Thomas, Dave

Strange Brew

Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis created their popular toque-wearing, beer-swigging "Great White North" hosers Bob and Doug McKenzie on the great TV comedy show SCTV to fulfill a Canadian broadcasting regulation that required Canadian shows to have a certain amount of "Canadian content." Bob and Doug became so popular that they made a hit record (Take Off, with Geddy Lee, nasalist with the Canadian rock band Rush) and this Major Motion Picture--filmed in "Hoserama." Bob and Doug are the Cheech and Chong of beer, so the plot involves the boys's attempt to scam a free case of Elsinore beer from the brewery, which is run by a mad scientist Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow), who wants to rule the world, like all mad scientists do. Strange Brew's intoxicating blend of hops and malt--er ... cleverness and silliness--earned it a loyal and well-deserved cult following. --Jim Emerson

What matters most in life eh? Hockey donuts and beer? A slab of back bacon? And did we mention beer? At least that's what matters most to Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie when they bring the goofy lunacy of SCTV's "The Great White North" to the great wide movie indoors.Running Time: 90 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/SLAPSTICK UPC: 012569519923 Manufacturer No: 65199

Bury Me in Niagra

Poochini: Coffee Dog

Poochini - The Christmas Tree

An upper-crust canine is adopted by a family stuck in the 1950s in this Saturday-morning fare. In the title episode, Christmas is three months away, but it's snowing so Dad digs up the chainsaw and piles the family into the sedan in search of the perfect tree. When bullies attack Dad and Billy, Poochini goes to fetch Mom and ends up in the sled chase to end all sled chases. "Squeaky Fromage" finds Billy teasing (torturing?) the highbrow dog with a low-rent cheese-shaped squeak toy. A nervous Nellie of a postal carrier feels threatened by the mild-mannered Poochini, necessitating a visit by a New Age dog therapist in "Puppy Obey." Primal scream, yoga, and hot coals jokes ensue. In "Nurture Dog," our hero adopts a baby left on the doorstep while the Whites are out. He tries to keep the infant under wraps, with predictably disastrous results. (Ages 3 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Poochini - Coffee Dog

This oddly stylistic cartoon features Poochini, a talking dog who dallies in mischief while living with a 1950s suburban family. Four short flicks comprise this half-hour program providing snippets of the pooch's new life after leaving an upper-crust home to be adopted by an eccentric inventor. In one tale, a coffee-brewing invention goes awry, turning Poochini into a caffeine-crazed canine on a neighborhood frenzy; in another, a bad bump on Poochini's head causes him to try on new identities as he grapples with amnesia. The best of the bunch begins when a gopher ransacks Billy's perfectly manicured lawn. When he and his dad team up to catch the critter, Poochini joins forces with the rascal rodent and slapstick antics prevail. Accompanied by smooth jazz, the cartoon is drawn in similar style to the famed Jetsons (1962), doused in avocado greens and mustard yellows suitable to yesteryear. While never ascending beyond Saturday morning fare, it's mildly engaging as such. (Ages 5 and older) --Lynn Gibson