Alex's Rental Recommendation - "The Wiz"

I think “The Wiz” is a definite must see, well, if you’re into that sort of thing! This 1978 classic originated off of the 1975 Broadway musical featuring an entirely African-American cast. Now, I know most of you are probably thinking about “The Wizard of Oz” which was released in 1939 and was the base of the idea of the Broadway musical. “The Wiz” basically has the same theme for example, Dorothy ends up in Oz and meets numerous and unique characters along the way. The movie pretty much has the same outstanding characters as the original, Dorothy Gale (Diana Ross), Aunt Em (Theresa Merritt), Scarecrow (Michael Jackson), Tin Man (Nipsey Russell), Cowardly Lion (Ted Ross), The Good Witch (Lena Horne), and well, I think you get the picture! “The Wiz” begins in an apartment in Harlem, New York and young Dorothy becomes trapped in a snowstorm and is taken to Oz. Another difference in “The Wiz” and “The Wizard of Oz” is that when Dorothy is first introduced to the wonderful world of Oz, the munchkins are graffiti upon the walls of the park that she is in. When “The Wiz” was released, it wasn’t the best movie in the theater, but I would recommend it because of its tremendous celebrity cast along with the outstanding musical and dance numbers! And especially if you’re looking for a classic remake of a wonderful Broadway play, this is the movie for you!

Music Mania: "Books Turned Movies"

Rental of the Week: "The Barefoot Executive"

Kurt Russell stars in today's rental recommendation alongside a chimp! I actually really like this movie, and I hope you will too! It follows the story of Steven Post (Kurt Russell) who is a mailroom clerk at a fiction television studio called UBC network! One day, Steven notices that his girlfriend's chimpanzee can pick which TV programs will receive the highest ratings each day! Okay, so how can a chimp do that? Well, if he claps his hands while watching a program, then the show will be a hit, but when he "blows a raspberry" during a show, the program will receive low ratings! Steven uses this to his advantage and pretends that he can predict hit shows! When a show that he predicts will become a hit... becomes a hit... Steven is promoted and eventually becomes the company's vice president! But unfortunately some folks are curious about how Steven is predicting these hit shows and decide to do some hilarious investigating! But how long can Steven hide his secret from not only the world, but also his girlfriend? Yeah, so the plot may sound cheesy, but this is a great comedy that actually takes some thought! Henceforth, the younger crowd may not understand the business side of the film, but they will laugh their heads off at the movie in general!

"Toy Story 3" Review

It's been 15 years since the original "Toy Story" hit theaters, and 11 years since "Toy Story 2" was released, but now the wait is over, and "Toy Story 3" has arrived! The little Andy we all knew and loved has grown up and is headed to college! The big question is, will he take with him the toys that haven't been played with in years? Of course not! And that's when Woody and the gang wind up at a local daycare center known as Sunnyside! They quickly meet many new toys including a big pinkish teddy named "Lots-O-Huggin" Bear! They also meet Ken, who is immediately attracted to Barbie, and vice versa, because the two were literally made for each other! As for my new favorite characters, I really liked Mr. Prickle Pants, Buttercup, and Trixie! Why? Well, they weren't evil! Now, I don't want to give away any of the plot, but I have to address the fact that some of these new toys weren't as friendly as we were led to believe! However, I had already figured that out by watching the trailers! It not only made the plot feel weak since there was an evil toy in the last movie, but it also eventually got kind of weird! At this point it feels like I'm am going to start bashing the movie, but all I want to say is that I liked the beginning and the ending of the film better than the middle... if that makes any sense at all! I just felt like the beginning and the ending had that warm feeling that the first to films had! However, I don't want to compare this to the first two movies of the series because I don't think they can be topped... at least for me anyway! SEE IT, but don't get your expectations beyond reason like I did!

Rental of the Week: "Toy Story 1 & 2"

So should "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2" be considered as classics? Well., I think they should be, and if they're not already, they will be in years to come! "Toy Story" was the first full-length computer animated feature that changed animated movies forever! The story follows a group of toys owned by a young boy named Andy... oh, and I guess it would be essential to mention that these toys come to life when humans aren't around! In the first film, Woody, a cowboy doll voiced by Tom Hanks, is replaced as Andy's favorite toy by Buzz Lightyear, who is voiced by Tim Allen. The two toys start out to a rough start, but manage to become best friends by the end of the flick! Of course these two aren't the only toys in the toy box! There's Hamm, the piggy bank, Slinky, the slinky dog, Mr. Potato Head, the Mr. Potato Head, and a dinosaur named Rex. In the sequel, new characters come to life like Jessie, the yodeling cowgirl, and Bullseye, Woody's trusty horse! Both movies were critically acclaimed and it goes with out saying that I enjoy them as well!

First Reactions: "The Karate Kid"

Rental of the Week: "The Story of Seabiscuit"

"The Story of Seabiscuit" is certainly a feel-good flick that I highly recommend! The 1949 movie stars Shirley Temple as an Irish girl named Margaret O'Hara. Margaret has come to America with her uncle, Shawn O'Hara, who is played by Barry Fitzgerald. Shawn is an Irish horse trainer who has been hired in the US by a man named Thomas Millford. Shawn is hesitant to train horses due to a recent race accident in Ireland that resulted in the death of his nephew, who was Margaret's brother. However, Shawn is an expert in judging horses on whether or not they have racehorse potential, and he convinces Thomas to keep an unprepossessing horse named Seabiscuit. Unfortunately, Thomas is talked out of the idea by his other trainer, George Carson. As for Thomas' jockey, Ted Knowles, he finds himself falling for Margaret, who is spending her time studying to be a nurse. Ted later talks to Shawn about pushing Margaret to liking him, but Shawn will only intervene if Ted will buy Seabiscuit. Ted agrees to the deal, but when he talks to Thomas about buying the horse, Thomas ends up giving into Shawn's faith in Seabiscuit instead. Sadly though, Seabiscuit performs poorly in races. Determined that Seabiscuit has excellent potential, Shawn convinces a racehorse owner from California to buy the horse. The owner, Charles Howard, buys Seabiscuit from Thomas along with Ted's racing contract. Shawn eventually makes Seabiscuit a winner, and Ted eventually woos Margaret, but if you want to know anything else, you're going to have to watch the movie yourself! I definitely recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a feel-good feature! I've never seen the re-make of the film, but I doubt it can top this!

"The Karate Kid" Review

In 1984 the original “Karate Kid” was released, but today I'm reviewing the new re-make starring Jayden Smith and Jackie Chan! Let me first start off by saying that this a true re-make of the original “Karate Kid!” Jayden Smith stars as 12-year old Dre Parker, who’s been living in Detroit, Michigan for his whole life! But when his mother gets job in China, he says goodbye to Detroit… and America for that matter! Once in China, Dre finds himself surrounded by bullies who are trained in Kung-Fu! Oh, but eventually Mr. Miyagi, I mean Mr. Han comes to the rescue! Okay, I know I said it’s a true re-make, and it is, but of course there are some differences! So what are the pros and cons of these differences? Well I did like the fact that we actually had a karate “kid,” but 12 year olds are just too young to be fighting over a girl! Oh, and I was really looking forward to seeing Jackie Chan play Mr. Miyagi, but instead I got him play Mr. Han! Personally, I was disappointed in the name change, but I’ve talked to a few other people who said that they were fine with the idea, because who could replace Pat Morita?
I was impressed with the new training techniques though! I think that some people will miss the wax off wax on thing from the original, but the new techniques not only gave us something new and fresh, but they also gave us something unexpected! So, was the movie predictable? I don’t think so! It’s a lot like the original, but I’m glad they moved the story to China because it gave it a whole new setting and environment! As for the actors, Jayden Smith had a big role to fulfill, and you know what, I think we have ourselves a good little up and coming actor here! Jackie Chan also had a big role to fulfill, and he certainly fulfilled it! I loved Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and you know this movie just made me love her even more! You just really can't go wrong with this film... besides the fact that it's a little long and violent for a kid's movie, but I still say SEE IT!

Rental of the Week: Walt Disney's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea"

I definitely want to recommend different genres of classic movies, so today I'm recommending "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!" Take note that this movie was released in 1954 and computer graphics didn't quite exist at that time! You also might want to take note that you need to pay very close attention when you watch this particular movie. I even recommend doing on little research on the plot as well as using sub-titles! The film is based off of a well-known novel of the same name by Jules Verne. The movie takes place in the 1860s and rumors of a sea monster that has been attacking ships traveling in the Pacific Ocean are flying about! One of the main characters, Professor Aronnax, and his assistant, Conseil, are traveling to Vietnam's largest city, which was at that time called Saigon. The hold up of ships (due to the "sea monster"), however, strands the professor and Conseil in San Fransisco. While in San Fransisco, the American government invites Professor Aronnax to join a crew who will be exploring the Pacific Ocean in search of the so called "see monster!" The professor decides to join the expedition on which he and his assistant meet a crew member named Ned Land. The journey lasts for months until finally the "sea creature" strikes the ship! Somehow or another, the three main characters at this point, Professor Aronnax, Conseil, and Ned, all wind up falling over board during the "attack!" The three of them drift off away from the destroyed ship, and they eventually discover that the "sea monster" is really a submarine shaped like a fish! The men find the submarine empty and decide to take a look inside. Unfortunately though, they are caught and captured by the crew and the submarine's captain, Nemo. I guess it's reasonable to say that Captain Nemo holds the three men hostage on his submarine that he calls the Nautilus. Nemo befriends the professor, while Ned and Conseil make plans for escaping. One of their attempts had me cracking up, but also on the edge of my seat. When the submarine (Nautilus) gets stranding on a reef, both Ned and Conseil are allowed to search the nearby coast for specimens. Ned attempts to escape, but Conseil is too scared for they were told cannibals roam the island. The next thing we know, Ned is running for his life! The two later discover the coordinates to Nemo's secret island base, Vulcania! Ned sends off messages in bottles that contain the coordinates, with hopes that someone will find them before they reach the island. So, does someone find the messages? Well, you'll have to watch the movie to find out! I do like this movie a lot, but I don't recommend it for your next "family movie night!" It's not that the movie is dirty or anything, it's just hard to follow unless you really pay attention, so pay attention and enjoy the sci-fi flick!

"June Trailer Reel"

Rental of the Week: "Yours, Mine, and Ours"

Throughout the summer I'll recommending older, classic movies! Today's pick is the hilarious comedy, "Yours, Mine, and Ours!" Trust me, you will truly "LOL" when you watch this movie! The flick is actually based off of a book, but it will probably make you think of movies such as "Cheaper By the Dozen," or TV shows like "The Brady Bunch" or "7th Heaven." The movie stars Henry Fonda, who was named the 6th "Greatest Male Star of All Time" by the American Film Institute in 1999. Fonda plays Frank Beardsley, a Navy warrant officer who just happens to be a single father of ten kids! Lucille Ball ("I Love Lucy") plays Helen North, a nurse who works at the naval base to which Frank has been assigned. Helen is also a single parent, but she only has 8 kids! Okay, the whole "only has 8 kids" thing just feels weird saying! Oh, did I mention these people are Catholic? Both Frank and Helen take turns narrating the movie along with a few other characters. Sometimes the actors even talk directly to the camera! This is called "breaking the fourth wall!" Now, of course Frank and Helen eventually fall in love, but they are both nervous about telling one another something. I'm sure you can guess what that "something" is! Well, when the couple finally reveals to each other how many kids they have, it makes perfect since for them to get married... even if the children don't like the idea! As it could predicted, the kids all fight at first, but sooner or later they bond together as one big happy family! La di da da! Okay, so maybe it's predictable, but there is one that I kept second guessing about! That one thing ended up happening! Predictability aside, this is a very funny movie! In particular, there are two scenes that had me cracking up! Over all though, this film is definitely worth watching! As for it's 2005 re-make, well it's worth watching if you want to compare the two!

Emmy's Review - "Prince of Persia"

When I went to see Prince of Persia I had very low expectations. I figured the movie would be a predictable, usual movie. However, I was pleasantly surprised when the movie started taking strange twists. The movie was obviously corny at parts and some things could have been changed in the plot, however it was a good movie to just go out and see!

Plot - Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a ragamuffin picked up from the streets by the Persian King Sharaman for his bravery and daring. He grows up as his son, along with his two foster brothers, Seso and Garsiv and life is a veritable bed of roses until he is sent by his Uncle (Ben Kingley) to plunder the beautiful city of Alamat, ruled by the feisty Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). This is the beginning of a nefarious plot of treachery and intrigue where the conflict centres around a mystical dagger that has the power of unleashing time travel and world destruction. Who is desperate for the dagger? And who can save the world?