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clarinetgeek
Reviews
The Swan (2004)
Reality TV just hit a new low
When I first saw the commercials for this show, I could hardly believe it. I actually watched the first episode and was even more shocked. Just when I thought this modern fad of "reality TV" was as disgraceful as it can get, I was wrong. What kind of message is FOX trying to send with this show: "If you're depressed with yourself, go spend thousands of dollars on plastic surgery and everything will be better?" Several people who commented have said this before and I agree: The problems these women have are mental and emotional and need to be solved with therapy, NOT with changing their whole appearance with plastic surgery.
If you haven't seen "The Swan" yet, I don't encourage you to do so. The main idea of this show is to take 16 ugly women, give them all plastic surgery to make them look better, and then have the final 8 compete in a beauty pageant. What makes the show even more sickening is that these women, after months of recovery from surgery, having a personal trainer help them lose weight, and getting a makeover, STILL half of them won't have "made a good enough transformation" to continue in the pageant? And, I wonder, what's going to happen to them when they realize they've all been idiots and, despite the fact they now have gorgeous bodies and beautiful faces, they're still not happy?
Even though this show is so sickening, FOX still has enough viewers to watch this trash? It's these kind of shows that make me realize how stupid TV and society can be.
Alias (2001)
Warning: You may become addicted
Two years ago I heard about a new show on ABC called "Alias". I've always been a fan of the spy/action genre so I decided to sit down and watch the first episode. What a mistake I made. I now find myself attached to the TV from 9-10pm every Sunday night for a breathtaking 60 minutes of one of today's best shows on TV. But in between the prophecies, major ass-kicking, sliced-off fingers, spy gadgets, torture devices, severed heads in boxes, cliffhanger endings, rivalries, love triangles, and wild costumes, I wonder "What is it that makes me so hooked to 'Alias'?"
The answer is simple: "Alias" is a show made of a complicated, always-surprising plot that makes waiting another week for the next episode torture. Not to mention the awesome casting, outrageous costume changes, great guest appearances, and some awesome special/visual effects. The only drawback? The ending of each episode. Why must the episodes only be an hour long?
If you decide to start watching this show (starting with episode 1, season 1, of course) take this as a warning--"Alias" is like chocolate: once you start, you can't stop.
My rating: 9/10
Santa Who? (2000)
Average Christmas movie
*contains minor spoilers*
I stumbled upon this movie while channel-surfing one day so I decided to sit down for 2 hours to watch it. Because of its not-so-original and predictable plot, it's an average Christmas movie.
The movie is about a kid named Zack who believes in Santa and his mom's boyfriend, Peter, a TV reporter, who grew up in a dysfunctional family and has now become a grinch. One day, while Santa is flying his sleigh, he encounters some air turbulence and falls several hundred feet from the air, landing on Peter's car. Santa gets amnesia and Peter decides to let him stay at his apartment until Peter can find Santa's family--obviously, he doesn't believe it's really Santa at first while Zack is trying to persuade everyone that the old man is the real deal. By just reading this, you could probably predict how the movie will turn out.
Adults may be a little bored with it, but most kids will enjoy it. I enjoyed it--the elves gave me a chuckle now and then--though I probably wouldn't watch this holiday movie again anytime soon.
My score: 5/10
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
A hilarious 90 minutes for your buck
*minor spoilers included* I had originally gone to see this movie because of the "Harry Potter 3" trailer. Strangely enough, I came to the theater too late to see it, but the movie itself made up for missing the trailer. "Back in Action" was one of the funniest movies I've seen this year. However, the rating might be PG and it may be intended for kids, but younger viewers may not get all of the jokes. For instance, I nearly fell out of my seat during one scene where Bugs reenacts the 'shower scene' from "Psycho", but someone who hadn't seen "Psycho" wouldn't have thought of it as hilarious. Not to mention some of the content in the movie may not be suitable for the younger kids. I saw at least a dozen under-12-year-old's at the movie and they didn't laugh as much as their parents or their older siblings did. Not only is the movie a great comedy, but the animation and cinematography are very well done. The picture quality is amazing and the live action/animated scenes look very convincing. The only major peeve I had about this movie was the acting. I'm not saying anything bad about Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman, but judging by this movie, I don't think they have had much experience in a live action/animation movie. Their acting seems too fake in some of the scenes with Bugs and co. Be sure to catch some appearances by Jeff Gordon and Timothy Dalton, to name a few. To wrap it all up (I'm sure some of you may be asleep from reading this by now) "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" is a hilarious and fun movie that leaves you feeling like you didn't just waste $7 to see it ($30 if you bought popcorn, soda, and some nachos) My rating: 7/10