Topic: My November Alphabet Marathon

[Dragonfire]

101 Dalmatians (1996)

Unleashing every once of Disney magic, 101 Dalmatians thrills audiences of all ages with fast-paced adventure and comedy - featuring a brilliant performance by five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close (including Best Actress, Dangerous Liaisons, 1988) as Cruella De Vil.  Achieving new heights of hilarity, Disney's all time classic puppy tale comes to life as a world-wide box office sensation.  In their small London flat, Dalmatians Pongo and Perdy, and their human "pets" Roger and Anita are overjoyed by the arrival of 15 puppies.  But when the spotted-fur-loving Ms. De Vil and her clumsy cohorts, Jasper and Horace, dognap the litter - along with every other Dalmatian pup in London - Pogo and Perdy must rally the town's animals to their rescue.  The plan hurls them towards a thrilling climax filled with uproarious moments as the puppies attempt to outwit their captors and bring on a final showdown with Cruella. 

My Thoughts

This was the first time in years that I've watched this one.  The movie had the same basic plot, though a few things were changed a bit and other things were added.  Cruella was a fashion designer and Anita worked for her instead of the two of them being old friends.  I thought that addition to the story made sense and provided a way for Cruella to have enough money to get all the fur she craved.  None of the animals were shown talking in some way like has been done in other movies.  Some scenes moved a little slower because of that when only animals were shown.  The animals, especially all the puppies, were adorable.  I think the movie is very entertaining even though the idea of someone being twisted enough to make a coat out of puppies is disturbing.  Glenn Close was perfect as Cruella.  I've thought that Cruella was one of the scariest Disney villains.  Close's version of the character was scarier than the version from the original animated movie.  A few things that happened, mostly with what some of the animals did, were a bit silly, but the movie was still very entertaining. 

  (I think that is the right one..still learning the emotes)

[Dragonfire]

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

First he fought for the Crown, now he's fighting for the family jewels!  Mike Myers (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) returns as the world's grooviest superspy in this latest comedy-adventure!

Intent on world domination, diabolical genius Dr. Evil travels back to 1969 and steals Austin's "mojo".  Now Austin must return to the Swingin' Sixties, recover his mojo and stop his terminally square arch nemesis from liquidating the world.  Together with the fab CIA superchick Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham, Lost in Space, Bowfinger), Austin faces off against an army of outrageous villains including a heinous henchman of tremendous girth and Mini-Me, Dr. Evil's deranged 1/8 sized clone.

My Thoughts

I fully admit this movie is silly and a bit corny..but it is funny and entertaining.  The explanation for getting rid of Vanessa was really out there, but it somehow seemed to fit with the tone of the movie.  Dr. Evil is very funny to me and the addition of Mini-Me was interesting, especially how he interacted with Scott.  I didn't care for Fat Bastard though.  He was just gross.  The time travel wasn't even remotely believable, but it helped make the movie entertaining.  People who liked the first Austin Powers movie might also like this one.

 

[Dragonfire]

Comic genius Steve Martin delivers an incredible performance as an engaging small town fire chief who has only one tiny flaw - no, make that one HUGE flaw - his astonishingly long nose.  Although he considers it no laughing matter, the hilarity never stops as C.D. Bales (Martin) contends with jerky nose jokes, a bumbling crew of firemen, and his secret love for gorgeous astronomy student Roxanne (Daryl Hannah).  Unfortunately, she is attracted to fireman Chris (Rick Rossovich), who's tall on looks and short on conversation.  And when C.D. agrees to coach the the dumbstruck Chris in his pursuit of the fair maiden, this ticklish triangle dissolves into a hilarious series of rib-tickling romantic misadventures.  A contemporary love story of mistaken identity and unrequited love, ROXANNE is an unforgettable comedy that Siskel & Ebert call "a comic masterpiece".

My Thoughts

This was the first time that I'd watched this movie in many years.  I picked up the DVD maybe 2 months ago and hadn't gotten around to watching it until now.  I remembered the basic idea of the plot, but I had forgotten just how funny it was at times.  Steven Martin was great in the part and made a very funny, intelligent character.  Roxanne seemed a bit....flaky to me though.  She went on about wanting to meet an intelligent guy for a change, and then she went after Chris, the good looking guy.  At one point when talking to C.D., she claimed that the guy she was interested in was interesting and intelligent even though she had never actually spoken to him.  Then just a minute or two later she was asking C.D. what Chris was like.  And Chris was just a big idiot.  He was definitely not the brightest bulb.  Even though a few of the characters irritated me a bit, I did enjoy the movie overall and think it is worth watching.

 

[Dragonfire]

AWAKE, EARTHLINGS!  It's later than you think. Don't miss this hilarious frenzy as Tim Burton (Batman, Beetlejuice) directs - and Mars Attacks!

SEE! Stars that shine across the galaxy.  Jack Nicholson (In a dual role), Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Danny DeVito and a dozen more!  SHRIEK! At mean, green invaders from the angry red planet!  Armed with insta-fry ray guns, endowed with slimy, humongous brains - and enlivened with out-of-this-world but state-of-the-art special effects.  GASP! As the U.S. legislature is overwhelmed.  (Don't fear, we still have 2 out of 3 branches of the government working for us, and that ain't bad!) THRILL! As Earth flights back with an unexpected weapon.  Take that, Martians!

My Thoughts

Yes this is a very silly movie, but I find it to be very entertaining.  It is a bit odd, which seems to be typical of a Tim Burton movie, and very funny.  I haven't seen many of the older movies dealing with martians, but some elements of this movie did seem to be the same - like the look of the flying saucers.  The aliens themselves had a unique, creepy look and a very odd language.  It was sort of like Independence Day in showing how many different characters reacted to and dealt with the invasion.  There was a lot of over acting going on, but it fit in with the general absurdity of the movie.  This is a movie to watch just for fun.  It's goofy, kooky, and a bit twisted, which is probably why I like it. 

 

[Dragonfire]

Futurama: Bender's Game

With fuel prices skyrocketing, the Planet Express crew sets off on a dangerous mission: to infiltrate the world's only dark-matter mine, source of all spaceship fuel.  But deep beneath the surface lies a far stranger place...a medieval land of dragons and sorcery and intoxicated knights who look suspiciously like Bender.  So park your hover-car and saddle up your unicorn for Futurama's grandest adventure yet... Bender's Game.

My Thoughts

I loved Futurama and am still annoyed that Fox canceled it - along with some other very good shows.  Anyway, I was very happy when I learned that some direct to DVD Futurama movies were being made and I got the first two, Futurama: Bender's Big Score and Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs when they came out.  This movie didn't reference anything that happened in the first two, so it is more self contained than they were.  There were no story threads left unresolved from the second one.

The plot was a bit different, but I think that is typical of Futurama in general.  It was very entertaining and I think fans will be happy with it.  The story featured a combination of things connected to Dungeons and Dragons and The Lord of the Rings that I think worked very well and was very entertaining.  It was hilarious to watch Bender get sucked into the game and end up in a robot asylum.  The characters ended up in a fantasy world that was very interesting.  I thought the movie was funny as well.  The characters still acted like they had throughout the series without anyone having a major personality change.  Leela, Fry, and Bender really ended up with the most to do overall.  The other regular characters like the Professor, Amy, Hermes and Dr. Zoidberg were also around. 

I also enjoyed the extras.  There is a short featurette featuring a few men involved in the making of the movie talking about Dungeons and Dragons and how they incorporated it into Futurama.  They pointed out some references to the game that popped up during the episodes.  There was one deleted scene shown and some outtakes from recording sessions with the voice cast that were funny.  It would have been nice if there had been more extras. 

I don't like the case for the DVD..that is a minor thing, but I just don't like it.  Like the first two Futurama movies, it is just cardboard.  It says on the case that it is carbon neutral and how the makers are being more environmentally friendly.  I don't have a problem with that, but this type of case does not keep the disc secure.  I have to be very careful with these cases because I've had the first two movies go flying out when I was just picking up the case.  It wasn't like I was waving it all around or anything.  Anyway, the movie is still great and fans of Futurama will probably enjoy it.

 

[Dragonfire]

Nothing equals 'THE BIRDS' for sheer terror when Alfred Hitchcock unleashes his foul friends in one of his most shocking and memorable masterpieces. As beautiful blonde Melanie Daniels ('Tippi' Hedren) rolls into Bodega Bay in pursuit of eligible bachelor Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), she is inexplicably attacked by a seagull. Suddenly thousands of birds are flocking into town, preying on schoolchildren and residents in a terrifying series of attacks. Soon Mitch and Melanie are fighting for their lives against a deadly force that can't be explained and can't be stopped in one of Hollywood's most horrific films of nature gone berserk.

My Thoughts

This was the first time I had watched this one in a long time.  It started off a little slow while the situation with the characters was set up.  Once Melanie was on the island and the birds started to act weird - with the attacks - things got much more interesting.  The pace was still a bit slower, but not so slow that I was bored by what was going on.  Hitchcock slowly built up the suspense and tension in a way that worked very well.  The movie was very entertaining and one of Hitchcock's great movies.  I think part of what made it scarier was the fact that there wasn't an explanation for why the birds were attacking and that aspect of the movie did seem a lot more believable.  The fact that there wasn't a musical score and just all the bird sounds also made certain scenes much more intense.

There was a featurette that featured different people connected to the making of the movie, including some of the cast, that was very interesting.  They talked about how different scenes were filmed and someone explained how special effects were done.

 

[Dragonfire]

Steve Carell is in CONTROL as Maxwell Smart, the novice agent often out of his depth but never out of options in this action comedy pitting him against the nuclear scheme of the evil spy group KAOS. Anne Hathaway partners with Max as ever-capable Agent 99. And director Peter Segal ('The Longest Yard') guides his stars (including Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin) through dangerous realm of molar radios, multifunction pocketknives, exploding dental floss and more. "'Get Smart' works as an action film and it's funny." (Richard Roaper, 'At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper').

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this movie.  I saw it on opening day back in June and I still liked it just as much when I watched the DVD.  It was a bit silly, but that fit in perfectly with what was going on.  I saw a lot of the episodes on the tv show when it was on Nick at Nite or TVLand, and the movie had the same spirit as the tv show.  I loved Steve Carell as Max.  His version of the character was a little different, but still very much like the character from the tv show.  I also thought that Anne Hathaway did great as Agent 99.  This part was very different from everything else I've seen her in and I think it showed that she can do action and comedy very well. 

The gag reel on the  DVD were funny and I also enjoyed the featurette on the making of the movie. 

The movie will probably be too silly for some people, but I loved it.

 

[RossRoy]

The movie will probably be too silly for some people, but I loved it.

Anne Hathaway alone is enough to make me like the movie. 

[Najemikon]

I liked it too. I got the spin-off on Ebay and glad I only paid a couple of quid for it. It was watchable... sort of.

[Dragonfire]

Anne Hathaway alone is enough to make me like the movie. 

Someone I think some other people may have shared your feelings on that.   She does wear some..provocative outfits. 

[Dragonfire]

I liked it too. I got the spin-off on Ebay and glad I only paid a couple of quid for it. It was watchable... sort of.

Do you mean the one with Bruce and Lloyd?  The tech guys?  That was on one of the cable channels the other day..just a basic channel and not a movie channel.  I saw a little of it.  It seemed ok, but not as good as Get Smart.

[Najemikon]

I liked it too. I got the spin-off on Ebay and glad I only paid a couple of quid for it. It was watchable... sort of.

Do you mean the one with Bruce and Lloyd?  The tech guys?  That was on one of the cable channels the other day..just a basic channel and not a movie channel.  I saw a little of it.  It seemed ok, but not as good as Get Smart.

That's the one. It was a bit childish if anything.

[Dragonfire]

That's the one. It was a bit childish if anything.

I wasn't overly impressed with what I saw of it either.  But I have seen worse.

[Dragonfire]

Matthew Broderick ('Ferris Bueller's Day Off') and Ally Sheedy ('The Breakfast Club') star in this compelling drama filled with action, suspense and high-tech adventures! Featuring superb performances by Dabney Coleman and Barry Corbin, WarGames™ is "brilliant...funny...and provocative" ('New York') – a fast-paced cyber-thriller.

Computer hacker David Lightman (Broderick) can bypass the most advanced security systems, break the most intricate secret codes and master even the most difficult computer games. But when he unwittingly taps into the Defense Department's war computer, he initiates a confrontation of global proportions – World War III! Together with his girlfriend (Sheedy) and a wizardly computer genius (Tony Award winner John Wood), David must race against time to outwit his opponent...and prevent a nuclear Armageddon.

My Thoughts

I first saw this one years ago on television and watched it several more times since I enjoyed it.  I just got the DVD on Friday and this was the first time that I had seen the  movie in several years.  I still really enjoyed it.  It was kind of funny to see the computers and think that all that stuff was high tech when the movie came out.     I thought that the plot was very interesting and I remember finding it very suspenseful the first time I saw the movie.  It was really scary to me to think that computers would control something like that and not be able to be stopped if something went wrong.  All the computer stuff does look dated, but I think the movie has held up well and is still entertaining. 

 

[Dragonfire]

Welcome to Castle Rock, Maine, a lovely place to live...if you don't mind selling your soul! Oscar® nominees* Ed Harris ('A Beautiful Mind') and Max Von Sydow ('Minority Report') head an exceptional cast- including Bonnie Bedelia ('Die Hard') and Amanda Plummer ('Pulp Fiction') – in this supernatural thriller that's dark, haunting and "a hell of a good scare." ('Los Angeles')!

Sheriff Alan Pangborn (Harris) has a devil of a problem: Suddenly all the residents of his sleepy little town are dying...to kill each other. But at least business is still booming, especially at a new antique store. The shop's mysterious owner (Von Sydow) has something for everyone, and his prices are always reasonable: just one small favor...oh, and, of course, eternal damnation!

*Harris: Actor, 'Pollock' (2000); Supporting Actor, 'The Truman Show' (1998); Supporting Actor, 'Apollo 13' (1995). Von Sydow: Actor, 'Pelle the Conqueror (1998).

My Thoughts

I first saw this movie on television several years ago and really enjoyed it.  I haven't read the book, so I don't know how it compares.  I'm guessing the book is probably better since that is what tends to happen when movies are based on books.  I thought that the movie was entertaining and interesting and I really enjoyed it.  There could have been more mystery and suspense, but things were still interesting.  I did like Ed Harris, but then I tend to like him in just about everything.