Picture Book Review: Curious George and the Puppies

Curious George and the Puppies, based on characters of Margret Rey and H.A. Rey, Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1998.
One place you should not take George to is the shelter, especially when there are puppies around; and you should not tell George to stay by himself while you sign papers, and ask him to not be curious.  It just isn't going to happen.  However, the only good thing is the mother puppy, who gets loose with all the puppies, knows where her missing pup is, she can smell him of course.  So even thought the puppies get out and cause all kinds of problems, they are able to get them back in the cage, and guess what George gets to bring home.  I love Curious George.  Tony and I use to watch all the PBS episodes.

Movie Review: ****A Fish Story (2013)

This is a brilliant find from Netflix Instant.  It is presented from Lumberjack Films, and appears to be of Canadian origin; the actors are American or Canadian.  This movie is as intriguing as "Ghost," without the sexualized mumbo jumbo.  Nick (Sam Roberts) has put his family life on hold, building a cabin by a lake.  It is finally done, and he wants to introduce it to his family.  Just a few more touches, and he is going to take them fishing like he promised.  His best friend in the community is the chief of police.  He mentions someone his burglarizing many in the neighborhood, so as Nick drives to the cabin, this person jumps in front of him.  Avoiding the collision, Nick rolls the truck, and dies.  The chief comes upon him, and seeing someone fleeing from the scene, calls for backup, and pursues him, leaving Nick alone as he dies.
Turn of fate, the individual, Eddie (Eddie McClintock) who walked in front of him steals a boat, and crashes, and also passes away.  Nick is there to meet him in spirit.  However his body stirs.  Eddie doesn't want to return to his body, and allows Nick to do so.  This is an interesting twist, because Nick is given time with his family to keep his promise and say goodbye, but in the body of the many who caused his accident.  Nick's children have discovered the body, and take the injured many home.
This movie is a good presentation of a family in crisis.  Can they accept this man into their life; and how can he and they move on?
Very entertaining and engaging.  This is a good family film.  there is some drinking as part of the coping, but this is confronted in the movie.
Nick's wife is portrayed by Jayne Heitmeyer.  His children by Jordyn Negri, Jamie Spilchuk and Steven Yaffee.  Eddie McClintock has a very difficult role as he portrays two men in the same body, and has to convince us that he has changed.  Roberts has a double roll in production as he is also credited with writing the story.

Music Review: Brilliant Elvis Love Songs & Gospel favorites

I must admit the gospel favorites appeal to me more than the love song.  However this C.D. includes "Now or Never" which is a song that moves me and is a favorite.  Of the gospel songs I would personal recommend "Joshua Fit the Battle" and "I Believe in the Man in the Sky."  I like the feel of this music.  It is not the diet of rock and roll but more a gospel, jazzy kind of feel.

Picture Book review: Curious George at the Parade

Curious George at the Parade, based on Margret and H.A. Rey, Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1999.
George has a way of getting into trouble.  This time at the parade he mistakes a float with a palm tree and coconuts for a snack.  He pulls and pulls, and snap the tree breaks disrupting the parade.  However the other thing Curious George books have in common is somehow George saves the day.  This time he untangles the ropes on some of the big balloons, and ends up riding with the mayor.

Movie Review: ***Ice Age Collision Course (2016)

This is a the fifth in a series of Ice Age movies.  In this movie our Ice Age friends are faced with an asteroid headed to earth with sure extinction results as happened with the dinosaurs before.  This time the mammals are headed for destruction, but a sort of adventurer weasel, Buck (Simon Pegg) has figured out that they are doomed if they don't do anything.  This is a show also about relationship.  Our mammoth family (Ray Romano and Queen Latifah) is facing a daughter (Keke Palmer) getting married to a strange mammoth (Adam Devine), the saber teeth tiger (John Leguizamo and Jennifer Lopez) decide to have a baby, the sloth meets someone, the grandma sloth finds true love.  This movie is underscored with the nut chasing what ever it is, who gets in a space ship and knocks all the planets and everything around.  This character has been featured in many cartoons.
I took three boys, Skylar is three, he laughed the most, Jessi 6 says he was just angry, and Tony was mildly amused.  There were a couple spots of potty humor, but it didn't overwhelm the story.

Picture Book Review: Curious George's Dream

Curious George's Dream, based on the characters of Margret and H.A. Rey, Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1998.

This is another good book based on the characters of H.A. Rey and Margret Rey.  Again George is a curious monkey, but a good monkey.  In this movie, as the title indicates George has a dream.  He had a sad day at the amusement park because he was too small.  But in his dream George has a miserable time because he is too big.  Too big to hold the bunnies, too big to fit in a roller coaster car, and too big for the Man in the Yellow Hat to hold him.

Movie Review: ****James Bond Spectre (2015)

Man Bond (Daniel Craig) delivers a punch.  Even when headquarters goes silent because all spy agencies have been compromised by Spectre which is putting dummy people in charge of the world's intelligence.  One major act, blowing up many towns, and they will be in.  The 007 program will be deleted.

But Bond is on the trail after seeing and old nemesis he killed 20 years prior.  How could that be.  Because of this lapse Bond is sent to the psychiatrist (Lea Seydoux) for examination.  Turns out to be his son (Christoph Waltz) He is humiliated, but when he sees the psychiatrist being kidnapped he rescues her.  She blames him for her trouble.  However she is helpful.  Her father was in Spectre.  She agrees to go with him to discover what happened to her father.  Spectre makes her watch the suicide of her father.  There is a terrible scene of Bond being tortured, with the girl and Bond's bomb watch saving the day.  However she eventually runs away from the spy life.  This time Bond needs help.  He goes after the bad guys, while C (Andrew Scott) and M (Ralph Fiennes) and Q (Ben Whishaw) must tackle the new intelligence man and stop the bombs by hacking their computer system. Turns out Bond also has to save the girl.
I don't think Bond is a movie for deep thinking, but just for enjoying the ride and the explosions.

Movie Review: Night at the Museum

Night at the Museum is an intriguing story.  At one time it seems to lose its way with just too much noise, confusion and stuff going on, but it gets back to the major plot. 

Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) takes a job as a night watchman. He doesn’t really want to, as he is an inventor who has had bad luck.  However, in order to continue to visit his son who lives with his ex-wife, he needs a job. He replaces three old codgers, which provides cameos for Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney and Bill Cobbs.  The thing only the night watchmen at this museum know, everything comes to life at night.  This is because of an ancient Egyptian tablet.  Amongst the characters we also meet Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) Sacagawea (Mizuo Peck) Jedediah a cowboy (Owen Wilson) and a centurion (Steve Coogan). We also add a tour guide (Carla Gugino) at the museum, for a love interest.  Our old codgers are too pleased about being replaced.  The plan to steal the tablet, and anything else they can take, and pin it all on our new night guard.  It is gong to take the cooperation of everyone to fix this mess.  Worse, if any museum characters are out at night, the turn to dust, and it will be the end of the job.

Picture Book Review: Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon

Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon based on Margret and H.A. Rey, Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1998.
If there is a hot air balloon, you are sure George is gong to end up in it alone somehow.  George didn't intend to take the balloon.  He just wanted to climb the rope.  What monkey can resist climbing a rope?  But the anchor for the rope come loose, and George is on his way.  he gets to see Mount Rushmore close up, and rescues a worker from the nose of President Washington.  Then he isn't alone.  And because George rescued someone, the balloon's owner isn't too angry, even through he missed the race.

Picture Book Review: Curious George in the Snow

Curious George in the Snow, based on work of H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1998.  The snow, and a hillside do not mix well with our good little monkey.  First he takes off down the hill bob sled, and then riding a pizza pan.  Pizza pans go fast, and he takes out a skier racer.  His ski breaks and George lands on it, inventing snow boarding.

Everyone cheers for George, and the skier, who uses his last race to win.

Music Review: Leonard Bernstein: An American LIfe

Of course Bernstein is the famous composer of music for musicals.  In this collection of music, it is mostly orchestral.  It includes overtures, a few vocal numbers from his musicals, and lots of orchestral music including Symphony 1 and Symphony 2.  It has an instrumental version of "Somewhere" as well as
"New York New York" from On the town.  Also very memorable is fanfare for the Common Man written by Copland.

Picture Book Review: Curious George Makes Pancakes

Curious George Makes Pancakes, based on H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, by Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1998.
Curious George knows how to make a pancake breakfast something special.  This is a big fund raiser for the Children's Hospital, and it is a success because no one has seen a monkey making pancakes before, nor have they seen a monkey in the dunking tank.  Because George participates, everyone wants to be involved, and they make more money than ever.

Movie Review: Back to the Future III

This movie gets the story back on track.  Doc has been transported back to 1885.  Marty is going back to save him, as in the past, Doc Brown was killed by Buford Mad Dog Tannen.  The plot has several twists, and Marty finally learns a lesson.  It doesn't matter if an "ass-hole" calls you names, you don't have to respond.    Doc meets the new school teacher, keeping her from a fall that should have killed her, and fall madly in love with her.  And Marty puts himself in the way of the gun fight with Mad Dog which was intended for the doctor.  Will they ever get back, because they need 88 mies per hour, and trains can barely go that fast.
Several cast members play multiple roles, including Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and his great-great grandfather, And Lea Thompson as both Marty's mother and great-great grandmother.  Lastly Thomas F. Wilson plays Mad Dog and Biff.  Christopher Lloyd recreates Doctor Brown.  New cast member Mary Steenburgen plays Clara.  Three cameo people in the par are played by Pat Buttram, Harry Carrey Jr. and Bub Taylor.  James Tolkan plays the Marshal, while he was the vice-principle in other films.

Picture Book Review: Curious George Feeds the Animals

Curious George Feed the Animals, based on stories and pictures of H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, (1998)
Curious George is a good monkey; but he doesn't read well.  He goes to the zoo with the Man in the Yellow Hat, but the exhibit they want to see is closed.  George sees the zoo keepers feeding the seals, and want to take his own turn feeding animals.  He was peanuts given him by the Men with the Yellow Hat.  So that is what he does, until a zoo keeper sees him and yells at him.  George hides.  But then the missing parrot swoops down and helps himself to the peanuts.  Just then a zoo keeper catches the bird, and asks George not to feed the animals.  However their is a problem with the tropical cage, where the parrot lives.  Birds are getting out.  George sees the problem, and whole in the netting, and being a monkey, and able to climb, he helps fix the whole, and the tropical exhibit is able to open.  George goes from goat to her.

Movie Review: ***^Back to the Future II (1989)

The Back to the Future series is classic, and Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd are key.  They continue their sparks in this presentation as Marty McFly and Doctor Brown.   The plot gets overwhelmed with going forward in time, and then back again, and trying to fix things in the future, which really doesn't fix anything at all and just makes it worse.   And they have to put Marty's girlfriend to sleep to make the whole thing work.  However she still wakes up.  However the major think, keeping his son and daughter from jail, they are able to accomplish by putting Marty into his son's place.
The idea of past and future is really well done, and the overlapping of the same characters in different timelines makes for interesting entertainment.

Musical Movie Review: ****Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones star as husband and wife in this look at the life of Loretta Lynn, famed country singer, based on the autobiography written by Lynn.  It tells the story of Loretta's early life, and her marriage when she was 14 to  Doolittle Lynn.  She started having babies soon after, and was thrust into the role of wife and mother.
This movie is interesting as it explains Loretta's rise in the music business.  Doolittle bought Loretta a guitar, because he liked to hear her sing.  It was him who pushed her into singing in front of people.  Doolittle was asking people, and figuring out how to manage his wife's career, mostly by the seat of his pants.  They cut a record.  From there they started touring at radio stations promoting its play.  With that, the song hit #14.  After the death and funeral of her father, Doolittle drove Loretta to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry.  She quickly became a regular and befriended Patsy Cline.  She was devastated when Patsy died in a plane crash, and has sung songs and recorded an album in her memory.
From there Loretta's career took off, but that of Doolittle faded.  He felt less than and turned to drink.  Some of Loretta's songs were about their struggles in marriage such as "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)."  However they stuck together until Doolittle's death.  He became more involved by managing their horse ranch.  This film concludes with the song "Coal Miner's Daughter."
Great fun and great music.  Sissy Spacek won the Oscar and Golden Globe for best actress, and the movie won Golden Globe for best film.  

Picture Book Review: Curious George and the Dump Truck

Curious George and the Dump Truck, Margret and H.A. Rey's, Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston 1999.
Curious George is a good monkey, but always in trouble.  In this book he gets into the gardner's dump trunk.  They are planting trees in the park, and George unloads their dirt into the lake, which turns out well because it becomes and island for the ducks.

Picture Book Review: Curious George and the Pizza Party

Curious George and the Pizza Party, based on the pictures of H.A. Rey and Margret Rey, story by Cynthia Platt, illustrations Mary O'Keefe Young, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2010.

Curious George is excited.  He has been invited to a pizza party.  But when everyone goes to play, George stays behind to check out the pizza dough.  There is a small ball for every child, but George thinks a big ball will be better, but when he starts to thin the big ball it goes everywhere and makes a mess.  George decides little is better and cuts the dough into designs, rainbows and stars.  The mother of the child hosting the party is mad, and sends George home, but she repents and all the children help clean up the mess, and they enjoy their unique pizzas.

Musical Movie Review: On the Town

This is a Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly musical in which they portray two of three sailors, who have a day's shore leave and the want to meet girls.  Gabey (Kelly) falls for a woman declared princess of New York, and goes to all kind of efforts to meet her.  While he does that, the other guys meet girls as well.  Can you establish a relationship in just one night, you bet you can.  All three guys have girls in tow as the return to the ship.  This movie is fun, but not earth shattering.  The starring actresses are Vera Ellen, Alice Pearce, Betty Garrett and Ann Miller. Music was written by Leonard Bernstein.  Songs of not include "New York, New York" and "Lonely Town."

Picture Book Review: Curious George Goes Camping

Curious George Goes Camping, Margret and H.A. Rey style by Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1999.
Here is a new twist on the Curious George theme.  Turns out Curious George isn't much help putting up the tent, so The Man in the Yellow Hat suggest he get a pail of water.  When George pours water on a campfire that people were still using, in things they mad at him, and takes off running.  He hears foot prints behind him, and it isn't until he is deep in the forrest that he realizes he has been running with a deer.  He finds himself with lots of animals, including a black and white kitty, that doesn't want to play.  George is sprayed.  He washes, but still smells, he climbs a tree trying to escape the smell.  It doesn't work, but he sees something important.  He is needed with his pail to pour on a forrest fire.  George agin saves the day, but he still stinks.

Movie Review: ***^Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

I am glad I watched this movie.  It was so much different than I remember.  There was much more involved before our party of only four take their adventure to the center of the Earth.  Sir Lindenbrook (James Mason) leads our party which includes his student, assistant Alec (Pat Boone), the wife of a murdered associate, Carla Goetabaug (Arlene Dahl) and their local assistant, and Hans.  They leave behind Alec's fiance Jenny Lindenbrook (Diane Baker), the professor's niece.  The nemesis in this work is Count Saknussemm (Thayer David).  It is he who killed the associate, and he who will later eat one of our favorite character, a Hans' duck.  The journey has peril from the lave and water, but it doesn't really get scary until the find some very large prehistoric lizards.  The get to the center of the Earth all right, but how to get home that is another question.
I enjoyed my adventure courtesy of Jules Verne and movie making.  

Movie Review: ****The BFG (2016)

Here we have a classic Roald Dahl Movie.  I have started reading the book, but still have a lot to go.  BFG (Mark Rylance) is short for Big Friendly Giant.  He steals Sophie (Ruby Barnhill), a girl in the wrong place because she has insomnia and is up and sees him.  She fears she is going to be eaten for sure, but BFG eats cucumbers instead.  However BFG lives with other giants who do eat children.  Sophie has to be very careful.  It is quite a struggle, and the other giants get in the way of BFG doing his work, which is catching dreams and giving them to children.  Finally, Sophie convinces him to get help from the queen (Penelope Wilton).  There is a cute scene where BFG has dinner with the queen.  BFG mind you is very tall.  He sits on a chair on top of a piano.  But what can you do with giants.  The military knows what to do, with the help of BFG.

Picture Book Review: Curious George Goes to a Movie

Curious George Goes to a Movie, based on pictures of Margret and H.A. Rey by Vipah Interactive, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1998.
This is again a formula Curious George book, Curious George gets into trouble, and then he saves the day.  In this case he wants to see the projectionist, who is so surprised to see a monkey that he knocks the reels off the projector.  George knows a little about making shadow puppets, and saves the day by entertaining the theater goers with shadows, including that of a monkey, until the film is ready to go again.  The artwork for these books is done well taking the original works of H.A. Rey as a guide.

John Wayne: He Still Stands Tallest

John Wayne was an actor's actor.  I heard him once say that acting was just reacting.  By this he meant reacting to what the other actors are doing and what is going on in the scene.  In acting I have always tried to make my reactions believable, but nobody does it better than John Wayne.  No actor was so prolific.  He starred in 142 films.  Here are a few of his movies:
The Long Trail is John Wayne's first starring role and has him traveling the Oregon Trail. (1930)
The Range War where John Wayne has a supporting role.  (1931)
Two Fisted Law again has John Wayne in a supporting role. Tim McCoy has the lead.  (1932)
The Sage Brush Trail:  John Wayne is a convicted killer, for a crime he did not commit.  He escapes and travels to find the killer to exonerate himself.  (1933)
The Lawless Frontier is classic John Wayne. A Lone Star Film.  (1934)
Blue Steel has John Wayne packing a Marshall's badge, but this time he is undercover.  )1934)
The Star Packer John Wayne portrays a Federal Marshall.  A Lone Star film.  (1934)
The Man from Utah is a Lone Star Film. (1934)
The Trail Beyond has John Wayne in Canada to find a girl.  (1934)
'Neath the Arizona Skies is a Lone Star formula film, John Wayne is chased by bad guys, he meets a girl, he resolves the conflict and gets the girl.  (1934)
Rainbow Valley where John Wayne rescues a community.  (1935)
Texas Terror is a Lone Star Picture.  It is a bit different.  John Wayne was sheriff and thought he killed his friend.
The Dawn Rider is different in that John Wayne is after his father's killer. A Lone Star production. (1935)
King of the Pecos shows John Wayne as a lawyer come back to town to avenge the death of his parents.  (1936)

Stagecoach  This is the film with Andy Devine and directed by Glen Ford where John Wayne became a big star.
The Shepherd of the Hills has John Wayne in a different type of role, and portrays him against his father. (1941)
War of the Wildcats or In Old Oklahoma shows John Wayne in the oil business. (1943)
The Fighting Seabees is a WWII film. (1944)
Angel and the Bad Man was John Wayne as an outlaw who falls for a Quaker girl.  This is also a Harry Carry movie.  One of my favorite John Wayne movies.  (1947)
The Quiet Man has John Wayne starring with Maureen O'Hara.  This is a classic. (1952)
Hondo has Wayne falling for the wife of a man he killed in self defense.  (1953)
The High and the Mighty where Wayne portrays a washed up pilot. (1954)
McClintock! is a classic movie in which he is again paired with Maureen O'Hara, his spoiled wife.
Donovan's Reef in which he stars with Lee Marvin.  (1963)
The Sons of Katie Elder has the grown men who neglected their mother, coming together to figure out what happened to their father, and how their mother was swindled of her money.  Also stars Dean Martin.  (1965)
The Undefeated has John Wayne, post Civil War who helps a new friend who served with the Confederacy.  Merlin Olson has a cameo role.  (1969)
True Grit:  John Wayne wins an Oscar for this film.  He stars with Glen Campbell.  (1969)
Rio Lobo is a post Civil War movie with a great gun battle in the end.  (1970)
Swing Out, Sweet Land is a patriotic T.V. Special.  (1970)
Big Jake again has Wayne playing opposite Maureen O'Hara.  He and his sons are on a mission to rescue his grandson. (1971)
Cahill U.S. Marshall has John Wayne pitted against his own boys who commit a robbery.  (1973)

Rooster Cogburn 1975 puts John Wayne with Katharine Hepburn.

Picture Book Review: Curious George Goes to the Hospital

Curious George Goes to the Hospital by Margret and H.A. Rey, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1993.
This book is the last book written and illustrated by H.A. Rey and Margret Rey.  It hits on what a problem it can be to put a puzzle piece where it shouldn't be, especially if it is made of wood.  That is just what George does, thinking it might be candy.  He ends up in the hospital.  George, after he is on the mend, brings a smile to the faces of the other children in the hospital.  But George has a knack of getting into trouble.  He puts on a puppet show, rides the stereo turn table, and takes a turn in the wheeled cart.  That is when he really gets into trouble, because he goes down a ramp with food carts and the mayor at the bottom.  Crash!  But it is funny and everyone has a good laugh in the end, and the Man in the Yellow Hat is there to pick up George.  When they get home the finish their puzzle.

Picture Book Review: Curious George Visits the Library

This book is based on the style of Margret and H.A. Rey, but is published in 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company Boston.
Again George is too impatient.  He attends story time at the library, and wants to hear the librarian read the story about dinosaurs, but it is not the next, nor the one after, so he helps himself.  He then wonders through the library, and gathers up so many books he could never carry them all.  He happens upon a cart, and that helps.  But the cart has wheels and rolls away with George towards a mighty crash.
Curious George is fun.

Movie Review: *****Back to the Future (1985)

Talk about a fun movie.  This is one of the best.  Christopher Lloyd is so good as Doctor Brown.  I especially like his demonstration of pride after they get the DeLorean back.  His reaction is classic acting.
If figure the story line is well enough known to most people, but this involves Marty (Michael J. Fox) accidentally sending himself back in time.  He seeks out Dr. Brown (Christopher Lloyd) to help him get back to his own time, as he made the time machine in what is his future now.  Marty meets his parents, and in fact interferes with their meeting.  This is setting up an alternative future in which he and his siblings are not born.  Marty's parents (Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover) are quite a pair in their high school days.  (Speaking of acting, this two actors have to portray their character in two different times, 30 years apart.  They actually do a great job.)  The other actor who has they same task is Biff (Thomas F. Wilson) who is father's nemesis.
Some highlights of this film are Marty getting to play guitar at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance and the actual time machine build in a DeLorean.  The Mr. Fusion is pretty cool too.
This is a great family film with lots of fun action and intriguing nuances with the use of time.  Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale should be given note as the writers.

Picture Book Review: Curious George Learns the Alphabet

This is another in the Curious George World which was by the original creators Margret and H.A. Rey.  The interesting part of this book is the creativity of H.A. Ray in putting the alphabet with mostly animals and sometimes body parts.  This isn't the idea of pictures or animals that are normally associated with each animal.  Rey was able to draw the animals in the shape of the letter.

Movie Review: ***^The Masked Saint

This was a pleasant find by way of movies.  It was loud at the beginning with professional wrestling. However it soon mellowed out and was enjoyable.  Chris (Brett Granstaff) is injured and forced to resign from wrestling.  He takes up preaching, and is not very good; but he is a fighter.  His wife (Lara Jean Chorostecki) is also a go-getter.  A church goer, Ms Edna (Diahann Carroll)  helps Chris through some rough edges.  However he returns to wrestling to pay off church debts.  At the same time, he finds some anonymity in helping others by wearing his mask.  He does this a few times in situations involving criminal activity.  There is a point he becomes full of himself, and prideful that he is saving the church.  However a local gangster gets on his case who wants to force him out.   His girls and customers are turning to the Lord and his business is waining.
There is some great wrestling action, and an intense rivalry between himself and Chris (The Masked Saint) and The Reaper (James Preston Rogers.)  This movie has both, good action in the ring, and a Christian based story.