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neightb
Reviews
Boston Legal: Hope and Gory (2007)
Hope Springs Eternal
Alan Shore, the title character, is a man who can see the evil in people. He is cynical and dark. But through his darkness, he gets what needs doing done, though often through less than savoury methods. Katie Lloyd, however, is his opposite. Where he sees darkness and evil in the world, she sees what is inherently good in man. And that is what makes this episode so great. In past episodes, Joseph Washington was shown to be this huge, evil man with past criminal convictions. He even looks like the bad guy, and it sets up Katie's personality as she grows to care for him. In this episode, he is denied rights and is hated by the town he chose to live in due to an unfair and wrong rape charge. She manages to make the charge disappear, but the town still urges him to leave. In the end, and if you have not seen this episode, this is the largest spoiler, he is murdered by someone from the town. Katie then chooses to go to the Church and speak on his behalf and pray for him. This show is dark, at times. But Katie is like a light that shows the beauty of some people, while at other times throughout this show we only see what is ugly. Her ability to see the best in a man that is initially shown to be a brutish rapist/murderer is the one quality that is such a refreshing change. Of all the characters that would come and go throughout the series, Katie will always be one of my favourites, for this reason entirely.
Forrest Gump (1994)
The Importance of a Shoe
I'm reading a lot of reviews. There's a lot that say that this is a great movie, and most I see say this because it is very sentimental, and there are a few that say this is an annoying and poor movie, because of what they see from it. Both may be right, I don't pretend to be the know all of answers. I just have my opinion. To those who love this movie because it is sentimental and powerfully overwhelming, it's true. First time I saw this movie a fear tears leaked out here and there, but I think there's a lot more under the surface here. More depth than just a sentimental movie. If you think about it, shoes make many appearances in this movie. In the very beginning Gump talks about his very first pair of shoes, ones that limited his mobility and left him vulnerable. As those broke away (albeit in a very cheesy way) he got new shoes, ones that allowed him to run away from danger and run to success, in the form of football. This allows him to graduate from University, which, one might say, is part of the American dream. But that is a whole other side to the movie. He joins the war, and while he's there he runs from danger, acting the hero by saving lives. When he leaves, he runs into a man who has no shoes, mainly because he has no legs. Lieutenant Dan, now a cripple, is bitter and angry because he cannot walk, and he is limited both in his ability to move and go places as well as limited in his ability to see beyond anything in life other than when he should have died. When Gump and Dan start the fishing company, Lieutenant Dan realizes the importance of life, (once again, cheesy) and he swims off. We don't see him for a while. Annndd Gump gets bored. So he runs, all across America (part of American dream, to travel?...) He returns home, Jenny comes back, random scenes occur blah blah blah and we come back to Gump's wedding. Lieutenant Dan comes back! He has legs, even! And with his legs he has a beautiful fiancée. I'll skip the rest. Yes there are random side stories of his life that are cheesy or don't contribute to the movie, but those are fun and lively, if a little unrealistic. Ping-pong? Hah! This is only one part of the numerous layers that make up this movie. A satire of the American dream, viewing American history through innocent and unbiased eyes, a description of life even! This movie is powerful in its complexity, and intricate in its depth. And yes, it is sentimental and fun to watch as well. To those who critique it for the "ignorance is bliss" view, perhaps look a little closer. This movie is not saying that one can succeed by doing nothing but being lucky, (though that is the end result, so I see how you can believe that) but is looking back through all the things I mentioned just before in a unique and entertaining way. Gump views the world as he walks through it, wearing whatever pair of shoes, doing whatever it is he's doing. He watches events as they occur, and he participates in them in his own way. He shows, through his simple-minded example, that you do not need to be brilliant or manipulative, or even fully functional in order to succeed.
Monk: Mr. Monk and the Astronaut (2006)
Inferior Bravery
To be honest, I rarely write reviews. But upon reading the other ones submitted for this episode, I decided that I needed to write another. This episode was excellent. The supporting actors were, as stated in other reviews, fantastic, and the episode flowed well. The episode deals with Monk's inferiority, especially in relation to the Steve Wagner, the astronaut. But the final scene, where Monk stands up to Wagner and stops him from destroying the only evidence that would incriminate him, is incredibly moving. Monk, who was considered by all to be a coward, stands up for what he knows is right. The method of the murder was a little far-fetched, and Monk's epiphany was perhaps a little too quick for my taste, but it really showed off Monk's true character.
The Finder (2012)
Not bad
Initially, I was excited for the upcoming new TV show. It looked entertaining. However, when I began watching it I noticed that it is fairly similar to another TV series called "Psych." Not exactly similar, of course, but enough to make me lose my interest. There is the central character who does strange and seemingly random actions occasionally, like lie on the ground pretending to be an aeroplane, but the sporadic behaviour seems to be a pale shadow of the same actions taken by the lead character on Psych. Other similarities include the hot police officer who helps them and a constant flirtatious relationship between the two, the black guy buddy who works on cases with him... it was too much for me to take seriously anymore. If you've never watched Psych, then it's a great show. Otherwise...
The Ashlee Monroe Show (2012)
Holy Cow
This is by far one of the worst talk shows I've seen. Ashlee Monroe herself is attractive but that's about it. She's incredibly irritating, simple minded, and when she talks she speaks as if she's a nine year old girl. She uses phrases that nobody would ever used if they were over the age of ten, but this is perhaps to match her intelligence. I am, of course, completely bashing this talk show. I am insulting it in every possible way, but I'm fine with that. It is poor quality, the clapping seems half-hearted and her audience reflects the lack of intelligence of Ashlee Monroe herself by laughing at absolutely everything. All... four of them. Believe me if you want, but I sincerely doubt that anyone can watch this and come away with anything but blood pouring from their ears.
Clash of the Titans (2010)
How... Interesting.
READERS: CONTAINS SPOILERS. Don't read if you plan to watch the movie. But I don't recommend watching it anyway.
What a wonderful movie. If ever you have a sleeping problem, just go see it and it will all be solved. While the special effects for the movie were superb, the plot line was horrible and predictable, and the only reason I found it enjoyable was because I was with a group of friends, where we spent a good 2 hours laughing at the "chick who knows stuff" who pops up randomly like a zombie, comes up, tells random pertinent information, then suddenly vanishes, attempting to add mystique to the whole thing. I found it hilariously transparent at how the hero got bored with walking with a group, wandered off by himself, an lo and behold, encountered the rarely seen Pegasus! Chick who knows stuff pops up, goes up to him oozing sex appeal, and says nobody has ever ridden him. Well you bloody know whats going to happen now, don't you? It wouldn't be funny if it wasn't actually serious then it wouldn't be half as funny. They tried for it to be a great movie, but is now the running joke as the "mother of all horrific movies" with me and my friends. Honestly people, it is basically just a reason for cool special effects. But for me, they need to amplify the plot and movie. Otherwise, it's just one random scene after.. another.. huh.