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Mahaloth
Reviews
I Love Lucy's 50th Anniversary Special (2001)
An two-hour salute to one of televisions most important shows
Well, if you love I Love Lucy, you will love this salute to the classic show. If not, this entire show will be pointless to watch. It does an excellent job running down how the show came to be and how it maintained its quality throughout the years(Arnez was far more influential than Lucille Ball in the writing).
The show is intercut with celebrities saying how much they liked the show and how it influenced their careers. It gets a bit glurgy at times and lifts Lucille Ball to goddess level, but what else would you expect?
Worthwhile for any Lucy fan.
24 (2001)
Suspenseful and well-plotted, but not enough to last a whole season.
The idea behind 24 was simple. Take a terrorist squad and focus on the events that unfold over the course of a 24 hour period. Each show is one hour(but they may yet decide to make the finale 2 hours). The excitement picks up early, as we are introduced to the main characters, both the good guys and bad guys.
Overall, though, this show gets tiring after about 12 episodes. Yes, the terrorist want to negotiate, but they want too much and it can't be provided for them. I don't know how it ends yet, but by the time you get half-way through, you won't care anymore.
I predict that this show will have a pretty strong audience at the beginning and end, but the middle part will most likely throw people off. They hope to make more of these shows, each season being a different situation and a different day. In the future, they may get something that works, but the first installment appears to be a mild success at best.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Not Tim Burton's Best, Certainly Not His Worst...
This film will always be much debated amongst Tim Burton fans. The original idea of the movie was not to re-make the classic film, but to "re-imagine" it. At first, this seemed like a brilliant idea. Who better to direct a new version of Planet of the Apes than the odd yet brilliant Tim Burton?
Well, great ideas often do not lead to great finished products.
And that is what this film really is. It is not a great movie. It is an average, sometimes funny(especially Paul Giamatti), sometimes thrilling(battle sequences are amazing) film. But as a whole? Average.
The problems with the movie all come from the fact that Burton did not know exactly how he wanted to re-imagine the movie. Should it be a serious, sci-fi version? The last 20 minutes seem to point in this direction. Should it be a "spoofesque" movie that doesn't take itself too seriously? The entire middle section of this movie seems to point in this direction.
In the end, this film is confused and awkward. Tim Burton wants you to like this movie, it's clear the entire time. Unfortunately, the acting is strained and the movie too muddled to ever develop into a classic.
I am suggesting that this movie is worth renting or going to the theater, but it's not worth owning(unless you are a huge Burton fan). This movie is better than Mars Attacks and Sleepy Hollow, but it does not even approach Batman or Edward Scissorhands.
I give this movie ** out of **** stars. Add one star if you are a dedicated Tim Burton fan.
The Chronicle (2001)
This show is off to a good start, assuming...
...they can keep the writing fresh. I was a bit worried when this show first was announced because it sounded pretty much like it was just going to be a funny version of X-file or First Wave. Sure, that might be cool once or twice, but I thought it wouldn't last too long.
Fortunately, The Chronicle has proven to be freshly written, with some good plots to go along with the humorous writing. I love all the characters, especially Wes(played by Reno Wilson). Overall, the show is very well cast and everyone seems to be aware of what their characters are supposed to be like.
My only concern is that this show may not prove to remain strong for more than two seasons or so. It's written by Sylvio Horta, who is mostly known for his "Urban Legend" movies. Both those films were interesting at first, but withered into mundane garbage. I hope this show doesn't do the same. I have heard that the cast has really bonded and would hate to see them fall prey to writers whose abilities get exhausted.
I give this show *** out of **** stars. Worth a watch if you like Sci-Fi. Probably won't pull you in if you aren't particularly in to the genre.