katzinoire Reviews

Criminal Minds: Somebody's Watching (2006) Season 1, Episode 18

Dr. Reid Fan's Get Some Lipservice.......

[18 January 2012]

........as does the good doctor himself. I usually don't go for formulatic episodes-but it's *SPENCER*! It's nice to see the sexy (but still naive) actress in a "someone to watch over me/The Bodyguard" scenario.

To start they made Lila Likable. She likes Reid, she enjoys the fact he's smart and feels close to him even before he's assigned as her protector.

I forgive the cliché storyline for the fact that Reid gets some one on one time with the viewers.

Favorite Moments -Reid innocently asking Morgan about relationships and Morgan's hackles going up asking if Reid views him as a "dog" because of the revolving door that leads to Morgan's bed -Elle exposing the Paparazzi's film to spare Reid the embarrassment of having pictures of him kissing the victim and him dripping wet seeking assistance -Reid and Lila's good byes-although everyone from her publicist to Reid's team seems to want to rush them along -the priceless moment of Jason Gideon being hit on by an amorous bi-sexual (she claims to be a lesbian but being attracted to Gideon) and him slinking away in embarrassment This isn't your "Frank" or "Reaper" episode, just a simple story about Reid contained in one episode, leaving open some potential for a future with a pretty woman.

Boy Interrupted (2009)

You Can't Help But Feel Their Pain.....

[1 September 2011]

Not just from losing Evan, but the loss of Scott-an Uncle he never had the pleasure of meeting. I was thinking at one point if only Scott had lived, Evan would have had someone who truly understood how he felt.

Having a Special Needs child myself (Bi-Polar, Depression, ADHD etc are special needs)this film both moved me and terrified me. When my son was 12 he wanted to commit suicide, explaining to his therapist that what prevented him from doing it was knowing how much it would hurt me, and also that his late Step-Father, who died in 2005 from heart issues, had no choice but to die and it left my son with a certain reverence and respect for life in the process. At now, almost 14-he's doing fine-for now. I know from being a parent that doing fine is ALWAYS a "for now" and this documentary shows it.

The filmmakers were, in my opinion no way exploiting their late son, in a way they were spreading a message about depression/Bi-Polar, as well as coping with their loss. That loss was very, very real-they even documented the funeral.

Evan-from an outsiders point-of-view, was a smart, handsome and talented child who was, sadly, born with a pre-disposition to feel things 100x more than a normal human being-with that empathy came depression, moods, jaded mentality and it was simply too much for him to bear.

His father, having experienced the loss of Scott, as well as the paternal Grandparents-their pain was so overwhelming, I did cry watching them dealing with Evan's suicide,memories of Scott's suicide. I hope this film brought some closer for the Perrys. I hope it is watched and maybe, perhaps will prevent another family they'll most likely never meet help their own child. God bless them for being so brave to do this documentary and I hope it brought them even a small amount of peace.

Big Time Rush (2009–2013)

Review From A Parent-Yes I Watch With My Kids

[8/10 · 24 June 2010]

I will be straight with you-I loathe Boy Bands with an unbridled passion, I think their mere existence was created to provide a purgatory on earth to make us suffer for the human race creating teen idols as we evolved. As one from the New Age meets Punk Rock age of the 80's-my children heard The Ramones, Queen and Metallica as opposed to Raffi. One of my proud moments was my daughter borrowing my Ramones shirt to wear to school, and my son bonding with his previously impossible Social Studies teacher based on their mutual love of Cream and The Rolling Stones. The concept of me enjoying a show about a pre-fab four boy band, fish outta water situation-they come from the Northern United States and are relocated West Coast-would normally be inconceivable.

However-I am a huge fan of parody and laughing. The show is a paradox because Nickelodeon wants to market the boys and sell their CDs, however they decided to go back to their roots-the Nickelodeon I recall watching endlessly during the age of "You Can't Do That On Television"-twisted, silly and true to the spirit of many of their shows, slinking in references to a variety of movies, pop culture references etc. with some twisted humor a la "Pete & Pete". This is why it is watchable for me.

Why, one may ask-do I watch this show? Simply because I believe it is my responsibility as a parent to watch TV with my children, to know what they see, what influences them etc. Ratings are nothing to me-I know what my children can handle and although I embark on several outdoor activities with them, at the end of the day after work-I am tired-however rather than lock myself in my room for "me time", I make it a point to have "we time" and watch with the children.

Upon learning the concept of this show-I was worried. However, these boys are adept at comedy. Add in David Anthony Higgins as the greedy Landlord and Steven Kramer Glickman as foils for the boys and you get some serious laughs.

The show has a skewed sense of humor, sound effects giving it a Chuck Jones feel to it. The cameo of Eric Estrada as Carlos' Policeman father was nothing short of brilliant-parents could laugh at the CHIPS reference and Estrada showed a great comedic talent. Fabio also made a cameo as a dream man-who the children kidnap to give the obviously widowed Mrs. Knight (Kendall's mother and the groups chaperone in CA) a perfect date. There is Buddah Bob-the handyman character that is introduced as someone that Mrs. Knight assumes is an Ax Murderer which is set up on a series of humorous scenarios where it looks like he is-a very telling side story on judging people-which also had the sweet enough to rot teeth perky neighbor girl end up being a psycho.

And it works. I laugh every episode. Gustavo-the band's manager-refers to the boys as dogs-but you eventually learn he actually LIKES them-noted by his assistant Kelly who really loves the boys since they are so goofy, silly and real.

The friendship shown between the boys-who we learn have relocated to California to form their band is cute. We find out they are simply hockey players who wound up being discovered. One of them, Carlos wears his helmet all the time-a running joke throughout the show. Kendall, the sort of leader of the boys has his mom and his adorable little sister, Katie (brilliantly portrayed by a talented Ciara Bravo) is shown to be adjusting to his new status, Logan is the group's geek genius, Carlos is the goof one,James is the least explored so I am hoping they give some more definition. The boys are adjusting to a new world of competitive musicians, dealing with normal teen stuff like girls and things like that. The show is too silly to deal with actual issues like drug use, however they replace normally controversial issues with a humorous version of it-Buddah Bob's introduction as a storyline on judging people.

All in all though, the show reminds us constantly that it isn't reality by the slapstick and silly situations. It laughs at itself, which is the best of comedy.

The performances, the silly stories etc make the show very watchable-a good bonus when one watches TV with their kids.

Temple Grandin (2010 TV Movie)

Excellent Insight Into An Autistic, Beautiful Mind

[10/10 · 18 February 2010]

Temple Grandin is my 11 year old daughter's new hero. I watched the film with her and she was amazed at how people would have even thought they needed to put Temple in a sanitarium. I loved how her mother managed to both recognize her daughter's condition (for lack of a better word) and also do her best to work with and around it. She made her daughter attend school, college etc and never allowed her to give up-even if that may have seemed like the easy way out.

Temple's connection with her blind friend made sense-the friend relying on sound and Temple relying on visuals made them a believable pair.

My daughter is at an age where people can be damn cruel. Instead of laughing at Temple's voice, mannerism etc-she asked why they were like that and after explaining what high functioning Autism is-she felt not sorry for Temple, but proud of her for her achievements. This is a truly inspirational film. Danes portrayal is amazing and I am hoping she gets a Golden Globe for it somewhere down the line.

I also was impressed with the visuals and the care taken in showing how information was being processed by Temple. Knowing that an Autistic person isn't so much staring in space, but seeing things in such a way it can be overwhelming makes one appreciate what they and their families contend with.

I read an article where someone asked Grandin if she could be "cured" of Autism, would she do it and her response was a resounding "no"-to her, Autism is as much a part of her as the mind it affects and she is who she is because of it. Embracing her status and not making one feel ashamed for it just makes her accomplishments even more impressive and endearing.

For the reviewer who thought this was a watered down lifetime movie, so very wrong. This is probably the most accurate portrayal of Autism ever seen.

Dead Man Walking (1995)

Matthew Poncelet Wasn't A Real Person......

[8/10 · 24 January 2009]

Just to clarify, Matthew Poncelet wasn't a real person, but a character combination of 2 killers who were BOTH convicted and sentenced to die for a murder of two teenagers.

I read the User Comments and they react as if Matthew was real. The character is based on a mixture of two killers, Elmo Patrick Sonnier and Robert Lee Willie (who murdered separate people) and the murder itself was based on the one Willie committed. The conflict of both Willie having someone else present and both parties swearing the other did the killing is worked into the story as well.

Prejean's approach is unique in that she not only is ministering to the convicts as they wait for their death and aiding them in taking responsibility for their actions, she also reaches out to the victims' families, to help them know that the convict did, indeed feel remorse for what they did-effectively aiding both parties.

Everyone posting here seems to have strong beliefs on the Death Sentence. It's not my place to say it's right or wrong-in theory punishing death with death makes some sort of Karmic sense, however denying a person their freedom for the rest of their days, although costly, makes more sense to me-being stuck in a small room 23/7 (with one hour of exercise)for the rest of their days to be reminded of the cruel thing they did seem a more apt punishment-they are technically alive, but denied living. Say someone killed someone so they could get out of the responsibility the person they killed required (like Susan Smith killing her poor kids by shoving her car into a lake). I find it fittingly ironic that they would not get that "freedom" they craved and would now have to spend the rest of their days imprisoned.

Prejean's point comes through the story very well. She has my respect-she manages to find that balance-she isn't supporting a killer, she is guiding them to accepting what they did. If they didn't feel some kind of remorse, they wouldn't be asking for spiritual guidance.

Ona final note, when Poncelet apologizes to Delacroix parent for killing his son, the parents of the girl who was also murdered mutters something about why he didn't apologize for her death. I think the point was that throughout the movie, Poncelet denies killing both kids. There is doubt in Prejean's mind he did both killings-there is a friend who was sentenced but not to death-my thought is that Poncelet killed the Delacroix boy and the other man murdered the girl-hence Poncelet was taking responsibility for what he did. Had he been responsible for the girl's death, he probably would have apologized for that as well.

Dan in Real Life (I) (2007)

Realistic, And Yet Un-Realistic

[8/10 · 20 October 2008]

Okay, I will admit-I liked the film-a lot. However there was this underlying discomfort over the fact that Marie and Dan were pretty much flirting in front of his brother-who they only take a few moments to show how quickly he has a re-bound rate (after realizing Marie and he are totally quits he takes off with this chick he was making fun of the first part of the movie who grew up to be a hottie). Had they showed more of what a cad Mitch was, I would have felt more like cheering on Marie and Dan.

The middle daughter who is angsting it all up was annoying, the older daughter was funny in her attempts in getting to drive, only to ultimately get the job when her father gets his license taken away after one to many tickets in one weekend. The youngest daughter was adorable, I probably connected most with her since my youngest also lost a parent at a very young age and you can see Lily trying so hard to remember her mom, I could feel for her there, because I see my youngest grasping at memories of her daddy all the time.

Discomfort aside, I loved, loved, loved the family get together. My guess it was like for Columbus Day weekend or something, but they were damn cute. For the record for the naysayers- 1. I don't work for the movie, nor am I affiliated with it in any other way other than watching it for free on my On Demand and 2. Yes, I know families who have competitions to decide who does the dishes, it isn't as long as a crossword, but it isn't as unrealistic as you think.

I could relate to Dan in many ways, being a Widow myself, I could understand the feeling of being left behind with 3 children and how all consuming it gets. The moment when the family is bewildered at Dan picking up a guitar-something he apparently hasn't done since his wife died-was something I understood-in my case it was a camera, but I could understand it. It showed Dan being ready to move on, of course the unfortunate circumstances being that he wanted to move on with his brother's girlfriend. I did get the concept that Marie and Mitch hadn't slept together-aside from the separate room thing, she explained she had just left a messy relationship and hopped into this one. If they did sleep together, I missed that conversation.

So on the level of a Widow/Widower moving on-it was dead on. As far as how a large family would react to a sibling even considering being with his siblings girl being acceptable-not so believable.

Very watchable, very poignant moments.

Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)

Bit Of A Confusing Title, But That Is The Most I Can Say That Is Negative

[8/10 · 4 October 2008]

The title refers to a conversation had at a group dinner towards the end of the movies-there had been a fire in the family's garage and they lost material things- a bike, pictures, photo albums-and the husband. Brian pointed out to the family that they had each other and that is what mattered.

The movie was slow going, but satisfying. There was no Hollywood quick rehab recovery, rather a process of Jerry accepting not only the need to get clean properly, but why he needs to do so.

Brian's death was so tragic-a good Samaritan deed that cost him his life. Jerry states he died a hero and he was very correct.

The chemistry between Audrey and Brian was awesome. There was absolutely no focus on the fact they were an interracial couple-which I thought was great-the focus was on the love they had for each other and seeing this made the loss of Brian so terrible.

The very cute relationship between the children and Jerry was sweet, although I had moments of squeamishness at the idea of someone so distanced from reality holding a conversation with a 6 year old child and then the adults laughing about it later. Aside from that, the movies was very planted in reality.

There is no wonder cure for Jerry. His fellow NA member and eventual friend, Kelly, shows admiration and concern in a healthy way-Jerry isn't a replacement for drugs, he is someone she genuinely likes, and helps Audrey with the detox process. Kelly is the one who helps Audrey find Jerry when he becomes a recidivist. The scenes of the detox are pretty spot on. Neal, Audrey's loyal and amazing older brother is very well played, helping Brian's friend is done with absolutely no questions and everyone seems linked by this strength.

The pace comes off as slow, however having experienced losing my husband, I can say that this actually is how you feel-time seems unreal and uneasy. Audrey's grief and anger are well played.

Worth a watch, I would say 8 stars out of 10.

The Happening (2008)

What's (Not) Happening

[4/10 · 16 June 2008]

I had to try and think of what corny title a movie review would have as such, and that was the best I could come up with.

The Happening, in theory, could have been a film of great warning (stop messing with mother earth, or she will mess with you), with appeal, heroes and all sorts of stuff one would normally associate with a film such as this.

To start, the concept of plants emitting a toxin to affect pests is actually true. Of course, the pests are generally a thousand times smaller than humans, and less complex. But suspend that reality and think for a moment. Generally, due to human chemistry, a nice angle would have been to have some people immune from this toxin, similar to The Stand, where not all people were affected.

What the film lacks the most is basic, common sense. I will cite some examples that really stood out to me:

1. Worst. Parenting. Ever Julian takes time to tell Elliot that the reason his wife was held up was because she was getting a doll house for their daughter, Jess. He says this IN FRONT OF THE CHILD. He also points out he is leaving to "find out" if she is safe. Okay, if one was single, I could totally get that, but chances are, Jess' mom would most likely want Julian to stay with their daughter. And announcing that the mother is missing because of a gift she was getting said daughter in front of the daughter is asking for future therapy issues. And truly this act is against Julian's previous seen character-a protective father who would never do anything to cause his child to needlessly worry.

2. Alma, Thy Name Is Selfish OK, so the group was fortunate enough to get tickets to the train out of town. Instead of staying near her husband, Alma chooses to sit apart from him, because she is "offended" that he may have expressed concerns about their marriage to their friend. The man bought you a ticket out of town on a surprisingly roomy train given that Philadelphia is a pretty large place. And you nit pick that your husband confided in him?

3. Basic Idiocy I had to look this up before announcing my ire, however my instinct was correct. Any certified army vehicle in this day and age is stocked with an emergency kit enough for the passengers the vehicle is meant to hold. So this means that when the Army guy pulled up in his clearly Army level Hummer, it would have been equipped with a medical kit, and gas masks. Now apparently the two knitting octogenarians in Virginia had the sense to pop on gas masks to protect themselves-but an Army trained individual had no clue to think about that. Ditto that on carrying his gun fully loaded with extra ammo. You know the toxin will make people suicidal. You pack your gun. Real smart. The trees aren't getting all Rambo on you, so what's the point?

4. Why would the trees kill people considered allies? To make anyone want to turn in their environmental card, the toxin targets even the environmental friendly who have spent countless years speaking for the trees. The most appealing characters, the kind, but spacey Nursery Owner and his sweetheart of a wife end up in the group with the pistol packing army guy and we know from the gunshot count, they died. This makes no sense at all. If plants can communicate as suggested, wouldn't the nursery plants point out to their brethren that Nursery Hippy guy and wife were friends to the chlorophyll set? If they had survived the toxin, it would have made more sense to me, especially since the guy made it a point to tell his plants (actually calling them his babies) that they would be OK.

5. Split Personality Issues Josh and Jared, the amiable young teens traveling with Elliot, Alma and Jess are portrayed as jovial fellows, who try to make the best of their situation. They even offer marital advice to Elliot in one of the few amusing conversations. So to me it made no sense they would get aggressive and rude to the people shacked up in the farmhouse-an event that led up to their deaths……….

6. Which brings me to…….. Why is it everyone located on a remote farm location are portrayed as psychos? I am waiting to hear a complaint from the Agriculture Society on the negative portrayal of farmers everywhere.

And what of France? Why is France the disaster movie's bitch? Think about this, to name a few: 28 Weeks Later, Independence Day, Armageddon-all have France (particularly Paris) annihilated. So why is it that France is the next Occurrence of "the happening"? Did the plants have to communicate it through seaweed and it took three months?

Broken (III) (2006)

The Thing Most Broken In This Movie Is Logic

[4/10 · 19 May 2008]

Here are some suggestions to possible captives on how to deal with psychopaths who have kidnapped you, tortured you and are holding you in a camp in the middle of nowhere: 1. If you obtain the key to unlock your chains, take a moment to chain your captor up. It takes a couple of minutes and if done properly, you can run away without him chasing and hobbling or killing you 2. If you scream for 2 days straight, chances are even your co-captive would want to cut out your tongue 3. Never throw your weight against a door to open it, especially when you see someone trapped inside who means something to you-chances are-it is booby trapped That said, what the hell was the point of Hope having the date in the beginning? Seriously, there was no point to it.

All in all, this movie was Saw meets Kiss The Girls with the appearance of Deliverance.

Family Ties (1982–1989)

A, My Name Is Alex

[10/10 · 2 April 2008]

In the spirit of minimalism stage, Alex Keaton's struggle with the loss of a friend has an impact even today. Flipping through TV Land at 3AM one night I watched both parts of this pivotal episode and was still astounded.

Alex's entire life is controlled by him. Suddenly he is forced to deal with something way beyond his control-death. It forces him to evaluate himself, and adds some funny stuff in with the flashbacks too. My favorite is Alex being upset because "mommy, my favorite president is being impeached!" (Nixon). The laughs thrown in are in no way offensive, nor take away from the seriousness of the episode.

These two episodes never cease to amaze me, and I always felt represented what this show really was-about family, coping with change and loving someone even if they are the polar opposite of you-the contrast in political beliefs of Alex versus his parents provided laughs and tender understanding.

If you never have watched the show, I suggest these two episodes.

Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)

For The Love Of Family

[9/10 · 18 December 2007]

My 5 year old begged me to take her, and I complied. I had brought a book and an itty bitty book light so I could read during the movie-only to find I didn't even need it.

From what I could see, the movie has two messages: the importance of family and also a plug about making young talents overwork themselves with no consideration for their well being.

The family part is how Dave Saville-a perma-bachelor who seems to not have his life together enough that he apparently lost a very sweet photographer girlfriend, Claire because he was all over the place-and how he becomes a manager, friend and eventual father figure to 3 talking Chipmunks.

We have Alvin, the vain go-getter, who is always got a scheme up his sleeve, Simon, a genius who is always using his noodle to solve situations and Theodore-a loving, sweet emotional dear heart who appears not that smart, but really is just sensitive.

Dave ends up with the boys by sheer accident and after learning they can sing, decides to write songs for them, hoping that the songs he writes will perform better being sung by the boys. After a disastrous audition, Dave gets mad and yells at the boys, only to have Simon point out that they had stage fright, and also reminding Dave they are just kids. Dave realizes this and feels bad he yelled at them.

The boys decide to make up the fact they blew the impromptu audition by taking a cab to the music producers house, tricking him into letting them in, and eventually singing for him. Ian (the music producer) is amazed, however is manipulative, showering the boys with presents, planning huge events, piling on the junk food, and with no concern for the boys well being.

Dave on the other hand becomes a really good parent (even if he doesn't want to admit it). He still has a lot to learn, but his concepts are in the right place. A great example is that for Christmas, he gets the boys savings bonds (not exactly a prime gift, but one that shows he thinks about their future). He also puts the boys money away, fairly. The boys show how they feel about Dave by presenting their Christmas gifts to him: Alvin, in true Alvin fashion, gets Dave a wallet-Dave's existing wallet to be exact, Simon has created a paper clip compass and loving Theodore has drawn a picture of Dave and the boys, the family he explains.

Ian on the other hand does what he can to bump Dave out of the loop, and due to some confusion over a letter Dave originally wrote before committing himself to the boys, gain full control of the boys. He manages to do this, working them hard, giving them tons of coffee to keep them alert and awake to handle the long hours(a thin veiled allusion to managers giving performers drugs to stay awake), all the time raking in the cash and having the boys suffer for it. The backup singers and dancers even notice this mistreatment and comment on it, feeling sorry for the sweet boys(who apparently treat them very well, as Dave taught them to).

Dave discovers this, and eventually gets the boys back. The ex-girlfriend plot was the weakest area of the film, however the director was smart enough to keep it in the background-although the ex does serve a purpose at a key point, making it possible for Dave to access the boys with her press pass and camera. She also chides Dave on the whole not admitting he really is a dad to the boys. So weak as that plot point was, it had some use.

All in all hysterical fun, some great stuff to poke fun at (Dave is supposedly struggling as a song writer, but manages to have a sweet house, all tricked out with appliances, actual food, and knick knacks) and the funniest of those was noted by my 5 year old-Dave finished writing the song and sits the boys down to practice it-they start singing immediately- to which my daughter said how amazing that was. I asked her if she meant the singing Chipmunks and she said no, they learned the words so fast!! I will admit I was skeptical about Jason Lee playing Dave Saville, but he worked very well. All in all a great film to see with your kids, and no itty bitty book light and reading materials needed.

Four Brothers (2005)

Singleton Still Has It

[9/10 · 10 November 2007]

Years back I embarked on a story portrayed in a film called "Boyz In The Hood". One thing I have noticed about Singleton is he adds dimension to all the characters to the point you actually care about what becomes of them-especially when they die. In Four Brothers, it's Jack. Not much is said about Jack, except you just know that kid was sexual abused at the former foster homes he lived in, you know that until Evelyn Mercer took him in, he had nothing to call his own. And she healed him of that distrust. He is the most sensitive out of the brothers, or at least shows it the most. He is the youngest, and it is very obvious how the other brothers treat him that they consider him to be the most naive. Bobby is the oldest-even though we never establish his age, his presence gives off that vibe. Jerimiah and Angel are in the middle-Jerry seems to have gone straight, managing to have a normal existence. Angel has the least amount of background provided, however we learn that he has a girlfriend that he can never say no to, who the brothers (particularly Bobby) torment endlessly.

Apparently Evelyn Mercer was a Social Worker, who tasked herself to place foster children into permanent homes. You get the feel that this woman didn't just place kids in a home and walk away, she cared for them all and you know she was the type to keep tabs on them. Everyone loved her, so when she is shot down in what appears to be a standard gang robbery shooting, people are upset-however it is treated as business as usual in the area of Detriot they are in. Bobby pretty much is a criminal, chances are he would have been far worse if not for this woman in his life, however he is pretty bad. He has a bizarre split personality thing going on, one moment he is tenderly introducing himself to his nieces, and another moment tossing various weapons to his adopted siblings to go and get to the bottom of what happened to their mom (although his affection and protective nature towards Jack is shown as he simply hands him a crow bar as opposed to a gun).

Evelyn makes a powerful impression in the few minutes she is shown on screen. We first see her preventing a boy from stealing some candy from a sort of corner grocery store. She knows the man running the store, and he plays along with her to make an impression on this kid that makes you know he will probably not be stealing candy anytime soon. She points out that the kid needs a big brother-someone for guidance. Shortly afterword's, the store is robbed, and outside of the images the brother are seen remembering, we only hear about her.

Eventually it is found out that Evelyn, essentially ,was assassinated. The boys eventually go out and find out why and by whom. In the process Jack is killed and in that moment I flashed back to Boyz N The Hood, where the neighborhood boys carry a bullet riddled Rickie back to his mother's home and they all are reacting to the senseless death. Bobby is not only crying for the loss of Jack, he is crying because you know somewhere along the line he probably promised Evelyn to always look out for his little brother. The man is a criminal, he is bad, callous and at times cruel, however he does have a level of a morals and you know that Evelyn was responsible for this.

The movie is pretty violent. But in that respect, there is a sense of realism, as the area of Detroit this story is supposed to take place is considered very violent. It shows that vengeance does, indeed have a cost, and that in the end, there is always time to change your ways. The final image of Evelyn (who throughout the whole movie has been seen by all the brothers except Bobby)of her suggesting Bobby stay awhile gives the impression that indeed, Bobby will stay, and be a better person in her memory.

Another thing to notice about this movie is the genuine way the actors all interact with each other. The teasing and poking fun at each other, the easy way all the interaction is developed really makes an impact. There is a moment in the movie when the brothers meet with Evelyn's lawyer and Jack casually asks "What do we get?" and Bobby smacks him behind the head. Chances are, it was improve, as Mark Wahlberg did a great deal of this in the movie,however the chemistry worked well and made the movie believable.

I gave this a 9 out of 10, mostly due to the excess of violence.

Whiskers (1997 TV Movie)

With A Name Like Whiskers, What Does One Expect?

[7/10 · 2 November 2007]

I am giving this movie a 7 out of 10 for the fact that despite my wanting to change the channel while watching it, my kids were completely taken by the film.

Jed is a lonely, new boy in town. His parents are "average movie parents"-meaning they fit the criteria of 1.Misc appearance 2.Caught talking about one thing to have it misunderstood-thus setting off the events of the movie 3.They are absolutely clueless the the fact that the family pet has transformed into a human 4.The father sports a mullet (ok, that isn't EXACTLY a criteria, however it's a MULLET!! In the mid-Nineties, really now!) The parents have the "BIG SECRET" they whisper about, then talk louder once they realize their kid is there. Jed thinks they wish to get rid of his loyal frisky sidekick and panics.

Side trip-Mullet-Dad takes son to the Museum-originally to see a DaVinci show. However instead they get the last day of the Egyptian Cat Collection (how so plot-oriented and convenient!). While there, Jed reads about Bast, a Cat Goddess who is sort of the Guardian Angel of cats-and he pleads for her to transform Whiskers into a human-assuming that he would then have a boy version of Whiskers. Problem is, the cat year factor has him aged at about 30. Not good.

Eventually Whisker and Jed begin a search for Whikser's mother, who, as a kitten Whiskers had promised he would take care of her when she grew old. Although he states cats never help each other out, because he is now human, he wants to follow through on this promise.

The movie generally follows the journey of finding Whisker's mom, and teaching Jed that he can make human friends and letting go of things you have outgrown.

Firehouse Dog (2007)

Catches Your Eye

[7/10 · 27 October 2007]

My son was raving about this film (he's 10) and suggested I watch it with him-which I did. Outside of wanting to smack the previous owner of Dewey (nee' Rexxx) for looking 40 and sounding like a 20 year old wuss reading from a translation book titled "How To Sound Cool,Dude" to impress the "cool kids"-I liked the film. Was it believable? No, but come on-neither is making a star dog do a stunt jump from a plane-one would use a stunt dog-IF they were allowed. I was frankly shocked that even the concept wasn't lit upon by the ravinging extremist groups. Anyway, we have the basis of a film good for kids: family situation-single dad firefighter dealing with also the recent death of his brother-which promoted him to Captain and his son acting out over this-we have Silly Animal-hamming it up with cute looks, well placed dog fart noises and of course defecation. and then the fish outta water-female firefighter who is an extreme tomboy, and of course-the underdog (no pun intended) firestation that-GASP! will be closing down soon due to the decline in the area. The villain doesn't have a waxed, twirly mustauche, however I think this is done to keep us from figuring him out-outside of the whole guilty looks, giant sign pointing at him. We even have insight for the life of a pampered dog (3 tri-colored poodles waiting for him-yeah..............??). The movie is watchable, and the plot, although cookie cutter Hollywood style, is OK. Kids do enjoy it, even if you get sick of the reference of the dog critiquing the Firehouse cook's food creations visa ve pooping on it, it is a cute movie.

Tuck Everlasting (1981)

Nothing Like The Original

[9/10 · 23 September 2006]

This movie burned and stayed in my memory for years, the haunting melody of the music box was amzaing-I spent years asking people at various music box stores where I could get it. They must have thought I was NUTS, this 8 year old demanding a song that didn't exist. I suppose nowadays, if I had a recording of it I suppose I could have a music box custom made of it (well, the recording and a ton of cash!).

Disney's version was nice, but lacking the magical mystery of the original film. But it wasn't horrible. It was New Coke to Old Coke, I was expecting something more of the original and it just wasn't it.

The turtle at the end, apparently having lived with Winnie all her life, was kinda a nice touch-my guess is that they used a turtle as opposed to a frog because a frog would have taken off :o) The only reason this doesn't get a 10 out of 10 is that as much as I loved Jesse, he kinda creeped me out wandering around the merry-go-round at the end, granted he was still 17, but even a 17 year old attracted to a 10 year old? NOT good.

Moment of Truth: Stalking Back (1993 TV Movie)

Well Done, Creepy Study That Makes You Think About Whose Involved In Your Kid's Lives

[8/10 · 29 May 2006]

I remember watching this movie back in 1993-and recently was thinking about it, and looked it up. The scenes burned into my memory would be the umpire looking at his collection of baseball cards of Laurissa as she gets older and the final scene of her nearly getting raped in her garage.

The fact that up until that time it was perfectly legal what this guy was doing to this poor girl was horrific. I'm glad the laws are in place now, however, she had about 3-4 years taken from her life by this guy and that is so beyond wrong! I am unsure if this is her real name, I have been trying to find out what I can on the actual case.

Pieces of April (2003)

Painful To Watch, But Worth The Payoff

[9/10 · 19 February 2006]

Watching the scenes of April, I got the whole "free spirit" vibe and her boyfriend Bobby truly is a gem. Here is this guy doing everything he can to impress the family and help April have a good day. I liked the mother, it seems as if she spent her whole life being a Stepford Mom kind of woman, notice how she tells Beth "I see you making the same mistakes I did and I wish you would make your own". Beth is being who Joy was, and the sarcastic response Joy constantly gives her is almost like her saying "stop the act, it's not worth it, be who you are inside-feel dammit!". The irony is the April IS her own self, dysfunctional, but herself. Timmy seems to get that, and I think Gramma Dottie does too. Jim reminds me of the father in "Garden State", where he wants everything to be hunky dorrie and wants the dream of the "happy family", and doesn't quite get that Normal simply is an illusion. Bath seems to want to be perfect as a personality trait, but her affected nature is making her mom go nuts. Joy is sick and has had it with the Kid Gloves people handle her with. Although the scenes with Bobby seem more to break up the movie, I liked them, mostly because the guy seems to love April unconditionally, and it shows. I also liked how April now has friends in her apartment building, the woman showing her how to make Cranberry sauce was sweet, and I fell in love with the Chinese family, making her turkey look nice and how she ultimately invites them in-you know she now has a family in her building, even if just a surrogate one. I read some posts on people confused on Wayne, like why a snobby guy would live in a building like that. My guess is he does to support his expensive taste and lifestyle. Maybe he just has always lived there and figures it will increase in value. Who knows, I think I could have done the movie without Wayne, however his presence does make a huge impact on the Chinese family taking April in. All in all, I found the movie to be very satisfying, and the end tear worthy and almost a new beginning for April.

Death on the Nile (1978)

Best Agatha Christie Ensemble

[8/10 · 29 January 2006]

I like Agatha Christie's mysteries to begin with. The two I enjoyed most were "Death On The Nile" and "Evil Under The Sun"-DOTN being the favorite of the two. I love how Christie has the sympathatic-however unhinged, and jealous Jackie turn out to be the brilliant mastermind behind it all. I also must say, the cast was great, although having read the trivia and seeing that at one time "Michael York" was to be in it, I must admit, I always thought it WAS York, so the guy who got cast did a hell of a job! I thought Angela Lansbury being the flamboyant, tawdry sex book author was a fine choice, her costume and her Norma Desmond behavior cracked me up to no end. Ditto the pairing of the sharp tongued Bette Davis' traveling rich old lady and Maggie Smith's dour, but for some reason loyal nurse companion. Poirot has his good old Colonel friend, who they conveniently have set up to never be a suspect, so Poirot has someone to work with. POirot's sadness on realizing who the real murderer was gave me the feeling of devastation that was to be conveyed. You could tell through out the whole movie that Poirot felt sorry for this abandoned, frail creature, only to discover that she was so cruel, violent and, as it turned out, as unhinged as to eliminate the opportunity to convict her and her lover by the murder/suicide-which caught me by surprise, I didn't see that one coming. Best ensemble cast, perfect balance of lesser known names with known ones.

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

NIMH Then and Now

[8/10 · 30 October 2005]

I first saw this film back in 1982 when I was 9 and found it cool to watch, but never quite got what it was until this evening when I sat down and watched the DVD. In a brief conversation through the window, the Farmer's wife mentions that NIHM stands for National Institute of Mental Health. Then the experiments that Nicodemus speaks of make way more sense to me now than at 9. Genetic enhancement, something I read about a couple of years later in X-Men-however managed to not see The Secret Of NIHM until now, a full 23 years later.

It's a shame the woman who voiced her is gone due to suicide, I loved the care that was taken with Mrs. Brisby's voice and mannerisms matching very well. I like that you can totally tell Justin has a crush on the sweet mouse widow and I like that he never once questions her when she announces the danger that is to come in the morning. He helps her, but ultimately she is the one who saves the day in more ways than one via her inner strength and her husband's gift. It also crossed my mind that maybe Jonathon had some sort of Sixth Sense, knowing his wife would need the stone eventually.

All in all this movie is amazing to watch and far less depressing than "The Plague Dogs" , another movie about experimenting on animals.

Quantum Leap (1989–1993)

Where have all the good series gone?

[21 August 2005]

This show was amazing in many factors. To start, there were only a mere handful of characters who you saw more than once, mainly only the two regular's, Sam and Al. Yet, despite that hurdle, the show managed to get us intimately involved with every new setting and characters each show. Example, in the episode "8 and 1/2 Months" it only took less than 10 minutes for me to feel for this forlorn, pregnant teen and by the end of the episode, the moment before Sam leaps, when the teen's father rushes in and swears he'll be there for her and the baby I was so moved, because it felt so real. The Christmas one, where the guy can see Al because of a chemical imbalance and so Al plays a "Christmas Carol" spoof (probably because truly, this was the one time he could physically help Sam)and the results are both touching and hilarious. Some people mentioned the show got too "preachy" but honestly I felt it was well balanced. And the risk of mentioning God in the format was high for a non-religious show-and done well. My personal favorite was Al in the past, nearly getting in trouble for a homicide and Sam BEING Al. No wonder the side effect was the "swiss cheese memory" all those memories would explode in one person. All together one of the most soundly, thoroughly produced shows I have ever seen, even the concept of how the leaps work was researched. Believable imagination.

Thirteen (2003)

So scary, brought back memories

[9/10 · 1 August 2005]

I was 13 in 1987, just as a lot of things were changing, but then the rampant drinking, smoking and sexual behavior was an issue even then. I remember being this one girl who was major in the "in" crowd at my school (which was Catholic, so the dress code was limited to uniforms, but the stuff I mention all happened after school). These kids had parents that worked in NYC, commuted, and the mother's had all these clubs and activities, so they were alone in the afternoon, so they'd hang out at someone's house, drink, get high, etc. I remember wondering why they seemed to be all united as "friends", but never really seemed "happy". Later I found out at least half of the girls had eating disorders, and the guys they invited over where "bad boys" simply to just annoy their parents. The long term damage never seemed worth it to me.

Places in the Heart (1984)

Possum and Mr. Wills

[5 July 2005]

My favorite relationship in the film is Possum and Mr. Wills. He's so bitter because he assumes everyone will treat him different because he is blind. Possum misses having a father figure in the house-you note she went to Mr. Wills excited and fearful for her brother's punishment for smoking. And Mr. Will's first concern when the tornado winds blew open the window on the second floor was that Possum was OK. The moment when Mr. Wills nervously calls for Possum is frightening, as you assume she didn't make it, seeing the small, scared hand grasp Mr. Wills you breathe a sigh of relief as he does and he finds himself in the position of being the comforter, strength not being a weak blind man-and he actually allows Possum to lead him to the storm-not fighting someone offering help. Amazing to me, even now......

Edie & Pen (1996)

Cold and lonely winter night, curl up with ice cream and cat kind of movie

[8 October 2004]

Edie would be annoying if not for having Pen as a sidekick. To Pen, Edie is the reflection of what she used to be before her now ex-husband sucked the joy out of her with lies and betrayal.

***Spoiler Alert*** At first when Pen realizes that Edie is the woman her husband has left her for, she is understandably angry, but then realizes a few things: 1.She probably was at one time "the other woman", even though she may not have known it and 2. Edie is clearly unaware that Victor is even married. This isn't spoken, but rather how Pen reacts to Edie's attachment to a lighter that was given to Edie by Victor. ***End Spoiler***

Chatty? Yes, totally, but for me, this was a fun compilation of Hollywood's finest, appearances by Michael McKean, Michael O'Keefe, Scott Glenn, Beverlt D'Angelo-it just looks like they had fun doing this wacky movie. It may not be Oscar worthy, but definitely a good view.