Reviews

Former SNL member Tracy Morgan stars as Tracy Mitchell, an auto mechanic, in this sitcom focusing on his family and his job. The pilot just premiered, and in a year where new sitcoms have looked terrible, "The Tracy Morgan Show" looks promising.

Though Morgan is funny, the show's humor seems to come a lot from the supporting cast, in particular, the Mitchells' younger son, Jimmy, played by Bobb'e J. Thompson. The laughs also come from Tracy's interaction at work with his fellow mechanics (Heavy D and John Witherspoon).

Though some of the humor is forced, and the show does not seem to be the greatest, it has the potential to be new and creative, and one of the better sitcoms out there today in a time where the sitcom is starting to fade away.

This film, based on the great Theodore Dreiser novel, is not really available in many video stores or libraries most likely due to its age and lack of popularity. However, the film does parallel the book somewhat in that the characters all have the same names, but it is difficult to comprise an over 800 page book into a film. "An American Tragedy" was also later adapted into "A Place in the Sun," which has become more recognized because it stars Elizabeth Taylor. However, though this film takes its basis from Dreiser's novel, its character names have all been altered. If you really want to learn about this great story (which is actually based on a 1906 murder case), then read Dreiser's book because his writing and plot are amazing and no film is capable of adapting it.

Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi" is an amazing film that each person (especially lovers of foreign films) should watch. It is evident that the movie's acting isn't great and the plot is easily understandable, however it's what was behind-the-scenes that makes the movie so fascinating.

Rodriguez's funds for the film were limited to $7,000. Many of the props used in the film (including the guns) were either Rodriguez's own equipment or borrowed from friends. Most of the money probably was used for filming in general and not for certain actors or big scenes. This is what makes the movie so great.

Rodriguez was capable of assembling an action-packed film for such a small amount of money that was still enjoyable. Yes, the special effects were not that of a Schwarzenegger film, but once again, consider the amount of money put into the film. Even in scenes that were evidently mistakes, Rodriguez was able to cover up the bloopers and actually make them into funny scenes. This fresh blend of action, comedy, a little romance, and suspense makes "El Mariachi" a classic.

"El Mariachi" is on my TOP 10 Films of All-Time List not for its themes and how it touched me (because that's not its purpose), but for its capability to achieve so much using so little. Rodriguez's use of just $7,000 proves his genius as a director and the true lack of need for big budget films. "El Mariachi" is a must-see for all!