Change Your Image
davidmanningjr
Reviews
Ghost Whisperer (2005)
Why can't this show cross over?
poor writing, terrible acting, and the pursuit of a paycheck, all you need to do is tune into this Jennifer Love Hewitt show called Ghost Whisperer (or Breast Whisperer by the people who know the show relies on Hewitt's only reliable quality).
Watching earlier episodes, the show was more like 'Touched by an Angel' with Melinda Gordon working as a medium (Oops, the show's producers probably wouldn't want to hear that word or else viewers will quickly recognize a similar show had aired before Ghost Whisperer on NBC). As opposed to Medium, Hewitt, as well as the producers, were quick to differentiate their show as being a more positive look at the Earth bound spirits who simply needed to relay messages back to living ones. That premise lasted for less than a season before the show turned into a haunting Friday night scream fest. Probably a result of lazy creativity and the outright contempt for audience intelligence, the writers proceeded to change the show's theme into a darker setting. Now dealing with more dangerous plots, NBC's Medium producers can now watch Ghost Whisperer confident that their story lines have been lifted by CBS.
In contrast to the frightening new plots, Jennifer Love Hewitt playing an overly cutie pie Melinda Gordon. Filled with obnoxious giggling and frequent cleavage displays, Hewitt's character dances, stalks, and meddles around her town searching for answers to ghosts, only to conveniently stumble on information between costume changes. Melinda Gordon must be a 'Rainbow over Texas' portrayal of Hewitt herself. How can a newlywed couple exist in real life, one a new small business owner and the other a EMT, with two brand new cars, their own well-furnished home and a closet with more clothes than a Sears warehouse? In addition, they seemingly needed to dumb down every other character in the cast to make Hewitt's character seem smarter. The husband is a emasculated doormat and her friend Delia chose to gave up her career to work in Melinda's antique store. Plus, Jay Mohr's character was originally a sceptic professor who begins to belief and take part in Melinda's adventures. Something tells me James Van Praagh (the show's lead inspiration) requested a character to zing real life sceptics who have read through his scamming. Also, why has it taken more than three seasons for Melinda Gordon supposed secret abilities got out? Finally, has anyone else noticed a major change with the Earth bound spirits? Early on the ghosts were mostly powerless and good-natured, gaining the attention of the living requiring Melinda to act as a third-party. However, as the show continued, ghosts become unlimitedly powerful and surprisingly bad tempered for no honest reason.
This show is following the structure of the horror films they release weekly into theatres. Implant an overload of screaming and fright in hopes that the viewers will not take time to consider the logic of the storyline. Of course Ghost Whisperer is fictional but fiction needs to be plausible to its own world. In many cases, the Simpsons make about as much sense as Ghost Whisperer.
The Rules of Attraction (2002)
Thanks for wasting two hours of my life
I can't believe what anyone is thinking when they produce such meaningless trash like this movie.
The entire movie revolves along the notion of lost teenager souls who use alcohol, sex and drugs to escape their self-destructing lives. The character in the movie abuse these three narcotics to such an extent that they rarely have any sense of reality. Perhaps if I would be addicted to these elements I may have actually found this movie entertaining. Everything about this movie is insane. One of the running gag that the university classes were always canceled because even the professors were high. In real life, wouldn't someone come in the shut this place down? Instead, this movie features one of the most unlikable casts of overrated actors dragging down any interest in this film.
I'm sorry if I may have given away too much about 'The Rules of Attraction' but unfortunately, the past paragraph is the main substance of the picture.
Driven (2001)
Flat Tire
First of all. I made a mistake by recommending and defended this movie earlier I have now seen the light. I was so happy initially to see Hollywood make an action movie on my favorite sporting event auto racing but left sick to see how arcade-like this movie appeared.
I've always liked Sylvester Stallone and my admiration of his work would not be disputed because I love a lot of his work. I found him and Gina Gershon's characters to be the only redeemable in the entire film. But I am saddened to see in the database for this movie how he pocketed 20 million dollars on his work on this picture when the money could have been placed in much more needed places. Burt Raynold's character was virtually unbelievable. I think very few owners would even consider letting go of a rookie driver who has won races and challenged for the championship. Some of that money Sly made should have perhaps been in invested into one or two other more professional and passionate young actors and actresses. Namely Kip Pardue, who appeared more like a role in one of his low-budget Indie pictures where he trys to act but only acts like a pretty-boy, mindless clown. Note to KIP: Your Hollywood career might be operating in the fastlane for now but sooner or later you'll redline and that career will erupt streaming mere fragments like a co-lead in Driven behind as soon as audiences recognize you have no talent and no heart towards the key emphasis of this movie being racing. Someone who wouldn't kind getting his hands dirty would have made a far more acceptable choice rather than a born fashion model.
As for the plot of this movie one could call it clichéd. I called it a rip-off. More than thirty years ago a movie called Grand Prix was made and was a hallmark of motorsport movies. Driven copied Grand Prix right from the wheel-to-wheel race to the finish right down to the love triangle between two drivers and a woman. This entire movie seemed to be been some unapproved 'Grand Prix' remake that failed to capture the danger and the thrill.
Although, I feel some that some credit had to be given to the director for providing some original camera shots. My personal favorite shot was the shot created from the prospective of the driver's actual eyes. That view was probably the most inventive part of the movie.
However, I admired how the story continued to look at each driver as a rivel rather than an enemy. All and all I enjoyed the light-heartedness of the movie. Driven is quite a bit more PG-oriented and therefore it is a good picture for a family to watch. But I would recommend going to see a real CART race with real passionate drivers rather than this misguided movie.