Gift Subscriptions
Cameron Monaghan
A 12-year-old boy with a tricked-out mountaintop fort attempts to foil three bumbling jewel thieves in search of a valuable dog collar in this fast-paced family comedy that's fun for parents and children alike. Wherever there are valuable jewels, notorious stone stealer Jackie Seemore is sure to be close by. On the heels of his latest heist, Jackie has disguised himself as a blind nun and is about to be picked up at Cedarville Airport by his two dimwitted assistants, Bud and Arty. Led through the airport by a Seeing Eye dog with an especially luminous collar, Jackie has donned a false veneer that is so effective even his most trusted sidekicks don't recognize him. Later, when the villainous trio pulls into a nearby rest stop to clean up, they have a chance run in with precocious adolescent Owen. Recognizing that the dog is unhappy being teased by Bud and Arty, Owen befriends the tormented animal -- which subsequently escapes into the nearby woods. Upon finding the frightened dog, Owen brings her to his secret hideout that was built upon a nearby mountaintop and fortified with booby-traps to keep away the local bullies. But Owen isn't the only person who resides on this mountaintop, because according to local legend a frightful old man deemed "The Madman of the Mountain" resides somewhere on this formidable hill as well. Naming the dog "Diamond" for her sparkling collar, the brave young boy vows to defend her from Jackie and his henchmen at all costs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Benward, Brittany Curran, (more)
A hit Broadway musical in 1957 and an equally successful Hollywood film in 1962, Meredith Willson's The Music Man was again brought before the cameras in this lavish made-for-TV adaptation. Standing in for the original's Robert Preston is Matthew Broderick as "Professor" Harold Hill, a glib traveling salesman who descends upon the town of River City, IA, in the weeks just prior to the Fourth of July celebration of 1912. Persuading the populace that the youth of River City is in great danger of being corrupted by the presence of a new pool table, Hill convinces them that their only hope for salvation is the organization of a boy's band, with himself as a leader. Naturally, this will require the parents to shell out good money for band instruments and uniforms, and in exchange, Hill promises to teach the kids how to make music by utilizing his revolutionary "Think System." There's only one problem: Harold Hill is an out-and-out con artist, who doesn't know one note from another. Even so, he manages to win over everybody in town except local librarian/music teacher Marian Paroo (Kristin Chenoweth) and thick-eared Mayor Shinn (Victor Garber). Ultimately, however, Marian joins Hill's camp -- mainly because he has brought her sullen brother, Winthrop (Cameron Monaghan), out of his shell -- but as July Fourth approaches, Hill faces exposure and arrest thanks to a vengeful anvil salesman named Charlie Cowell (Patrick McKenna). A meticulously faithful rendition of the Broadway original, The Music Man happily includes all of the show's wonderful songs, among them "Ya Got Trouble," "Seventy-Six Trombones," "The Sadder-But-Wiser Girl," "Lida Rose," "Marian the Librarian," "Pickalittle," "Til There Was You," and "My White Knight" (which was not used in the 1962 movie adaptation). Though some critics found Matthew Broderick a bit too lightweight and Jeff Bleckner's direction a tad gimmicky, no one could fault the full-bodied vocal renditions, nor the consistently inventive choreography of Kathleen Marshall. Produced by the same team responsible for the 2003 movie smash Chicago, The Music Man debuted February 16, 2003, as an "expanded" episode of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, (more)
- 2006
- G
- AddThe Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clauseto QueueAddThe Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clauseto top of Queue
Tim Allen returns as a regular guy-turned-Jolly Old Elf in the second sequel to the 1994 hit The Santa Clause. Scott Calvin (Tim Allen), who doubles as Santa Claus, has settled into his home at the North Pole with his new wife, Carol (Elizabeth Mitchell), and is preparing for another Christmas when he receives a visitor -- Jack Frost (Martin Short), the cold-weather sprite who has been sent to help out St. Nick by Mother Nature (Aisha Tyler) and Father Time (Peter Boyle) after making a scene at a meeting of the Council of Legendary Figures. However, while Jack is supposed to acting as an assistant to Santa, he has a habit of making things go haywire, and as it happens this is no mistake -- Jack is hoping that an exasperated Santa will quit his position so Jack can take over and finally have a holiday he can bend to his will. Meanwhile, Scott has invited Carol's parents, Bud (Alan Arkin) and Sylvia (Ann-Margaret), over for a long-promised visit, but since he needs to keep his other identity a secret, he and his elves are forced to go to great lengths to convince them that they're actually in Northern Canada. Wendy Crewson, Judge Reinhold, and Spencer Breslin also reprise their roles from the first two Santa Clause films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Allen, Elizabeth Mitchell, (more)
