WinBear Reviews

Psych (2006–2014)

Thumbs up!

[8/10 · 8 July 2006]

I thought this was a pretty good pilot. I was laughing pretty consistently throughout. I also enjoyed his observational skills and the way the special effects team highlighted them. The buddy relationship between Shawn and Gus was fun and I liked the dramatic tension between Shawn and his Dad, especially considering dad's feelings on psychics and private investigators. The supporting cast at the police station was adequate with the chief really shining compared to the two detectives having an affair.

I also liked how they used Gus' very focused vocation-based observation skills to give Shawn a hand at solving the crime at the end. The whole conversation about Shawn needing Gus to take notes because Shawn zones out really rang true for me, plus Shawn occasionally needs the 'everyman view' for something he hadn't considered.

I give this a thumbs up. It's one of the few summer shows I've picked up and so far, it is clearly the winner.

It's in the Water (1997)

Excellent gay/lesbian film

[11 May 1999]

This film offers a very funny look at small-town Texas with a healthy helping of gay and lesbian sensibility and a silly dose of heterosexist paranoia. My partner thought it was too much of an emotional roller-coaster, but I thought many of those twists were necessary to convey the feelings of the townfolks and those that the movie was focusing on. The movie was clearly focused on Alex and her character and story were the most well-told. I felt like Mark's character got off to a choppier start and ended up practically on equal footing with Alex's character, which achieved some nice gender parity. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone needing a good laugh that can appreciate gay-themed stories or that need to have some of their heterosexism deflated.