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Reviews
The Simpsons: Homer's Phobia (1997)
Homer's Phobia
This is probably one of the best episodes the Simpsons have produced. It just worked. It had a strong family-story background, a great deal of inventive jokes and set pieces, a brilliant guest star and warnings about evil metal Santas from Japan.
Seriously though, one of the best things about this episode is the depiction of John. He may have been stereotypically campy but he never freaked out, became militant or resentful over Homer's reaction to finding out he was gay. He took it for what it was: a guy who didn't get what he was freaking out about.
I know it's the Simpsons, but it would have been easy for it to become some sort of gays vs. straights political war.
And of course, Bart being completely clueless as well was a nice touch.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Fannysmackin' (2006)
talk about jumping the shark
I love CSI, but enough is enough.
The show's brilliance comes from down-playing the main characters and up-playing the cases. Watching the human condition playing itself out is more interesting than what they flaunted in this episode- well pretty much the beginning of season seven on; almost complete and undivided attention to torturing the CSI team.
They've been doing this on and off since the very first episode, ever since Warrick left a newbie at a scene- letting her get shot and killed. It continued when Catherine's ex was accused of rape and was later killed, not to mention her father is a wealthy S.O.B. from the days of the Vegas mobs. Nick has a long list of issues in being a victim, including having a murderous stalker and being buried alive. There's more, but I'm sure most fans already know.
These were done in manageable doses. It gave the impression that the job is dangerous but the focus always went back to solving other cases. 'A Bullet Runs Through It' is a great example. It brought some realism to the story about how a community reacts to a shoot out and how law-enforcement is effected by the death of a fellow office. This put enough attention on the CSI/police team to give it power, but ultimately the story was on the events of the shoot-out.
Now it just feels like an attempt to grab ratings. These characters are starting to spend more time being victimized than actually solving other crimes. And now they are adding the likes of Danny Bonaduce and Kevin Federline to the list. Where are the good actors who you could actually believe? Since when does being a 3rd rate reality 'star' get you a starring role on CSI? Go back to the way things were. Focus on the crimes, not the people solving them.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Pirates of the Third Reich (2006)
CSI Pirates
I think what's missing for this episode is more of the villain. Typically, CSI will spend more time with the 'bad guy' and how and why. The guy barely makes an appearance, and it seems that he sprung into the Nazi form out of nowhere. More could have been spent on this; the history, the mindset, the underground.
I'm glad they brought back Lady Heather. The ending scene makes me wonder to what extent she and Grisom were together (she implies earlier on of a relationship that he ended, whether intentionally or by just being Grisom).
I hardly think this episode indicates jumping the shark, but I don't think it matched the level of interest that it could have on a plot that really had great potential.
An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)
Going West
Some folks complain that this movie doesn't equal to the original and they are right. It isn't as heart-warming, it isn't as dark and the voice and animation style is noticeably different. It relies heavily on sight gags and less on plot.
That being said, I find very little wrong about those issues. I have a very hard time really pining down a solid plot for the first movie to begin with, since it's just a series of a scenes featuring Fievel just barely missing chances to re-unite with his family. In the second movie, he has a more pointed mission: to successfully warn/protect the mice from yet another self-appointed "sophisticate".
The original movie was good and gave kids a glimpse into an important part of our history (immigration) but the theme was too slow and depressing to carry the full weight of two movies.
The second movie, in addition to snappy animation and clever gags, brought on another 19th century mind-set, the prospect of the west and a future of not only being in America, but being a PART of America itself.
Overall, despite this movie's differences from the original, it is still charming and a great deal higher in quality than other sequels.
And let's be honest, what little boy doesn't dream about fighting alongside his hero?
Cannibal Capers (1930)
Cannibal Capers
An interesting note from the audio commentary for this cartoon; as Leonard Maltin states, the cartoon is not so much of a racist joke again African natives, but perhaps a caricature of the Hollywood caricature of African natives.
Any number of movies and shorts from that time showed those from Africa as vicious savages in extreme forms. While offensive today, audiences at that time would have had a good laugh on such an obvious spoof.
All in all, remember that all of the studios at that time used these same gags and stereotypes. Disney's use of them is just more obvious since the studio is one of the few major long-term companies from this era that we can use as a reference.
If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000)
It gets you thinking'
A trilogy wrapped into one movie that covers the difficulties of lesbianism over a space of three generations. It begins with an older couple in the 60's having to deal with loss and the pain of keeping a secret for too long. Then the story brings us to a group of lesbian feminists in the 70's who fight so hard for what they believe in that they forget the point of being themselves. Finally, we're led it a problem of the new millennium that can only be solved outside of nature.
I saw the film after someone recommended it. Now that I've seen it, I'll recommend it too. The movie was good based on the fact that homosexuality is often based on the idea of sex alone, and it's not true. It's who you love. And being homosexual does have its disadvantages that hetero-couples might have. This film portrayed this idea very well.
The most poignant of these was Edith, who (after her lover died) had no ownership over their house, had no lawful right to her late-lover's property, and was even treated as if she were a mere impersonal object of her late-lover's life.
The second was the hardest to get, especially since it's in the middle of the sexual-freedom revolution. Girl meets girl, girl is a feminist, other girl is butch, girl's friends make fun of the butch girl because she doesn't fit the form of their own personal society. It might be historically accurate, but it fits vaguely with what the world is today and how women treat each other as less of a battle of male vs. female attitude.
Three is definitely the most fun, showing a couple's struggle with trying to become pregnant. It's not sad in the least, but it's still an issue that has its prevalence in the world. Becoming a mom when you're a lesbian isn't easy.
Overall, this movie was entertaining, funny, and moving. Anyone who would rent this movie if they want to have a good time and kill an evening.