Archive for February, 2010

Stream Felix the Cat: The Complete 1958-1959 Series Online

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Stream Felix the Cat: The Complete 1958-1959 Series Online. Stream Felix the Cat: The Complete 1958-1959 Series Online.

Movie Title: Felix the Cat: The Complete 1958-1959 Series
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Felix the Cat: The Complete 1958-1959 Series is available for streaming or downloading.

Click Here to Stream or Download Felix the Cat: The Complete 1958-1959 Series

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this set, even before its appearance. Most of that centers around the claim on the cover to include “The Complete 1958- 1959 Full- Color Series”. This set includes 31 episodes, a far cry from the 260 supposedly created. So what’s going on? The Felix cartoons of this era are widely believed to run about four minutes each. The ones in this set run about seven minutes, almost twice as long. Possibly each episode was originally run in two parts. In that case, there would really have been 260 parts, making up 130 two- part episodes.

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John Canemaker, in Felix: The Twisted Tale of the World’s Most Famous Cat, writes that Joe Oriolo’s original plan was to create 260 episodes that could run as four minute individual episodes or a continuing quarter hour, depending on the station format. Many cartoons of the time ran as “cliff-hangers”, multi- part stories that dropped off at the end of the episode, including Ruff and Reddy, Crusader Rabbit, and Underdog. This was so that the clowns and spacemen who were the live hosts of kids’ TV could sprinkle cartoon shorts throughout their shows, which ran from Fresno to Binghamton. Oriolo’s revival cartoon arguably had little to do with the original Pat Sullivan/ Otto Mesmer film shorts, but it was Joe who gave Felix his magic bag along with the show’s personnel, which included the Professor, Poindexter, Rock Bottom, and Master Cylinder. Oriolo tried to follow the Hanna- Barbera successes of limited animation, and deliberately aimed his show at kids, which may be why it has remained such a favorite.

This set is beautifully packaged, with a graphic of the iconic cat on the cover, and includes a list of episodes. The case opens like a book and contains two one- sided discs. The plastic around the discs isn’t very strong, and my set arrived with the plastic broken, but the discs still played OK. Disc one opens with ads for Rocky and Bullwinkle DVD sets and the Veggie Tales movie, The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, and includes 16 Felix episodes running about seven minutes each, for a total disc running time of 120 minutes.

Buy,Download, Or Stream Felix the Cat: The Complete 1958-1959 Series! Click Here

Disc two includes the remaining 15 episodes and three special features. These features are the same as on the Felix the Cat Collectors’ Edition issued in 2001 through Sony Wonder. They include the first Felix cartoon, “Feline Follies” from 1919; an excellent interview with John Canemaker on the history of Felix called “Through the Ages”; and an archival promo reel for stations to use, including an ad in French and a black and white ad in Spanish (The Collector’s Edition also included other features not on this set). The second disc running time is 112 minutes. The Collector’s Edition included ten episodes on a single one- sided disc. On this set they are episodes number 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10, 21, 27, 29, and 30.

The episodes include;

Disc one: 1. The Magic Bag; 2. Into Outer Space; 3. Abominable Snowman; 4. Felix Out West; 5. Electronic Brainwasher; 6. Felix the Cat Suit; 7. Do- It- Yourself Monster Book; 8. Blubberino the Whale; 9. Ghostly Concert; 10. Captain No- Kiddin’; 11. Felix in Egypt; 12. Detective Thinking Hat; 13. Balloon Blower Machine; 14. Friday the 13th; 15. Stone Making Machine; 16. Penelope the Elephant.

Disc Two: 17. The Money Tree; 18. Oil and Indians Don’t Mix; 19. The Glittering Jewels; 20. The Gold Car and County Fair; 21. Sheriff Felix VS. the Gas Cloud; 22. Felix’s Gold Mine; 23. How to Steal a Gold Mine?; 24. Private Eye Felix and Pierre Mustache; 25. The Gold Fruit Tree; 26. The Flying Saucer; 27. Felix Baby- Sits; 28. Instant Money; 29. Master Cylinder- King of the Moon; 30. The Invisible Professor; 31. Venus and the Master Cylinder.

To my knowledge, this set is complete as advertised. I believe there were 31 episodes produced during the 1958-1959 time period. There were another 91 or so produced during 1960-1961, bringing the total to about 122. I don’t know where the notion that Trans-Lux produced 260 some odd Felix cartoons during 1958-1959 came from. That would have been an incredible feat, even if each cartoon was only about 7 minutes in length. If someone has some evidence that there were indeed 260 shorts produced by Trans-Lux, I would sure like to see it.

The problem with this release is that there is no slipcover to hold the DVD package closed. At least mine didn’t have one. So it can easily pop open. The cartoons look excellent and the menu is easy to navigate. If the packaging were better, I would have given it 5 stars.

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Pocoyo: Fun and Dance with Pocoyo Movie Streaming

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Pocoyo: Fun and Dance with Pocoyo Movie Streaming. Pocoyo: Fun and Dance with Pocoyo Movie Streaming.

Movie Title: Pocoyo: Fun and Dance with Pocoyo
Average customer review:

Pocoyo: Fun and Dance with Pocoyo is available for streaming or downloading.

Click Here to Stream or Download Pocoyo: Fun and Dance with Pocoyo

My daughter and I both dance and prance with the Pocoyo characters. I wish there were more like it out there!

My 2-year Old Nephew loves the Pocoyo: Fun and Dance with Pocoyo. There is a Spanish version and an English version. It held his attention, his mom and dad’s attention, mine and my husband’s attention. Great video. Not a bad price either. I’d recommend it.

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Watch The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1 Online

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Watch The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1 Online. Watch The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1 Online.

Movie Title: The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1
Average customer review:

The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1 is available for streaming or downloading.

Click Here to Stream or Download The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1

First let me say, this review is not of the company that puts out this dvd or the manner in which the dvd was released. I agree they should have all the movies together in one set and could have made it match the seasons. But, movie and music companies always leave something to be desired in how they release things so I am not gonna write a review of that. I am writing this in regards to the actual made for tv movies. I personally do not understand why everyone is talking so negatively about these movies. My personal opinion is that, anytime you add James Garner to the mix you’re gonna get your money’s worth. I am a collector of dvds so I am happy/proud to say that I can finally have these to complete the Rockford Collection. Although the actor is older, you don’t get the feeling that they tried to underplay his age. They accept it, they broach the subject many times with humor, and all-in-all you get an actor playing his age as well as not losing any of the qualities that made the actor so memorable. there are the trademark one liners, though he does seem a bit more rough around the edges he is still the same old rockford we grew up with in the 70s and in reruns. The saddest part was that Rocky wasn’t able to be in them. Anyone who is/was a fan of the show will feel as if they’ve lost a family member as well. The storylines are fine, and are excellent vehicles for the Rockford character. There are a few reunions (for us as well) as he is joined by Beth and Angel (throughought the course of the movies) too bad Isaac Hayes didn’t show up though. That would have made it more complete. I would glady reccomend this set to anyone who has seen the series and loved it as I did. I’d support anything I can with Garner’s name on it. He is a fine actor who simply made it look easy and natural. I really would have liked it released differently (one complete set) but that is a minor qualm. Just be grateful these made it to dvd. Many companies are always looking for what’s new and hot and not necessarily for what is good. Garner never made a movie/series I didn’t like. He was the type that could elevate the material to levels it was probably not meant to be at. Even though the set is not out yet (I have recently seen these episodes…recorded off the Hallmark channel) and will tell you you won’t be disappointed if you buy these.

I believe the original 1970’s television series “The Rockford Files” was one of the finest drama series ever made. This was largely on the strength of the performance of James Garner in the starring role, in addition to the fine scripts by people like Steven Cannell, David Chase and others. Garner NEVER put in a bad performance, something that few actors of even the most successfull series can say. The stories, both those that had more comic aspects (such as those with the unforgettable character Angel, played by Stuart Margolin) or those with a more serious storyline always kept the attention of the audience and provided top entertainment. Few other series can say this.

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HAVING SAID THIS, I am afraid that I can not wholeheartedly recommend the movies that made up the revival of the series in the 1990’s. These movies fell victim to the common problem of all revivals using a famous older star. Whether or not they are concious of it or not, they are being paid a fortune, they have nothing to prove, they usually don’t have the energy they had when they were young, and they know that the show can not be made without them. This almost inevitably has the actor ease up and it frequently seems that they are simply going through the motions. Unfortunately we see this syndrome in these movies. As fine an actor as Garner was in his glory days, by the time these movies came along, he simply was not the same man. In addition, the nature of television had changed between the 1970’s and 1990’s. The 1970’s had directing oriented towards a “natural” feel regarding lighting, sets, camera angles and such. In the 1990’s there is something more of a “surreal” feeling in which rather unnatural lighting is used and the furnishing of the sets seems sterile compared to that of the earlier period, which I personally don’t care for. Also, because of changing taste, things like profanity and explicit talk about sex became more accepted and this is often used as an out for lazy writers who don’t have to work hard in order to make more creative stories, relying simply on the decreasing shock value to hold the audience’s attention.

It is also sad to see fine supporting actors such as Joe Santos and Pat Finley (Jim’s pal Dennis Becker and his wife, Peggy) who were so dynamic in the original series seemingly becoming aging relics. James Luisi, who was so good as Rockford’s nemesis Lt. Chapman in the LAPD here appears as simply a goofy caricature.

Buy,Download, Or Stream The Rockford Files: Movie Collection, Vol. 1! Click Here

The bottom line is that these movies are yet another proof of Thomas Wolfe’s immortal line “You Can’t Go Home Again”.

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Best Reviews Of A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films

Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Best Reviews Of A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films. Best Reviews Of A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films.

Movie Title: A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films
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A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films is available for streaming or downloading.

Click Here to Stream or Download A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films

I love shorts and have bought a number of short collections. However, it’s always a grab-bag. Usually there will be some shorts that are excellent, a few that are stupid or lousy, and some that are mediocre. But I’m willing to put up with the lousy and mediocre ones in order to enjoy the excellent ones. However, this particular collection of 7 shorts that were nominated for the 2006 Academy Awards, plus 6 extra ones, is the absolute best collection that I own. Of the 13, not one was lousy, and only 2 or 3 were in the mediocre category. The two which won, “West Bank Story” for live action and “The Danish Poet” for animated, blew me away, but many of the others gave them quite a run for their money. Particularly “Helmer and Son” about a son who is called into a nursing home to talk to his father who has locked himself inside his closet, and “The Savior” about a group of church missionaries who are trying to convert the people who live in a neighborhood by going door-to-door, but one of them begins to have an affair with one of the housewives, who is married. And of the bonus shorts, “A Gentleman’s Duel” (about two men who want to kill each other over a lady) and “One Rat Short” (excellent animation of a rat caught in a scientific laboratory) really stand out. Still, my absolute favorite is “West Bank Story” which satirizes “West Side Story” and tensions between Israelis and Palestinians by comparing it to competing fast food restaurants.

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This DVD brings together the five short films nominated for the 2006 Live Action Short Film Academy Awards and two of the animated short films nominated for the 2006 Animated Short Film Academy Awards. The films on the disc are:

WEST BANK STORY–this live action mini-musical parodies the famous WEST SIDE STORY. The film takes place in the Middle East on the West Bank. On the border between Israel and un-nationalized Palestine are two competing fast food restaurants. One the one side of the border is the Kosher King, a fast food kosher restaurant. Directly across the border next to the Kosher King is the Hummus Hut, a fast food restaurant specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine. The sister of the owner of the Humus Hut, Fatima, and an Israeli border guard, David, fall in love with each other. The story is told through humorous singing and dancing numbers. This film was the winner of the 2006 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

Buy,Download, Or Stream A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films! Click Here

THE SAVIOUR–in this short live action film from Australia, a young apparently Christian missionary sent on a weekly door to door witnessing campaign becomes involved in an affair with a married woman.

HELMER & SON–Jess is called into the retirement home where his father, Helmer, is staying. Helmer has locked himself into the wardrobe and won’t come out.

ONE TOO MANY–tired of living with two helpless males, Fernando’s wife leaves him and throws many of his belongings into the street. Fernando awakens his son, Joaquin, and the two travel to a rest home where Fernando’s mother-in-law lives. They pick the woman up and bring her home, hoping that she will take her daughter’s place and cook and clean for them.

BINTA & THE GREAT IDEA–Binta is a young girl living in a small village in Senegal. Binta’s father is a fisherman with great ideas. He shares a grand idea with Binta that he hopes will bring peace and joy to the world. Binta transcribes a letter he dictates and her father starts out on a journey taking the letter from one government official to another. Meanwhile, Binta’s cousin Soda yearns to attend school and receive an education, but her strict father refuses to allow her to go. So, the school children get together and perform a play in an attempt to convince Soda’s father to allow her to attend school.

THE DANISH POET–one of the two featured animated shorts on the DVD. The story revolves around a man named Kasper, a Danish poet, and his search to become inspired. The message of the movie is about the interconnectedness of humanity and the importance in living a life full of joy and love instead of despair and sadness. This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Short 2006.

MAESTRO–the second of the featured animated shorts on the DVD. A mechanical arm and a wooden arm work together for their big performance.

Besides the featured five live action shorts and two featured animated shorts, the DVD also includes six other films.

THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL–in this black and white stop motion clay animation, it’s winter in Cobble Hill Brooklyn. Felix is a high school student living with his mother. His mother is around, but only physically and Felix is left to fend for himself. When the elderly owner of a convenience store asks Felix to watch the store and his dog while he is gone for a few days, Felix is given a grand opportunity. He starts spreading the spoils of the store with his friends, but neglects the dog. Felix has to come to grips with what he is doing and decide if this is the life he wants to live.

SURVIVING THE RUSH–this is the only live action short of the extra shorts included on the DVD. It follows an assistant manager and his team at a local Cineplex in Michigan through the worst possible night ever.

THE PASSENGER–while reading a scary story on his way home, a boy sits next to strange fish on the bus that turns into a ferocious beast anytime he hears loud vibrations. The fish terrifies the boy until he realizes he can use the creature to his advantage.

ONE RAT SHORT–in this computer animated short, a brown city rat chases a bag of discarded cheese curls and accidentally lands in a science lab where he meets and is smitten with a blue-eyed white female lab rat. They plan to escape from the lab, but even the best prepared plans sometimes go awry. This is an elegantly illustrated picture told without any dialogue.

A GENTLEMEN’S DUEL–in this piece of computer animated steam punk, two gentlemen “duel” over the same extremely attractive and voluptuous young woman.

GUIDE DOG–in this more traditionally-animated film, an energetic and eager dog applies to be a guide dog. As the dog finds out, being a guide dog isn’t as easy as it seems.

As far as short collections go, this DVD is one of the better that I’ve seen. Usually collections such as these contain a few really good films and several stinkers. There really aren’t any terrible films on the DVD. The only film I didn’t enjoy very much was THE WRAITH OF COBBLE HILL. I really liked all the other films. My favorites were WEST BANK STORY, BINTA & THE GREAT IDEA, THE DANISH POET, THE PASSENGER, and A GENTLEMEN’S DUEL.

Overall, a very nice collection and highly recommended for anyone who enjoys watching short films.

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