The Finest Hours...Review

by Al Kessel


The Finest Hours is a heroic action thriller based on the true story of a 1952 U.S. Coast Guard rescue based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name written by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias. In February of 1952, one of the worst storms ever to hit the East Coast of the United States struck New England, severely damaging two oil tankers (literally tearing them both in half) off the coast of Cape Cod. Four members members of the Coast Guard set off into the dangerously cold waters and 70 foot waves, on a 36 foot lifeboat in search of survivors. 

Lead by a sailor with a troubled past Bernie Webber (played by Star Trek's Chris Pine), four rescuers, including three volunteers (played by Ben Foster, Kyle Gallner and John Magaro), set out to find and rescue any survivors. To all the local observers of this mission, it's a one destined to fail, however, Bernie amazingly manages to find the survivors, rescue them and get everyone back home... Ok, it's not exactly THAT simple, but remember, we don't like to give away any spoilers! Rest assured there's a LOT of action and suspense. And even though historically we know the outcome of the mission, it's still a pretty fun and harrowing ride.

As with so many movies, the beginning is a bit slow as they set up the situations. But in all honesty, most of the prelude scenes contribute to the overall arc of the story, and it really does lend to the emotional 'tug' of the movie. Personally, I think this movie was well crafted, well directed and pretty well acted. Chris Pine (though I must admit, I was half expecting Captain Kirk) delivers probably his best performance ever. Casey Affleck (you know, Batman's little brother?) does a great job as the loner engineer/survivor on one of the troubled tankers, who finds himself with the lives of his fellow sailors in his hands. In fact, I think this may be one of my favorite roles for Affleck. 

Like many action/adventure type movies, The Finest Hours isn't 100% awesome. There are some ify parts that can be sort of, well, cringeworthy. But all in all, it's a pretty good movie. And definitely an underrated movie. I'll be honest, when we saw that this movie was coming to theaters, I thought 'nope. Not interested'. But I was wrong. In fact, I probably would have liked to see this on the 'big screen'. 

Coming in at just under two hours, The Finest Hours earns a wave riding 4 stars out of 5.

Now available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack, Digital HD, Digital SD and Disney Movies Anywhere. 

Bonus Features Include:
 * Against All Odds: The Bernie Webber Story - Visit the quaint and close knit town of Chatham and experience the events surrounding the most heroic Coast Guard rescue ever through the eyes of the people who witnessed them.

 * Brotherhood  - Cast members reflect on the bonds they forged during shooting.

 * Two Crews - Chris Pine and Casey Affleck share insights into Bernie Webber and Ray Sybert (portrayed by Affleck), men who led their respective crews against all odds.

 * Deleted Scenes

Kindergarten Cop 2...Review

by Al Kessel


When I heard Kindergarten Cop 2 was being made, my first thought was WHY? My second thought was, oh brother, this WON'T be good. Well, I just finished watching the review copy given to us and you know what? I'm not ashamed to admit when I'm wrong. BUT...this is NOT one of those times. Although not a completely TERRIBLE movie, I wouldn't say that Kindergarten Cop 2 is a must see, or even easily recommended, movie to see. 

Instead of creating an entirely new scenario for this go around, they opted to regurgitate many of the gags and plots from the original Kindergarten Cop, but with much less success. 

This time around, instead of a local cop, the 'hero' is Zack Reed (played by veteran action star Dolph Lundgren), a gruff, hard as nails, VERY LARGE FBI agent who'd rather break the rules than play by them (sound familiar?). Agent Reed is assigned to recover very sensitive data stolen by some very bad men...duh duh duh! So, of course, where else would this sensitive data be hidden? Why, on a flash drive in a prestigious private school! And, Agent Reed must go undercover as a...yeah, you guessed it, a kindergarten teacher! That's all you're getting in the way of plot details, cuz, well, you know we don't spoil movies. Even stinkers. Anyway...

Ok, first off, the original Kindergarten Cop was released in 1990 and was a great, fun, and funny film. Why anyone felt the need to make a sequel nearly 30 years later is anyones guess. Well, ok, they probably ran out of original ideas and thought playing off a hit film from 30 years ago was a good idea. Which is why it went straight to DVD, right? Anywho, I have a pet peeve when it comes to weapons fire in movies and TV shows. When a bullet hits something, it typically leaves a hole, or if fired at glass...it BREAKS the glass. But in one scene, the bad guys are shooting up the Seattle FBI offer, Reed and his partner (played rather absurdly by Bill Bellamy), use a candy vending machine as cover as they push it out into a hallway, and overtake the bad guys. And we see the bullets BOUNCING OFF THE GLASS? There's also a plethora of continuity issues: for some odd reason, Dolph's hair keeps parting on the left, then on the right, then back on the left throughout the first part of the movie; Dolph's tie changes a few times within the same scenes; in one scene, the kindergarten kids smear blue paint all over Dolph's shirt. Yet, when he goes home for the day, there is very little blue paint and a lot of yellow. And the FBI director (played by Danny Wattley) is a joke. Not sure why, but they chose to portray him as a bit of a overly scripted cliche, shouting inches from Agent Reeds face, constantly acting as if he was on some sort of drug. I liked him less than most of the bad guys in the movie. All in all, most of the supporting actors, including the children, were annoying. 

I really wanted to like Kindergarten Cop 2. I loved the original, and though I had much, much lower expectations for a sequel, this movie sank WAY below what I'd hoped for. I like Dolph Lundgren. He's no Oscar winning actor by any stretch, but he's earned his place in the B action movie genre. However, this spectacle may have damaged his rep! 

On a scale of 1-5 'IT'S NOT A TOOMAH's, Kindergarten Cop 2 earns a 1. Sorry Dolph. 

Kindergarten Cop 2 is now available on DVD, NetFlix, YouTube, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies and Vimeo.

**We were given a copy of Kindergarten Cop 2 on DVD in exchange for an honest review. 

When You Wish...

by Al Kessel

Joyce and I, as so many of you know, are HUGE Disney fans. We love the Resorts, the movies, the merchandise, and of course, Walt Disney. For us, he epitomized fun and success. He stared adversity in the eyes and succeeded, when most said he'd fail. He did things his way, despite the naysayers, and when his way didn't work, he'd reinvent and go again. These are the things that catapulted Walt Disney to the level of LEGEND. And you can see this all for yourself. Well, sort of. In the new musical play, When You Wish: The Story of Walt Disney (playing at the Phoenix Theater May 18 - June 12, 2016, you can witness for yourself, Walt's trials, tribulations, triumphs and victories, all set to some very fun, toe-tapping musical numbers!

When You Wish is the story of Walt Disney, from his early days as a young animator at his company Laugh O Gram Studios, all the way to the opening of Walt's beloved Disneyland. 

The show is presented in a very appealing way. It's narrated by Walt's brother and business partner Roy Disney. It all starts with Walt trying to sell Roy on the concept of Disneyland, then, we flash back to 1908 with a six year old Walt drawing his cartoons on the family home, barn, and toilet paper! 

The show progresses through the major milestones throughout Walt's life, such as Laugh O Gram Studios, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt's famous move to California, Disney Brothers Studios, meeting and marrying his soul mate Lillian, the creation of Mickey Mouse and ultimately the opening of Disneyland (with Walt reciting the now famous "To All Who Come To This Happy Place, Welcome..." speech). 

Eighteen original (and very well done) musical numbers and dances, help to present Walt's story in a very fun and enjoyable way. I don't usually enjoy musicals, but When You Wish is just one of those you can't help but love! 

Veteran Broadway actor Joey Sorge plays Walt, and although at

Joey Sorge as Walt Disney

first I thought "hey, he doesn't look like Walt at all!", he quickly won me (and Joyce) over with his command of the role. Joey's performance makes When You Wish so special. Sydney Marie Hawes portrayed Lillian and Andy Umberger (another veteran of Broadway) portrays Roy Disney. I must add that Andy Umberger does a wonderful job as Roy, and he and Joey are very convincing. In fact, we quickly got lost in their performance and the ease in which they played off of one another. The total cast consists of 20 actors/actresses and they all make this show a pleasure to watch. 

Walt and Roy 

When You Wish was created by Dean McClure, who wrote the play as well as all the musical numbers. Mr. McClure's journey to bring When You Wish to life is quite interesting. Born out of a desire to see Walt's story on Broadway, Dean conducted intensive research and began writing his play. 

When You Wish is directed by Larry Raben, the musical director is Alan Ruch and the choreographer is Lee Martino. The show is broken into two acts, with act one running one hours 20 minutes, and act two running one hour. Although coming in at two hours 20 minutes, it sure didn't seem like it! Time VERY well spent. When You Wish: The Story of Walt Disney is playing at the Phoenix Theater (in Phoenix, Arizona) from May 18 - June 12, 2016, with multiple show times, including matinees. For tickets visit The Phoenix Theater. 

All in all, When You Wish: The Story of Walt Disney is a fabulous musical, and in our opinion, a must see event. Well acted, well choreographed and well presented, we give this show 5 stars out of 5! 

**Joyce and I were given tickets in exchange for an honest review.

Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales

by Al Kessel

A Long Time Ago....ok, NOT so long ago, on the Disney XD channel, Disney brought the saga of Star Wars to a new generation of viewers....a YOUNGER generation of viewers, as retold in a most interesting way: by recreating the tales using Lego's! And animation. Well, animated Lego's. 

The fun begins following the victory celebration in the lovable Ewok village on Endor (you know, after the defeat of the Empire in Return of the Jedi?). R2-D2 and C-3PO have gathered all the little Ewoks, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and pretty much anyone else who'll listen, to regale them with the tales of their adventures that lead to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Of course, this version, though it does present a lot of the events from the actual movie, is presented in a more child friendly way (of course, they ARE Lego's after all) but faithful enough to the original for most fans to be entertained. 

Of course, if you've read any of our reviews in the past, you know we're not about revealing spoilers, and this review is no different. But I will say that throughout 3PO's telling of the prequel movies, there is an underlying plot happening that makes the stories more fun. And don't forget, they ARE Lego's. So, that's always fun. 

The voice cast is truly amazing. The very talented Eric Bauza (Spongebob Squarepants Movie, Ben 10, Batman: Assault on Arkham) voices Luke, Michael Daingerfield (Ace Ventura Pet Detective, Catwoman) voices Han Solo/Admiral Ozzel/Biggs and none other than Anthony Daniels himself reprises his role as C-3PO!  

There are a total of 5 episodes on the DVD (which was released March 1, 2016):
 * Exit From Endor
 * Crisis on Coruscant
 * Mission to Mos Eisley
 * Flight of the Falcon
 * Gambit on Geonosis
Each episode runs about 22 minutes, so they're not too long that you risk getting bored (although they are quite fun). Great gags for both adults and kids, and some 'inside jokes' that only true Star Wars fans will get. The DVD also comes with a special FREE Exclusive Trading Card Set. So, that's cool!

Being a true fan of Star Wars, Lego's, animation and FUN, I really enjoyed Lego Star Wars Droid Tales. It reminded me of playing the Lego Star Wars video game, and brought back memories of the Prequel Trilogy (and trust me, it helps replace some of the BAD memories of the Prequel Trilogy!)

On a scale of 1-5 Deathstars, I give Lego Star Wars Droid Tales a 4! 

Bridge Of Spies

By Al Kessel

I'm sure that most of you reading this review have no clue who Francis Gary Powers is. You MAY have heard of the U2 Spy Plane (and no, it's not the plane that Bono and company use to sneak to concerts). And I'd bet my favorite bottle of Scotch that you've never heard of Rudolf Abel. This is history. Real history. Not exactly super exciting history, but interesting history. This is the story of a few little remembered people who came close to changing the entire world. This is Bridge Of Spies. Well, the movie anyway. 

Way back in ancient times, the late 1950's, an accused Soviet spy (Russia was once called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - USSR) was caught and thrown in prison. Believing they needed a 'show' trial to prevent the USSR from using his arrest for their own propaganda. So, they enlist the help of attorney James B. Donovan (played brilliantly by Tom Hanks) to 'defend' him. But what they didn't count on was the fact that Donovan's devout love for justice and his unwillingness to 'play ball' with the U.S. Government in a farce. Events eventually lead Donovan to Germany, just after the construction of the Berlin Wall, to negotiate a prisoner exchange when the aforementioned Francis Gary Powers is shot down over the USSR in his super cool spy plane. Yes, I glossed over a lot of details, but this is a review, not a book report! You'll have to watch the movie to fill in these blanks. 

To be completely honest, I thought Bridge Of Spies was going to be more 'action oriented', kind of like a Jason Bourne movie. But it's not. And a good thing it's not. I love Tom Hanks, he's a superb actor, but I can't exactly see him running around, beating the bad guys down, Bourne style. But Hanks does what he does best. He brings complete life to his character. And, he makes history something very interesting to see. In fact, although I knew about the events depicted in Bridge Of Spies, I learned about them in history class in school, so they were really just semi-boring historical events for me. But director Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and the rest of the cast and crew, brought these event to full color life and actually made them...interesting. I know, right? From the dialog, to the sets (they actually filmed a great deal in the actual settings), to the look and feel of the film, down to the music, Bridge of Spies is a movie that deserves all the critical acclaim it has garnered. 

If you're looking for an action packed, kill the bad guy in spectacular ways movie, wait for the new Jason Bourne movie coming out. BUT...WHILE you're waiting, do yourself a huge favor and see Bridge of Spies. Get a glimpse at how real spy work happens, and how the real world of politics operates. 

Bridge of Spies comes in at about two hours twenty minutes, but there's really no slow parts to the movie. Each scene builds on the next. 

Bonus Content:

• A Case Of The Cold War: Bridge Of Spies - The story of James Donovan, Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Abel encapsulates the Cold War era—a tense political climate shrouded in propaganda, espionage and the threat of nuclear war.  This piece explores the characters and the real-life people they’re based on, ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks share personal stories of the Cold War, describing how experiences from their youth were part of the attraction to the script, how this influenced the way they approached the film and why the history behind Bride Of Spies resonates across generations and is relevant in today’s political climate. 
• U-2 Spy Plane: Beale Air Force Base - The story of James Donovan, Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Abel encapsulates the Cold War era—a tense political climate shrouded in propaganda, espionage and the threat of nuclear war.  This piece explores the characters and the real-life people they’re based on, ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks share personal stories of the Cold War, describing how experiences from their youth were part of the attraction to the script, how this influenced the way they approached the film and why the history behind Bride Of Spies resonates across generations and is relevant in today’s political climate. 
• Spy Swap: Looking Back On The Final Act - The story of James Donovan, Francis Gary Powers and Rudolf Abel encapsulates the Cold War era—a tense political climate shrouded in propaganda, espionage and the threat of nuclear war.  This piece explores the characters and the real-life people they’re based on, ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks share personal stories of the Cold War, describing how experiences from their youth were part of the attraction to the script, how this influenced the way they approached the film and why the history behind Bride Of Spies resonates across generations and is relevant in today’s political climate. 
• Berlin 1961: Recreating The Divide - A mix of behind-the-scenes footage with iconic archival imagery transports viewers to another place and time as the filmmakers construct the Berlin Wall, envision what it was like to cross through Checkpoint Charlie, and recreate the divide. On set in Berlin just days after the 25th anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a historian who lived through the experience describes what being there means to her. In Poland, where the Wall was recreated for the film, tanks, hundreds of extras and powerful sequences make the setting feel epic and surreal. 

Joyce and I both liked Bridge of Spies very much. It presents historical events in a powerfully believable way, and is actually very entertaining. On a scale of 1-5, we give it a 4.9. 

Toy Story That Time Forgot!!

by Al Kessel

THEY'RE BACK!!! Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex and the gang are back and boy are they having an adventure!! 

This time around, Woody, Buzz, Rex and Trixie meet a brand new group of toys who don't know they're toys!! They actually think they're...REAL!

The set up is this: Little Bonnie (remember, our gang now belongs to Bonnie?) has a play date with a friend who has...well, LOTS of toys, including a really cool game console, which takes Bonnie's attention away from our band of heroes. 
And of course, once left alone, our heroes encounter the afore mentioned band of new toys, a group of dinosaur like creatures that believe their 'kingdom' is real. And of course, since the newbies don't know they're actually toys, they think Woody and the gang are there to invade and conquer their realm, and the Wood man, Buzz and Rex are soon captured and sentenced to...(well, this IS a family friendly blog, to I won't go any further than that), leaving Trixie the job of saving the day!!

Of course, as always, there is a LOT more to Toy Story That Time Forgot than this, but you know, no spoilers here. We want YOU to experience the movie on your own without knowing what happened. Though, by now, odds are you may have already seen this. It's actually been out since 2014, but only recently released on Blu-Ray!

As with all Disney*Pixar movies, Toy Story That Time Forgot is very well done. The story is cute, the writing is classic and the acting is top notch. All the original voice cast is back: Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz, Wallace Shawn as Rex, Joan Cusack as Jessie, Kristen Schaal as Trixie, Timothy Dalton as Mr. Pricklepants and of course, Don Rickles as Mr. Potato Head. Also joining the cast for this adventure is the awesome Scottish actor Kevin McKidd as Reptillus Maximus - one of the new toys!

All in all, Toy Story That Time Forgot is definitely a great addition to your collection. While not as great as any of the theatrically released Toy Story movies, it's sure to be classic. Running time is about 22 minutes.

Bonus Features on the Blu-Ray, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere include:

• Reptillus! - In this behind-the-scenes look at “Toy Story That Time Forgot,” the filmmakers share a peek at the origins of the Battlesaurs world and culture, and explain the character design and development of its greatest hero, Reptillus Maximus.
•  Commentary with “Toy Story that Time Forgot” director, Steve Purcell, and head of story, Derek Thompson, on the process of making “Toy Story That Time Forgot.”

• My Unexpected Friend - Feel the power - and sing along - as Reptillus Maximus expresses the depth of his feelings for Trixie in this 80's-inspired karaoke video for his soulful ballad, "My Unexpected Friend."
• Battlesaurs Animated Opening - A 2D animated opening for the fictional animated TV series, "Battlesaurs."
• Deleted Scenes with Intros & Outros – “Toy Story That Time Forgot” director, Steve Purcell, introduces scenes that were developed and storyboarded for the special, but were ultimately cut from the final version:
• Battlesaurs Christmas
• Light of Play
• Prisoners of Bone
• SOS
• Trixie’s Proposal
• Toy Story Goes to Comic-Con - The “Toy Story that Time Forgot” team heads to San Diego to unveil the project to the public, led by their own longtime Comic-Con veterans, director Steve Purcell and head of story Derek Thompson.

Inside Out...Review

by Al Kessel

Emotions. We have have them. Those little 'voices' inside our heads that drive us. Have you ever looked at someone and wondered, 'what the heck is going on inside THEIR head?!'. Yeah, me too. Sometimes it's almost as if...there's ACTUALLY living beings inside our heads, controlling us!

Disney/Pixar's newest hit, Inside Out, doest just that - takes an exciting and HILARIOUS journey inside the mind to find the answer to the question: 'what the heck is going on in there?'.  

In, Inside Out, Disney/Pixar tackles two different worlds that actually relate to one another. First, we have the external world, in which we meet new born baby girl Riley and her parents. Then, we have the internal world, where we meet the REAL genius of our characters, the EMOTIONS. Based in Headquarters (get it? HEAD....as in, in the mind?), the control center of Riley, five emotions are hard at work helping Riley grow up into a wonderful woman: Fear (voiced by Bill Hader), Anger (voiced by comedian Lewis Black), Disgust (voiced by The Office's Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (voiced by The Office's Phyllis Smith). They're led by Joy (voiced by Parks and Recs Amy Poehler). Joy is, of course, the 'peppy' and positive emotion. Together, the five emotions guide Riley's responses to her external world.

All is well, until now 11 year old Riley is uprooted from her home in Minnesota to San Francisco by her parents. Of course, this throws Headquarters into a flurry of conflict! 

As Riley gets...well, riled up, by the move and the inability to fit in, her emotions get a little confused as well, and, as Joy is off tackling a pretty serious issue, the other emotions decide to take matters into their own hands. And that's not good. Ever. 

Now, of course, that's all you're getting as far as plot. Remember, No Spoilers Here! 

We learned about the project Inside Out at the D23 Expo in 2010. They didn't share a great deal of detail at that time, but we were really interested in this project. So, when Inside Out was finally released, we had high expectations for it. And we were not disappointed. This film has everything we've come to expect in a Disney/Pixar movie and more. The animation is, of course, superb, and the story is actually quite endearing. It touches everyone, on ever level. From a child to an adult. There are some scenes that only adults will understand, yet, the movie remains perfect for viewers of all ages. 

And in true Disney fashion, there are morals to the story, that are very important for the entire family to understand. Growing up isn't as easy as it seems! Often times, we have very conflicting emotions that we must sort through, and now, Inside Out shows us exactly what those emotions are doing!

With most Disney/Pixar movies these days, there are a plethora of wonderful extras. Inside Out is no different. Bonus Content includes:

* Riley's First Date - Animated short. Riley, now 12, is hanging out at home with her parents when potential trouble strikes. A BOY! Who asks to see Riley!! In this hilarious short, we get to see inside Riley's fathers mind as he deals with the prospect of his little girl, growing up!

Riley's First Date

* LAVA - Animated short. Inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands, and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, LAVA is a musical love story about a lonely volcanic island, who grows over the ages and shelters many animals, many who have love. Our hero wishes for nothing more than to find true love himself, so he sings to the gods in the hopes of finding love.

LAVA Animated Musical Short

* Story of the Story - Director Pete Docter talks about the evolution of Inside Out, from the ideas and memories that inspired the story through the hurdles, explorations and experiences that helped shape it into the film it is today

* Paths To Pixar: The Women of Inside Out - Inside Out filmmakers, from voice actors to animators to production crew, talk about their paths, their goals, the challenges they've faced and the lessons they've learned along the way

* Mixed Emotions - Inside Out's filmmakers talk about how they decided which emotions to focus on in the story and how they went about creating each one's distinct personality and visual identity

* Mapping The Mind - Inside Out's artists take you through the years-long process of designing and creating a world everyone knows, but no one has ever seen - the human mind

* Deleted Scenes

* Mind Candy - A montage of toolkit and interstitials produced for Inside Out

Of all the bonus content, our favorites were Riley's First Date and LAVA. Riley's First Date is a funny look inside a fathers head, as he learns his 'baby girl' is no longer his baby girl. LAVA is a wonderfully charming story told through a beautiful Hawaiian style love song about the quest for true love, through eons. Both are without a doubt worth watching several times!

All in all, Inside Out is a great family movie and worth adding to your (growing) Disney library. Don't miss out.