Sign Me Up...'Police Academy"

Police Academy (1984)

Rated R

Starring Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Kim Cattrall, G.W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, George Gaynes, David Graf, Leslie Easterbrook,

Directed by Hugh Wilson

The Story:

In response to a crisis, the standards for Police Academy entrance are lowered.
A lot.
This is the story of those recruits attending the Police Academy.
Heaven help us all.

There are 2 types of people in this world.

Those that enjoyed Police Academy. And those that are wrong.

I am firmly in the first camp, and I'll give the declining quality of the next 5 installments...

But come on, the first one is gold.

It still holds up, it's still funny, and it's still just as much dumb fun now as it was over 30 years ago.

The cast is filled with great character actors and the so likable he's got a career pass, Steve Guttenberg as the star.

G.W. Bailey is hilarious as Lt. Harris who wants nothing more than these dirtbags to go home.

Rapid fire jokes and situations were the order of the day, and this movie never fails to make me laugh.

It's making the streaming rounds on Netflix as of this writing, which is where I stumbled upon it the other night and thought, "why not"?

It may not be a masterpiece, but it's a guilty pleasure that I had the opportunity to see when it premiered in 1984 (thanks Dad!) and have been a fan of ever since.

Final Grade: B+

This Review Could Get Me In "Big Trouble In Little China" And Possibly Other Places As Well!

Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

Rated PG-13

Starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun,

Directed by John Carpenter

The Story:

Jack Burton (Russell) is a truck driver who is helping a friend (Dun) and a lawyer (Cattrall) who are fighting by supernatural forces to save a girl with green eyes.  Mayhem, chaos, and cheesy special effects abound.

No, until today, I had never seen Big Trouble in Little China.

I wonder if this is one of those films that if I watched it back when I was younger, would I have fond memories of this film?

Because without those rose-colored glasses, this movie is the very definition of a B movie.

Kurt Russell hams it up and has a great time as the hero, but other than that...

Nah, I can't find anything redeeming or worthwhile about this one.


Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

I'll be generous with my grade today.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No... I'm amazed I watched it all the way through this time.

I Guess It's Better Than Being An Ice Queen? "Ice Princess"

Ice Princess (2005)
Rated G

Starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, Kim Cattrall, Trevor Blumas

Directed by Tim Fywell

The Story:

Casey (Trachtenberg) is a great student who loves math and science.  She puts these skills together to do a study on figure skaters in the hopes of getting a scholarship to college.  Her passion comes through in the project, and she yearns to skate.  Offering her analysis of how to skate better, she trades for some ice time under demanding coach Tina Harwood (Cattrall).  Casey gets really good, really fast, which poses a threat to Gen Harwood's (Panettiere) chances of fame and fortune.

Sounds like trouble!

The funny thing is though, the trouble doesn't happen between the teen girls.  Nope, it's the coach who feels most threatened.

Then add in a romance with the Coach's son (Blumas) and Casey having arguments with her mom (Cusack) about even wanting to be an ice skater, and you have a nearly perfect coming of age film for teenage girls.

Revisited almost a decade after watching it the first time, it's still a pretty good film.

Not too sugary, not too sappy.

The characters come off multidimensional and not just wooden stereotypes, and that is always a plus.

It's a Disney film, so you pretty much know what you're getting into, but they still do a good job of not telegraphing every moment of the film.

So if you've got teen or tween daughters, here's a movie you can watch along with them, and there's not a sparkling vampire to be found.

:)

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I meant to buy it years ago but never did.  We'll see if I pick it up before or after my next teen/tweens outgrow it. ;)