Less than a year after Ron Howard played a college-bound adolescent enjoying a final, summer-of-1962 romp with old friends in American Graffiti, he turned up as high school innocent Richie Cunningham in the memorable, ABC television network debut of Happy Days, set a few years earlier in Milwaukee. The show would last a decade and go through many changes in tone, cast, and character development, but that first season got a boost from the natural perception that it had some things in common with Graffiti: Howard, of course, but also fumbling teenage sex, drag races, drive-in food, pesky little sisters, and laconic greasers.

Happy Days: The Complete First Season is a sweet trip back to the Garry Marshall-produced sitcom's 1974 entry in primetime television, before political correctness would make stories about clean-cut boys fixated on seducing girls unthinkable, and long before older kids were defined by angst on the WB and Fox TV. At least in its first year, before Happy Days developed more of a comic-book feel and energy, the show was about Richie's all-too-human inclination to grow up too fast, to bite off more than he could chew and learn poignant lessons in the process. He was a sympathetic naif, not the charming braggart he later became, and major characters appear to have been created to provide both ballast and motivation. Among them is best friend Potsie (Anson Williams), a superficial hustler who typically incites Richie's enthusiasm for booze, reputed nymphomaniacs, and sophisticated, older girls, and fast-talking Ralph Malph (Donny Most), owner of a fantastic, yellow hot rod. More important are counterparts Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler), a vaguely dangerous drop-out, and Richie's exasperated father, Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley), each of whom provides Richie the validation of an experienced male: Fonzie's raw worldliness versus Mr. C's seasoned view of a man's responsibilities. First-season highlights include the pilot episode (co-written by Rob Reiner), "All the Way," in which Richie's typical decency allows him to see past the sex-mad reputation of an amiable girl from school. Season closer "Be the First on Your Block" finds the Cunninghams' plans to build a bomb shelter turning into a popularity contest as Richie's friends vie for a guaranteed spot in the event of nuclear war.

Jokes flew fast and furious, as did guest stars--Ben Stiller, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Christine Taylor, Thomas Jane, Ed Begley Jr., Ione Skye, and Zach Braff among them--making it hard to keep straight who was doing what and why. No matter, as each of the episodes was in and of itself was a perfect gem of comedy, strung together by sharp writing and fantastic performances. In addition to the regular cast, both Liza Minnelli, reprising her role as "Lucille Two," and Martin Short, as an, um, eccentric family friend, deserve special mention, with the episode both appeared in, "Ready, Aim, Marry Me," a frenetic exercise in slapstick farce. Typical examples of the show's offbeat humor were found in "Afternoon Delight," in which various members of the Bluth family discover the true meaning of the '70s ballad, "Meet the Veals," wherein the Bluths encounter the conservative parents of George Michael's girlfriend, and "Motherboy XXX," surrounding an unsettling mother-son traditional dance. The entire cast cohered perfectly through this season, and their give and take provided a perfect balance among the actors, all of whom were even better than the previous year. However, it's Bateman who should be singled out as the show's anchor, mixing dry sarcasm with impeccable comic timing. Despite plummeting ratings, Arrested Development didn't just keep its head above water, it swam with grace and hilarity.

When The Lords of Flatbush was released in 1974, Sylvester Stallone was still an unknown actor polishing his screenplay for Rocky, and Henry Winkler was approaching TV superstardom as "Fonzie" in the first season of Happy Days. In this modest, low-budget feature, they play second and third fiddle (respectively) to Perry King, whose respectable career, ironically, would never reach such stratospheric heights. As for their costar and diminutive fourth "Lord of Flatbush," Paul Mace appeared in only one more movie after this (Stallone's Paradise Alley), and was killed in a 1983 traffic accident at the age of 33. Such is the random nature of fame and fate.

The movie itself is noteworthy mostly for the pre-stardom appearances of Stallone and Winkler, and a strong costarring role for that most ubiquitous of '70s actresses, Susan Blakely. Despite its amateurish style, muddy sound quality, and rambling scenes that have casual appeal but minimal narrative momentum, the movie is blessed with laid-back authenticity, recognizing the value of awkward pauses and jumpy rhythms of conversation. The ensemble of self-named Lords--four leather-clad rebels in 1957 Brooklyn, moving reluctantly toward adulthood--is solidly cast, and even the most familiar scenes (like making out at a drive-in showing From Here to Eternity) ring with engaging truth. Codirector Martin Davidson later covered similar territory in Eddie and the Cruisers, and Barry Levinson transcended this shoestring affair with his 1980 classic Diner, but The Lords of Flatbush stands on its own as an earnest and lightly entertaining drama that boosted its costars to bigger and better things.

In Depression-era New England, a miserly businessman named Benedict Slade receives a long-overdue attitude adjustment one Christmas eve when he is visited by three ghostly figures who resemble three of the people whose possessions Slade had seized to collect on unpaid loans. Assuming the roles of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future from Charles Dickens' classic story, the three apparitions force Slade to face the consequences of his skinflint ways, and he becomes a caring, generous, amiable man.

Ron Howard's breakthrough film as a director launched Michael Keaton as a screen comic. In this film, he is teamed with a hangdog Henry Winkler as a pair of night attendants at a city morgue. Thinking entrepreneurially, Keaton (as the flakier half of the team) convinces a reluctant Winkler that they could kill two birds with one stone and use their quiet surroundings to start a call-girl business. The first girl in the stable of these unlikely pimps: Shelley Long, pre-Cheers. Given the rather tasteless subject matter (ever really met a happy hooker?), it's surprisingly good fun, ignited by the chemistry between the nebbish Winkler and the jet-propelled Keaton, who seized this role and used it to shoot him to stardom--and into several years of stinkers. Meanwhile, the film was supposed to help Winkler segue from the Fonz on Happy Days to a career acting in movies, but whatever happened to him?

Truman Capote's classic Depression-era short story is well served in One Christmas, an earnest holiday heartwarmer from the folks at Hallmark Entertainment. It's got all the sentiment one would expect from a Hallmark TV movie, but director Tony Bill knows just how to moderate the maudlin and focus on genuine emotions (as he did for his big-screen releases Untamed Heart and A Home of Our Own). Of course it never hurts to have Katharine Hepburn on board for some high-class pedigree: In her final performance the Hollywood legend goes out on a high note, delivering a pivotal scene about living life with no regrets, and she may just as well be describing her own independent spirit. The great Kate plays a wealthy New Orleans socialite whose spinster niece (Swoosie Kurtz, giving the film's best performance) is vulnerable to the gold-digging charms of a con artist (Henry Winkler) whose estranged 8-year-old son (T.J. Lowther, from Clint Eastwood's A Perfect World) has arrived from Alabama with high expectations that his father can't meet. Dashed hopes and cynical behavior threaten to ruin the boy's Christmas, but Bill and his esteemed cast stay true to the well-earned sentiment of Capote's story, arriving at a moment of fatherly redemption that is nicely accented by Van Dyke Parks's understated score. You'd have to be a Scrooge to disapprove.

In the vein of "187" and "The Substitute" comes this explosive thriller based on a true story. While students at a local high school prepare for the annual prom and graduation, a tense game of wits develops when Jason Copeland (Rick Schroder), a former student with a grudge, plans to take over the school. Only through the courage of one student, Aaron Sullivan (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and police negotiator, Skip Fine (Henry Winkler), do the students stand a chance in this edge-of-your-seat thriller!

I am an air traffic controller and this movie is a comedy to me. It is so far removed from reality it is absolutely hysterical. This movie makes "Pushing Tin" look like a documentary. I think airline pilots will also be highly entertained by the flight sequences....especially where the airplane transforms into at least 3 different types during the flight. The only thing in the movie that is realistic is the different ways controllers handle stress. The rest of the stuff....equipment, procedures, phraseology is total fantasy. People in the aviation industry will love it as a comedy, while people not in the know seem to enjoy it as a drama.

Adam Sandler vaulted into the $20-million-salary stratosphere with this, his second $100-million hit in 1998--a movie that further shows just how deeply embedded he is in the Jerry Lewis tradition of idiot comedy. He plays Bobby Boucher, a backwoods Cajun and a mentally challenged individual with a fixation on water: specifically, on serving the coolest, most refreshing H2O available to the college football team he has served since he was an adolescent. But when he's fired from his position, he takes up a similar job with a lowlier college team coached by neurotic Henry Winkler. One day at practice, Bobby loses his temper and delivers a bone-shaking tackle to the starting quarterback; before he can say, "blackened crawdads," he's the star of the team and leading it to a bowl game. But it's all against the wishes of his overprotective mother (Kathy Bates), who wants to keep her Bobby to herself--and that includes keeping him away from the floozy girlfriend (Fairuza Balk) who's sweet on him. There are two kinds of people in this world: People who find Sandler funny and people who view him as a neon-lit symbol of the decline of popular taste. You know who you are and, based on that, you can decide whether this is a movie for you.

Wow! this movie is good for the whole family! but the only reason why i got this is so i can se the beautiful Jessica Alba, she has a cool New York accent and shows a different side of her. The other kids performance was funny, when they were wrestling in there room, i laughed my butt off. I loved this movie and i loved Jessica's performance! if your a Jessica Alba fan then go out and gt this!

Al (Freddie Prinze Jr., from She's All That and I Know What You Did Last Summer) and Imogen (Julia Stiles from 10 Things I Hate About You) take turns narrating the story of their college romance. Al has a celebrity chef for a father (an amusing turn from Henry Winkler) and a rising porn star for a best friend (Zak Orth). The dialogue is stale, the story flounders, and the movie can't seem to decide whether it wants to be a sweet romance or a social satire. Down to You keeps dropping into odd fantasy bits that have nothing to do with, well, much of anything. But all the stars--including Selma Blair (Cruel Intentions) and Shawn Hatosy (Outside Providence) are pleasant and well groomed (well, except for Hatosy, who bears the brunt of being the poster boy for every fad of the '90s), and the soundtrack (featuring Cibo Matto, early David Bowie, Yo La Tengo, and others) is excellent.

Three actors - classically trained, but unemployed - can't even snag the typical black film roles like the thief or the pimp or the cop in this hilarious trip through the racial stereotypes of Hollywood. All the good..and bad...parts are going to rappers. Blind Justice's Reno Wilson, Dennis Pressey and Garth Belcon star as the longtime friends who step up their game fast. They teach themselves how to rap ("basically iambic pentameter"), get the right clothes and attitude, and suddenly they're playing the parts of their lives as members of the hottest group around - Large Money Mercenaries, or LMM! Clueless music and film executives (Ted Danson, Henry Winkler) help to skyrocket the band to fame. But keeping it real as gangsta rappers without breaking character is a lot harder than it looks!

Fans of author Louis Sachar's book Holes will be delighted with this scrupulously faithful adaptation. After being wrongly found guilty of stealing a pair of sneakers, Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf) gets sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility in the bed of a long-gone dry Texas lake. There--under the watchful eye of overseer Mr. Sir (a zesty Jon Voight), sneakily mean therapist Dr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson, O Brother Where Art Thou?), and the cool and cruel Warden (Sigourney Weaver)--Stanley and dozens of other delinquents are forced to dig an endless series of holes that the Warden hopes will lead her to a precious secret left behind by a long-dead female outlaw (Patricia Arquette). Sachar's book is beloved for its vivid characters and suspenseful plot; by sticking close to its source, Holes has become a dynamic, exciting, and surprisingly touching movie.

Looking for a Dramatic movie that has some laughs in it?? No...they don't do dumb things like bumping eachother over the head with bricks...it's the funny things they say. If you are into good commedy, you'll love this movie. Lines such as "My gosh i'm shrinking....when i die you can burry me in a shoe box" is just an example of the laughs and tears this movie has in store for YOU!

When Burt Reynolds made his welcome comeback in Boogie Nights, he was doing his best to distance himself from the painful memory of movies like this unbearable 1993 comedy, which is almost saved by its generic good nature. Reynolds plays a seasoned cop teamed with an 8-year-old kid who dreams of someday wearing a real detective's badge. The movie takes place in Tampa, Florida, where little Devon Butler (Norman D. Golden II) witnesses a crime and is questioned by police for details. He'll tell what he knows, but only if he's allowed to be a cop for a while. The kid-hating Reynolds ends up the kid's reluctant partner. It's all done as a lark, of course, but the kid turns out to be a pretty good crime-fighter, and Reynolds comes to care for him when things get rough on their latest case. This ridiculous premise is every bit as contrived as it sounds. If you don't buy into it, Cop and a Half is about as enjoyable as a bout of influenza. If you can go with the flow, however (and that takes some effort), you may find yourself enjoying the chemistry between Reynolds and his half-pint partner. Director Henry Winkler makes it clear that it's all in the spirit of good, clean (and painfully formulaic) fun. Some will call it "cute," so let's not spoil their fun by suggesting otherwise.

This a "must-have" for anyone with kids, anyone with parents, or teachers or anyone just wanting to feel good about people again. No saccharine sentiments, just an honest and genuine view of a real family going through all the tribulations and joys of "family".
Imagine your family multiplied by twenty. An adventure every day!

The adventures of children's book character Clifford the Big Red Dog, set when Emily Elizabeth adopted him as a puppy.

As the theme to Clifford's Puppy Days puts it, "Love makes little things grow." Best known as "The Big, Red Dog," Clifford was once a tiny pup. Divided into "New Friends" and "Little Puppy, Big Adventures," the DVD features eight stories. Part One: Clifford (voiced by Lara Miller, taking over from John Ritter of the original series) has fun in the sun with Emily Elizabeth in "Keeping Cool"; Emily Elizabeth can't find her lucky sock in "Socks and Snooze"; the gang hears strange sounds coming from an apartment in "The Monster in 3B"; and kittens Flo and Zo raise a ruckus in "Cat-Tastrophe." Part Two: Clifford makes new friends in "Jorge and the Dog Run"; the gang forms a story group in "Clifford's Club House"; Clifford becomes an artist in "Paw Print Picasso"; and Emily Elizabeth learns about guide dogs in "Hup Hup." Clifford-s Puppy Days teaches tolerance, cooperation, and responsibility in a fun, big-hearted way. (Ages 3 to 7)