Ice Castles (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)Quite a few requests for this all week so I had to give it a screening try in the store - and it actually fared quite well. Overall, the rookie acting performances and beautiful professional skating made for a nice film with only a few cliches and a nice message.
The story follows a young skater as she decides to compete, facing the usual obstacles of peer cat fighting, a long distance relationship, and personal sacrifices aggravated by a life changing disability. The topics get grazed over, sometimes too fast to have a huge emotional impact, but the ending success and competent young love story make for an enjoyable watch. The video quality is solid, and the 5.1 gets used more than one would think for a film like this. The supplements include:
* Behind the scenes, 12:53 minutes. A thorough look into the production, skating/acting mixes, and other assorted material without delving too much into the original work.
* Deleted scenes, play all option of 4 scenes totaling 6:38 minutes. All character stuff, which was too bad since this was her only acting performance, so all of the skating was left in the film.
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai with subs in the same with some Chinese and Korean also. Feels a little Lifetime-ish but they did this remake just in time for the Olympics, enjoy.

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A remake of the 1978 Oscar-nominated romantic drama. Considered too old for a professional ice-skating career, 16-year-old Alexis nonetheless triumphs to become a champion and teen skating sensation. Tragically, she falls and suffers a brain injury that leaves her nearly blind and curtailing her dream of a professionally skating career. With the help of her father and her boyfriend, Alexis attempts, against all odds, to again become a top-ranked skater. Featuring a remake of Melissa Manchester's hit song, "Through the Eyes of Love."

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Imitation of Life (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)Although little known today, in her own era author Fannie Hurst was among America's most famous authors, a writer who frequently challenged the status quo in both her life and her literature. Among her most popular works was the novel IMITATION OF LIFE, which first came to the screen starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers in 1934. Today both the novel and film would be considered somewhat racist--but at the time both were considered social shockers, dealing frankly with single mothers, rebellious daughters, and racial issues in a way that few novels and fewer still films of the era dared.
The first film version was as faithful to the novel as it dared be, telling the story of two single mothers--one black, one white--who join forces and hit the big time when the white woman successfully markets the black woman's pancake recipe. But the 1959 film version substituted pancake make-up for pancake batter: the white woman is an actress, and with her black friend behind her she climbs the ladder to Broadway stardom. Director Douglas Sirk was reknowned for his ability with this sort of material, and although he did better films IMITATION OF LIFE is perhaps his most obvious stylistic statement: gallons of gloss, more soap suds than a sink full of dishes, and enough vulgar melodrama to fuel a thousand 1950s schoolgirl dreams.
This time around our stars are Lana Turner and Juanita Moore, supported by Sandra Dee and Susan Kohner as the respective and rebellious daughters who make their mothers lives a living hell, with Lana's daughter Sandra falling in love with her mother's beau and Juanita's daughter Susan determined to defeat the racist society in which she lives by passing for white. All four actresses give it everything they've got, which means they all emote to the nth degree as they suffer through every emotional upheaval the screenwriters can devise.
Turner and Dee are essentially Turner and Dee. The real surprises here are Moore and Kohner. Saddled with a story that still keeps the black woman in the kitchen while the white woman plays, Moore nonetheless gives an outstanding and ultimately heartbreaking performance, and Kohner matches her every bit of the way as the wayward daughter who makes one bad choice after another in her refusal to knuckle under to a repressive society. It is a tremendous pity that neither actress went on to equally high-profile roles and films, but the times were against them--as the very nature of the film's story should make abundantly clear.
The original novel and film were actually advanced for their time, but by the time this version hit the screen the "white lady upstairs and the black lady downstairs" was hardly a rung up the ladder. Even in 1959 many denounced the film as perpetuating racial stereotypes and class-thinking, and by today's standards it is alternately distasteful and absurd. But oddly enough, that fact doesn't undercut the incredible watchablity of the film. We may sneer at some of the values it presents, but it holds our attention all the way, and you'll need at least three hankies for the film's conclusion. If you are torn between purchasing the DVD or a VHS version, you should know that there is actually little difference between the two. The film has not been restored for DVD, and the lack of restoration is quite noticeable; moreover, the only bonus material on the DVD is the theatrical trailer. You might prefer to go with a low cost VHS until a really good DVD is released.

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Adventures in Babysitting (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)Beginning your movie with the right song can get you off to a good start and "Adventures in Babysitting" gives us that golden oldie "And Then He Kissed Me" as Chris Parker prepares for her big date with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, this clown promptly proceeds to dump our heroine, which only proves he is a fool because Chris is played by Elisabeth Shue. Those of us who remember "Call to Glory" already knew that Shue was a babe and so does Brad Anderson (Keith Coogan), the kid who is too old for the babysitter on whom he has a mondo crush. Into the mix we add Sara Anderson (Maia Brewton), the adorable kid sister who has a thing for the Mighty Thor from Marvel Comics (she must have got the cool Thor helmet from Stan Lee, Jack Kirby or somebody in the ol' Bullpen), Daryl Coopersmith (Anthony Rapp), Brad's best friend who has yet to learn when to shut up, and Brenda (Penelope Ann Miller), Chris' best friend who is stuck in downtown Chicago at a bus depot without her glasses, having decided that running away from home was a bad idea. Unfortunately for our heroine, deciding to simply go down and pick up Brenda proves to be a bad idea. With the three kids in tow, Chris takes off for the big city. When the station wagon gets a flat tire that is only the first in a massive chain of misfortunes that befall our plucky lass. There will be a tow truck man with a claw, street thugs with knives on the El, gangster in a chop shop, a college frat party, a close encounter with the parental units at a party high at top a skyscraper, and a delightful session of singing "The Babysitter Blues."
In its own way, "Adventures in Baby Sitting is in the mold of the Indiana Jones films, where the cast of characters are stuck on a roller coaster of exciting encounters. Our harried heroine puts up with all of this in order to save her friend and get the kids home before their parents find out they have spent the night narrowly escaping death instead of being safe at home watching the tube. Even though there is a running gag that Chris looks exactly like the Playmate of the Month, this is a movie aimed for kids in the age range of her charges. There is enough of a cartoonish element to the bad guys to take the edge off of the dangers involved and of course we know from the first note of the movie that everything will turn out okay in the end and Chris is going to top off the evening by getting kissed by someone who might actually deserve her. Shue's natural performance holds the film together and although she has gone on to decidedly more dramatic roles in her more recent films, she evinces a natural flair for comedy in this one. However, be warned: once your kidlets have seen this 1987 Disney film they are going to be grossly disappointed in whoever you pay to watch them the next time you go out for a night of fun. Final note: Be sure to watch the entire credits at the end.

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Chris Parker (Elisabeth Shue) agrees to babysit after her "dream" date stands her up. Expecting a dull evening, Chris settles down with three kids for a night of TV ... and boredom. But when her frantic friend Brenda calls and pleads to be rescued from the bus station in downtown Chicago, the evening soon explodes into an endless whirl of hair-raising adventures! Babysitter and kids leave their safe suburban surroundings and head for the heart of the big city, never imagining how terrifyingly funny their expedition will become.

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The Bad Seed (1956) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie is simply a masterpiece. There are no better words to describe it. The chilling morbidity of Rhoda Penmark, and the emotional ringer Christine goes through...it is wonderful! I am a fourteen year old girl who doesn't like the Varsity Blues and Scream movies of my generation, I love the Bad Seed. Most of my friends, however, have never heard of it and don't want to see it. I try to explain to them what a wonderful movie it is, but most of them just don't care. All my generation has grown up seeing slasher films. None of them can truly appreciate The Shining, Psycho, or the elusive simplicity of the Bad Seed. I have seen it many times and know it word for word. It's not a stupid slasher film, or even just a simple murder mystery. It is a solid psycological thriller. I adore it. I love LeRoy and his wonderful ability to be droll, I love Monica and her "I know everything" frame of mind, I love everything about the movie! My dream is to be in the play. Who knows? It could happen... :c)

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Ice Castles (1978) Review

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(More customer reviews)Heartwarming and inspirational drama, starring the lovely Lynn-Holly Johnson (THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS) and Robby Benson (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST), and featuring the Oscar-nominated theme song "Through the Eyes of Love" by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager.
Alexis `Lexie' Winston (Lynn-Holly Johnson) is a promising young 16-year-old ice skater, living in Iowa with her widowed father (Tom Skerritt). She receives her training from Beulah (Colleen Dewhurst) a former ice skater, now the owner of the ice-rink and bowling alley. Beulah knows that Lexie won't achieve her full potential until a proper trainer takes her on. So when renowned coach Deborah Mackland (Jennifer Warren) offers the chance of a lifetime to Lexie, she leaves small-town life behind and begins her quest to become a champion ice skater...until a freak accident shatters her dreams.
Now with the help of her father and Beulah, and the guidance of her boyfriend Nick (Robby Benson), Lexie sets out to overcome her adversity and skate one last time...
Filled with excellent performances and the soaring, emotional music of Hamlisch, ICE CASTLES is a satisfying movie experience. Colleen Dewhurst and Tom Skerritt provide exceptional supporting performances. Lynn-Holly Johnson, in her movie debut, gamely rises to the challenge in the demanding role of Lexie. Robby Benson turns in a solid performance as Nick. Only Jennifer Warren, as coach Deborah Mackland, seems cold and aloof (though this is mainly due to the character).
ICE CASTLES is highly-recommended!

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