bsampsel Reviews

Bionic Woman (2007)

Far exceeded my expectations

[9/10 · 13 November 2012]

I remember checking this show out and expecting an awful reboot of what was a fairly low end sci-fi/adventure franchise in the 1970s. I liked the original shows, but as I grew up, noticed how cornball the networks made them be at times and how blatantly they reflected the 70s television market.

Now, this version of the Bionic Woman. First, the lead actress was phenomenal. She was the girl next door (the stacked girl next door)...she wasn't exotic. She was the kind of girl a normal guy could flirt with and still feel like he was talking to a beautiful woman. Her performance was dead-on for the material given. She played a bartender whose life got turned upside down. As to the bionics, there were restrictions on using bio-mechanical tech, since the author of "Cyborg" owns the rights to those (I think there was a lawsuit against the Six Million Dollar Man over it in the 70s). They stayed away from the stereotypical bionic stuff for a while and touched on it the last few episodes. Now, they might even take some of the Smallville approach to super speeds and such.

I like the fact that the little sister wasn't stupid. She knew she was being lied to, just not what about. That was a good touch.

Miguel Ferrer was awesome. He has presence. And they showed how dynamic he was as a character...and willing to do whatever was needed to accomplish a mission. He was not 2 dimensional at all.

The only problem was the damn writers' strike in Hollywood. The show was just getting its momentum what that hit and nothing was tied up. So to judge the show as being "choppy" based on an incomplete season is really dishonest.

I would love to see the cast brought back together for a TV Movie or Mini-series at some point. More Michelle Ryan!!!

Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates (2011–2016)

Mediocre for adults, liked by toddlers

[7/10 · 22 October 2011]

From my adult perspective, I find the show lacking. They turned Hook into a wimp, blunting his hook. And the two musical pirates, while kind of okay to listen to when it's the live actors, are annoying within the storyline of the show.

Disney took the grandeur out of Neverland, slashing the cast down to four pirates, three children, and the crocodile.

That said, while it makes me want to eat a bullet, my toddler twins love it. My son yells for 'ook (Hook), liking him the best. My daughter repeats, "Yeah Hey, no way!" from the Izzy character.

That's when it became clear that the show was not intended to be educational, like the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was intended to be pure entertainment for the toddler set.

I consider that a criticism, as I believe in the era when Disney and Warner Bros both produced cartoons that the entire family could enjoy.

I would give this two stars, but since my kids are entertained (for now), I gave it a seven. Mission accomplished.

Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011)

Excellent adaptation of a great novel

[10/10 · 9 May 2011]

When I saw this movie, I was hesitant. Hollywood normally can't stay true to a novel, especially one as deep as Atlas Shrugged. I love the novel.

There are two ways this movie could have been made. The first was a period piece with an alternate history. The other was how this movie was made, where the writer updated details of the story to fit within our modern framework and placed it in the near future.

The writer found a creative way to make trains relevant in the modern setting, took the projections Rand created and jammed them into what we see around us (hyper-inflation, hyper-unemployment, government meddling, etc). Sure, some details were left out, pieces of back-stories for many characters. But it's an ADAPTATION. You cannot make it a word for word remake in visual form.

The spirit of the book, how the individual matters most and competent individuals are propping up incompetent ones, is retained. If anything, the movie did a better than expected job of showing Dagny's passion for her work. The same goes for Hank and the other industrialists with a shred of competence.

I hope that parts two (maybe three) can be made.

On a separate note, this did not feel like an Indie film. It felt big budget and professional. And it did an excellent job of creating dramatic tension without resorting to Michael Bay explosions.

If I could give it 11 stars, I would.

High Plains Invaders (2009 TV Movie)

Riddled with errors

[2/10 · 14 June 2010]

Where to start...

While there were some good actors in this, in addition to some horrible performances, nothing could save this train wreck.

The writing was awful. The dialog corny. And the weaponsmaster should have been shot.

Let me explain. The setting is Colorado in 1892 if memory serves. The actors are turned loose with modern double-action revolvers. While you might find a model available back then, it would not likely have been in Colorado. Worse, two actors square off, the sound effect for cocking the gun is heard, and neither weapon is cocked.

Then, up against powerful badguys, the goodguys don't grab the long guns available in the Sheriff's Office...they ignore them at a time they need more firepower.

I could have put up with the cheesy CGI. But the movie just felt so amateurish, par for the course for a SyFy production these days.

Even Spike couldn't save this travesty.

Brain Smasher... A Love Story (1993 Video)

Wonderful spoof comedy

[10/10 · 3 July 2006]

I caught this movie on Showtime back in 1993, completely by accident.

This movie is a wonderful spoof of tough guy boxing flicks, martial arts flicks, and gunplay. The older sister, veteran of an old 80's sitcom and also the movie Streets of Fire, did a wonderful job with her part. The main characters, played by Hatcher and Dice Clay, were funny and witty.

Most folks really don't understand spoof humor when it's well done...and this movie was full of it. Chinese monks jumping up onto a building (trampolene-phu) and clapping for each other, bouncers indenting foreheads, over the top cops, and a beautiful woman...

Now, if they'd only take it to DVD.