Faerie Tale Theatre - Thumbelina (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Thumbelina" is a fantastic retelling of the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, "Little Thumb".
Produced in 1983 (and released the following year), as part of Shelley Duvall's charming live-action "Faerie Tale Theatre", the narrative is told with good humour, imagination, and a great sense of fun. The magnificent cast adds much colour and warmth to the proceedings. In particular, Carrie Fisher, in the title role, delivers a captivating performance. She makes an extremely attractive heroine, not to mention one who's "more than just another pretty face". She's an absolute delight, adding her unique qualities to the role. Not only is she pint-sized in real life (although not quite as tiny as a thumb!), she has a lovely, deep voice that is quite at odds with her diminutive stature. When she sings, it is a beautiful and rewarding experience. Indeed, she sings with "an angel's voice". (This is also a highlight for any Carrie Fisher fan, as she began her career as a singer, and yet she only sings briefly in "Hannah and Her Sisters", 1986, and in the Walt Disney live-action comedy, "Sunday Drive", also released in 1986.)
Carrie Fisher is supported by equally delightful character actors. The late Burgess Meredith is in top form as Mr Mole, the second would-be husband of Thumbelina. Likewise, William Katt makes a very positive impression as the Prince of the Flower Angels.
This wonderful fairy tale is further enhanced by excellent production values, including great music, atmospheric sets, and good costumes and creatures like Mother Toad, her hapless son, Herman, the Fieldmouse, and the Swallow.
The script faithfully follows the original story, although the gender of the Fieldmouse has been changed, making for a more convincing friendship with Mr Mole to exist, as well as creating a heartfelt guardianship of Thumbelina along strictly platonic lines.
This well-written and perceptive tale ("I'm always the bride, but never the bridesmaid") makes for enchanting family entertainment. "Thumbelina" delivers a great message, too, but above all, it's storytelling at it's most memorable.
I applaud executive producer Shelley Duvall, and all involved, for giving such a wonderful gift. It's up there with Jim Henson's equally engaging "Storyteller" anthology series, produced in the late 1980s, and the "The Doll", an Emmy Award winning episode of "Amazing Stories" (of the same era).
For me, it's an extra special treat because Carrie Fisher became much more than just Princess Leia with this performance. Besides, she continues to melt me every time she smiles as the Ultimate Flower Angel! Let's hope that this "Faerie Tale Theatre" production, along with my other favourites like "Beauty and the Beast", are re-released soon. Preservation on DVD for future generations is highly recommended.

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Faerie Tale Theatre - The Princess Who Had Never Laughed (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)THE PRINCESS WHO HAD NEVER LAUGHED is one of the lesser-known tales featured in the FAERIE TALE THEATRE series, though it's up there with the best.
In a kingdom where fun and frivolity is forbidden, a Princess will discover the greatest treasure is something she can't buy...
Princess Henrietta (Ellen Barkin) lives a life dominated by lessons, lessons and more lessons. Her only friends are her poe-faced father the King (Howard Hesseman), the tutor (Barrie Ingham) and governess (Mary Woronov). When her life becomes too much to bear she retreats to her room and won't come out unless someone makes her laugh.
Enter 'Weinerhead' Waldo (Howie Mandel), who's considered the most funny boy in the kingdom. Will he make Henrietta laugh, or perhaps even capture her heart? Wait and see!
Probably one of the strongest casts ever assembled for a single episode of FAERIE TALE THEATRE; Ellen Barkin is a delight as Henrietta, Howard Hesseman (DOCTOR DETROIT) is hilarious as the king and Mary Woronov (of Andy Warhol-CHELSEA GIRLS fame) is excellent as the strait-laced governess.

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On Broadway Review

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(More customer reviews)Ladies and gents,
This film is a timeless treasure........one that you will watch for YEARS to come, enjoying it just as much every single time you watch, as you did the very first time you watched. :-) I saw it 9 times in the theatres around Boston and each and every time I walked away feeling the same inspiration, sorrow, joy, and every other kind of emotion that wells up within when you feel the utmost accomplishment in life. I hope you purchase this amazing DVD as you will not be disappointed in the least!
:-) Guaranteed!!!!
~Kimmie

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George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (1993) Review

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(More customer reviews)All things considered, I have to say that this is quite an enjoyable theatrical presentation of Balanchine's "The Nutcracker." Looking at "the show" itself, its most rave-worthy characteristic is how well the team of Peter Martins (ballet master), Emile Ardolino (director) and Ralf Bode (cinematographer) collaborated to actually "choreograph the camera" to the movements of the performers. Thanks to a talented movie crew and an incredible amount of consideration given to viewing angles (read the description in the disc's "special features"), the TV always seemed to be showing exactly what I wanted to look at on the stage. Add in some nice work by Industrial Light & Magic, decent narration, and a top-notch production team, and the result is a superb presentation.
From a performance standpoint, I'd give this an A-minus mainly because the versions of "The Nutcracker" I've seen most often cast the Nutcracker Prince in a much more active role dancewise. Still, everyone else did a fantastic job. Noteworthy were the Pas de Deux by the Cavalier (Damian Woetzel) and Sugarplum Fairy (Darci Kistler), and the powerful dance presence of Coffee (Wendy Whelan). The other "Sweets" performed very well also. So long as you try not to picture Macaulay Culkin as a ballet dancer, you'll be okay. Let's face it: you can't expect the little guy to measure up next to the NYC Ballet, but he is there to add a little star appeal and possibly sell ballet to your kids (which may not be a bad idea). Nuff said. By the way, the younger performers from the School of American Ballet were wonderful.
Regarding disc features, the DVD has some cool stuff to offer: two viewing formats, 30-scene index, and some good production notes regarding the history of the show, camera choreography and description of ILM's special effects.

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Angels and sugarplums. Candy canes and ice. A magic prince, a dreamy young girl, a mysterious old man and a Christmas tree that grows sky high. Enter the world of George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, featuring the New York City Ballet, and let this all-new movie version of a timeless Yuletide fantasy, narrated ny Academy Award(R) winner Kevin Kline, draw you under its spell. Starring Macaulay Caulkin, Darci Kistler and Bart Robinson Cook. Year: 1993 Director: Emile Ardolino Starring: Bart Robinson Cook, Macaulay Caulkin, Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel

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Faerie Tale Theatre: Tales from Hans Christian Andersen (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)Collected here are four unforgettable episodes from Shelley Duvall's FAERIE TALE THEATRE. Hans Christian Andersen wrote many of the world's most famous and beloved fairytales; and in this collection you'll see such talented stars as Lee Remick, Carrie Fisher, Mick Jagger and Melissa Gilbert bring his characters to vivid life right before your very eyes!
THE SNOW QUEEN:
Melissa Gilbert and Lance Kerwin play Gerda and Kay, who enter the frozen land of the Snow Queen (played beguilingly by the late Lee Remick) to learn some much-needed lessons about love and friendship.
THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES:
Alan Arkin and Art Carney star as the con-artists who fool a vain and ruthless Emperor (Dick Shawn) into believing that they can create the most exquisite of clothes that are invisible to those who are foolish or unworthy. Legendary British songstress Georgia Brown co-stars as a wise innkeeper.
THUMBELINA:
A lonely char-woman (Conchata Ferrall) is given a magical barley seed, which sprouts into a lovely flower. When the flower opens, out pops beautiful Thumbelina (Carrie Fisher). The char-woman's wish to be a mother has been granted, and the pair could not be happier. But Thumblina's happy life with her mother is short-lived when the tiny creature is kidnapped by Mother Toad...
THE NIGHTINGALE:
The Emperor of Cathay (Mick Jagger) lives in a porcelain palace with his courtiers and riches, but completely cut off from any real people. When he hears about a magical bird called the Nightingale and it's exquisite song, he demands an audience with it.

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The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a serial killer - featuring John Malkovich; Laura Aikin; Aleksandra Zamojska; Orchestra Weiner Akademie (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)The 2009 play "The Infernal Comedy" - confessions of a serial killer by Austrian dramatist Michael Sturminger is a "comedy" only in the most dark and ironic sense. Based on the true events surrounding the conviction, release and recapture of Jack Unterweger, this is a strangely compelling vision. John Malkovich created the role and is, essentially, talking to his audience as if they are witnessing a lecture and book signing from the "Vienna Woods Killer", back from the dead. The drama and vision are made more complete and surreal by having a Baroque orchestra accompany two sopranos as a form of commentary throughout the monologue. The arias are chosen carefully for their depiction of various operatic women in abused, subjugated, disadvantaged and mistreated roles. The two sopranos, Laura Aikan and Aleksandra Zamojska, perform wonderfully and also serve to act as if they are but two of Unterweger's many victims. In real life, Unterweger had written a book, gone on tour, exhibiting the same charm that no doubt gave him access to women, all while still executing an additional nine women, only to commit suicide while awaiting trial in prison. The irony and the palpable "deadly charm" that Jack Unterweger probably possessed are carried off brilliantly by Malkovich, who excels at portraying unusual characters in intense ways. The opera extracts and the performances by the sopranos - musically and dramatically - actually highten the mood and make one want to learn more about this strange case. The orchestra, playing period instruments conducted by Martin Haselbock plays wonderfully and this play/opera/commentary makes a fascinating addition to anyone's collection. The "comedy" is present, especially in some of Jack's almost "throw away" dialogue (like his disgust with the laptop computer provided him) but ultimately the realization that this man was real and notorious and scarily unique make the comedy less funny and more - infernal.

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'The Infernal Comedy' is a stage-play for a Baroque-Orchestra, twoSopranos and one actor. It is based on the real-life story of JackUnterweger, a convicted murderer, acclaimed imprisoned poet, pardonedand celebrated author and journalist, notorious womanizer,and prime example of reintegration, who gradually was suspected ofkilling a growing number of prostitutes in Vienna, Graz,Prague and Los Angeles, later vanished from Vienna, fled into theU.S, got arrested in Miami, transferred to Austria, accused and finallycommitted suicide after being convicted of homicide in eleven cases.'If you wear this name, women will love you or hate you - call you a liar or pervert - but they will never leave you alone.'BONUS: inside THE INFERNAL COMEDYThe deceitful criminal history of Jack Unterweger, the prisoner convicted of killing a woman who subsequently became aliterary sensation and was considered to be a model of rehabilitation, is the true source and subject of the musical theatrepiece for Baroque orchestra, two sopranos and an actor. This role is perfectly impersonated by John Malkovich. Observationsat the rehearsals for this unusual and genre-leaping theatre evening are interwoven with historic background information.

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Faerie Tale Theatre - Jack and the Beanstalk (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Many years ago, the actress Shelley Duvall created and co-produced a series for Showtime Television called Faerie Tale Theatre. The quality of most of these stories are first-rate and feature many stars of the 1970's and '80's, quite a few of whom are still working today.
This is one of the worst movies in Faerie Tale Theatre's largely ingenious stable of titles. The impressive list of stars in this, including Elliott Gould, Jean Stapleton and Katherine Helmond are wasted on a meandering, silly script that falls far short of the creativity it was attempting.
Elliott Gould's Giant is written as extremely dumb, hearkening to the caveman stereotype and immediately short-circuiting any potential suspense in the rivalry between he and Jack. Mr. Gould is such a fine actor that I wish Faerie Tale Theatre had utilized the inventiveness evident in so many of their other productions, and made the Giant smart. This would make him a worthier adversary for Jack, and increase audience enjoyment of the story.
Jean Stapleton is similarly hampered by a script which eliminates the actress's intelligence and simply makes her Giantess a kinder version of her brutish husband. Utilize as many of the gifts that the actors possess. Trust them and the original tale rather than let misguided alterations ruin a fine story.
Katherine Helmond is extremely good in this as Jack's Mother. So good, in fact, that a decision could have been made to mute a forgettable Dennis Christopher, and make her the center of the story. That may seem like a stretch, but I guarantee you that the overall results would have been better.
Overall, though, she cannot save a rare misfire in the vaunted Faerie Tale Theatre series. I do recommend seeing this, as part of the series. However, do not start with this, as it will ruin your mood for what is really a classic series.

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Faerie Tale Theatre - Pinocchio (1982) Review

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(More customer reviews)This version of PINOCCHIO from FAERIE TALE THEATRE is a wonderful adaptation of Carlo Collodi's timeless classic, about a wooden puppet who is brought to life thanks to a lonely man's desire to become a father.
Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman) plays the title role with Carl Reiner as Geppetto, Pinocchio's loving father. Lainie Kazan is a sassy delight as Sophia, the Blue Fairy who grants the gift of life to Pinocchio, and James Coburn is fantastic as the evil Gypsy. Also in the cast are James Belushi and Michael Richards.
One of the best!

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Railway Children: Masterpiece Theatre (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)This PBS version of "The Railway Children" is nowhere near as
charming as the original 1970 movie. If you saw this TV version and liked it, you owe it to yourself to see the young Jenny Agutter in the earlier film. In my opinion, the PBS remake lacks the warmth and civility of the original.

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Three resourceful children save the day with their family is thrown into distress by the mysterious disappearance of their father. Based on E. Nesbit's beloved novel, first published in 1906, and starring Jenny Agutter, Michael Kitchen, and Richard Attenborough.

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Hello Kitty - Kitty & The Beast (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)My 5 & 6 year old daughters love the Hello Kitty movies, and this one most of all! We've rented it over and over, and finally decided to buy it. I can almost recite the words throughout the entire movie, but my daughters are glued to it each and every time the watch it. It's a sweet warm interpretation of classic tales.

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Hello Kitty - Wizard of Paws (1987) Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie is pretty good for children, because it relates to fairytales but with Hello Kitty. The only reason I didn'y give it five stars, is because the graphics and characters are no where near as good as the movies made by the Sanrio Company; "Mom Loves Me After All," "Dream Theif," and "Santa's Missing Hat." The Sanrio-made movies are original and in my eyes, a lot better, but I still give this movie a thumb up.

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Molly - An American Girl on the Home Front (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)This American Girl movie is my least favorite. Anytime a book is made into a movie you should expect the screenwriters to make a few changes from the book, but this movie seemed to stray too much from the original written books. Molly's dad is at home at the beginning of the movie; in the book he is already gone. Molly has a younger brother in the books; he isn't in the movie. And as a previous reviewer stated, the whole ending scene was just *wrong*. Molly's dad was supposed to come home, not to her show. She wasn't even IN the show in the book. But, the folks at American Girl want to sell tie-in products to the movie, so they have a new stage, theater seats, Miss Victory dance costumes for Molly and Emily, etc. I do like how they portrayed Emily and told her story, but again Emily was a much more minor character in the books than she is in the movie (again, there's a new Emily doll for sale at AG so naturally they need to push her significance in Molly's life). Many many other parts were changed, mom's a factory worker in the movie vs a Red Cross volunteer in the books, Mrs. Gilford was always their housekeeper, not just after Mom went to work; little things that just seemed annoying.


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The doll you love comes home on DVD in a full-length, live-action movie. Molly: An American Girl On The Homefront has all the joy, excitement and you-are-there history of the best-selling books about Molly McIntire. Molly McIntire is a girl growing up in 1944. The world is at war, and she misses her father who is overseas caring for wounded soldiers. Molly doesn't like many of the changes the war has brought, like rationing rubber, eating turnips for dinner, and not seeing her Dad on Christmas. But she learns the importance of getting along and pulling together, just as her country must do to win the war! Lively and lovable, she is the star of her story. Cast includes Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink, Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles)

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Monster House (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)Watched Monster House in 3d last night with my 12 year old. It was fantastic, the 3d was great, next to no ghosting and i was paying attention to the detail of the movie. Lots of laughs and fun. The quality was alot better than Monsters vs Aliens and cloudy with a chance of meatballs, which i noticed much more ghosting around images. Buy it and enjoy, the last 15 minutes i kept saying wow.

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It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)I did my footwork before purchasing this disc, so I wasn't expecting a classic - I was merely expecting the Muppets to show up.
And show up they did. It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie is a decidedly mixed bag which will entertain longtime Muppet fans and impressionable rugrats, but anyone else is going to be mildly amused at best and flat-out bored at worst.
Listed as a 2002 production, the film showcases what's left of the faded energy of the old school Muppets ensemble: Steve Whitmire (as a sharp Kermit), and to a lesser extent, Dave Goelz (as Gonzo in more of a supporting role). The "newcomers" provide life to the cast, but also reveal the that these are not the Muppets of our youth - while Eric Jacobsen does a fantastic job filling in for Frank Oz's roles (Piggy, Fozzy, Sam, Animal, even a cameo by Yoda) and Bill Barreta's Pepe is as sly and funny as ever, other classic characters such as Scooter, Janice, and Rowlf are noticeably different, or even silent altogether. While the differences in the older Muppets are a result of the puppets suffering the death or retirement of their main puppeteers, some of the newer characters are as cringe-inducing as ever. Johnny Fiama, I'm lookin' at you.
The spotty lameness extends to the human roles, though not in places you might expect. David Arquette is surprisingly not completely irritating in his role, and Joanne Cusak is appropriately nasty as the villain. But Whoopi Goldberg makes an uniteresting God (who does make an interesting God?) and Matthew Lillard's turn as a French director, is, well, um, he tried. Yes, he tried.
The film itself (or, the TV Movie itself) is not bad, providing decent pacing, excellent production values, breezy, smart writing, and even some treats for Muppet fans. There are several sweet in-jokes, such as when God rewinds to the beginning of Kermit's story, she stops at the tail end of an interview with -ugh- Carson Daly, and Kermit says "...and that's why I wear this funny green collar!" Kudos for the subtlety of Scooter's lame boast at the theater Christmas party, "My uncle used to own this theater, you know!"
Additionally, a few surprises await, and the only one I'll give away is that Fozzie has an action sequence. Yes, an action sequence. It, like so much else in the film, is decent while hovering perilously close to being bad. But, to its credit, it's something new, and nothing is more new than seeing the hard-luck Muppets of a "Kermit-less" universe, a twisted world where Piggy is a Miss Cleo-like psychic living in a small apartment with twenty cats.
Of final note are the sheer amount of Muppet cameos in the film. Sweetums, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry and even Beauregard - BEAUREGARD - make appearences, sometimes even with lines. It was a trip to see characters long since retired shake the dust off at least one last time.
All in all, this is worth seeing for the casual Muppet fan, but perhaps only worth owning for those still entranced by talking pieces of felt with googly eyes. For this franchise to survive, they're going to have to take more risks, and It's A Very Merry Muppet Christmas is a good first step.

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Have yourself a very merry MuppetÂ? Christmas with this all-new holiday movie starring KermitÂ? the Frog, Miss PiggyÂ? and the whole MuppetÂ? gang Â? plus a celebrity cast featuring David Arquette, Joan Cusack and Whoopi Goldberg, with cameos by Matthew Lillard, William H. Macy, Carson Daly, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rogan, Molly Shannon and the cast of "Scrubs"! 'Tis the night before Christmas and the Muppet Theater is in danger of being torn down. And when bad goes to worse, Kermit begins to believe the world would be a better place if he'd never been born. But don't worry! With heavenly help and hilarious send-ups of just about every holiday movie ever made, Kermit and the Muppets discover what matters most is their love for each other.Featuring show-stopping musical numbers like "Moulin Scrooge!" (starring Miss Piggy as 'Saltine'), this "charming and clever" (The San Diego Union-Tribune) holiday classic will have the whole family laughing!

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Muppet Classic Theater (1994) Review

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(More customer reviews)In this awesome video collection, the Muppets take turns at telling six spoofs of classic fairy tales. The six stories told are "The Three Little Pigs", "King Midas", "Rumplestiltskin", "The Boy Who Cried Wolf", "The Elves & The Shoemaker", and "The Emperor's New Clothes". This video is hilarious and during a couple of the stories I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. My favorite in the collection is "The Elves & The Shoemaker". A tape that everyone in the family is sure to enjoy. Gotta love the Muppets.

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