Taylor Lauter, Cayden Boyd and Taylor Dooley in
"The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D"
courtesy of Disney Home Entertainment
"Shark Boy Doesn't Have A Lot of Bite"

The one good thing about the DVD version of "The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl" is that there is a 3-D version and a 2-D version. Thank goodness for small favors. When I saw the movie at the theater I had to hook those 3-D glasses over my own glasses and it was a pain. But come to think of it the whole movie was a pain.

This is a film maybe small, really small children might enjoy. Anyone else will run screaming from the room within the first ten minutes of viewing it. Robert Rodriguez is the director and he is also the man who brought us "Spy Kids" which I enjoyed.

Rodriguez credits his small son with the plot of this movie. I don't mean to be cruel but it shows. It all seems to operate on a four year old's level. Why an actor/comic of the stature of George Lopez would get involved in something like this is a mystery in and of itself.

The DVD does offer the non-glasses version as well as extras such as commentary from Rodriguez. But listening to his comments I still couldn't figure out why he made this mess of a movie.

Recently a survey was made of people's favorite scary movies. "The Lady In White" was at the top of the list. This film has grown in popularity over the years and has finally achieved cult status. In response to the popularity it has found, a director's cut of the original film has been released on DVD.

This version has deleted scenes as well as commentary from the director, Frank Laloggia. You also get his version of the movie that stars Lucas Haas, Katherine Helmond, Alex Rocco and Len Cariou. They tell the story of a serial killer and one young man's involvement with the ghost of a victim.

This is a psychological drama that will grip you and haunt you. With Halloween fever in the air this is the movie to watch.

If you like your scary movies full of fun then you want to also watch "Scary Movie 3.5." This is the film that spoofs all the horror movies of the recent past, and does it with a vengeance.

Charlie Sheen, Anna Faris, Regina Hall and Jeremy Piven are some of the stars who try to play their roles with straight faces while we are bursting our sides laughing. Some of the laughs are cheap, some are corny, some are gross; but there is humor here for everyone. Plus there are extras galore on this DVD.

For more laughs you can pick up "Don't Be A Menace: Special Edition" which stars the Wayan Brothers - Marlon and Shawn. This is another spoof film. This time they take on the urban movies that take place in the hood.

Nobody is funnier than the Wayans when they are hot and they get hot in this movie. Settle back and have a lot of laughs as you watch the Wayans put the spoof on their brothers
alloween fever in the air it is the perfect movie to enjoy.Hall

If you are already back into the full swing of the new season of "Desperate Housewives" but just can't get enough of the show, have I got a treat for you. You can watch "Desperate Housewives: The Complete First Season" on DVD and it is every episode plus extras. You can get deleted scenes, commentary and oh so much more.

Plus since this is an ongoing series you might need to catch up on some of the relationships and happenings from the first season. You know like Susan's job, her relationship with her daughter, her ongoing war with Eydie. Those kinds of things.

Plus it is just fun to watch it all one more time. So don't be bored waiting for the next chapter, get the DVD and watch a little "Desperate Housewives" every day.

Before she became a star on "Will and Grace" and before he became a star in "Sideways" Debra Messing and Thomas Haden Church starred in the very funny TV series "Ned and Stacey. It didn't get the ratings necessary to keep it on the air but it did attract a cult following of devotees who think it is one of the funniest shows ever.

You can see for yourself by renting "Ned and Stacey: The First Season." It is all about two people who have a marriage of convenience so they can share a deluxe apartment. He is a corporate executive who needs to be married in order to seem like a stable employee, and she is a woman desperate to get away from her parent' home. They are made for each other, at least until they kill each other.

There is a video out titled "Learn To Read at the Storybook Factory." This is one of those videos that is designed to help children get a head start learning to read. It is peopled with characters from the LeapFrog series and they act out stories and bring them to life while all the time helping the child/viewer with reading skills.

The characters involved are Lily, Casey and Dot. They act out the story of "The Three Little Pigs" while Tad learns to read along with the story. This is something your child can understand and utilize.

Trevor Romain is an adult who makes videos that address kids' worst fears. In his latest videos, "Taking the Duh Out of Divorce" and "Facing Fear Without Freaking Out," he addresses two issues that do cause alarm in children.

The videos use stories that address such issues as "divorce" and "doing things that are fear causing." Romain installs lessons that tell children what to expect and how to react to these situations, and he does it in such a way as to be perfectly understandable to "tweens and teens."

For some life lessons your children will enjoy and from which they will gain knowledge pick up these videos. Trevor Romain is a crusader for children's awareness and understanding and his videos are the product of his crusade.

 

 

 

 

 

©2005 Jackie K. Cooper

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