There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)

I love musicals and this one has been a favorite since it first came out in 1954. I was thrilled to receive the DVD and even more thrilled to find that the songs and dances were still as wonderful as I remembered, the production numbers still as splendid, and the total show as remarkable as ever.

Dan Dailey and Ethel Merman are Terry and Molly Donahue, vaudeville performers circa 1919 when the movie opens. They quickly add children Steve (Johnnie Ray) Katy (Mitzi Gaynor) and Tim (Donald O'Connor) to the act as each child is old enough to wobble on stage. They become the successful act known as The Five Donahues and tour constantly even as vaudeville dies away. When their paths cross with an ambitious blonde named Vicky (Marilyn Monroe) things are never the same. She breaks Tim's heart and he spirals downward into an alcoholic haze, son Steve leaves the act when he decides to become a priest, and Broadway replaces vaudeville as the elder Donahues spend less time on stage and more time in their New Jersey home. The ending always leaves me dissolved in tears, but it is the lavish production numbers that make this a favorite. From the catchy opening of Merman and Dailey performing "When That Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam'" (later reprised by Gaynor and O'Connor) to the lavish staging of "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and the uplifting closing of the title song, this movie is a feast for fans of music and dance. Even though Marilyn Monroe shines in her sexy "Heat Wave" number, the long-legged Dailey makes dancing an effortless joy throughout and Merman's voice is uncommonly rich, it is Donald O'Connor and Mitzi Gaynor who enthusiastically dance their way into your heart and steal every scene they are in.

This is a great movie with Marilyn Monroe and Ethel Merman.

However the real star of this movie is the vivacious Mitzi Gaynor! She steals every scene she is in. She is beautiful, talented, and hard to take your eyes off of!

I recommend this movie ! I also recommend " Anything Goes"

with Mitzi Gaynor. It has just been restored and the look of it is probably the best color of any DVD I own.

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i am not a marilyn monroe fan, and honestly, i love this movie in spite of her being in, not because of her being in it. dan dailey, donald o'connor, mitzi gaynor, and ethel merman were all wonderful in this movie. johnnie ray was not much of a dancer, but he had a good voice. i thought the musical numbers were all great-everyone was in top form in this film. you cannot go wrong in getting this one.

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One of the great musicals of the 50`s. All star cast and great numbers. Ethel Merman at her finest singing the title song. Worth buying the DVD just for that. Marilyns Heatwave number makes the mercury jump to 93. Dan Dailey always one of my favorites overshadowed by Astaire and Kelly. Donald O Connors finest hour was of course Make Em Laugh from Singing In The Rain but this is close second.The lovely Mitzi Gaynor and of course a man sadly forgotten by some nowadays. The Prince of Wails himself. Johnny Ray proving that he was better that most pop singers who turn to acting.I remember seeing this at a young age in our local theatre and thinking it was great all these years later i still feel the same...The question now is when will Call Me Madam appear on DVD also starring Ethel and Donald. A treat indeed for anyone who enjoy`s a good musical.

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This movie stars Ethel Merman and Dan Dailey as vaudevillians Molly and Terry Donahue, who are trying to raise their three children(Steve, Katie, and Tim)as normally as they can. Molly and Terry narrate throughout the story, so the movie actually spans 20 years of their lives. The film starts out with a little song and dance number, and the introduction of Donahue kid #1, then it moves through #2 and #3 and their childhoods with some great comic scenes between Ethel Merman and Dan Dailey. Finally, with the kids all grown up, the family becomes an act called the Five Donahues. The first time you get to see the grown up Donahue children is in a big number called "Alexander's Ragtime Band" in which all the family members get to spotlight their individual talents. That night, after the show of course, Steve (the oldest) gets his true calling and Vicky Parker (Marilyn Monroe)enters as Tim's (Donald O'Connor)love interest, both events conspiring to break the act up. This film is filled with plenty of song and dance numbers, almost all of which were written specifically for the movie by Irving Berlin, plenty of talent, and plenty of fun. Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, and Donald O'Connor are great comedic talents who deliver quite a few laughs throughout, as well as doing a great job with the singing and dancing. I highly recommend this movie to everyone out there who needs a good laugh! If you find that you like this one, try "Singing in the Rain," also co-starring Donald O'Connor, "Wonder Man," and "The Court Jester," starring Danny Kaye.

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The Yankles (2012)

This is a very enjoyable movie with a big heart. It takes the classic underdog gets a second chance theme and presents it in its own unique way. It centers on a baseball team, but it is not a "sports" movie. It takes place at a Yeshiva, but it is not a religious movie. Rather, it's a feel-good movie with likeable characters that will absolutely leave a smile on your face. As far as originality, it does hew to the well-known cinematic theme of underdogs doing well under the guidance of new leadership, however much originality is here in context of the setting, the characters and their cultural struggles with the sport, as well as an interesting plot twist that may prevent them from ultimately playing in an important league tournament. I first saw it on the big screen, and now that it is out on Blu-ray (as well as on Amazon Instant Video), I plan on having it as part of my permanent home library as well!

In life, winning isn't everything. Sports films have built their own industry within an industry about exploring what it is that makes one a winner: is it the final score, is it the way the game is played, or is it something more, something magical, something that'll always be elusive except to those who're willing to put in on the line for their team? Along comes THE YANKLES, and you'll believe it has far more to do with one's faith faith in the game, faith in your God, faith in yourself and maybe that's the best estimation put to film yet.

Down-on-his-luck Charlie Jones (played by Brian Wimmer) an ex-baseball player fresh out of jail and trying to reform his life and image can't find a team anywhere that'll touch him with a ten foot pole. Enter "the Yankles," a brand-new college team desperately in need of a coach! A former Minor League playing now pursuing his faith learns that Jones needs to meet his community service commitment under the terms of his parole, and voila! It's a match made in sports comedy Heaven ... or whatever may account for Heaven in the Jewish faith.

What writer/director David R. Brooks (along with writing partner Zev Brooks) has done is they've smartly examined the world of sports through the prism of faith ... and why not? There have long been messages about believing in one's self mirrored in the best sports movies, but he's amped up the faith to an all new level here by revolving the story around a fictional collegiate team set at a Jewish school. What could spiral into "preachy-ness" stays mostly sublime as the team struggles to understand `the game' instead of simply `winning it,' allowing for such handsome subplots as having a father and a son comes to terms with their differing views on life as well as Jones trying to win back his former love who's now embraced her faith fully. Through Jones' eyes, the audience gets introduced to these matters; through the team's eyes, they see what rewards come with the full expression of it. It's balanced extremely well, and, indeed, these matters of devotion end up meaning more personally than they would in a film wholly centered on baseball.

My only complaint and, sure, I'm a critic, so I have to have at least one is that the games here never really get center stage. (I know that wasn't the pure intent of the film, but I'll say what I think needs to be said anyhow.) Instead of building up the game giving the viewer a handful of sequences to set up how important a critical play or crucial inning is for the story instead we're given only the pivotal sequence. Instead of presenting the full sense of a game, the game is reduced to just what's needed to underscore the message. That's all well and good; and it happens so consistently throughout that it's easy to determine that it was either (a) deliberate or (b) due to the constraints of time. However, it would've been nice to have the big game the championship game play out a bit closer to the way they do in a traditional sports film. So much was made about the lessons learned in getting to `the show' that it would've been nice to give those moments more screen time; still, it's a minor blemish in an otherwise solid (and noble) run around the bases. Otherwise, the film never feels formulaic, and it retains a modest freshness throughout.

For the record, I know very little about the Jewish faith. While a large part of THE YANKLES' storylines explore what it's like to be a Jew especially as it impacts with playing a sport I found all of it extremely accessible. I've no doubt that if I had a stronger understanding of the Jewish faith I probably would've uncovered even more humor in the script, but, as I've read some scuttlebutt online about "needing to be a Jew" in order to truly appreciate the film, I wanted to debunk that so far as I was concerned. This non-Jew found plenty to identify with and cheer about with this feature.

At a time when the evening news is fairly regularly filled with stories of players, parents, coaches, referees, and umpires going berserk on and off the playing field, how refreshing is it to find a film like THE YANKLES? Certainly, the story briefly explores I said "briefly," folks the importance of winning on the field, but so much more of the film spends time exploring how important a winning strategy is off the field. There are metaphors for winning in life, in school, in faith, in relationships.

THE YANKLES is produced by Magnolia Pictures with DZB Productions, LLC. DVD distribution is handled through Magnolia Home Entertainment. The disc looks exceptional, and I'll admit I had some trouble with audio in a few sequences; the mix was a bit off for my tastes, but it was certainly fixable on my sound system. And, for the record, the film has won plenty of accolades, including "Audience Favorite Best Feature' at both the 2010 Palm Beach International Film Festival and the 2011 Trimedia Film Festival, as well as other citations at the 2010 Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, the 2010 Int'l Family Film Festival, the 2011 New Jersey Jewish Film Festival, the 2010 Heartland Film Festival, and the 2010 Anaheim International Film Festival. The disc includes deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, extended musical scenes (music plays a large role in the flick), an audio commentary, and other little trinkets.

HIGHEST RECOMMENDED. Certainly a case could be made that THE YANKLES isn't for everyone, but it would be just plain silly to do so. And you'd be a putz! Or a schmuck! Give in to the wholesome charm of watching these young Rabbis-in-training put up or shut up in their trials to just play the game, and have yourself two hours of fun. Plus, it's overwhelmingly family-friendly even for the young'uns who'll probably find even more to laugh at than this old soul did.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Magnolia Home Entertainment provided me with a DVD screener copy of THE YANKLES by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

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Every Baseball fan and Jew should see this movie. This is a great movie for frends to get together and watch. Also fun movie for a temple togther.

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This is a very enjoyable movie with a big heart. It takes the classic underdog gets a second chance theme and presents it in its own unique way. It centers on a baseball team, but it is not a "sports" movie. It takes place at a Yeshiva, but it is not a religious movie. Rather, it's a feel-good movie with likeable characters that will absolutely leave a smile on your face. As far as originality, it does hew to the well-known cinematic theme of underdogs doing well under the guidance of new leadership, however much originality is here in context of the setting, the characters and their cultural struggles with the sport, as well as an interesting plot twist that may prevent them from ultimately playing in an important league tournament. I saw it on the big screen, and now that it is out on Blu-ray, I plan on having it as part of my permanent home library as well!

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Fantastic movie -well-written, engaging subject matter, and inspiring story. Enjoyed by the entire family. Kudos for a great and entertaining production. I highly recommend this film.

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Mars Attacks! (2010)

Hollywood has made movies from books, TV shows, even other movies. However, "Mars Attacks" may be the first time a movie was made from a trading card.

Back in the late 1960s, Topps Cards created a line of Mars Attacks trading cards. However, these cards were pulled off the shelves after only a few months because the aliens depicted on them were considered to be too gruesome. My, how times have changed.

Director Tim Burton has taken those old trading cards and recreated them into this Sci-Fi B-movie throwback. In the process, he has created a movie that is pure, guiltless fun.

"Mars Attacks" also benefits from an all-star cast, including Jack Nicholson (in a dual-role), Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Martin Short, Danny Devito, Glenn Close, Natalie Portman, Tom Jones, Annette Bening, Lukas Haas, Jim Brown, and many others. The fact that you get to watch the aliens disentegrate (and otherwise kill) many of these stars only adds to the fun. Unfortunately, Tom Jones wasn't one of those unlucky stars. Maybe someday a sequel will be made that will rectify that. :)

Oh yeah........ did I happen to mention that Congress gets vaporized? This proves that the Martians aren't all bad!

The DVD comes with many extras, including quite a few production notes that helps you to understand how the movie came to be. This is one movie that you will want to see over and over again (especially anytime that Congress is getting on your nerves).

Tim Burton outdoes himself with this silly, but funny, spoof of 1950s flying saucer/alien invasion movies. It is absolutely zany and quite funny. There is also nothing politically correct about it, as there are no sacred cows. The film is totally irreverent of American culture and icons. Everything and everyone is fair game.

Martians have come to Earth, and they do not come in peace. Diabolical and deadly, they are bent on wreaking havoc wherever they go with their death ray guns, which serve to incinerate living beings. These bulbous headed martians with their own brand of deadly humour are hell bent on destroying Earth, while laughing and cackling maniacally.

The special effects are meant to to be reminiscent of those found in 1950s UFO flicks and in this it certainly succeeds. The cast is stellar with Jack Nicholson playing dual roles, that of President James Dale and that of entrepreneur Art Dale. Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michael J. Fox, Rod Steiger, Jim Brown, Natalie Portman, Sylvia Sydney, Paul Winfield, Pam Grier, Lisa Marie, Christine Applegate, Lukas Haas, and Tom Jones round out the star studded cast. With tongue in cheek performances, the viewer is bound to get a good laugh out of this film.

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Having spent an hour or so reading every review of this movie on the site, I have come to the conclusion that most of the people who did not like it, were simply not bright enough to "get it". Most of the humor in this movie is sophisticated satire and irony. i.e. you need a brain to understand what the joke is. Unfortunately it seems that that leaves about 70% of the population out in the cold sort of speak.

Also, a lot of the reviewers here trash the acting and imply that the big name actors were "only in it for the money", yet are unaware of the fact that most of those "big stars" clamored to be in this movie at lower pay scales than they are used to. Then they go on about how 2 dimensional or "broad" the acting is. Well, ..Duhhh! It's a cartoonish satirical comedy based on a series of bubblegum cards. It's *meant* to be that way.

Finaly, a lot of those who hate this movie compare it unfavorably to (their favorites), ID4 or Armageddon or some such trash as that.

Nuff said.

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There is nothing serious about this film. It is satire all the way and it is very good satire which takes potshots at all sorts of institutions.

The story is as simple as an old B/W science fiction movie. Earth is being invaded by Martians with superior techology and little reguard for eathlings. Instead of being an "end of the world" type picture, however, it is comedy. It is comdedic because there is a grain of truth in the elements used for the comedy:

The President is worried more about poll numbers on reactions to the Martians than about invasion.

The first lady is worried more about interior decorating than advancing ray guns.

The egghead professor manages to be wrong about just about everything he speaks of.

Reporters are shallow and vain.

The military just wants to play with its toys.

Bad music can be a deadly influence.

New Age people haven't a clue as to the real world.

Teenagers often have a better handle on things than the grownups.

It's enough to make you root for the Martians. This one is fun, irreverant and a feast of oddball ideas. What else could be expected from Tim Burton?

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The first time I saw this movie, I thought it was a big dissappointment. Then I started to think about it. Usually, when I dislike something for no reason that I can really put my finger on, it is because it has challenged my expectations in some way. For this reason, I like to re-examine my feelings about those things. And often, after reflection, I realize what it is that disturbs me, and I realize why the thing that I hate addresses that, and often it makes me enjoy the thing I "Hated" more.

This movie is like that. One of the things that bothered me so much was the lack of reason for the alien attack, and their resulting brutality. A little after I watched the movie, I found out why this is so, while reading a book "Lies My Teacher Told Me," which related the following tale concerning Columbus:

In 1492, Colomubus landed in what is now the Dominican Republic. He got off of the boat, and read a short proclimation that said (essentially,) "I am taking this place over, you must now immediatly renounce your pagan gods, convert to Christianity, claim Isabella of Spain as your ruler, or I will make you slaves, and you will work until you die, and I will not be held responsible for your souls." Columbus read this proclimation in Spanish, which of course, none of the native people of the Dominican Republic could understand. They greeted him with a huge party, and Columbus proceeded to decimate the natives. The Spaniards forced the Indians to work, and rode on their backs rather than walk from place to place. Does this not strike you as ridiculous? The same kind of mindless destruction for the sake of destruction that the movie portrays?

What disturbed me about the movie was it's quiet censure of our society, our modern world, our own arrogance. In this movie we get our comeuppance, and it is delivered with the same heartless passion that our uncivilized ancestors imposed on the indigenous populations. There is no why or how, there is only the relentless onslaught of a technologically superior race that finds glee in our destruction, who no doubt, intend to usurp our world.

In the War of the Worlds, we are saved by Influenza, in real life, Influenza and small pox, brought by Euroopeans, decimated indigenous populations. Wells original parallel was intended to be a subtle irony, a tribute to our tiniest, and most unobtrusive weapon.

Here we are saved by Slim Whitman's "Indian Love Call," an outrageous twist, but not one without it's irony. Whitman wrote the song as an appeal to the romanticization of the American Indian that occurred in the late 50's. It bears no real ties to native american lore or tradition, other than it's name. It is a romantic view of a past that never happened, our "plasticization" of the very people we've killed. Isn't it odd that we would be saved by a cheesy lounge song written about a people we killed with smallpox and war, while we are being decimated with no hope of survival, in much the same manner? Its doubly ironic that something so insidious, both in sound, and concept, should turn out to be invariably fatal to our invaders. Our bad taste killed them.

I might suggest to those that are easily angered when their expectations of an "Independance Day" style romp are foiled, that they examine their dissappointment and ask themselves, "why did this bother me so much?" When you do, you'll often find that you are being challenged to think or look at a thing in another light by your brain, which is often smarter than you might think.

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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)

I really wanted to love this movie. The idea and cast give it the potential to be a hilarious romantic comedy, but sadly, it isn't.

I love Matthew McConaughey in pretty much everything he's ever been in. He's a good actor, but I really didn't buy him as a charmer in this movie. I really couldn't see why the women were falling for him. He wasn't even slightly charming or likable. He was just a jerk. It made me feel like the writers of this movie thought all women were just idiots ready to fall into bed with anyone.

Jennifer Garner is another of my faves in other movies. She wasn't bad in this one, but it wasn't enough to save the movie.

One thing I did like about this movie was Lacey Chabert. She was very believable as the nervous bride to be. She was freaking out about every detail as many brides do and was a wreck. She gave us some comedic moments and was cute as a button.

I'm glad I only rented this movie from Netflix, so I'm only out an hour adn 40 minutes of my life rather than $20. If you really feel the need to see this movie, rent it before buying it.

I love most movies with Matthew M. in and combined with Jennifer Garner it was wonderful! If you're a fan of romantic comedies, whats not to love? I don't know why other people rated it poorly, it's not meant to be a deep and awe-inspiring movie, it's just a funny diversion from the normal christmas versions. I added it to my small pile of must have movies.

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Charles Dickens gave every lazy script writer and theater company a great gift when he wrote A Christmas Carol. The story of Scrooge being forced to examine his life from his hopeful past to his lonely present to his useless end which gives him the opportunity to make a positive change is such a 20th century story of redemption convincing everyone that for maybe one day Freudian psychology not only works but works fast. There have been so many adaptations and modern retellings (I like Scrooged) that it's hard to say which one is the best.

However, we have this movie to see which one is the worst.

So what's wrong with this movie? Matthew McConaughey. I usually find him a pleasantly agreeable actor but the main character of a Christmas Carol adaptation needs to go through a journey. Even at his best, McConaughey doesn't have the acting chops to portray a man who must realize that his life is terrible and accept that he has the potential to change for the better.

And this is McConaughey at his worst. He spends the movie in that annoying genial stoner act that requires an exasperated Kate Hudson to make audiences accept the premise. With every scene he speaks in the same voice inflection and the same easy breezy stoner talk. It only gets more and more grating. Then just as you think he can't get any worse, he is supposed to emote. Faced with this task, he yells and opens his eyes really wide.

There's also a lot of yelling and running around and Michael Douglas is supposed to be Marley's Ghost and it changes Scrooge from a miser to a philanderer but who cares? The movie is basically the experience of being trapped in a room with a stoner friend when you graduated from college and find the whole pot smoking convention rather sad.

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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was completely panned when it came out, so I avoided it in the theatres. I caught it on HBO recently, and I must say, I didn't think all the vitriol was well-deserved. It's cast well, and though the basic premise is a bit cringe-worthy, I thought it was executed smoothly.

Here's the skinny: Connor Mead (Matt McConaughey) is an insecure teenager who finds the girl that he loves kissing another boy at a school dance. Humiliated, he vents his frustration to his Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). The consummate ladies' man, Uncle Wayne steps in and teaches Connor all the tricks he needs to get what he wants out of women without ever getting too close. The vestiges of these lessons keep Connor from ever truly connecting to Jenny (Jennifer Garner), the true love of his life.

Years later, when Connor's little brother, Paul (Breckin Meyer), is getting married, Connor travels to the wedding only to be haunted by ghosts of his past girlfriends, who vow to change him for the better.

I thought performances were solid. Though the storyline is trite, the actors did a good job with it. I also thought there was good chemistry between Garner and McConaughey, and Michael Douglas' oily Uncle Wayne gave me some gleeful moments. Go in expecting the standard rom-com, and you won't be disappointed.

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Considering the idea and a good cast, this film is extremely disappointing. The laughs are very few and the romance isn't engaging, so what we are left with is a pretty flat retread of the classic story of Scrooge. This had some potential, but the writers must have been asleep while putting this one together.

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The Monster Squad (1987)

I've been waiting for this DVD to come into print for years, and now the wait is finally over. Thanks to Lionsgate for finally stepping up, straightening out the rights issues, and putting together a nice 2-Disc special edition of this classic 80s kids flick.

The Monster Squad, much like the Goonies and the Lost Boys, is a kid's flick at heart, but it doesn't come off as if it were written and directed down to children. The flick stars Andre Gower, Ryan Lambert (of Kids Incorporated fame), Brent Chalem, Michael Faustino and Robby Kiger as a group of kids that have a secret Monster club where they pontificate on all things monster related. Quick, two ways to kill a werewolf? Stumped? That's right, everyone knows you need to shoot `em with a silver bullet. Anyway, the group runs into trouble when unbeknown to them the all too real rouges gallery of the classic Universal monster movies are converging on their town looking to destroy an amulet that can prevent them from taking over the world. Sean, the leader of the club, lucks into a copy of Van Helsing's diary, which provides the instructions to a ritual that will banish the monsters into limbo. With the help of "Scary German Guy" (played by the always excellent Leonardo Cimino) a concentration camp survivor and resident German diary translator, the group bands together to save their families, their town, and quite possibly the entire world.

The film was directed by Fred Dekker and co-written by Fred Dekker and Shane Black (of Lethal Weapon and Predator fame) with amazing special effects and make-up by the legendary Stan Winston. This DVD was made possible by the director, actors, and fans who banded together in the past year through letter writing campaigns and revival screenings which proves just how much of a cult classic this flick is. If you are a generation X'er who's into action, horror or nostalgia the Monster Squad is sure to be a perfect addition to your DVD collection.

The 20th anniversary special edition set is reported to contain 2 audio commentary tracks, deleted scenes, an making of featurette, trailers, as well as a vintage interview with Tom Noonan (who played the Frankenstein's monster.)

This is a great scary movie for kids and adults alike...

This little-known GEM of a film & one of my favorites with mostly a cast of unknowns. Stephen Macht (Graveyard Shift& many other stephen King films) & Jason Hervey (older brother, Wayne on Wonder Years) are familiar faces. A great kids frightfest that has the Creature From The Black Lagoon, Mummy, Wolfman, Frankenstein & a really hot & sexy Dracula with his female coven!

A passel of oddball kids fight the dark forces of evil in their small neighborhood with the help of Frankenstein & Scary German Guy (an old Germanic man that is a neighbor). Great plot, cool special effects, some excellent one liners & some wonderful child acting all make for a terrifc family frightfest! Check out the teacher in the beginning of the movie. The kids call her "Meow Mix" because her head is shaped like a cat's head! Great oddball writing in this movie makes it scary & funny!

Wonderful story! I just can't wait for this to come out on DVD!

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I saw this movie when i was 12 and i must say i loved it...I always wanted to get this film on tape but I never could find it. until i was at a garage sale and load and behold in the video section i saw it monster squad in the 1.00 dollar videos..i got it for a buck...it is in great condition..

well anyways i think that this movie is really smart and witty and funny with a little jump in it... i think that the studio should re-release this film on video and dvd....i give it 5 stars and two thumbs up.

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With all the Universal films being released and re-released on DVD, in addition to Stephen Sommers' VAN HELSING, I'm shocked to see that THE MONSTER SQUAD isn't being given the credit it is due. Some of the special effects may seem a bit dated by today's near-flawless CGI standards, but this is a really enjoyable movie that transcends time as much, if not more so, as all the black-and-white favorites that inspired it.

The story centers around a small band of pre-teens who are devoted fans of the Classic Monsters. The group soon learns that the evil Count Dracula is lurking nearby, and has gathered a small band of his own: Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and the Gill-Man (aka, the Creature From the Black Lagoon). Their goal: to obtain a mystical amulet that will shift the balance of power in their favor and plunge the world into total, chaotic darkness.

What follows is a series of chases, terror-filled encounters, and unforgettable one-liners ("Wolf Man's got NARDS!") that make this film a must-have for all monster fans. The Squad is a likeable lot, each member possessing characteristics that kids of any generation can identify with, and the monsters themselves aren't played for comedy or reduced to caricatures:

Duncan Regehr's Dracula is both charming and sadistic, a perfect blend of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee, while Tom Noonan's Frankenstein Monster draws its inspiration from Boris Karloff and Glenn Strange, seemlessly integrating the best aspects of both actors' very different portrayals.

Jonathan Gries' performance as the Wolf Man's human half makes the viewer WANT to believe that he is Lon Chaney, Jr. back from the grave, and the Mummy shines in an amusing scare scene with one of the younger Squad members. Sadly, it is the Gill-Man who manages to get the least amount of time, but when he does show up, he is something to behold.

Though not released through Universal, THE MONSTER SQUAD is a wonderful cult-classic that preserves the spirits of these characters to a much greater degree than the latter-day VAN HELSING does. Only one question remains: where's the DVD?

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Monster Squad has so many good things about it its hard to find things wrong with it. It brings many life lessons with it. Here are the ten lessons i learned:

1.German people are scary, especially the "scary german guy".

2.Wolfman has "nards".

3.The kid who smokes and wears a leather jacket is the coolest guy in the town.

4.Don't mess with the fat kid.

5.The Creature from the Black Lagoon is no match for a twelve gauge.

6.Make a clubhouse next to a house where a hot chick lives so you can spy on her when she undresses.

7.The mummy in your closet isn't real and even if he is your dad will never see him any ways.

8.The army is always late.

9.Free movies await the person who lives close enough to a drive in.

10.monster squad is a classic.

Well I think I've said enough, so buy it already and have fun laughin at crude 80's sayings and ridiculus fat jokes.

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Pleasantville (2011)

Pleasantville may be one of the best, most underrated movies of all time. I admit, when it was first released, the premise seemed a bit goofy: two teenagers (played by then-unknown actors) are suddenly cast into a Leave It To Beaver-like classic TV town called Pleasantville by none other than Don Knotts (reminds you a little of the forgettable "Stay Tuned," doesn't it?). Upon their arrival, however, they discover that Pleasantville isn't everything it's cracked up to be and that being "pleasant" means missing out on some basic, vital parts of life (such as toilets, and of course, sex). What follows is an amazing transformation: of the main characters, the town, and even the movie itself, whose stunning cinematography slowly adds bursts of color to Pleasantville's black and white world while simultaneously providing a metaphor for the race conflicts of the 1950s and 60s. The two unknown actors turn out to be the now-famous Tobey Maguire and Reese Whitherspoon, both of whom shine like the stars they are in one of their first movies. Added to this are excellent supporting performances by some of the best in the business, including William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels, and the late great character actor J.T. Walsh. An absolutely incredible, must-see film.

Pleasantville is a fantastic film experience, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. A true, striking, and original masterpiece; Pleasantville is a must for any movie fan. What makes the film such a joy is how it exists on so many levels; almost anyone can find something to like here. It's at times a simple fantasy, others a biting satire, and even others an account of our history and change as people. Pleasantville is purely original and very well-structured. It deals with mature themes and if you're someone who likes to analyze films, then this is a great choice. The DVD warrants a purchase, even if you already own the VHS version (as I do), one of the few DVD's that does. Do yourself a favor and listen to writer-director Gary Ross's commentary-it's dynamite, even if you generally do not like commentaries. It's incredibly enlightening and adds much to the film's depth. Ross cleary illustates all of the overlapping themes and symbolism, and adds a personal touch to the movie's meaning. (The unintended rip-offs of The Shawshank Redemption and Citizen Kane are particularly interesting). The film has a bright, crisp transfer and excellent sound. The only way to enjoy Pleasantville (other than the theater) is on DVD. Newman's music is magical, also. There's a neat (oh, I'm talking like a 50's person now) behind the scenes documentary on the film's jaw-dropping special effects. The included Fiona Apple music video is pretty neat and directed by P.T. Anderson. (Anderson fans take note: watch for Anderson regular John C. Reilly at the video's end.) Overall, a DVD to buy: one of '98's best films with tons of extras to boot. Swell.

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Pleasantville is like a colorized movie version of Twilight Zone. A modern day boy (Toby McGuire) dreams of going back to the innocent days of the 1950s. When he gets his wish via a magical stranger played by Don Knotts, he and his sister Reese Witherspoon steps into a black and white world of Pleasantville, a town stucked in the 1950s. As the town's innocence is wiped away with the introduction of books and knowledge, color replaces the black and white starkness of the town and its people. Beautifully acted and filmed, this movie has heart and a brain.

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O.K. I'll to try to help people get the most out of this movie.

First, I recommend you wait to see this movie until you're atleast 18 years old. And, no, I'm not saying that this movie should be rated 'R'. I just think you have to have a certain amount of education under your belt, and be contemplating life in general, to fully embrace this film.

Now, regarding what the movie is about...

It's about two siblings who have different views of what the perfect world should be--neither of which is totally correct. Despite the title, I don't think the movie is about the town of Pleasantville. Sure, almost everything we see happens there, and there are plenty of scenes that don't show either David or Jennifer (the two kids); but, I think that the town is there more as a learning device for the kids, and as a reminder to us, the audience, of our real-world history. You have to keep in mind that this movie is partly a comedy. If you get bogged down trying to figure out what everything is a metaphor for, you may miss a laugh, because most of the time there are only partial metaphors. Pleasantville doesn't represent 1950's America. (They actually did have toilets and "real rain" back then.) It's a fake world that David thought would be a great place to live in. Unfortunately, a world where nothing bad ever happens just doesn't exist (when real people are involved). David, himself, helped mess up his perfect world just by being late for work once. Jennifer, on the other hand, is upset that she's been unwillingly thrown into this world that is far from her ideal one; so, she does her best to try to change Pleasantville into what she wants.

The following are my comments on what other reviewers have said:

--Unlike what some reviewers have said, it seems like both liberal and conservative views are expressed here; and in the end, neither one is found to be always better than the other. Sometimes, change is forced on us even when nobody wants it (e.g., natural disasters). Either you find a way to deal with the change, possibly learn from it, and move forward; or, you can spend the rest of your life wishing for the olden days, feeling miserable, because you know they will never return.

--Whoever brought up Nazis in relation to this movie must have been watching something quite different from what I was. Religious freedom and sexual orientation are two subjects that this movie never even tried to touch on. And, the most physical harm that I can remember seeing in this film, was one guy with a bloody lip. Or, if you're referring to the book burning, it's not like the Nazis are the only ones who have tried to remove certain literature from society.

--Anyone who said this movie promotes sexual promiscuity wasn't watching closely enough. In fact, they must have completely ignored everything that went on with Jennifer in the second half of the movie. David and Jennifer even talked about how becoming colored couldn't just be about sex. However, I do wish that sex hadn't been used as frequently as it was, and probably shouldn't have been, if they really wanted this to be a family-friendly film.

--This story was also NOT an allegory for the Garden of Eden. The garden was made reference to a couple of times, but it certainly is not what the movie is all about. Especially with the Don Knotts part, I can't understand why anyone would seriously think that the TV repairman was supposed to represent God in anything but the loosest sense. That character was there almost solely for humor. The citizens of Pleasantville never make any mention of any religion at all. So, how anyone can say that this movie is an attack on their religion is mind-boggling to me.

If Gary Ross is guilty of anything, it might be too much ambition. But this story worked for me on all levels. I enjoyed the serious parts and the silly parts. And I hope I can continue to live in color.

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