brie416 Reviews

The Wonderful World of Disney: Annie (1999) Season 3, Episode 5

Mistaken

[4 August 2003]

A lot of the reviews are saying that this tv version of Annie was a remake of the 1982 film of the same name. This is simply not true. This version of Annie is a remake of the stage musical. If you have ever seen the stage musical you will realize that it is extremely different than the 1982 film.

That being said, those who have fallen in love with the earlier film will most likely not like this version. Those who are true to the stage musical will probably enjoy it. Falling in the latter category, I like this version better.

To me, Alicia Morton was superior to Aileen Quinn in every way, but most noticeably voice quality. Alicia has a great voice for the part. And I personally wasn't bothered by the fact that she had straight hair as opposed to curly. The rest of the orphans did great too.

Kathy Bates was also a standout. As much as I love Carol Burnett, I thought Kathy Bates did a fantastic job as Ms. Hannigan and Alan Cumming was a nice surprise as Rooster.

One last thing to remember is that since this was for tv, their budget was a lot smaller than a feature film. Taking that into consideration, I think Rob Marshall did a commendable job updating the play Annie for a new generation to view.

Eddie's Million Dollar Cook-Off (2003 TV Movie)

Uhhh, not great

[24 July 2003]

Maybe I'm just in the wrong age bracket to really get into this film. But for the most part I found it dull and boring. I found myself flipping the channel quite often to see what else was on. That said, I have watched and enjoyed several other recent Disney Channel Original Movies, so it's not just I'm anti-Disney.

Taylor Ball did a good job as the lead and Orlando Brown did a good job with his supporting part. The other boy (whose name I don't know) who played his friend was pretty good as well. But some of the other acting left a lot be desired. I particularly thought the girl who played Bridget was not a great actress.

The plot was contrived. I couldn't understand why the whole school would get so worked up about him liking cooking. They might make fun of him, but if he really was the star baseball player I doubt they would have gotten angry with him like that. And I found myself not caring at the end what would happen, even though I knew they would eventually win the baseball game.

And like others have said, the baseball games were quite unrealistic.

Not a bad movie, just not great. It sends a good message to kids about pursuing your dreams and doing what you like to do, but the message itself comes across pretty heavy handed.

Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–2015)

Highly Addicting

[24 July 2003]

I just discovered this show this past week and I'm already hooked. Yes, it's cheesy and melodramatic, but that's partly why I like it. After all, I grew up in the 80's, the decade of cheese.

I'm still just getting the characters straightened out and figuring out who's who. Degrassi is definitely the antithesis to all the Disney shows out there for the middle school age group and I like that it tries to handle more realistic subject matter (though I have no problem with the Disney shows either). The acting is okay, some better than others, but on a kids show like this the actors grow with their roles. Emma seems to be a bit annoying with her self righteous act, but all in all I think there's a character for everyone to relate to.

Lizzie McGuire (2001–2004)

Take It for What It Is

[15 May 2003]

I think people give this show a bad rap. Even though I'm out of the target age range, I find it adorable. Mostly because it reminds me of some of my own middle school experiences in a good way. I can relate to some of the stuff Lizzie and friends go through.

The show is meant to be simplistic and not deal with major world problems. Do Lizzie and friends obsess over things adults would often think are stupid like popularity, clothes and boys? Yes!! But honestly, I admit at that age...I did obsess over those things and I did think it was the end of the world (slight exaggeration) if I didn't get a date to the dance.

But, the problem to me is with the movie. Now because of the movie all these people are watching the show for the first time and wondering what the big deal is. Truthfully, the movie shouldn't have been made at all. The whole point of the Lizzie show was about Lizzie being a normal non popular girl struggling to fit in, but in the movie she suddenly becomes a world-renowned popstar! Plus, the plot is beyond stupid.

But overall, give this show a break and appreciate it for the harmless fluff it is.

You Wish! (2003 TV Movie)

Totally Cute Disney Movie!

[10 April 2003]

I thought this movie was adorable. Sure, it was completely predictable and had the Disney moral message...but it was also entertaining. The performances were great, especially the main three. AJ Trauth proved he can handle a lead part. Spencer Breslin was great as always and Lalaine did a nice job with her supporting role. Plus, I thought the movie had a great soundtrack. There was an actual score and real songs as opposed to just the teenybopper music played in so many of their other movies.