Reviews

I've read so many quibbles about this movie already. When I saw the actually movie tonight I was perplexed by what I'd read. I was completely and totally creeped out by this movie! It was 90 degrees outside the theater when I left, yet I was covered in goose bumps and shivering from chills up and down my spine.

I guess if you think too much about the story you'll find things that don't make sense to you. I didn't even try. I suspended my disbelief and really let myself get absorbed by what was taking place. It felt real to me and when the film reached its climax, I was just blown away. The ending was so quick and left so many unanswered questions that my mind was reeling.

Very few movies truly scare me. With most scary films I'm ultimately quite aware of the cinematic process which occurs to create a movie. With The Blair Witch Project, I really felt as though this could have actually taken place to these actual "film makers". Now THAT'S truly frightening.

I originally thought this was another "Dawson's Creek" type teensploitation series. I was pleasantly surprised when I laughed myself silly at this extremely well written, well acted and often touching show. Felicity Porter is a much more realistic neurotic than Ally McBeal could dream to be and far more relatable. Did I mention the show is hilarious??? Example: Felicity's boyfriend has just had a fight with his brother upon finding out he is gay and planning a commitment ceremony with a man named Alex. The two siblings storm out leaving Felicity and Alex at the table alone. Felicity meekly offers "I'm marrying a gay guy too." (her gay boss has asked her to marry him so he can get a green card). It may sound far fetched but well-conceived scenes like this will have you rolling. Watch it!

More Tales of the City is the 1998 cable-produced sequel to the Tales of the City mini-series, which aired on public television in 1993. Both series are based on respective novels by Armistead Maupin.

More Tales' plot and script are substantially shoddier than its predecessor. It focuses mainly on the intrigue and intertwining characters than the development of the personalities or the warmth of their interactions. And where sweet and emotional dialogue exists, the sentiment is marred by three vastly inferior "replacement" actors. The much beloved Michael "Mouse" Tolliver is played by the excessively smirky and over-doing-the-gay-bit Paul Hopkins. His performance is unnatural and devoid of Mouse's innate, lovable charm. Nina Siemaszko's performance is brittle and uneasy, lacking any of the spunk and charisma befitting the quirky Mona Ramsey. Whip Hubley is just plain uninteresting as the (supposedly) handsome, disillusioned Brian Hawkins. I had the opportunity to go back and re-watch the first series and was surprised to discover just how naturally and unaffectedly Marcus D'Amico, Chloe Webb, and Paul Gross inhabited Mouse, Mona and Brian. I had been unaware of just how good they were since I merely considered them as being the characters. Overall, the direction, cinematography and soundtrack are distracting.

If you simply like some of Maupin's most bizarre plot twists for the intrigue in itself, you might enjoy More Tales of the City. If you like more quality and substance, check out Tales of the City.