Change Your Image
phoenix_809
Reviews
Charmed (1998)
Sceptical of the show's future
Charmed was a brilliant series for most of its first three seasons, the on-screen (for want of a better word) chemistry between its three main stars was excellent, and the show itself provided laughs, action, and the occasional lesson (like when they were sent into the future to see the effect of using magic to punish the guilty rather than protect the innocent for even the most insignificant act).
Sadly, the season 3 finale, was very ordinary (the plotline had to be there because at the time the series had not been picked up for a fourth season and they had to leave it in a position whereby it could be a passable grand finale for the series).
However, the fact is it is back for a fourth season, however the entire premise of Rose McGowan's character being a "long lost sister" seems awfully contrived. First thing I can think of, is how are they going to justify that both the Haliwell sisters' mother and grandmother, knowing anyone born of their line would be a witch, and for some reason abandoned or lost this child. On top of that, it puts pay to the prophecy in the pilot about the arrival of THREE sisters. That's right, three. Not four. Kinda throws the whole premise of the show into chaos. Especially if Rose McGowan's character is going to be a younger sister. If she's of the Haliwell line then that means she was born very soon after Phoebe, because it's constantly put forward throughout the series that Phoebe was very young when their mother died, so she never really knew her. You can't throw another sister into that line and have it make sense with the established chain of events. Besides, I somehow get the idea that Piper will have no idea who she is either. And for her to be one of the charmed ones, she has to be born of their mother - without another heavily contrived plot gimmick she can't be born to their father and another woman.
It would have been better to try putting an actor (not necessarily McGowan) in to replace Shannen Doherty (who I personally thought was just as important to the show as Alyssa and Holly) as Prue. All this considered, I can't see a hope in hell of this series getting bought for a fifth season.
I'll stick to watching reruns. Anyone who wants to see Charmed at its best will be well advised to do the same. The whole premise of season 4, sadly, just reeks of one word:
Contrived.
Robotech (1985)
The catalyst for the Anime explosion in the West
I first saw Robotech as an 11-year old at 6 in the morning back in early 1986, when it aired for the first time. Having grown up on anime in the form of Marine Boy, Battle of the Planets, Star Blazers, and Astroboy, I was totally blown away by this incredible series.
It was not until nearly a decade later I learned of Robotech's Japanese origins, that it was a melding of three totally unrelated Japanese anime series. That just increased my awe of this series. To take three totally unrelated series and make it into a coherent story spanning almost half a century is absolutely incredible (the only link was that Super Dimension Cavalry: Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA, which constituted the "Robotech Masters" and "New Generation" portions of Robotech, were trying to cash in on the phenomenal success of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, which obtained a cult following on prime-time Japanese television).
What made the show so popular then, and still makes it amazingly popular more than 15 years on, is a combination of storyline, mecha, and characters that people connected to. Sure, there were transforming robots, lots of battles and action, but these things did not cause detriment to the storyline. Characters died, grieved, fell in love, bickered, protested, the list goes on. And these aspects made the story, and were never overshadowed by the slick Veritech fighters and alien mecha, but were instead complimented by them.
It took bold steps in the somewhat conservative realm of American cartoon timeslots - major characters died, Earth was annihilated, and characters fought the odds and won. Fans talk of how they cried when Roy Fokker died, how they cheered the RDF on as the SDF-1 and the Zentraedi aligned with them took on 4 million ships and beat them, how they cursed when Rick Hunter was pining over the annoying Lynn Minmei when Lisa Hayes was right under his nose the whole time. Fans related to the characters, the story, their trials and tribulations.
Add to this a brilliant background music soundtrack and mood-setting songs (the Lynn Minmei rendition of "We Will Win" as SDF-1 and her air group took the enemy armada head on could only be be described as inspiring) and you have a series which will stand the test of time.
Macross purists can bag it all they want, but they must realise anime would not have gained as big a foot in the door of the US market if it weren't for Robotech - anime would still be imported from Japan and viewed in college dorms and club meetings instead of seeing the likes of Neon Genesis Evangelion on the shelves of the local video library or DVD store.
Robotech's popularity has not dwindled over the past 15 years, but has instead flourished, bringing new fans who may not have even been born the time the series first aired. This can be evidenced at the series' official site, with the Robotech Renaissance being born in recent times with new DVDs, collectors' items, computer games for the latest platforms, and even talk of the possibility of a new series to entice the next generation of Robotech fans.
M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (1983)
A fantastic end to the greatest show of all time
What can one say about this movie, which wrapped up one of the longest running television series in history? Admittedly it was much darker than most of the episodes were, but Alan Alda did it all in this finale: wrote, directed, and starred in a powerful and fitting finale to this immortal show.
In case there are still people out there who are yet to see it, I refuse to give anything about the movie away, save for the fact that Alda's performance as Hawkeye in the first half of the movie is absolutely brilliant, as he takes the character in a direction seldom, if ever, seen in the series.
While there are still laughs in this finale, the laugh track is conspicuously absent, as the focus here is more on the characters and their reaction to the end of the war and the breakup of the 4077th MASH family and a focus on the issue that's been sublime in the series since 1972: War is Hell. We see it as Major Winchester, who has tried every trick in the book to shut out the war around him, finally has it broken through his defensive wall. The goodbyes at the end of the film, between Hawkeye, BJ, and Colonel Potter, and between Hawkeye and BJ, followed by the last, slower (almost haunting) playing of the MASH theme as a chopper flies Hawkeye away from the 4077th forever, provide a befitting swansong to the greatest television show ever. No show will ever outperform MASH. Ever.
One Foot in the Grave (1990)
One of the funniest British comedies of all time
I happened across this show quite by accident whilst channel surfing on Christmas Eve a couple of years back. I came across this show featuring a couple in their sixties: him a catankerous old codger who seemed to be a magnet for misfortune and trouble; her, his wife who suffered his constant moanings and groanings. Through the plot, which involved all manner of mayhem, I simply could not stop laughing. Unfortunately, it was only a one-off to fill time on the night: I did not hear of more episodes of this show until six months or more later. However, it again disappeared after only a handful of episodes, until six weeks ago it returned to my television screen. However, tonight I have just watched the final episode (ever), which leads me to believe its seasons were very short indeed.
Anyone who has not seen this show will do well to find videos of it. And those who have not seen the finale for the show, watch it. From the first time you hear Victor Meldrew's famous signature quote, "I do not BELIEVE this!", you'll be hooked. 10/10