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The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)
Was This Trip Really Necessary?
This is a prequel to the first live action Flintstones movie, which I didn't think was that good. This tells how the Flintstones and the Rubbles first got together, and they changed it from the original cartoon, and I really don't understand why they did that, other than it makes it more dramatic, or something along those lines.
The casting wasn't all that great, either, in my opinion. Mark Addy and Kristen Johnson were only okay as Fred and Wilma, but Stephen Baldwin made Barney look like an idiot, and I found Jane Krakowski's Betty to be a bit annoying. Then, there's the Great Gazoo, who originally came into the picture in the cartoon in the last season. Here, Fred and Barney meet him before they even meet the girls. It would have been much better if they did a CGI Gazoo that looked more like the original character, and got his original voice, Harvey Korman (who did appear in this movie as Wilma's father, actually) to do the voice. Alan Cumming's head on a CGI body was kind of off-putting, and maybe it would have been better if the body was a bit more proportionate to the head.
I think the only thing I liked about this movie was Harvey Korman as Wilma's slightly senile father, and Dino as a baby dinosaur (so cute!), as well as using archived vocal effects from the late, great Mel Blanc (Dino's original voice actor).
Herbie Goes Bananas (1980)
Herbie Goes Bananas Is Bananas
This is the last of the original four Love Bug movies, and it is not that great. The lead character is a Mexican pickpocket kid who is not at all endearing (he's actually kind of annoying). Herbie's owners are kind of just there (though the character D. J. was at least a little interesting, but he wasn't focused on too much), the two love interests are about as romantic as a couple of cinderblocks, and it's a waste of Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman's talents. Every single promotional item of this movie makes it look like Korman and Leachman are the main characters, next to our favorite Bug, of course. Thus is not the case. And that's really a shame because these two were a heck of a lot more interesting than the child pickpocket! There was one highlight, in which I give the movie two stars instead of just one, and that was the scene where Herbie and the kid drive Leachman and Korman into the bullfighting arena in an attempt to lose the bad guys. Other than that, this definitely was not one of Disney's better attempts.
Benji the Hunted (1987)
Cute and Enjoyable
In this Benji adventure, the lovable dog finds himself in the wilds of Oregon after his trainer's boat capsizes during a storm. Not only does he have to survive, but he also has to take care of four orphaned cougar cubs, and fight for their survival, as well.
As with every movie, there are pros, and cons. The pros of this movie are the scenery is breathtaking. It was filmed on location in Oregon and Washington, and it is just beautiful. You can not improve on Mother Nature. Unlike the other Benji movies, there is very little dialogue, but storyline is easy to follow, anyway. Benji is a very expressive little dog, and it is easy for the audience to tell what he is thinking/feeling, with the help of the background music as well. The music is very nice as well, and helps set the scene quite beautifully.
As for the cons, parts of the movie are a bit slow moving, such as toward the end when Benji has to carry the cubs up the mountain one at a time. This scene dragged for a bit. The movie is also pretty dark at points, such as a hunter killing the cougar cubs' mother (there is some blood). They are also menaced by a wolf, and one of the cubs is taken by an eagle, which may be disturbing to a younger viewer.
All in all, this is a very enjoyable film, and not to mention, very adorable.
The Longshot (1986)
Not a Bad Movie. Not Great, but Not Bad
First of all, DO NOT believe the synopsis on this site. It's described her as this: "Four losers borrow money from gangsters to bet on a "sure thing", but lose. The gangsters go after them to get their money." This is completely wrong. The only true statement about it is that four losers borrow money from gangsters to bet on a "sure thing." Not once in this movie do the gangsters go after them to get their money.
This isn't the world's best movie ever, but it's not that bad, either. This movie features four "Lovable Losers" who are trying to win it big at the racetrack. They get an inside tip from someone who works at the track, and try to come up with the money to make a big bet so they can finally win big. When they can't come up with the money by themselves, they have to resort to going to the mob to borrow enough money (telling the mob they're planning on opening a hot dog stand). Then they find out that the "sure thing" is just a scam, and three of them have to stop their buddy from placing the bet before it's too late.
Some of the highlights of this movie include the opening credits, with Tim Conway rapping with Ice-T; Stella Stevens' character talking to Tim Conway's character about how he reminds her of an ex named Lyle Dorf (could be a shout out to Tim Conway's Dorf character), and Tim Conway trying to fix a malfunctioning bathtub. The ending credits song, "The Longshot," performed by Irene Cara is pretty catchy, too.
Pinwheel (1976)
Where Would Nickelodeon Be Without Pinwheel?
I have only very vague memories of "Pinwheel." I remember the theme song and the characters, and some of the other little cartoons shown during it's run, but ask me to go into details about episodes, then you've lost me. My family didn't get cable until 1987, when I was five, and even still, I was more of a "Sesame Street" kind of gal. The cartoons I remember best were "Emily," "Hattytown Tales," "Bod," "Paddington," "Curious George," and "Bunny in the Suitcase" (which I think was my favorite out of all the cartoons they played). The show may have been a "low-budget Sesame Street rip-off" (seriously, someone did describe it as such), but if you stop and think about it, would Nickelodeon be the channel it is today if not for "Pinwheel?" Give this show a break, people. It's a cute little show for little kids, and without it, you might not even have Spongebob Squarepants. Think about that.