Zapped! (1982) (DVD)

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

It’s pretty fun to see Scott Baio and Willie Aames team up in what would be one of their many endeavors in “Zapped!” Baio was fresh off of “Happy Days,” Aames was off of “Eight is Enough,” they were a few years away from the comedy gold of “Charles in Charges” and decades away from being the douche bags we know today. It was an interesting time where Baio and pal Aames delved in to the sex comedy. “Zapped!” attempts to be as outrageous as silly as possible, but only really ends as a somewhat mediocre comedic effort that doesn’t do much with the premise it hands us.

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Night Calls: The Movie (1997)

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

Before the internet and skyping became the norm, Playboy marketed on the phone sex craze of the decade by launching one of the most popular adult talk shows of the decade. “Night Calls” was, for a long time, a mainstay on the Playboy Channel in America and targeted a lot of the fantasies of their callers. Hosts Doria Rone and Juli Ashton were very ahead of their time, as broadcasting live and taking requests from various callers has become routine entertainment for literally every adult website on the internet these days.

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An American Tail: Mystery of the Night Monster (2000)

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

After doing research online I learned that these clumsy sequels to “An American Tail” are actually intended to be in-betweenquels. “Fievel Goes West” is, as many fans have debated, the final film in the chronological timeline. That doesn’t make much sense since the character Tony is nowhere to be found in “Fievel Goes West,” and the Mousekewitz’s only have two children, rather than two and a half. In either case, it’s probably best not to think about it, and just accept these movies however you want to.

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An American Tail: Treasure of Manhattan Island (1998)

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

The globe trotting Mousekewitz family find themselves now living in Manhattan again, their new home after New York, and the West apparently didn’t quite work out for them. This new movie is set directly after the short lived animated series on television, so this is kind of a new continuity rather than the one after “Fievel Goes West.” I assume to understand why the Mousekewitz’s are back in New York, you’d have to have seen the series, but the least they could have done was inject a few lines to help the audience catch up.

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An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

“Fievel Goes West” is a childhood favorite and a fitting end to the legacy of Jimmy Stewart. Not only does Stewart play an old dog who was once an old West hero, but Stewart was a man very fond of family friendly entertainment. “Fievel Goes West” is a film just as good as the original where the Mousekewitz family find themselves being exploited by a capitalist cat who wants to enslave the mouse community before eating them. Masquerading as a Southern mouse promising a new start in the old west town of Green River, the Mousekewitzes make another trek in to a new frontier after the crowded slums of New York didn’t quite work out for them.

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An American Tail (1986)

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

Like a lot of Don Bluth’s films, “An American Tail” feels like a very personal animated film that tells a universal story about the immigration experience. It’s sad that “An American Tail” has gone somewhat pushed to the corner of the animated world over the years, since it’s such a touching movie and brilliant exploration of family and bonds. Fievel is one of the most likable and human protagonists of all time. He’s not heroic or overly courageous. He’s just a young mouse looking to make his way in the world and explore the vast open land that lies before him.

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Classic TV on DVD – Carol +2 & Bob Hope Entertaining the Troops

Posted on May 12, 2016 by Felix Vasquez

You have to give it to Lucille Ball. While there are countless stories about her latter years in show business and how much of a tyrant she was, she seemed to show a lot of respect for Carol Burnett. Burnett was prompted by network executives to build a big time television special. Burnett recruited Ball, who was more than happy to co-star. Burnett, an old school queen of comedy, shared the stage with Ball, another titan of comedy.

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