dozanddoz Reviews

Return to Treasure Island (1986– )

My recorded 1985 tapes are getting old :(

[23 October 2003]

The greatest TV mini-series ever, 10/10. People who worked on the Bond films worked on this series. A real treat to watch. What makes the series so good is great acting, good stories, and best of all a great Long John Silver in Blessed. It's a shame none of these actors really made it big. My father was a loyal Disney Treasure Island fan, and to his credit he recorded the whole 10-hour mini-series when it aired nearly 20 years ago. Since then, I've made it a tradition to watch these old tapes every summer. Unfortunately, they have depreciated since 1985. And yes, I still watch them, but some of the scenes skip and are choppy. This is like hurting one of my kids, man. I loved the series and will one day hopefully have them on DVD. I can only hope. "By the Powers" Disney start working on it!!!!!!

Three Little Pirates (1946)

One of the best, but pretty much the end of it all :(

[15 January 2003]

In 1946, Curly wasn't the same Curly he was a few years earlier. He had had a few strokes, his speech and movements are slow, and he is so skinny here. However, with the help of Moe and Larry, he manages to pull off his last great comic performance, Three Little Pirates was Curly's second to last film. In this entry, the Boys are escapees chased after by A Governor and Pirates. While this short is not the best, it's close. It's hilarious and will have you watching it repeatedly. It's got all the ingredients of a great Stooge short, plus the series' best fight scene, where a crazed hammering pinball machine takes out the pirates. A hilarious series entry for the boys, but they were never again as good as they were here. Shemp was funny and had some hilarious shorts (i.e. Goof on a Roof, Mummy's Dummies, Hot Scots, and a few others), but all in all, they could never fully capture it again.

Bottom Line: One of the top 10 Stooges. A good laugh. 9/10

Micro-Phonies (1945)

The Best Stooge of them all!!

[11 January 2003]

If Back to the Woods isn't the best Stooge short, this one is. The Boys pull through "Together" on this one. One more big laugh. The Boys pose as Opera singers where Curly is the enchanting Senorita Cucaracha. It's a hilarious ride from start to finish filled with air-borne fruit, sword fights, and a pipe beaten boss (i.e. watch Larry mistakenly hit the boss with a pipe and then haul). HA HA HA!! Go Larry. This entry was made in 1945 and look for Curly's weakness in his voice and movements. Moe and Larry really pull him through this one to make it the best series entry, but it's fair to say Curly was out of his prime here. After this entry and "3 Little Pirates" the Boys were never the same. Granted, they were still funny (with Shemp) but were never again like this.

Bottom Line: The Best Stooge of them all. 10/10

A Plumbing We Will Go (1940)

The Boys are at it again: You will Laugh !!!

[11 January 2003]

This entry was done during the Stooge/Curley prime, 1940. Due to stealing Watermelons, the cops are after the boys so they disguise themselves as plumbers, and completely destroy a mansion in the process. Not the best Stooge short but certainly funny and worthy of repeated viewing. Funny, wild, and Dudley Dickerson in the kitchen is "Sure gone Crazy" Great Stuff.

Bottom Line: One of the Top 10 Stooge shorts. 8 out of 10

Grips, Grunts and Groans (1937)

The Boys take on the WWF: Nothing short of Hilarious

[11 January 2003]

In 1937, the Stooges were coming into their prime, and though this one is not the best entry, it's close. The Trio is suppose to watch over the wrestler "Bustoff." But when they get him drunk and then drop dump-bells and a locker on his head, Curly is forced to take Bustoff's place in the ring. But once Wild Hyicene purr-fume gets on Curly, he goes nuts, and tears the joint apart. Great sound effects, goofs, and a great rousing ending. This one will have you laughing out loud.

Bottom Line: One of the top 10 Stooge Shorts. 9/10

Back to the Woods (1937)

The Boys at their Best: Hilarious, 10 out of 10

[11 January 2003]

My personal favorite Stooge short of all time. Back to the Woods has the boys sent to America as outlaw colonists where they stir up a nest of wild Indians and take care of them with a tree branch bow and arrow. Logs, fish, and bee hives are air borne and well you can go from there. Great goofs, sound effects, and Curley is at his best. An excellent early entry into the Stooge series.

Bottom Line: One of the Top 10 Stooges.

Thirteen Days (2000)

An Overlooked, Oscar caliber GEM: What a crime!!

[8 January 2003]

Poor Kevin.

You were on top in the early 90's. What the hell happened? With the exception on 3000 miles and the Postman, your movies are still good. But this one is one of your best. Put this film 10 years ago, it would have been a 100+ million dollar box office hit, and would have been an Oscar contender. But ever since the mid 90's, movie-goers/critics just haven't been in your corner, man. Sorry, but I'll still go and see your films.

13 Days is an excellent film with everything: Great sets, great acting, bogus special effects, and a great true story. People should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring this film. My friends and I were the only people in the theatre opening night, and we all enjoyed it. Just bad luck I guess. Bruce Greenwood should have won an Oscar for his portrayal of JFK. He was too much like the real thing. I actually thought he was the 35th President in a few scenes. My only complaint was Kev's fake Boston accent, but it wasn't too bad. It also is a little long, but then again nothing's perfect. I still loved it. I own the DVD and will enjoy it for years to come. You should do the same, go out and at least rent it. A great film to watch on the big screen though, you missed out guys, and so did the Oscars.



***1/2 out of ****

Thirteen Days (2000)

An Over looked, Oscar Caliber, GEM: What a Crime!!

[8 January 2003]

Poor Kevin.

You were on top in the early 90's. What the hell happened? With the exception on 3000 Miles and The Postman, your movies are still good. But this one is one of your best. Put this film 10 years ago, it would have been a 100+ million dollar box office hit, and would have been an Oscar contender. But ever since the mid 90's, movie-goers/critics just haven't been in your corner, man. Sorry, but I'll still go and see your films.

13 Days is an excellent film with everything: Great sets, great acting, bogus special effects, and a great true story. People should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring this film. My friends and I were the only people in the theatre opening night, and we all enjoyed it. Just bad luck I guess. Bruce Greenwood should have won an Oscar for his portrayal of JFK. He was too much like the real thing. I actually thought he was the 35th President in a few scenes. My only complaint was Kev's fake Boston accent, but it wasn't too bad. It also is a little long, but then again nothing's perfect. I still loved it. I own the DVD and will enjoy it for years to come. You should do the same, go out and at least rent it. A great film to watch on the big screen though, you missed out guys, and so did the Oscars.



***1/2 out of ****

One Magic Christmas (1985)

GOLD, but What Happend to this great Film ?

[31 December 2002]

Wow, what a great film. Why was it not released to the theatres? Disney dropped the ball on this underrated GEM. I guess they didn't know what they had. I remember when I was 4 watching this film on TV and being captivated by it. I suppose it was just a Wonderful World of Disney TV Movie. A few years ago my father bought it real cheap on VHS and I had forgotten just how good it was. To me, this film is just as good as any Holiday classic. It's very comparable to the likes of A Christmas Story, A Christmas Carol, It's a Wonderful Life, and The Bishop's Wife. It's a great film. The story, the special effects, and its realism are tremendous, but what really makes this film so good is the cast. Great performances by all, especially Basaraba, Stanton, Santa, and the Kids. But Steenburgen should have won an Oscar for this movie, her best performance in my opinion. If I were Disney/Touchstone, I would remake this film, and cast great actors like Sean Connery as Santa, and Tom Hanks as the angel. With it's story and big actors this could be the most successful Holiday movie of all time, no doubt about it. Shame on you Disney, everything was there, but you should have released it to the movies. Now it's all but forgotten. The only way to redeem yourself is to Remake it.

***1/2 out of ****

61* (2001 TV Movie)

He did it, I dont Believe it # 61 !!

[29 December 2002]

Probably the best Sports and Baseball movie ever made. It's truly an unbelievable thing to see this film. Everything is perfect, especially the M&M boys, Pepper (Maris) and Jane (Mantle). They are so like the real guys, it's freaky in a few scenes (i.e. the scene at the end where Roger is in the dugout just before he takes his 61 HR curtain call; and when Mickey dangles the bat with one hand just before he hits a towering 450 ft. HR). You don't understand these are the guys. They both should have won Emmy's. Other added values this film has are the great 60's sets (i.e. the old Yankee Stadium played by Tiger Stadium), the computer graphics, a great supporting cast, and a great score. Billy Crystal is a genius. My only argument is why was this movie not released to the theatres. I know it was an HBO movie but this film had all the ingredients of being a summer (baseball season) box office run-away hit. It had everything. It possibly would have been appreciated by the Academy Awards too, probably not a Best Picture winner, due to the Academy's Biases of Sports films (i.e. Hoosiers and The Natural). But I think it would have at least been nominated for a few. I just wish I could have seen this film on the big screen, what a shame. My Daddy grew up with the 60's Yankees and I'd be told stories of Mickey, Roger, Yogi, and Whitey Ford, so this film resonated with me greatly. Hell, my first number in Baseball was Roger's #9. Dad saw the M&M boys in action at Yankee Stadium in 1961. He said during warm-ups before the game, Roger was throwing on the right-field foul line and next to him in the stands were around 20 fans heckling him, screaming and pointing at him. He said Mickey spent the whole of warm-ups in the dugout and took few swings in the cage but that was it. The same game Mickey hit an enormous jack to left field. The movie is accurate, haunting, and a joy visually. It's a pure dream for someone like me (a college baseball player). It's my favorite film and always will be. Roger is a hero figure for me, Mickey in my opinion screwed himself, and Ruth and his defenders were jerks of all trades. The right guy broke the record. And it's time to put Roger into the Hall of Fame, as well as this great film. Look for similarities between this film and the Redford '84 film The Natural. The team franchise player, Bump Baily #7 messes around and gets killed and doesn't finish the year. And there's this guy new to the club, Redford/Hobbs #9 who has this one incredible season and in the last game pulls through and homers. Amazing what you can figure out when you have nothing to do. Anyhoo, Bravo Crystal. 10/10.

The Gift (2000)

Katie Holmes, Topless, Wow

[24 December 2002]

All in all, an OK movie, nothing great though. But would be decent renter. A good cast, good performances, a reasonable story, and does contain a few good scenes. But nothing to write home about. **1/2 out of ****. In my opinion the show stealer was the very beautiful Katie Holmes topless. God what a hot girl. On second thought, that would be a good reason to go and rent it. WOW.

Abandon (2002)

Why did people stay away ?

[13 December 2002]

I went with my younger sister for the sole purpose to see the lovely Katie Holmes. I didn't expect much. But trash, the movie was not. I was very impressed with the story, the acting, the Hitchcock-like suspense, and the turn that occurred at the end. My favorite part was the library scene with the eyes behind the bookshelf. A big stepping-stone for Katie Holmes, who I think will continue to get starring roles and turn into a Natalie Wood like star. She is both beautiful and a good actress. This film is definitely a renter, and should have been better accepted when it was released, critic-wise and box office-wise. *** out of ****. Watch it and enjoy.