SunburstGal Reviews

Romantically Challenged (2010)

Comically Challenged

[1/10 · 19 April 2010]

I really hope this show improves - I may watch it for one more episode. I was VERY disappointed, as I expected clever repartee (zero out of ten) and instead saw ridiculous characters and outrageous gags (one out of ten). Milano is usually so good - not here. The others I don't know at all, and I am reluctant to follow their careers after this debacle. But in fairness to the cast, the writing is the biggest problem. If they hire new writers, the show might pull something off. Character development is weak, too. If the heroine has only a childhood guy friend, his loser roommate, and her nympho sister for company, how can she hope to attract a "winner" date into her midst? Her circle of friends is clearly a liability. Maybe, she could tell them all in episode 2 that she's outgrown them, then she'd get a worthwhile date and we could solve all her problems in a two-episode season! She'd have better luck on "The Bachelor" or another dating reality show than in accepting dating advice from her inner circle of dating doom.

Serenity (2005)

Female Sci-Fi Fan's Review with Minor Spoilers

[8/10 · 9 April 2010]

I was both impressed and disappointed with this film (8 out of 10). As a huge Star Wars fan, a follower of other sci-fi franchises (including a little Star Trek), and an avid reader of sci-fi (especially the Dune and Foundation novels), I consider myself rather spoiled when it comes to sci-fi content. I did not see the "Firefly" series when it was on TV, but I DID watch it before watching this film and LOVED the series (10 out of 10 rating). To add context, 4 or 5 years have now passed since this film was made and approx. 7 years since the series. Today in 2010, I'm a big fan of Nathan Fillion on his current show, "Castle," and also know Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk from "V." As a woman watching the series, it was hard not to fall for Fillion's character, Captain Malcom "Mal" Reynolds, and the other characters from the show were likable and appealing. I loved seeing a continuation of the story on a grander scale and thought the plot was well conceived. As much as I hate seeing some characters killed off (I won't say whom), such was a brave and realistic approach taken by creator Whedon when he made this film, and I approve. I was hugely disappointed, however, that nothing significant played out between Mal and Inara in the film. Their verbal sparring and sexual tension in the series was as entertaining as Han Solo and Princess Leia, and Inara's decision to leave the ship was a large part of the unresolved cliff-hanger – will he go after her? will they get onto themselves and become a couple? So, again, as a woman, I was really hoping for more elements of an Empire Strikes Back-esquire culmination of two stubborn, independent people admitting they're in love. Mal Reynolds starts out the film more edgy and less charming than one remembers him from the series, and, if it's from disappointment over his lost love, it's a wonder that he softens up in the film, given the small amount of screen time given to Inara. It was reminiscent of the infamous X-Files movie a dozen years ago when people were disappointed there wasn't even a kiss between the romantic leads. Additionally, Baccarin's character, Inara, is so captivating, compared to her harsh alien leader character in "V," that I was looking forward to seeing a lot more of her in this softer role - alas, no. I will have to replay endearing and romantic "almost" moments from the episodes. While things moved only a little bit in the right direction with Mal and Inara, more time was spent furthering the Simon/Kaylee romance, which was still also somewhat underdone (although I swear it was always a little bit of a hard sell because the actor seems gay to me). There was too little romance, although the right amount of effects and action and a good story. To Whedon's credit, there was also no nudity or extreme violence, no off-on-a-tangent new characters who took away unnecessarily from the ones we love, and no ill-advised interjection of aliens, the supernatural, time travel, black holes, or other surreal elements that would not have been true to the series. Plus, we finally get to see reavers. As for characters, there was way too much River, a little too much Simon, the right amount of Reynolds/Kaylee/Shepherd/new villain, a little too little Jayne/Zoe/Wash, and way too little Inara. Did Whedon date-and-break-up-with one actress and start dating the other? Yet, I understand the River Tam character had a big fan following, so it made sense to feature her more (just not quite so much). It fit well with the plot-line selected, and gave actress Glau a good audition reel for her Sarah Connor Chronicles role (now also a cancelled show). I also sense that Whedon was hoping in 2005 to make more than one continuation film. It's hard to fit everything into 2 hours, but I wish I had been left with more of a Death-Star-was-destroyed-and-everyone-is-in-love sense of closure like I had after Return of the Jedi. Another 15 minutes of screen time might have done it. Instead, frustrated people with unfulfilled romances must shake off the loss of loved ones and move on to continue fighting in an unfair world. So, in summary, if you haven't seen the series, I would recommend you watch the series first. But if you don't have the time to watch the series, you will like this movie anyway and probably won't notice the imbalances and omissions that I saw. If you love the series, you'll be thrilled to see the characters again (with original cast) and the better effects, but there isn't enough closure and realization in the film to cheer you up about reaching what (many years later) must truly be the end of this wonderful adventure.

Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Timeless Story Reappears

[23 September 2004]

If you saw Mission Impossible II and were surprised by how much (some aspects of) the plot improved from the first movie, guess why...

It is more or less a remake of Hitchcock's classic, Notorious. It is the action-packed-modern virus-stunt-laden remake, if you will. Watch Notorious followed by MI2, and you'll laugh out loud. Compare the scenes at the racetrack. This scene in particular convinced me it was deja vu and sent me hunting through my video collection to find what I was remembering.

It just goes to show that you can modernize anything by throwing special effects and stunts at it. At least they had the insight to search for a classic plot on which to build; but, when you see how much of what worked in MI2 was actually pirated, you'll feel sorry for the starving screenwriters with original scripts who can't get an appointment to make a pitch.

Notorious (1946)

Timeless Story Reappears

[23 September 2004]

If you saw Mission Impossible II and were surprised by how much the plot improved from the first movie, guess why...

It is more or less a remake of Hitchcock's classic, Notorious. Watch Notorious followed by MI2, and you'll laugh out loud. Compare the scenes at the racetrack. This scene in particular convinced me it was deja vu and sent me hunting through my video collection to find what I was remembering.

It just goes to show that recycling a good story can pay off at the box office; although they lost the points I had given them for coming up with a good "original" story.