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Holiday movie favorites earn Blu-ray upgrades
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Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his role as Santa Claus in "Miracle on 34th Street" (1947), shown here with Maureen O'Hara and young Natalie Wood. A new 70th anniversary Blu-ray is now available. - photo by Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News
Published: Nov 10, 2017, 2:51 AM
In keeping with my policy of not writing about holiday DVDs until November at the earliest, here is a passel of Blu-ray upgrades and new releases that have been cluttering my desk some since late September.

Miracle on 34th Street: 70th Anniversary (Fox, 1947, b/w, audio commentary by Maureen OHara, featurettes, short promo film, poster gallery). This funny and warm classic charmer which begins on Thanksgiving and ends on Christmas is about the struggles in a very cynical world of an elderly gentleman who claims to be the real Santa Claus (Edmund Gwenn, who won an Oscar). The result is first-rate, joyous entertainment from its opening sequence to its very satisfying conclusion.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles: 30th Anniversary (Paramount, 1987, R for language, deleted scene, featurettes). Steve Martin is a low-key introvert trying desperately to get from Manhattan to Chicago for Thanksgiving when he finds himself tangled with bombastic salesman John Candy. Many of the episodic set pieces here are hilarious, and Candy is more controlled than usual with John Hughes clever script and confident direction. The R rating is for a single scene when Martins character loses it at a car rental desk.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: 25th Anniversary (Fox, 1992, PG). This blockbuster sequel to the blockbuster 1990 comedy follows the established slapstick formula, except that this one is set in Manhattan (with a cameo by Donald Trump). Macaulay Culkin uses the same household items to set intricate booby traps for the same two crooks (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) and this ones a half-hour longer! This marks the films Blu-ray debut, also available in two-film and five-film sets. (Did you know there are five Home Alone films?)

Home for the Holidays (Shout Select, 1995, PG-13, audio commentary, trailer, photo gallery). Jodie Foster went behind the camera to direct this shrill, obnoxious comedy about a dysfunctional family gathering for Thanksgiving, as secrets and lies are revealed during a most unpleasant gathering for the audience as much as the family. A great cast Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft, Claire Danes, etc. is wasted in this film.

Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal, 2000, PG, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, music video, trailer, bloopers). Jim Carrey throws himself into the title role of this frantic live-action adaptation of the Dr. Seuss holiday classic, but it doesnt hold a candle to the book or the 1966 animated TV special. Ron Howard directed but lost control of this overproduced, chaotic and unfunny cacophony.

A Puppy for Christmas (Monarch, 2016).

Christmas with the Andersons (Monarch, 2016). These two made-for-TV movies weakly mimic the soft, feel-good holiday flicks produced annually by the Hallmark and Lifetime cable channels. The first has a young woman losing her job and apartment because of her undisciplined dog, but hey, hes lovable. The second has a family putting Christmas on hold after Dad loses his job until wacky Aunt Katie shows up to save the day.

"Red Christmas (Artsploitation, 2017, not rated/probable R for violence, deleted scene, audio commentary, featurettes, bloopers). What says Christmas better than a gory splatter picture set in the Australian outback? Dee Wallace (most famous as the mother in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial but also a horror veteran of Cujo and The Howling) is entertaining her squabbling adult children on Christmas Eve when a slasher shows up.
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New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
Lois M Collins
Deseret News special workflow
Published: Apr 13, 2018, 2:39 PM
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
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