oggy-3 Reviews

Superstars of Dance (2009)

Superstars of CIRCUS

[2/10 · 5 January 2009]

After two episodes I only saw two actual dances. The rest of the performances can be classified as modern theater or circus acts. The judging is very inadequate and inconsistent. In a show called "Superstars of Dance" the audience and the judges did not get impressed by a tango and a professional ballerina, but gave the highest scores to a kung-fu master, who balanced on the tips of several spears. Aside from contents, which is inconsistent with the topic and title of the show, this production also suffers from bad directing and camera work. Dancers, who are presenting intensive footwork are being filmed from the waist up. The show seems under-rehearsed. My suspicion is that NBC felt like they needed to capitalize on the reality-dance success of their competitors and they rushed this show. People who enjoyed "Dancing With the Stars" and "So you think you can dance" are disappointed with "Superstars of Dance"

The Da Vinci Code (2006)

I loved the book, but I was disappointed by the movie ...

[4/10 · 1 January 2007]

I think the movie was too long - the material could have been contained in a picture with length of under two hours in my opinion. The movie was following the book too closely, which didn't work out very well. The retrospective sequences were short and fast and didn't create the effect they created in the book. Also, the scenes were mostly not well lit, which exhausted the viewers.

I would have expected more action sequences - at least that was the feeling the book left me with. The time-span of the story is very short yet the movie was as long as movies, that cover lifetimes.

Another disappointment for me were the changes in pace between the three story levels in the movie. The three levels were the current events, the retrospective material, and the historical explanations in the form of dry conversations. Those were irregularly dispersed throughout the film and introduced drastic changes in pace.

I liked the fact that the French characters spoke in French. I thought Hanks was a perfect cast for the part and I was most impressed by Paul Bettany.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–2007)

Brilliant and Original. TV's been waiting for something like this!

[10/10 · 26 December 2006]

In a time of Apprentice, Fear Factor, Bachelor and a dozen police/crime scene shows, Studio 60 brings diversity to network television. This is a very witty and thought provoking show, which offers philosophical views on many topics, relative to today's society.

We've seen how police stations, hospitals, and the White House work, now we get to see how network television works. The show incorporates a lot of self-irony and probably borrows a lot of material from real life experiences behind the scenes of network TV.

Like many others, I was afraid that Mathew Perry would not be able to put the Chandler character behind, but I was pleased to find out, that he did it, and he did it in style. I believe Perry has grown a lot as an actor and he is shining. The rest of the cast is also great, and so far it looks like this show has no main character - this has proved to be very successful in the past.

I realize that the audience of this show is naturally limited, but I really hope it stays, because I believe it has the potential to become a classic!