My Week In Movies - It's A Bunny and He Talks

Hop (2011) Even though the television ads show the scene where the Easter Bunny poops out jelly beans, this family comedy is pretty much free of any other bathroom humor. Unfortunately, it's pretty much free of any humor at all. There's a few chuckles here and there, but most of all this film about the Easter Bunny coming to Hollywood to break into showbiz is pretty lackluster. The kids enjoyed it, and in the end that's all that counts. It's not painful to sit thorough - it's just not very enjoyable. There's a few nice cameos in the film, including a surprise by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. After all, if there's one guy that knows about bunnies, it's Hef. Rated PG for some mild rude humor.

Due Date (2010) From the folks who brought us The Hangover comes this reworking of the classic "everything that can go wrong will go wrong" road trip movie. Story wise, it's very similar to Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis made a good team, but it's mostly the latter that provides the jokes in this comedy. This is a good vehicle for Zach Galifianakis and hopefully he can continue to find roles like this that show off his comedic talents. It's Rated R for language, and a brief sexual situation involving one person.

Screwballs (1983) Here's another ultra-silly sex comedy that somehow slipped by me in my teenage years. It's a classic in the genre and was just released on DVD so I was excited to finally get a chance to see it. And honestly, who wouldn't be excited about seeing a movie with a Strip Bowling scene in it? In so many of these movies, the story revolves around guys trying to get lucky with girls. Whether it's their first time or not, it's almost always about landing in the sack. Screwballs sets it's sights a little lower. Five guys in detention make it their mission to see snobby classmate Purity Busch's bare breasts before the end of the school year. Oh, those boys try and try but never quite succeed. Needless to say, their efforts do pay off before the end of the film. Just to drive home the fact that this movie is only about guys seeing a girls boobs, the second the prized cleavage is revealed - the credits begin to roll. Classic! Rated R for non-stop profanity, sexual situations and of course, nudity!

The Love Bug (1969) The kids asked the other night if we could watch the original Herbie movie, and after wiping the tears of joy from my eyes, I of course agreed. They didn't watch Herbie Rides Again with me the other week (they opted for an evening with their good friend Lego Batman instead) so this was their first exposure to a Herbie movie. They loved it and it honestly brought me great joy to see how utterly delighted they were when Herbie took off driving himself around and making everyone crazy. The kids laughed and squealed through the whole movie and when it came time for the climatic race at the end of the picture, they were on the edge of the sofa cheering Herbie on. Even though this movie is 42 years old (and certainly a product of it's time,) like most Disney movies it holds up incredibly well for today's kids. There are a couple of talky scenes in the middle but for the most part it's free-wheeling fun from start to finish. Movie perfection! Rated G, there is quite a bit of drinking - some of it necessary to explain the events in the story. However, it's all pretty innocent...and awesome!

March Movie Count: 23
Best New Viewing: Ramona & Beezus
Best Rewatch: The Love Bug
Worst Movie: *imps
2011 Movie Count: 57

Herbie The Lego Bug

I'm sorry folks, this is only ten seconds long but it's pretty darn cool...

Classic Commercial Sunday - #58 Herbie on TV

Herbie Rides Again (1974)

Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo (1977)

Herbie Goes Bananas (1980)

My Week In Movies - Did I Mention Herbie is Awesome

Waiting For "Superman" (2010) I watch alot of documentaries so I can confidently say that I didn't think this movie was all it was hyped up to be. Sure, the problem with this country's public school system is horrible and something that everybody should be concerned about. But as a movie, this film played more like an extended news report than a feature film. It bounces all around from topic to topic and never really offers any solutions or suggestions on how to fix our problems. Every once and a while, one of these documentary films breaks into the mainstream film market and it's usually something to sit up and pay attention to, but this one felt like it was more the issue that was getting all the attention instead of the actual film product. It did win the National Board of Review Best Documentary prize, but it wasn't even nominated for an Oscar or Golden Globe. Perhaps the biggest problem with me and this film is that I have children in the failing United States public school system, so there wasn't much this film opened my eyes to. Rated PG - there's a few casually dropped "hell" and "damn" as well as some smoking.


The Virginity Hit (2010) Here's an example of a film trying to do something different but then not having any actual material to back up the idea. Instead of making another run of the mill, generic teenage sex comedy - the filmmakers here decided to film their tale as if it were all shot by the kids in the story. It's American Pie for the YouTube generation, except unlike American Pie: it's not funny. There is virtually no point to this movie about a group of guys who set off on a quest to get their buddy's V-card punched and videotape the whole experience. There's not much to laugh at in this picture and you just can't get by the fact that the cast was obviously picked for their resemblance to the dudes from Superbad. Just a horrible excuse for a sex comedy with too much going on and none of it being funny. Rated R for language, sexual situations, drugs and nudity.


Chloe (2009) Last week we watched Julianne Moore in a gay marriage having a straight affair. This week we watched Julianne Moore in a straight marriage have a lesbian affair. I have to say, as far as affairs go I preferred the later. But as far as movies, this wasn't so hot. Moore suspects her husband, Liam Neeson, of being unfaithful so she hires a hooker, played by Little Red Riding Hood herself Amanda Seyfried, to attempt to seduce her husband to see if he's get it in him. The affair between husband and hooker goes a little too far and Julianne Moore gets caught up in the heat of the moment. A little too much actually as she also finds herself in bed with the prostitute. It was actually a pretty decent film, but it's just got that little missing something-or-other that makes it feel like a direct-to-DVD movie instead of a full fledged feature film. It's in heavy rotation in all the Redboxes, so that about sums it all up. We watched it on Netflix streaming. Rated R for very heavy sexual themes including situations and language. There is also a bit o' violence too.

Herbie Rides Again (1974) To prepare myself for meeting Herbie face to bumper at the Antique Auto Museum this past weekend, I popped in my copy of the second of the five Herbie movies. I don't know if I could say I have a favorite of the Herbie films, but this is a real solid entry as Herbie helps an old lady save her home from an evil land developer. (As you know, I have a soft spot in my heart for cinematic evil land developers.) Hollywood legend Helen Hayes, whose onscreen career goes back to 1917) stared in this hit movie. It was her first comedic role and she grabbed a Golden Globe award nomination for Best Actress thanks to it. And that's no small task when you are sharing your screen time with Herbie. What is also interesting is that Mrs. Hayes chose this as her next role after winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her previous role in Airport. If you haven't seen a Herbie movie in a while, or if your kids aren't familiar with him, you should pop on in for a solid night of family entertainment. Rated G.

Zapped! (1982) The comedy powerhouse duo of Scott Baio and Willie Aames started here in this comedic spin on Stephen King's Carrie. I was 9 years old when this movie came out, yet somehow it feels like it's always been on my radar. I've always wanted to see it, but it's just been one of those films I've never caught up with. The poster/box art promises Baio with super abilities to make girls skirts fly up. What a great premise to base 90 minutes of entertainment on! Unfortunately, there's not one single skirt flipping scene in the entire movie. In fact, Baio's character doesn't use his telekinetic powers for much of anything. There's some really good moments and one-liners in this hit teenage comedy, but overall it's kind of a dud. The principal of the school is played by Robert Mandan who you might remember as Chester Tate on Soap, but to me he'll always be Jack Tripper's father-in-law on Three's A Crowd. (I love that show!) Mandan provides some great moments in a subplot involving the principal using a dating service. Overall, don't promise me a movie with the plot of making girls skirts fly up and then don't deliver! Rated R for language, sex and nudity. There is also some drug use.

Weekend With The Babysitter (1970) I've been into some drive-in classics lately, reading about them and tracking some of them down on DVD. This one keeps coming up as a minor classic, it's actually a follow-up to The Babysitter from a year earlier. The first half starts off pretty interesting but then it just drags on for the second half. Candy, the babysitter, shows up for the evening just as Mrs. Carlton is getting ready to take her son to her mother's house for the weekend. It turns out Candy has her dates mixed up! Candy ends up sticking around to hang out with Mr. Carlton. They discuss his work, they go to a bar and then they get high in the back of a van. (Vans were like entertainment centers in the 70's.) The next day, Candy and Mr. Carlton spend an ungodly amount of time riding motor cross bikes. Then they have sex. On the third day, they go and save his wife who is now held captive on a boat by some drug lords. All in a weekend's work for The Babysitter! Rated R for language, violence, sex & nudity and it's the 70's so there's drugs too.

Antique Autos Part 1: Herbie

Easily one of my favorite film franchises of all-time is the Herbie The Love Bug series of films from Disney. I've seen plenty of Herbie cars in my travels, mostly cars used in the newer 2005 movie or the Disney On Ice production from the 80's. But to see a real honest to goodness Herbie used in one of the original movies is a real treat. So, when I learned that the REAL HERBIE was going to be in my neck of the woods I got pretty excited.

This past weekend I dragged my kids up to the Antique Auto Club of America Museum in Hershey, PA to see two authentic Herbie The Love Bugs used in the filming of the 1974 sequel Herbie Rides Again. The original movie, The Love Bug, was the highest grossing movie of 1969 and apparently stayed the top box office grosser of all time until a little film with some spaceships, robots and lightsabers showed up in 1977.

The AACA Museum has two Herbie cars on loan from the William E. Swigart, Jr Automobile Museum in Huntingdon, PA. They are on display until April 24, 2011. The first Herbie is in beautiful condition:

The original Herbie was a pearl white 1963 Volkswagen (VW) Model 117 Deluxe 2-door sedan equipped with a sunroof.


Also on display is this beat up Herbie:

The beat up interior

Poor Herbie, he's been through a lot.

And for extra nerdy fun, here's the registration for Herbie:

This is a sign that was used when Herbie made public appearances back in the day. Since the original four theatrical films, there has also been a TV movie in 1997 and a 5th theatrical production, Herbie Fully Loaded in 2005.

Herbie is awesome!

Check back later in the week with some pictures of another neat car on display at the AACA Museum.

Herbie Coin-Op Ride

spotted in Rehoboth Beach, DE

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Favorite Movies of the 2000's

I've thought about it long and hard and I've come up with a small list of my favorite movies from the past decade. The 2000's were no 1980's...but there were still some fine films that I've enjoyed quite a bit in the last ten years. Here they are in order of release...

Bring It On (2000) Like any warm-blooded male, I have a special place in my heart for cheerleaders. This comedy has become sort of a cult classic at this point, but I was a fan of it when I saw it in the theater 10 years ago. Funny, energetic and who would have guessed it would have spawned FOUR direct-to-DVD sequels? Oh, also...one of the best closing credit sequences ever!

Best in Show (2000) There's something to be said for a movie that made me a fan of Ed Begley Jr. Christopher Guest's improved look at the world of professional dog shows is some of the best character driven humor you'll ever see. The film boasts an incredible cast of comedic talent like Eugine Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Larry Miller and the amazing Fred Willard.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) Before self-referential humor became so common place that my 4 year old son got it, Kevin Smith's ode to his previous four movies was the last great hurrah for making jokes about other movies that you've made. Now that DreamWorks Animations has gotten in on making references to everything else they've already made - I'm kinda over the whole thing.

Monsters, Inc. (2001) Not quite as fondly remembered in the pantheon of Pixar films, I've always ranked this fast paced comedy as my favorite from the folks at Pixar. Billy Crystal's Mike Wazowski and John Goodman's Mike "Sulley" Sullivan make a perfect comedy team. It's one of those rare films that truly takes you to another place and it's funny as all get out in the process.

Lilo & Stitch (2002) The ads for The Princess and The Frog quote a critic as saying it's "the best Disney film since The Lion King." As somewhat of a Disney cartoon expert, I'd have to rank Lilo & Stitch as the best output from the studio in the 2000's. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the movie's Walt Disney World attraction Stitch's Great Escape...which has to be one of the worst ways to spend time in the Magic Kingdom.


Finding Nemo (2003) This is one of those movies that as an adult animation lover and a parent, you just have to let go of and let your kids watch it a million times until you can quote the entire movie. Even after having this film run a million and a half times in our home, I could still sit down and watch the whole thing from beginning to end and be amazed at how wonderful it is in every aspect.

Team America: World Police (2004) A perfect parody of big budget action films and also the strange marionette movies of the 60's. But I think it's inclusion on my list is best explained by the MPAA's official rating classification: Rated R for graphic crude and sexual humor, violent images and strong language - all involving puppets.

Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) The recent Star Trek movie got a lot of credit (even from me) for hitting the nail right on the head as far as rebooting a classic movie franchise while still paying tribute to the original films. Fully Loaded was Herbie The Love Bug's first time on the big screen in over 20 years and it was just as fantastic and magical as the four films that came before it. Without ignoring the classic films, Herbie rode once again with style, grace, all the same gadgets, sound effects and attitude and squirted oil on the feet of anyone who dared to stand in his way!

Hot Rod (2007) Still an undiscovered jem, this off-beat comedy staring SNL's Andy Samberg and the easy-on-the-eyes Isla Fisher just zeroed in on my personal sense of humor and surprised me with how dead-on funny it was. For those of you with a more refined taste in movies...it also has Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek in it too!

The Simspons Movie (2007) Anyone who is a fan of the television series had waited 18 long years to see The Simpsons on the big screen. In my opinion, it happened at the right time and of course, Homer and family delivered. The Simpsons Movie was the perfect balance of bringing the elements of the TV show to the larger format of the feature film without alienating the spirit of the show but making it edgy enough to make it worth $9 bucks to see in a theatre. This is the ONLY film, in the last 7 or 8 years, that I saw in the theatre and then rewatched immediately when it was released on DVD. Mmmm...DVD!


Strange Wilderness (2008) The title of Stupidest Movie of the 2000's would have to go to Meet The Spartans, but the Stupidest Funny Movie winner is Strange Wilderness. This idiotic movie is so stupid that I laugh uncontrollably through the whole thing. Large chunks of this film are just stock footage of nature with silly voiceovers. Other highlights include a guy vomiting into a shark's mouth, a wild turkey clamping down on another guy's privates, and the accidental death of Bigfoot. This movie doesn't even have an ending. It goes on for about 80 minutes and then in the middle of a scene everyone starts laughing and then the credits just roll. Good stuff!

Here's to the next 10 years of cinema!