Collecting Movie Reviews

"Burn" is great, especially since she asked permission of our wonderful Tina Arena if she could remake her exceptional hit song. I thought Tina did a stunning job of it, but Jo Dee more than did it justice. I have to say the video isn't quite as good as I'd hoped though. Jo Dee is a beautiful woman, but the makeup did not make her look as wonderful as usual.

"That's the Way" - this video unfortunately annoyed me. It was too fun and cute for me. I had built a picture in my mind of the song, and the colourful silliness of this video just didn't really work for me. "Closer" is okay - I love the song, the video is alright. "Because you love me" was pretty good, very symbolic, although I swear there are times when you can see her sort of waiting for the shot to be over.

"Stand beside me" is great - classic song, great video. She does it wonderfully, and looks beautiful. "I'm alright" is also great. The older songs seem to embrace her strong beauty and really work with it, whereas the newer videos appear to try to soften her, which loses some of her appeal to me. "Bye Bye" again wonderful.

"Do you wanna make something of it" again great, as is "Heads Carolina Tails California".

So I really liked the first two albums and their videos, but the newer videos are trying to remake her look and I don't completely agree. She has a fantastic smile and when she's looking too serious you can't see it!!!

Great DVD though, I'm very glad that the internet has allowed me to purchase something like this. In Australia I doubt this will become available.

Okay, the verrrrrrrry rarely seen on CMT or GAC "Do You Wanna Make Something Of It" ALONE makes this DVD well worth the price, but add the never released "Closer" and this truly becomes a MUST-HAVE item!! "Closer" is like a video within a video and shows Jo Dee's light-hearted side.

The DVD also contains everything from the vintage "Heads Carolina, Tails California" (how hot is that guy?!?!) to "Burn". The release of the DVD was supposedly delayed by the record company for the addition of her latest "Bring on the Rain" - which is notably absent. :( The video for "That's the Way", Jo Dee shows off her dancing prowess with some very asthetically-pleasing dancers and "I'm Alright" actually features her MOM!

"Stand Beside Me" beautifully illustrates the song perfectly, as does the video for the Phil Vassar-penned "Bye Bye". My personal fave is the haunting video for the touching "Because You Love Me".

It is cool to seeing how Jo Dee has evolved from "Heads Carolina..." to "Burn", which was filmed in a castle in upstate New York. This is a great DVD for any country music fan. Jo Dee shares the screen with everyone and everything from a mini-Jo Dee, to her mom, to a '66 GTO, to a hot guy, and everything in between! Awesome, awesome, awesome stuff!! I wish there were some extras like behind the scenes footage or Jo Dee's commentary on each video, but oh well. Thanks Curb Records for giving the fans what they want!

A few of the classic episodes included are:
-The one where Margie babysits the chimp that likes to attack Vernon!

-Mrs Odetts trying to get the money from her trust fund to buy that fast sports car with the chrome manifold!

-Margie's mental breakdown/The horse that is or isn't there.

-Vern & Margie pose as hillbillies to regain some old stock certificates that have some worth after all.

So don't be a lunkhead like Freddy... be as cool as Mrs. Odetts and pick this one up! If you're a fan of classic TV, you will not be disappointed! If you've never seen this show before, you're in for a real treat.

Keep 'em coming VCI! I'll buy all the Margie on DVD that you can put out there!

VCI to the rescue! I've just reviewed the two DVDs in this first set and watched the first two shows on disk #1 and am extremely pleased! Knowing how things unfortunately are sometimes done these days, I had feared a poor quality transfer and a certain amount of butchering to have been done, but that's not the case at all, thank goodness!

I recall these shows from my early childhood, and they look and sound exactly as I remember them. Even the elaborate musical score that accompanies the end credits is there, complete and impressive as when brand new. The opening gimmick, where the facing images in the father/daughter photographs talk about each other, are there too--still clever, still cute, still funny! In fact, these shows are exactly as first viewed almost 50 years ago, but thanks to the clever writing (those early TV writers cut their teeth in the demanding medium of radio comedy) and the outstanding talents of Charles Farrell and Gale Storm (sigh!), these shows are still funny and engaging. I couldn't be more pleased!

One last note about the quality. We tend to forget how relatively murky television was in the Fifties. Broadcasting equipment was primitive but improving rapidly. However, because microwave and satellite transmission had not yet arrived, network affiliates in the major cities actually got their prime time shows from the networks in the mail!!! Yes, the studios sent out 16mm film copies of the shows, and that's how the local stations showed them in the appointed time slots. Over the years ensuing, hobbyists have collected these old affiliate films, and that's in part why they are now available and in such good condition. Since these My Little Margie DVDs are made from those fine 16mm broadcast originals, instead of kinescope copies, the image quality is actually better than when they were originally broadcast! And the sound, while not stereo or anything like it, is at least up to mono TV broadcast standards of 15 or 20 years ago.

My verdict -- these are terrific DVDs, and if you like lovely, perky, endearing, sparkly-eyed feminine firecrackers, you will love Gale Storm, just as I did as an 8-year-old boy!

The story is the highlight here; it's interesting and mysterious from the get-go and unfolds excellently throughout the series. One of my favorite aspects about this series is that it sort of begins in the middle of the story, and it unfolds not just forwards, but backwards as well, slowly piecing the past together via flashbacks and revelations.

I found the characters to be interesting and enjoyable. They made me laugh when I needed to, and made me sympathetic at just the right moments. Most interesting is the way things are turned on their head halfway through the series; you'll find yourself wondering who's an enemy and who isn't.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this series. It was funny, intruiging, and dramatic. This is a title that definitely gets overlooked far too much; take my advice and check it out. I highly recommend it.

Incidentally, the Japanese voice actress that played Sailor Moon also voiced Agent Excel in the Excel Saga.

"Where There's Life" (1947), a year later Bob had a royal performance, when he is convinced by the General Katrina Grimovitch (Signe Hasso) that he is the heir of Barovia, and must ascend to the throne in order to let organized the fist democratic election in the country avoiding that an evil organization take the control. Of course this is a good excuse
for persecutions and gags of all kind. Very funny (only?).

This double feature disc represents a good value for Hope's fans and for all who want an inexpesive laugh now or later.

"Monsieur Beaucaire" is often seen on TV and is Bob Hope at his best. If you liked "Princess and The Pirate" then you will enjoy this title.

"Where There's Life" rarely shows on TV and is one of those movies you remember seeing, enjoying but just can't remember the title. It is a Hope "GEM" with an ensemble cast that delievers a wonderful movie.

And now wait for City Hunter.3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

City Hunter.2 5 Stars ??? NO at least 10 Stars !!!!!!!!

Sure wish someone would spend this kind of money on me:)

In Good-Night Gorilla a small gorilla manages to sneak out of the zoo and takes the other animals with him to the zookeeper's house. Very true to the original book.

In How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, we learn that they do not fuss and fume and neither should you. Very interestingly done as the story moves from house to house.

Happy Birthday Moon is about a little bear who decides the Moon must have a birthday and sets out celebrate. A charming story.

The Napping House is creatively done with stills to show a house where everyone is sleeping and what happens when an awake flea comes by.

Patrick is a wonderful wordless story of a boy/man who buys a fiddle and fills the world with wonder and color.

The Paperboy tells the story of a small boy and how he runs his paper route when the rest of the world is sleeping. Illustrated with sequential stills to simulate movement.

The Hat is the story of a penniless veteran who comes across a marvelous hat that changes his fortunes around.