Reviews

I love my country, which is why I sincerely hope This Is The Army never had a foreign release. Because if it did, then someone would certainly declare war on us for torturing them with this flick. I mean, this thing makes "The Lizzie McGuire Movie" look good by comparison.

There are maybe two or three actors of note in this masterpiece of mediocrity (one of which is Reagan), but the rest of the cast was just plain bad. I mean just plain bad. Those who weren't too stiff were too silly in their parts to be even close to entertaining.

The premise itself is completely unrealistic. Like any army division would let a bunch of new draftees rehearse for a show instead of going though training IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR! And I highly doubt that a single base could come up with that many performers & stage crew and still get all of its daily duties done. This Is The Army is such a poor portrayal of army life that I'm surprised so many military personnel agreed to be in it. Let's face it, this movie screams "PROPAGANDA FILM" loud enough to drown out the atom bomb explosion at Hiroshima.

Besides that, many of the songs aren't even good, whether due to pathetic writing ("Oh woe is me, I'm on KP") or pathetic singing (the lady in the street band at the beginning).

Go ahead and yell at me if you will, all I know is that this was one of the extremely few films I've ever given up on before they were over. This was one of the insanely few times I've ever stopped watching halfway through. And this was one of the extraordinarily few movies I've ever been unable to find a good point to.

Ladies and gentlemen, never let it be said that there are no good book adaptations. Because there is Holes.

Louis Sachar's excellent book was well-translated into script form by....Louis Sachar. No wonder it worked so well.

Shia LeBeouf works his wonders as Stanley Yelnats IV, despite the physical discrepancy, bringing the Caveman to life like no one else could. The Shi-ster has never let me down before, and this is no exception.

Khleo Thomas is probably best known as the kid in the Hormel Pepperoni commercials, but after this, people are gonna be calling him Zero on the streets everyday. He was just that good.

Then you have your big-name vets, Weaver, Voight, Arquette, Kitt, Winkler, and Nelson, all of whom execute their roles perfectly, as well as the assorted inmates of the camp.

The imagery, settings, flashbacks, narration, everything about this movie is incredible. Just about everybody should be able to appreciate, if not enjoy, this movie. Go see it. Thank you.

I went into the theater today expecting a good movie. I was wrong. Why was I wrong? Because this was a GREAT movie!!!

The trailers made this film look INSANELY cheesy. Since I know from experience that trailers are highly inaccurate, I was expecting a PARTIALLY cheesy flick. But what I saw had almost no cheese to it at all. What A Girl Wants, despite its unfortunate title, is what a LOT of people want, combining drama, comedy, romance, and self-discovery in an hour and 45 minutes of enjoyment.

I didn't say insight, mind you, I said self-discovery. This is purely a narrative, not a deep thought movie, and it wouldn't have worked any other way. Kudos to Dennie Gordon for not trying to accent a theme that we're already familiar with, rather, she just throws it into the story, almost casually, so that we see the message of individuality but aren't repulsed by an overly blatant moral.

Many of this film's detractors say that it's a rip of The Princess Diaries. Not true. Yes, it's an adaptation, but it's based on "The Reluctant Debutante", which was around for DECADES before Diaries was even conceived. Besides, while it is a little formulaic, there are a few twists.

Many say it portrays inaccurate American/British stereotypes. Not true. Daphne and her mother are CLEARLY presented to be NOTHING like the average American, and Lord Dashwood only behaves so properly because of his political position.

Amanda Bynes as Daphne Reynolds finally gets a chance to show of her incredible dramatic skills. (Moody's Point had too much of a satirical tone to properly show this.) Bynes has her glory moments of comedy alongside her touching moments as the girl who wants to understand who she is.

Colin Firth as Henry Dashwood. Come on, who didn't already know Firth kicks butt? He is the center of every scene Bynes isn't in, and he carries that weight well.

Eileen Atkins as Lady Dashwood does a tremendous job with her supporting role, who is far more crucial to the plot than anyone expected.

Oliver James handles his theatrical debut well, showing much more emotion than the previews indicated. Libby Reynolds isn't a fully round character, but that's the script's fault, not Kelly Preston's. Both are capable singers, and considering that Bynes's one major performance flaw is lack of musical ability, I'm glad these two sang instead of her.

In fact, basically the entire cast here was superb.

See it, you'll be glad you did. Fine entertainment for almost everybody.

Funny stuff, good for the whole family.

Nick Cannon, a very funny guy, plays a plethora of recurring characters, including himself and LaTanya (one of his old "All That" characters) as he takes over whatever he sees, bringing a brilliant comedic touch to everything from a hospital to a household to a small town to Hollywood to the music industry to London!

Also, the theme song is one of the few rap tunes I've ever liked!

Truly, there ain't no party like a Nick Cannon party. However, with Cannon's budding movie career, this show may end its run after this season. No great loss, but a loss nonetheless.

This is one of the greatest television shows ever made. It just has that special...something, know what I mean?

A strange, but original premise revolving around two brothers named Pete Wrigley was the basis of this show, and it worked amazingly well, starting out as a series of shorts, then a handful of specials, and finally a series that ran for 3 wonderful seasons.

The cast was awesome. Michael Maronna (Pete), Danny Tamberelli (Pete), Allison Fanelli (Ellen), Hardy Rawls (Dad), Judy Grafe (Mom), Mom's Plate (itself), Michelle Tractenberg (Nona), Petunia (herself), and TOBY HUSS as ARTIE!!! All were simply amazing, as were the many supporting roles, like Pit Stain, Endless Mike, Wayne, Monica, Driver Stu, etc.

Each episode was both classic and unique at the same time. Don't ask me what that means, I really don't know. I just know that it fits. Every story had its own life lesson to tell, but without the sappiness of other programs that tried to do the same thing, thus providing semi-educational entertainment that thoroughly entertained.

Brilliant usage of satire, dark humor, subtlety, and understatement, especially from a "kid" show. Someone was definitely thinking of the parents when they wrote these episodes.

Kick-butt, incomprehensible theme song, too. Whatever happened to Polaris, anyway?

It's on Noggin now, so if you live in one of the 20 households worldwide that gets Noggin, you can enjoy this television gem.

This is is one of the 3 great movies Nickelodeon made. (the other two are "Harriet the Spy" and "Rugrats the Movie")

Kel Mitchell plays what probably his most famous role ever, Ed. And he plays the part of the idiot counter guy perfectly. "Uhh,....no?"

Kenan Thompson does quite well as Dexter Reed, a character who was probably created simply to provide a movie-length plot to what's usually a 5-minute sketch.

The rest of the cast is great too, such as Otis, the world's oldest fry cook (Abe Vigoda), Mr. Bailey, the world's most panicky manager (Dan Schnider), and Fizz, the world's most peppy drive-thru guy (Josh Server).

Funny movie, decent plot, great comedy, great acting. Check it out.

And remember, "I'm a dude, he's a dude, she's a dude, 'cause we're all dudes, hey!..."

Huzzah!

(I just know I'm gonna acidentally spoil. Consider yourself warned.)

Wow. Pod People is bad. "It has nothing to do with pods, it has nothing to do with people, it has everything to do...with hurting" is a very accurate description.

So, um,...what's the deal with the monster in the opening/closing credits? Really unfortunate skin, yes, but that swamp thing has absolutely NO relation to the actual movie, and neither do its sweet thing & other victims.

That song...was so bad...it was funny. "Lyrics by Mrs. Gready's kindergarten class!"

Also, why on earth did that house have a door that went straight outside from the bathroom? The girl was "Zest-fully dead", then the alien went straight outside! It was ludicrous!

And of course, the many pointless cut-aways. ("Hi, God."..."It's Julie Andrews, and she's on fire! Sorry, Jules."..."Ya know, this scene wasn't originally in the movie, but the restored it. Aren't you glad?")

And also the stupid trailer scenes. ("Let's fold her!"..."Kooky radio, huh?" "Yeah, it goes in my ear."..."Hey, we paid for the van, we're gonna film it!"..."Paid for the song too, we're gonna use it all."..."Ram a sandwich down her throat!")

And the terrible soundtrack/score. ("Yanni, with Snoremaster of Trafalgar"..."Techno-birds." "Casio forest." "Data stream."...."Music. From. Some guys. In. Space."...etc.).........And so much more.

Definitely un-viewable without the Hodgson treatment. And I ain't just a MSTie talking, either. 'Cause that Trumpy was one bad--"Shut your mouth!"--Hey, I'm just talkin' bout Trumpy, can you dig it?

Just remember, "Pod people got no reason to live."

"What do you think?"......."It STINKS!" Bwah-bwah-bwah!

There were/are good All That cast members, and there were/are bad All That cast members.

The good ones were/are: Amanda Bynes, Josh Server, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Danny Tamberelli, Lori Beth Denberg, Katrina Johnson, Alisa Reyes, Nick Cannon, Mark Saul, Leon Frieson, Gabriel Iglesias, Angelique Bates, Chelsea Brummet, Jack DeSena, Lisa Foiles, Kyle Sullivan, and Bryan Hearne.

The bad ones were/are: Tricia Dickson, Zack McLemore, Christy Knowings, Shane Lyons, Giovannie Samuels, and Jamie Spears.

Similarly, there have been good and bad episodes of All That, as is the nature of any show with this format. However, in the 2001-2002 season, the quality of the writing dropped through the floor. It's slowly working its way upward, but the burden of little Spears's lack of talent and the overdependence on adults in sketches will keep the show from reaching the greatness it once had. Such a shame.

There were some truly funny moments on this show, and there probably will be a few more before it tanks, but unfortunately, it's gonna tank pretty soon.

And remember, "I'm...Repairman-man-man-man!" -Kel as Repairmanman

"I got 4 billion dollars, Earboy!" Katrina as Ross Perot

"Superdude is lactose-intolerant!" -Katrina (& later Amanda), appearing from inside of something.

"Hey, Clavis, wake up, the show's over." -Kenan as Mavis

"Thaaaaaaaat's me!" -Amanda as Ashley

"I'm just a guy named Stuart. But if I was the real (insert job), I'd be the best (insert job) in ALL THE LAND!!!" -Mark as Stuart

"Chocolate!" -Kenan as Randy and Angelique as Mandy

"I'm Detective Dan!" -Josh as Detective Dan

"I'm a dude, he's a dude, she's a dude, 'cause we're all dudes, hey!" -Kel as Ed ...and so many more immortal quotes!

And finally, "The correct answer was nine. Nine socks." -Josh as the host of 'You Can't Win'

Amanda Bynes is well-deserving of her own show. She's improvisationally superb, comically hilarious, dramatically gifted, vocally versatile, physically agile, personally friendly, realistically down-to-earth, and absolutely beautiful.

The Amanda Show was very good throughout its 3-season run on Nickelodeon. Almost every sketch was hilarious. True, it had its dull points, but what show doesn't? Also, most of the rest of the cast was talented as well, especially Drake Bell.

In fact, not only did The Amanda Show recieve remarkable ratings for its Saturday night time slot, but it only ended because AMANDA HERSELF wanted to move on, the show wasn't cancelled by the execs.

Now Amanda Bynes stars on the WB's "What I Like About You", so you can see her radiance there weekly, as well as in "Big Fat Liar" and the coming-soon "What A Girl Wants".

This innovative & entertaining series was so innovative & entertaining that it innovated & entertained. Wait a minute...

On screen, the Monkees were excellent. Micky the psycho, Mike the deadpan man, Davy the short guy, and Peter the guy who had the world believing he really was that dumb.

Musically, the Monkees were even better. Nearly every song they ever recorded was superb, "Pleasant Valley Sunday" being the best.

And their funniest TV moment:

Micky: "Stand back! I've got nitroglycerin! One wrong move & I'll blow us all to kingdom come!"

Goons: "Let's get out of here!" *they run away*

Mike: "So, what's really in there, Micky?"

Micky: "I dunno." *tosses bottle out window* KA-BOOM!!!!!

Wow. This really was not that great.

The producers did a great job with casting, the actors all LOOKED like the Monkees, and for the most part sounded like them, too. (Fake Davy could use some work, and Fake Mike went a little soft on the drawl)

It was in the writing that the Daydream was un-Believeable. TWO guys created the show, Bob Rafelson and Bert Schnider, NOT one guy named Van. And the Monkees didn't meet on a beach and discuss the obvious after Head, that was just cheesy. In fact, the entire ending was cheesy. Also, many scenes were just so ridiculously historically inaccurate that it was both sad & funny at once! (Thanks, VH1, for Popping it up today and pointing out things I missed) It seemed like the writers were more concerned with pinpointing certain specific moments than with presenting the real story.

Awesome soundtrack, though. :)

One of the funniest movies ever made. Period. (Attention: I might spoil without realizing, so consider yourself warned.)

Alfred Matthew Yankovic ('Weird Al' to ye plebians [*grin*]) turns out an unexpectedly good performance, dramatically. We all knew he could be funny, but UHF showed that Al could act too!

Victoria Jackson entertained us, then irritated us, for years on SNL. In UHF, she plays her part without annoying the audience, and there was much rejoicing. Yay.

I'd never heard of Kevin McCarthy before this film, but I wish I had. He plays R.J. Fletcher perfectly, almost like a comic book villan or something!

Michael Richards. If you say Kramer, I will have to hurt you. Richards IS Stanley Spadowski! That is all, thank you!

Some may consider the plot of UHF 'cheesy' or 'cliched', to which I would have to quote Weird Al, who said, "It wasn't really about that, it was just an excuse to be goofy!" Amen, Al. Amen. Goofiness is this man's business, and business is good.

Just clearing things up for a few people, the plot is about a TV station, not a radio station. Al's character doesn't take it over, he's hired by his uncle, the owner. The shows aren't lame, they're just weird. Stanley wasn't put on TV arbitrarily, he was put on desprately. UHF isn't terrible, it's hilarious. Of course you'd have to be weird to like this movie, it's 'WEIRD' Al Yankovic! To those to whom that paragraph applies, "YOU SO STUPID!"

To everyone else, sorry about that. Now, let's go teach poodles to fly, okay?

(Note to self: Try a Twinkie-weiner sandwich sometime soon.)

The Grinch is a good movie. Having said that, I'll now tell you why.

Jim Carrey has done some bad films. This isn't one of them. He's played some bad parts. This isn't one of them. He's played some great parts in great films. This is DEFINITELY one of them. Carrey plays the Mean One to perfection! Of course, that really expensive, really realistic costume didn't hurt, either.

Taylor Momsen is (or at least was as of The Grinch) a newcomer from the great city of St. Louis. She performs superbly in quite a large role for a 7-year-old first-timer. The only way Cindy Lou Who could've been better is if she was animated.

Anthony Hopkins is no Boris Karloff, but he still gets the job done wonderfully. Hopkins has incredible range, as demonstrated by his ability to sweetly narrate a Christmas movie and viciously portray a canniballistic genius murderer.

Ron Howard did a great job with this thing. Obviously, the original story wasn't long enough to make a feature-length movie, but the extended version by Price & Seamen, along with Howard's directing, is almost as good as the cartoon version, and nearly as good as Suess's book.

Great holiday movie. That's basically all there is to it.

Whether or not you liked it, feel free to review it.

There's a thing called subtle humor. There's a thing called dark comedy. There's a thing called comedic irony. Drop Dead Gorgeous makes brilliant use of all three of these things. Unfortunately, many people are unable to comprehend or appreciate those comedic devices, and assume this is a dull, unfunny movie. (You know who you are.) They are sadly mistaken.

I LOVE the mockumentary format, and I also love noticing the differences between different mockumentary films. The Rutles was meant as more of a direct, obvious spoof, whereas this film is more subtle and intentionally understated. So boo ya to the fools comparing this to the Rutles, because they are VERY different movies.

Kirsten Dunst. Kirsten Dunst. Kirsten Dunst. I could say that name over & over again forever. She's one of the best actresses to arise in the last 15 years, she's hotter than anyone YOU know, and she is able to handle any role she takes superbly. This being one of her few comedies, she does a great job with both her comic timing and Minnesotan accent.

This is Kristie Alley's best part since "Cheers". (In fact, it very well may be her ONLY good part since "Cheers". The Pier 1 commercials sure ain't gems!) She does great with every aspect of her character here.

Denise Richards was either too old for this movie or too young for 'Undercover Brother'. Either way, she's not a very good actress, and it's lucky that her part here was MEANT to look stiff & personality-less. She also can't sing, but that fit in with the character, too. It's surprising that someone that untalented could be the only person qualified for that part.

Ellen Barkin plays her role to perfection, overcoming her lack of screen time. I don't know much else about her, so this'll be it for her.

Adam West. I'm pleasantly surprised he hasn't gone insane yet from all his appearances as "TV's Batman" or "Classic Batman". His Shatner-esque style has always been more entertaining than the real Shatner, and even though it's just a cameo, he still livens up the screen here. (He also rocked twice on Pete & Pete and once on NewsRadio.)

In summation, see this movie, buy this movie, rent this movie, love this movie. Thank you, & have a nice day.

Great. Show.

Simon Rex does very well as Val's caring, 'frustrated', & kinda dumb boyfriend Jeff. Wesley Jonathan (City Guys) also capably handles his role as Holly's friend Gary.

Then the REAL stars. Jennie Garth was arguably the single most talented cast member of 90210, so it's good to see her in something that's actually watchable now. She does a great job as Val, and is much funnier than most predicted she'd be.

Amanda Bynes. What more can I say? She's (literally) the reason this show was created, she plays the main character Holly perfectly, she's one of the best physical comediennes still living today, she's funny, she's a gifted actress, she's very down-to-earth and normal off-screen, she's smart, she's a great improvisor, and she's beautiful. What more could someone ask for?

My only problem is that they should've used the original song for the opening; otherwise, the show's superb.

This show is well-written, well-acted (of course), well-premised (if that's even a word), and well-casted (duh, it's Amanda). I can't wait for next week's episode, and I encourage all of you to watch.

I don't get how some people don't understand the comedy of this movie. It's very much a fairy-tale spoof, sort of a more subtle version of Shrek. That's where much of the comedy comes from, as well as from some of the sheer silliness that provides a stark contrast to the setting and tone. I love sheer silliness, when used properly, and this movie does exactly that.

The Princess Bride is my 3rd favorite movie ever (#1 is Head, #2 is UHF), and for good reason. It is wonderfully written (by the same guy who wrote the book, thankfully), superbly directed (by the same guy who directed North, ironically), and perfectly acted (by the same people who, um, played other famous roles).

Cary Elwes (Robin Hood: Men In Tights) keeps Westly exactly where he should be, as a caring, yet caustic, hero. Robin Wright Penn (Forrest Gump) handles Buttercup wonderfully as the 'straight man' to all the off-the-wall loons she's surrounded by. Andre the Giant (WWF) shows that not all wrestlers make bad actors. Chew on that, Rock! Mandy Patinkin gives us one of the greatest film characters of all time: Inigo Montoya. NO ONE could've played that role better! Wallace Shawn (good actor in lots of bad movies) thankfully gets a good part for once as the Sicilian genius Vezzini. (Yes, Sicilians are geniuses.) Chris Sarandon (probably related to Susan) delivers Prince Humperdinck in such a way that almost seems dull at first, then you realize he's intentionally making the Prince look like cardboard, and does a great job of it. Christopher Guest makes an enjoyably hateable Count Rugen. I have great respect for actors who can make villans both delightful and despicable. Peter Falk (Columbo) serves us well as the Grandfather reading the story, and Fred Savage (Wonder Years, the Wizard) actually entertains for once, rather than annoys, as the sick Grandson.

Then there are the small parts, which manage to steal scenes from this already genius cast. Billy Crystal as Miracle Max and Carol Kane as his wife Valerie brighten the screen from beneath all that age makeup. Peter Cook is the Impressive Clergyman with the hilarious speech impediment. ("Mawaige is wat bwings us togever today.") And there's so much more.

So go ahead then, bow if you will, bow to the critics of slime, "Bride"-haters of muck! Boooooo! Because this movie is a gem. It should be cherished, not chastised. I don't mind if you don't like it, but don't tell me it's a bad film. 'Cause if The Princess Bride is a bad film, then why don't you tell me what a good film is?

No? Okay, then, "As you wish."

I just can't understand why people are surprised this movie makes no sense. It was never supposed to make sense. (Duh! The writers were completely wasted on Frodis at the time.) It was just supposed to entertain and mock, and it does both wonderfully.

The Monkees are good actors. They wouldn't have been hired if they weren't good actors. Mike has a thing for deadpan and darkness, Micky is the best at sheer psychotic comedy, Davy is a Broadway veteran, and Peter actually had people believing he was that dumb in real life. Don't tell me they can't act, because they most definitely can.

They can also write. Sure, Jack & Bob get the sole credits, but in reality, they got a big helping hand on that script from the Monkees, who were also in that smoke-filled room.

(it is absolutely impossible to spoil this film) Head is very highly symbolic. Among the more memorable elements is the black box, which was actually based on 2 things: the Monkee image that the boys were bound to, and the real black box on the Screen Gems lot where the band was kept between takes. There's so much more symbolism in the movie that I'll just let you watch it and figure it out.

The music is awesome. "Circle Sky" is one of Papa Nez's best tunes ever, and "Porpoise Song" & "As We Go Along" will have you enthralled. If you'd rather be weirded out, then "Ditty Diego", "Can You Dig It?", and "Long Title" should be satisfactory, great songs that they are. And then there's "Daddy's Song", without a doubt a homage to Davy's Broadway days, and the editing/color scheming for that sequence is superb. (At least for '68.)

Oh, For those of you who won't watch a 'PG' film, you're missing out. Especially since Head was originally rated R in 1968. The rating was lowered about TWENTY years later!

Now where was I? Ah, yes: "We were speaking of beliefs. Beliefs and conditioning...."