f00768500 Reviews

Don't Mess with My Sister! (1985)

What a waste of celluloid...

[1/10 · 3 April 2006]

Y'know, I'm probably wasting my time typing this review, coz it's such an obscure film with such a dire plot...

The only reason why I *have* taken the time to type this is coz I just *gotta* vent my spleen SOMEwhere...

Simply put, I was searching for a tape to record "Wasabi" (Jean Reno) on and came across this (my wife either bought this or it was a gift waaaaaaay before I met her). Just to make sure I wasn't gonna record over a classic, I did an on-screen fast-forward on it... no dialogue necessary, I picked up the gist of it just like that.

How sad... "Wasabi" is a much better investment...

Three Men and a Baby (1987)

A feel-good movie, ideal for a mushy night in ...

[7/10 · 15 April 2005]

I don't know. Maybe it's what I was brought up on: Rainbow, Jamie & The Magic Torch, Knight Rider ... but I could watch "3 Men and a Baby" a million times and STILL laugh at the funny bits, and cry at the sad or "mushy" bits. All I know is that you have to be a real cynic not to just kick back and let it carry you away for an hour and a half. By the way, I've been a technical support analyst, web/graphic designer and am now a software developer, so I'm NOT easily impressed.

Now I know that the US has had the unfortunate habit of taking some foreign classics and rendering them unrecognisable, but not so here. The characters HAD to be played by Selleck, Guttenberg and Danson, simply because they're recognisable from their Magnum, Cadet Mahoney and Sam Malone roles (respectively), all of whom (incidentally) are synonymous with the "macho, womanising bachelor" lifestyle - THAT'S what make 'em believable here, and thus makes the film work so well. Like my erstwhile colleague observed, you could well believe that Selleck was about to pull out a grand any minute to avoid changing nappies.

I'm a fan of a GOOD Euro-to-UK/US-remake; since I have no real-world knowledge of world languages nor their dialects, I often have to resort to reading the subtitles on foreign films, which detracts and distracts from the action on screen, such as facial expressions, body language, etc. But I'd put up with it if it's a good film. However, my wife detests subtitles, so the only way to get her to watch some of these classics is to watch the English/American remake: I for one can't wait for someone with a passion for world cinema to make a comparable version of Amelie, so my Babylove can grow to love it the way I did the original! But I digress... sorry...

At the end of the day, 3M&AB beat the pants off "Look Who's Talking" (ALL episodes). To all you cynics (sorry, critics) out there, try curling up with your partners on the sofa on a Friday night with this in the DVD or video, and see that I'm right ...

(NB - I originally posted this comment on 01-Feb-2001 as IronFan, which I've since deleted)

Northstar (1986 TV Movie)

"I almost pass for Superman ..."

[8/10 · 15 April 2005]

I don't know about anyone else, but I thought this film was brilliant (for it's time). This guy was the closest human equivalent of Superman ever portrayed, and I liked the fact that he didn't really WANT these powers in the first place. To my annoyance, a lot of these "new" heroes seem only too happy to slap on the spandex and start running around wreaking havoc in the name of the Greater Good, often having the reverse effect.

Now I KNOW special effects in the 80s didn't have the panache of the 90s with its CGI, and that somewhat cheesy performances were the norm with a lot of 80s TV actors! But I feel the film's makers did a pretty good job with what they had, and the plot wasn't half bad either!

(NB - I originally posted this comment on 10-Nov-2000 as IronFan, which I've since deleted)

55 Degrees North (2004–2005)

Lighten up! Isn't it about time we had some positive Black rep on TV?

[25 February 2005]

RATING: 15 out of 10!!!

There are a number of venomous expletives and expressions I could spew which would make the Ecuadorian tree frog seem like a pleasant alternative, but I shall refrain from doing so because of a three-word, God-given right we all (or SHOULD all) enjoy:

FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

That said, can I ask why all the cerebral effort to pick such a fine series to pieces?! Surely such shows are meant to serve as a means to unwind after what had been (most of the time anyway) a long hard slog of a day, which I believe 55DN achieves hands down?!

Don Gilet wears the role of Nicky well, a put-upon man trying to do the best he can with precious little, in a place that by and large either flat-out refuses to accept him or are having a hard time doing so.

So I'm glad to see that he is able to come home to a family which, although unconventional, oozes positivity. After all, it should come as no surprise that not all Black families are as chaotic and "ig'nant" as the Crouches (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0375290/) or cursed with the obligatory "black sheep" such as Paul Trueman in EastEnders (http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0088512/) And as for the sweet, sweet, not-at-all out-of-place title sequence (and funky theme tune)... oooh baby, that NEEDS to be a single already!

And that's my two cents worth for the day...