Ed's Review Dot Com

Legendary Entertainment Alliance,

Garry Moore, Durwood Kirby, Marion Loren, Carol Burnette, Charlie Weaver, Mahalia Jackson, Jonathan Winters, Julie Andrews, Buster Keaton

This very old classic TV Christmas Episodes of The Garry Moore Show from the 1950’s is presented in their original form. These have not been seen in 50 years. The audio has been remastered and is very good considering the age of these TV shows. Filled with skits, songs, dancing, and lots of funny banter, even the commercials which in those days were worked into the show. This takes you back to the days when TV was king.

This title would lead you to believe that it is from the Carol Burnett Show era with Tim Conway, Lyle Waggoner, and Harvey Korman. It’s not at all. Many will remember that Carol Burnett started out as a regular on The Garry Moore Show long before she became a household name. But I suppose the makers of the DVD figured not near as many people would remmber Garry Moore. So they intentionally dropped the original title “The Garry Moore Show Presents:” to make it appear to be from the Carol Burnett Show era. Unfortunately Carol has a few small parts and appears just a handful of times. But if they had advertised it honestly, this is a great look back at a few decades earlier when Carol was but a kid, and TV variety shows were just finding their way. These are touching series, and it is very full of the holiday spirit. There are some really great appearances here, and some great music. This is a good look back at the classic early days of TV, and well worth it, but I took off some stars for the dirty trick of removing a reference to what the show actually is in the title. Don’t be fooled thinking you are getting something else. Some of the little bits Carol does, on the other hand, are very funny, and give you a glimpse of the comedienne inside waiting to burst out in just a few years. I found it enjoyble as I remember those days.

DreamWorks Animation, Pacific Data Images

Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Jack Hamm, John Clese, Craig Robinson, Wald Dohrn, Jane Lynch, Lake Bell, Kathy Griffin, Mary Kay Place

At all cost, continue the franchise!!! We get a new look at the origin of Shrek. We all know Shrek saved Fiona and broke the curse turning her into an ogre full time. But what if he didn’t? We see how King and Queen nearly gave away Faraway and how Shrek arrived at the nick of time. But then it flashes forward to the present, and Shrek is tired of his life as a friendly ogre. He wonders what it would be like to go back to when ogre’s were feared and life was simple. Shrek makes a deal to trade one day from his past to live a day as a bad ogre again. Unfortunately it’s a trick and Shrek is caught in an alternate reality where no one knows him, not even Fiona or Donkey, and his family does not exist. Shrek has to win Fiona back again, and try to put things right.

This is a film that didn’t have to be made. However, fans of the Shrek series will like it, and the kids will love it. It does give us some background into the story and it is fun to see the characters we all know again. It also introduces us to one of the most annoying characters ever, Rumple Stiltskin. Rumple is really annoying. He’s trying to make deals with everyone and eventually tricks Shrek into signing away his life. The animation is good. The characters are good. So what’s wrong with this picture? Well, I guess it’s not anything new. We’ve seen it all before many times over. This film is better than the last one, but not great. Rumple was in one of the previous Shrek films, but not this one. This one is completely redesigned and is very bothersome. He’s supposed to be a bad guy, but Shrek can reach out and smash this guy with one hit.

So, my opinion is somewhere in the middle. There’s nothing wrong with Shrek Forever After, it’s just that it’s nothing new. If you’re a Shrek fan, or a Mike Myers or Cameron Diaz (or even Eddie Murphy) fan, ok. Kids will like it. So it’s a harmless cartoon that doesn’t hurt anybody. But don’t expect to be blown away with something you don’t already know.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Crescendo Productions, Red Hour Films, Travelling Light Partners

Julie Andrews, Jim Dale, Roy E Disney, Micky Dolenz, Karen Dotrice, Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Bruce Gordon, Sheldon Harnick, James Jensen, Jeff Kurtti, John Landis, Angela Lansbury, John Lasseter, Gavin Lee

The Sherman Brothers had an office in the animation building in the Disney Studios, Burbank.  Everyone called them, “The Boys” even when they were very old.  They wrote songs for Walt.  Their first major hit was, of course, Mary Poppins, and a great deal of time of the story deals with that period of their lives.  But they wrote lots of other big hits for Walt’s films.  Then came the Worlds Fair, and some great hits for theme park attractions.  It’s a Small World After All, and the theme of the very first Audioanimatronic show in the world, “In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room”!  But this film, designed and put together  by the sons of Dick and Bob Sherman as a chance to get their dad’s together in their elder years, shows their lives from a little boy, until the present.  These boys were exact opposites from the time they were little.  Richard is outgoing, impulsive, funny, and always high spirited.  Robert is calm, slow, careful, quiet, and sometimes very dark.  But the two as a pair turned out some of the greatest music of all time.  They were the only musicians Walt had on his staff full time.  They were very close to him.   But not only was their relationship strained, but their families had not spoken for nearly 40 years, even though they lived only blocks apart for all those years.

This film is stunning in it’s depth and close insight into the lives of these great men.  I loved every moment of it.  And on the bonus features are some great special treats.  It includes additional insights and interviews that were not in the film.  Anyone who knows them, loves them, and the music that they wrote.  Like Bob says,  We didn’t write Kiddie Songs……we wrote  songs for kiddies.  I am a fan of Disney, as you probably know, and have been in the Animation building hundreds of times.  But most of the nuances of this fabulous film I never knew.  It was wonderful to learn the stories of how the most loved songs came about, and how many almost never happened.  How these geniuses write is an amazing story in itself.  So next time you hum the songs from Winnie the Pooh, you’ll think of this wonderful documentary and the men who made it all happen.  No wonder Walt loved them so much.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

2oth Century Fox

Dwayne Johnson (don’t call him “The Rock” anymore), Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Ryan Sheckler, Seth MacFarlane, Julie Andrews

The most amazing thing about Tooth Fairy is that it DIDN’T SUCK!  Yeah, I was sure it was going to.  But I figured I HAD to see it, so I put it at the top of my queue, and lo and behold, it didn’t suck!

Derek Thompson (ex-Rock) is a minor league hockey player.  We’ll not really a player because his primary role is knocking the teeth out of the opposing team.  Hence, he carries the nickname  “The Tooth Fairy”.  He’s not a very nice guy, and he has a bad habit of dashing kid’s dreams.  “You wanna be a hockey player?  You know what?  There are a thousand kids better than you, and you don’t have a chance”.  That kind of meaness.  But when he dashes a little kids belief in the Tooth Fairy, he’s in for a harsh sentence.  30 days as an actually Tooth Fairy.

Now you’ve seen the previews and ads.  Dewayne Johnson in a pink tutu with wings.  But it’s got heart.   He starts out half hearted and doing a terrible job, but little by little finds out there is some value in having dreams.  And he begins to learn his lesson.

Now why the bat signal never came on when Batman was in the shower or something, I never understood.  He’s always standing there waiting for the bat signal to come on.   But Derek isn’t so lucky.   The pager goes off at the worst possible times.  Maybe that’s part of the punishment.

Now this is not a movie that a bunch of guys would rent, crack open a six pack, and spend Saturday night watching.   It’s a kids movie after all.  But if you have something you’d like to watch WITH your kids, this is great choice.   The kids will love it, but there’s plenty to watch for the ladies and men in the adult kingdom as well.  The ladies will love wathing Derek deal with the complications in his love life, and the guys will enjoy some of the uncomfortable situations that are really funny, and some decent hockey action too.  All in all, it’s a great family togetherness film, and believe it or not, it really DIDN’T SUCK!    Julie Anderews was a pleasure to watch too.  Her role, though small, adds a great deal to the film.

Enjoy.

Illumination Entertainment,  Universal Studios

Steve Carell, Jason segal, Russel Brand, Julie Andrews, Wil Arnett, Kristin Wiig

Ok, so sue me.  I’m a sucker for cartoons, and this one hit on all cylinders.  It’s funny, sad, heartwarming, and did I say funny?   All the misadventures of a Spy vs. Spy episode, some great laughs for the adults in the audience, but plenty for the kids.

I saw this in 3D and it really worked for this movie (especially the fun in the closing credits). I saw it in a full theater with a mix of little kids and their parents.  It’s funny to hear the adults laugh by themselves and then to hear the kids laugh all by themselved, but the best is when everybody laughs at  the same time.

The voice actors were pretty good, although the weakest thing is the fake accent Steve Carell tries to pull off which doesn’t quite cut it.  I couldn’t help thinking of Michael Scott of the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company trying to act a fool, instead of believing it was Gru, but if you can get over this.  But you are definitely going to enjoy yourself.  I was glad I paid the extra for the 3D glasses.  It was well worth it.

The movie reminds me a lot of Up! but of course it’s not quite in that league, but it has similarities.   (sweet kids, crotchety old man) .   All in all Depicable Me made for a fine HOT Saturday Afternoon in the air conditioning of the theater.  Great movie!