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itsjoan
Reviews
Help for the Holidays (2012)
I DO believe.....and Santa Larkin cinches it....
With all the reruns and infomercials of late and my personal intentions of avoiding stores until after the Christmas 'feeding frenzy' has ended....the Hallmark Channel's Christmas movies are a welcome refuge. Albeit predictable at times...most offerings are definitely 'feel good' and a spoonful-of-sugar antidote to the ills of an otherwise wonderful season.
The storyline fits so many families today with parents so involved in making a living, that family life isn't as warm and closely woven as it could be. Many could use the assistance of one of Santa's magical elves.
P.S. I'd like to see more of Steve Larkin. So believable as Santa and anyone else as well.
The Picasso Summer (1969)
Good film if about 30-40 minutes were edited out.
Watching Picasso Summmer I think I can now accept that his work was not poking fun at wannabe art critics. For the 'uneducated eye' one has to wonder if what we're seeing...is how the artist is really viewing something; is it really a creative vision or a put on.
I did come away with a glimmer of understanding and motivation to do some research and reading on Picasso after viewing the film. All I knew about him from an art appreciation class in school is that he had a 'Blue period'.
As I said in the summary title, the morphing segments, while cleverly and creatively carried out, were way too many and way too long to sustain at least this casual viewer. The kernel of a good film was there, it just didn't 'pop.
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)
Don't compare apples and oranges - when it's bananas!
Wouldn't be writing this except someone wrote they expected "better" of Steve Martin. Viewed Cheaper with my 7-year old grandson and we both thoroughly enjoyed it! On Casey's Laugh meter (1 for serious stuff.....10 for extended laugh and giggles) he'd give it a 12. For me (going from 1 for dry eyes to 10 for Beaches syndrome) I'd give it a 3, which is occasional misty-eyed dabs driven by extended parental empathy. Don't misunderstand, though. I also laughed as long and as hard as Casey.
Please don't compare this Dozen with earlier makes or remakes. Unless you're also inclined to do the same thing with Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-Gene Wilder and WWCF-Johnny Depp. The former a light-hearted romp, the latter something very different......so different a lot of us still aren't sure where it was coming from.
The 1950's Dozen took place in the late 1800's. It too was wonderful but it recreates a bygone time and we view it more as observers. With Steve and Bonnie's Dozen we are drawn in as participants.....if only rooting form them instead of the Murtaughs. Steve and Bonnie's Dozen is a remake/follow up ONLY to the very funny, wonderfully updated Cheaper By the Dozen released in 2003 with who else? Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. Leave your comparisons at home.
If you could pick your parents, why not Steve and Bonnie? Mute the volume and watch Bonnie's eyes (which I could do so well in Casey's chosen 5th row from the screen!). And I would admonish the person who felt Steve could have done better....been funnier.........It's possible. But he played this one from the heart. The secret to parenting--on screen or off--is learning how to hold on to your child.......while letting them go.