Trailer Unavailable

     Our Relations

1936  NR  COMEDY  1h 13min

CAST— Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Alan Hale, Sidney Toler, Daphne Pollard, Betty Healy, James Finlayson, Arthur Housman, Iris Adrian, Lona Andre

MUSIC— LeRoy Shield  DIRECTOR— Harry Lachman  BASED ON— The Money Box (story), by W. W. Jacobs

     Laurel and Hardy and Laurel and Hardy star in this comedy classic that proves two’s company, four’s just nuts! Laurel and Hardy (team A) lead a contented life with their loving wives, while L&H (team B) serve on a ship with a crooked con artist who schemes them out of their earnings. The lives of the L&H teams entwine at a bistro; chaos soon ignites over two girls, the guys’ wives, $74.00, and a pearl ring. A fast paced and witty comedy suitable for the family. Not quite as tight as other L&H films, but still a reminder of the duo’s perfect sense of timing and precise comedic know-how.

OUR RATING— ***

Trailer Unavailable

     Our Hospitality

1921  NR  COMEDY  1h 14min

CAST— Buster Keaton, Natalie Talmadge, Joe Keaton, Joe Roberts

MUSIC— Silent  DIRECTORS— Buster Keaton, Jack Blystone

     Run fer the hills! They’s a-feudin’! The year was 1810. As the feud between the Canfields and the McCays comes to a boil there remains one descendant, a one-year-old boy named Willie McCay. His mother decides that he will not suffer the same abuse as his family. So she sends him to live in New York until her death twenty years later. Hearing the news of her death Willie travels south to claim the estate, wary of the feud. En route he begins to fall in love with a woman on the train, never suspecting that she’s the daughter of the house of Canfield. Upon arrival her family discovers who he is and begins a one-sided feud against him. When the girl invites him to supper, her father puts away his weapon, saying that their code forbids them to kill a rival neighbor when he’s a guest in their home. When Willie overhears this he decides to become a permanent guest. This send-up of the legendary Hatfield-McCoy feud of the late 1800s is entertaining throughout, blending comedy, action, and terrific stunt-work (all done by Keaton), making this a true classic of the era.

OUR RATING— ***

     The Other Guys

2010  PG-13  COMEDY  1h 47min

CAST— Will Farrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson

MUSIC— Jon Brion  DIRECTOR— Adam McKay

     Leaders, followers, and everyone else. The other guys. But you know those other guys do one heck of a job. Detectives Mark Wahlberg and Will Farrell are always in the shadows of NYC’s top cops, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson… that is until Jackson and Johnson die in the line of duty. Now the city is dying for a hero. Time to step it up. Wahlberg is the gung ho cop ready to bend the law to enforce the law. Farrell is the desk jockey with zero street experience. What a perfect partnership. When they set out to apprehend a businessman for violating building codes they stumble onto a mammoth embezzling case that is a dream come true for paranoid Wahlberg, who sees conspiracies in drying paint. Farrell wants nothing more than to go home to his hot, browbeaten wife and try to forget his glory days as a raging pimp. Farrell is slightly subdued (repeat, slightly), Wahlberg is hilariously over the top, but another standout is the put upon police captain/Bed Bath & Beyond sales rep Michael Keaton. With one viewing even buddy-cop diehards may miss the impact but try it again and the funny may become even more apparent. Best line (spoken by Wahlberg in a fit of rage): “I’m a peacock! You gotta let me fly!” Unrated version also available.

OUR RATING— ***

     The Other

1972  PG  DRAMA  1h 48min

CAST— Uta Haggen, Diana Muldaur, Chris Udvarnoky, Martin Udvarnoky, Norma Connolly, Victor French, Portia Nelson, John Ritter

MUSIC— Jerry Goldsmith  DIRECTOR— Robert Mulligan  BASED ON— The Other (novel), by Tom Tryon

     Intriguing suspense tale in the vein of The Bad Seed (1956), offering more atmospheric drama as opposed to horrific chills. To make it short and sweet (lest the biggest shocker be revealed), Chris and Martin Udvarnoky play identical twins, both of whom love to play in the summer sun on their family’s sprawling farm. Twin #1 enjoys love and life; #2 is fond of tricks and murder. To tell more would be a disservice. Sort of takes a while to generate steam but once it does it’s full speed ahead.

OUR RATING— ** ½

Trailer Unavailable

     Orange County

2002  PG-13  COMEDY  1h 21min

CAST— Colin Hanks, Jack Black, Catherine O’Hara, Schuyler Fisk, John Lithgow, Lily Tomlin

MUSIC— Michael Andrews  DIRECTOR— Jake Kasdan

     Here we have a great example of what teenage comedy should be like: laugh-out-loud funny, but with warmth and heart thrown into the mix. Colin Hanks plays Shaun Brumder, a high school senior with aspirations of becoming a great writer. He feels that he can only do that by attending Stanford University and studying with his idol, author Martin Skinner. But first he has to escape Orange County, California. And that means escaping his family: divorced parents who love/hate one another; his mom’s newest husband Bob, a near comatose oldster in a wheelchair; and best of all, his perpetually stoned big brother Lance, played with manic energy by Jack Black. Classify this as a goofy teen/stoner/family/moral story comedy, and you’re on your way. Keep an eye out for an off-the-bed cartwheel by Black in his Fruit of the Looms. What a thrill.

OUR RATING— *** ½

     Open Season 2

2008  PG  ANIMATED  1h 16min

CAST— Joel McHale, Mike Epps, Jane Krakowski, Billy Connelly, Crispin Glover

MUSIC— Ramin Djawadi  DIRECTOR— Matthew O’Callaghan

     Boog and Elliot hit the road again in this kiddee film that frankly fails to impress. As Elliot and the one “deer” to his heart are to be married, their domesticated K-9 pal Mr. Weenie has been reclaimed by his owners. A rescue mission is soon underway; but they’d better hurry: A motley assortment of pets led by one toy poodle named Fifi have their collective mind set on re-domesticating Mr. Weenie, exorcising him of his “feral” ways, using everything from squeaky toys to shock collars. Can Boog and Elliot (plus other assorted game and wildlife) rescue the wiener dog before he becomes a mindless pooch once again? Besides the addition of Fifi (and one seriously creepy housecat), there’s nothing new here at all, nothing to recommend. Few laughs for adults; other than that, it’s all up to the kids.

OUR RATING— **

PRECEDED BY— Open Season (2006)

FOLLOWED BY— Open Season 3(2010), Open Season: Scared Silly (2015)

     Open Season

2006  PG  ANIMATED  1h 26min

CAST— Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Gary Sinise, Debra Messing, Billy Connelly, Jon Favreau, Georgia Engel, Jane Krakowski, Gordon Tootoosis, Patrick Warburton

MUSIC— Ramin Djawadi  DIRECTORS— Jill Culton, Roger Allers

     Wabbit season! Duck season! No, it's open season, and all wildlife is aquiver. With the exception of Boog the grizzly; he has it made. Being raised in comfortable captivity by a kind-hearted ranger he lives in the lap of luxury, never knowing the dangers of the outside world. That is until he meets up with a loony deer who lives life on the wild side. He and Boog land in water so hot that the only solution is to release them into the wild. What is Boog to do without the comforts of home? He begins the long journey back home despite having zero survival skills and being hindered by various local wildlife. But they’d better stay under cover; a maniacal hunter is bent on hunting a certain grizzly and his deer companion. More enjoyable for kids than for adults, mainly because we’ve pretty much seen this type of thing before.

OUR RATING— ** ½

FOLLOWED BY— Open Season 2 (2008), Open Season 3 (2010), Open Season: Scared Silly (2015)