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desertnan49
Reviews
Moment of Truth: Stalking Back (1993)
A Very Determined Mother
There was a period of time when I taped a lot of movies from Lifetime, and Stalking Back was one of them. Hard to believe it is based on fact because, as other reviewers noted, a mentally unbalanced 20-something young man was getting away with stalking an entire family because of an obsession he developed on their 14-year-old daughter. It did not matter what he did, all he got was another chance from the courts. Never mind the girl, Laurisa, was coming apart at the seams from the terror she was feeling, and the increasingly vicious behaviors Curtis Harper was exhibiting. Letters, phone calls, sick gifts, and spying on her were not against the law at the time. This is where a mother has to become Super Woman and fight legislature to pass laws to put a stop to hunting humans for one's personal pleasure. It took a final scene witnessed by police to bring the man's house down at last and show him for what he was, one sick, twisted psychopath.
Voices Within: The Lives of Truddi Chase (1990)
Much Easier To Follow Than The Book
I tried reading When Rabbit Howls, but gave up before I was halfway through it. When I saw a listing for a movie, Voices Within, based on the book, I watched it. I have it on video but don't recall if I had taped it the first time I watched it or taped a repeat airing it was too long ago. I never watched a single episode of Cheers so Shelly Long was a new name for me. Since Voices Within I watched and taped her in Fatal Memories and Freaky Friday and to me, she is a fine actress. In Voices Within, I felt enough of her abuse was depicted to give the viewer some idea, though the movie would not be permitted to show too much or it would not have been permitted to be shown on TV. I thought her portrayal of the different personalities was just as effective and believable as Sally Field's portrayal of Sybil. All in all, I found it an intensely moving film. Just remember one thing. Whether or not MPD is real or not, and, if it is real, whether or not Truddi Chase has it, the abuse she suffered was all too real, and the fact she survived is amazing in itself. BTW I do not know where the spoiler is but I am not able to argue about it.
The Wizard (1986)
The Little Man With the Big Heart
I have no idea how old I was when I came upon this show, but it did not take me long to realize this was a show made for all ages. If I had an inkling the show would be canceled so soon, I would have taped all the episodes I watched, but I only have eight on one VHS and one episode (about a racehorse) on another. I was not surprised to learn it was not released on DVD, but at least I can enjoy the few episodes I taped. Yes, one of them had Grunt in it which was neat to watch. Another was the wild girl, and the disfigured man who blamed Simon for it, the dancer, and H.E.N.R.Y. 8. Not sure of the spelling but it was fun watching how Simon taught the robot how to play. I either didn't know Rappaport had committed suicide or forgotten, but when I read in one of these reviews he had it reminded me of another beloved dwarf Herve Villachaise of Fantasy Island. How sad these talented actors are not taken seriously only because they are short. I, too, am short. At 4'10" I would qualify as one of the Little People of America. It is not fun to be short, but at least those who had the ability to become actors could encourage others it is not the end of the world. God Bless David Rappaport for the delight and inspiration he gave to viewers, and hope and pray the series gets the treatment it deserves by being released on DVD.
Judge Judy (1996)
Another Judge Judy Fan
From the day I first watched Judge Wapner on The People's Court (followed by Ed Koch, Jerry Shiendlin my favorite, and now Marilyn Million, my obsession with small-claims court shows began. I have watched Mills Lane, Joe Brown, Greg Mathis, and, more recently, Judge Alex, Cristina Perez and Maria Lopez (a tough Cuban with the same fire and Zeal as Judge Judy). Most are good (notice most are Hispanic?), but none seem to get down to the nitty-gritty faster than Judge Judy. She keeps her litigants on the subject, reining them in when they wander off the subject, and successful at getting a Yes or No response to a Yes or No question. Sure she yells, and I think at times too much (which is why I rated her 9 out of 10), but there are few times I don't agree with her decisions. One says she's a woman hater, another says she's a man hater. I just think she hates liars no matter which gender. She tries to get across to everyone that she handles a lot of cases, has no time to waste, and may be a tad too abrupt for some viewers. As for me, I will mourn the year her show is not renewed which is more than I will say for the other judge shows I continue to watch.
Animal Court (1998)
They're Back
I was a big fan of both Judge Wapner and Rusty, and was delighted to see the team in action again on Animal Court. However, as much as I enjoyed this duo again after their departure from The People's Court, I found this new series lacking in tone and substance. It was interesting learning some of the laws pertaining to animals, and watching how different animals behaved on the show, but a tad silly at times. I admit to being disappointed I never got to watch the case on worms mentioned in the introduction to each show, and surprised at the number of cases involving horses that were aired. I found myself wondering why Judge Wapner had gone into this venture, and was not upset when the series ended.