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Kittiko
My Hero: is not an actor, a musician, an athlete, a politician, or anyone close to famous. My hero is my father. He was a regular army soldier for 30 years (highest rank held: Seargant Major), serving in two deployments: one in Egypt and one in Iraq. He is now retired from the army and is now a Sheriff's Officer with our police department. He was also a volunteer firefighter and owned his own gutter business. He was named a Hometown Hero when he came back from Iraq, and he continues to inspire not only me, but countless other people who have told me just how much they admire and respect him and what he does. I love you Daddy!
My biggest obsession? Gettysburg. The town, the movie, the battle itself. I could spend my whole life learning about it.
My favorite actors are John Belushi, Corey Johnson, Gene Hackman, Bill Pullman, Tom Hanks, Willem Defoe, Christine Baranski and Jamie Lee Curtis. My favorite movies are �Blues Brothers�, �Gettysburg�, �POTC DMC�, �Saving Private Ryan�, �The Mummy�, �The All Together�, �The Amityville Horror� (1979), �Pet Sematary�, �The Lion King� and �Alice In Wonderland�. My favorite movie genres are war, drama, dark or staunch comedy and some horror. I�m also huge into Disney animation. My favorite movie characters of all time are Koleniko (POTC DMC), Joliet Jake (Blues Brothers), Mr. Daniels (The Mummy) and the Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland).
I�m a really nice person, I promise. ^_^
Proud daughter of a Sheriff's Officer and 30 year army vet!
Lists
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Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (1984)
The Pinnacle of My Childhood
When I was a little girl, around 5 or so, my favorite toys were the metal and wooden trains baring the likenesses of Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends. I had tons of books and videos on locomotives, including the entire collection of all the original printed Thomas stories and just about every Thomas video under the sun. I was hooked on trains, and I was hooked on Thomas. The little blue tank engine and his array of amusing companions was the highlight of my childhood.
To this day, even at 21 years old, I still love trains and Thomas and his friends. But, before I give my review, I will give my honest say on what I think of the series now that it seems to have gotten a major overhaul in animation, narration and script. I only watch the seasons narrated by Ringo Starr and George Carlin, which include all the original stories written by the Rev. W. Awdry. In my opinion, no other narrators after them have lived up to the Thomas name, nor did any of the material written after Awdry's stories (and his son's) were filmed even touch the brilliance of the original volumes. I'm no fan of Angelis, Brandon or Baldwin. There are way too many new characters to count; my favorites will always be those that emanated from Awdry's mind (save for Salty; I do like him). I can see why they would introduce more 'female' characters to the series, but enough is enough honestly. (Of the original two female engines Daisy and Mavis, Mavis was my favorite.) As soon as Baldwin took over as narrator and Awdry's stories gave way to the show writers and the classic, beautiful live-action filming became blotched and bloated with CGI, I stopped watching. The feature film 'Thomas and the Magic Railroad', as cute as it is, does no justice to the original series and the charms of the 'Shining Time Station' show. How I yearn for the Golden Years of my beloved children's show.
When I first saw Thomas and his friends, I fell in love. I loved everything about it. The characters, the stories, the settings, the music, the animation, the narration. Thomas is the main character of the series, but my favorite is and will always be James the Red Engine. Thomas is described as 'a cheeky little engine' who generally has a sunny and easy-going attitude about railway life. He runs a branchline with his two coaches Annie and Clarabelle. He sometimes gets himself into trouble, partakes in some rather clever and sometimes hilarious banter with Gordon (the big, proud and blue mainline engine), and serves as the other half of a sweet friendship he has with Percy (the little round green engine). Some of the other main characters include Gordon, Percy, Henry (the big green and often sickly engine), Edward (the older, wise blue tender engine), my favorite firecracker James, and of course, the famous Fat Controller, a.k.a. Sir Topham Hatt. My favorite characters besides James are Edward, Duck (the Great Western Engine), Donald the Scottish engine, and Bill the yellow tank engine. Of the Narrow Gauge Engines, my favorites are Peter Sam (Stuart), Duncan and Skarloey.
The narration, by Starr and Carlin, is absolutely superb. Starr, although he lends the same voice tone to almost all of the characters, still exudes a lively overture to our metal pals and captures the essence of each character perfectly as the series' first narrator. His powerful turn in the 'Trouble In The Shed' episode still gives me chills, and no one, not even Carlin, can tell the story of 'The Flying Kipper' as grippingly as Starr. When Carlin started narrating, I was treated to an even more splendid and often hilarious telling of the Reverend's stories, and unlike Starr, Carlin gives almost every engine their very own voice. His best vocals include the authentic accent for the sleek and sly Scottish Twins Donald and Douglas, the deep and aging timbre of proud Gordon and the mischievous squeaking of the quarry twins Bill and Ben. He adds that classic arrogant pipe to my boy James perfectly, and his slick and oily resonance for the show's main villain, Diesel, is velvety-smooth and refined like the lies Diesel tells.
The stories and writing were all very good until they ran out of ideas from Awdry's and Christopher Awdry's stories and started writing their own, which began right around Carlin's departure from the series. Each story had its own moral and emphasized the values of hard work, determination, and the power of friendship. The first few seasons narrated by Baldwin were about on par, if a little mediocre at best, but nowhere as good as the original literature. The father and son stories will always be my favorites. Among those are 'James in a Mess'; 'Donald and Douglas'; 'James Learns a Lesson'; 'Old Iron' and 'Pop Goes the Diesel'.
Each engine gets his/her own theme music, and this I absolutely love. Every once in a while, I catch myself humming James's proudly upbeat jive or the Scottish Twins' finger-tapping drum set. Some of the music, such as the sadly sweet harmonies elicited in 'Henry's Forest' and in just about any scene where someone is feeling the downs, may even draw a few tears. The live-action sets and model trains used for the series are wonderfully articulated and placed, making for such a realistic backdrop that you forget it's just a model train set-up.
When it comes down to brass tacks, nothing compares to the Starr and Carlin years of this still beloved children's series. The animation, stories and narration may not be as well as it was 20 years ago, but Thomas, in any way, will always be top train around these parts. (Or in my case, James is.) So all aboard the nostalgia express! My Grade: Starr/Carlin – A+; Baldwin to present – C-
The Mummy (1999)
The Curse of an Addicting Action Film.
The first time I saw 'The Mummy', I was terrified. Of course, I was only 9 years old then (and very much a chicken obviously). Now that I am 20 years old and have seen the film without a hint of terror, I'm very much glad I got over my childish fear of flesh-eating bugs and sat through this amazing movie's entire length. It's too good a film not to watch.
The movie starts out in ancient Egyptian times, sometime around 2000 years B.C. Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) is the trusted High Priest to Pharaoh Seti I, but he's got a thing for Seti's soon-to-be wife, Anck-Su-Namon (Patricia Velasquez). They have an affair behind the Pharaoh's back and plot to take over the rule with a devious, murderous ambition. When Anck kills herself after she and the High Priest brazenly kill Seti, Imhotep tries to resurrect his love, only to be captured by Pharaoh's watchdogs, the Med-jai. Imhotep is mummified alive, the victim of the dreaded Hom-Dai, and sealed up inside the base of an Anubis statue in Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead. Anyone who disturbs him risks releasing his wrath on the world.
Flashforward to Cairo, Egypt in 1926, and we have librarian Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) and her booze-loving brother Jonathan (John Hannah). They happen upon a map that leads to the fabled Hamunaptra, which is hidden in a 'puzzle box' that Jonathan swipes off an unsuspecting American. This American is Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser), an ex-legionnaire who has been locked up in a Cairo prison for 3 years
and someone who just happens to have been to Hamunaptra. Evelyn pays for O'Connell's release, and she convinces him to take her and Jonathan to the City of the Dead. After all, it could be the find of the century! The three of them, along with O'Connell's former buddy Beni (Kevin O'Connor) leading his own party of 3 rowdy American cowboys, excavate through the City and unfortunately happen upon Imhotep's tomb. At the same time, the American tomb raiders and their snooty Egyptologist Dr. Chamberlin find the famous and powerful Black Book of the Dead, which if read correctly will bring the dead to life. Evelyn sneaks it away from Chamberlin and reads it
raising Imhotep from the grave and unleashing his fury. It's now a life or death struggle as the unfortunate individuals try to escape Imhotep's vehemence. I'll let you find out for yourself what happens, should you so choose to watch the movie.
This is one action movie that I could watch over and over. The dialogue, the costumes, the music, I pretty much love everything about this movie. I'm very big into Egyptian mythology, so there's one more reason why I adore this film. Even though the real Imhotep wasn't a homicidal, back-stabbing High Priest to Seti (he was actually an engineer and architect) and the Book of the Dead isn't really a book at all (rather, it is a set of papyrus scrolls laid to rest with each mummified individual), the story behind this particular Imhotep really sucked you into him. The other characters are excellent as well. I think Evelyn is my favorite movie heroine: she's got brains and a little brawn behind her, and she's not a stereotypical damsel-in-distress or sword-wielding assassin chick. She carries herself well. Jonathan is a riot, Rick is the kind of guy you would love to have as a body guard, and Imhotep himself is the most diabolical former priest to ever be resurrected. My personal favorites are the Americans: Daniels, Henderson and Burns, Daniels being my favorite of them all (Corey Johnson is one of my 5 favorite actors). Beni adds the right amount of comic relief and Jonathan Hyde's Chamberlin is perfect for the obnoxious, know-it-all professor. The plot's easy to follow, and the special effects are pretty damn good.
There's nothing better than a good action movie, and 'The Mummy' is definitely among the best. I highly recommend seeing it (and its sequel, one of the few sequels I actually like). It's alright if you know nothing of Egypt and its rich, mythological past; once you get sucked in, you won't want to be pulled out.
My grade: A+, 10/10
Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999)
The Purple Badge of Courage
I'm not a huge fan of dogs, but if I ever wanted a dog at all, I'd honestly love a dog like Courage.
Of course that's an extremely far-fetched and impossible wish, but hey, one can dream you know. But who wouldn't want a cute little (purple) dog who's afraid of his own shadow, but loves his owners more than anything and would do anything for them? I'm referring to the star of the show 'Courage the Cowardly Dog.' It follows the outrageous, often supernatural exploits of Courage, a dog who lives with his two seemingly oblivious owners Muriel and Eustace Bagg, as they live out their simple (but downright crazy) lives in Nowhere, Kansas. Muriel is a kindly, vinegar-loving Scottish lady who adores Courage; Eustace is Muriel's money-hungry, apathetic husband who despises Courage. The balance of love and hate works out nicely, and despite the apparent torture Eustace puts him through, Courage is just as willing to save him as he is willing to save Muriel.
What Courage saves the Baggs from (besides their painfully-clear oblivion to pretty much everything around them) is basically anything and everything imaginable: a love-struck goose; an opera-singing sea serpent; a duck with a French accent; a fedora and trench coat wearing alien
To name a few.
This show is nothing short of brilliant, from the voice talents to the animation to the music for each episode. I can't think of a better voice cast for a cartoon: Courage's scream is priceless, Muriel's Scottish accent is perfect and Eustace's frequent utterances and snarls are truly comical. The animation is wonderfully done. The backgrounds are beautifully detailed, and it makes you forget that this is only a cartoon show. The villains (and the occasion extra protagonist) are exaggeratedly splendid and often hilarious to look at. Aside from the themes for the three main characters, each episode pretty much has its own music, which I think is great. It gives the episode its own feel, just like each new villain does.
There's only a select few cartoons that I still watch, and Courage is definitely on my list of Top 5 All Time Favorites (along with Ed Edd n Eddy, SpongeBob, Rocko's Modern Life and Scooby Doo). I just simply love everything about this show, and I adore Courage himself. It can be a little disturbing in some places (plot-wise and animation), but anyone with a good sense of humor will definitely appreciate the scope and brilliance of this cartoon.
Some of my personally favorite episodes: 'King Ramses's Curse', 'The Gods Must Be Goosey' and 'The Curse of Shirley'.
My grade: A-, 10/10
The All Together (2007)
"All Together", I Thought It Was Worth It.
My experience with obtaining and viewing this particular film was probably the most frustrating I ever had. I went through tons of websites until I finally came across a copy of the movie (ordered it from a UK site, and I live in the US); and once it finally got to me, I couldn't play it on my DVD player or computer and had to download a special kind of $50 software just to play this one DVD (it is a region-2 disc, and I live where region-1 discs can only be played). When all was said and done, I was close to pulling my hair out. But you know what? It was all worth it.
The main reason why I went through all the trouble to get this DVD was Corey Johnson. I am a big fan of him, and I really wanted to see this film. After I got past the Corey Johnson factor, I discovered just how clever and funny this film is.
Chris (Martin Freeman, another actor I really like) and Bob (Velibor Topic) are two housemates with drastically different personalities: Bob is artistic (in the taxidermy-sense) and carefree while Chris is uptight and misery-laden. After putting the house on the market, Chris is entrusting Bob to look after the house and let in real estate agents while he fills in for a sick employee at his television-show job. Meanwhile, we have celebrity-spotting Dennis (Danny Dyer) and the snappily-dressed but moody gangster Mr. Gaspardi (Corey Johnson), who are discussing business in Dennis's Mercedes when Gaspardi falls ill from his dinner the night before. Gaspardi's nausea turns to bathroom panic, and the car pulls over in front of Chris's place. Dennis and Gaspardi entreat entrance into the house so Gaspardi doesn't explode from holding it all in, and Bob gladly obliges to let them in, mistaking them for realtors. What happens next is nothing short of a crazy situation, as ultra-cool Dennis (or so he thinks of himself) turns his gun on every person that comes into Chris's house, triggering a hostage crisis. The fact that at least 10 people end up in the home (and not all of them are realtors!) is enough to make your head spin from trying to keep up with everyone. It doesn't help to take it seriously either with Gaspardi humming to himself as he sits on the can.
So what did I love about this movie besides Corey Johnson and his neurotic Mr. Gaspardi? To begin with, I loved the other characters, especially Bob and his philosophically-challenged numbskull dialogue. Dyer is funny with his arrogantly gleeful Dennis, and you can't help but feel bad for Freeman's Chris after all he's gone through during the film. Supporting actors Jonathan Ryland (the Capital One guy!) and Charles Edwards are great in their own roles as two of the confused and highly-vocal real estate agents. The script's premise may sound a little simple at first, but it works out very nicely for each scene that it cuts to next. The music is awesome too; I personally loved each and every one of the songs used in this movie, and my taste in music is extremely picky.
From what I gather reading the other reviews of this movie, the reactions are mixed. And rightfully so, since I think everyone has their own taste in comedy and in what makes a good comedic premise. I personally thought it was a great comedy from start to finish, and that it's definitely worth a peek. My hope is that you'll have a better time locating and playing the DVD than I did! My grade: A, 10/10
Dr. Giggles (1992)
My House Call With Dr. Giggles
I first came across this film on the Chiller network during the summer of 2008. My mother and I were flipping through the channels when our eyes were caught by not only the title, but the current scene that we had stumbled upon (which one I cannot recall). I watched the movie in full the next time it aired
and honestly, I wasn't sure if I should've been completely horrified or entirely amused.
Dr. Evan Rendell (Larry Drake) is a seriously disturbed mental patient who intends to exact revenge on the town that 'murdered' his doctor father. Jennifer (Holly Marie Combs) is the unfortunate girl to catch Dr. Rendell's eerily-squinty eyes with the heart problem she is born with. Rendell's psychotic fascination with medical expertise has him prowling around for her, while leaving in his wake a grisly trail of tortured teenagers and mangled next-door neighbors (of which he uses various surgical implements on). Rendell ultimately meets his end at Jennifer's hands, but not without enduring some truly laughable circumstances first.
The plot was interesting at best, if not a little weird in the medical-fetish department. Some of the dialogue and the scenes that contain said dialogue are so derisory that you forget that this is supposed to be something of a horror film. The acting isn't terrible, but could've been better; Combs is probably the best of them all, but Drake's Rendell is just too creepy to really have a viewer-character connection with. The supporting characters
well, let's just say that I guess it was appropriate that most of them were killed off, considering their roles were way too small to go any further with in the 95 minutes this film was shot in, and the number of them was just too many to grip. The simple and low-rate CG effects in the beginning of the film are giggle-worthy and not good enough to be taken seriously. Then again, I don't think this film is meant to be taken seriously at all.
Long story short: it isn't a bad movie, but it certainly isn't Hollywood gold either. If you're looking for blood and guts mixed with the occasional humor-laden one-liner, then this movie might be for you. Other than that, just a typical low-grade horror flick that barely succeeds in achieving the reactions it clearly wants from viewers.
My grade: C, 5/10
The Blues Brothers (1980)
A Well-Fulfilled Misson
I was 13 years old when I first saw 'The Blues Brothers', and ever since that chilly December day in 2002, I've been hooked.
This clever, madcap comedy stars the late John Belushi as Jake Blues and Dan Aykroyd as Elwood, two men who provide the vocals and harmonica for their powerhouse blues band, the Blues Brothers. After getting out of prison for armed robbery, Jake reunites with his brother Elwood and they head back to whence they were brought up, an orphanage that is about to have its doors closed unless the money needed to save it can be scrounged up. Henceforth, the 'Mission from God' was born.
There is no shortage of greatness in this movie. That includes cameos, the script, the music itself and the acting. Add in a few outrageous car chases, some bitterly ticked-off Nazis and more cameos by Blues greats than you can count, and you'll really have your tail feathers shaking'. Belushi and Aykroyd can certainly carry a tune in a basket and there is no doubt that they are talented, and you have to give them credit: they delivered a fire-powered performance that I think could've been Grammy-worthy (but that's just me personally). Every number they cover is a toe-tapping, hum-worthy tune, and the albums they've put out (Made in America and Briefcase Full of Blues) are just as catchy and soulful as the movie soundtrack itself.
The individual personalities of Jake and Elwood are a pleasure to follow along with throughout the film, and each band member offers at least one great, laugh-worthy line that you can't help but quote every now and again. The smart appearances by Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Cab Calloway also generate a lovely feeling of bluesy nostalgia and a reminiscence of the good ole days when music was actually high-quality. While it is really a shame that Belushi (who happens to be my favorite comedian) passed away two years after this film was released, there is no doubt that his memory will be fondly upheld in what is unarguably his best work.
The most famous of all the quotes is the classic 'We're On A Mission From God'. Trust me, whatever the mission our suit-laden heroes were in, it was definitely fulfilled.
My grade: A+, 10/10