Stewey Reviews

Rat Race (2001)

What a waste of time!

[17 August 2001]

After watching this movie, I couldn't help but be grateful that I hadn't paid to see it. As a movie theatre employee we get to screen movies the night before they open, so I attended. To be honest, I wasn't even expecting much. My presence was merely an attempt to enjoy my last few days of summer before school begins.

Anyway, I knew that Rowan Atkinson(yeah Mr. Bean!) would be funny, because I don't think he's capable of not being funny. Seth Green is pretty funny too, and some of the cameos/smaller roles were good too. Most notably, Kathy Bates was funny--I would have bought a squirrel! Wayne Knight was also pretty funny, despite his short screen time. However the rest of the cast, especially Breckin Meyer(who, sadly, had more screen time than pretty much anyone, if I remember correctly) who was just annoying as hell. Jon Lovitz should stick to "The Critic" and Whoopi Goldberg...well, I'm not even going to go into that.

The ending was one of the worst I've ever seen(and I saw Planet of the Apes this summer), and there were a few things that, frankly, I thought were inappropriate. Some of the jokes they made about certain groups of people seemed, to me, to be in poor taste. I recommend that this movie be avoided at any cost, especially if you have to pay.

Law & Order (1990– )

One of my favourite programs!!

[3 February 2001]

I started watching a few months ago, catching the reruns on A&E. I'm not entirely sure what made me start watching, but I'm glad I did!! L&O has quickly earned itself a place in my top 5, hell, probably my top 3 tv shows of all time!! The actors are almost always(sorry, but I've had a problem with a few of them) highly engaging, and the plots are very interesting. Plus I really like the settings, and come on, who doesn't love the little sound effect when it changes locations?! :-)

Sam Waterston, at least in my opinion, is a much better ADA than Michael Moriarty. Not that I have anything against Mr. Moriarty, I just think Waterston's acting gave a more whole picture of the character. I really enjoyed Chris Noth(Yeah Mr. Big!!), and was pretty upset that they chose Benjamin Bratt to replace him--I REALLY don't like that guy! Jesse L. Martin isn't so bad, but I do miss the Mike Logan/Lennie Briscoe pairing. However, my favourite character is definitely Jill Hennessy's Claire Kincaid. She is such a strong character, holding her own in a whole group of strong male characters. She's the kind of lawyer I'd want to be, if I were to pursue the profession--her values don't interfere with her work, they motivate her. She is adamant in her opposition to the death penalty(which makes for some great interactions between her and Waterston's Jack McCoy), but she doesn't let that keep her from prosecuting aggressively. I also enjoy the subtlety of her relationship with Jack McCoy.

Honestly, I'm not all that fond of the new episodes. I really miss Steven Hill, and while I like Diane Wiest, she'll take some getting used to. I definitely prefer Angie Harmon over Carey Lowell--Lowell was by far my least favourite character of all the ones that have EVER been on...ick. I've also tried watching the spin off, L&O: SVU. It's not bad, I guess...I like Chris Meloni(spelling?) and Richard Belzer is great but still...I don't know. I'm perfectly happy with my reruns on A&E, catching up on lost time!

Pay It Forward (2000)

I'm having trouble coming up with a word to describe how great this movie!

[15 October 2000]

Oh my god!!! I had been waiting for about a month(seriously) for this movie to come out and was ridiculously excited when I convinced my parents to let me go last night...I went in with very high expectations(with a cast like that...plus I've read the book) and was DEFINITELY not disappointed!! How they got Kevin Spacey from a one-eyed african american Vietnam vet(read the book) is beyond me, but no one could have played that part but Kevin!! I have loved everything I've seen him in, and this definitely maintained that streak. Not only that but Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment(that kid is so adorable!) were both fantastic too!! Her hair was another thing, but I won't go into that.

Anyways, the way the converted the story to movie was brilliantly done and all the characters, all the way down to Sidney G., were wonderfully brought to life! Jay Mohr kind of got on my nerves, but that's just because I don't really like him. The blend of drama and comedy was interesting, as I remember several scenes where the whole audience was laughing. But(and this is a warning, but hopefully not a spoiler) I saw rows of people behind me wiping their eyes at the end. I don't think I've ever seen a movie with such an impact on its audience. I just hope the theatre that I work at gets this movie so I can see it far more times than my budget would allow! :-)

10++++/10

Chicago Hope (1994–2000)

My favourite show!!!

[22 October 1999]

I love this show!!! I love the characters--well, not the new ones. I think the 5th season was so great! I mean, Eric Stoltz was on! I think it's horrible how things have been going downhill, and to be honest, I don't think pitting Chicago Hope against Frasier is going to help. Nevertheless, I think the ability to mix the hospital situations with the individual problems of the staff is great. There isn't too much focus on personal problems, but enough so it isn't too hospital-oriented.

Finally, being the sap that I am, I like that they manage to incorporate relationships without them becoming the focus. And I'd just like to say that I really think the Kate Austin/Bobby Yeats thing was brilliant, and should've been pursued. I just saw the episode "McNeil and Pray" and they were great! When she's reaming him out, "Oh come on! I'm sure she wasn't influenced by those seductive blue eyes, boyish good looks, that thing you do with your hair..." Okay, I didn't get it all but it was great! And when they're at the Christmas party and that guy says, "Well okay, whisper to someone you choose" to Bobby and he goes and whispers in Kate's ear, it's priceless! That was definitely my favourite episode-and not just because of that.

Okay, I'm sorry I've gone on and on, but this is the only show I really like to watch on tv.

She's All That (1999)

Entertaining, but nothing that special

[22 August 1999]

I certainly did enjoy some of the scenes--"pube boy" (the Klepto kid from Can't Hardly Wait) was pretty funny, and I love Kevin Pollack, but a great deal of this movie was pretty much the same as all the teen flicks that are being cranked out these days. Now, being a teen, I expected to certainly enjoy this more than my parents(my mom, I swear to you, actually cried at the end), but come on? The ENTIRE senior class doing a choreographed dance number at the prom? Yeah, right. And what exactly was wrong with the way Laney(Rachael Leigh Cook) looked before? If anything, I thought she looked worse after the make over. While I'd definitely recommend 10 Things I Hate About You(Another teen flick I saw this past year) over this movie, I still think She's All That has its moments--and sometimes that's all you need.

Oh, and on a more shallow note, can we FINALLY get some better looking guys for these movies? Freddie Prinze Junior-ick. That aussie in 10 Things...-yikes. While some of my fellow females may find these guys attractive, I think they're just a bit too...unusual...looking.