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Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001)
Great Movie - Great Cast - Great Raps
This movie, the cast, the acting, the rap lyrics and the raps and rappers in this flick DO NOT disappoint!! I immediately LOVED this film, loved the cast and loved every song in this film. Everyone in this film, starting from Lil' Bow Wow right on through to the rest of the cast make this film well worth seeing and hearing. The rap lyrics are some of the most clevor I've ever heard... and the raps are a lot of fun when you get into the characters and the plot. I loved this film. Don't let anyone ever tell you to avoid a film you haven't seen yet, and don't believe a word of it when someone trashes any film. Who knows if they even have seen it? Rent... no BUY this movie TODAY. You'll be glad you did!
Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang (1999)
Great Cast! Great Fun!
This movie is extremely well done, from start to finish! Gary Busey is absolutely wonderful in his role of The Hooded Fang, and young Max Morrow delivers what is, probably one of the very best performances ever for a child at that age in his role of Jacob Two Two!
This movie was very well written and directed, making it interesting and very amusing to both children and adults. The songs are very entertaining and original and fit the plot nicely.
In order to enjoy this movie, one must first take it for what it is: a fantasy, rather than to compare its plot to the real world, which might allow those who have no sense of humor or fantasy to read into it something dark or dreadful. A child's nightmare in a fantasy story is not meant to be interpreted as being the 11 o'clock news, and the songs that were expertly written to support this movie's plot were not supposed to be "Bridge Over Troubled Waters". Everyone who has an imagination and is not too old to smile or laugh at things that are meant to be silly, will appreciate this movie for what it was meant to be, and for what it turned out to be: a lot of fun... a lot of fun!
ABC Weekend Specials: The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1986)
A Fun Film For All Ages
When his toy motorcycle is missing, 8 year old "Keith" discovers it in the waste basket of his bedroom in the hotel where he and his family are staying. As he reaches for the toy, a tiny figure nips at his hand. There's delight on "Keith's" face and in his voice as he spots a small mouse next to his toy motorcycle. "Keith" wonders out loud if the mouse is responsible for his toy having been moved. When the mouse, (named Ralph) responds, verbally chiding "Keith" to finish his thought, "Keith" is amazed that the mouse can talk! With no other children living at the hotel or even in the neighborhood, and being an only child, "Keith" quickly strikes up a friendship with "Ralph" and allows the mouse to ride his toy motorcycle around the bedroom as well as out in the hall of the hotel, which is just the first of a few adventures for "Ralph".
This is a wonderful performance by the young featured actor, Philip Waller in the role of "Keith", who befriends the high-spirited mouse. This was Waller's first leading role in a made-for-tv movie, having been hand-picked by the film's director (Ron Underwood) who had spent months trying out scores of other young actors, including many who had previously played a lead role, but who were found to be unsuitable for the part.
The mechanical mouse used in the part of "Ralph" (there actually were a few used) is operated very clevorly, and with good editing and some nice voice work on the part of actor Evan Richards as the voice of "Ralph", (which was added after the filming was done), the result is a very clever and fun film. The young star, Philip Waller, as he filmed his scenes had to imagine much of his interaction with the mouse, of course, (which would be edited in later) for which Waller deserves a lot of credit, as he plays the part very believably, which is really what made this film work. A fun movie for all ages.
Philip Waller, aside from being seen in many commercials in the 80's, appeared as "Harry" in an episode of "Star Trek, The Next Generation", and as Geoffrey in a half dozen episodes of the tv series, "Beauty and The Beast".
Make a Wish (1937)
Under-Rated Musical with Talented Cast
It goes without saying that a musical which is centered around a summer boys' camp can only come off well if (a) the young actors portraying the campers can hold their own with the likes of adult actor Basil Rathbone and (b) if the music featured in the film is truly enjoyable and well performed. It's no wonder that this film was nominated in 1938 for "Best Music, Score", as the music featured throughout is both original and delightful.
As for the young cast members, both Bobby Breen (Chip) and Billy Lee (Pee Wee) were accomplished singers and musicians as kids, and by the time this movie was filmed, they both already had a great deal of stage experience which included vaudeville appearances between their films, aside from the live appearances they both made to promote their films. In the summer of 1938, Sara Hamilton of Photoplay Magazine interviewed Billy Lee. She writes, "Billy was the lad the audiences cheered in Bobby Breen's picture, 'Make A Wish'." However, the professionalism that both boys show in this film as singers and actors, along with the rest of the talented young cast, together with Rathbone (composer, Seldon) and Marion Claire (Chip's mother, a singer for whom Seldon composes his musical) adds up to much more than a run of the mill musical, but to a wonderful movie with a lot of heart.
Among other songs, Breen and Billy Lee are featured in a duet, singing "Polly Wolly Doodle", and Billy supports Breen's lead vocal on the film's most memorable number, "My Campfire Dreams". Singer Marion Claire shines in her operatic vocal numbers, and in her own duet with Breen. This was her only feature film apppearance. Bobby Breen appeared and sang in 8 feature films, plus made a cameo appearance in the film "Johnny Doughboy". Billy Lee appeared in over 40 feature films which featured his various skills as a dancer, musician, singer and actor, and among them, he had a number of starring roles, including "The Biscuit Eater", "War Dogs" and "Reg'lar Fellers", then left acting at age 13.
Two Fisted (1935)
This Comedy is a Knock-Out!
"Two-Fisted" is a very well written comedy. This movie is filled with great comic lines and a cast who knows how to deliver them. Hap Hurley (Lee Tracy) is the manager of boxer, Chick Moran (Roscoe Karns) whose boxing skills leave much to be desired. Chick misses a train, and therefore a scheduled boxing match, forcing Hap to shell out $50. to the fighter who won the match due to Chick's absence. Chick arrives late in a cab for which he has no money to pay the driver, and Hap is broke as well, despite Chick's promises to the driver of payment upon arrival. To prevent the cab driver from clobbering Chick with a monkey wrench for non-payment, as the driver declared was his credit system, Chick and Hap instead enter the cab, and tell the cab driver to drive on, as they try to think of ways to get out of this jam. By luck, when the cab gets a flat, Hap and Chick come upon a well dressed drunk who they were able to trick into paying the full cab fare for them. The drunk turns out to be a fellow named Clint Blackburn (Kent Taylor), a former boxer who invites the pair to his lavish home where he lives with his sister, Sue Parker (Gail Patrick). Sue is seeking a divorce from her husband, a rather obnoxious character referred to only as "Parker" in the film (Gordon Wescott). Sue fears that Parker is planning to kidnap their son, Jimmy (Billy Lee). Jimmy meets Hap & Chick when he finds them in his kitchen and tries to hold them at toy-gun point, mistaking the unfamiliar pair as robbers. Jimmy's nurse, Marie (Grace Bradley) is sure Jimmy was kidnapped when she finds he is not in his room. But he is found in the kitchen with a face full of chocolate cake, having already become fast friends with Hap and Chick. After a discussion with Clint & Sue, Chip and Hap are hired to manage the large home, to keep a protective eye on Jimmy, and to get Clint back in shape as a boxer, with the understanding that Clint can not go back to drinking. Parker visits the house to speak with his wife but is given "the business" by the new house managers, leaving Parker fuming. Hap trains young Jimmy to box and holds a boxing match between Jimmy and another young boy. The match is pretty much a real match between the two kids with real blows. (Kid boxing was popular in the 30's. This was young Billy Lee's second boxing movie in a row, the other being "The Silk Hat Kid" (1935), where the lead character is a mobster who reforms after a priest asks him to train some young boys to box. (A predecessor by a few years, of the style of the later 'Dead End Kids' movies.) In "Two-Fisted", young Jimmy loses his first match by a tko and demands a rematch. When Chick agrees to participate in an exhibition match in the home where he and Hap now work, as a special treat for guests at an upcoming party, he doesn't realize his opponent, whom he was told was just someone's driver, also happens to be a rather good professional boxer who intends to take the match seriously. Parker gets in on the action when he runs into a drunken Clint at the bar. Clint winds up betting $10,000 on Chick to win the upcoming bout. The day of the match finally comes and Chick is actually holding his own fairly well during the match, inspired by his new love interest, Jimmy's nurse, Marie, whom he fell in love with after defending her from Parker's seedy advances the day he was at the house. The match is just getting interesting when it is suddenly discovered that young Jimmy is missing from his bedroom! I won't spoil the ending. I highly recommend this film to everyone who enjoys a good comedy with a great cast portraying interesting characters from a well written script!
Mike Fright (1934)
Radio Listeners Cannot See The Costumes!
In my opinion, it is not so much that the rascals are in some competition with slick little performers, but as is pointed out in the film, a young dancer who is dressed in a suit, and has fancy moves, in how he may sway his arms in time with a beat when he dances, which are strictly visual, cannot possibly be appreciated by a radio audience. The same is true of cute little girls dressed up in Hawaiian outfits, who are winking on cue while they dance the hula in a procession around the sound stage. That would mean nothing to a radio listener who can't see what is going on, which makes the whole idea of the non-"our gang" participants so funny; not that they are slick or perfect while the gang is not, but that the gang had prepared a song to perform, and performed it well, which is what a radio listener can really appreciate, no matter how the performer is dressed, rag tag or not, and no matter what their instruments look like, which to a radio audience, can't possibly matter. Not realizing this, (as Maltin didn't either, according to his spoken review of this film on the newly released video), Spanky throws his arms up and declares, "Well, that's that!" thinking the gang lost the contest to a dancer before the gang even tried out. But the joke is, while the dancer was very good, who can see a dancer on their radio? This is why the more visual acts were a "fright" for the "mike" (or microphone). A radio microphone only picks up sound. The gag or joke is not slick kids compared to our rag tag heroes, but the content of the act being suitable to radio, which only the rascals got right, despite their appearance. Now that's funny! It seems that Hal Roach pulled the wool over quite a few eyes when making this film. The highlight in "Mike Fright" for me, is the rare, early appearance, in fact his first, of one of Hollywood's most talented young stars of the 30's and early 40's, Billy Lee, who, at age 4, does quite an impressive tap routine for his age.
I Love Melvin (1953)
A Great 50's Musical - Talented Cast - Great Song-Writing!
This movie really lets you know that back in the 50's, they really knew how to make an excellent musical! The cast includes Donald O'Connor as Melvin, a small-time photographer working for "Look" Magazine. He turns his attention and camera to Judy LeRoy, a beautiful dancer who dreams of making it big one day, played by Debbie Reynolds. The songs in this film are wonderfully written and performed, including a very charming outdoor song and dance routine performed by O'Connor and the film's youngest actress, 9 year old Noreen Corcoran, who brightens the many scenes she's in, playing Judy's sister, Clarabelle, who seems to like to be involved in everything. (The songs have very clever lyrics as well!) Melvin seeks to win the hand of Judy, but her usual date, Harry Black (Richard Anderson), who's pretty much a square, is about to pop the question to the delight of Judy's dad, while her dad dislikes Melvin. O'Connnor and Reynolds are brilliant. Jim Backus adds some laughs also. The whole cast comes together to make this a delightful film, which is yet another great one that was overlooked by video & DVD companies! A MUST SEE! Try your favorite movie channels.
Reg'lar Fellers (1941)
Comic Strip Brought To Life By Talented Young Cast
Young actor Billy Lee heads up the cast in this 1941 film, "Reg'lar Fellers", this time in the role of "Pinhead Duffy". A comic strip called "Reg'lar Fellers" had been very popular for some time when this film, based upon its characters was made.
Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer plays "Bump Hudson" who finally gets his chance to join the pint-sized clique who call themselves the Reg'lar Fellers. "Jimmy Dugan", the leader of the "fellers" is played by Buddy Boles. The film opens with a kids' radio quiz show in progress, starting with a song from the (real life) Meglin Glee Club, which would include actor Billy Lee, who, beginning at age 3, had received his acting, singing and dancing instruction from The Meglin Professional School For Kiddies. Next is the quiz portion of the radio program where some of the kids battle it out in the quiz. Jimmy Dugan places first. From there, the film takes you around the town to meet some of the adult central characters and to set up the film's plot. Finally, it's off to the "Reg'lar Fellers'" clubhouse. There, we get to learn a little bit about each of the kids. One of the feller's, the child inventor of the group, Puddn'head Duffy, (played by Malcolm Hutton) has invented what he calls his "Colossal Amphibious Tank #1". It's supposed to run on land, as well as sail in water.
And so, a big outdoor get-together is announced. It's held by the fellers out by the lake, to celebrate the christening of the vessel, and to test its seaworthiness. On hand is Pinhead's band to provide some music, and Aggie Reilly, (the oldest girl among the "fellers", played by Janet Dempsy) handles the christening. Billy Lee's Band, as they are listed in the credits, is actually providing the music for this segment, but Billy has other, non-musician actors filling in on-screen as his character, "Pinhead's" band-mates. (It is hard to tell whether it is Billy Lee or his character, "Pinhead" who is making a point of showing off his fancy moves behind the drum set. No doubt, Billy Lee was an accomplished drummer by age ten, when he appeared in this film.) After a drum roll, and the christening, the colossal Amphibious Tank #1 sets off. It is soon obvious that Tank #1 will need to be replaced by a Tank #2, as the vessel sinks along with the hopes of its inventor.
The fellers then get involved, through the inventions of newcomer, "Bump" (Switser), as well as through the brave efforts of Pinhead and Jimmy, in helping to capture the two thieves who not only framed a local man who wound up in prison, but who came into town to rob the man's mother, Hettie Carter, (played by Sarah Padden). Hettie Carter, who had been against her son's marriage and had no time for his wife or their child, or for any children, repents of her ways after the fellers save the day. She not only provides a brand new club house for the feller's, but a needed home for her daughter-in-law and the baby. The grand opening of the new club house brings everyone together for a huge party. The closing event at the party, is one more song by Pinhead's band, "Hoorah For Fun" as sung by Billy Lee.
Billy Lee and Carl "Alafalfa" Switzer were to star in a number of additional episodes of "Reg'lar Fellers", but the project ended with this first installment. Lee & Switzer also appeared together in the movies, "Easy To Take" (1936) and "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch" (1942).