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Reviews
Farscape (1999)
this show is brilliant.
What can I say? Brilliant. Not since Star Trek:TNG has there been a decent Sci-Fi series on TV.
While the plots can sometimes leave a bit to be desired, the main strength is in the characters. The main characters have a chemistry that works so well in this show (and it's about time there was more Muppets on TV!).
Ben Browder ("Party of Five"), Claudia Black ("Pitch Black"), Virginia Hey ("Mad Max 2"), Anthony Simcoe ("The Castle" (The Ideas Man)) and Gigi Edgley ("The Day of the Roses") along with Wayne Pygram and Lani Tupu spark with each other that makes them more believable as characters. Another good thing is the culture clash between each of them, particularly the John Crichton/everybody else relationship.
My only gripe has nothing to do with the show itself, and with Channel 9, who refuse to put it on when it's watchable. Oh well, at least it is on.
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
a good first outing for Sofia Coppola
After hearing and reading reviews on Sofia Coppola's directorial debut, I was perhaps a little apprehensive(?) about seeing this movie, but a friend of mine convinced me to watch it, and I did. After I had hit stop, the first word out of my mouth was "Wow". (note, not Wow! as in excitement but Wow. as in Deep.)
This movie had a good storyline, great photography and even better acting. While the story had the occasional dull patch (what movie doesn't?), it had enough to keep me intrigued, almost as much as the boys who spent their time trying to figure out the five Lisbon sisters. Several scenes in particular really stood out - Lux waking up alone on the football field, the boys playing records over the phone to the girls after their entrapment, and the burning of the records by the overprotective mother. The occaisional, subtle one-liners (Cecilia after her first attempt, "Obviously, Doctor, you have never been a thirteen year old girl") lightened the mood at the right time, and reminded you that these are real people.
The pick of the actors were quite obviously the one's whose characters we got to know best. Kathleen Turner's ("The War of the Roses") overprotective mother, James Wood's ("Riding in Cars with Boys", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within") distant father figure, Josh Harntett ("Pearl Harbour", "The Faculty") as Trip, the guy who got the closest, and the best of them all, Kirsten Dunst ("Bring It On") as Lux, the rebellious daughter, if you could call it that, who tried to buck the system, ie, her parents, and ended up doing it in the most poignant of ways.
While a fair amount of other people who have commented on this movie have stated that they wanted to know WHY they killed themselves, I believe it is one of the standout features of the movie. Of course the parents, in particular the mother, were a factor, but it comes across that they are not the only reason, and asks you what you think, much like the boys. ("Even now, when we run into each other... we end up in a corner going over the evidence, trying to figure it out.")
8/10
Life Support (2001)
one of the best Australian shows currently running
I heard about this show mere hours before its first episode, so once I knew of it, and what it was about, I couldn't wait to see it.
And it did not disappoint. This spoof of 'lifestyle' programs is extremely funny with the various 'reporters' helping out everyday people with very handy hints.
Some of the best ones are Penne's hints on how to best use your older relatives (leave them in long queues for concert tickets while you can do whatever you want), Sigourney and Todd's tips on how to get cheap help around the home and how to house them (illegal immigrants/refugees in the old chook shed out the back) and Dr Rudi's ideas on how to keep track of old, mentally deranged people by using microchipping.
Overall, this show is a must see.
Bring It On (2000)
better than what i expected
i went into this movie expecting, for want of a better word, rubbish. however, not long into it, i was cracking up laughing at, well, everything. i had expected extremely cheesy lines, poor acting and plot? what plot.
so lets have a go at what i thought. ok, the lines were cheesy, that made it funnier, and not in a way you were laughing at how bad they were. the acting may have been over the top at times, but on the whole, the cast, especially Kirsten Dunst (The Virgin Suicides), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) who played their roles to perfection.
The supporting cast, especially Clare Kramer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Lindsay Sloane (TV's Grosse Pointe) and Jesse Bradford (Romeo + Juliet) give the film a great boost as the bitchy cheerleader, the domineering former cheerleader captain and the eventual love interest for Dunst respectively.
the plot was still dodgy, but i really didnt care as the movie was great to watch anyway. 8/10
p.s the fact the girls spent most of the time in either cheerleading outfits or in states of semi-nudity REALLY didnt harm it at all :p
The Dream with Roy and H.G. (2000)
a whole new perspective of gymnastics
This show that kept 19 million Australians, and countless others, awake until 1 in the morning was by far the best part of the Olympic coverage.
Rampaging Roy Slaven and H.G Nelson, along with Fatso the Big-Arsed Wombat (The Battler's Prince) spent the two weeks of the Olympics providing us with the best commentary of all, and this usually meant the less seen sports (Table Tennis springs to mind with the commentary of H.G consisting of 'Ping' or 'Pong')
However, the most outstanding part of the coverage was their commentary of the gymnastics. Overnight, terms such as 'crazy date', 'party date', 'flat bag', 'close the doors', and everyones fave, 'Hello Boys!' became household catchphrases.
And the other great part of the show was the 'rejected' songs written by everyday Australians that weren't used in the Opening Ceremony. My personal favourite, 'Go you Good thing' only managed to come in 3rd place, but was by far the best.
If it wasnt for this show, the Olympic coverage would have become dull quickly (i would spend the next day bagging channel 7, but most people already know how bad they were anyway.)
Thank You, Roy and H.G
- Go you good thing, go and go in hard