cynsunshine Reviews

Californication (2007–2014)

Funny, cool, one-of-a-kind show for adults!

[10/10 · 10 October 2007]

If you have Showtime and you're not watching Californication, you're definitely missing out. I'm so glad I watched the first episode because I was hooked within the first five minutes and haven't missed an episode yet (I think it's up to 8 episodes now). I'm getting Showtime for free right now but just because of Weeds and Californication, I would probably continue paying for it after my free time is up.

I've never seen a show quite like this...the humor totally rocks; I especially love how witty it is, like when Hank says something like, "Shrivel me testes". The characters and their interactions are top-notch and I enjoy every minute of it.

I totally enjoy (most of) the actors, especially Pamela Adlon, who plays Marcie; she's mostly a voice actor (cartoon boys, mostly) and I love seeing her in an on-screen role; we need to see more of this talented woman! Sometimes I'm shocked at how hardcore the show can be and I LOVE THAT about it. It keeps me on my toes and is rarely predictable (even though whenever you see a hot chick you just know Hank will be doing her within five minutes...not the most realistic, but hey, it's a TV show with a title that includes the word, "fornication")!

I hope there is a Season 2 for this awesome new show...any many more seasons beyond. If you don't have Showtime, wait till Californication comes out on DVD and get it right away!

Mixed Nuts (1994)

Funnier than most reviews lead you to believe!

[7/10 · 7 January 2007]

This movie cracked me up and I'm a big fan of comedies like The Simpsons and Family Guy, Scrubs and The Office (UK and US versions) if you want to know my type of humor. The on-screen TV Guide rating only gave it one star out of four and the current weighted-average rating of 4.7 stars out of 10 on IMDb just don't do it justice. Mixed Nuts is a film with a lot of good actors who spout off tons of funny dialog that works well, despite the relatively fluffy storyline. I love finding little-known comedic gems like this one when flipping through the cable channels on a Sunday afternoon. :-)

The story revolves around a bunch of people working for a suicide hotline called LiveSavers and other tenants who live in the building where the home/office is located. Their antics at Christmastime are hysterical...from Liev Schreiber's transvestite character dancing with Steve Martin's character to Madeline Kahn's singing in the elevator and other laugh-provoking performances make this movie a must-see comedy if your sense of humor matches mine.

The Office (2005–2013)

A funny show in its own right...

[11 February 2006]

I totally agree with commenter Ben Skigen...I was a huge fan of the British (original) version of The Office so I was kind of put off by yet another British show being remade in America so I declined to watch the first season but I heard someone whose sense of humor I respect talking about The Office and I do like the main actor, Steve Carrell, so I gave it a shot a couple episodes into season two and it is pretty funny and it's actually produced by Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais (among others) who created the British version, so to me that gives it some comedic authenticity.

It's definitely not your typical sitcom, which is why I like it (no laugh track, for one thing), and while Steve Carrell's Michael doesn't play the exact same character as Ricky Gervais' David, he is still an annoyingly-funny office boss. I wish my own real-life office had as many laughs and hijinks as the TV office!

The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

Very original film worth every minute!

[8/10 · 2 January 2006]

The previews I saw for The Triplets of Belleville intrigued me...I said, hey, what is this unique, strange-looking movie? And when I watched it, it didn't disappoint; in fact I would say it was better than I could have imagined because of its originality and humor. The story was interesting and I loved the way all the parts of the story and details came together throughout the movie. I don't want to include any spoilers so I can't say all of the things that I thought were really cool but trust me, you need to watch this movie for yourself and you'll see what I mean. If you watch this movie and don't like it, you are probably either too young or too jaded or your mind is not open...I am a 33 year old female and loved it and so did my 34 year old boyfriend.

I would love to see the creators of this film make another one in the same style but somehow make it totally different but that might be hard because this movie is so unique and likable, I'm not sure they could match its greatness. I loved how there was hardly any speaking in the movie as well (for one reason, my boyfriend and I could comment on it without pausing it or missing any dialog). What else can I say but watch The Triplets of Belleville, if you don't like it within the first fifteen minutes, you might as well give up on it because I knew by the first time I laughed, about five or ten minutes in (if that), that I was in for a treat.

Catwoman (2004)

Not as bad as the low score here had me believe.

[6/10 · 30 October 2005]

After seeing that this movie got a 3.4 out of 10 stars rating, I thought it must have been horrible. But I obviously have to take other peoples' votes here with a grain of salt because for some reason, Boogeyman got a higher rating (4.0 stars out of 10) and Boogeyman sucked. Catwoman was a decent flick; I found parts of it to be funny, most of the action was good and I thought Halle Berry was great as Catwoman. When she first became cat-like, her movements were very much like a feline and I like the way she seemed surprised when she did certain things while she was still realizing what had happened to her. Don't believe all the bad reviews, if this movie comes on HBO, go ahead and watch it. I've seen much worse movies than this and I don't feel like I wasted the last 97 minutes of my life by watching it.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

A quirky, entertaining, humorous film.

[8/10 · 24 September 2005]

I totally enjoyed this film. It combines sci-fi and humor, which makes a great combo. I think my $2.99 at the video store was well-spent on this one and I can think of a lot of worse ways to spend two hours on a Saturday night.

I've read other comments from people who have read the Hitchhiker books and those comments were mostly negative...I've never read any of the Hitchhiker books so I can't say if the movie "lives up to the book", but movies never can or do "live up" to books. It's impossible to add everything into a movie that you can read in a book, especially if the reader has a vivid imagination and of course Hollywood is going to add things to make movies appeal to the masses. And considering that Douglas Adams, the book's author, was one of the executive producers of the film, his seal of approval is good enough for me. Although it probably helps that I didn't read the book because I may have felt let down (as I was with the remake of The Time Machine, which was nothing like the H.G. Wells version, but Wells wasn't alive to put his producer's mark on that one), but since I haven't read it, I really can't say either way. But I do stand by my original comment and I think this movie is entertaining and quite original, whether or not you've read the book.

High Society (1956)

A marvelous must-see!

[10/10 · 22 March 2001]

This movie is a renamed remake of The Philadelphia Story (1940). It is funny, charming, delightful, and somewhat different from the original. One addition to this version is Louis Armstrong, a man who is always delightful every time I watch him on film.

Any movie that includes two great talents like Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby gets my vote. Bing is perfect as Dexter and Frank is as dreamy as ever as reporter Mike Connor. Both Voices (that's a capital V on purpose) sing superbly as usual in this musical comedy.

Grace Kelly does a wonderful job as upper crust divorcee Tracy Lord. She plays the role of a holier-than-thou rich girl and a compassionate young woman to a tee. I highly recommend watching this one!