Something Special Under The Hood..."Monster Trucks"

Monster Trucks (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Thomas Lennon, Barry Pepper, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover,

Directed by Chris Wedge

The Story:

When a previously undiscovered species is found while drilling for oil, the company bigwig (Lowe) decides to keep things hush hush so that he can keep drilling. Except one escapes and is discovered by Tripp (Till) who tries to help it stay one step ahead of the company that's trying to get it back. Using the creature's unique abilities, they will embark on a mission to free the other creatures that the company has captive and return them all to the wild.

Awwww...

This one is definitely geared for kids, which is always apparent when it comes from Nickelodeon Studios.

That said, at least it is entertaining enough to keep the adults entertained that decide to watch alongside their little movie watching buddies.

They've peppered (no pun intended) the film with some very familiar faces and names to up the star power, but naturally, it's Till and the creatures that provide the framework for 90% of the film.

Harmless fun for the whole family, and I'll rarely complain about that.

Final Grade: C+

Not Satisfying At All..."Good Burger"

Good Burger (1997)

Rated PG

Starring Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Sinbad, Abe Vigoda, Shar Jackson,

Directed by Brian Robbins

The Story:

Two...

You know what, no.

Never mind.

Not worth my time.

Welcome to 8 of the unfunniest minutes I've ever endured in cinematic history.

Nickelodeon Studios 2nd effort at a movie apparently originated as a sketch on one of their shows in the late 90s.

This reminds me of why I never really bothered letting the kids watch Nickelodeon back in the day.

Or any day for that matter.

:)

This one was offered up to me on one of the many subsections of Netflix thinking I might like to try it.

It was aimed at kids 4-7, which I've still got running around the house. So I thought, hey, I'll give it a try and see if I can find another fun one to share with the kids.

And, just so we're clear, I've tried several Nickelodeon films over the years, and there are some, like Snow Day, that we absolutely love.

But this, just unfunny from the word go.

Final Grade: F-

Not A Christmas Movie, But Would You Settle For A "Snow Day" ?

Snow Day (2000)

Rated PG

Starring Mark Webber, Zena Grey, Jean Smart, Chevy Chase, John Schneider, Chris Elliot, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Schulyer Fisk,

Directed by Chris Koch

The Story:

Upstate New York is hit with a massive snow storm. Natalie (Grey) wants to ensure the kids have something they've never enjoyed before: a second snow day! To do that, the kids will need to stop snowplow man (Elliot), but when Natalie's brother (Webber) bails for romance, it's up to Natalie to ensure Snow Day 2 happens for the neighborhood. Meanwhile, their dad (Chase) is the local meteorologist who is jealous of his rival station's weatherman (Schneider). However, before the Snow Day is over, maybe everyone in the family will get their wish.

From Nickelodeon Studios, I ran across this little gem for the first time a few years ago.

We watched it, and became huge fans.

It's a lot of fun watching the kids attempt to stop the evil of the snow plow and the great lengths they go through to stop his reign of terror!

Meanwhile, Hal spends the day trying to woo the popular girl in school, and yet the girl of his dreams is actually much closer than he realizes.

Perhaps the magic of the snow day will reveal his heart's desire.

Chase gets to have a little fun, Clark Griswold dialed back to about 7, but he does get to do another sled run pratfall.

His run-in with his on-screen rival at the end is pretty fun stuff.

As mentioned in the title, while this doesn't have any Christmas happenings, we've added it to our list of movies that get watched around Thanksgiving through January, though this one gets popped in whenever the mood strikes.
 
Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing (but it's only going to last until New Years Day!)

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: This one gets watched at least once during Christmas time, and any other time we're feeling winter-y!