This is a remake of an episode from the original series; like many remakes, it's inferior to the original. While this one has its moments, some disturbing content--especially implied sexual relations between Data and a human woman--messed this up for me. The language was actually rather clean...until the last scene or two; then they fouled it up.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Implied sex between a male-type android and a human woman; Data is stopped short before making a crude joke. 2/5
Nudity: A woman is seen wearing an outfit that displays her midriff, her back, and a bit of the lower part of her chest. 3/5
Language: Four or so d-words; one or two h-words; two or three misuses of God's name. 2/5
Violence: Sci-fi action violence throughout. 3/5
Drugs: It is said that the reactions that the crew has are like being intoxicated. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Plenty of emotional intensity; the ship nearly gets destroyed; Geordi is seen without his visor. 3/5
Score: 3/5
Despite having seen the first four seasons of Good Witch in their entirety, this is only the second of the telefilms which preceded it that I've watched. I much prefer series to movies, even ones made for television, and I've had too much else on my plate to get around to seeing the flicks, even though I've admired Catherine Bell since the late '90's; she was on my desktop before anyone cared one bit about Hilary Duff or Anne Hathaway. So, I'm watching this through a different lens than those who saw it when it originally premiered.
What did I think? All of the actors did very well, and the story drew me in, even though the conclusion was obvious from the get-go. Instead of just having one plot, throwing in a couple of subplots made it more interesting. True to Hallmark style, the content concerns were rather minor: occasional slightly immodest dress, usage of terms like "moron," etc. Of course, Cassie seems to have mystical powers of some sort, but her magic seems to be based more on intuition and smarts.
However, this has some continuity problems with the series. Where is Grace in all of this? She was one of my favorite characters! Also, if that police officer proposed marriage to her, then how did she later end up engaged to Sam? Maybe watching the rest of the telefilms will explain more; I've got them all waiting on my DVR, thanks to a fairly recent marathon on Hallmark Channel.
Synopsis: A boat voyage gone wrong leads to several people being stranded on an island. An attempt to make it back to civilization and get help goes awry, with hilarious results.
The Good: They don't make them like this anymore! Seriously, this was good fun.
The Bad: I didn't know it was in black and white, but, that's a minor complaint.
Content Concerns:
Sex: None.
Nudity: One woman is seen in a bare-midriff outfit; another in a low-cut dress; both multiple times.
Language: Nothing worse than "golly".
Violence: Comedic pratfalls; no blood or gore, and nobody dies.
Drugs: None.
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The sharks; scenes of peril; emotional intensity; a scene with a tribal native who is really Gilligan.
Space opera meets murder mystery? Sounds like a weird mix...but it works!
Action-packed and fun. Better than The Last Jedi any day of the week.
A great episode with lots of action! The only downsides were the two misuses of God's name and Superman seeming to throw a very un-superhero-like tantrum.
A satisfying conclusion to the first season, ending my monthly goal on a high note. Now, on to Justice League!
The worst episode of any Trek series I've seen in a while. Though the acting was great and the plot was decent, a higher amount of profanities than usual, not the mention the creepy aliens, messed things up for me. Let's hope the season finale ends things on a better note.
Doris Roberts is always a joy, and this episode was fun and cute, as usual.
Content Concerns:
Sex: None. 5/5
Nudity: Lizzie wears an outfit that shows some slight midriff. 4/5
Language: None. 5/5
Violence: Comedic pratfalls. 4/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Slight emotional intensity. 4/5
Other: A reference to feng shui. 4/5
Like usual, this was a fun little whodunit.
Content Concerns:
Sex: None. 5/5
Nudity: None. 5/5
Language: Nothing worse than "gosh". 4/5
Violence: Comedic pratfalls throughout. 4/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: A scary ghost; a dark, brooding feel. 3/5
The iconic episodes keep coming! Loved this one! (That robot Lizzie was creepy, though.)
It seems like all of the iconic episodes--such as this one--are in the second season.
Mostly touching and uplifting, though there was an excess of profanities--about ten or so--and Joan's wardrobe could have been a bit more modest at times. Plus, the DVD version suffers from lacking the original opening credits.
An interesting look at the Jewish tradition of a bat mitzvah.
Maybe it was the subject matter, but this one wasn't as fun as the others. The musical number was a delight, though.
More old-school fun featuring my old flame, Lizzie McGuire. The one thing I object to is Kate's wardrobe during gym class.
Synopsis: In this follow-up to the Disney smash hit, Simba and Nala now have a daughter, Kira, who is as mischievous as young Simba himself. When Kira goes exploring, she finds those Simba banished in the aftermath of Scar's murder of Simba's father, Mufasa. They seem to be bent on destroying Simba and his family at any cost...except for their son Kovu, who has fallen in love with Kira. Will his love for her win out?
The Good: Prior to watching this, it had been a while since I've done any regular Disney animation; I've done live-action from the House of Mouse, as well as Studio Ghibli, but not something like this, especially a direct-to-video sequel. While I doubt any movie will live up to the epic original, this one had great animation, good music, super voice work...all the hallmarks of Disney animated fare.
The Bad: The songs were lame; then again, the musical aspect of Disney animated movies is something I've never really liked. Also, this movie is a bit short compared to the original.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Lions romantically nuzzling and pawing at each other.
Nudity: None.
Language: Name-calling, at worst.
Violence: Animal fights throughout, including a rather intense final battle where at least one character dies; a flashback to the stampede scene from the first film.
Drugs: None.
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The evil lions are a bit scary; a dark mood in some scenes, particularly the climax.
Other: A bit of bathroom humor; communication with the dead.
Conclusion: Disney's direct-to-video sequels have drawn the ire of many a movie fan. Ever since The Return of Jafar, video stores have been flooded with many a film that never made its way to theaters, most of which have been scathingly reviewed by both amateur and professional critics everywhere. While I can't comment on most of the others, because I've never seen them, I have to say this one was surprisingly good for what it was. As long as you don't expect it to be as epic as the original Lion King, you might enjoy it; I know I did.
Synopsis: Lizzie is thrilled to be invited to a pool party thrown by Danny Kessler, her number one crush! Her mother is willing to let her go...until Jo discovers that it's on the same day as Lizzie's Nana's birthday. Worse yet, Lizzie's BFF Miranda is considering going without her, and "'Randa" has also been invited into the popular clique by Kate, Lizzie's former friend and sworn nemesis! Will Lizzie get to go to the pool party? Will Miranda learn the error of her ways?
The Good: This is one of the earliest Lizzie McGuire episodes; some sources say it's actually the pilot. Wherever it falls in the continuity, it's great to see where it all began. All the hallmarks of the show are here: a moral premise, someone learning a lesson, unconventional filming style, cartoon Lizzie's remarks...yeah, if you're a fan, you know.
The Bad: Despite being a Disney Channel show, this isn't quite as clean as you'd expect from the Mouse network. Remarks about teenage girls' chests may make some viewers uncomfortable, especially males. Also, the animation on the cartoon Lizzie is terrible.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Talk about teenage girls' chests.
Nudity: Teenage girls' midriffs.
Language: Name-calling.
Violence: None.
Drugs: None.
Frightening/Intense Scenes: A scene or two of emotional intensity.
Other: A scene of bodily function humor.
Amazing job by all of the actors involved! The plot kept me interested, and, all in all, I had a blast with this one.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Men flirting with women. 4/5
Nudity: Shirtless guy. 4/5
Language: Name-calling. 4/5
Violence: A slap fight; a guy nearly kills himself; someone writes on walls with blood (not graphic). 3/5
Drugs: It is said that the chemical that causes the crew members to act crazy is similar to alcohol. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The writing with blood; another scene involving blood; some emotional intensity. 3/5
Score: 5/5
They don't make shows like this anymore! Filled with action, humor, and heroism, this was a wonderful blast from the past.
Content Concerns:
Sex: A young woman disguises herself as a male superhero; someone sees through her disguise, though not because of her physique. 4/5
Nudity: Cleavage. 4/5
Language: Name-calling. 4/5
Violence: Superhero action violence throughout; one scene implies the death of a young woman. 3/5
Drugs: Laughing gas is used. 4/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: Along with what was mentioned under violence, the villain could be a tad frightening for some viewers. 4/5
Score: 4.5/5
My Thoughts: While I've never seen the original Ghostbusters movies, I enjoyed this cartoon episode. The animation was great, it was full of action and comedy, and there was plenty of old-school charm. The one rough spot was Lorenzo Music; nothing against the late actor, but the voice he used in this show not only sounded too much like the one he used for Garfield, but didn't seem appropriate for the character. Other than that, I enjoyed this one.
Content Concerns:
Sex: Playful kissing. 4/5
Nudity: Big, baby-like monster wearing only a diaper. 4/5
Language: None. 5/5
Violence: Fantasy action violence and comedic pratfalls throughout. 3/5
Drugs: None. 5/5
Frightening/Intense Scenes: The ghosts/monsters can be a bit scary. 3/5
Other: A bit of gross-out humor. 4/5
Score: 4/5
A TV episode masquerading as a movie. For more, see the review:
http://rwlreviews.blogspot.com/2014/11/quickie-movie-review-batman-superman.html
This has to be one of the worst episodes of a superhero show, if not any show, I’ve seen in a while! An annoying and unnecessary narrator, hideously creepy monsters, a dumb plot…yeah, even if I rewatch this season, I’ll skip this episode.
Who knew that Lizzie McGuire’s mom once played a robot?
As an old-school Disney Channel fan, I was surprised!
I can’t believe this episode taught me a new word: hari kari. Who would have thought that a superhero series would add to my already large vocabulary?
Be warned: On the "Season One, Volume Two" DVD, this episode has NO SOUND! :(
Hooray! Huzzah! Oh, glorious day! This series is FINALLY on Disney Plus!
The title Faith of My Fathers sounds like a Christian movie, right?
Well...this isn't.
Though an interesting look at the life and struggles of John McCain, as close to Christian as this film gets is the prisoners singing "Silent Night" on Christmas.
It's also rife with profanity; while I've heard from my friends in the military that such language is to be expected, as someone who has never served, it was a big shock to my old-school sensibilities, as was the scene involving a stripper.
The out-of-order chronology at the beginning was also annoying.
On the plus side, it shows the horrors of war very well; one scene made me feel like I was watching Saw instead, not that I would ever bother with such garbage.
With Senator McCain departed from this earth, it's good to know that his story has been preserved for all posterity...including in celluloid form.
From a young age, I have been told by those of previous generations that older movies were nicer; that is, they didn't have the content concerns that ninety-five percent of the primetime shows or theatrically released films of the past two decades have had. According to those people, that's why they don't have MPAA ratings; back then, no such system was needed. Weil, I'm not as well-versed in the cinema of yesteryear as some people, but, I was disturbed by this film's content. Between the sexual content--including sexual relations between unmarried people and a scene implying nudity--the smoking and drinking, and even the profanity--yes, I know there were only three such words, but, I wasn't expecting any!--this is proof that cinema has a history of being morally offensive, even in the days before the ratings system.
I know many of you are likely thinking, "If you think this is bad..." and will point me to something in your collection that makes Breakfast at Tiffany's look like an episode of Sesame Street. Yes, I know that there's much worse entertainment out there, and that there has been for a long time...but, as a Christian, I'm commanded to "avoid every hint of evil," and I wasn't raised around such content like most millennials--even many who grew up in Christian homes--were. So, if even this was a shock to my system, I think it's obvious that I should avoid edgier fare like the plague...and that's just what I'll continue to do.
Christmas movies seem to be a dime a dozen these days; every year, more and more Yuletide flicks get released, but many of them are rather derivative of previous films. That’s especially true of Hallmark Channel telefilms; that network often recycles plots and stars throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season. That’s why I generally don’t watch them; a couple of years ago, I made the mistake of seeing two Hallmark Christmas movies within a few weeks of each other... and they had the exact same plot. Still, I was looking for something festive at my local library to watch this week, and this was the best I could find. For what it was, it was fun; Candace Cameron Bure did a great job as the lead, and the story was entertaining despite being unoriginal. As far as Christmas films go, you could do much worse.
