ponyiq Reviews

Dinner: Impossible (2007– )

Great show

[10/10 · 16 August 2007]

I saw this show rather by accident and I love it. It is a fun, adventuresome cooking show. I like the fact that Chef Irvine gives lots of little tidbits throughout the show, things that are not necessarily common knowledge or that can be found in a cookbook. They are the kind of tidbits that if you come from a cooking family , that your grandmother would give you, such as if you want a richer cake use a cup of pudding , but is no where to be found in s standard cookbook. I also like the show because you can see his passion and his love for cooking. He is hard on his helpers, but he also gives credit where credit is due. He compliments s the people that help him locally, he hugs them when he is finished, he says thank you and while he is a little abrupt while working, he really comes through and gives kudos after; I like the fact, that it is a fun, adventurous show that has my five year old, who is nearly six wanting to learn more about cooking. I grew up cooking with my mother and grandmother and have five generations of recipes in a cookbook that is handed down and I really wanted her to be interested in cooking. She has always liked the baking but cooking really wasn't interesting, but since we started watching Dinner Impossible, she is thrilled and wants to help me cook everything from breakfast to dinner. She wants to crack eggs, measure, see how it is done and is asking questions on why you do it this way rather than that. I just found that FOod Network puts all of the recipes on the website, so now we are going to try some more of those. SHe is willing to try foods that she normally will not eat because she saw him make them and she wants to make them, but the rule is that we eat whatever we make. Anyway, it is a very watchable TV show. It is entertainment and it is educational. I love it and I respect Chef Irvine.

John from Cincinnati (2007)

awesome

[10/10 · 16 July 2007]

This is an amazing show. I liked it from the beginning, but I enjoy it more and more with each episode. I can feel the families emotions. I have known families just like this. With multiple generations that share a passion and a talent but for whatever reason something leads one or all of them astray. I have found this show to be like a drug, I can not get enough of it. I liked some of the other HBO series over the years, but if I missed an episode it really did not matter, but today, with this show, it matters. I watch each episode several times, so that I can catch all the little things that I missed. you have to be open, to give it a chance, to try to feel the pain, the joy, and the confusion within each character.

A Chorus Line (1985)

Watch it for what it is

[8/10 · 2 June 2007]

I watched this movie after seeing it on Broadway. I love the Broadway musical and I love the movie. I watched the movie like it was not related to the Broadway show. I am an avid reader and have seen what happens to most books when they are turned into movies, so I developed a philosophy really early. Assume that the movie is going to be based on the book ( or musical in this case) but that while the story line may be similar it will not be the same, it will be different so watch it for what it is.

I danced for 12 years before I had to make a choice. I was a good dancer( picking up chorus work in local productions as a child etc) but I wasn't super talented.I was however super talented as a show rider. I was told by my dance instructor and my trainer ( who i spent several months a year at his farm out of state) that I had to make a choice when I turned 14. That I needed to move up from dancing two hours four-five days a week and riding 3 hours a day 7 days a week.. and dedicate to one or the other. So I dearly love dancing and I love this movie and a lot of the other ballet and dance movies. I just chose to watch this movie for what it is, it is a great movie about raw emotion and human interaction. It is about the power of anticipation and heartbreak when you work really hard to get something you want and you just do not get it. I love the movie. I love the Broadway musical.

Forever Lulu (2000)

Exceptional Performances and amazing story

[9/10 · 8 April 2007]

I agree that this should not have been a comedy, it should not have been a drama. Of course there are moments that are comedic, but it is an amazing, sensitive, deep work that delves into places most of us never want to think about. I have been a fan of Patrick Swayze's for many years. He is able to reach somewhere deep within himself to handle a huge array of characters and this one, well he nails it on the head. You can see his love, the many different types of love and his conflict, both internal and external. The story deals with a topic that is all too common, yet all too often swept under the rug, schizophrenia and mental illness. I was amazed at the way the screenwriters,actors and directors/producers handled this subject. It was handled with sensitivity, intelligence and it was not about the stereotypes for the most part. It showed how a person, if well medicated can be "normal" of course what is normal? Melanie Griffin if absolutely amazing. She portrays the lead character with an amazing sense of humanity, grace and depth. She is perfect for the role and she reaches down somewhere that I never realized she had within her. I will look at her films in a new light now. This is an amazing piece of work, brilliantly done, with class and elegance.

Top Chef (2006– )

a dash of cooking, a splash of personality mix well

[8/10 · 9 January 2007]

I started watching this reality series with the second episode during the first season. I have loved it ever since. I really like the challenges. I have heard the complaint that it is not always about the cooking but being a top chef is about the cooking.. the challenges in my opinion are set up to evaluate how the chefs interact with each other, co-workers, underlings, and customers. I think the show is designed to challenge the chefs in ways that they are not accustomed to but yet, the effect is the same as things that happen every single day in the kitchen. THe challenges force the chefs to look deep within themselves. What I mean is that the challenges are set up to encourage out of the box thinking, what happens when half the staff is out with the flu, the delivery truck is 6 hours late, the market sent the wrong type of lettuce/squash/herb, the freezer went out, the house is overbooked by double, as someone got a date wrong on the books so 2 whole seating's are scheduled for the same time, when something gets burned etc. This show just puts what normally might happen over 6 months of problems squashes it into a couple of days, a group of people stuck together away from home, living together, working together,cooking together-from all walks of life, all kinds of cooking experience and education. Add it all together, stir it up and you get a great show

My Friend Flicka (1943)

great movie for kids with no violence, sex, drugs or cursing

[8/10 · 27 December 2006]

This is a children's movie from a much simpler time. If you are looking for a movie that is going to be an attention grabber every second, well then you are looking for the wrong movie. This is a good movie for kids. If you are a horse lover it is a good movie as well. The handling is good and if you look into the back ground of my friend flicka and thunderhead you will see that not one horse was injured in the making of the movie, as well as the movie was given the American HUMANE SOCIETY'S blessing that no animals were harmed which can not be saide for the 2006 movie version which resulted in the death of not one but two horsers.. so if you are looking for a movie that is greaqt for the kids, no cursing, no violence, no hatred, no sexual inuendo, no underlying sex or violent themes, then this is a great movie.. it is about the love of a boy and his horse.. the 1943 movie also did not harm or kill any horse.. which the 2006 version did..

nicole

Eight Below (2006)

Beautiful, heart-warming, tale of endurance, compassion, love, survival

[9/10 · 17 October 2006]

My daughter loves this movie. She is 4 years old. Now saying that I can honestly say that some children at 4 years old might be too young for this movie. Two dogs die in the movie, not in a graphic violent way, it just happens.. it is not exactly shown, it is just sort of known. My child, who has grown up with horses, dogs, goats, understands life and death. She understands that animals are shown compassion, dignity and respect. She understands that some animals are strictly pets while others have a job to do, that working dogs are expected to work when asked,but that they should still always be shown kindness, love and respect. My daughter understands that sometimes the kindness thing is to put an animal down and that animals are born and animals die, that it is a never ending circle. Now, with that said, the movie is fantastic, but it is heartbreaking at times, harrowing at times, funny and heartwarming.

I realize some have said they would not have left or they would not have done this or that, but , anyone that has been in the military,police, fire, ems, or SAR all know that sometimes you have to follow orders even if it breaks your heart, even if it is not what you want to do. Sometimes choices have to be made of greatest good for the greatest number,and we, especially Americans, really do not like this and do not accept it well.

It is a movie that will always be on our shelves. I cry every time, my daughter pat's me on the head and says the same thing every time, mom it is OK, most of them make it, most of them are OK mom... and she is right.

The training on the animals is exceptional,two dogs really stand out, Maya and then the little rascal.. but all are exceptional. The actors perform well, never stealing the show from the animals. I think that it was well done, beautiful scenery and just a great family film. I recommend this film for everyone, not just families. It is more like real life, that everything doesn't work out perfectly, we do not always get our way, that we have to keep fighting for what we believe in or what we want or need to do, that bad things happen to good people and good animals.. it will help teach compassion as well as show the desire of all living things to stay alive

Nicole

The Pacifier (2005)

Enjoyable, fun, lighthearted with heartwarming moments

[7/10 · 17 October 2006]

I was looking for something with Vin Diesel one night that my daughter could watch with me, as I am rather particular in regards to violence, sex and language. Anyway, she loves it, I really like it. You have to watch it for what it is, a light hearted CHILDREN'S FILM. It is not an adult action film.

IN all honesty, how many original ideas are there, in 100 years of film, just about everything has been done. I have taken to watching older movies for the most part because they are more story and character based and not based on high-tech expensive effects.. which is what most movies today are lacking. Special effects just don't cut it for me, I like interaction between people or animals or something. I want to see comedy, i want to see happiness, sadness etc. I want to see people being people, even if they are superhero's I want to see them do more than shoot things or fly around. This movie is fun. I have watched it over and over with my 4 year old girl. She loves it, she refers to it as the DUCK movie. She likes Vin , she thinks he is a good daddy... I have watched this movie with a 12 year old girl, 9 year old boy, 6 year old boy and a 4 year old boy.. and all of the kids liked it. I have yet to find a child that hasn't liked the movie. I am sure that there are some out there, but it is a fun movie that is good for an all ages movie night. There are no semi-sex scenes thrown in for good measure for the adults to like, there are no shoot-em scenes to appease the older alpha male crowd. There are no bad words thrown in just because.. it is a movie geared for children and families and it does a good job. It is certainly easy enough to watch or listen to, if you have one, like mine that may watch the same movie over and over for a month and then only want to see it every six months after that.. I watched Big Jake and McClintock each for months at a time, this was the movie, right after those two.. and I can honestly say, it was a pleasing break, and Vin Diesel is very easy on the eyes.. and he addresses issues that a lot of guys have.. how do you change a diaper, how do mom's fit everything into a day, how do you know what the 3 year old is doing, the 12 year old and the 17 year old.. how do you keep track of all of them at one time, keep them all contained, all the energy going in the right direction.. he makes motherhood look exactly like it is, not a walk in the park, to be loved, but definitely hard work Nicole

Belizaire the Cajun (1986)

a great cast and good attempt at what south la was like

[8/10 · 27 August 2006]

This is a film that I was deeply interested in, as I had a sort of vested interest in it. Almost every horse in the film, except 3-4 horses that were brought in from I am guessing California, were from the stable where I boarded my horse and took lessons. I was in high school, so when the movie came out I dutifully saw it, but it did not hold great interest with the exception of figuring out which horse was which. I did get to watch many of the actors take riding lessons from my riding instructor( who was trained in Germany and Egypt) All of the cast was exceptionally nice, none of what you read about regarding how stars act etc.. of course, I was allowed into the stable, since I both owned a horse there, worked for the stable and helped each morning get the horses loaded into the line of trailers to head out to various locations. I also was present to tack up and get the horses warmed up and cooled down for the lessons that my instructor gave the stars.. so that helped but i was not treated like, a kid or like help.. not about the movie, but definitely about the stars in the movie.

On to the movie, now that I am an adult and I have lived all over the country. I value this movie greatly. I am not Cajun, but I did grow up here. My family well, my grandmother's mother came directly from France and my grandfather's family descended from a tax collector sent over by the Spanish king when Spain was the owner of Louisiana.

I love the movie now because,well it shows what I have always known, that Cajuns are a fiercely loyal, independent, determined people. Family is everything, God, family, community and then everything else.. there are very few places that i have lived where i have seen this.. you see it among the Amish and the Mennonite peoples.. you see it some in the small pioneer towns that have not been invaded by tourist and everything else in the mountains of Colorado, that fierce loyalty to God, to family and to the community, most everywhere else, it just doesn't show up nearly as much or it does not seem to. This movie is a little bit of everything, with a taste of the music, the history and so very much more.. unfortunately in 2006, the Cajun culture is quickly disappearing as we have so very many people from all over the world living in the heart of Cajun country.. and make no mistake, there is a huge difference between creole and Cajun.. between the acadiana region and new Orleans.. the food is different, the people are different and the culture is different. When i was growing up, it was not unusual to walk into small country stores and hear people speaking Cajun french, it is disappearing, it is rare to hear it now.. and it will soon be lost like so many other minority languages in this country, from Native American languages to other pockets of people.. anyway, the movie is good, it has some really wonderful actors in it, it is worth seeing, it does take some intelligence, it is not a mass market movie.. it has to be watched as a period piece..

El Dorado (1966)

Hawkes, Wayne and staying gold

[8/10 · 12 August 2006]

I love John Wayne. I am 35 and my daughter is 4. There are very few westerns of modern time, or non-animated movies for that matter, that I can allow my daughter to watch. Time and again though I can allow her to watch john Wayne movies.. she and I share the favorites. We both dearly love El Dorado, Big Jake, Hatari and the Searchers Anyway, what it comes down to is this, Eldorado is a remake of Rio Lobo, but that is OK. When you put the greats on the screen together, the fact that hawkes movies are always epic in proportion, always seem larger than life, well it makes for a good movie. I love some modern movies, don't get me wrong, but when it comes down to it, movies from years gone by did not have to rely on car chases, blood, gore, and sex scenes.. there was plenty of romance, plenty of play between the characters, you could feel the sadness, you could feel the pain, without having to see it all. It was a time that allowed more imagination, and I can assure you that imagination is often far greater in depth than what a filmmaker can put on the screen. I think that is part of the draw of John Wayne, Robert mitchum and some of the other greats of that era.. there films were larger than life, without giving up all the details, your mind has to fill in the blanks.. It is a great film, not the greatest but it is a wonderful film and i can let my 4 year old watch it, she is the next generation of John Wayne lover. Her favorites are big Jake and hatari, but this one is very close in her list of favorites. I am writing this because while flicking through the channels looking for something, it was on, and she recognized it right off the bat. It also gave us another opportunity to learn something knew. She is finally old enough to ask about the poem early on, so we looked it up and now it is written on her wall, can she read it, no, but the movie sparked an interest, just as it sparked an interest learning about other breeds of horses, we have horses and we ride, but I had not been able to get her interested in other breeds, but John Wayne on the big appaloosa and caan on the palomino got her asking about their colors and what kind of horses. We have done the same thing with hatari, there are not many American 4 year olds that have a base knowledge of where it is located, the mountain that is there, the Serengeti, the types of animals, as in we looked up each of the animals that they caught. Another thing, there is a strong female character that is so common in hawkes films. I mean he always has a strong woman, sometimes more than one, that is all woman, but still strong. Nicole from Louisiana

Belly of the Beast (2003 Video)

Very enjoyable movie one of the better ones recently

[8/10 · 26 April 2006]

I truly enjoyed this movie. I would like to see this character reappear and I would like to see the character fleshed out and to become more complex. I like his relationship with his daughter, I found his friendship and the pain that is there, it would have been nice to see this expanded somewhat. It jumps around a bit and it took a couple of viewings to get a really good feel for it, but I enjoyed the movie and I think it is one of his better ones. It does not have a huge amount of martial arts action in this film, but what it does have it good. People need to remember that the style he uses is not an offensive style, but a more passive style that turns the energy of the attacker back on the attacker.

Out of Reach (2004 Video)

It is not a bad story or a bad movie, it would be nice if it had been fleshed out better, instead the story feels something like a shell

[7/10 · 26 April 2006]

It is a decent movie, it is not great, it is not pure crud. It is an entertaining way to spend the late evening or a Sunday afternoon if it is nasty and you can not actually go outside. If you want a hard core action movie then you are barking up the wrong tree. Granted I would have like to have seen the script expanded so that it tracked better, but it was an interesting concept. I, personally prefer the seagal movies that are not totally blood, guts and gore. I like the whole relationship with the girl, the teaching her ciphers, etc, my biggest argument has to do more with the script than the acting. I would like to have seen the story fleshed out further as well as seeing some more of the back-story on the characters.. I think that seagal is more than capable of doing character driven work, if it is written for him. I prefer some of his works, that are not as violent, or use swords and hand rather than guns. I would like to see some of his characters fleshed out further or since many of the scripts have some of the same background, retired agent etc.. I would like to see some of them reappear so that we get to know them better.. I would like to see more complex characters, but it is a nice movie. You can actually get a feel for his caring for the girl.

Devil Winds (2003 TV Movie)

Made for TV better than some, worse than others

[5/10 · 21 April 2006]

It is a made for TV movie, in the genre that has been overdone to some extent. It does have some interesting moments, like the ride in the Hurricane Hunter. It is not a bad movie and certainly better than some of the late night, or early morning fair.I have certainly seen much worse. The actors made the best of the script given and yes, some of the footage would be better using older stock footage, buts lets all remember that this is a lower budget made for TV movie and is certainly not a waste of time. It is not a movie I would buy a copy of, but certainly better than a lot of what is out there.It has some interesting twist, no pun intended where it certainly diverges from Twister and Night of the Twisters.

The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

yesterday not today

[9/10 · 16 January 2005]

The Sons of Katie Elder probably is a fair representation of what life in the old west was like, OK, not exactly, but people have to remember that not only can you not judge this movie by the mores and ethics of today's society ( 2005) but you also can not judge what men where like in the old west. It was a hard life and frontier justice and frontier life was not a picnic. Men lived by the gun and died by the gun. It was the biggest, toughest, most guns that defended the land, not in the movies, but in real life.

This movie portrays simply a family that came apart, due to the same things that tear families apart today, alcohol,gambling, differences of opinion, and pride. It also shows humanity at its worst and at its best. Judge the movie not on today's standards but on what history tells us life was like.

Hellfighters (1968)

for those from areas with oilfields it is a reminder

[9/10 · 16 January 2005]

You know, maybe it wasn't the all time best movies, but it is is one of the only attempts to make a movie about a real life hero- Red Adair. It was something that people in parts of the country where you have seen a rig burn for a month while they try to put it out, where family members or friends have died in oil rig disasters, the movie gave life to the names that they have heard, to see what these men do and fall in love with this hard knocking, hard living, danger loving men. It is a reminder of what they face.. and in that, it makes it a good movie. John Wayne is reunited with Bruce Cabot and the movie is not the best of both actors, nor the worst. The character that John Wayne plays is typically strong with a character flaw, like so many men in this world. I like that fact that it is a G rated movie, like so many from that era, it is a movie that I can let my children watch and not worry about violence( by todays standards), sex, or any of those things.