Reviews

I know the director, and realize he's passionate about his work, and upon his request I viewed this movie.

It was one of THE worst movies I have ever seen, and ended up not finishing it with only (I can only hope) 15 minutes left into the movie.

I only made it as far as I did because I knew the director, otherwise I don't think I could have even watch that much of the movie.

Don't get me wrong, low budget indie films are great. In fact, I tend to love those movies more than the ons Hollywood puts out - but this movie.

*sigh* But Jon, I have faith in you.

I know you'll do something amazing, because like I said, you're passionate about your work, and that's something I admire about you.

:)

Growing up in the 80's, specifically a boy growing up in the 80's, it's not surprising I am very fond on He-Man. However, just this past summer I watched one of the first episodes that I would have grown up with and didn't understand all the fuss. Why did I like this show so much? The writing was terrible - the animation....well, no good animation came out of the 80's in retrospect in my opinion. I guess the only thing the short lived, but heavily remembered, animated series had going for it was the plot.

I grew up with the action figures - possibly the largest array of action figures ever known - but slowly the names and the ongoing plots faded in my mind and soon my own creative imagination took over and created my own adventures, combining various sets of Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was getting further and further away from the concept of the show - and then before I knew it, I grew up forgot all about Orko and and Beast-Man. That is, until I saw that terrible excuse for an episode.

It was bad, there's no denying that, but then why did I have such fond memories of the show? I guess it's the same with any show - limited technology never meant it was bad, but we've acquired higher expectations on television these days.

Not too long ago I heard of a new line of He-Man action figures. "What's the point?" I would ask myself, but really, they were pretty cool looking. And then I discovered the new series of action figures was arriving the same time as the new animated series itself!

Eventually I was able to download the show to see what all the hype was about - and truthfully, I was not disappointed! While not the most brilliantly animated show on television, it far surpassed my expectations, and even made me tolerate the dreadful Japanese Anime, since this new cartoon imitated it to an extent. The colors were stunning and the characters were dead-on. Everything was perfect - the enchanting and rich tale was still fresh and nothing could ruin it.

This show has done the unthinkable for me: it's preserved a child's forgotten yet rose-tinted memories of a show to which every other cartoon has always been compared with....yet it proved me right. He-Man is worth saving and marketed back in the mainstream of the public. He's truly a hero for everyone, 5 yr olds and even 20 yr olds like myself.

And who knows the same thing may happen 15 years from now and I'll be remembering this show was rose-tinted memories. Maybe I'll catch an episode on late-night television - you know, the time slot for insomniacs who don't care what they watch - and maybe then I'll wonder why the hell I was watching it back in the day as well. But for now, I'm reveling in the moment that one of the greatest tales ever told is being told to a new generation, and this time I can get a hell of a lot more out of my favorite animated star.

I used to have this movie on tape, but since then have taped over it. But this was one of those old tv movies that was actually funny! Not many tv comedy movies have really been this funny since those early 90s....take for instance Encino Woman or Problem Child 3...point in case. The plot of this film? Well, like I said I haven't seen it in years, but what I do remember was that Frankenstein was accidently discovered and thawed out by two college students and they tried to make him fit in with the rest of the students. They called him Frank N. Stein and said he was from a different country...a la Link from Estonia....hmmm....actually maybe that's one of the reasons I found this movie so funny. It really is the same as Encino Man, only it replaces the missing link with a typically horror "villian"....of course we all know Frankenstein (technically the doctor, the monster, of course, didn't have a name....) was just misunderstood, so if he was ever accepted, who knows how he would have acted, right??? If given the chance he could have been taught to be as groovy as everyone else. Frank even got a girlfriend in the movie....the real villian here was the Dean who would later play the Dean in the Eddie Murphy movie, The Nutty Professor, who ended up realizing the student's true origins with the great line...

"Frank N. Stein.....Frank N. Stein..........FRANKENSTEIN!"

*gasp*

In my high school college writing class we were "forced" to watch this movie...all we were told beforehand was there were three actors, one set and a black man's ass....that's it. Well upon watching the movie I felt bored for the first three or five minutes, but I soon realized this movie had so much philosophies and thoughts on social standards, etc, I couldn't help but love this movie. It's been well over a year since I've seen it, and don't remember much of the plot, except Matthew Broderick was the "master of the house" and there are two black servants, that he has always taken for granted. The whole movie is one big discussion on life, and there was one part that just made me (and several other classmates) cry. Truly a masterpiece! A must-see!

Granted Jefferson isn't the Los Angeles-type city it is shown as in the movie - 'tis merely an average small town in Wisconsin, and the Borchardt house looks nothing like it does in real-life, the movie is still a pretty good dramatic representation of what really happened, although many things have been changed. The reason I had trouble with this real-life drama, is that I lived in Fort Atkinson at the time of this murder mystery (which is Jefferson's neighboring city). Jefferson is not covered in gang symbols or palm trees, etc. etc. But the acting was well-done (Alanna Ubach gives a knockout performance as Shannon). Having seen Peter Coyote for the first time in this movie he will always remain Ruben Borchardt in my mind (of course, he was also in E.T., but I had only seen that movie when I was a youngster). Diane Borchardt was a lucky woman - while she is very unattractive bitch, Ann-Margret portrays her in this movie.

Basically the movie goes like this: Ruben Borchardt is (somewhat reluctantly) murdered by three teens, Josh, Doug and Michael, by orders of his wife (their teacher) Diane Borchardt. The rest of the movie is one big flashback that explains how Diane manipulated her students into thinking Ruben abused her (when in truth it was vice versa). One by one, Doug and his friends get pulled into the mix. Ruben's motherless children from his first marriage are forced to see their father go into a depression, while their step-sister is treated as a queen. One obvious change from the real-life events, is the relationship between Ruben and his blooming love for Ruth. But whatever. The story stays pretty true to life, and events used the real sign for "Mrs. B's shop"...(It's so weird, because I remember driving past her shop all the time!)

Knowing my cousin associated with the three teenagers, and his wife had Mrs. Borchardt as a teacher, and I went to school with relatives of the Borchardts, it makes the movie all the more real to me, but as a movie, most will just find it pure entertainment with great acting, even though it is inaccurate in certain areas.

By the way - yes they really did arrest her while she was at school.

While it's been too long since I've seen this show (I was a mere 7th grader when it was on the Disney channel), I remember this show being very intellectual for a children's primetime series. Neri was a mysterious girl who lived in the ocean (and a nearby island) could communicate with the whale. Meanwhile there was a group of scientists, complete with an underwater city that boasted a school for the teenage children. Neri befriended two of the teenage boys of the ocean city, and together they tried to help save "Charlie" - the whale that Neri was friends with. The show had it's villains - a group of scientists that were competing against the Ocean city for whale research. This is pretty much all I remember about the series - aside from the fact that i was completely in love with the complicated stories - but it was canceled shortly before it's mysteries and loose ends were finished (Neri's island was a spaceship of sorts, suggesting she was an alien; and she had a sister - and a brother if I'm not mistaken). If you get a chance to see this show in syndication sometime, trust me, it's worth your time. Then again, maybe I just remember it being my only alternative to the looooong half-hour before Melrose Place on Monday nights.

Scary Movie was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen in the theater, due to everyone else laughing hysterically, and there were many scenes that couldn't even be heard at all, because of all of the laughing. So of course, I went to see this one with the same expectations, but was let down.

Now that's not to say the movie wasn't good. It was tons of fun, and gross-out humor, racial and physical slurs abound...but it wasn't Scary Movie. But that was actually a GOOD thing. It wasn't a parody of satire or self-awareness horror flicks (self awareness, meaning the characters realized scary movies existed). This movie pokes fun at such classics as The Haunting, The Exorcist, House on Haunted Hill. But one of the funniest scenes is when they do a rip on Titanic....

If you're looking for the same kind of humor, you're looking in the wrong place. It's not Scream - it's not hip or flashy....it's calmer in it's jokes, just like the classic horror flicks. It's a parody that goes just overboard enough.

Scary Movie was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen in the theater, due to everyone else laughing hysterically, and there were many scenes that couldn't even be heard at all, because of all of the laughing. So of course, I went to see this one with the same expectations, but was let down.

Now that's not to say the movie wasn't good. It was tons of fun, and gross-out humor, racial and physical slurs abound...but it wasn't Scary Movie. But that was actually a GOOD thing. It wasn't a parody of satire or self-awareness horror flicks (self awareness, meaning the characters realized scary movies exsisted). This movie pokes fun at such classics as The Haunting, The Exorcist, House on Haunted Hill. But one of the funniest scenes is when they do a rip on Titanic....

If you're looking for the same kind of humor, you're looking in the wrong place. It's not Scream - it's not hip or flashy....it's calmer in it's jokes, just like the classic horror flicks. It's a parody that goes just overboard enough.

Not often does a made for TV movie surpass the original, but even rarely does one do so, while also shifting time and counter-acting as a prequel.

Return of the Shaggy Dog is a sequel to The Shaggy Dog, and takes place before The Shaggy D.A. The funny thing is, while The Shaggy D.A. took place in the 70's, this one takes place in the 80's. Originally offered as a two-partner on The Wonderful World of Disney, this movie has only been aired twice, as far as I know, and had Wilby Daniels engaged but before he can get married he ends up kidnapped by the professor's caretakers (who find the ring and read the inscription, hence Wilby's return as the shaggy dog). Also mixed in with the plot is Wilby's brother who is trying to find the perfect dog for a dog food commercial....hmmm.....predictable? Sure. Fun? Definitely!

Maybe with the new movie coming out with Tim Allen (ugh...) everyone will have a chance to see this movie. I've had it on tape for years and always find it entertaining.