Reviews

Harmless, hard-hitting fun. A guilty pleasure of a newsmagazine with the utterly charming Tim Green as host. He seems to take a tongue-in-cheek approach to the show, often giving his opinion after the segments.

I, for one, really enjoy "A Current Affair". The stories are always unusual, provocative in one way or another, and sometimes just plain fun.

No, it's not to be taken seriously, really. At times it even seems to parody itself, and Tim Green enjoys playing a clip of these goats that spaz out whenever startled, and, in fact, appear to faint. You'd really have to see it to believe it.

All in all, a fun, flighty and enjoyable show.

A bad movie, this "Judas". Decidedly that, a terrible movie. It hurt my innards to watch the stilted interactions between the pretty, oh so pretty Jesus and his dark, troubled... I don't even KNOW what, Judas.

It hurt in a strange way, though... the kind of dull, stinging pain that makes you cry out in rage, rend your garments, roll on the floor in agony, then stand up, eat a handful of popcorn and resume watching the movie.

First of all, it's well-known that this movie butchers the Gospels, omits important events, and generally portrays the Savior as a dysfunctional imbecile who plays second fiddle to the troubled Judas (You can tell he's troubled, because he wears dark clothes!), and the only reason it was released at all was so ABC could hopefully ride the "Passion of the Christ" tidal wave and gain some decent ratings for a change. It's clear that the director and writers badly, badly wanted this movie to make an impact on the people, but these people have never heard of nuance, and instead practically force-fed the viewer the "proper" opinions. Never a good way to make a film.

Instead of echoing the poignant performances of "The Passion", the performances in this movie seemed to be channeling Johnathan Schaech's other "menacing, but misunderstood" character from the movie, "That Thing You Do!". I saw far too much of Jimmy in Judas.

I will say, however, that this movie could be a great ally in the fight for the right of gays to marry. Why, Jesus Himself was gay, according to this movie! The "dramatic" scene leading up to Judas' grumble of "Damn you, Jesus" was far too reminiscent of a lovers' spat in a Lifetime movie.

Slow-paced, confusing...

Now, I personally believe that there is no such thing as a truly, 100% bad Star Trek movie. Even the most poorly-conceived Trek movie is a whole hell of a lot better than most other movies (especially movies filmed in 1998! What a horrible year for film!), so perhaps this really was an awful movie and I'm just biased. Who knows.

Either way, the bad definitely outweighed the good. While it was pretty funny to see Mozart's "nemesis" Salieri (F. Murray Abraham) duking it out with Jean-Luc Picard, the character of Ru'afo (sp?) was possibly the least menacing Trek villain I've ever seen, and the plot, while definitely relevant to the times (moreso now, after the war in Iraq!) lacked a lot of the passion of earlier Trek movies. It was also quite disheartening to see that nearly all of Starfleet, with the exception of the Enterprise crew, were suddenly so corrupt. What happened?!

Data managed to be both cool and irritating, and not in the "Oh, that wacky Data!" way, either. Nearly everytime he was around that little boy, I just wanted to turn it off. That kid brought out the worst in him.

The good, however, I dare say was remarkably good. (that bias again?) The makeup artistry was stunning. While Jean-Luc was sharing his moments with Anji, he was genuinely glowing. He looked younger! Deanna and Will's romance scenes were a total scream, and I teared up when Geordi teared up at the sight of the sunrise.

I just wonder... is it too much to ask for one of these films to show Beverly for more than one or two scenes?? I can't even remember what she did in this movie, and that's not a good sign. Far too much Picard, too much annoying Data, too much no-longer-cool-but-just-silly Worf... and almost no Beverly. Or Geordi, for that matter.

I went into this movie with a major grain of salt, despite the amazing hype (To my knowledge, the only Trek movie that had its own CHOCOLATE BARS) and glowing reviews I'd heard from the few people I knew who'd seen it. I first saw it sometime in 1997, and I was horribly disappointed. From the beginning and Picard's "Whoa! It was just a dream" sequence, all the way up to the just-plain bizarre fight between Picard and Worf, and the forced climax... I hated it.

After having rewatched it countless times (at least twice on Network television in the past 2 years), I can say that it's not as bad as I originally thought, indeed, it is a pretty good movie, and every viewing has given me new insights into the "best" TNG film. (I certainly do not agree that this is so, however!)

The movie still takes awhile to really warm up, which is unfortunate because the events at the beginning are crucial to the rest of the film, but the pacing's just off somehow. The battle is utterly forgettable, and it's not until the crew goes down to Earth that it really starts coming together, and the scenes in Montana are the only parts of the movie that even remotely ring of "greatness".

While Zephram Cochrane does a great job of befuddling the far-removed crew, and Lily kicks some serious ass, I just have difficulty buying the story that these two are the pioneers that they ultimately are. Of course, this is a large part of the plot itself, the shattering of historic idealism and the discovery that our idols are just human... but how human they are! Cochrane didn't strike me as the kind of man who could hit a garbage can on the first try, and all Lily seemed to do was rage at people.

Of course, above all, this was Picard (and to a lesser degree, Data)'s movie, and I was not disappointed by Patrick Stewart's performance. He did an amazing job of falling apart and being consumed by anger ("You broke your little ships...", Lily) only to turn around and see the error of his ways. And, of course, Data had his second (and, am I mistaken, last?) sexual encounter and learned all about angst from the Borg Queen (lessons that were ultimately forgotten by the next installment...).

This is a multi-leveled movie, there's so much going on at once that you will probably have to watch it more than once to get the full picture, and it is ultimately worth it the same way it's worth it to reread a chapter in a textbook. It's fascinating, simply fascinating, but not a masterpiece by any definition.

I will say, however, this is possibly the most quotable Trek movie to date. I can not tell you how often I use "Perhaps today IS a good day to die!" in daily conversation! I find ways to use it, even if it's completely out of context.

I was one of the many loyal Trek fans to rush right out and see this film on opening night with my best friend, and my first impression of it was that it was an edge-of-your-seat rush of an epic. I laughed at the jokes, felt shock and awe in all the right places, and cried like a baby for the next two days. To me that night, it was a return to TNG's original class and grace, with a bit of modern wit thrown into the mix, along with tons of absolutely stunning visual effects and more raw, pure emotion than I could believe. I maintained this opinion of it for nearly a year.

In late 2003, my same friend brought the DVD over to my house, and while she slept, I watched the same movie all over again... and had a completely different reaction. What was once shocking, never-before-seen interactions suddenly seemed mediocre and lacking somehow. What had not even a year before seemed essential to the plot now seemed unnecessary. I would even go so far as to say it seemed preachy! What happened?

I believe Nemesis suffers from "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" syndrome. While this movie did fairly well in the theaters and even got a pretty good reception from moviegoers, on the small screen it just can't hold up. The trouble is that when it comes right down to it, this film's plot is ALL over the place, and its one saving grace was the special effects, which needless to say are nothing special on a 13-inch screen.

I admit, the climax of the film was still heart-wrenching. The way you saw Jean-Luc is the way you NEVER wanted to see Jean-Luc; completely helpless and unable to make any sort of decisions more complicated than "shall I blink now?". And yes, I still cried at the end... but for more like 2 minutes.

I think it was a pretty good "finale" for the TNG movie series, and far better than its brother "Insurrection", but not as good plotwise as "First Contact". I liken it most to "Generations". Take that as you will.

If the rumors that this piece of tripe is finally coming to its long-overdue end are true, then HALLELUJAH. I tell you, being the rabid ST: Voyager fan I was in the late 90s, seeing Jeri Ryan single-handedly bring the struggling series out of its near-death slump and rise to ultimate Sci-Fi greatness... AND THEN TURN AROUND and join the cast of this... it was a painful experience. What were you THINKING, Jeri?!

This show has absolutely no redeeming factors. People argue that it's "cutting edge", deals with "relevant issues", and even "is a realistic take on high schools at the turn of the Millenium", and in response to these people, all I can do is laugh. Seriously now. This show seems to believe that it is God's gift to the uninformed public, and while it does tackle more controversial issues in one episode than I can even name, it does it in such a holier-than-thou fashion that it makes me cringe.

The writers seem to think that no one in the world has ever considered the fact that abused children have it tough, or the fact that gay students might have a difficult time in school. There's sexism, and students sleeping with teachers (Wow, that's NEVER been done before... except on the equally socially relevant programs as Dawson's Creek and The O.C.!), and it's done in such a manner that it makes you wonder if the writers have ever SEEN a television before. These issues are so dated I half expect Bea Arthur to waltz onto the set and still have dark hair.

I always loved this movie. From the very first time I saw it, at the age of 10, I absolutely adored it. It took a big risk, admittedly, in bringing the Original Series and TNG together, but I believe it did it extremely well and with a lot of ingenuity.

The first part of the movie seems to pick up where "The Undiscovered Country" left off; and it does so on a somewhat sour note. Retirement does not sit at all well with Captain Kirk, and he hates the idea of being a "legend" and having the namesake of his beloved ship run by a bunch of inexperienced kids and a skeleton crew (the running "tuesday" gag is hilarious). I think Walter Koenig and James Doohan were marvellous in the first part of this movie, and the scene where they arrive on deck 15 and find themselves staring into the void of space is chilling.

After this, it picks up with the Next Generation Crew, and boy, does the camera love the Enterprise D. It's emotional to see the crew going through the changes this movie throws at them, and by the time Geordi's kidnapped and Data's emotions are uncontrollable, my heart was in my throat.

It's also a pleasure to see Whoopi Goldberg reprise her role as Guinan, and as far as humor goes, Data's newfound sense of humor had me on the floor.

I LOVED Picard and Kirk's interactions and the segment in Kirk's cabin is an absolute hoot. (Picard: "This is not your bedroom.") Soran is a great villain, truly ruthless and threatening. Out of all the Next Gen films, this is probably my favorite. It has an atmosphere about it that's very appealing to me, and the only other TNG film that had the same feeling was Nemesis, which I still maintain was a DAMN good movie.

For as much bad press as Pocahontas got, I must say I really disagree with the people who call it flat and lifeless. I thought that after the exclusively tan Lion King, the fresh blues and greens of the foggy Virginia woods were quite beautiful to behold. No one can deny that this is a very beautiful movie, almost exquisite in its animation. Although John Smith is nowhere near as handsome as he thinks he is and peoples' eyes have a strange tendency to all but disappear at times (Look at Smith, Nakoma and Kokoum to see what I mean), it is very very pretty.

Unfortunately, if they'd just waited a year or so after The Lion King, I think it would have gotten much better ratings. As I see it, it is a very interesting story, if a bit tired at times. Pocahontas is a fine heroine, she's very courageous and likeable, and unlike Jasmine and Nala from the previous two Disney films, she's much more than just a pretty face. The love story with Captain Smith is actually done rather well despite the fact that I really disliked the Smith character. I'm not sure why they made him so flat and one-dimensional in contrast to Pocahontas' rich personality, but I didn't find him at all interesting.

The cute animal mascots were allright, if totally out of place in the otherwise dark world. They would be funny to little kids, but they're pretty annoying to a mature viewer.

I didn't really care for Chief Powhatan, he was a little too dense considering the circumstances. I'd say my favorite characters were Nakoma, Pocahontas' best friend and Kokoum, the personality-less warrior. At least those two had some decent tension. I also really enjoyed David Ogden Stiers' duel performance as Governor Ratcliffe and his cute little yes-man, Wiggins. Those two characters truthfully provided the best entertainment of the film, and it might have been a better movie if they'd replaced some of the preachiness with more entertaining scenes of those two plotting.

All in all, it doesn't really take much intelligence to watch it, but it does have elements to appeal to a mature viewer, and besides, the songs are very pretty and of course, it's a splendid piece of animation.

I love this movie. Simple and clear, it's a masterpiece. Without delving into the uncomfortable romances and unfunny comedic segments of most 1980's movies, it has established itself as truly 1980s. And it was a simpler time, then, too. Almost as simple as Pee-Wee himself. On the outside. But delve deeper and you see someone who can tell Dottie that he's a loner and a rebel with a straight face and then start laughing outside the store.

What I love about this movie is that it's screamingly juvenile in its' humor, but DOES NOT resort to fart jokes or "why're you hitting yourself?". Someone may compare Pee-Wee to Adam Sandler, but the difference between this wonderful picture and anything with Adam Sandler's name on it is that this movie is actually funny. Do yourself a favor and rent this movie NOW.

I was so wary of watching this movie at first that I would leave the room every time my mom watched it. I thought it was just another dull, trite historical epic just dripping with pretention. Boy, I could not have been more wrong.

This Oscar-winning film takes the story of the much-beloved Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and tells it through the eyes of a madman, his bitter rival Salieri. After slitting his own throat at a ripe old age, Salieri finds himself in an asylum, telling the story of his great feud with God, to a priest. Of course, he's angry as hell. Why wouldn't he be? God has forsaken him, and given the talent that he craves to the magnificent Mozart.

Don't get lost yet, though. Mozart is hardly a role model in this movie. He's a drunk, an irritable fellow, he cheats on his fiancee with a ditzy diva, and also manages to insult every authority figure in town. But despite all that, he's still one of the most endearing and charming male figures I've ever seen. He wants so badly to succeed, and do the one thing he loves, making music.

Elizabeth Berridge also steals the show as Wolfgang's young wife, Constanze. She tries her hardest to make him happy, but being not much more than a child herself, sometimes gets herself into some rather interesting situations.

Ultimately, it's hard to say if it's Salieri who did the deed he claims to have done. But I recommend this delightful movie to anyone, anywhere, fan of Mozart's music or not. Make sure and see both the original and the director's cut, in that order, too. ;)

My very first impression of this movie was seeing it playing on the TVs at Target and saying, "Wow. Look at that animation! Listen to the music! Maybe Disney finally has it together."

It didn't, really. Instead of building on what it already had with TLK and ehnancing it, they threw together some dark although fairly irrelevant plot that has little if anything to do with the original film. I enjoyed it, just for the sake of the animation, the music (Because I don't care what people say, I ran out and bought the CD and it's still one of my favorites) and the humor. It is sassy and new, but it doesn't explain several really critical plot points. It is a nice, pretty movie to watch if you have nothing better to do and don't want to take it upon yourself to ingest anything of real substance.

One word of caution, though.. do yourself a favor and fast-forward through the "Upendi" sequence. It's obvious Rafiki's been hitting the sauce a little hard, and if you thought the impossible physical feats and psychedelics were bad in "Dumbo" or the "I just can't wait to be King" sequence of the original, you ain't seen nothing yet. It's just bad.

If Disney ever needed to follow its' own advice, it should have wished upon a star with the post-Pinocchio and pre-Lady and The Tramp films, that they could be half of what this classic was.

I personally love this movie, although after seeing the grand animation even in such non-epic films as Lilo and Stitch the pen-and-inkiness of Pinocchio is a little difficult to watch. But, it was 1940, so I'll give it a break. What I find most endearing is the fact that there are no drunken psychedelic sequences (you really can't count Pinoke's pool hall antics) and nothing to unduly confuse, bore or alienate children.

Its pacing is probably its' strongest point. Not too fast, not too slow. I first saw this movie when I was 8 years old and a poster child for Ritalin, and it kept my attention perfectly. 9 years later, watching it again, I'm awed by its nice, leisurely story. It's perfect, because you don't want it to end, yet it doesn't hang too long on irrelevant plot points.

About the closest it comes to dragging is the beginning in Geppetto's shop, where the old man is so psyched about his puppet. still, it's great Disney, the likes of which you wouldn't see again for several years.

I must admit I was initially really wary of this movie. From what I saw on the Pay Per View Trailers, I envisioned basically what it's been made out to be, and that was some sort of childrens' screwy Disney-esque space adventure

Harsh enough? Don't worry, I turned out to be 100% wrong-o! In fact, as a loyal Trekkie, I had such a blast watching this movie. The inside jokes and references to unnecessary plot complications that have been duplicated down to the last detail on the real-life NSEA Protector scream Star Trek, but it's been so lovingly parodied that no Trek fan could possibly be offended. A total classic, much much funnier than it's given credit for being. I especially enjoyed the pre-teen fans who had the entire ship schematics on their PC at the age when most people are still playing with Power Rangers figures and Barbies, which is an all-too real phenomenon in the Trek fan community.

The acting is top-notch, (Tim Allen plays the scene-stealing hack down to the last detail, Sigourney Weaver is hilarious as the token female on the ship, Alan Rickman adds wonderful conflict as a furious Shakespearian actor who is convinced his role on the show ruined his career) the special effects are just fabulous, and the few poignant moments are done so well that it's damn near tear-jerking. Do yourself a favor and buy this movie. Don't even rent it first, just buy it!

This series may strike people as the lovechild of Sailor moon and Gundam, and maybe rightly so. This typically Japanese series takes place at a girls' school and chronicles three wacky adventures of the Exstars, 5 kick-butt(but SO polite!) members of the Etiquette Club who also have access to top-secret robosuits and fight the Etiquette Club's archrival, Sayaka Kitaoji, president of the Debutante Club, who wants to take over the world. Okay, it's been done to death. And maybe it's been done better. But the characters are so stereotypical I just have to grin, and admittedly, the mecha is pretty cool. For my first taste of real anime, I thought it was awfully awesome.