Reviews

I felt the need to give my opinion of this film, Rainbow Bridge, as a previous reviewer had left me cold with a rather incredulous review which I felt was a bit harsh, at times downright nasty in judging certain people ("She is obviously an uneducated moron"), shallow ("She is also buck-toothed and ugly") as well as egotistically presumptuous ("How did Hendrix fall in love with her?" which implies an ability to know what is right for other people more so that those people themselves)... This isn't me slamming some other reviewer; I'm simply attempting to provide an open-minded and fair counter balance… In my review you will find no attacks or judgments of other people (maybe criticisms of their attitudes, but nothing personal), or any naive presumptions of wisdom ("a obviously deluded earth-mother..." etc) So what kind of audience will Rainbow Bridge appeal to? Well, it will not be to everyone's taste, that's for sure. The most obvious audience are die-hard Hendrix fans and people who are into surfing films. But if you have an open mind and enjoy quirky 60's films, you might like this too (yeah yeah, I know it was filmed in 1970 and came out in '72, but lets not get pedantic about it ;-) In Rainbow Bridge, the validity of the psychedelic experience as a means of transcending normal human perception is debated. The pros and cons of such a method are discussed, and comparisons made between the effects of psychedelic substances and that of various meditation and yoga practices. The conclusion seems to be that psychedelics can be effective to a point, but are ultimately futile/counter-productive as a method in itself. However, this discussion, and that of extra-terrestrial life is, in my view, an interesting one and one which the late Terrence McKenna would delve into and elaborate on in years to come.

Rainbow Bridge is a product of its time, for sure, but that doesn't make it irrelevant or passé. On the contrary, the ideas expressed and the questions posed about the human condition are timeless, and seem to be re-emerging in relevance today. There is talk of higher life forms/extra-terrestrials/spiritually evolved beings (or whatever term appeals most to your particular frame of reference) that will no-doubt raise a few sneers from those among us who are convinced that we now have our collective finger on the pulse of reality, which is all cut & dry, and now that we know the world is not flat we need not keep our minds open any longer, and that "space people" is a possibility entertained only by a poor mindless/crazy/naïve/deluded few, and that anybody who openly questions these things is obviously in some brainwashed state (the irony!).

Actually, if one were to take an open-minded and entirely rational look at these questions, they may be surprised to find some logical basis for some of these ideas. Concepts that the layperson may find outlandish or even downright crazy, often have some basis in quantum physics, and there are many open-minded scientists out there who refuse to rule out any of this stuff.

But this is a review of a film, not a philosophical/scientific/spiritual debate, so lets move on! The final live footage of The Jimi Hendrix Experience (featuring Billy Cox on bass) is cool, but the sound is marred by strong wind (evident by the big sponges taped around the microphones!). As I say, it's cool, but not essential unless you simply have to have as much Hendrix footage in your collection as possible.

All in all it's a nice, unusual, quirky film featuring some cool footage of Hendrix casually hanging out, as well as performing live. Regarding the more "far-out" aspects of the film, I'll simply leave you with this thought, and let you make up your own mind: Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we CAN imagine.

As I recall, this was basically a knock-off of the excellent American sitcom "That 70's Show". It was the same idea, but done in England. Different actors, a few slang terms and place-names changed to fit an English audience, but other than that the episodes (at least what I saw of them) were a total knock off. But whatever it was that made "That 70's Show" (a first-rate show, by the way) so much fun, the "chemistry", whatever, wasn't present in this version and naturally it comes off contrived. Like the American version of The Office, it just doesn't work because its not the real deal. Lightning doesn't strike twice as it were...

I like this show a lot. Not as much as, say, The A-Team, but it was great fun! As others have pointed out, some people get a real stick up the butt and complain that its corny, implausible, some of the acting is dodgy etc... So if we agree, whats the problem? lol But seriously, what do you expect from a show like this? A new Shakespeare? Does everything have to reach that standard of excellence? Surely there's nothing wrong with some light-hearted fun. If you're still not convinced that this was from the golden age of TV, turn on your TV set and just see how things have improved since those awful 80's. Have a look at the horse doo doo passing for entertainment THESE days. "Reality" TV shows featuring half-wits sleeping, sitting on sofa's or getting drunk and talking rubbish (Big Brother, anyone?). Tons of similar, generic sit-coms that need to have laugh tracks to let you know when to laugh (ever sit there and think "was that the funny part?"), propaganda channels posing as news, MTV is a shadow of what it used to be... Yeah, thank God the 80's are over and Knight Rider is a thing of the past, huh? The trouble with comedies these days is that they take themselves too seriously. There always has to be a serious love story alongside the "comedy", always some feigning of intelligence and seriousness going on. I wish the people making TV shows these days would realise that you don't need that boring rubbish. Shows like Knight Rider were corny, implausible, but GREAT fun!

Light of Day is one of my favourite Rock n' Roll films. Not the most popular choice, I'll grant you. A lot of people might question that, but let me explain my point of view. Most rock films deal with the rock star lifestyle. You know all the clichés: sex, drugs, booze, limos, groupies, hotel room demolition and general decadence (not that there's anything wrong with that; Spinal Tap is another favourite of mine!). In other words they deal with what is essentially UNREALITY for the vast majority of rockers out there. Instead they deal with a fantasy or an ideal, with what all us rockers would like to think is waiting for us just around the corner. Light of Day, on the other hand, deals with real life, and what Rock n' Roll means to several ordinary people. Several ordinary people dealing with ordinary, everyday problems; work, relationships, family, estrangement, disillusionment. Music is their refuge. As Patti Rasnick (played by Joan Jett) says "Music is all that matters. One hour on stage makes up for the other 23", and that is essentially the theme of the movie; No matter what life throws at us, we'll get through it as long as we have music. A theme that is reinforced by the final musical performance of the movie (I wont give too much away, don't worry).

There is absolutely no glamour to be found in this movie whatsoever; and that's one of the things I love about it! Its pure, unglamorous REALITY. Travelling in a van, playing dives, boosting food to survive another day on the road and doing it all for the love of Rock n' Roll, and knowing that the alternative is just too f**king odious to seriously contemplate... Okay sorry, I'm getting a bit heavy handed with my review here, but anyway, in conclusion: forget Family Ties (I haven't even seen an episode of that show in about 15 years, who gives a damn?), Michael J. Fox does an awesome and realistic job in Light of Day (all the members of The Barbusters played live in the performance scenes), the plot has a subtlety and realism missing in practically every other rock film I've seen, and the songs are great! Yes, I recommend this film to anybody who's ever played in a travelling band, or just loves Rock n' Roll.

BTW, in case my American friends are wondering: "favourite", "glamour" and "travelling" are not spelling mistakes. ;-)

Don't worry, I'm allowed to say that; I am Irish. Although with lousy sitcoms like this under out belt I say it with some modesty. The writing was, how should I put it... sh*t. The acting was fairly uninspired, and frankly this never should have been inflicted on the public. Another reviewer hit the nail on the head about Irish sitcoms; There's never been a good one (at least none that I've seen) bar Father Ted, and even that one had to be taken to Channel 4 in Britain, because RTE didn't want to know (probably because of the lack of respect for the Catholic church involved, or maybe it was just too good for their tastes. Mind you, they changed their tune once that show became a hit). So RTE prefer to churn out dire swill like this. Its laughable, but not in a good way.

Typical kinda situation where the cop, instead of being professional or even particularly smart, takes more than a professional interest in the suspect, with predictably sexy results.

I'd have to say the hotness of Stacey Dash is the best thing about this movie, the rest is simply filler. Much like what I'm writing now, as I need a minimum of 10 lines. The thing is, this movie is not so special that it warrants a full 10 line review. What could I possibly say about it? It's not particularly innovative or original, in fact it sticks to an age-old formula and is pretty forgettable. I'll say this, if you liked All The President's Men, you wont necessarily like this. Unless you think Stacey Dash is hot, in which case knock yourself out. I did.

I really enjoyed this show, and its a shame the damn crazy bible thumpers got their way. I'm not saying there's no God, but do you really think he would want to hang out with those self-righteous troublemakers? HELL NO! Okay, rant over. I know this is not the place for that, but I had to say it...

Anyway, yeah, great light-hearted show. It was a lot of fun and I'm sorry it got cancelled. The acting is pretty good, it had good writers. Damn, 10 lines is a lot. I mean, how much can you say about a show that got cancelled 5 minutes after it came out? Yep, great show. If you find it on DVD then get it.