Billy Bob Thornton in "Bad News Bears"
courtesy of Paramount Home Video

"Billy Bob and the Bears Are Good News"

In 1976 Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neal had a successful comedy in "The Bad News Bears." Now the movie has been remade with Billy Bob Thornton and Sammi Kraft in the Matthau/O'Neal roles and to my way of thinking it is an even better movie.

Maybe that is just because I am such a huge Billy Bob fan but when he starts acting smart with a group of kids who are the worst Little League players in the world, it is fun time all the way round. He drinks and cusses and makes a complete fool out of himself but the kids love him and eventually he loves them back.

This is a movie that is made for DVD because it may not be one you would pay theater prices for but it is a lot of entertainment for the price of a rental. Thornton is at his sarcastic best and you also get Greg Kinnear as his smarmy opponent. Marcia Gay Harden plays one of the kids on the team's mom.

Take a chance and take this one home. I really enjoyed it and I think you might just like it too. 

More popular at the theaters was "Roll Bounce," a movie that didn't appeal to me at all. Bow Wow stars in this movie about kids in the 70's who spend their time roller skating. Of course there is the competition for best skaters and Bow Wow and his buds enter, but they are up against the king of the rink played by Nick Cannon.

Chi McBride, a fine actor, plays Bow Wow's father who is trying to be there for his son since his wife has died. Meagan Good and Mike Epps are also featured.

The movie to me was dated and had a plot I had seen nine million times before. Still Bow Wow has his fans, as does Nick Cannon. The movie is harmless so you might want to rent it for your kids to see.

The kids will also like "Valiant," a Disney animated film that is flat and boring for most adults. This is a movie about carrier pigeons in World War II and utilizes the voices of Ewan McGregor, Sir Ben Kingsley and Hugh Laurie.

Valiant is of course the hero of the piece and he is a cute bird, but the story is just too long and not comedic enough to hold most people's interest. This one is definitely for the little folk who might tune out too. At least on DVD you can stop and start it.

A much better choice for adults is "St Ralph," a really good film starring Campbell Scott and Adam Butcher. Butcher plays a young boy who needs a miracle to save his mother's life. With encouragement of the local priest he enters the Boston Marathon because he overhears someone say if he completes it, it will be a miracle.

This is a movie about faith and the will of a young boy. It is also a story about love in its purest form. This is a very good film and one you can enjoy in the comfort of your home. It probably didn't play in your local theater as it had a limited release, but now it is available for all to see. Don't miss it!

Another good movie is "The Beautiful Country." This is a movie about a young boy who is half Vietnamese and half American. He desperately wants to find his American father and so he stows away on a boat he thinks is headed to America.

The film chronicles the hardships the boy faces as he moves from place to place, always searching for the family he knows will want him. It is a slow paced film but one that is absolutely moving.

Nick Nolte, Bai Ling, Tim Roth and Damien Nguyen star in the film. This is a movie well worth watching.

If you have already watched Robert Rodriguez' "Sin City" you might want to take another look. There is a new two DVD set out that promises a "Sin City" that is recut, extended and unrated. This means you get a new version that has added scenes that result in it not being rated.

This has become standard practice with a lot of movies. You get the theatrical version and then later you get an extended and/or uncut version. This allows the director to put in deleted scenes and other goodies.

So if you want a little more of "Sin City," it is available and is waiting for your viewing pleasure.

Finally the kids can have a holiday treat when they watch a new Scooby Doo adventure/ This one is called "Scooby Doo, Where's My Mummy?" Yes, Scooby and all the gang are in Egypt and having a mysterious time of it all. Would you expect anything else? Velma is in the lead as she tries to unravel a mystery in the land of the Sphinx.

The DVD for this film has a lot of extras that will give you kids even more fun times. So don't pass up this chance to get a new Scooby Doo adventure.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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