Archive for the ‘Family-Oriented Comedy’ Category
Monday, January 11th, 2010
|
Leonard Maltin wasn’t alone when he noticed similarities between Goonies and the 1934 Our Gang comedy Mama’s Little Pirate.
Adapted by Chris Columbus from a story by Steven Spielberg, the film follows a group of misfit kids (including such second-generation Hollywoodites as Josh Brolin and Sean Astin) as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern.
Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and her outlaw brood.
Fortunately, the kids manage to befriend Fratelli’s hideously deformed (but soft-hearted) son (John Matuszak), who comes to their rescue.
The Spielberg influence is most pronounced in the film’s prologue and epilogue, when the viewer is advised that the film’s real villains are a group of “Evil Land Developers.
” The musical score makes excellent use of Max Steiner’s main theme from The Adventures of Don Juan, not to mention contributions by the likes of Richard Marx and Cyndi Lauper. |
| Also Known As: |
The Goonies |
| Genres: |
Adventure, Family-Oriented Adventure, Adventure Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
114:00 |
| Actor List: |
Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, John Matuszak, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, Anne Ramsey, Jeb Stuart Adams, Steve Antin, Newt Arnold, Bill Bradley, Patrick Cameron, Michael Paul Chan, Jeff B. Cohen, Jane Feinberg, Mike Fenton, Ted Grossman, Curtis Hanson, Orwin Harvey, Charles McDaniel, George Nicholas McLean, Elaine Cohen McMahon, Jack O’Leary, Lupe Ontiveros, Jonathan Ke Quan, George Robotham, Gene Ross, Max Segar, Judy Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor, Paul Tuerp, Keith Walker, Eric Briant Wells, |
Posted in Adventure, Adventure Comedy, Family-Oriented Adventure, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Monday, December 14th, 2009
|
Barry B.
Benson (voice of Jerry Seinfeld) is your average honeybee.
Despite having recently received his diploma from bee college and being virtually guaranteed a bright future in honey, Barry feels he has the skills to pursue a number of different career paths and resents the fact that his employment opportunities are strictly limited to producing the sweet nectar.
Upon breaking away from the hive and developing a friendship with an insect-loving New York florist (voice of Rene Zellweger), Barry makes the shocking discovery that human beings eat honey in mass quantities.
Having finally found his calling in life, the infuriated Barry decides to sue the human race for stealing all of the honey that his fellow bees work so hard to produce. |
| Also Known As: |
Bee Movie |
| Genres: |
Children’s/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
90:00 |
| Actor List: |
Jerry Seinfeld, Rene Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson, Larry King, Ray Liotta, Sting, Oprah Winfrey, Larry Miller, Megan Mullally, Rip Torn, Michael Richards, Mario Joyner, Jim Cummings, Tom Papa, Andy Robin, David Pimentel, Chuck Martin, Conrad Vernon, David Herman, Carol Leifer, Jeff Altman, Brian Hopkins, Tress MacNeille, Nathan D. Morrissey, Olivia Mattingly, Simon J. Smith, Geoff Witcher, John DiMaggio, Barry Marder, Sean Bishop, Alan Arkin, William H. Macy, Tim Blake Nelson, Colin Quinn, Rene Taylor, George Wallace, |
Posted in Children's/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Friday, December 4th, 2009
|
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are back in director Tim Hill’s computer-animation/live-action hybrid following the further adventures of the world’s most adorable singing trio.
Songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) has been struggling to gain recognition in the music industry for some time, and despite the fact that his former college roommate (David Cross) is now a high-profile powerbroker at Jett Records, Dave still can’t manage to get a break.
Things soon start to look up, however, when Dave discovers three singing chipmunks hiding out in the branches of a Christmas tree in Jett Records’ world headquarters.
Realizing that these woodland crooners cold prove to be his ticket to the big time, Dave does his best to transform Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) into the next great pop sensation.
As adorable and talented as they may be, though, these bouncy little critters aren’t quite domesticated just yet; they still have a wild streak in them a mile wide, and it isn’t long before Dave’s life, home, and career are in utter chaos.
But staying mad at such lovable little creatures is next to impossible, no matter what kind of mischief they might get into. |
| Also Known As: |
Alvin and the Chipmunks |
| Genres: |
Children’s/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
91:00 |
| Actor List: |
Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Jane Lynch, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Beth Riesgraf, |
Posted in Children's/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
|
This animated Disney feature is based on a popular afternoon television show.
The story centers on Goofy’s teenage son, Max, who is terrified that he will grow up to be as dorky a dog as his daffy daddy.
Just as shy Max has screwed up enough courage to ask his dreamgirl, Roxanne, on a date, Goofy stumbles in and announces that they need to spend some quality time together, and then drags Max off on a vacation.
Just before they leave, Max tells Roxanne that he will be in the audience at the next Powerline concert, which is to be televised.
As Goofy heads for the forest for some huntin’ and some fishin’, “hyuk,” Max schemes to get them to LA where he hopes they will be able to sneak backstage after the concert and fulfill his promise to Roxanne. |
| Also Known As: |
A Goofy Movie |
| Genres: |
Children’s/Family, Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
78:00 |
| Actor List: |
Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings, Kellie Martin, Rob Paulsen, Wallace Shawn, Wayne Allwine, Dante Basco, Sheryl Bernstein, Kle Bragger, Julie Brown, Corey Burton, Pat Buttram, Tevin Campbell, Pat Carroll, Elizabeth Daily, Carol Holliday, Joey Lawrence, Kevin Lima, Aaron Lohr, Steven Dean Moore, Brian Pimental, Robyn Richards, Pauly Shore, Brittany Alyse Smith, Herschel Sparber, Florence Stanley, Jenna von Oy, Frank Welker, Jason Willinger, Jo Ann Worley, |
Posted in Children's/Family, Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
|
A scrawny rat named Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt) finds his dreams of culinary superstardom stirring up sizable controversy in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant in director Brad Bird’s madcap computer-animated comedy.
It’s hard being a rat with culinary aspirations, but Remy is convinced he has what it takes to break the stereotypes and follow in the footsteps of star chef Auguste Gusteau (voice of Brad Garrett).
As fate would have it, Remy is currently situated in the sewers directly beneath Gusteau’s elegant restaurant.
Soon Remy teams up with a young chef with little talent named Linguini (voice of Lou Romano).
Together they are able to create some fabulous dishes, but they live in fear that someone will discover their secret and object strenuously to a rat being in a kitchen.
When Remy’s passion for cooking turns the haughty world of French cuisine upside down, the rat who would be king of the kitchen learns important lessons about life, friends, and family while questioning whether he should pursue his culinary calling or simply go back underground and return to his life as a sewer rat. |
| Also Known As: |
Ratatouille |
| Genres: |
Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
110:00 |
| Actor List: |
Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, Julius Callahan, James Remar, John Ratzenberger, Teddy Newton, Tony Fucile, Jake Steinfeld, Brad Bird, Stphane Roux, |
Posted in Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Saturday, June 20th, 2009
|
Barry B.
Benson (voice of Jerry Seinfeld) is your average honeybee.
Despite having recently received his diploma from bee college and being virtually guaranteed a bright future in honey, Barry feels he has the skills to pursue a number of different career paths and resents the fact that his employment opportunities are strictly limited to producing the sweet nectar.
Upon breaking away from the hive and developing a friendship with an insect-loving New York florist (voice of Rene Zellweger), Barry makes the shocking discovery that human beings eat honey in mass quantities.
Having finally found his calling in life, the infuriated Barry decides to sue the human race for stealing all of the honey that his fellow bees work so hard to produce. |
| Also Known As: |
Bee Movie |
| Genres: |
Children’s/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
90:00 |
| Actor List: |
Jerry Seinfeld, Rene Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Patrick Warburton, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Barry Levinson, Larry King, Ray Liotta, Sting, Oprah Winfrey, Larry Miller, Megan Mullally, Rip Torn, Michael Richards, Mario Joyner, Jim Cummings, Tom Papa, Andy Robin, David Pimentel, Chuck Martin, Conrad Vernon, David Herman, Carol Leifer, Jeff Altman, Brian Hopkins, Tress MacNeille, Nathan D. Morrissey, Olivia Mattingly, Simon J. Smith, Geoff Witcher, John DiMaggio, Barry Marder, Sean Bishop, Alan Arkin, William H. Macy, Tim Blake Nelson, Colin Quinn, Rene Taylor, George Wallace, |
Posted in Children's/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
|
A scrawny rat named Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt) finds his dreams of culinary superstardom stirring up sizable controversy in the kitchen of a fine French restaurant in director Brad Bird’s madcap computer-animated comedy.
It’s hard being a rat with culinary aspirations, but Remy is convinced he has what it takes to break the stereotypes and follow in the footsteps of star chef Auguste Gusteau (voice of Brad Garrett).
As fate would have it, Remy is currently situated in the sewers directly beneath Gusteau’s elegant restaurant.
Soon Remy teams up with a young chef with little talent named Linguini (voice of Lou Romano).
Together they are able to create some fabulous dishes, but they live in fear that someone will discover their secret and object strenuously to a rat being in a kitchen.
When Remy’s passion for cooking turns the haughty world of French cuisine upside down, the rat who would be king of the kitchen learns important lessons about life, friends, and family while questioning whether he should pursue his culinary calling or simply go back underground and return to his life as a sewer rat. |
| Also Known As: |
Ratatouille |
| Genres: |
Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
110:00 |
| Actor List: |
Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, Lou Romano, Brian Dennehy, Peter Sohn, Peter O’Toole, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Will Arnett, Julius Callahan, James Remar, John Ratzenberger, Teddy Newton, Tony Fucile, Jake Steinfeld, Brad Bird, Stphane Roux, |
Posted in Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Friday, November 7th, 2008
|
Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are back in director Tim Hill’s computer-animation/live-action hybrid following the further adventures of the world’s most adorable singing trio.
Songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) has been struggling to gain recognition in the music industry for some time, and despite the fact that his former college roommate (David Cross) is now a high-profile powerbroker at Jett Records, Dave still can’t manage to get a break.
Things soon start to look up, however, when Dave discovers three singing chipmunks hiding out in the branches of a Christmas tree in Jett Records’ world headquarters.
Realizing that these woodland crooners cold prove to be his ticket to the big time, Dave does his best to transform Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) into the next great pop sensation.
As adorable and talented as they may be, though, these bouncy little critters aren’t quite domesticated just yet; they still have a wild streak in them a mile wide, and it isn’t long before Dave’s life, home, and career are in utter chaos.
But staying mad at such lovable little creatures is next to impossible, no matter what kind of mischief they might get into. |
| Also Known As: |
Alvin and the Chipmunks |
| Genres: |
Children’s/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
91:00 |
| Actor List: |
Jason Lee, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Jane Lynch, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Beth Riesgraf, |
Posted in Children's/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
Friday, November 7th, 2008
|
Versatile Canadian comedian Martin Short plays a 10-year old boy in this comedy aimed at younger audiences.
The tale is told in flashback to another little boy.
Clifford is a manipulative brat.
Clifford really wants to visit Dinosaur World in Los Angeles.
Clifford wants to go so badly that he manages to force the Hawaii bound plane he and his parents are on to land in L.
A.
His parents need to attend a convention in Hawaii so they leave him with his Uncle Martin who despises children.
Martin’s fiance adores kids, so he pretends to be ecstatic about Clifford’s visit.
He must also pretend that Clifford is the angel child he isn’t.
Because Martin reneges on a promise to take him to Dinosaur World, Clifford begins an elaborate plot for revenge. |
| Also Known As: |
Clifford |
| Genres: |
Comedy, Domestic Comedy, Slapstick, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
89:00 |
| Actor List: |
Martin Short, Charles Grodin, Mary Steenburgen, Dabney Coleman, G.D. Spradlin, Anne Jeffreys, Richard Kind, Jennifer Savidge, Ben Savage, Akuyoe, Greg Blanchard, David Byrd, Channing Chase, Natalie Core, Barry Dennen, Richard Fancy, Kathy Fitzgerald, Don Galloway, James “Gypsy” Haake, Sherlynn Hicks, Linda Hoffman, Sonia Jackson, Anthony Johnson, Brandis Kemp, Tim Lane, Gregory Mars Martin, Kevin Mockrin, Marianne Muellerleile, Christopher Murray, Jennifer Nash, Al Pugliese, Annabel Schofield, Tim Stack, Susan Varon, |
Posted in Comedy, Domestic Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy, Slapstick | No Comments »
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
|
In this gentle anti-war comedy, a class of French schoolboys divides into two factions who begin to battle each other, with the victors claiming the buttons off the clothes of the vanquished.
One day, some of the boys pull a strategic coup by running into battle naked, therefore leaving their enemies nothing to steal.
However, after this stunning victory, one of their number turns traitor to the other side, helping them plot a secret attack that leaves the recent champions in defeat.
The informer is eventually found out and punished for his crimes, so he takes the matter to a higher authority and tells his parents he’s been beaten up by bullies.
Soon Mom and Dad are making trouble for their son’s schoolmates, with the culprits facing a stay in juvenile hall.
La Guerre des Boutons was written and directed by Yves Robert, who had a distinguished career both in front of and behind the camera in the French cinema. |
| Also Known As: |
La Guerre des Boutons |
| Genres: |
Comedy, Children’s/Family, Family-Oriented Comedy, |
| Running Time: |
92:00 |
| Actor List: |
Jean Richard, Jacques Dufilho, Michel Galabru, Yvette Etievant, Pierre Trabaud, Claude Confortes, Paul Crauchet, Henri Labussiere, Michele Meritz, Robert Rollis, Louisette Rousseau, Pierre Tchernia, |
Posted in Children's/Family, Comedy, Family-Oriented Comedy | No Comments »
