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March 25, 2008

Movie Review: Bob the Builder: Building Bobland Bay

At last Bob gets a house, and not just a house!  The whole story is divided into three parts, really, and other projects are included.  Before the last, "Fantastic Flex," special features are inserted.  These must be done by the same company and are included as promos due to having room on the DVD.  I was confused for a moment as to whether my machine had turned off and if the cable was showing the other ones.


The Bob the Builder series attracted my children first for the machines.  My 4 year old found his BtB tractor to hold while it played.  BtB was never their first choice, and is seldom played on the channels of cable the way it was 1-2 years ago, but the kids surprised me by their interest yesterday watching episodes back to back.
 

I've done construction as a sideline for years, and always learn a thing or two from the show.  Bob and Wendy's experience can't be denied...the writers know how to put a lot of thought and planning into how they portray the building process.   Of these episodes I especially enjoyed when they reviewed all of the projects done in the area to borrow ideas to complete, or 'spiff' up Bob's House.

I found that the series had less of the bungling that is given many of the characters is other episodes.  Another favorite part I enjoyed was when the film director is introduced, and where this leads.  This is clever!  I also imagined that Bob would lose his patience with the paint job they do for the shed, but he stays in character- a patient gentleman to the end.
(Review by Toby Crane)

The Crane Family will be providing family reviews of movies.  Their family consists of Toby (a teacher); Ana (a flight attendant); and their two adorable kids - Prince (4 years old) and Star (2 years old).

Movie Review: “Caillou's Family Favorites”

This DVD features Caillou in four different episodes: “Caillou’s Surprise,”  “People I Love,” “Captain Caillou,” and “Knowing How.” Caillou, which my kids first saw on PBS Kids, has become one of their favorites. They get to join along as Caillou explores everyday life in a way that truly reflects a child’s mind and sparks their imagination, while learning some valuable lessons along the way. The stories are not action packed but seem to connect to a kid’s life in a very real way. In these episodes, the theme of encouraging others is visited, leaving kids with a great message to think about others and surprise them with thoughtfulness. Another theme visited was how to face disappointments and still have fun, another great lesson for kids to learn. This is a DVD our whole family really enjoys.
SRP: $14.99 U.S.
(Review by Lesley Thompson)


Lesley Thompson is originally from Houston, TX. She came to New York in 1989 to attend NYU where she received her B.A. in English. She is married to her wonderful husband Marc and is a full-time mom of two boys Joshua and David. Lesley has recently started back down the writing path and is eager to see what the future holds.

March 04, 2008

101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition

My (Kimberly's) family recently sat down to watch the recently released  DVD of this classic Disney movie.  It was great.  It kept my, my husband's and my almost 4 year old son's attention.  At almost 80 minutes, that's no small feat as all of us have pretty short attention spans!  The picture and sound have been restored and enhanced which keeps it relevant to new audiences.  However, it hasn't been tampered with so much that it loses its original appeal. 
 

The dogs are still as adorable as you remember.  It had been a while since we saw the original movie (we had forgotten the story line - after the dogs had 15 pups, we were like "How did it get to be 101 dalmatians?"). Of course, we had our answer as the plot unfolded.  Our son's favorite character was Cruella De Vil (AKA "the bad lady").  My favorite was the little pup who kept saying, "I'm hungry mother".  He sounded so cute and reminded me of my little always-hungry boys.  In addition to the movie, there are games, additional songs, behind-the-scenes featurettes and more on the second disk of this two disk set. 

Sometimes oldies are the best.  That proves true in this Walt Disney original classic.  101 Dalmatians: Platinum Edition comes to DVD on March 4, 2008 for a limited time only.  I highly recommend that you get this dvd for your family's dvd library. 

February 29, 2008

Movie Review by The Crane Family

Underdog (Review by Toby Crane)

On the first viewing, the kids did not understand all that was happening in the movie, but my 4 year old was able to sing some of the theme song.  His favorite part was the clip of the old cartoon, which helped him to see what underdog was.  This original show, which had its original run in the late 1960s, was my favorite of all.  Viewing the current movie brought back pleasant memories of being 3 or 4 in my old neigborhood while my best friend's mom cut apples and PB & J sandwiches.  Back then, I felt that underdog was a personal hero for me and my friends  as we were not exactly in the social mainstream...

Fortunately, the mild violence and teen concepts in the current movie was a bit over my son's head, but there was enough action to hook him.  My 2 year old daughter also watched and focused primarily on the dog.  Personally, I never knew how the underdog story started, but now I do.  As a family, we look forward to any sequels.  My wife's only regret is that we did not see it on the big screen.  The kids
 now go around saying, "Have no fear, Underdog is here!" 

The Crane Family will be providing family reviews of movies.  Their family consists of Toby (a teacher); Ana (a flight attendant); and their two adorable kids - Prince (4 years old) and Star (2 years old).

Movie Reviews by Lesley Thompson

Snow Buddies
Talking puppies and snow? It’s another heart-warming adventure for the Buddies puppies (Air Buddies). One mischievous decision takes a group of puppy friends from their hometown of Fernfiled, Washington to the Great White North – Alaska! There they meet some new friends, Shasta and his owner Adam who has been praying for five more dogs, so he can secretly enter a dog sledding race. The puppy crew learns that by doing your best, never giving up and lots of hard work anything is possible. By working together these new friends are able to help each other overcome many obstacles and achieve their dreams. This is a fun-loving movie to watch with the kids. Just be warned, they will be asking for a puppy afterwards!!


Bob The Builder: On-site Roads and Bridges
Bob and friends are off on their usual adventures. This DVD adds a little extra fun by taking us to real life constructions sites. Watch as real dump trucks, backhoes and cement trucks work together to build roads and bridges.

Lesley Thompson is originally from Houston, TX. She came to New York in 1989 to attend NYU where she received her B.A. in English. She is married to her wonderful husband Marc and is a full-time mom of two boys Joshua and David. Lesley has recently started back down the writing path and is eager to see what the future holds.