Reviews

The kids in this show are nice. I'd like to spend time with them, whether in real life or watching them on TV. They all have varied interests and a positive outlook on life.

Unfortunately, the show is almost completely ruined by their parents. They don't run the house with an iron fist--more like titanium. Anytime one of the kids disagrees with them, I half expect a whip to come out as the parents scream at them to get back to whatever their personal pet project of the week is.

If there was someway to concentrate this show completely on the kids, or at least not try and pretend that the parents are "protagonists," I'd definitely be a big fan of the show. As it is, I can barely stand to watch it and flip to another channel whenever I can.

Our biology teacher showed us this in middle school, so that not only could we learn about marine life and the ocean, but also learn sign language, she said eagerly at the start of the series.

By the time it was over, even she was apologizing.

This was bad, bad, bad. Normally, school kids will leap at the chance to watch a TV program, so they won't have to do real work. That's one of the reasons 'Square One,' '3-2-1 Contact,' and most especially, 'Bill Nye The Science Guy,' are so beloved.

This, however, had us dreading the start of each bio class, for it meant another gut-wrenching high-seas voyage on the Mimi. We regularly debated which was worse, the writing or the acting.

Again: bad, bad, bad. Teachers, stay away.

While I, like my fellow commentators, enjoyed the MST3K send-up of this flick, I also agree with them that "High School Big Shot" definitely had some redeeming values.

The biggest value: the acting. For such a low-budget movie, the actors did a very good job. Tom Pittman pulled off the difficult task of making the audience sympathize with Marvin Grant, but not excuse his behavior. As his world goes to hell, destroyed by petty greed (both his own and others), the pain is evident on his face. His father, played by Malcolm Atterbury, comes off as a mainly honest, good guy who's made a few mistakes that have continually haunted him. As Betty Alexander, Virginia Aldridge plays the perfect conniving ice queen, and Howard Veit breathes convincing life into brainless jock Vince Rumbo (now THERE'S a name!).

But the true standouts are Stanley Adams and Louis Quinn as Harry March and Samuel Tallman, respectively. Although they have limited screentime, they effortlessly make you believe that here are lawbreakers with honor. As Harry says, "I am a thief, not a crook." You know that if you hire these two as part of your caper, they won't doublecross you and will stay with you until the bitter end. To once again quote Harry, they are the "last of the gentlemen;" criminals with hearts of slightly tarnished gold. Adams and Quinn truly shine in the roles.

The writing and directing by Joel M. Rapp is serviceable, and Carlo Lodato's editing works fine. Gerald Fried contributes a very nice score to this picture.

Overall, I'd have to recommend checking out this picture, whether the original or the MSTreatment.

I hadn't been expecting much from this show, but it came on after "Becker" so I decided to give it a shot.

Alice O'Connor, an ambitious young writer, discovers to her shock that her real father is Bram Sheppard, famous writer and a bit of a lech. She moves in with him they try to form a relationship, with Bram's assistant, Paul Newman, offering a slightly more normal perspective on things.

The writing is good and very funny; one reaction shot of Bram's made me laugh for minutes. Alfred Molina totally captures Bram, and Traylor Howard does a good job as his slightly irritating daughter Alice. Roger Bart turns in an amusingly understated role as Paul, and Katie Finneran and Michael Rispoli are good stand-outs as Katie the young professional, and Michael the priest-turned-bartender. Whether these two will be recurring roles or not I cannot say, but I sure hope so.

"Bram And Alice" got off to a good start. Let's hope it can sustain this level of comedy and wit.

Yes, there are Godzilla movies that have better special effects. There are Godzilla movies that have better stories. There are Godzilla movies that are better directed.

But if you ask me which Godzilla movies are my favorites, I'll rank "Godzilla 1985" over just about all of them.

Why? It may be the mid-80's special effects, which while looking relatively modern still retain some "old school" charm. It may be the excellent Cold War-era politics (compared to today's chaos, the Cold War was practically comforting). It may be the excellent music by Reijiro Koroku, the only Godzilla composer to match Akira Ifukube.

I even enjoy the US dubbed version. While the Dr. Pepper ads and the supposed humor does wear on you, most of the actors do a pretty good job in their roles, though I wish it had been butchered less.

Give "Godzilla 1985" a chance.

This show was a godsend to students of all ages. Even in high school, we liked nothing better in one of our science classes than for our teacher to pop in an episode of "Bill Nye the Science Guy." The entire class, from the honor roll students to the ones who barely managed to not flunk, enjoyed them and laughed frequently. We'd always sing along with the theme song, and didn't feel embarrassed (well, maybe a little bit).

Bill Nye and his crew (special mention must be made of Pat Cashman as the often hilarious Announcer) made even complex science concepts seem simple and easy to understand.

Bravo, Mr. Nye, for a show well done. May it continue to run for many a year to come.

Even after 18 years, "Garfield in the Rough" holds up very well. One of the reasons is a strong script by Jim Davis, Garfield's original creator. He deftly weaves humor and tension.

Excellent voices help this production, too. Garfield, everyone's favorite overweight house cat, is voiced as always by the late, very talented Lorenzo Music. Thom Huge does the voice of his owner, Jon Arbuckle, a role he performed in every Garfield special (sadly, to date he has not found any success elsewhere). Gregg Berger, voice acting veteran, plays both the brainless but loyal dog Odie, and the first Ranger. The other Ranger is played by George Wendt, better known to millions as Norm on "Cheers." Woodland creatures Dicky Beaver and Billy Rabbit are played by highly respected actors Hal Smith and Orson Bean, respectively. And several girl cats, existing only in Garfield's fantasies, are played by Desirée Goyette.

Goyette, along with Music, and no less a figure than Lou Rawls himself sing several lovely songs in the show (and of course, Huge sings a couple as well). The music does a good job of setting the mood. Special notice must go to a song which is briefly heard on the radio, after the news report about the deadly panther. Not only is it an excellent joke (it's described as "Fun Music" but sounds like the most depressing song in the world), but the brief seconds we hear of it, combined with the report, do an excellent job of turning the frivolous atmosphere into one of foreboding.

The animation is perhaps the one area where it could have used some work. Occasionally it gets a bit rough, and not very detailed. But most of the time it was great.

Oddly enough, the rough look was the only possible look that would have worked for the show-stealer: the panther. If it was *more* detailed, it wouldn't have been as scary. And let me tell you, to children, that panther is terrifying. Even adults get chills down their spines from that beast. Garfield's attack on it is almost certainly the most selfless thing he's ever done.

All in all, "Garfield in the Rough" is a very good animation special that anyone can view over and over again.

This is not a good film, folks. Let's look past all the hype and hoopla and acknowledge that fact.

Clark Gable didn't just phone in his role; he friggin' TELEGRAPHED it. As the vastly irritating Scarlett O'Hara, Vivian Leigh tested the strength of my vow not to hit the "Mute" button on my remote.

The production values are decent, but that doesn't come close to compensating for a ridiculous script based on a ridiculous novel by Margaret Mitchell.

If you want a TRUE epic, go watch "The Godfather." If you want an example of how a big box office can vastly exaggerate the public view of a horrible film, watch "Titanic" or this.

I've read all four (to date) of J.K. Rowling's excellent HARRY POTTER novels. As an 18-year old American college student, I'm far from the target audience for this movie, but I went to see it on opening day in hopes that it would live up to its source material.

It did not disappoint.

Practically everything onscreen was close to the way I'd imagined it in my head, and points go to the set designers. Also, this is one movie where the SFX crew really were wizards.

The actors all performed marvellously. The standouts in my mind were Alan Rickman as Professor Snape, and (surprisingly) Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood.

The script was also excellent, hewing very close to the book. A few scenes were removed or merged, but they affected the movie not a bit.

I highly recommend this!

The first two episodes of MOLDIVER were pretty hilarious, with Mirai and Hiroshi fighting for control of the power. And Professor Amagi/Professor Machinegal was always funny to watch. But, unfortunately, the last four focused too much on the relationship between Mirai and Mr. Misaki, and I feel that this hurt them. Still, the final two episodes did have some decent fight scenes. I recommend that you check this series out and decide for yourself whether or not it merits subsequent watchings.

"Everybody Loves Raymond" is OK, and everything else is just plain bad (either unfunny, too saccharine sweet, or just plain annoying like "Survivor").

Except "Becker," easily the funniest show they have. Ted Danson, in the title role of Dr. John Becker, the super-critical super-cynical general practitioner who actually has a sympathetic side (it's small, but it's there). His two assistants are the long-suffering Margaret Wyborn (as played by Hattie Winston, probably the most 3-dimensional character on the show) and 'space cadet' Linda (Shawnee Smith). He often frequents a greasy spoon diner run by Reggie Kostas (Terry Farrell), a sarcastic good-looking woman who just can't seem to make a relationship work. In the diner is a newsstand run by the blind Jake Malinak (Alex Desert), Becker's best friend and one of the biggest sources of laughs. Another regular patron of the diner is Bob (Saverio Guerra), a greasy irritating guy that speaks in the third person and who's the super of Becker's apartment...whenever he remembers.

This eclectic mix provides the most interesting situations on CBS, and one of the funniest sitcoms on any of the networks. Watch and enjoy, and hope that this keeps running for many a year more.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not claiming this is THE GODFATHER. But neither does it sink to the levels of such pieces of tripe as GIANT SPIDER INVASION.

The actors all do fairly good jobs, especially George Meeker as the deliciously evil mob boss Charles Blake, and short-order cook Al Frazier as portrayed by George Lloyd. The script doesn't hold up to super-close scrutiny, but on an average viewing there's nothing blatantly wrong, either. The few original songs are pretty good, and you may actually find yourself humming a couple of them.

But the wonderful crew of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" do a magnificent job of ripping it to shreds nonetheless.

If you ever happen onto the 'uncut' version of this and you have some free time, you may as well settle down and watch, it's a good way to take up some time. And if you find the MST3K version, you should most certainly watch this, it's very funny.

I saw both episodes, the normal episode and the roast, on a tape you can buy at many large comic conventions (so to everyone who wants a copy, that's how you can find one).

These things were flat out funny. They appeal to both the lifelong comics-lover and the person whose only experience with comics were the Batman movies.

The acting ranged from horrible (Charlie Callas) to the mediocre (Jeff Altman) to the great (William Schallert, Garrett Craig). The jokes were great.

Together, these are two very entertaining hours you won't forget. The tape should only cost around $20, and I highly recommend it!

"The Simpsons?" Bah. 'Tis overrated. MST3K here is the best.

When it premiered, no one could have imagined it, not even the creators. This show? This show, about a guy and two robots mocking bad movies, become internationally loved and acclaimed? And lasting over a decade? Nah.

But it happened. Of course, the show that premiered on KTMA was not the same show that ended on Sci-Fi. But the main premise was essentially the same, and that premise is all this show really needs.

Always funny and often hilarious, MST3K has managed to worm its way into the pop-culture unconscious even more in the last couple of years, not a mean feat for a cancelled show. That, in and of itself, should speak volumes.

In the prologue of "Night Train to Mundo Fine," a reporter named Jim Benton (Bruce Love) from "The Gazette" interviews Mr. Wilson (John Carradine), a train engineer, about the time three criminals hopped a train he was working on four years ago, in 1961.

After Carradine sings the title song (not a bad track), we journey to 1961. We witness Griffin (Coleman Francis) escape from prison. He meets two ex-convicts, Landis (Tony Cardoza) and Cook (Harold Saunders). Together, they decide to join a group of government sponsored mercenaries and invade Cuba for $2,000 each.

Hiring pilot Cherokee Jack (George Prince) to take them from New Mexico to somewhere near Cuba, they sign up with the group, headed by Joe (John Morrison) and Bayiev Chastain (Tom Hanson), the latter of whom wants to overthrow Castro so that his grandparents can get their sugar mill back.

The invasion goes haywire and all are captured; Chastain is shot in the leg, and Griffin says that within 24 hours he will die of gangrene. Joe and several soldiers are executed. The three criminals escape, but not before learning about the tungsten and pitchblende that is located on a mountain near Chastain's home.

In Arizona, they throw restaurateur Cliff Weismeyer (Charles Harter) down a well, leaving his blind daughter (Elaine Gibford) and stealing his car. They eventually ditch it and hop the train. They get off the train. Griffin and Landis fight for possession of Landis's ring, given to him by his father; Griffin wins and uses it to buy another car.

They reach Chastain's home, where they meet his wife Ruby (Lanell Cado). Together, the four conspire to raid the mountain. However, the criminals are spotted. Cook and Landis are arrested. Griffin shoots Ruby and flees. Chastain shows up, somehow surviving and escaping, and takes his wife back home. Griffin is gunned down by cops, who find that "Griffin ran all the way to Hell, with a penny and a broken cigarette." End.

WOW! This is one horrible movie! The only redeeming factors are the music (pretty good) and Tom Hanson's performance, which he actually tried to invest dimension into. The script, the other performances, the editing, etc, etc...all are bad.

And yet, I love this film. Why? Is it because of the witty remarks of Tom Servo, Mike Nelson, and Crow T. Robot when they viewed it on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" under the title "Red Zone Cuba?" Or perhaps because of some mysterious quality of the film itself? I don't know. I just know I love it.

And I'd love to see a remake.

It's ridiculous that a film like this is in the top 250, much less the top 50. This is a film with not a single redeeming value. The special effects are really nothing to write home about, the plot has so many holes you could pilot a 747 through them, and Keanu Reeves gives his usual performance; that is, being outacted by the scenery. I recommend watching this once, to truly appreciate how bad it is.

Yes, I saw this on MST3K just like the rest of you. And I laughed. Those guys can make anything funny.

But reviewing from an objective point of view, it is far better than the vast majority of movies shown on that beloved program. I would even say it's the "best" of those movies (with the possible exception of Jack Frost).

Script: Not Back to the Future, but still surprisingly good. There are lots of little subtleties you have to be watching for. Example: Lisa (that her name?) was first called out by a promise of a "flying grandma." When she is rerouted to the plane crash, she asks, "What about the flying grandma?"

Actors: The lead did a decent job, as did the villainous CEO. Lisa(?) wasn't that good. I did, however, enjoy "Pink Boy" and the mechanic. Those were two actually good performances.

I give this 6/10.

It doesn't matter whether or not a movie appeals to everyone, just the intended audience.

And let me tell you, as an original member of the intended audience, I loved "The Wizard." I even got one of those little "Pocket Power" promotional giveaways, and I treasure it still.

The movie IS, however, enjoyable for anyone. 10 or so years later, the Video Armageddon scene still glues me to my chair. This probably has to do with me being a Nintendo fan, but who cares?

And there are true, emotional scenes in there. Especially the REAL climax, that occurs after Video Armageddon, when The Wizard gets to "California."

Watch...and enjoy.

How would anyone see it, unless they're a night owl like me? I stumbled across this on Toon Disney at 1:30 in the morning, and it made me laugh like only two other cartoons--Darkwing Duck and Garfield and Friends--ever have.

Flicker, Flame, King Allfire, Sir Loungelot, all of them are great characters. The script is witty. Take this line by King Allfire: "Blazing dragons!...I simply have GOT to think of another expletive."

This is great!