Is it worth it Wednesdays:Family Favorites 10 movie collection from Universal

Media-DVD
Title-Family Favorites 10 movie collection
Company-Universal
Price-$8
One thing I love is that since Blu Ray has started becoming more and more popular,lots of companies are putting out sets like this. Where over 4 DVDs we get 10 movies.Sure there is no extras. But at such a cheap price I didn't expect any extras. When I saw this on the shelf I grabbed it because Matinee and Sgt Bilko are in the set. It wasn't until I got home that I realized it had 5 total films on it I had seen and liked.

Cloak and Dagger-This was a film I really wanted to see when it came out. But for some reason I just never rented it. It is a damn fun film with Henry Thomas of ET fame as a young kid who just recently lost his Mother. So he gets heavy into the Cloak and Dagger RPG and video game.While I do enjoy it seeing it as an adult I bet if I had seen this as a kid it would have been a film that I watched over and over again.

The Wizard-When this film came out,while I was really into video games and the NES,I was outside the movie's target demographic.And over the years since then all I heard is how it is a 1 1/2 hour commercial for Super Mario Brothers 3 disguised as a movie. I watched it and it isn't horrible. But it isn't something I see myself watching again.

Cop and a Half-And another film I had never seen.This came out in the early 90s. And I wasn't watching "comedy" films aimed at young kids. Plus outside of Smokey and the Bandit and the sitcom Evening Shade I have never been much of a Burt Reynolds fan. I tried to give this film a fair chance. But after sitting through 30 minutes and not laughing once I turned it off.

King Ralph-I find John Goodman very under-rated.And Peter O'Toole is usually pretty funny.Before buying this set I had seen King Ralph one time years ago on Showtime. So when I saw it was included in this set I was pretty happy.The film actually holds up.Goodman is great as the everyman who thanks to a freak accident becomes British royality.Sure it is your typical fish out of water story.But Goodman and O'Toole cause it to rise above the tropes of a very common film genre.

Matinee-Being a fan of William Castle I have loved Matinee since I saw it at the buck theater about a month after it had come out.I missed out on it's previous DVD release.And that version started selling for more than I am willing to pay.Set in south Florida during the Cuban missile crisis,this film is a nice blend of comedy and drama.And it has a great cast.John Goodman as the very William Castle like Lawrence Woolsey. Kellie Martin,who I have always thought is so under-rated,is so good as Sherry. And I love that Dick Miller shows up in the film with in a film Mant!

Sgt. Bilko-Thanks to my father I grew up watching reruns of The Phil Silvers Show. When this film came out I wasn't going to go see it. Then about a year later I was in Hastings and wanted something to watch. Sgt. Bilko had already hit the 50 cent rental rack. I figured since it has Steve Martin and Phil Hartman it should be worth at least a few laughs. I was majorly surprised when I watched it and laughed so much my ribs were hurting.

Ghost Dad-I have a weird love/hate relationship with Bill Cosby. I love him on I Spy and the late 90s TV show Cosby. But The Cosby Show and all his films I haven't really cared for. I never watched this before buying this set.And after watching it,I doubt I ever watch it again. It was a very bland,safe,90s family comedy.

Ed-Outside of Top of the Heap I have not cared for anything Matt LeBlanc has done. I had not even heard of this mid 90s comedy before. One lazy day I put it on and even though I was barely paying attention,I had it on while I was on the computer,after 15 minutes I just gave up and shut it off.Again it might be because I am not who the film is targeted at.

A Simple Wish-This mid 90s fantasy/comedy really surprised me. I went in not expecting much at all from it. And got a fairly well done film. Martin Short is great as a fairy godmother in training. And Kathleen Turner is great as a former fairy godmother now turned into an evil witch. While I was watching the film I kept thinking that the young girl looked very familiar. So I looked her up on IMDB and realized I know her from Ms Doubtfire.If you have kids that are into the Harry Potter films this is a film they also might enjoy.

The Borrowers-Ok I just realized that 3 films on this set have John Goodman in them. Until The Secret World of Arrietty  this was the best adaptation of the classic children's novel. I didn't notice till re-watching this months ago that Hugh Laurie is in it. This is just a fun family film.

So was it worth it?-Yes,6 of the ten films are good or great. The other 4 are either total crap. Or stuff I will never watch again.6 good or great films for $8 is a good deal in my eyes.