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V.R. Troopers (1994)
Sarah Brown's dirty little secret.
Before gaining fame as Carly(#1) on General Hospital, Sarah Brown played Kaitlin Star on VR Troopers. If I was her I would not want people to know I was on this show. VR Troopers was created by the same people that made the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Although I liked the Power Rangers when I was a kid;I never truly liked VR Troopers. VR Troopers was not very good. That talking dog was creepy and not funny,and that newspaper editor( "I've got an IDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-YAH!!!!") wasn't very amusing himself. this shows' special effects were even worse than the Power Rangers', and the enemies were not as memorable. I remember this show had a big cast change in the second season (mostly just with the villains). The fight scenes were awkward, often the environments would change with little or no explanation ("Escalate to Indigo Sector!"). VR Troopers certainly was a bizarre show. If you're just watching this show in order to make fun of it, you will probably enjoy watching VR Troopers.
Van-pires (1997)
It's not quite a Transformers rip-off, but it's not quite a good show either.
The Van-Pires. Boy, this show was a real stinker! On this show there is a group of evil living cars (Van-Pires) led by Count Tracula (BAD PUN), who fiendishly steal gasoline- without paying for it! Enter the Motivators, four teenagers who can transform into half human half car beings who fight the evil Van-Pires. This show clumsily and poorly combined live action footage, and computer animated scenes. (The teens in human form was live action, but the show would become full computer animation when they turned into the motivators and fought the Van-Pires). I cannot remember how the teens gained their powers, it probably had something to do with some type of nuclear energy, or a meteor shower, or maybe... a nuclear meteor shower! This show was just plain awful, complete with bad acting, weak plots and low budget special effects.Van-Pires was cancelled after only about a dozen episodes; maybe even less. If possible you should try to watch an episode of this show so that you can see just how mediocre it is.
Street Sharks (1994)
They fight and bite, and fight and bite and fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Bite! Bite! Bite! It's the Street Sharks, a cartoon show!
While the children of the 80s watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the children of the 90s (myself included) watched Street Sharks. This cartoon was pretty crazy. Some evil scientist turns a father and his four sons into half human half shark mutants, and the father goes into hiding for no apparent reason. Then the four sons ( aided by a surfer dude) fight the evil scientist and his own group of evil mutants, like Killamari, a violent half man half squid. I admit, I thought this cartoon was hokey even when I was watching it ten years ago, but it was still fun to watch. I liked how Dr. Paradigm (what a bizarre name!)wore that robotic battle suit. I thought it was funny that he would always wear that suit no matter what the occasion. (Although he would wear a huge purple cape over the suit when he went out into public although people could still see the bubble-head part of the suit.) I'll never forget that in one episode he addressed the public and told them why he always wore the cyber attack suit; he told the crowd that the Street Sharks had somehow imprisoned him in it. Yeah, the Street Sharks would force their mortal enemy to wear a suit that gives him deadly increased strength and incredible attack powers. I quit watching the Street Sharks after a while and I'm not sure how many episodes I missed. I wonder if the Sharks were ever reunited with their father. This show is no cultural masterpiece, but it was fun to watch. I would be glad to see the Street Sharks get released on DVD.
The Martin Short Show (1994)
No, No, No! You're hungry, you reach into the refrigerator and you find... DING! Joey Heatherton!
The Martin Short Show was genius. It only lasted three episodes, but it was very clever and funny. I liked the blending of sketch comedy and sitcom. The Steve Martin episode was the funniest of them all, who can forget when Steve was going after Short's wife (played by Jan Hooks) and playing that ridiculous song on the piano: "I love to love you, strange as it may seem..." I know there are at least 4 episodes of this show. I remember reading a plot description of an episode in TV guide which did not match the 3 aired episodes, and, The Martin Short Show was canceled before this fourth episode ever aired. I wonder how many total unaired episodes that there are? I hope this entire series is released on DVD someday, I would love to see the unaired episodes, however many there may be. It's good to see that people still appreciate this show, the fact several reviews have been written about this show on this website over ten years after it was canceled proves it. The Martin Short Show was an excellent program.
The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show (1995)
This TV special is sweeter than a nun's dream!
Where do I begin? "The Show Formerly Known as the Martin Short Show" is one of the funniest TV programs I've ever watched-and it was only a TV Special! Several months after NBC stupidly canceled the Hilarious "The Martin Short Show", Martin Short made this special for TV. It is not actually an episode of the show, rather it was a 90-minute sketch comedy special, featuring most of the cast from that show. I'm happy to say I taped this special when it aired, along with all 3 episodes of "The Martin Short Show". The tape quality isn't very good (it's a little blurry, grainy, fuzzy, etc.) but I still like to watch it occasionally. (I wish this would all be released on DVD someday, but that doesn't seem likely at all.) The short lived TV show was genius and so is this special, I absolutely love it. The skits are very funny, so let's describe a few. Near the beginning there is a skit titled, "The Kato Kaelin Show" which pokes fun at the O.J. Simpson Case, including a song about O.J. sung by The Three Tenors(obviously actors pretending to be The Three Tenors). There are moments scattered throughout the special where various characters talk about their fond TV memories. Ed Grimley remarks "M*A*S*H I never got; but AfterM*A*S*H is when it started to click for me, it started to click." Lyle Lovett (played by Joe Flaherty) talks about his favorite childhood TV show "Pancake Willie", in this show, a man named Willie cooked pancakes as he talked about whatever popped into his head.There is a skit called "Models Amalgamated" (a parody of Models Incorporated, I suppose) which is a soap opera parody,and in my opinion the best skit in the special. Martin Short and Jan Hooks play multiple roles, and Phil Hartman is a riot, as they play over the top soap opera characters, complete with really hammy acting. Martin Short plays a male model and an old woman (a parody of Bette Davis, no doubt), and there is a lot of funny dialogue. There is a skit where Tim Burton (Short) directs a remake of an Affair to Remember, titled "A Nightmare to Remember" with Lyle Lovett (Flaherty) and Brett Butler (Hooks) as the leads. Butler keeps losing her temper and lashing out at Burton, and the movie becomes a disaster. There is a skit with Martin Short as Ringo Starr in a skit titled "A Hard Day's Journey into Night", which makes fun of "A Hard Day's Night" and "A Long Day's Journey into Night." It's in black and white, and when the English family isn't arguing with each other indoors, they're running around in the backyard playing goofy activities while Beatles songs play in the background. This is very funny stuff. There are several other skits in this special, but I should save a few surprises for the viewers. Honestly, this special is worth watching, this is Martin Short at his best. If you can some how find a copy of this excellent special, watch it; if you're anything like me this TV Special will keep you laughing for years to come.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Lost in Boredom
This movie certainly has some beautiful scenery and cinematography, but those are the only high points in this over-hyped snooze-fest. Lost in Translation is yet another movie victim to deceptive trailers. The trailers for this movie made it look like a comedy with a plot, whereas the real movie is a sloooooooooooooow-paced drama with a very loose plot. Two mopey-faced Americans bored with their lives wander around Tokyo together and do random things, at the end of the movie, rather than getting involved romantically, the two characters simply part ways and go back to their boring lives. (I did like the fact that they remained loyal to their spouses and did not have an affair). My problem with this movie is that it was all style and no substance. Maybe if this movie had a stronger and more intricate plot, and the actors would occasionally smile once in a while, or just show some emotion, maybe, I actually would have enjoyed watching Lost in Translation. I certainly did not enjoy this movie, but if you are fascinated by "artsy" movies, you should give this a try.
Dancing with the Stars (2005)
Eye of the tiger baby!!!!
Being a fan of Port Charles, I was absolutely thrilled when Kelly Monaco won this dance competition. Honestly from watching the first episode who ever would have thought she could win? But she kept improving week after week, and with all the rabid General Hospital and Port Charles fans voting for her (myself included), it's no wonder that she won the contest. Honestly this show was a lot of fun to watch; I never thought I would enjoy watching a ballroom dancing competition but this show obviously proved me wrong. It was a real hoot watching Evander Holyfield dance. (Like Jimmy Kimmel said, after Dancing with the Stars, that whole Mike Tyson ear-biting fiasco is the second most embarrassing thing that has happened to Holyfield). John O'Hurley was a wonderful dancer (He showed off his skills in an episode of Seinfeld once), and I admit,I was surprised that he did not win the contest.
I also liked the segments where they talked to the dancers before they danced. Kelly Monaco seems to be a friendly person with a good sense of humor, and she did a good job preventing that "wardrobe malfunction". (Although Tom Bergernon sure seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with her after that little incident.)Dancing with the Stars was a whole lot of fun to watch, it will be interesting to see who gets casted for season two.
Lost (2004)
We were at the beach. Everybody had matching towels...
I adore this show. Lost has got to be one of the most imaginative, intelligent, intriguing TV shows in recent times. This is a rare TV show which actually makes you think and talk about it long after you've watched an episode. I've been watching Lost since the first episode and it certainly doesn't fail to disappoint. I certainly recognized a lot of people in this show when it premiered, including: Emilie de Ravin (The Beastmaster), Matthew Fox (Party of Five) , Jorge Garcia (Becker), Daniel Dae Kim (Angel), Dominic Monaghan (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Terry O'Quinn (Millenium), and Harold Perrineau (Oz). The ensemble cast of Lost is certainly impressive. I love the serial format of the show, every week, the story gets a little more complex and we get more answers to the island mystery. Another good thing about Lost is that this show is character driven; not plot driven. Lost is truly fascinating, and at the end of every episode you are always left wanting more. It will be exciting to find out what happens next in Season 2. Unlike other TV shows, lets hope Lost does nothing but improve in quality as the seasons go by. I give this show a high recommendation.
Hope & Faith (2003)
Ghastly...
Ugh, Hope and Faith. Kelly Ripa certainly is funny on Live with Regis and Kelly when she's just being herself, but when it comes to this honker of a sitcom, Kelly Ripa can't do scripted comedy to save her life.I have seen several episodes of Hope and Faith, and honestly, it just isn't funny, the characters are annoying; Faith (Ripa) is especially grating, and the jokes just don't work. The youngest daughter is probably the only character on this show more obnoxious than Faith (Ripa). (Although, the WifeSwap parody and the episode with the soap actors were mildly amusing).Personally, I don't like this show. But Overall, this show just isn't fun to watch, it just makes you cringe when you realize how bad it is. Kelly Ripa should just stick to doing daytime TV; daytime TV is where she has always shown her true talent.
Hide and Seek (2005)
Keep this movie hidden and don't seek it out.
Hide and Seek was a giant let down.I didn't enjoy this movie. The plot is full of clichés and even "borrows" elements from other movies (The Shining, Secret Window). Yes, this movie has a surprise ending but you'll be able to guess it a long time before it happens, this movie is that pathetically predictable. For an R-rated horror movie, Hide and Seek is not very violent or shocking, honestly this movie should have been rated PG-13. It's also horrible to see such great actors (Robert DeNiro, Dakota Fanning, etc.)being wasted in this movie. One more comment, the male neighbors in this movie are unnervingly creepy, most of them all make remarks about little Emily (Fanning)saying, "She's such a beautiful little girl" , all the while having a perverse grin on their faces. I was half-expecting one of those weirdos to offer her candy.This is a below average horror movie; don't watch it, you'd just be wasting your time.
Man on Fire (2004)
This movie reminds me of an episode of Beast Wars.
Man on Fire is an excellent movie, and certainly one of the best of 2004; it's a shame Denzel Washington didn't get an Oscar nomination for this. In this movie he plays John Creasy, a man assigned to protect a young girl in Mexico. He regains his will to live as he bonds with Pita. When she gets kidnapped, the movie turns into an intense story of violent revenge as Creasy hunts down all the criminals and even police who are in on this kidnapping scandal as he searches for the truth about Pita. This movie is absolutely riveting, It's practically two and a half hours long but the story is so compelling the time just flies by.The ending of the movie could have been better, but overall this movie is worth watching. (As I said earlier, Man on Fire reminds me of episode 35 of Beast Wars, titled "Code of Hero", where Dinobot, just like Creasy, is a troubled person with a dark past who goes on a seemingly hopeless rescue mission, with a whole lot of revenge thrown in the mix.)If you haven't seen Man on Fire, watch it; you won't regret doing so.
Beast Wars: Transformers (1996)
Dinobot, Dinobot, what have you done to my little Dinobot!?
Dinobot was my favorite character on Beast Wars. It was a shame that he was killed off; but this still remains an excellent and watchable show. For a children's show based on a toy line Beast Wars surprisingly often featured intelligently written episodes often with dark or dramatic themes. This was a great show to watch. the voice acting is well done. Optimus Primal sounds like a tough-leader-guy, Waspinator has a hilarious whiny voice, and Rattrap sounds unusually like George Costanza. Megatron has a deep, formidable sounding voice. He has an English accent and he says "Yes.." at the beginning of practically every sentence he says on the show.Tarantulas was fascinating as he was a treacherous conniving double-agent, you never could predict what he was going to do next. But Dinobot was the most interesting character on the show, he was an evil Predacon who defected and joined the heroes; the Maximals. Some of the best content from this show deals with Dinobot as he struggles to find his fate and identity and learn how to work with his new Maximal allies. One of the best episodes of Beast Wars is number 35 "Code of Hero". It stars Dinobot in his continuing quest to make amends for his life as a Predacon. Episode 35 is amazing; to be honest it reminds me of "Man on Fire". (Both have characters with questionable pasts undertaking a desperate mission to save others; there are more similarities, but I should save you readers a few surprises.)Beast Wars did decline in quality once Dinobot died, but it remained entertaining and full of interesting characters and episodes. I give Beast Wars a high recommendation. It's a wonderful computer-animated show and it is definitely worth a look.
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Dodgeball: A Truly Unfunny Movie
I remember when I first saw the ads for Dodgeball on TV. This movie looked hilarious! Then, the moment of truth came; I watched the movie and it was horrendous. The only funny parts of Dodgeball are what was shown in the trailers, the rest of the movie is a miserable, cliché-ridden, unfunny disaster. many of the jokes fall flat. Ben Stiller's character is annoying and unfunny. (And his "belly dance" during the end credits will haunt my nightmares for the rest of my life.) I had such high hopes for this movie, and they were all crushed. I didn't enjoy this movie. (It gets a 2/10 because of the funny parts that were used in the trailers.)I warn you as a friend; do not watch this movie, because if you're anything like me Dodgeball is not what you would expect it to be from watching the trailers.
Howard the Duck (1986)
Too groovy for gravy!
Ah, yes, Howard the Duck; one of the biggest bombs of the 1980s, but it's not all that bad. This movie certainly has an odd plot. A humanoid duck from a faraway planet accidentally gets warped to earth. He adjusts to life on Earth in addition to saving the planet from an evil alien (played by Jeffrey Jones). Did I mention he falls in love with a woman?(played by Lea Thompson, who also played a teenage girl in love with her future son in Back to the Future, has she ever played a woman with a healthy, non-perverse relationship in a movie?) Or that TIM ROBBINS (!?) is in this movie? This is a far cry from Mystic River, I'll tell you that. Despite the odd plot, this movie is fun to watch if you are just looking for some silly mindless fun one afternoon. It's funny seeing this small duck fighting an evil alien, and the sequence on the duck planet is amusing. So if your expectations are low, give this movie a try, you may just like it more than you thought you would; I liked this movie; maybe you will as well.
Samurai Pizza Cats (1990)
Who called my nose a banana?
This is my first comment (review) on IMDb.com, so don't be surprised if it's lousy. Samurai Pizza Cats was one of my favorite cartoons to watch when I was younger; this cartoon is under-appreciated and overlooked. There were some really funny characters on this show, like The Big Cheese, the villain of the show who was a scheming, cross-dressing rat who sounded like Paul Lynde.
In every episode the Pizza Cats had to defeat Cheese's latest robot. The plots could tend to get formulaic but the humor was the best part of the show. The narrator would make sarcastic comments about the show or argue with the characters and even the characters would occasionally point out flaws in the plot, animation, etc. This cartoon is genuinely funny and now as an adult, I still enjoy this cartoon. I hope the entire series gets released on DVD eventually; this cartoon is a forgotten classic in animation.