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dimplemonkey
Reviews
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
What a refreshing film!
I had no idea what to expect when I first saw Napoleon Dynamite except that it had the beginnings of something I thought I wasn't going to like. Napoleon is a typical loser at first glance. He's not very respected in his high school and his aspirations are low key. This is not your typical nerd triumph, per se. This actually hits the mark and I am glad I remained for the rest of picture.
Napoleon is surrounded by a wonderful balance of characters. Each with their own ideologies about life yet they intertwine with his. I didn't really sense any chemistry between him and Pedro or even the rest of his family and friends, but then is not life scripted this way? The high school was not packed with Hollywood hotties or WB jocks or even "Revenge of the Nerds" like geeks, they were regular people! What a concept? Yes, Summer was cute, but she wasn't a Hilary or Lindsay type girl - and that's a good thing! Her boyfriend wasn't sporting a six pack or striking looks, but he was still good looking for the part. Even the nerd and the bully were OK. It's just like I remember them when I was in high school.
This is a great film. It breaks the stereotypes and shows it as it would be without the slick polished look of other films in this genre.
The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show (1971)
This show sinks to new depths...
I watched several episodes on the Boomerang channel hoping to see something of value in the Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and am sad to report that I, too, am disappointed. Their voices are mismatched. Pebbles' voice is annoying (It's Gloria from All in the Family) Bamm-Bamm sure acts like a puscatore, and the rest of the gang have cartoony voices that totally detract from the rest of the main characters.
The episodes are as canned as the vegetables that sit in my local supermarket. The original Flintstones had wonderful story lines that had humor sprinkled throughout. This show is more like the opposite. The creators of this show had franchise and money on their minds - and it shows.
Sesame Street, Special (1988)
A True Classic
I will have to agree with one of the reviewer's commentary on how Sesame Street isn't the same as it used to be. I have a two year old who has been watching Sesame Street and it follows a specific time format. Elmo has become so big that he now has his own time slot 40 minutes into the show. Although the skits are more educational (and that should be a good thing) I have to admit that after watching the entire "Put Down the Duckie" video, the skits are hilarious and subliminally educational. A good example of this is the "Grover, Singing and Dancing Waiter" skit. I loved the McLearer report skit where Cookie Monster is implicated on eating cookies that were not his (of course, he's got Kermit as his legal advocate so it only gets funnier). Perhaps the show "jumped the shark" when Kermit left and Elmo came on board?
Anyway, the old Sesame Street reminds me of the Muppet Show but with a more educational bent. If you can manage getting "Put Down the Duckie" by all means, I would recommend it whole heartedly.