attack and kill several people, complete with graphic noises and bloodshed, either in shadows or off screen; Tommy’s baby daughter is put in peril in several scenes; one of the hooded children’s throats is slit, complete with spraying blood; there are many profanities.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Will your FilmMother want to watch it?</b></span></span></div>
With a pregnant mother beaten to death in the opening scene, a gang of mutated killer children, and the ongoing threat of a baby girl being stolen by the gang, I can’t see too many mothers who would be willing to sit through <i>Citadel</i>.<br />
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"Candy-Gram."</div>
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<b>Citadel</b><br />
* Director: Ciaran Foy<br />
* Screenwriter: Ciaran Foy<br />
* Stars: Aneurin Barnard, Wunmi Mosaku, James Cosmo, Jake Wilson, Amy Shiels<br />
* MPAA Rating: R <br />
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<a href="http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Citadel/70262057" target="_blank">Rent <i>Citadel </i>from Netflix >></a>FilmFatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16572370403623288465noreply@blogger.com0