Reviews

The Ruthless Aggression couldn't hold a candle to the Attitude Era. That being said, this era is still better than anything being produced by WWE today. The worst part of this particular era is without a doubt the Divas search segments. It really drags the shows down and offers the viewer nothing. Well, I guess it gives pervy men something to look at besides oily men wrestling, but I say bring on the oily men because these girls are terrible.

The highlights of this episode: the opening segment in which Bischoff announces Edge will have to give up his Intercontinental Title after a groin injury. Christian then comes out and soon after Y2J. A ladder match is then set for that Sunday's PPV between the two Canadian heroes.

The first match of the night is a cage match between HHH and Eugene isn't really that great in my opinion.

The next highlight of the episode is the match between Y2J and Tyson Tomko (being accompanied by Christian).

The main event is another cage match between Kane and Orton with HHH sticking his nose in the middle of it.

Overall, this episode was mostly a chore to get through with a couple of decent segments, mostly ones involving Y2J and Captain Charisma. The main event is also worth a watch, but the gratuitous diva action and gratuitous Eugene action just isn't that entertaining.

Norm Macdonald was not a perfect man, but of course no one is perfect. The old chunk of coal said some things that others didn't like, but the man was a genius and I think misunderstood. Norm is a legend who should be looked at fondly, but some battle axe with a love for cellos (or violins or whatever) is trying to tarnish the legacy of one of the greatest comedians because of a comment that was misconstrued during an interview. No one will look back at Norm's life and focus on his comments about Roseanne and Louis CK. Why was that gal, who is not as funny as the great Sarah Silverman or the great Laura Kightlinger, even interviewed for this show? Was she a fan or friend of Norm? What was the point? I guess because there wasn't anything else to comment on regarding the "dark side" of Norm besides the gambling and the cancer (it was a draw), but sure let's let this person crap on Norm's legacy a little bit, huh? Norm Macdonald has meant a lot to a lot of people, and he will live on in the hearts of many an old chunk of coal, but that battle axe will not be as greatly remembered. I mean, I guess it's like that old saying... "speak ill of the dead". I didn't even know he was sick!

Jeff returns to Pasadena. He has been living in Hawaii and managing a rock band. Willie lets him stay in the guest house. A man shows up in the middle of the night looking for Jeff, and apparently Jeff owes the man a lot of money. Doug doesn't trust Jeff, and Willie must decide if he should help out his friend.

Meanwhile, 14 year old Richard Topol (Michael J. Fox) has an intense crush on Kate, because of course he does. Kate tries to get rid of him, but he won't budge. How can Kate get rid of her admirer gently?

This is a great episode dealing with friendship, drugs and schoolboy crushes. It's worth watching for Michael J. Fox alone, but the whole episode is entertaining.

Willie is in love again, this time with a young Samantha Jones aka Kim Cattrall. Susan is in Willie's writing class and he is smitten. At first, it seems as though Susan isn't interested in Willie, but soon the two are close... maybe too close. Susan's life is a bit too complicated, and Willie must decide if he should be involved with his fellow student.

Meanwhile, Nancy and Doug are at odds because Nancy has a man over at the guest house late at night. Doug pushes Nancy to make the decision that she needs her own apartment.

This is a very entertaining episode with a great guest star in Cattrall.

Zach proves he is "made for dancing", in this episode! If you don't get the reference, the actor who plays Zach, Leif Garret, had a hit song called "I Was Made For Dancing". Anyway, Zach wants to spend some alone time with Buddy, and she is nervous. Not only is she nervous about being alone with Zach, she is also worried that Blair from The Facts of Life is coming between the two. Buddy's sweet sixteen party is also featured in this episode, and that's when Garrett and McNichol cut the rug.

Plot B involves Doug and his attraction to a Corvette. He is thinking of buying the sporty car after his old dud of a car has bitten the dust. Does Kate approve?

Courtney Thorne-Smith and Peter Coyote are brilliant in this made for television thriller directed by Tim Matheson. Thorne-Smith stars as an army wife who is new to the army base where her husband (Tom Verica) is stationed. She soon meets and is harassed by Commander Case (Coyote). Coyote is superb as the villain and Thorne-Smith shines as the wife in distress. These made for T. V. thrillers are sometimes cheesy and over dramatic, but this is a well made film with terrific performances. Thorne-Smith was given a chance to show off her acting chops, and she did it wonderfully. I would recommend fans of drama to check it out, because it's a very entertaining drama.

Murder By Night is a made for television thriller with just the right amount of mood and atmosphere. Blue lights and fog are used brilliantly to capture the dread of this main character. Urich is brilliant as a man who was attacked but can't remember what happened. Ironside is also good as the cop pressing Urich for information. Lenz is a good love interest for the main character. You cannot go wrong with this group of actors and writer Alan B. McElroy. This is a very well made film that fans of mystery will love. The killer actually may be obvious, but the ride to get to the reveal is well worth it.

Bad Dreams is the story of a young woman named Cynthia (Jennifer Rubin) who survives a cult suicide pact and is in a coma for years. Cynthia comes out of her coma and is in a mental institution where she starts to see the dead cult leader and patients begin to die. These deaths are not suicides but something more sinister.

Bad Dreams is an interesting film with a great cast led by Rubin and Bruce Abbott as one of the doctors who wants to help Rubin's Cynthia. The twist of the film isn't anything special but it is still worth a watch and also it's worth hanging around for the end credits because the Guns N Roses song Sweet Child O' Mine plays the film out and that's always worth a listen.

Closer is the story of four people living in London. Alice (Natalie Portman) is a wild young woman with red hair when we first see her. She meets Dan (Jude Law) an obituary writer who wants to be a novelist, but his books turns out to be a flop. Dan and Alice live together, but Dan becomes infatuated with photographer Anna (Julia Roberts). Anna seemingly wants nothing to do with the young writer and Dan, in the weirdest way imaginable, introduces Anna to Larry (Clive Owen). Eventually Anna and Larry marry but things soon get complicated.

Closer is an anomaly of a film to me because I found myself loving it while loathing it at the same time. The dialogue is way too sexual for most of the duration of the film, yet the story and the acting make it well worth watching. Closer was a play before it was a movie and Owen originally played the character Law plays in the film version. I would recommend fans of Mike Nichols give this one a watch as well as fans of Natalie Portman, who is clearly the stand out of the four stars.

Actor Dean Cameron apparently said this is the film that killed his career, but he's pretty much playing the same character he always did, a beach bum.

Cameron is a young man who has lost his girlfriend and his job. He has a thing for a British woman from a television commercial but she won't give him the time of day. He ends up with a genie, played by Ami Dolenz, who will grant him all the wishes he wants. While he believes he is getting everything he wants, it turns out the British woman still doesn't really care for him and the genie has fallen for him.

This film may seem like a career killer to some, but it's really a cute little comedy film at the end of the day. Sure it has too many nude scenes for this type of film, but it is still a decent watch. I feel like the movie is something between a sex comedy and a cute romantic comedy. It would've been nice if the makers of this film had picked a lane but the end result is still good.

She's Out of Control made a big splash when it was originally released, but not in a good way. This film was responsible for famed film critic Gene Siskel contemplating a change of careers. Roger Ebert agreed and listed it as one of the worst films ever.

This film is cheesy and odd most of the time, but it also features good performances from Danza, Dolenz and Dana Ashbrook as one of Katie's boyfriends. There are moments that come off as creepy in my opinion, but overall I feel this isn't that bad of a film. Is it Say Anything? No, of course not! It is a good 80s flash black though and that's good enough for me.

This episode features Will Ferrel's famous Janet Reno impersonation as well as a Baywatch version of Spartan Cheerleaders, Goat Boy hosts "Hey, do you remember the 80s", and the Roxbury Guys.

The best sketches of this episode are definitely the Goat Boy and Larry King News & Views. I love Norm Macdonald as Larry King. There are a couple of sketches that aren't so great and those are the Pamela Lee Invitational race and the Twilight Zone because those rely too much on Pam's looks and that's lazy writing in my opinion. Overall, it is a decent episode and not deserving of its current low rating.

"House of Games" is a story about a psychiatrist (Lindsay Crouse) whose patient threatens suicide because he owes a bookie named Mike (Joe Mantegna). Maggie meets Mike at a poker game and falls for him and his cons.

"House of Games" is a superb story but it is sadly dragged down by poor acting. I assume the reason for the wooden acting is because this is a film written and directed by playwright David Mamet. The acting feels more like it belongs in a amateur play than a feature film. Joe Mantegna is good but almost everyone else delivers their lines like they are reading straight from the script, especially lead actress Crouse.

I think the film, although plagued by mostly emotionless delivery, is worth watching because it really is a great story and has a classic film noir feel to it that almost makes up for its flaws.

I am genuinely surprised that this film was a hit for critics, even appearing on both Gene Siskel's and Roger Ebert's Best of the Year lists. The story is intriguing but still so poorly acted.

Lords of Dogtown focuses on the skateboarding scene of the 1970s when a group of young skaters known as the Z Boys made a name for themselves. This film really captures the time period well with a great soundtrack and great acting by its cast. I highly recommend this film.

Breakdown is the story of a married couple (Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan) who breakdown on the side of the road and is offered help by a trucker (JT Walsh). What happens next is a nonstop thrill ride. This film is very well done and will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Who here doesn't miss the days of the video store? It was so nice to be able to walk in and see all the wonderful VHS covers and pick out a movie or two to watch. Blockbuster wasn't necessarily my favorite because I liked the little mom and pop video stores, but I would love to be able to step inside a Blockbuster now. I really think it's cool that there is still a Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon.

This could have been a much more interesting documentary. I liked the story of the woman who is running this Blockbuster and is called the "Blockbuster Mom" but the documentary itself is poorly made.

This film is a direct sequel to the 1978 classic 'Halloween', so the events of Halloween 2 through Resurrection haven't taken place in this timeline, and neither has anything from Rob Zombie's remake or it's sequel, obviously. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode, the final girl from the first film. Curtis gives a great performance as a traumatized older version of Laurie. I think this film captures the spirit of the original film perfectly and it will leave you feeling ready for the two sequels to follow.

John Carpenter's masterpiece 'Halloween' is the film that started the slasher craze of the eighties. This movie, however, isn't filled with blood or a high body count like the films it influenced, instead we have an atmospheric slow burner that never loses the audience's attention.

The legendary Donald Pleasance is perfect as Dr. Loomis, the doctor who knows what the villain, Michael Myers, is capable of and follows his trail to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois.

Jamie Lee Curtis is also perfectly cast as Laurie Strode, a teenager who is in charge of babysitting a little boy named Tommy Doyle. Tommy keeps seeing "the boogeyman" but Laurie thinks he is just spooked.

'Halloween' owes a lot to films like 'Psycho' and 'Black Christmas' but nearly every horror film that followed owes a lot to 'Halloween'.

I feel that this film is a must watch for those who like horror but also for those who don't necessarily like horror as well, because it does not rely on gore or jump scares and it is very suspenseful and intriguing.