swedensm

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Reviews

Sooner or Later
(1979)

Great coming of age movie
I saw this film when I was just a teenager and I loved it. The characters are believable and the story is interesting. Jessie, although only 13, isn't treated like a baby, even when she messes up. The teenage boy isn't a disrespectful, selfish dummy only out for one thing and he's still sexy and cool.

Now that the movie has come out on DVD and I have a daughter of my own in her early teens, I can't wait to watch it with her. As a family movie, it will give parents and kids the opportunity to talk about why it's important to be honest and that being okay with who you are is always a better idea. Highly recommended.

Dream a Little Dream
(1989)

A nostalgic favorite!
Great coming of age vehicle for Corey Feldman, who once again shows the potential he did in "Stand By Me" earlier in his career. Bobby Keller (Feldman) is a teenager with unusual problems. When an older man who lives down the street (Robards) tries a transcendental experiment in order to extend the lives of him and his skeptical but humoring wife (Laurie), they quite literally become trapped in the bodies of Keller and his dream girl, Lainie (Salenger).

Bobby must figure out how to switch back to his own body by a certain deadline or be trapped. Worse is the fact that Lainie doesn't know what's happened to her, so Bobby has little time to win her and convince her of their predicament before she will be lost forever.

Although Haim is annoying (as usual) as Feldman's buddy "Dinger" (puh-leez), the movie has some funny moments (like when Robards' character is trying to teach Feldman's how to be suave and Feldman is trying to teach Robards how to be inconspicuous) and some sweet ones, (like when Bobby is trying to win Lainie's heart).

Although some of it may be too precocious for the younger kids (and too dorky for the more sophsticated older teens), I found it to be fun and nostalgic. Great movie for a rainy day.

Fresh Horses
(1988)

I liked the scenery...
This movie was filmed in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, where I was living at the time. I hung around some of the days of shooting, as the house where Molly Ringwald "lives" stands right outside my town.

Andrew McCarthy was a darling who signed autographs, talked to whomever was around as if they were lifelong friends and even joined us for lunch. He won some lifelong fans during those days. However, Molly Ringwald was too grand for the likes of us

Kentuckians; she snubbed everyone and hid in her trailer. She kept stopping production during the cold weather because she was absolutely adamant about not being filmed with a red nose.

I have to admit, when the film was shown, we laughed until we cried when we noticed that her nose was Rudolph red -- a lot.

That is my fondest memory of this waste of good talent (McCarthy's). They should have saved the money and spent it on nose makeup for Ms. Ringwald. Or maybe charm

school.

Friends
(1994)

Ten years is not enough.
I was a late blooming "Friends" fan; I didn't begin to watch the show until 2002. At first, I was appalled by the way they all slept around, but as I was able to view the show (in syndication) from the beginning, I became a permanent and ardent fan. Who wouldn't love these oh-so-human girls and guys next door?

The actors are superb and in my opinion, too good for the material they were given. For the most part, the characters are believable but some of the stuff more than borders on the ridiculous. Somehow, however, each episode is nothing short of hilarious. We hurt when Ross and Rachel break up. We fervently wish Chandler would find someone to love him for himself. We pray to God that Joey doesn't get an incurable disease. And we are drawn into these hopeful young peoples' lives and made to feel like we're also sharing a cuppa joe and listening intently to Monica's dating problems or Phoebe's horrendous songs.

I am not ashamed to admit that I cried when the last episode was aired. It was like seeing my children leave the nest and fly on their own. This show makes you care that much. I would personally like to thank everyone involved; there'll never be another show like Friends.

Snow Dogs
(2002)

View it through the eyes of a child.
I have heard nothing but complaints -- enough! My children love this movie and although it's not Oscar material, so what? That's not what we're going for here.

I think people are too jaded. This is a charming movie. There is some slapstick in it, but nothing that could be seriously called "violence". No nudity, no dirty jokes, no sex. I lived in Alaska for three years and the Canadian scenery here is so breathtaking it reminded me of Fairbanks.

It's nice to see that Disney can still make movies that are entertaining to kids. And safe for them to watch. I paid to see it, I bought the DVD for my kids to enjoy and I would do it again.

Men with Brooms
(2002)

One critics garbage is another's gold.
Okay, this is one of those movies that you can only enjoy if:

(1) You have that goofy, Jerry Lewis/Martin Short sense of humor. (2) You are a big enough fan of Paul Gross (Due South).

I do and I am. Yes, there are clichés; the whole darn thing is one big cliché. Yes, it's a shock to hear the perfect "Benton Fraser" (Gross) crack a smile and say the "F" word. And yes, sophomoric jokes abound. But we're not Oscar contenders here; it's quite obvious that Paul Gross wanted to break out of that stuffy red uniform and have some FUN. He succeeds -- and teaches us a little about curling too. Fellow Canadian Leslie Nielson is perfect as his mushroom-chewing, blustery, estranged father. I love that man-- he looks so dignified while dropping the most hilarious load of crap and can rubber-face better than Carrey.

Nope, no Oscar for Best Comedy. Now if they awarded one for just plain fun...

The Next Best Thing
(2000)

I tried, I really tried to like this movie.
I don't get it. The movie has a fairly good plot, phenomenal actors (okay, with the exception of Madonna) and an award-winning director. So why did it come out so flat and two-dimensional? Come on now... we can't blame it all on Madonna.

I was really looking forward to the release of this movie, but was so disappointed after viewing it. I think Madonna was great in "Body of Evidence" and "Who's That Girl?" is one of my favorite madcap comedies. But she just doesn't seem to bring any warmth to her character at all and let's face it -- her acting in this movie was about exciting as plain oatmeal. The other actors were great.

The writing leaves a bit to be desired in more than a few places. I think they could have handled it better, made it warmer in a lot of areas. I guess that and placing Madonna as the lead character hurt what could have been a sensitive and entertaining film.

Blossom
(1990)

A good mother/daughter show.
Blossom wasn't supposed to be "MacBeth". Okay, there was a lot of fluff and silliness in the show -- sometimes embarrassingly so. But I had three teenage daughters during it's run and the show opened a lot of opportunity for us to talk about important things.

I will always remember this show with great fondness and Bill Bixby has been a favorite since the old "Courtship of Eddie's Father" series (yes, I'm THAT old!). He brought class to everything he touched.

Francis
(1950)

A horse is a horse of course, but Francis is more than a mule...
I remember watching this movie as a young child, and it is one of my sweetest memories. I used to rush to eat my dinner (or not eat at all) so I could sit in front of the television for the Sunday Matinée, which always played family movies. The Francis series is one of my favorites.

Who could resist a talking mule (particularly with that squeaky-gate voice supplied by veteran actor Chill Wills) or the innocent face of Donald O'Connor as they're coming to take him away one more time (for insisting that the mule could speak)? Not this child.

One of the best all-time children's series of the post WW2 era -- one I would share with any child -- or anyone who is a child at heart.

Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang)
(2001)

I loved this movie! Good for laughter...and a few tears.
Stellan Skarsgård plays Felix, a hitman who wants to retire, but the organization for which he works wants him to undergo a different kind of retirement. One day he walks away and being strapped for cash, he has to take a job "babysitting" a grown man who has been sheltered from the world.

Chris Penn shows his talent for comedy (again) by playing Bubba, a childlike fellow who becomes attached to Felix because Felix "tells him things" and takes him out for a view of the "real world." Penn makes the character likeable...no small task because Bubba could have easily become an annoying cartoon.

Lots of hilarious stuff, like the scene where Bubba gets ahold of the francs given to Skarsgard by his father and does something very unexpected. I laughed out loud a lot, said "awwwww" a lot and enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Great flick.

Freejack
(1992)

A very underrated movie which deserves a second look.
Estevez plays Alex, a hot-shot race car driver, who should have died in a crash but instead is transported 18 years into the future a split second before his death. Now he's being hunted and he has to figure out how this ties in with ex-girlfriend Russo, her boss (Hopkins) and the dangerous man who is trying to capture him (played surprisingly well by Mick Jagger!).

There's a memorable and hilarious portrayal of a futuristic nun by Amanda Plummer, which should not be missed. The soundtrack has some great tunes by the Scorpions, Jesus & Mary Chain and others. The ending will surprise you. Great fun.

Infinity
(1996)

A gentle love story, played against the backdrop of the development of the Atom bomb.
It's not an exciting movie, but it's not meant to be. This movie is for thinkers. It's a real love story with someone who could have been your neighbor, set against a time when people were just recovering from the Depression and being forced into WW2.

I love what Broderick did with this film. In an age where people are jaded and "have" to be stimulated with action, big noises and blood to stay the boredom, he has given us a glimpse of a more innocent time -- maybe the last innocent time in American history -- and insight into the world of two very different people who obviously loved each other very much.

Congratulations Mr. Broderick and thank you for telling their story. I wish I had met them both.

Due South
(1994)

They never should have cancelled it.
I loved the show first-run and was thrilled last December (2002) when a local tv station in southern Sweden began to replay every episode as a daily filler. It's extremely clever, with wonderful, witty dialogue. The exchanges that Fraser has with the deaf Dief and his father's ghost are priceless as is the subtle (and not so subtle) sarcasm.

Just a few complaints:

*My favorite storyline was "Victoria's Secret" -- but what happened to Victoria? There should have been an ending there.

*By the time I got used to the "other" Ray (Stanley) being in the cast, they made him cartoonish and dumb.

*I think at the end, there was too much junk about women mooning over Frasure. All the googly-eyed stuff from his superior just plain embarassed me.

*Fraser should have ended up with a woman -- a good woman who would make him more human and save him from his own perfection.

It was a clever, clever bit to use actor Paul Gross' (Fraser) real-life wife as the ghost of his mother in the last episode. I have read that Gross "is sick of" this show and resents being remembered for it. If it's true, that's a shame. "Due South" will forever be one of my favorite television programs.

Light of Day
(1987)

One of my favorite Michael Fox movies.
I never enjoyed the cutesy characters they always have Fox portray. Here he does a great job as a "regular", decent guy who is loyal to his family and just wants to know what his dream is. I think that Joan Jett did a fantastic job -- not too many musicians can cross over so well into movies. Fox and Jett are believable as brother and sister and Gena Rowlands is always incredible.

I think this movie was panned because people expect Mr. Fox to be silly and boyish (two things that he wasn't in this movie.) Good for you, Michael.

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