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drjjmiller
Reviews
Martin and Lewis (2002)
Great movie entertainment if you have any interest in Martin and Lewis
If you don't know who Martin and Lewis are... well, it won't be your cup of tea. Still, nearly everyone knows who Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis are and many, many have seen one of their 14 movies or have seen their stage acts live or on TV or you tube.
Their movies and act was just fun.
Jerry Lewis made his name by being (as he would call himself) a "monkey". A zany man of comedy. He was terrific, unless you hate zany comics.
Dean Martin was a A-level singer with incredible comic sensibilities. Both went on after their historic break up and had even more success.
Break-up? This movie gives us their glorious 10 years together... but it is all leading up to that Great Divide. I can't call this a spoiler alert when the movie case clues us in from the get go.
But WHY did they break up? Who did what? Why couldn't they keep the most popular and most profitable comedy duo of all time together. Yes, the movie quite adeptly walks us down that path... all the while entertaining us with the two legends. Enjoy!
UPDATE: Still love this movie. However, it is now nearly impossible to find. One place indicated that Jerry Lewis bought the rights to the movie to deep six it all. That doesn't make much sense, though, as Jerry Lewis is the one who worked with Sean Hayes to get his imitation of Jerry almost perfect. If he hated the script, you would think he wouldn't have helped out so much.
The Picture Image for the MOVIE "Martin and Lewis" on IMDb is the wrong picture for the movie. It shows a Colgate Television image of the real Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. This seems odd. there are lots of pictures of the two actors portraying their roles in this movie... they should update this to avoid the confusion.
Good luck finding this wonderful film. If you do find it somewhere (either online or in disc form) please post it here for others. I think I originally rented it from Netflix in DVD form... but perhaps it was something I saw on Amazon??? Unsure. It was good, however. I have recommended several times over the year and a half and people have loved it too. But now, now it is impossible to find. JJ
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: 1565: A Star for Kitty Opera (1986)
delightful children's opera by the actors of Mister Rogers
Here is a delightful opera for kids... a treasure that you will be happy to share with your kids.
A silly premise, perhaps... a Kitty has a birthday. She wants a star for her birthday. As she falls asleep (?) she sees the half moon. And a dream like encounter with the Stars and the moon(s) will teach kitty that what we sometimes wish for aren't for everyone's good. She learns compassion. Thus it is a learning opera as well. Kids often wish for things that aren't really good for them or for others...how to tell the difference and how to put off our desires for the good of others. No, those words won't be in the opera explicitly, but you (and your kids) will "get it." And then, use kitty as an object lesson to reinforce this "others" centered thinking. :)
And happy, memorable music will help make the whole experience a delight to your kids and to you.
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs (1985)
Dinos, Dinos, Dinos
Understand, this is a dated show... Gary Owens (Laugh-in) and Frank Nelson (I love Lucy and Jack Benny perennial annoying clerk)... This is definitely geared to Jr High age. Still, it has a charm. And the other reviewer is right, More Dinosaurs was the sequel. I was trying to remember if there might have been a third too... strange as it seems. The effects are cheesy, the dialog is cheesy, but it is a lot of dinosaur fun for those who can let go and have fun with the concept. Good facts mixed in with the high camp.
The sequel, More Dinosaurs, has a cameo with Bill Saluga. Yes. At least I think that was his name. You probably won't recall him, but you can't help but remember his main character: Raymond J. Johnson, Jr. who gives us his shtick "You can call me Ray, You can call me Jay... and so forth..., but you doesn't haz to call me Johnson." So, he does his thing as a side joke to a new (85 to 88) generation of kids who never heard him do his "thing." Then it right back to the dinosaurs. And yes, Eric ??? and Gary Owens turn (I think just Gary) into a Dinosaur. Seems like the second one (More Dinos) was geared to be watched around Halloween, in these one hour (or were they just 30 minute) TV specials.