Miss Cross, a very pretty, widowed young teacher, catches the eye of Max right away.  He does all he can to gain attention from Miss Cross, including  asking his new friend Herman Blume for a loan to build an aquarium on Rushmore Academy’s property.  Eventually, Blume and Miss Cross are introduced by Max and the love triangle begins!

Cross is drawn to Blume’s depressed and “puppy-like” qualities,  and driven away from Max because he is younger, creepier, and a student at the school she teaches at.  Not to be outdone, Max pulls out all the stops to fight for his love.  This makes for an extremely funny movie.

Wes Anderson split the writing duties with friend and usual casted actor, Owen Wilson, and they could not have done a better job.  Some of the one-liners in this movie are delivered with such good timing (classic Anderson) that you can’t help but laugh out loud.

Rushmore is a “coming-of-age” story that anyone can enjoy.  If you’re a fan of Anderson’s work and have never seen this, I recommend going out and watching it right away.  If you haven’t seen any of his other movies, watch this movie for Bill Murray alone.  Herman Blume is one of my all-time favorite Murray roles.

Leo sends Bob baby-stepping out of his office – bidding him farewell for the next month.  Bob, however, cannot stand to go on for a whole month without his newfound savior, and becomes deceptively determined to find him.  When he shows up at the Marvin vacation home, Leo is shocked but minimally helpful before sending Bob away again – only to find that he simply will not leave.  Soon, Leo’s wife and two children befriend Bob and, much to Leo’s dismay, grow to like his quirky humor and silly personality.

Hilarity ensues as Bob disrupts and entertains the Marvin household (my personal favorite part occurs when he teaches young Siggy Marvin a PG-rated version of Tourette Syndrome).  By the end of the film, it is hard to decide who is more crazy – Bob, or the freshly psychotic Dr. Marvin, driven to insanity through Bob’s actions.

For me, simply a small glance at Bill Murray’s face stirs up colossal laughter.  This is one of Murray’s best – a true display of his talent and odd comedy forte.

It really seems like “they” don’t make movies like this anymore – genuine, wholesome comedies that refrain from feeling overdone or incredibly cheesy. If you have never seen What About Bob?, I certainly suggest popping it in for a lazy no-brainer night of laughs!

Set in the depression in New York City, Annie is a movie…based on a Broadway Musical…based on a comic strip…about a spunky little girl with a lot of life living in an orphanage and acting as a mother character for the younger kids. This orphanage is dirty and all the little girls are supposed to be in charge of the cleaning. They all wear rags and sleep in cots. And the best part is Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett). She’s the drunk flapper orphanage manager (?) who has a lot of issues with self esteem. Her character is so fabulous. She’s constantly carrying around a bottle of what I can only assume is straight vodka, bumbling a round and running into walls, and forcing the little girls to say, in unison, “We love you Miss Hannigan!”Annie is very close with all of her little orphan counterparts, except for one older bully, but when the secretary of a billionaire, Grace (Ann Reinking), comes to the orphanage to choose a child to stay at the billionaire’s house for a week, Annie coerces her from behind a door to choose her. So she gets to stay with Oliver Warbucks (Albert Finney) for a week, who didn’t want a little girl, but a boy, but does he sure warm up to her. She gets to live the life in a huge mansion replete with marble floors and staircases, and a huge fleet of servants at her disposal, indoor pool, all the luxuries of the wealthy lifestyle, and even gets a full new wardrobe. But she’s never forgotten her birth parents who share a piece of the broken locket she wears around her neck, so when Daddy Warbucks truly grows to love her, he decides to make it his mission to find her parents.

Annie is filled with such fantastic characters, and watching it again now I was so shocked that I recognized some of the actors. Tim Curry is Rooster, Miss Hannigan’s sleeze-ball brother, Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks, a much younger Edward Herrmann as FDR, and you can’t forget the Buddhist Turban-wearing magician, Punjab (Geoffrey Holder).

I, as a general practice, detest musicals. I’ve just never really gotten into them. In high school I was in band, so of course I had to see all the musicals and be somewhat involved as the whole performance art department was one of the same, and it didn’t make me miserable, but I’ve just never truly understood what’s so amazing about the whole musical experience. Maybe if I gave some a fair chance I might be okay with them, but I think it’s the Andrew Lloyd Weber ones that really do it in for me. But this…is not a musical. This is just fantastic. I’m sure a lot of my nostalgia is in play here, but I just love this whole movie. I even do like it on stage…I was a costume designer for the play when my high school put it together. But all of the characters are so great: Miss Hannigan especially . Carol Burnett is golden in anything she does, but in Annie especially, and her character does do a turnabout toward the end and actually winds up being not such a bad person. I even love the songs (I find myself singing them every once in a while just because they somehow found their way in my head), and the choreography with all the little orphans…just fabulous. The sets, too: the huge estate of Warbucks and the dirty orphanage…and Radio City Music Hall. It’s all too much. So fabulous.

So if anyone has not seen Annie they’ve truly been living under a rock, but if that is the case, do yourself a favor and watch it. It’s kitschy and cheesy and definitely a Chick Flick. But it’s fabulous nonetheless. My five stars may include my nostalgia, but it’s a five-star worthy film.

To continue our earlier baseball theme, my husband and I decided to re-watch A League of their Own. This is one of my all-time favorite movies; it has to be up there in my top three. And each time I watch it I realize I love it even more than the time before.

Set during WWII, A League of Their Own is about 2 sisters in constant competition with each other with the younger trying to come of age in the shadow of her older sister. Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) is an army wife whose husband is overseas and she’s currently living at home with her parents and younger sister, Kit (Lori Petty). Ernie (Jon Lovitz), a talent scout, digs them up out of their dairy farm in Oregon and drags them back to Chicago to train for the All American Girls Baseball League to temporarily replace the men who are all overseas fighting.The movie follows their ascent to the World Series of the A.A.G.B.L, and tension rises between Kit and Dottie, when Kit is ejected from a game for being too tired by counsel of Dottie, and continue to escalate until they are barely even speaking with each other. The Rockford Peaches, with other players such as Mae (Madonna), Doris (Rosie O’Donnell), and Evelynn (Bitty Schram)…also known as Stillwell-Angel’s mother… are coached by a famous but washed-up ball player, Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks). Hanks doesn’t immediately care about coaching and is drunk for most of the beginning of the movie, which is why he is no longer able to play for himself. Then, of course, the turning point: the girls are really enjoying themselves and feel like they’re making a difference not only for themselves, but for their country, and making their own living aside from their men. But Mr. Harvey (Garry Marshall), the team’s owner, does not feel it prudent to continue for another season, so they really have to up the ante and make it to the series, and create a name for themselves.

This movie has so many hilarious one-liners, and the acting is absolutely fantastic. I feel like this is one of Tom Hanks’s best roles, or at least one of his most noteworthy. His character is so disgusting and rude, but you can’t help but fall in love with him. Rosie O’Donnell nearly steals the show with all of her rude banter that you continue to hear throughout the whole movie; her character just continues to talk whether or not someone is listening. My husband and I have each seen it about 300 times, yet we laughed all through it. I just wish Jon Lovitz’s character was in the movie more as he and Hanks pretty much make the entire movie. The only gripe I have, and it must be this way to create such a predominant plot, is how whiny Kit is! She’s crying through most of the movie, and I don’t feel bad for her! Sure her older sister is a better player than she is, but suck it up and work on your game, lady!

This movie is a must-see for anyone: baseball fan or not. It’s a classic comedy that will stand the test of time, even with the modern-day scenes. The filming is pretty much flawless and so true to its era: the clothes and the architecture and vehicles. It just absorbs you into the ’40′s and you feel a part of it. And this is one movie that, no matter how many times I’ve seen it…I’m gonna cry. I just cannot help it! It’s just that kind of movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. Five stars from me!

The Cutting Edge (1992) starring Moira Kelly as Kate Moseley and D.B. Sweeney as Doug Dorsey, is not only a cute romantic comedy, but it also incorporates ice hockey and figure skating athletics.  Kate is a spoiled yet very talented pairs figure skater who is skating alone due to her ridiculously high standards that she sets for her partner.  Doug is an ex ice-hockey star who is no longer pro material secondary to an eye injury he suffered at the 1988 Olympic games.  With the 1992 Olympic games approaching, Kate’s coach Anton Pamchenko (played by Roy Dotrice) makes a last ditch effort in recruiting Doug to be Kate’s partner.  At first, the new pair couldn’t be more repulsed by each other.  Then, realizing they are each others last option for ever winning a gold medal, Kate and Doug begin to fuel each other, both competitively and romantically.  The pair seems to disagree on everything, from costumes and music to drinking and celebration styles. However, with a common goal in mind, Kate and Doug fight, each other and the world, all the way to the 1992 Olympic games in Albertville, France.  In their last effort to win the gold, Kate and Doug lay it all down on the ice.  The pair and the USA can only hope that their blood, sweat, and tears of pain and love will be enough for glory.

Of course this movie is a true chick flick, with love and passion and pain, which is part of reason I love it.  But, it also has this exciting sports action theme that engages you, too.  It’s the Olympics!!  Who doesn’t love and support the USA?  In the end, all you want to do is stand up and scream and root for the USA to triumph over all!  Then, I find myself cheering to the TV in an empty living room, but it’s the action story that got me there.  I truly find myself so excited for Kate and Doug.  I watch them try so hard and give up so much for one goal, that by the end, I really want them to win.  I want the USA to win.  The patriotic music and the colorful rings on the flying Olympic flags and the sportsmanship of the skaters all reel you into the journey that these athletes take and the sacrifices that they make.  The Cutting Edge is a romantic comedy at heart, but it is obviously also an inspiring sports story too.

This movie also has some of my favorite quotes in it.  For example, I keep repeating “Toe Pick” for days after seeing the movie!   “Aw Doug!  Douglas, you silly thing” also is hit if you have a friend named Doug (which I did in college, and he got quite sick of that reference).

Lastly, I do love some of the music in this movie…so much so that I have “Ride on Time” on my IPOD for my workout sessions!  The theme song, “Feels Like Forever” performed by Joe Cocker, also makes my list of favorites (and my IPOD).

The Cutting Edge is by far one of my favorite movies of all time!  My sister and I must have watched it every month in 1990’s!  It’s a five-star movie I will never get sick of and will continue to pull out of my collection when I’m in the mood for an inspiring love story.  It’s full of passion, both romantic and ambition driven, and witty remarks that make you feel, smile, and laugh.  And…this movie is a great choice to put you “in the mood to kick a little ass” in this patriotic Olympic season!

Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my all-time favorite movies. It depicts the hardship and love of the closest of friends going through rough times during the Great Depression in the deep South, and a common bond so strong they’d kill for each other…or would they?

There is such a feeling of mystery in the air during the whole film, and even though the viewer eventually gets clued-in on the truth behind the mystery, it leaves the viewer, still, with a sort of empty and yearning feeling. But really it’s just because the film ends even if you don’t want it to.

The movie opens with Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) and her husband Ed (Gilliard Sartain) looking for the nursing home where Ed’s mother is residing. They get lost after making a wrong turn and find themselves in the middle of a ghost town: dilapidated old structures, unused rail line, yet somehow they find a phone booth that still functions. Eventually they get to the Home and Evelyn, who battles a weight problem, sits in the waiting room downing candy bar after candy bar when she is accosted by a sweet old lady in a house dress and thinning hair. This woman turns out to be Ninny Threadgoode (Jessica Tandy), a former resident of the ghost town the Couches had just passed through. She regales Evelyn with stories about her past, and Evelyn couldn’t be more uninterested until…”Idgie and her friend Ruth ran the Whistle Stop Cafe. Idgie was a character, all right. But how anybody could have thought she murdered that man is beyond me.”

In the typical Hollywood-in-the-90′s fashion, the film setting flashes back to the hay day of Whistle Stop, Alabama, and chronicles the circumstances surrounding the best friendship of Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth Jamison (Mary Louise Parker) that parallels the relationship that blossoms between Evelyn and Ninny. It details their life through the Whistle Stop Cafe, which they owned and worked, and the characters that come and go and the trial for the murder of a Georgia man, Frank Bennett (Nick Searcy). Racism is prevalent throughout the film, and the love of the core group of characters extends to the “colored” people who helped to raise Idgie, Big George (Stan Shaw), and his mother, Sipsey (Cicely Tyson). The dynamic relationships between all of the characters is what pulls the whole movie together, particularly during the murder trial.

This movie is full of hilarious one-liners and quotes, and all of the actors do incredible work throughout. This isn’t just some easily-missed movie from the past…it’ll suck you in from the moment the music starts in the beginning with the slow drawl of the deep South and the weeping tones of the hardworking African American culture during the height of segregation and hard, back-breaking work. I fully recommend this film to anyone, especially if you have an interest in history as even though it’s not a true story, it’s a believable tale. Fannie Flagg co-wrote the screenplay after her book, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which is also worth a read and adds even more depth to the story.

Just remember: “The secret’s in the sauce…”

(And as an aside, even though it sounds disgusting, fried green tomatoes are really good!)

Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) is a divorced bachelor in charge of his son, Charlie, played by Eric Lloyd.  Scott realizes that his ex-wife, Laura (Wendy Crewson) and her new husband, Neil, (Judge Reinhold) informed Charlie that Santa Clause is not real, but more of a “idea than a real person.”  On Christmas Eve, Charlie hears a “clatter” from the rooftop and wakes up his father.  Scott and Charlie discovers Santa on the roof – but when Scott yells at this strange man, Santa falls and disappears, leaving only his suit, sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.  The two unexpectedly deliver presents throughout Christmas Eve and return back to the North Pole.  The head elf, Bernard, (David Krumholtz) and the rest of the elves try to convince Scott he is now the new Santa, but Scott goes on believing that this is all a hallucinated dream.  As the months progress, Scott becomes more and more “Santa-like” and soon begins to look and feel more like the big jolly man, himself.  Come Christmas Eve of next year, Scott discovers his new calling and it’s up to him to continue the spirit of Christmas!

The Santa Clause is a timeless film that families can enjoy every Christmas season!  It never gets old.  Tim Allen was made for this film and makes The Santa Clause what it is.  I will say- I am slightly disappointed in the sequels that follow BUT that’s a whole different review!  This film deserves 4.5 stars- and let me explain.  The only downfall is that the graphics are pretty bad, but what can you expect from 1994.  (Not that 1994 was a bad year!)  The Santa Clause is a movie to always enjoy and one thing’s for sure- I DO BELIEVE IN SANTA!

8-year old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) gets left behind when his family leaves for Christmas in Paris.  At first, he is so happy to be in the house all by himself.  He eats his very own cheese pizza, jumps all over the beds, and goes through his older brother’s stuff.  Meanwhile, the McCallister’s are spending their entire vacation in Paris trying to find out if Kevin is okay and trying to get flights back home to spend Christmas with him.  Kevin does not realize how much he misses his family until a group  of burglars start to to rob the neighborhood, focusing on the McCallister home.  The ‘Wet Bandits’, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern),  will do anything to get into the McCallister home and take everything they have.  Little do they know how smart Kevin is, leading the burglars into a bunch of hilarious traps, which include paint cans, a hot iron, and even a blow torch.  Kevin encounters many scary and funny adventures while he is left home alone, such as grocery shopping for himself and stealing a toothbrush from a local pharmacy.    This cast also includes John Heard, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy.

I give Home Alone 5 stars.  There is never a dull moment, with laughter in every scene.  The hi-jinks that get pulled off and all the creative ideas an 8-year old has to protect his home is just mind boggling.  Everytime I watch it, I laugh hysterically, and there are many parts of the movie that I can repeat or act out.  It is a Sullivan Family Favorite that is watched every year at this time!  I hope that you enjoy the film as much as my family does!

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

If you enjoyed Home Alone, get ready to to laugh even harder to its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Macaulay Culkin is back as Kevin McCallister, and does not get left behind on the trip this time, or so we thought.  Kevin loses the rest of the McCallister family in the airport, and follows the wrong man onto a different plane.  When Kevin gets off the plane, he realizes that his family is in Florida, and he is in New York City!  Down in Florida, the family thinks they have everyone until baggage claim, and then the chaos starts again with trying to find out where their son has gone!  The police trace the credit cards back to New York and the McCallister search for flights to New York begins!  Kevin starts off his trip by staying in the ‘ding, dang, dong’ Plaza Hotel.  He visits Duncan’s Toy Chest and even enjoys a dip in the pool, as well as a little room service with his favorite ice cream!  As Kevin is walking around New York City, the ‘Wet Bandits’ have escaped from jail and run into Kevin, ready to fight back.  Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) are back as the ‘Sticky Bandits’ and are ready to rob Duncan’s Toy Chest.  Kevin finds out, and catches them in the act.  He leads them to his aunt and uncle’s place that is being renovated, and they are headed into another funhouse of traps, but this time it includes, bricks, kerosene, and a runaway tool chest, as well as some of the same traps as before.

I remember going to see Home Alone 2 in the theaters with my family and laughing harder than I laughed in the first movie.  I give this movie 5 stars as well.  The sequel was well done with all of the same characters as the first one, and the amount of traps was twice as much as the first film.  These are 2 movies that I highly suggest you add to your Christmas movie list!

If you want to learn more about the writer, the late John Hughes, check out our post we put up after his passing.

Murray (one of the funniest men ever) plays Frank Cross, the brutally selfish and insensitive leader of a big time television network who has scheduled a mildly inappropriate show about Ebenezer Scrooge to be broadcast live on Christmas Eve.  Frank is quite the Scrooge himself, and is soon visited by his deceased boss who begs him to change his devilish ways.  Here begins Frank’s own journey through time with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, where he of course learns a very important holiday lesson.

Murray plays the perfect grinch-goes-good, adding just the right amount of anger and sarcastic humor to a deep-down good man. The supporting characters, including Karen Allen as Frank’s kind, compassionate love interest Claire, and Carol Kane as the quirky, upbeat Ghost of Christmas Present, provide an excellent counter-balance to Murray’s dark humor.

But Scrooged is not the kind of movie you can watch lightly. The funniest parts lie within the cracks of the plot, in Bill Murray‘s facial expressions and voice volume shifts, or any small scene with Bobcat Goldthwait (who plays Eliot Loudermilk, an employee who Frank fires on Christmas Eve). So finish eating dinner, put away your holiday wrapping, and make time with friends to really sit down and watch this one without distractions.  You’ll find yourself laughing throughout, and undoubtedly singing along to the predictable happy ending – a conclusion that screams the spirit of Gleecember.

In this classic musical, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire play Jim Hardy and Ted Hanover, two thespian friends who are always competing for the same leading lady.  Crosby’s character decides to get away from all hard work in the spotlights by moving to a Connecticut farm.  However, Crosby begins to miss crowd pleasing work he used to do, so he turns the farm into a Holiday Inn that will only be open for musical performances 15 times a year.  Along with some comedy and little romantic drama, the inn is a success with Crosby’s singing, Astaire’s dancing, and leading lady Linda Masey’s (played by Marjorie Reynolds) companionship.

Of course I love this movie because of its singing and dancing!  Holiday Inn is full of clever songs and dances, duets ands solos…including the debut of Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas.” (which won an Academy Award for the movie for best song in 1942!)  Crosby’s smooth crooning coupled with Astaire’s fancy dancing win me over every time.  The musical numbers seem effortless and incredible all at the same time.  It’s simply amazing the talent they were capable of 60 years ago.

I also love this movie because of its concept.  Who wouldn’t want to work only 15 days a year singing and dancing and making people happy?  And for that matter, who wouldn’t want to be a visitor and stay at a cozy inn for a holiday weekend, enjoying your time relaxing and watching the show?  I would love to visit this fictitious inn in Connecticut because it sounds so perfect for any holiday getaway.

For a girl who loves a snowy white Christmas and happy endings, this musical is just the right thing.  It puts me in a calm and delightful mood, leaving me looking forward to the magical Christmas season.  Crosby and Astaire are wonderful in Holiday Inn, and I enjoy every musical number including the romantic comedy storyline between the dances and songs.  It is an amazing holiday musical that I will continue to watch for the next 60 years.  Holiday Inn is definitely one of my favorites…a classic and a “must see,” at anytime of year!