5 comments about The Family Holiday.

1. the family holiday was a silly, shallow, simile of a make believe family who in the end becomes a real family, I think...though marriage was never mentioned, and I believe all families should start with marriage...



2. The Family Holiday was an amusing, lighthearted family movie. I thought the children did a decent job; William Schultz especially stood out. Kevin Connell made an excellent villain. As far as TV Movies go, it was a decent one.



3. A delightful upbeat comedy which depicts how the joy of family can change a person's lifestyle. In order to gain family inheritance a con man must have a wife and children. This is the story how this con man acquires a "famiy" and how they change his life for the better. A must see for anyone who has enjoyed true family love.



4. This is a fun, wholesome movie, shot in Spokane, WA, that incorporates the best of two homeless kids, a very cute dog, conniving adults who are all looking for the same thing - family. There is sometimes corny but cute dialogue - and of course, a happy ending.



5. This was ok Family movie it did not hold my 10 & 7 year old attention - they went for a short bike ride in the middle.
   
   It's a Christmas story of man who is con-artist who will come into money if he has a stable job, wife and family - so he finds some - learns his life lessons - happy ever after.

5 comments about Mystery Science Theater 3000 - The Wild World of Batwoman.

1. This movie is a mish-mash of go-go girls, a bat-woman (like Batgirl), a mad scientist named "Ratfink" and various other stupid characters. MST3000 skewers this, I especially liked the part when "You got my Mole Peoole in My Batwoman movie!" The opening 50's educational vignette on "Cheating" is absolutely hilarious.



2. Great episode of MST3000 but truely Col Kurtz must have been watching this movie when he said in Apocolypse Now " the horror the horror". LOL



3. Batwoman and her chicks get down and partay in The Wild World of Batwoman. More curves than the Indy 500 in this one and a clever storyline with the protagonist Mr. Fink up to no darn good. The lavish costumes, hot babes go-go dancing and non-stop humor from the scientist (looking a lot like a certain Dr. Forrester) and his sidekick make this movie live up to its title. Jerry Lewis would be proud of this certain party!



4. For those who don't know, the premise of MST3K is that they show incredibly bad movies which are then heckled by three guys in the audience who appear as 3 outlines, as if they're a few rows ahead of you in the theater. In most cases such people would be annoying but the point of MST3K is that the films are pretty much unwatchable and these guys are yelling the stuff we're all thinking, or wish we'd think of saying.
   
   The real 'horror/charm' of MST3K is that some chuckle head at a studio greenlite this drek. The wonder is someone somewhere didn't look at the film and say "for the love of God stop!" but actually let it get to the screen. That having been said WWoB is and amazingly bad film by any standard and so is ripe for the lampooning delivered. As a film it is unwatchable. Plot, non-existant, constumes, pretty much street clothes except for batwoman herself and the villian , ratfink' who looks like "when zorro's go bad." Lighting? sound? props Heck blocking? non existant.
   
   Villains fool the good guys with glued on mustaches and well you get the idea. This is a film that should have only been shown as an educational film entitled "Studio heads, don't let this happen to you!" but luckily for all of us, the guys at MST3K got the paws on it and the result is a gem.



5. At least they didn't make Batwoman fly! I wouldn't trust a studio hoist with a budget lower than the continental shelf.
   I enjoyed watching this drive-in feature which probably never got distributed too many blocks beyond the warehouse....or the Producer's garage. Katherine Victor glides into the various scenes with grace and sexiness - she's probably a tad over 42, but that's cool - for a woman who can fly she's got very well-toned legs...and so do her go-go dancer helpers...in fact if you wanna jump to the final scene, all the femininity
   reaches critical mass at a pool party. Hip character actor Steve Brodie gets tossed in, to his chagrin, and to the delight of the interns.
   Brodie is always good: Elvis Presley fans might remember him as Big El's nemesis in another sunny tunefest [this one's not a musical but I always wanted to use that phrase in a review], "Blue Hawaii", and about three years later, in "Roustabout".
   Gotta say, I've only played this movie sans Joel, Crow, and Tom, so maybe there's another star warranted. I'm still getting over their scholarly confab' which drowned out one of Little Richard's rarest songs in another light-hearted, [light-headed?], opus from the same era. I'm scared that I might miss a pearl of wisdom from Rat Fink.

No comments about All She Wants for Christmas.

5 comments about Back in the Day with Dale Jr. - The Complete Season One.

1. THIS IS A TREMENDOUS VIDEO SERIES. THE RACES ARE PUT TOGETHER VERY WELL AND THE OLD RACES ARE TRMENDOUS. I HOPE WE SEE A SEASON 2,3,4.....



2. dale jr takes you on a ride through the roots and history of nascar. a great dvd for a true nascar fan who appreciates such.



3. The series aired on Speed TV and was a winner from start to finish. The classic footage is a must for any racing fan and having Dale Jr. as the host was an angle that worked well. This is an outstanding DVD that merges the old-school with a new-school swagger.



4. Cale Yarborough and LeRoy Yarbrough are not brothers. Their last name isn't even spelled the same.



5. Little E lets fans see what NASCAR was like back in the day. Classic racing and great drivers.

5 comments about Invader ZIM - Horrible Holiday Cheer (Vol. 3).

1. (just so u know this is written by ZIMgirl,MOOSE MASTER's cousin!)
   season 3 is my favorite season,except the christmas episode makes me cry and it also makes MOOSE MASTER cry. the comentary is funny to listen to. I love it when GIR was in a turkey I laughed so hard.actually that whole episode was funny.my personal thoughts are ZIM eats waffles is the easist episode to understand,backseat drivers from beyond the stars is the funnist cuz it's stupid and dib ship rising is the most boring cuz it dosnt have alot of GIR. I want GIR!!



2. When wholesome holiday fun goes terribly terribly wrong with another of Zims screwy plots for world domination! Packed with demented Christmas carols, loads of waffles and bogus fairy-tales of Santa Claus, fact or fiction? Along with some interesting additional characters along the way and as usual some great motivation from such supporting characters like Gir, Gaz, The tallest and so on. Zim a cosmically inept fool who just cant get enough of.



3. The 3rd disc in the series doesn't disappoint, except for the fact that it's the end of the series. I couldn't get enough of this amazingly funny and creative cartoon (PS - I'm 35, and no - I don't still live in my parent's basement!). While it can be a bit hyper and loud from time to time, the real genius shows up in subtle things... underlying social commentaries and parodies, hilarious signage and background characters. Not to be missed!



4. This DVD of the Invader Zim series features a Halloween episode and a Christmas episode, and both of them may be detrimental to children's opinions of both holidays (not to mention Santa Claus). I do know, though, that my nine year old sister LOVES this cartoon.
   
   Other than that, this cartoon is hilarious if you have slightly twisted sense of humor. It is my favorite cartoon, and Jhonen Vasquez's figures are extremely interesting and unique, so all of his work is worth at least checking out.



5. Invader Zim is a dark, disturbing cartoon that looks like someone made it that was insane (but in a good way). The basis of the story is that an alien, Zim, from planet Irk is sent to a mysterious planet on what he thinks is a mission to conquer it. His leaders, The Almighty Tallest, only sent him away to be rid of him for a while. Zim and his robot servant, GIR, just so happen to land on Earth. Sadly, Zim is unequipped to handle the challenges that await him on Earth. To make matters worse for Zim, a child with a huge head named Dib sets out to stop Zim at all costs.
   
   All of the episodes are full of laughs and ridiculous screaming. GIR is the funniest character due to his complete randomness and idiotic nature. Some episodes are more based on Dib or Gaz, Dib's Sister, than on Zim, but they are still very well done. This DVD set features episodes 19-27.
   
   My only complaint with this Season is that the episode they used to close out the series, The Most Horrible X-mas Ever, was completely stupid. It introduced a new character named Mini-Moose for no reason at all. The episode itself isn't funny at all compared to other episodes in this box set. Invader Zim went out with a whimper and no closure whatsoever. I recommend Invader ZIM - Doom Doom Doom (Vol. 1) or Invader ZIM - Progressive Stupidity (Vol. 2) over the third season.

5 comments about Here Comes Peter Cottontail.

1. To me this delightful Easter special is everything that Easter should be for young children and adults alike. Coming from a far more innocent age of television "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", is one of the greatest creations from the Rankin and Bass team of animators who brought us of course the immortal television classics "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", and "Frosty the Snowman". Taking Easter as their theme here they have created a memorable lead character in the delightful Peter Cottontail and this special was a regular feature of our Easter viewing when I was growing up for many years. I still treasure this special now as an adult and in the beautifully restored DVD version of it now available I still marvel at the truly superb animation created here by this legendary team without the assistance of any computers. Definately an Easter classic, this funny and warm hearted story has most surely stood the test of time. In between my more religious themed viewing over this holiday I always include "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", and the other Rankin and Bass Easter themed special "The Easter Bunny is Comin' To Town", in my regular viewing and it's always a joy to revisit these "old friends", each Easter.



2. My child loves this video & it's great to see it again since it was once upon a time broadcasted on TV.



3. Although "Amimagic" studios Rank & Bass produced over a dozen Christmas specials, they only made one Easter show and this is it! Charming re-imagining of the Peter Cottontail fable, with a year's worth of kid appeal. We follow Peter, who overslept and missed his attempt to become Official Easter Bunny, as he travels through one-year's time and almost every major holiday on the calendar. Think "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" meets "Holiday Inn." I only wish the cute music packed an Irving Berlin punch.



4. I bought this for my kids to watch. I remember it from when I was a kid. They loved it. They liked it better than the new Peter Cottontail Movie. I liked it too!



5. This is a classic holiday film that possesses the same quality as the original Rudolph. Vincent Price is a great villain as usual.

5 comments about The Servant.

1. Written by Harold Pinter, Losey's "The Servant" is a psychosexual allegory of power, exploitation, and class resentment that belongs, in its unique way, to the "angry young man" school of British film. Bogarde was hailed (justifiably) for his sinister turn as Hugo, while Fox easily inhabits Tony, the impotent, manipulated aristocrat. One of the best films of the sixties, and among the best British films ever, "The Servant" is vintage Pinter, and a first-rate showcase for the gifted, under-appreciated Bogarde.



2. "The Servant"
   
   Very British
   
   Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
   
   Looking back to 1963, I found a British classic which tackled homosexuality long before America incorporated gay themes into movies. With a screenplay by master playwright Harold Pinter and directed by the wonderful Joseph Losey, how could a film go wrong? "The Servant" has a great script, admirable acting and excellent direction.
   Tony, an aristocrat, moves to London and hires Hugo Barrett to be his servant and he is to be responsible for everything in the home. He seems loyal and competent but Tony's girlfriend, Susan, does not like him and asks Tony to send him away. However Barrett brings his "sister", Vera, to work in the house with him and she and Tony have a brief affair. Upon returning from a brief trip, Tony and Susan discover that Barrett and Vera, in Tony's room and it so happens that they are actually lovers and not family. They are fired and Tony and Susan break up. Tony later meets with Barrett in a pub and hires him once again. Now Barrett is free to impose his own dark intentions on the house. He turns the tables and switches places with his master. What the film does is take a deep look at class relations in Britain via the switch between a dainty bachelor (James Fox) and his contemptuous servant, (Dirk Bogarde). Barrett realizes and uses his expanding powers over Tony who loses his identity slowly and becomes a slave to the man he hired.
   "The Servant" is a movie that is close to perfection especially when considering that it was made so long ago. It is a sinister thriller with a great deal going for it. The homoerotic undercurrent works well and although the movie has aged, it has done so gracefully.
   There is a great deal of ambiguity in the film and it carries tension along its plot. Dealing with power and manipulation, a series of quirky developments occur. Harold Pinter is a genius with the English language. His screenplay is terse and laced with the feel of menace.
   The movie belongs completely to Dirk Bogarde, however. He gives his role a malevolent campiness which conceals bitterness and rage that was common to the lower classes. This is a satire on the British class system and each character has an archetypal function.
   The movie is confusing but it is a visceral experience. Joseph Losey gives us a claustrophobic atmosphere with an edge. Erotic during the first half, it becomes frightening in the second half. The plot moves downward throughout and we feel the sexual permissiveness and suggestion from the very beginning and the tension of which drives the drama. It is an original and brilliant film which cannot be fully analyzed.
   The cast is uniformly excellent and as Bogarde reveals the true nature of his character, frightening as well.



3. after seeing this movie when it was a new release, we were not disoppointed viewing it again,after all these years. brilliant film, with the handsome actor.Dirk Bogarde. who could portray , sinister,roles and love,romance roles. he was a remarkable actor.



4. (may contain SPOILERS...how am I supposed to know when you feel spoiled?)
   
   Hmm...Hugo Barrett.
   
   Surely, some of you black-and-white lovers (of which I count myself one) remember another character named "Hugo," from a movie 18 years senior to this one, who ruins his master's life and takes away his sanity. Last Name's Fitch. The, ah, master is played by an actor who may even be a little superior to Bogarde...and there're not too many of those, and you may disagree. And in case you hadn't noticed yet, Vera, after the two of them are busted turning on in Tony's bedroom, calls down the stairs after Barrett, "I've been waiting for you...." As for "Barrett," I see from other reviews that it IS necessary to say that Bogarde's movie immediately preceding* this one ("Victim," 1961) had a character named Barrett (not played by Bogarde), who is sweet and unsuccessfully self-sacrificing--in short, just the opposite of our Barrett here, whose name is repeated almost as many times as "Barrett!" is in this movie. Unless of course the original "Servant" novel or short story by Robert (or Robin) Maugham (nephew of the more famous writer) predates both of these, and the name was already in place.... enough of that (except, in my favorite "Columbo".... FORGET IT).
   
   I've seen the movie twice, own it, and hate it. It is perfect--the acting, the character-I hate to say development!--, the glorious cinematography, the music, the sets, the costume design, the economical and perfect dialogue. I keep telling myself I hate it because I hate or despise (or both) everyone in it, but I hate or despise everyone in Madame Bovary (Flaubert) and The Red and the Black (Stendahl)--and I love those. I think it's because Barrett's really only turned on by his own sadism and others' reaction to it. It's hard to figure him out on first viewing, because his character--I'm not talking about Bogarde, but Barrett, "acts" all the time. I think he had the whole thing planned from the beginning, starting with downcast eyes, and perfect service, then the opening of the eyes and dropping of the perfect English, and so on. I don't think the-very few!--surprises that came his way (getting busted in Tony's bedroom; Tony showing himself to be not unsusceptible to the sexual attentions of a man; Susan's kissing him at the last party) changed anything, a whisker. I do NOT think he "ran into" Tony accidentally in that bar (what a crock of lies he told him there!). You know...maybe Vera really WAS his sister! The only people who really change are Tony, who disintegrates, and Susan, who is, at least temporarily, destroyed.
   
   Considering that nearly everybody has sex with nearly everyone else in this movie, it is hardly what I would call a sexy movie. This is because, except for two early scenes of Tony and Susan (she's his fiancée? He asked her to marry him, but she didn't answer the question), the second interrupted by an extraordinarily light knock by Barrett, they all involve Guess Who, for various purposes of his own. The intense, in no way innocent game of hide and seek is accompanied by Barrett's spitting out words of hatred ("You've got a guilty secret! But you'll be caught!"). His enthusiasm is intensified by his natural sadism.
   It's not because no sex is shown, but only understood, that the movie isn't sexy; it's because...it's so cold in this movie! Only toward Vera, whom Barrett probably has no sexual feeling for, is he--slightly--affectionate. (As I said: maybe she is really his sister!). And that phonograph record, playing five different times: "Now that I love you alone..." each times less loving than the last.
   
   The sexiest thing in "The Servant" is the playing and singing of guitarist Davey Graham,which Tony not only hears in the coffee shop, but all the way home, at full volume. Not too loud; just right. The last verse goes:
   
   Baby, baby, in your big brass bed,
   Rock me Mama, till my face turns cherry red
   Rock me Mama, rock me slow
   Rock me one more time before you go.
   
   It's like an oasis.
   
   Never hire a manservant (I believe the most popular review mentioned this), no matter how innocent he is, and if you do, for God's sake, don't hire his sister, no matter how competent she is. The last thing you need in your home having to deal with an oligarchy! (other than your own)
   
   Next weekend, I'm going to see another Losey movie, "The Go-Between," which has Hugo Fitch's master's last performance* at the end of it. The role doesn't call for any speech (a woman is beseeching him to do something he doesn't want to do), but by the '70s, Redgrave was probably more comfortable not talking, anyway. There--I told you his name.
   
   * (Not quite!)



5. A "gentleman's man," Hugo Barrett (Dirk Bogarde), is hired as a personal manservant by a rich layabout, Tony (James Fox). At first deferential, Barrett takes control of Tony's London apartment and soon becomes indispensable. Tony's fiancée, the imperious and repressed Susan (Wendy Craig), sees Barrett as a suffocating presence and treats him badly. Not long after, Barrett brings his "sister' Vera (Sarah Miles) into the house as a live-in maid. Subtly, but assuredly, he turns Tony's attention from Susan to Vera, and orchestrates Vera's seduction of Tony. Through more underhanded tricks, Barrett causes the break-up of Tony's and Susan's relationship. His psychological manipulations of Tony increase in severity until he has reduced him to a simpering and depraved alcoholic, barely able to stand up, much less regain his authority. Suddenly, the dynamics have changed-the servant has now become the master.
   
   A cruel and unusual film that still defies the norm forty-four years later, "The Servant" mercilessly skewers the English upper class and serves them up for lunch. Largely regarded as an allegory for the declining morals of what was then becoming an obsolete master-servant society, it pulls the gloves off, strips the veneer of respectability, and rankles your nerves raw. It's grim, edgy and borders on the Avant-garde. Depicting a spoiled man and his manservant in a time and place when servants were expected to attend to their employers' every desire yet disappear into the woodwork when not wanted, the master's destruction through his servant's treachery is both satisfying and disturbing. There is a great deal of ambiguity in this film, which invites one to speculate on Barrett's motivations and Tony's submissiveness. This could prove frustrating for some, but I found it rather stimulating. Not a mainstream film, maybe not even back in 1964, it's a pessimistic view of humanity; noir-ish, intense and cryptic.
   
   As an outstanding example of the power of suggestion and cinematic craft, the film never shows the sexual depravity and sexual manipulations prevalent in the story. No actor is shown in any state of undress and there isn't a single sexually explicit scene. However, one clearly knows they're happening by the oblique and suggestive use of objects and people that by themselves mean nothing, yet when seen in the context of Barrett's devious machinations, relay the spiraling down into immorality. Most of the topics dealt with in this film were daring at that time. To deal with these merely by suggestion is a far more difficult task. The fact that the film succeeds in doing so brilliantly says much for the talents of its actors, director Joseph Losey, and playwright Harold Pinter. The passage of time has not lessened its significance and it's a technically superior film that still manages to fascinate. The issue of class conflicts may no longer be relevant, but the issues of power and moral corruption certainly are, and some would say even more so now.

No comments about Blossoms in the Dust.

5 comments about Silent Night.

1. This is a great movie for the entire family. Enough action, drama, and great ending.



2. Silent Night is a story about how peace can transform and heal. In the midst of terrible fighting between the Americans and Germans during World War II, an isolated cabin in a German forest, and its two inhabitants, becomes the stage for what is a gripping drama on Christmas Eve. From the moment it starts, there is something special about this movie. Linda Hamilton puts in a convincing and riviting performance as a German mother left alone with her son in her isolated cabin as they become embroiled in a confrontation between American and German soldiers, both sides out to destroy each other, in her very house. It's only because of the mother's deep faith in the meaning of peace that the opposing forces are transformed. Although this is a movie set on the eve of Christmas and as such has an understandably religious undertone, its message of the power of peace trancends all faiths whether one is a believer or not and is a cathartic experience. The wonderful black and white filming serves to underscore the isolation of the cabin in the cold German winter and the acting is outstanding from all members of the cast. Linda Hamilton is so transformed in her role that you might not recognize her as the Linda Hamilton of the well-known Terminator movies. Whether you are a beleiver in Christian faith or not, this is a movie for all people to experience. And if you are a believer you'll want to see this movie on Christmas Eve. Run out and get this movie, it's a movie you'll never forget.



3. I love this story for its warmth and humanity shown at Christmas time...I'm delighted to add it to my Christmas collection.



4. There are not enough superlatives to heap on SILENT NIGHT! I can nearly always do without Christmas movies, and war pictures usually put me to sleep, but this gem is a not-to-be-missed film for anyone with half a heart. The writing, and direction were excellent. The absolute absurdity of war was brought home in this movie, deftly, but firmly, and with a warmth that all of the other feel-good, holiday pics I've been exposed to in my lifetime never have come close to.
   
   The cast for SILENT NIGHT was excellent, but it is Linda Hamilton's wonderfully moving performance as a war-weary German mother trying desperately to protect her son that is unforgettable.



5. This is certainly a classic--one to be watched again and again, especially during the Christmas season. Silent Night, which is based on a true story, is fast paced, entertaining and inspiring. A great movie for the whole family (as long as parents review it first because of the violence of war ).
   
   Bobbie Marie

5 comments about Kidsongs - We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

1. My 3 year old daughter, Olivia, has several of the Kidsongs videos. I can let her watch them and not worry about the content or language (there aren't many videos like that anymore). This one is like the rest; entertaining and fun. We both love it. I'm sure we'll be singing Jingle Bells all year long. Thanks, Melissa L. Florence, South Carolina



2. I bought this DVD for my [...]grandaughter before Christmas. This is one of the few DVD's that she wants to see over and over. She is still requesting to watch it in February! The songs are great for young children to sing along and the kids singers are delightful. Easy for young children to follow and understand. Very colorful also. I will definitely be looking at more Kids Songs DVD's, hoping they are all as good as this one.



3. I love this so much that i wached it witb my best relitives in the whole world virgina winnter bella jie nad naimi i mean i wached this every christmas eve and christmas day i always have her sleep over every christmas eve christmas day and winnter break i think thisv is soo entertaning for your child this is so greatfull and were thank full for makeing this video so i learned a verry importent leson last night i went over virgina and sharans house and i thought virgina said you can never come over again but she didint mean it she ment i can sleep over again so when i got home there was a mesige on my anwsering michene that was virgina



4. I have a 4 yo brother who's absolutely in love with this series. He watches the Christmas special repetitively and sings along passionately (he'll actually replay his favorite songs over and over again on the DVD player.) Great for kids, because it keeps them happy & thoroughly entertained; maybe not so good for you, because you'll have these melodies ringing in your ears for a good 24 hours. The cheese factor and the over-the-top nature of this series are really what keeps the kids absolutely mesmerized and entertained.



5. The DVD was just OK. It only had 1 or 2 traditional Christmas songs and the remaining 5 or 6 songs were orignal songs that no one either don't know nor probably never heard before. I was hoping this DVD would have been a great way to introduce my 2 year old to all the traditional Christmas songs, but not the case. Also, the dancing wasn't the best either unlike many other Kidsong DVDs. I would not recommend this DVD if you want to enjoy it as a family, but as a toddler, like my daughter, would probably like it because of the many children that are on the DVD that are dancing and singing, plus seeing Santa Claus several times through the DVD.