I'd like to start a new game. Write a short "blurb": one paragraph with either a synopsis of the main plot (or of the major sub-plot) or a mini-review. But write it in such a way as to apply to two different movies.

House Rules:

ºTry to avoid sequels, series, knock-offs, etc.

ºAlso avoid "formula plots" (eg. "Man quits job, moves to inner city as teacher, inspires kids with his hobby.")

ºWhen guessing, if you have to "cheat" and use IMDb or other reference material own up to it, and wait a day or two in case someone who knows without help can answer.

First Blurb:

Siblings are sent from London to the countryside during the Blitz. They arrive at the home of an eccentric scholar, where an enchanted piece of furniture sends them to a fantastic land of talking animals.

"The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe"
"Bedknobs and Broomsticks"

(Maybe if you start a post with an answer you should include spoiler space to avoid your guess showing up in the "Last Day" view.)

"Although this can be criticized as just an attempt to copy the success of Mary Poppins, noting point-by-point similarities, it is saved by Angela Landsbury's performance. Miss Landsbury seems to revel in a chance to do something a little different from her usual roles."

(Sorry about that, I'll leave a space for last day spoilers from now on)

LAST DAY SPOILER SPACE

...

"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (one of my favorite movies as a child)
"Nanny McPhee"

"Clever wordplay, slapstick, an attractive female love interest, and Angela Lansbury are all things to watch out for in this comedy."

A farmboy, living with his uncle, gains possession of an important artifact, which is routed to him by a princess. The evil overlord is looking for this object. The boy ends the day looking out at the sunsset and dreaming of loftier things. Farmboy meets a wizened old hermit and learns that he has a "destiny" and a magical power. They are eventually accompanied by a rogue who helps them, and find a band of rebels determined to overthrow the evil leader. The now powerful farmboy flies his "fighter" while battling many enemies, but is the only hope for making the perfect shot to subdue the overlord's most powerful weapon. At least two sequels are destined to follow.

LAST DAY SPOILER SPACE

Guesses:
"Star Wars: A New Hope"
"Eregon"

Usually, there will be one "obvious" choice and one less known. For Merat's blurb, I can only think of one movie, and I suspect it is the less well known one, since there is something niggling me about the way the blurb is phrased. I'll probably wind up breaking down and checking IMDb, and then slapping my forehead.

Now for two totally different movies:

"Set in Manhattan's "Alphabet City" (Avenues A, B, etc.), the action of this movie musical takes place over the course of one year (from Christmas Eve to Christmas Eve) just before the calendar begins the new century. Follow the lives of the residents as they learn to enjoy life despite poverty and disease."

I'm hoping that the paucity of postings is due to the holidays rather than due to lack of interest, but I guess time will tell....

OK, even after consulting IMDb, I can't think of the more obvious answer to Merat's blurb, unless maybe we are supposed to include one of the animated movies Beauty and the Beast or Anastasia. The less obvious one I already knew is Pirates of Penzance.

I thought Merat's was commentary on Bedknobs.

Merat was correct. And if you haven't seen "Eragon", trust me, there are a lot more similarities.

This is too good a puzzle not to steal... I'm going to start a similar thread on another web page if you don't mind.

Fine by me, Influx.

No wonder I could not connect the more obvious movie. For some reason or other, it just never occurred to me that Merat was going for the Hat Trick with B&B

SMACK!

(And yes, that sound was, as predicted, me slapping my forehead.)

As to Eregon, the similarities of the first episode of the trilogy to the first/fourth episode of SW are much less pronounced in the book. They are still there, but not so obvious. I don't know whether the screenwriter deliberately highlighted them, or whether it was the inevitable result of condensing the material for the screen. Probably a little of both.

NEXT DAY SPOILER:

Actually, there were several possible answers, but the two (or three) I was thinking of were "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" and "The Court Jester." Another possibility was "Nanny McPhee", but that was a less strong contender.

It's been almost two weeks with no guesses since I posted the blurb, so I suppose a supplementary clue is in order.

"Set in Manhattan's "Alphabet City" (Avenues A, B, etc.), the action of this movie musical takes place over the course of one year (from Christmas Eve to Christmas Eve) just before the calendar begins the new century. Follow the lives of the residents as they learn to enjoy life despite poverty and disease."

Clue: The less well known movie stars (who else) Angela Lansbury.