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Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone is the first movie that I could quote in its entirety line for line and I was maybe 6 years old at the time. I watched the movie for the first time on VHS when I was 5 years old.
The film is the first holiday tradition that I ever had. Christmas just doesn’t seem like Christmas without watching Home Alone at some point.
It’s the movie that boosted Macauley Culkin to superstardom while simultaneously dooming his acting career. Forever, he will always be known as Kevin McCallister, the little boy whose family forgot about him and left him home alone. Thanks to Home Alone, Culkin is the most famous child actor ever. However, Home Alone was the peak of his career and he was only 10 years old at the time. He could never, and will never top that movie, no matter how hard he tries.
Home Alone was touted as the family comedy without the family and it was exactly that. I don’t know if I have ever met anybody who has not seen the film. That is how popular it is. Everybody has seen it.
So, for all of the newborns out there who weren’t in their mother’s womb over Christmastime, the movie is about Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin), an 8-year-old boy who gets left at home when his big family goes on a trip to Paris for the holidays. He is left to fend for himself and forced to defend his home against two stupid criminals.
The film was written by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The rest of the noteworthy cast includes Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, John Candy, Devin Ratray, Larry Hankin, Gerry Bamman, and Keiran Culkin.
Home Alone has been one of my favorite movies ever since my childhood. It’s festive, heartfelt and hysterical. It’s everything that a family comedy should be.
Macauley Culkin did an excellent job for his age. Pesci and Stern gave priceless performances as the knuckleheads who insist on trying to rob the McCallister’s residence, even after knowing a little kid is home.
It’s a John Hughes classic that never gets old, no matter how many times you watch it. Trust me, I know. I’ve seen this movie more times that I could ever count.
I rate this movie a 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
If you enjoyed Home Alone than you will most likely enjoy:
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 2
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 2
If you are thinking about renting a movie from the Redbox, you might want to read this list to help you decide exactly which movie to rent.
Here is another edition of my top 13 current Redbox movies, back by popular demand.
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews September 2013
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews August 2013
Click on this link to read Current Redbox Movie Reviews July 2013
Click on this link to read Vol. 1 from 2/10/13.
Click on this link to read Vol. 3 from 4/21/13.
Click on this link to read Vol. 4 from 5/9/13.
I have updated the list based on all the movies that are currently available to rent at the Redbox as of 3/14/13. They will change some of the titles weekly, but the list should still be pretty accurate for a while and hopefully be able to help you find a good movie to rent. I have included the DVD covers and previews. If a movie doesn’t have a cover or preview above it, simply click on the title for my full review of the movie along with the poster artwork and preview.
I do not claim to have seen all of the movies that are currently available at the Redbox, but I have seen 67 of them. Of those 67 movies, here is the list of my top 13 Current Redbox movies:
1. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) My Rating: 10
3. Ted (2012)
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) My Rating: 9
5. The Raid: Redemption (2011)
8. Looper (2012) My Rating: 8.5
9. Titanic (1997) My Rating: 8.5
11. Flight (2012)
12. Sinister (2012)
13. Moneyball (2011) My Rating: 8
You really can’t go wrong with any movie on this list. Next time you’re going to the Redbox, I recommend consulting this list. They are in my opinion, the best current Redbox movies.
Now that you have seen my recommended Redbox movies, check out my list of movies to stay away from. Click on the link below:
Top 13 Disappointing Current Redbox Movies
Are you a fan of Netflix? Click on the following links below for Netflix related material:
Netflix Watch Instantly Movie Reviews September 2013
20 Best Drama Movies Based on Real Life Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
20 Best Classics Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Mind-bending Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Romantic Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best War/Military Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Gritty Action/Thriller Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
Frankenweenie (2012)
One of the darkest, creepiest Disney kids movies that I can recall in recent years.
The awesome, unique animation was obviously influenced by the warped brilliance of Director Tim Burton. It is basically the love child of The Nightmare before Christmas (1993) and Corpse Bride (2005). Ever since Burton made a name for his crazy self when he directed Beetlejuice (1988), every one of his movies has been a visually stunning work of art.
Burton takes the classic Frankenstein (1931) and puts it in a blender with Lassie Come Home (1943), Pet Sematary (1989), The Mummy (1932), Dracula (1931), The Wolfman (1941), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Gremlins (1984), and Godzilla (1954). The monster that is created from this movie concoction goes by the name of Frankenweenie.
Frankenweenie is a touching, heartfelt, twisted tale of a boy’s love for his dog, Sparky. After a Sparky dies in a terrible accident, the boy cannot cope. He tries to use science to bring his beloved dog back from the dead. His classmates think that he is doing the experiment to win the trophy at the science fair. In order to compete, the students try to raise dead animals of their own.
The entire film has a classic old-movie feel that is incredible. It is the first full-length animated film that I have seen that has achieved the sense of an earlier time in such a realistic way.
The movie has a handful of big names (Martin Short, Martin Landau, Catherine O’Hara, and Winona Ryder) that supply some of the characters voices.
Fun facts: O’Hara and Ryder played stepmother and stepdaughter in Beetlejuice. The character that Ryder voiced actually looked a lot like she did in Beetlejuice. Landau was in Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Ed Wood (1994).
The movie is rated PG. Parental guidance is suggested. I highly suggest that you view this movie before you show it to your little ones. It was pretty frightening for a Disney movie. That being said, you might just get pulled into this funny, clever, tender, superbly crafted film.
I rate this movie an 8.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
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