“Harlem Hostel” is an unpretentious little film about a group of friends who decide to turn a run-down brownstone into a youth hostel to make ends meet. At times the film looks as low-budget as its setting, but with an appealing cast and a better-than-average script with a touch of sweetness, this is worth a look.
Want to give it a try? The first four people to send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with “Harlem” in the subject line will win a DVD.
NOTE: DVDs provided by the studio; all opinions are my own.
The Lifetime television series “Drop Dead Diva” was one of the happiest television series surprises of 2009. As it returns for a second season, the first is out on DVD and I have one copy to give away.
It’s the story of a young woman who gets a second chance at life when she finds her soul in a new body very different from the one she knew. Deb is a pretty model who takes for granted all the good things that come to her because she is young, blond, and conventionally beautiful. She has a best friend, Stacey (April Bowlby), also a model, and a handsome fiancee Grayson (Jackson Hurst), a lawyer.
Deb is killed in a car crash. In Heaven, she is evaluated as a “zero.” She has not committed any major sins but she has not made any great contributions, either. So, she is sent back to Earth, this time in the body of a just-deceased size-sixteen lawyer named Jane (Brooke Elliott).
And so a woman who lived on her beauty has to become a woman who lives on her brains. Deb learns what it is like to be dismissed and marginalized based on the way she looks. She learns how much she can accomplish with knowledge and understanding. And she realizes how much she misses Grayson, who works in Jane’s law firm, and wonders if she can make him fall in love with her even though she is no longer blonde and slim.
The show is delightful, with a strong writing, a terrific cast, and some well-chosen guest stars, including “Project Runway’s” Tim Gunn and real-life divas Paula Abdul and Rosie O’Donnell. But in every way the heart of the series is Elliott, who is utterly charming as Deb/Jane. Can’t wait to see what she does next.
Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com and tell me your favorite “Drop Dead Diva” moment. The first to respond will get the DVD set of the first season. Enjoy!
Stay tuned this week as I have all sorts of surprises and giveaways including goodies for children and their parents! DVD prizes include a popular Lifetime series, a sizzling crime story, and a drama about three friends struggling to balance work, home, and their own dreams. Good luck and enjoy!
One of the biggest critical and box office successes of last year is The Blind Side, the heartwarming real-life story of professional football player Michael Oher, who has a homeless black teenager was adopted by a wealthy white family. Sandra Bullock’s Oscar-winning performance as Leigh Anne Touhy is outstanding but everyone in the cast, including Tim McGraw as her husband Sean and Quinton Aaron as Oher.
I have two copies to give away! Please send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with “Blind Side” in the subject line, and tell me what you like best about the movie. The first two will win the DVD.
And I am also excited about the chance to give away some “Wild Things” goodies! I have three Wild Things toys, a calendar, and a DVD-Blu-Ray combo pack.
· Higgelty Piggelty Pop! An all-new short featuring the voices of Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker
· HBO First Look featurette
· 8 Webisodes:
o The Absurd Difficulty of Filming a Dog Running and Barking at the Same Time
o The Big Prank
o Vampire Attack
o The Kids Take Over the Picture
o Maurice and Spike
o Max and Spike
o The Records Family
o Carter Burwell
Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com and tell me why kids love Wild Things. Put Wild Things and “toy,” “calendar,” or “DVD-Blu-Ray” in the subject line. The first in each category will win the prize. Only one entry per family and US addresses only, please. Note: prizes provided by Warner Brothers. All views expressed are my own.
