Ernest Saves Christmas Review

Ernest Saves Christmas


Release Date: 9th November 1989 - Australia


Production Companies
Touchstone Pictures (presents)
Silver Screen Partners III (in association with)
Emshell Producers (producer)

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion
Pictures Australia


Genre: Comedy

Rating: G

Runtime: 95 minutes


Budget: $6,000,000

Box Office Gross: $28,202,109
(USA)


Plot Summary
When Santa Claus decides
to retire, he appoints a

washed-up kiddie show 

host to take his place. 

Along the way, the
real Santa ends up in a
slammer on Christmas Eve,
and it's up to goodish, glad-
handling Ernest P. Worrell
to bust him out. (Source -
iTunes)


Cast
Jim Varney - Ernest P. 

Worrell/Various
Douglas Seale - Santa Claus
Oliver Clark - Joe Carruthers
Noelle Parker - Harmony
Bill Byrge - Bobby
Gailard Sartain - Chuck
Robert Lesser - Marty Brock
Buddy Douglas - Pyramus
Patty Maloney - Thisbe
Billie Bird - Mary Morrissey
George Kaplan - Mr. Dillis

Crew
Director - John R. Cherry III
Story/Screenplay/Associate
Producer - Ed Turner
Screenplay - B. Kline
Executive Producer - Joseph Akerman Jr.
Producers - Doug Claybourne
& Stacy Williams
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager - Justis Greene
Co-Producer/Second Unit Director - Coke Sams
Production Designer/Art Director - Ian D. Thomas
Costume Designer - Peter Mitchell
Director of Photography - Peter Stein
Film Editor - Sharyn L. Ross
Visual Effects Supervisor - Tim McHugh
Music - Mark Snow


Review
As a kid, I used to watch the Ernest flicks on the Disney Channel a long time ago and the late Jim Varney was the best actor to play the funny character. 'ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS' is the first of these movies I had seen and though it was a bit cheesy, it did show a lot of Christmas cheer. Apart from the humour, the acting is quite good especially from Varney himself. Even Douglas Seale who gives an extraordinary performance as the holiday figure Santa except that he's not wearing a traditional red suit and hat. 

'SAVES CHRISTMAS' gives a great generosity of laughs for a holiday film that's anything enjoyable for a fan of the series like myself, know what I mean? 

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Review

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York


Release Date: 10th December 1992 - Australia


Production Companies
20th Century Fox (presents)
Hughes Entertainment

Distribution
20th Century Fox Australia


Genre: Family/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 120 minutes


Budget: $20,000,000

Box Office Gross: $358,994,850 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary

Kevin McCallister gets separated from his family when he accidentally takes the plane to New York City instead of going to Florida. He uses his dad's credit card to check into the best hotel and sets on to enjoy himself. Unfortunately, the burglars he foiled before have escaped prison and are now in New York.

Cast

McCallister Family
Macaulay Culkin - Kevin McCallister

Catherine O'Hara - Kate McCallister

John Heard - Peter McCallister

Devin Ratray - Buzz McCallister

Hilary Wolf - Megan McCallister

Maureen Elisabeth Shay -

Linnie McCallister

Michael C. Maronna - Jeff McCallister

Gerry Bamman - Frank McCallister

Terrie Snell - Leslie McCallister

Jedidiah Cohen - Rod McCallister

Senta Moses Mikan - Tracy McCallister

Diana Rein - Sondra McCallister

Kieran Culkin - Fuller McCallister

Anna Slotky - Brooke McCallister

Others
Joe Pesci - Harry Lyme
Daniel Stern - Marvin "Marv" Munchens
Tim Curry - Mr. Hector
Brenda Fricker - Pigeon Lady
Rob Schneider - Cedric
Dana Ivey - Hester Stone
Leigh Zimmerman - Fashion Model
Ralph Foody - Gangster
Clare Hoak - Gangster - 'Dame'
Eddie Bracken - Mr. Duncan
Rip Taylor - Celeb #1 (Cameo)
Jaye P. Morgan - Celeb #2 (Cameo)
Jimmie Walker - Celeb #3 (Cameo)
Ally Sheedy - Ticket Agent (New York)

(Cameo)
Donald Trump - Plaza Hotel Owner

(Cameo)

Eleanor Columbus - Little Girl in Toy

Store

Chris Columbus - Man in Toy Store

(Cameo) (Uncredited)


Crew
Director - Chris Columbus
Based on Characters/Writer/Producer -

John Hughes

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -

Duncan Henderson

Executive Producers - Mark Radcliffe

and Richard Vane

Casting Directors - Janet Hirshenson

and Jane Jenkins
Production Designer - Sandy Veneziano

Art Director - Gary A. Lee

Art Director: New York - Steven J. Jordan

Set Designers - Stephen Dane,

Karen Fletcher Trujillo and Donald B. Woodruff

Set Decorator - Marvin March
Costume Designer - Jay Hurley
Director of Photography - Julio Macat

"B" Camera Operator - Anastas N. Michos

First Assistant Director - James Giovannetti Jr.

Second Assistant Director - Geoffrey Hansen

First Assistant Director: Second Unit/Location

Manager - Jacolyn Bucksbaum

Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -
Freddie Hice
Special Effects Supervisor - Daniel Sudick
Special Effects Coordinator - Stan Parks
Visual Effects Supervisor: Matte World -
Craig Barron
Matte Painting Supervisor: Matte World -

Michael Pangrazio
Editor - Raja Gosnell

Supervising Sound Effects Editors -

Wylie Stateman and Michael D. Wilhoit

Additional Audio - Lon Bender,

Kim Vaugh and David Young

Foley Artists - James Moirana and

Jeffrey Wilhoit

Re-Recording Mixers - Chris & Kevin E.

Carpenter and Rick Hart

Music - John Williams

Supervising Music Editor - Kenneth Wannberg

Scoring Mixer - Shawn Murphy


Review
More slapstick humour and fun than its predecessor (click here), HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK has better tricks by Kevin and more booby traps for the Wet Bandits. Most actors, including Culkin, Pesci and Stern, have returned to this sequel. I know the plot is a rehash of the first film. I quite liked the three things that reside in this second flick, which include Tim Curry's performance as the hotel manager, a minor role by Rob Schnieder and the funniest scene where the two Wet Bandits fell into a trap getting knocked out by a large pipe or should I say it fell on them both.

Unlike many other Home Alone movies, this sequel gets the definition of being more watchable. It is a worthy follow-up to the original. The audience might get interested in its comical value.

Star rating: (5/5) Best Movie Ever

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Balto Review

Balto


Release Date: 27th June 1996 - Australia


Production Companies
Universal Pictures (present)
Amblin Entertainment (present)
Amblimation

Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia


Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 74 minutes


Budget: $31,000,000

Box Office Gross: $11,349,090 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Balto is an outcast shunned by humans and other dogs due to his part-wolf heritage, except for a Russian goose named Boris,

two polar bear cubs, Muk and Luk, and a beautiful husky named Jenna. One day, a severe case of diphtheria struck the children of Nome when it spread fast. All routes of transport that carry the anti-toxin are closed off by a treacherous snowstorm.

Only a team of sled dogs can race about 600 miles through the blinding Arctic blizzard, delivering medicine to all the sick children. But the dogs are lost in the frozen wilderness, and Balto is their only hope in rescuing the team and saving the lives of the children.


Voice Cast
Kevin Bacon - Balto
Bridget Fonda - Jenna
Bob Hoskins - Boris
Phil Collins - Muk & Luk
Jim Cummings - Steele
Juliette Brewer - Young Rosy
Jack Angel - Nikki
Danny Mann - Kaltag
Robbie Rist - Star
Sandra Dickinson - Dixie/
Sylvie/Rosie's Mom
Donald Sinden - Doc
William Roberts - Rosy's Father
Garrick Hagon - Telegraph Operator

Bill Bailey - Butcher

Big Al - Town Dog

Live-Action Cast
Miriam Margoyles - Old Rosy
Lola Bates-Campbell - Rosy's Granddaughter


Crew
Director - Simon Wells
Story/Screenplay - Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser
Screenplay - David Cohen and Roger S.H. Schulman

Associate Producer - Rich Arons
Executive Producers - Kathleen Kennedy, Bonnie Radford and Steven Spielberg
Producer - Steve Hickner

Production Designer - Hans Bacher

Additional Art Director/Background Artist -

Luc Desmarchelier

Additional Art Director/Background Supervisor -

Colin Stimpson

Costume Designer: Live-Action Scenes -

Ellen Lutter

Character Designer/Supervising Animator:
"Muk and Luk" - Nicholas Marlet
Character Designer/Supervising Animator:

"Sylvie", "Dixie" and Principal Humans -

Patrick Mate
Character Designer - Carlos Grangel
Storyboard Supervisor - Daan Jippes
Storyboard Artist/Supervising Animator:

"Balto" - Dick Zondag
Storyboard Artist/Supervising Animator:

"Rosy" - David Bowers
Storyboard Artist/Supervising Animator:

"Steele & Jenna Sequences" - Rodolphe Guenoden
Storyboard Artist/Supervising Animator:

"Nikki", "Kaltag" and "Star" - William Salazar

Background Supervisor/Digital Background

Color Balance - Ray Rankine
Layout Supervisor - Douglas Kirk

Director of Photography/Camera Operator:

Live-Action Scenes - Jan Ritcher-Friis

Production Manager - Jill Hopper

Assistant Production Manager - Mark Swift

Animation Production Supervisor - Colin J. Alexander

Color Production Supervisor - Matthew Teevan

Assistant to the Director - Steve Pegram

Supervising Animator: "Balto" - Jeffrey James Varab
Supervising Animator: "Jenna" - Robert Stevenhagen
Supervising Animator: "Boris" - Kristof Serrand
Supervising Animator: "Steele" - Sahin Ersoz

Animator: "Grizzly Bear" - Daniel Jeannette

Animator: "White Wolf" - Erik Schmidt

Additional Digital Effects Animation/

Digital Scene Design Supervisor - David Morehead

Digital Scene Designers - Robert Edward

Crawford and James C.J. Williams

Supervising Editors - Sim Evan-Jones

and Nick Fletcher

Assistant Editors - Claire Knight and

Marcus Taylor

Supervising Sound Editors - Louis L. Edemann

and Charles L. Campbell

Re-Recording Mixers - Gregg Landaker

and Steve Maslow

Foley Artists - John Roesch and Hilda Hodges

Music - James Horner

Music: Song "Reach for the Light" - Barry Mann

Lyrics: Song "Reach for the Light" - Cynthia Weil
Performer: Song "Reach for the Light" -

Steve Winwood

Music Editor - Jim Henrikson

Assistant Music Editor - Joe E. Rand

Scoring Mixer - Shawn Murphy

Review
Despite the historical differences in the movie, BALTO has its marvellous animation that makes the entire film look exceptionally drawn and ambitious. Unlike the other hand-drawn animated flicks (like those made by Disney), it is not a musical. It doesn't include the characters singing, which is a good thing. There's nothing wrong with this overlooked picture. I found some commendable aspects, such as some laughs, including an E.T. reference and well-known voice-over talents of Kevin Bacon, Jim Cummings, Phil Collins, Bob Hoskins and Bridget Fonda. The film has a brilliant music score by James Horner, who does tremendous work composing this feature.

It's a shame BALTO got beaten out of the box-office competition by Pixar's Toy Story. BALTO is an underrated movie that the dog-lovers and furries might want to rediscover. It's better than Disney's Pocahontas, which is also based on a true-life story and unfortunately fails to bring what BALTO has a happy ending.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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Red Dawn (2012) Review

Red Dawn 


Release Date: 29th November 2012 - Australia


Production Companies
Film District (presents)
Contrafilm
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (Uncredited)

United Artists
Vincent Newman Entertainment
(Uncredited)

Distribution
Roadshow Distribution


Genre: War

Rating: M

Runtime: 93 minutes


Budget: $65,000,000

Box Office Gross: $48,169,726
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary
When North Korea invades
the United States, a group
of young men and women
from a small town arm
themselves and flee into the
wilderness. When they return
to the town a few weeks later,
they find themselves behind
enemy lines in "Occupied
America." Most of their family
members were dead. They
launch a resistance movement,
calling themselves Wolverines
after their school mascot. But
every time they attack on the
invaders, the North Korean
soldiers execute civilians in
retaliation. With the help of a
downed United States Air
Force F-15 pilot, the
Wolverines organize raids
on the North Koreans, who
begin to consider them a
serious threat. (Source -
Metro Cinemas)


Cast
Chris Hemsworth - Jed Eckert
Josh Peck - Matt Eckert
Josh Hutcherson - Robert Morris
Adrianne Palicki - Toni Walsh
Isabel Lucas - Erica Martin
Connor Cruise - Daryl Jenkins
Edwin Hodge - Danny
Steve Lenz - Pete
Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Sgt.
Major Andrew Tanner
Brett Cullen - Police 

Sergeant Tom Eckert
Alyssa Diaz - Julie
Julian Alcaraz - Greg
Will Yun Lee - Captain Cho

Fernando Chen - Lt. Pak
Kenneth Smith - Cpl. Smith
Matt Gerald - Sgt. Hodges

Michael A. Knight - Col. Ivanov

Noah Smith - Joe

Michael Beach - Mayor Jenkins

Crew
Director - Dan Bradley
Based on 1984 Screenplay/Story - Kevin Reynolds
Based on 1984 Screenplay - John Milius
Screenplay - Carl Ellsworth & Jeremy Passmore

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - 

Kevin Halloran
Executive Producer - Vincent Newman
Producers - Beau Flynn & Tripp Vinson
Co-Producer - John Swallow
Production Designer - Dominic Watkins
Costume Designer - Catherine George
Director of Photography - Mitchell Amundsen
Special Effects Supervisor - Mark R. Byers
Film Editor - Richard Pearson
Music - Ramin Djawadi


Review
I don't care much for war movies except for science fiction war movies like 'Star Wars' and I haven't seen the old 'RED DAWN' film. The remake of this classic is mildly entertaining which is good enough to maintain itself in spite of its shortcomings. Though there were some people who would say the plot-line of the 2012 reboot is too haphazard instead of being meaningful. I hate to spoil the movie, but it has very neat and clever warfare action as well as bits of comedy and a few top-notch casting choices including Chris Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson and Isabel Lucas. There's one thing I like to point out which is that one of the stars Josh Peck whom you may know him from the 'Drake & Josh' TV series has done a lot more mature acting which I have never seen him actually do. 

For the moviegoers, this flick wasn't too serious, sure it does deal with contemporary issues such as war and conflict. In terms of a target audience, I think this feature has been aimed towards a teenage audience as it has themes which would relate to teenagers such as teamwork, survival and independence. Having said all of this, I would recommend this as being a good easy-going movie to watch.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

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