Eckstrom, Lauren

Two Bits and Pepper

A run for adventure becomes a brush with danger when best friends Tyler and Katie team up with two special ponies! When Tyler s mother refuses to allow her and Tyler to ride the two go anyway. But when they are kidnapped their adventure takes a turn for the worse. But Two Bits and Pepper won t let anything happen to their friends and soon the two ponies are hot on their tail!Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 692865357339 Manufacturer No: T-3573

Star Kid

A diminuitive, 12-year-old boy named Spencer (Joseph Mazzello of Jurassic Park and The River Wild) has been hit with every whammy possible: he's new in town, he's motherless, his preoccupied father and bored sister have no time for him, he's speechless each time he's near a girl he likes, and the school bully would like to dance on his head. Blessed are beleaguered boys in movies, however, for sometimes high adventure awaits. In Spencer's case, things get better when he finds a seven-foot-tall, alien robot suit that becomes one with whoever climbs inside it. Locked inside the metallic visitor, our little hero is capable of super feats and naturally goes after his tormentor. He also inadvertently leaves a lot of wreckage in his path from unfamiliarity with the suit's size and controls. This family film's message, of course, is that nothing can really make one stronger than learning to face problems within one's own skin. Then again, most people don't end up having to fend off hostile extraterrestrials who come to Earth to steal the suit for their own nefarious purposes. Written and directed by Manny Coto, this charming story relies a bit on some clever, well-executed special effects (the look of the robot's face as seen from inside itself is particularly ingenious), but it is largely driven by its actors' abilities. --Tom Keogh

The Amanda Show - Amanda, Please! (Volume 1)

This Nickelodeon sketch comedy series hosted by young comedienne Amanda Bynes is as fresh today as during its 1999-2000 run with still-timely jabs at reality shows, teen dramas, and fan obsession. Byne and her young castmates manage to have a goofily good time at no one's expense. In these two 22-minute episodes (#214 and #217), the cast manages to skewer hillbillies and (unidentifiable) immigrants without offending, probably because the other characters get theirs, as well, including a hapless Danny Bonaduce as an outraged video store customer. JudgeTrudy and her bailiff survive a reality-show challenge in the middle of an Oklahoman parking lot, Mr. Gullible tries to be a good sport during a school fire drill, and Penelope Taint, Amanda's no. 1 fan, is able to prove her case. This innuendo-free comedy is appropriate for all ages, but will be most understood by ages 7 and older. --Kimberly Heinrichs

The Amanda Show - The Girls' Room (Volume 2)

Star Kid [Region 2]

A diminuitive, 12-year-old boy named Spencer (Joseph Mazzello of Jurassic Park and The River Wild) has been hit with every whammy possible: he's new in town, he's motherless, his preoccupied father and bored sister have no time for him, he's speechless each time he's near a girl he likes, and the school bully would like to dance on his head. Blessed are beleaguered boys in movies, however, for sometimes high adventure awaits. In Spencer's case, things get better when he finds a seven-foot-tall, alien robot suit that becomes one with whoever climbs inside it. Locked inside the metallic visitor, our little hero is capable of super feats and naturally goes after his tormentor. He also inadvertently leaves a lot of wreckage in his path from unfamiliarity with the suit's size and controls. This family film's message, of course, is that nothing can really make one stronger than learning to face problems within one's own skin. Then again, most people don't end up having to fend off hostile extraterrestrials who come to Earth to steal the suit for their own nefarious purposes. Written and directed by Manny Coto, this charming story relies a bit on some clever, well-executed special effects (the look of the robot's face as seen from inside itself is particularly ingenious), but it is largely driven by its actors' abilities. --Tom Keogh

Star Kid [Region 2]

A diminuitive, 12-year-old boy named Spencer (Joseph Mazzello of Jurassic Park and The River Wild) has been hit with every whammy possible: he's new in town, he's motherless, his preoccupied father and bored sister have no time for him, he's speechless each time he's near a girl he likes, and the school bully would like to dance on his head. Blessed are beleaguered boys in movies, however, for sometimes high adventure awaits. In Spencer's case, things get better when he finds a seven-foot-tall, alien robot suit that becomes one with whoever climbs inside it. Locked inside the metallic visitor, our little hero is capable of super feats and naturally goes after his tormentor. He also inadvertently leaves a lot of wreckage in his path from unfamiliarity with the suit's size and controls. This family film's message, of course, is that nothing can really make one stronger than learning to face problems within one's own skin. Then again, most people don't end up having to fend off hostile extraterrestrials who come to Earth to steal the suit for their own nefarious purposes. Written and directed by Manny Coto, this charming story relies a bit on some clever, well-executed special effects (the look of the robot's face as seen from inside itself is particularly ingenious), but it is largely driven by its actors' abilities. --Tom Keogh