Love Comes Softly (2003) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw this film on the Hallmark Channel, and TIVO'd it to watch: I have since watched it a few times and will buy the DVD when it's released! Based on a novel by Christian historical fiction writer Janette Oke, "Love Comes Softly," centers on Marty, a young woman who travels West with her husband. When tragedy strikes this newly married couple, grief-striken Marty must find a way to survive the harsh land that she is surrounded by.

For those of you worried about content: this is a family-friendly film! There is no language that I can recall, no violence, and no adult themes. There is one scene where a man accidentally walks in on a woman taking a bath (nothing is shown), some squabbling between two people, and a woman preparing a live chicken for a meal, but other than that, I could not find anything objectionable.

This is a cute and family-friendly story, that promotes the themes of morality, love, honor, courage, faith, etc.

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Based on Janette Oke's best-selling book series, and directed by Michael Landon Jr., Loves Comes Softly is inspired story-telling for the whole family. Marty and Aaron Claridge (Katherine Heigl and Oliver Macready) travel west in search of new opportunity. But when tragedy strikes and Marty is suddenly widowed, the young woman must face the rugged terrain, bleak weather, and life among strangers-alone. That is until a handsome widower named Clark Davis ( Dale Midkiff) suggests a platonic "marriage of convenience" until Marty can return home. As the months pass, through, Marty and Clark discover an unexpected new love where there was once only loss.

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Brian Regan: Standing Up (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Brian Regan is a great comedian for the whole family. My wife and kids love walking through the house yelling "What's the score, Brian?" "Snowcone! Whole snowcone for half game!" He's a great guy, and his humor is something you can enjoy with everyone.
If you own his live CD or earlier DVD, you'll find this contains almost all new material. One of the bonus features is his encore in which he does requests from the audience from his material. It's stuff you've heard before, but the funny way he points that out is hilarious ("You're out there going, 'Yep, that's the way I memorized it.'") His first Comedy Central Presents appearance is included and there's no repeats from the "Standing Up" special in it. If this is your first introduction to Brian's comedy, it's a great place to start. Grab his live CD next. The CC Presents half-hour show has some of that material on it, but it's still funny.
I wish there were more comedians out there like Brian. He manages to be funny without ever being vulgar. I don't know why he isn't more popular, but with his CC sponsored national tour maybe he'll finally get the exposure he deserves.
Keep up the great work, Brian!

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Straight off a coast to coast tour and into your living room, Brian Regan: Standing Up comes to DVD. Butterflies, show horses and greeting cards are no match when this master of standup grabs the microphone. His comedy, big enough for everyone, sharp enough for you, keeps audiences coming back time and again for more!

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Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole Review

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(More customer reviews)Just finished this DVD and we all enjoyed it very much. I still rank his first "I walked on the moon" as the best...and probably his second "standing up" slightly over this as it does have a 30 minute special as a bonus feature as well as encores. The Epitome Of Hyperbole is not a bad third place but at a scant 42 minutes seems to end waaaay too early. The bonus encore is also very brief (about 4 minutes) and the making of is fun but not really something you want to watch again and again. So...most of my complaining is that I want more of this guy....he's just that good, original and works clean (which I don't demand but he is different by that mere fact).
Brian's expressions and physical humor is almost as funny as his stories and bits..which I don't want to give away...but lets just say that if you own the other two DVDs ....there isn't overlap of bits...so ...bottom line..you really need ALL THREE! his first one is available on his site...is an hour of gut busting stories from the classic "Say 8" to the title track.
I've seen him in concert and we just got tickets to see him in October...he is worth it live or on DVD...and his reputation and drawing power is completely due to word of mouth and talent....NOT the hype of NON funny "celebs" like Dane Cook....
Highly Recommended....!!!

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Item Name: Brian Regan: The Epitome of Hyperbole; Studio:Comedy Central

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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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Johnny Tremain (1957) Review

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(More customer reviews)In the city of Boston in the 1770's, Johnny Tremain is an apprentice silversmith who is a bit too confident for his own good. When his master is offered a job that is too difficult for his aged skills, Johnny jumps at the opportunity to prove himself to the important customer, Mr. Lyte. But with the job, a deadline is also given, and to do the work in time, Johnny finds himself, along with his master's wife and daughter, breaking the law by working on a Sunday. While pouring molten silver under panicked conditions, Johnny is pushed into it and his right hand is badly burned.
Time passes, and Johnny must unwrap his burned fingers and get back to the work he is bound to do, but upon discovering that his fingers have healed and grown together, making his hand somewhat useless, he is cast out into the street to find a new home. But no one will hire a boy with one good hand, when there are plenty to be had with two. Johnny soon finds himself desperate, and goes to the home of rich Mr. Lyte, to share his long kept secret, that he is actually named Jonathan Lyte Tremain. Johnny has never told anyone other than the silversmith's beautiful daughter, Cilla, that he was the unknown nephew of Mr. Lyte, but now he has no choice. But when he speaks to the man, he is accused of trying to con him, and Johnny soon finds himself the defendant in a trial that could send him to the gallows. Luckily, Johnny has befriended some important people in his search for work, such as the Patriots Josiah Quincy and Paul Revere, among others. They work to free Johnny, and with the help of Cilla's testimony, the boy soon finds himself cleared and working as a horse messenger boy for the local band of Patriots. A cause that Johnny once found rather trivial, becomes his new passion, and Johnny soon finds himself taking part in secret meetings, the Boston Tea Party, and some famous battles that kicked off the War for Independence.
Johnny Tremain is a Disney classic from that very special time period at the studios. The film is inspirational, fun, and fit for all ages. True, it's waaaaay more family friendly than the novel, but to me that's just fine. Think of this as the "Disney version" you can watch with the whole family. The casting is wonderful by the way. I always had a thing for Luana Patten as a kid. Great music too, and that beautiful 50's Disney look. Perfect for 4th of July viewing, or for anytime viewing! Add this film to your list of Independence Day classics like 1776, The Patriot, Ben and Me, and the Swamp Fox!

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Return to the days that sparked the American Revolution, now on Disney DVD for the first time! Meet young Johnny Tremain, a silversmith's apprentice with dreams of learning the trade and making his own way. When a terrible injury ends his hopes, he joins the emerging Sons Of Liberty. The Redcoats are coming as you journey back to the Boston Tea Party, the midnight ride of Paul Revere, and Lexington Green, where tyranny was vanquished by an idea -- freedom for all! Based on the classic novel by Esther Forbes, you won't want to miss one historic moment of Disney's classic adventure and liberty's rising light.

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The Ultimate Gift (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Jason Stevens (Drew Fuller) is a trust fund baby--he's eaten from a silver spoon his entire life. At his grandfather Red's funeral he makes a showy (and late) entrance, perhaps punctuating his low opinion of the man. But from his grave Red (James Garner) has words for his money hungry relatives at the reading of his will. No one gets what they expect, including Jason.
In a closed conference room with only his grandfather's trusted attorney (Bill Cobbs) and secretary (Lee Meriwether) in attendance, Jason is advised by Red via a video recording that he's being given a series of gifts. The catch? He isn't told what the gifts are, only that he's to arrive at the airport and await further instructions. Is this his grandfather's form of a joke, or is Red Stevens trying to reach out and teach him things he never learned from his materialistic family?
Based on a novella by noted motivational speaker and author Jim Stovall, the filmmakers endeavored to preserve the heart of his story while still producing a relevant movie. Says screenwriter Cheryl McKay in an interview conducted by Rene Gutteridge who wrote the novelization of the screenplay, "The biggest challenge was figuring out how to handle all the gifts and not come off with a movie that felt episodic. We had to blend a couple of them together and de-emphasize a couple of them because twelve is a lot to cover in a two-hour movie."
Winner of the Heartland Film Festival's Crystal Heart Award, The Ultimate Gift features an Oscar worthy cast. Drew Fuller (best known for his recurring role as Chris Halliwell in Charmed) pulls off Jason's cockiness and spoiled brat ways, but also believably portrays his transformed self. His facial expressions alone made me laugh out loud a few times. Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, Signs) could easily have over played her character Emily, but she doesn't, and she wins our hearts in the process. Ali Hillis (Must Love Dogs) is another notable cast member as Jason's love interest and Emily's mother. No one hits it out of the ball park, but you can still win a game without home runs, and The Ultimate Gift is a winner.
The Ultimate Gift is a predictable film you somehow want to be predictable. Its PG rating allows for a few mild swear words and tense thematic moments, but this is really a movie the whole family can enjoy.
From the vast acres of a Texas ranch to the wilds of a South American jungle, Jason's assumptions about his grandfather, and himself, will never be the same. And even though you'll most likely guess the film's ending, it's the journey that matters. We're taken on an exciting one with Jason as he discovers not only the ultimate gift, but what type of a man he's truly capable of being.
--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk

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When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens inherits his grandfather's crash course on life: 12 tasks-or gifts-designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways. The "course" sends Jason on a journey of self-discovery that forces him to reevaluate his priorities and determine what he thinks the most important things in life really are.

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