Reviews

So flicking channels on TV and I light onto this and decide to check it out for a moment. 5 minutes later and I finally managed to figure out at what part of the story I was supposed to be in. I've read the book many times, it's practically memorized so the fact that it took me so long to even locate where in the "story" I was supposed to be was not a good omen. Of course it did not help that the scene was one where the dwarves and the hobbits (yes I was not seeing double, I am still sane (although PJ is not), there were actually two) meet a lakeman archer. That of course, never happened in the book. In fact it had become apparent that this was not based on the book at all. PJ's earlier attempts did bear some passing resemblance to the Lord of the Rings however this was apparently an almost complete fabrication that only touches upon a few key points of the book once in a while. Horrendous schlock.

I've watched the series twice now (both seasons) and on the plus side I find the female cast extremely attractive and the music generally pleasant and catchy. On the downside a few of the scripts seem to have been written by high school dropouts whose command of the English language is highly questionable. I also applaud the casting of three oriental ladies as the stars, it's not very common. The music is highly produced so it is hard to ascertain what vocal skills they possess but I get the impression they are above average. Another positive element I should mention is that the characters are free to date other characters regardless of their ancestry. It sets a fine example of tolerance which seems to be rather lacking elsewhere.

Mainstream populist pablum. Basically a TV version of Indiana Jones with Librarians instead of Archaeologists. Rebecca Romijn is the typical modern girl power tough person. She lacks any sort of screen presence or charisma however. The fellow playing the Librarian was half decent but almost too manic to be relatable to. Cameos by Bob Newhart and Matt Frewer do nothing to save this show from mediocrity. The only bright point in the cast was Lindy Booth who gives a vulnerable and appealing turn. The show tries to push all the usual buttons to generate laughs or interest. In summary a typical modern day cynical and classless show.

A laudable effort to bring some intelligence back to television. It will appeal greatly to young and intelligent viewers who are desperately seeking a refuge from the idiotic reality shows of today. Alas as someone who has seen 5 decades worth of television I am slightly disappointed by the show. It is quite apparent that the writers and the directors are having some difficulty putting themselves in the period of the late 19th century. It was a immensely more formal, stiff, pedantic and stuffy time. People spoke much more slowly, with measured deliberation. Sadly the show portrays the people as being much more lively than is realistic. However, that being said I did give the show a 7 (a solid B) and do plan to watch further episodes albeit with reservations. If you are wondering what show portrayed this era correctly I would like to direct you to the brilliant Sherlock Holmes series made in Britain in the 80's.

The show was created by the same woman as Naturally Sadie so I was hoping it would be at least entertaining if not actually clever most of the time. So far I have been disappointed however. The writing is dull and insipid. I fear it may be because the stock TV writers are mostly not Indians and thus are struggling to come up with thematic material. On second thought even generic episodes have been lacklustre. The acting also seems poor although one does have to make allowances for the inexperience of the actors. Marline Yan shines though. A natural talent to be sure. Still I do rate it 7/10 because I'm happy to see something about Indians.

Even if you're a Godzilla fan you won't like this. It's boring, pedantic, far too slowly paced and simply dumb. The lead actress is the least attractive woman in the whole movie. The plot, no wait, what am I saying, there's no plot worth mentioning aside from a trite and unedifying "romance" storyline which doesn't even get wrapped up when the movie ends. The special effects are special indeed. Specially bad! You can see the strings. You can't not see them in fact. Ropes may be a better description! As for the pro-environmental message being preached: Even I as a staunch environmentalist practically gagged at the ham handed attempts to "save the earth". Let me summarize: You won't laugh (it's not cheesy enough), you won't cry and frankly you won't even care. You won't even stay awake come to think of it. Treat yourself to a good movie. Anything but this one because it makes almost any other movie look good.

This is quite a subtle comedy. A thinking man's film. I expect that many of the jokes went straight over the heads of many viewers thus causing them to defensively deride this gem. For us few who can appreciate it, it is simply a breath of fresh air. The movie definitely hearkens back to the good old days of eighties movies. It is interesting to note that many of the actors as well as the music have connections to that "decade". Gigi Rice and Jennifer Coolidge both were 30+ at the time and of course there was Richard Grieco. I missed the beginning of the movie and look forward to seeing that when next it runs.

Yes it was interesting. It had some original elements and the direction was engaging throughout. The greatest flaw was Bruce Willis however. His attempts at comedy here make me wonder how it was that he managed to be entertaining on "Moonlighting". Of course he shines in the action parts which is of course to say YAWN! Action movies are boring. Fortunately the other aspects of the movie keep you watching.

This is your typically cynical late 20th Century movie. And there's a difference between cynicism and skepticism. A Cynic believes nothing matters. A Skeptic doubts that. Anyways, this is a routine pop-culture fest of references only kids raised on pop-culture could or would get. The movie tries to put down modern slasher flicks and then even tries to put itself down. Nice try. All in all stupid and a waste of time.

Awful TV show. Cheap cheesy effects and the dumbest most repetitive plots in all of TVdom. Can't hold a candle to any of the movie versions all of which are far, far better. Perhaps the only draw of this show is the fact that in the first season it featured a little bit of nudity. Nice gimmick, didn't ABC do that years ago?

For a movie titled so provocatively it sure had very little sex or nudity in it. The plot is your typical 90's lame pop culture brain rot. The writer/director is an ignorant and dishonest sell-out. I gave this nugget of nastiness a 1. I suppose one can mention a single good thing about this waste of time: Mariel Hemingway did it during a spell in which she was minus her usual breast implants. Her lack of talent was routine however.

This is one of those rare comedies where try as you might, you can't help but giggle, chortle, guffaw and yes, even laugh out loud. The lead actor's performance as Hyde is pure manic genius. See if you can keep a straight face when he does his transformation. Good luck. :) On the downside there are times when the movie does bog down. It seemed longer than its 90 minutes.

An intelligent Fantasy movie. The 80's produced many good fantasy movies but this one stands above the rest. The special effects (by ILM, same folks who did Star Wars) are superb. This is the best Dragon you have ever seen on screen. The cast is a mixed lot. Some are obviously trained stage actors while some are very fresh (i.e. new to acting). Fairly good performances from all nonetheless. The plot is top notch. This is not simple minded hack and slash. So if you want some mindless action flick, go elsewhere (preferably over a cliff). The plot moves slowly and you have to pay close attention to details or else you won't get it. In fact the the first time you watch it you may think you see some errors. They are not. Keep watching and all will fall in place. This is a movie which rewards the patient. And it rewards them exceedingly well. Enjoy!

Well maybe not. It didn't even have many yuks. (that's laughs for the new generations of illiterates out there) The only redeeming features were the excellent Pixar animation (but who needs to waste 2 hrs watching how brilliantly they animated the fur on the main monster?) and a somewhat sentimental storyline (at least at the end).

This movie apparently had no budget. All the best SF movies had no budget. (Except for 2001: A Space Odyssey) So what it did have was ideas. Ideas are what REAL Science Fiction is about. Not action. Or comedy. Horror. Drama. IDEAS! To that end the script was quite intelligent with numerous philosophical discourses and classical literary references. I imagine that it went straight over the heads of 90% of its viewers. But if you are of that 10% elite, the high IQ geek type, then you will certainly revel in this movie.

Quite a waste of talent here. Dunst/Williams really sparkle as they two ditzy girls. If only the business types could have been kept away. They probably wanted everyone to be funny. Nixon HAS to be funny, Kissinger HAS to be funny. Etc. Thinking about profit ratios or something I expect. Had someone with movie making skill been in charge they would have kept the rest serious and let the 2 leads stand out as the funny part. Well that's Comedy 101, and a pity that no one in the 90's or 100's seems to have taken the course. Dumbed down movie for dumbed down times.

This one may well be the best of the series. Not counting the first movie (which I need to view again to give it a proper assessment). It was a genuine Star Trek (and I mean the real thing not the lame spinoffs) that Gene Roddenberry would have been proud of. It had a meaningful and idealistic plot and wasn't some overblown action adventure shlockfest.