shadow-54 Reviews

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)

Good movie, great cast!

[29 September 1999]

Star Trek: Insurrection was a particulary good movie. Certainly better than Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.

This film has had some strong aspects, exceptionally its continuously brilliant cast! Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis once again give an awesome performance and bring more life to these characters we've grown to love over these past 12 years.

This movie cost 50 million to produce and still lacked the intensity we've seen on Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Generations. I guess it was time to produce a light hearted movie for a change.

This movie and its story can be displayed as a light hearted story in the midst of a galaxy enveloped in chaos, war and tragedy. With the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager making the timeline of the Star Trek universe, Star Trek has been changing dramatically ever since The Next Generation's 3rd or 4th Season.

This movie was even funnier than Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Picard, Riker and Data were more funny than ever! The story and action scenes mix perfectly as well as the comedy and the story. I loved the scene where Picard and Worf chase Data in the planet's atmosphere and begin singing that hilarious song.

Jonathan Frakes takes the director's chair for the second time in a row. Already a veteran directing Next Generation episodes he truly knows how to make a movie come to life. I only hated seeing Michael Piller writing the movie. He took off Data's emotion chip! I don't want to see another Star Trek movie written by him. Bring Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore back to the writing!

This movie also marks the first direct violation of the Prime Directive by Picard himself! I never believed he would actually break the chain of command. Sadly however, the movie's ending was just not worth it. Picard should still have been arrested on the charges of treason and insurrection. That happened to Sheridan on the end of the 4th Season on Babylon 5 after he took back Earth.

But it's still a movie worth watching! I only hope the next Star Trek movie comes packed with lots of action and intensity like we've seen on First Contact!

Great job Paramount!

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994)

Great Star Trek series!

[10 September 1999]

When I first saw Star Trek: The Next Generation, I was amazed by the special effects and visual sequences. But I soon noticed the stories were boring, childish and the characters were too idiot. I hated and still hate the technobabbling we constantly see in the show. Definetely not Babylon 5 or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

The first two seasons of the show were a little bit disappointing. Back then, Roddenberry was still running the show doing the constant rewriting, attempting to create the perfect universe in the 24th Century. That could never happen. The show seemed too perfect.

But when the 3rd Season premiered, the show suddenly kicked into a new direction as Rick Berman and Michael Piller took over production of Star Trek as Gene eased away from his post. The stories that year were well-written and more character based than ever! TNG started to carry a darker and grittier universe in its hands becoming more and more realistic. TNG became the greatest sci-fi series in history until B5 premiered in 1994.

However, during its time, TNG showed the best on television! Picard is a far better captain than Kirk and I truly like the cast! After they suddenly came alive in the 3rd Season I started feeling for these guys. The stories became far more realistic and tied to today's world. Episodes like "The Outcast", display the most intelligent topics ever seen on TV. "The Bonding", "The Offspring","Sins of the Father","Reunion" and "Firstborn" were fantastic episodes! I think Worf and Data are the best characters in the show! Michael Dorn and Brent Spiner are excellent actors and provide some of the best scenes ever seen on Star Trek.

Ever since 1988's Skin of Evil, I truly miss Tasha Yar, but I certainly do NOT miss that stupid Wesley Crusher! He was a completely worthless character. The only time I liked him was when he snapped at Picard on "The Bonding" for the loss of his father Jack Crusher. Yar was a great character like Worf and had as much as a dark past as he had. At least she had the chance to appear again and even play another role. (Sela in the 5th season)

Guinan was a fantastic character for the show! I'm glad the producers decided to hire her in 1988. Whoopi Goldberg was already a great actress! She did some of her best work on TNG and on the TNG movie Star Trek: Generations. I only missed her on the 7th Season of the show and I'm hoping she'll appear on another Star Trek movie, because it seems she's completely absent on First Contact and Insurrection.

"The Best of Both Worlds, parts 1 and 2" were the 2 best episodes in the entire series! The Borg were the most sinister creation for bad guys and this story featured the best of Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes!

Deep Space Nine is an ever better show! It started as stupid as TNG but soon became even more realistic and a better show than TNG! TNG was close but DS9 added the final realism needed to the 24th Century. But I still worship TNG as much as I worship DS9 and B5! Great job Paramount!

Chicago Hope (1994–2000)

Great season! Bad finale!

[2 September 1999]

I used to like this show. I thought this season was even better than the fourth season. The characters were great and the stories were getting more and more realistic. I thought the season premiere was the best one so far!

When I saw this season finale "Curing Cancer", I was impressed how did the writers mess up the show within 60 minutes. The episode BEFORE "Curing Cancer" should have been the season finale. That story was perfect and the characters were well placed already.

I can't believe people actually like this Jeffrey Geiger. I never saw him before. (I didn't watch seasons one and two)I hated Mandy Patinkin's acting and his character. He's evil and nuts. He fired all the staff because too many people were dying in the hospital. If that story is even believable, the cast of ER would not be on the TV screen by now. He also asked Phillip Watters to return as the chief of staff in the hospital, AFTER he had a forbidden affair with a patient. If that happened on real life, Geiger would have been arrested for Obstruction of Justice.

The worst part of Curing Cancer was the trial of the fired staff against Jeffrey Geiger. Out of nowhere, the judge ordered the staff's lawyer to claim he was a toad! That's not supposed to happen on any dramatic series.

At least, Carla Cugino and Natasha Gregson Wagner saved this episode from a complete disaster with the help of the veteran Adam Arkin.

If episodes like Curing Cancer ever show up again next season, I'll never watch Chicago Hope again and devote full-time to ER and NYPD Blue, which at least are dramatic and realistic shows.

Alien Nation: Millennium (1996 TV Movie)

Best Alien Nation TV Movie!

[19 August 1999]

Of all the Alien Nations TV movies of the nineties, this one is my favorite. Millennium sets the timetable for the movies and the TV series.

I've always been fascinated by the millennium's coming. When I saw this movie in 1996 I was impressed with the Los Angeles from December 1999. A week before the millennium. The story was incredible. The music is outstanding. The characters are brilliant!

Matthew Sykes and George Francisco are two of the best characters on TV. I'm really fond of these two. Matthew and Cathy are growing more and more closer together. Emily has grown up a lot and lives her complicated teenage years. Buck was fantastic and he's changing towards the better.

I found the Portal story to be one of the best! The visual sequences were stunning and brilliant! This story contains a lot of spirituality. It's amazing to see how both humans and newcomers were willing together to enter the portal and refuse to face reality, no matter how hard it is.

The coming of the Millennium was very realistic. The people in the movie played it perfectly. All are in distress, attempting to control a city gone mad.

The only thing I didn't understand is what was all that about a dentist. Apparently that gave all away to Matt and George.

This movie is excellent! I recommend any fan of the series to watch it!

NYPD Blue (1993–2005)

Fantastic Police Drama!

[29 July 1999]

NYPD Blue is one of the best shows on TV. I love watching it every week. Better than it, only ER and Babylon 5.

The characters are incredible. The scenarios are amazing. I love all the New York shots from one scene to another while we hear these amazing songs. The theme song is fantastic and the scenes in it are extremely compelling, especially the building that implodes and the subway scenes. The people say a lot of bad words and we see a lot of nude shots of the actors. This is just a mere display how NYPD Blue displays the gritty reality we exist. It's very realistic!

Dennis Franz brought life to Andy Sipowicz. He's amazing and I feel for the guy. He didn't talk to Andy Jr., became an alcoholic, got sober, married Sylvia, had a new son (Theo), lost Andy Jr., got back to drinking, had prostrate cancer, lost his partner John Kelly in a scandal, lost Bobby Simone to a fatal heart infection and lost his wife recently. How much more can the man endure?

David Caruso did a good job on John Kelly until he left the show. Jimmy Smits also did a good job with Bobby Simone. Too bad his four-year contract ended. His departure was hard to watch. Long live Bobby! Hearts and Souls must win the emmys which's been nominated to.

Rick Schroder is doing a great job with Danny Sorenson. He's very different. Unlike Bobby, his life is an open book and he's more hot-headed like Andy.

The other cops are good, especially Gordon Clapp and Kim Delaney. Andrea Thompson is the finest addition to the precinct. She's the first independent female on the show. I loved to see Bill Brochtrup back in his hole of "upstairs" John Irvin.

As for the show itself, Season 1 was fantastic! Season 2 was good, but awful in comparison to other seasons. Season 3 was way better! Season 4 was good at first, but soon got bad stories. Season 5 started poorly, but soon became a good season. Season 6 was magnificent! The best one so far! So much has happened since October. I hope NYPD Blue returns with Season 7 as soon as possible.

Outstanding job David Milch and Steven Bochco!

GoldenEye 007 (1997 Video Game)

Best game of 1997!

[10/10 · 27 July 1999]

007's Goldeneye is one of the best N64 releases ever.

Better than this game? Well...Star Wars: Rogue Squadron, Star Wars: Episode I-Racer and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are far better and superior games. But I still love Goldeneye.

This is the best adaptation from a movie second only to Star Wars adaptations. The story is perfect. It's like you are in the movie itself.

The graphics are excellent. The movements are extremely realistic. The enemies' artificial intelligence are the best part in this game. I loved playing the stage in which James and Natalya break from the Janus base as the Goldeneye prepares to burn it. Escaping without sounding an alarm was very difficult. Eluding cameras and controlling your fire are great aspects in the gameplay.

It's also the toughest game I've ever played. N64 games are usually very, very easy. Goldeneye is the one exception. I'm still trying to beat the 00 Agent difficult level, but winning the easier levels was already a great victory. I loved when Alec Trevelyan asked: "For England James?". I answered: "No, for ME!" It happened just in the moment I blasted him to death. Just like in the movie. I love accomplishing every objective.

The multiplayer gaming is even better. At first I got killed every holy second. Now, I know how to win. I love forcing my playmates by playing at License to Kill.

The music and sound are astounding. Super Mario 64 looks like an Atari next to this. The only thing I still wanted to hear was the Goldeneye theme song, that plays at the end of the movie.

After Zelda was released, I nearly forgot I still had this game. It's still excellent, even if it's already surpassed. I hope other 007 games are produced.

Fantastic job Rareware! Nintendo was very smart to release this game on the N64 exclusively. Magnificent job Nintendo!

Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999)

Very good show

[15 July 1999]

Homicide is a good show. It premiered here last Tuesday. I liked this first episode. It came out just the way I expected. A standard police drama about detectives working homicide cases.

As I am already used to police shows like NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues, I find Homicide to be a little bit different from the Steven Bochco series. I found it hard to keep up with the police conversations and following the tricky and complicated case. NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues were both equally hard to keep up with, but at least I understood the basics of what happened on every case.

Homicide seems to focuse more on the cases than on the policemen's personal lives. It lacks emotion and involvement. You have to be an intellectual to understand this show. That's why I prefer NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues, which are shows that bring intense emotion every episode and great stories involving the cops. But, I still consider this a very good show. Let's hope the future episodes come out better. Great job by NBC.

Law & Order (1990– )

Good drama show

[15 July 1999]

Law & Order was the first legal drama I've ever heard about. It's a very good show. Some people complain about the cast changing every year. I imagine that it must be very difficult to shoot an entire series in New York City. I believe that's why the cast changes so much. It's far easier to shoot a show in L.A.

Dick Wolf and Universal did a great job with this show, and also with "New York Undercover". Sam Waterson is the best member of the cast. Angie Harmon is the greatest addition to the cast. It's a good dramatic show, but obviously not the best or my favorite. ER, Party of Five, Chicago Hope and NYPD Blue are far better and superior dramas. I prefer the head-busting in Blue and non-stop pace at ER rather than the usual every week crime investigations and subsequent trials of Law & Order. And my favorite legal drama is David E. Kelley's The Practice. I truly prefer Bobby Donnell and his criminal attorneys involved in deep emotions and situations rather than these analytic cops and prosecutors. I always prefer the lawyer's point of view. That's my only criticism on Law & Order. The heroes always get to be the prosecutors.

It's still a very good show. It made a new step on television. I love when the scene fades to black and shows an address, along with a certain date, when it happens. Interesting, how every episode takes about 3 to 4 months in real time. All that in an hour. If you pay attention, an episode that starts with an investigation in December, and ends with the verdict in March or April. I only wish the episodes showed less of the constant cases and more of these policemen and prosecutors' personal lives and difficulties as shown in NYPD Blue and ER.

Well done Wolf Films and you too Universal!

Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988 Video Game)

Not the best Mario, but still good.

[9/10 · 8 July 1999]

I commented on the other Super Mario Bros. 2 from 1986. That was the japanese version. This one released in 1988 is the game sequel released in the US and across the world. For reasons I don't have any knowledge of, the gameplay in this game is quite different from the other Mario games.

This game takes Mario, Luigi, Toad and the Princess into Subcon. A world of dreams that is under Wart's control. They must liberate it by travelling through 20 areas across 7 dangerous worlds.

This was the least good of the Super Mario series. I can't say it's bad, because I like playing it. This is the second toughest Mario game, behind only the japanese Super Mario Bros. 2. However, I managed to beat it too. Good game. Even with the different gameplay. The idea of throwing plants into bad guys is very good. There were many different bosses in this game: Tryclyde, Fryguy, Clawgrip, Ostro, Mouser and Wart himself.

I couldn't believe it when I finished it. Worth playing, even if all the other Mario games are far superior than this one. Good job Nintendo.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986 Video Game)

Very good game.

[9/10 · 8 July 1999]

This wasn't a popular and well known game. I got the chance to check out this 1986 release, while I was playing the Super Nintendo cart Super Mario All-stars. I don't think this Super Mario was released in the US, but it's definitely from Japan.

According to what I heard, this was the original sequel to Super Mario Bros (1985), but another, very different game was released in the US and across the world, the 1988 version of Super Mario Bros. (the one you can play 4 characters in the world of Subcon). This isn't it.

This game resembles the original Super Mario Bros. so closely, that you can consider practically an extension of the first game. Extra worlds and castles. After several unsuccessful attempts, I finally managed to win this game. I can't believe it continued after world 8-4. World 9 came, then world A, world B, world C, and finally: World D-4. I finally rescued the princess and defeated Bowser for the one hundredth time.

This game is very good! As good as the original game. Far more difficult. It's the hardest Mario I've ever played. Especially with the new wind hazard which makes this game a lot tougher. The new trampolin that rocketed Mario to the stratosphere for several minutes was also incredible.

Great game! Whatever it came from, I don't mind! Excellent!

Batman Forever (1995)

BATMAN TRULY FOREVER!

[9/10 · 8 July 1999]

This is the first Batman I saw on the big screen, back in 1995 and the best of them all! One of the best movies of that year.

Joel Schumacher is a far better director than Tim Burton. The original Batman was excellent, but Batman Returns was one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. But when I saw Forever, I was astonished. The new special effects and lighting were perfect. The new Bat-Mobile and Batman's outfits were also excellent.

This movie featured the best cast ever! Val Kilmer was the best Batman actor. George Clooney was good, but lacked Val's talent. I never liked Michael Keaton. Michael Gough continued his life-long role of the incredibly devoted Alfred. Nicole Kidman was the hottest actress of a Batman movie. Even better than Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman! Chris O'Donnell was excellent! It was about time Robin joined Batman in the big screen! Jim Carrey was the best villain I've ever saw as he elevated The Riddler to new levels of excitement and joy. However, I was a bit disappointed seeing Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent. He's a very good actor and did a great job, but...Billy Dee Williams should have been the one. After all, he did play Harvey on the original Batman.

The story was great. Bruce Wayne took a painful look into his dark past and subsequent destiny. Now the same has happened to Dick Grayson. It was tragic to look down the circus tent and watch his family dead on the floor. While I was prepared to hate Batman after wasting 130 worthless minutes watching the dreaded Batman Returns, Forever brought back all hope and everything that makes Batman the best!

The movie soundtrack was the best I've ever heard in any movie. The songs at the end of the movie included Seal's Kiss from a Rose. Fantastic!

Fantastic job, Warner Bros!

Party of Five (1994–2000)

What a show!

[3 July 1999]

Ever since 1994, Party of Five stood out as the second best drama show about youngsters, beaten only by My So-Called Life. The Salingers have been facing tragedy after tragedy since the day they lost their parents. This is as realistic as it gets. While Dawson's Creek and Felicity tend to escape reality every now and then, Party of Five stands out faithful to the world's reality.

Scott Wolf did a fantastic job portraying Bailey, especially in 1996 and 1997, during the days of his alcoholism and the following tough sobriety and subsequent management of the restaurant. He also lived through hell as he sacrificed his personal life for the sake of his family and nearly lost all faith in perfect love and affection as he dated drug addict Jill Holbrook, who killed herself with an overdose. Matthew Fox gave life to Charlie. His character suffered greatly as he took the responsibility for his siblings. It got even more dramatic when he had Hodgkin's disease, which changed his life forever. He turned from an irresponsible 24 year old to a responsible and honest 28 year old as he took care of little Diana all by himself ever since Daphne left him and her. Neve Campbell brought depth and deep emotions to Julia as the teenager grew through huge and complicated steps in her life such as her long line of relationships with Justin, Sam, Ned, Griffin and several others. She also had to deal with her pregnancy and miscarriage. Then she lived a whole year married to Griffin, which changed her deeply. After that, she was hit by Ned episode after episode until she kissed Perry Marks, which made her realize the course of her whole life in the past 5 years. Lacey Chabert is the greatest young actress ever and she changed as much as her character Claudia. From a violinist to a normal teenager, Claudia was the most affected by everything that happened in the show. Even with the constant change of young actors, Jacob Smith seems like the best actor yet to portray 5 year old Owen Salinger. He never really got to know his late parents and has seen Bailey, Charlie and Kirsten as his parents ever since. Jennifer Love-Hewitt portrayed Sarah Reeves Merrin and saw her world change as the years passed and she faced tough experiences, such as being cheated by Bailey, having discovered her orphanage and adoption, being attacked by a burglar, among several other experiences. I can't believe she may leave Party of Five next season. Paula Devicq and her character Kirsten had terrible experiences ever since she was hired as Owen's nanny. She dated Charlie, was cheated by him, got back together, nearly got married (but Charlie was afraid of commitment) and lived through a disastrous depressive state. Jeremy London also did a great job portraying Griffin. At first he seemed to be just Julia's boyfriend, but he made a character out of himself as he faced tough situations such as leaving his father, losing his sister Jill, being arrested twice and breaking up with Julia.

There were great recurring players in the show as well. Michael Goorjian did a great job with Justin from 1995 to 1996. Tamara Taylor did a fantastic job, portraying Grace Wilcox in 1996 and 1997. Alexondra Lee's performance as Callie was magnific, which made her a regular for the whole season (1996-1997). Carrol O'Connor did a good job as Grandpa Jake, but his storyline was cut short. I don't understand why he left the show. His disease wasn't a good excuse at the 1996 christmas. Paige Turco was the best of them all when she portrayed Annie Mott along with young Allison Bertolino as little Natalie from 1997 to 1998. Paige brought Annie the full force she also brought to her NYPD Blue gay character Abby Sullivan. Jennifer Aspen did a great job portraying Daphne and her involvement with the show.

Great job to Columbia Pictures Television. Well done Christopher Keyser and you too Amy Lippman!

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Best movie of the Millennium

[24 June 1999]

Wow! And I thought I was going to be disappointed. George Lucas really did it. Episode I is fantastic! I'm not entirely certain it's better than "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi", but it was better than Star Wars itself! Maybe it was the best of them all.

There wasn't much action, wars or galactic crisis in this chapter. This movie focused on character buildup and scenarios.

Ever since I've read the Bantam Spectra novels and saw the special edition of Return of the Jedi, that was exactly what I expected when I saw Coruscant (also known as Imperial City). The planet is awesome and the city is fantastic. The traffic never ends. The senate chamber was astonishing. So many seats to thousands of Senators from thousands of Republic allied worlds.

Naboo was a great new addition to the Star Wars planet list. Great scenarios. The city and the palace were from another world. The underwater city was even better than the city we see in the movie "The Abyss". The underwater monsters were pretty scary.

Darth Maul is even more incredible than Vader ever was. His lightsaber was the most incredible weapon I've ever seen in the Star Wars universe. The lightsaber battle was the most amazing yet!

Anakin was incredible. Such a naive and innocent little boy. I can't believe what's coming in his future can be so dark. The critics had no right, NO RIGHT to concentrate their fire on Jake Lloyd. He did a great job portraying Anakin. Natalie Portman also did a great job doing Queen Amigdala. Liam Neeson was the best of them all and Ewan MacGregor did a great job portraying a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. The pod racing was incredible. I'm going to buy Episode I racer for the Nintendo 64 as soon as possible!

Since the story was not entirely concentrated on The Phantom Menace, I believe most of the story will be thrown on the next two episodes. I have a feeling they'll be a hell of a lot better. Oh god! I can't wait THREE YEARS for the next one!

Fantastic job George Lucas! You and Lucasfilm did something that will never die. Every new generation will see the Star Wars saga! Congratulations Lucasfilm! The Phantom Menace is the BEST!!!!!

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Emissary (1993) Season 1, Episode 1

Very good series premiere

[9/10 · 16 June 1999]

Emissary was Deep Space Nine's pilot episode. And not a bad one either. A fitting beginning to a 7 year story.

I don't think it was perfect, like The Next Generation's Encounter at Farpoint, but it did introduce all the characters and settings of this incredible show. Emissary reminds me of Babylon 5's Pilot Episode: The Gathering, which was aired a month after Emissary.

Deep Space Nine's first couple of years weren't THAT great, but then the show started to rise with a great storyline and great situations, such as the Klingons' separation from the Federation, Sisko's destiny and the Federation's war against the Dominion and Cardassian alliance. And Emissary was the 2 hour series premiere that gave birth to all this. Emissary has a good storyline. Sisko's encounter with the prophets beat any alien encounters ever seen before in Star Trek history. Sisko's background related to the Battle of Wolf 359 as well as his meeting with Picard make the series an excellent sci-fi drama. Kira started out as the angry vengeful Bajoran and grew intensively over the past 7 years, becoming an incredible leader and fighter. I was astonished to see Miles and Keiko O'Brien becoming part of the show, which affected deeply their personal lives as they moved from the excessive perfection of the USS Enterprise to the station that resembles our gritty reality rather than Roddenberry's perfect future.

Rick Berman and Michael Piller did a great job creating this show and keeping it alive and healthy after Roddenberry's death, while giving a fitting end to The Next Generation.

Paramount Pictures did a great job, creating both the pilot and the show. I give Emissary a 9 out of 10.

Babylon 5 (1993–1998)

How can anyone live without B5?

[13 June 1999]

I just saw "Sleeping in Light". Probably the best Babylon 5 episode ever! And the hardest one to accept, since we'll never see B5 again. This episode definitely deserved the Hugo Award. It's the finest Series finale ever produced on a TV show. Sheridan's goodbye to Delenn was tearful. B5 being shut down by JMS and then exploding amidst a fleet of ships was just as tearful.

It was great to see Susan on the show one more time. I felt like she left B5 without saying a proper goodbye before (season four, episode 88-Rising Star).

On behalf of every episode I saw, I think this last season was the best of them all. It had a great presentation, a great theme song. We realize nothing can go back to normal the way it was at the beginning. This season focuses more on the people in it, especially Michael. Byron was the greatest guest star on the show. The first 11 episodes of the Season rocked! He and his telepaths showed a sign of humanity within them. Something we didn't see before. Why did Bester screw it all up?

I hope Crusade comes to TV. We'll see if it's worth watching it, as it was B5.

Well done JMS, for creating a 5 year story unequaled on Television. Babylon 5 shall live FOREVER!!!

Will & Grace (1998–2020)

Great sitcom!

[28 May 1999]

Will & Grace is the newest sitcom I've seen on TV. NBC finally did a good job on a production of their own. It's definitely worth watching. Finally a sitcom to the levels of Friends and Jesse.

However, I hate Will. He's a boring and stupid character. Jack and Karen are incredible! Grace is even better. I love the way she handles every situation. But I can't watch a show that airs the same time as NYPD Blue. So I've considered taping the episodes. It's worth the laughing.

The Simpsons (1989– )

Unbeatable!

[28 May 1999]

It's been 10 years already and The Simpsons is still the best animated comedy on TV. King of the Hill, Beavis and Butthead and South Park are good, but can't compete with a pioneer.

Homer is definitely my favorite character and the funniest one. I love the way he's silly. Lisa is the second best of the show. Way too advanced for an 8 year old. Bart and Marge are both too annoying for my taste.

Every other character from Springfield are excellent, especially Moe and Principal Skinner (I love the part where he says: "Yes mother").

Every episode has been excellent. Especially "Who shot Mr. Burns?". Homer is a symbol for FOX. Definitely Matt Groening's masterpiece.

I was 9 when I first saw the Simpsons. Now, nearly a decade later, I keep watching it. The last 2 seasons were way better than some previous years. It recaptured the purpose of The Simpsons as a cartoon comedy about people. The 98-99 season rocks! I think this is the only cartoon that ever lasted this long. I don't expect it to be canceled any time soon.

WAY TO GO FOX!!!

Seinfeld (1989–1998)

Interesting comedy.

[26 May 1999]

I didn't see EVERY EPISODE, but I did get a good glimpse of the show. Seinfeld is a good comedy and is always dealing with some interesting issues. The kind of issues we prefer to keep to ourselves. I find the actors excellent and some of the embarrassing situations they always get in can be extremely funny. I think that gave a lot of contents to a show that's supposed to be about nothing.

However, I really don't understand what did it have to be so missed by the americans. It wasn't THAT funny. I pay a lot of attention to Americans and noticed every time on Seinfeld as well as the last Academy Awards that americans tend to laugh at anything, and I mean ANYTHING. Just because Jerry said something interesting, the background audience laughs out loud giving me a headache for no reason. But I don't hate it. I really like it. But I just think it's too worshipped.

I still think Friends, The Nanny, Everybody Loves Raymond, Married with Children and Mad About You are far better comedies than Seinfeld. Plus, Seinfeld reruns are now being aired along with The Practice reruns. Sorry, I'm a big fan of David Kelley.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996 Video Game)

Not bad, for a Star Wars game.

[1 May 1999]

I liked Shadows of the Empire. The gameplay and storyline are very well used. The story came from Steve Perry's Star Wars novel released by Bantam Books. I liked to see a story explaining the events between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

This game couldn't be played by anyone other than Dash Rendar. Leia hired him to protect Luke. That was the goal. The graphics aren't that great in the N64, but the PC version is very good. The sound and music are excellent, but Rogue Squadron is already my new favorite Star Wars N64 title. Shadows got old quickly. That doesn't make the game bad. I like it. Getting all the Challenge points is a real challenge worth seeking.

And it's definitely a Star Wars worth playing, even with grand games like X-Wing vs Tie Fighter or Jedi Knight.

Chicago Hope (1994–2000)

It's good, but it's not ER.

[1 May 1999]

Sorry you had to read that one line summary, but it's my sincere opinion. Chicago Hope is an excellent show. I've seen most of it since 1994. But it can't stand up to ER, which's the best medical drama ever created (by Michael Crichton himself). Chicago Hope was the first David E. Kelley series I've seen. It's just as good as Ally McBeal or The Practice. The stories got a lot better this season. I liked Eric Stoltz's Dr. Robert Yeates. The live episode about the angel show (probably related to CBS's Touched by an Angel) was EXCELLENT. Yeates was incredibly funny. But Christine Lahti's Dr. Kathryn Austin is my favorite character so far. She definetely deserved the Emmy and the Golden Globe for best actress. The theme song is the best part of the show. It's as good as James Newton Howard's ER theme or the NYPD Blue theme.

As I said, Chicago Hope can't match ER, but it's definetely worth watching. Well done David E. Kelley, John Tinker and Bill D'Elia!

Ally McBeal (1997–2002)

Funny and well-done.

[30 April 1999]

Ally McBeal is yet another David E. Kelley show. This is a really good comedy, along with some romantic situations. Callista Flockhart is one hell of a woman. Richard Fish and John The Biscuit Cage are EXTREMELY funny. I didn't see Chicago Hope when Peter MacNicol appeared as Alan Birch (first season, I guess). I see him now on Ally and laugh every time he shows that face that just came out of a plastic surgery.

This is a smart creation. Every previous lawyer show was a drama. Ally is probably the first lawyer comedy, which's not just a lawyer show, but a show about the life of a single (gorgeous) woman. Ally always gets thrown into an extremely embararssing situation. The cast are all excellent. And I like seeing Vonda Shepard every episode singing those excellent love songs every night on Boston.

Unfortunately, I don't get the chance to see new episodes since they are aired at MONDAYS on FOX. Monday is the day I watch Party of Five and that can't be replaced. So I watch the reruns of the 97-98 season every day on FOX and any episodes I've missed.

I just want to say thanks and congratulations to David E. Kelley, Jeffrey Kramer, 20th Century Fox Television and FOX.

The Practice (1997–2004)

One of the best dramas yet!

[26 April 1999]

It's even better than Dick Wolf's Law & Order. The Practice is David E. Kelley's masterpiece. The man behind Chicago Hope and Ally McBeal is a genius when it comes to television.

This show portraits a view of a corrupted world, which we must always face. Bobby Donnell is Kelley's most complex character yet. His life is a hell as well as the lives of all these lawyers who have messed them up. It's my second favorite show. Second only to Steven Bochco and David Milch's NYPD Blue. I like seeing Lucy along with the cast. This season is being incredible. Kelli Williams is putting one hell of a show as Rebecca Washington. Lara is also doing a great job like Helen Gamble and finally Camryn Manheim and Steve Harris are the two best of the show.

Congratulations to both David E. Kelley and Jeffrey Kramer. May The Practice win even more Emmy Awards and Golden Globes. I hope the networks don't even think about canceling it.

Payback (I) (1999)

One hell of a movie!

[17 April 1999]

Although Payback has opened several weeks ago, I decided to wait until now to watch it. It was crowed in its release. Now I understand why.

This is one of Mel Gibson's best movies yet. I heard a lot of americans claiming the movie to be "excessive violent". I don't agree with that statement. Payback has as much violence as any Mel Gibson movie, which is very much normal.

This is the first Warner Bros. movie I've seen starring Mel Gibson, which doesn't involve director Richard Donner. (all of Mel Gibson's previous Warner Bros. movies were directed by Richard Donner)

The story and plot-line are excellent. This is a typical Mel Gibson movie. A mixture of action, drama, life and a lot of comedy. I laughed out loud in the movie, especially when the scene involved Val's japanese hooker getting hit by someone. The part which Mel set the Outfit's car on fire was also incredible and extremely funny.

This is an excellent movie. Probably as good as any Lethal Weapon or even Conspiracy Theory. Too bad it will be forgotten when Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is released.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999)

Excellent!!!

[10 April 1999]

Here in Brazil, I didn't get the chance to watch that many DS9 episodes. I managed to watch season 1 and a couple of season 2 episodes, as well as the excellent 90 minute episode "The Way of the Warrior", from season 4. But from what I've seen, it was enough. The show is awesome. The cast is perfect and the episodes are well-written. I followed the story arc through the Star Trek Web site.

DS9 can't beat a show like Babylon 5 (the best sci-fi show ever created). But it can beat Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Gene Roddenberry was a genius and created one of the greatest creations ever seen on TV. But his greatest mistake was his attempt to create a perfect universe. There is no such thing. I'm not saying that the old Star Treks are bad. They are very good. I watch them when I can. But the way humanity is advancing, Star Trek is the perfect display of a possible future 400 years from now. If so, Star Trek reflects reality of the future. In order to do that, you must realize that this perfect universe is a fantasy. Nothing is perfect and it will never be. Rick Berman and Michael Piller did a great job creating DS9. This is the Star Trek that managed to reflect reality. A lot changed during these seven years. Star fleet changed from that stupid perfect point of view as the galaxy's leading force to a desperate band of people in constant conflict with their neighbors and fighting the Dominion and Cardassians.

I loved Jadzia Dax. But it was about time somebody died on Star Trek. Her character was the best. But moving her to "Becker"(the worst show I've ever seen) was the worst mistake in her career.

Star Trek still has a lot of energy. DS9 is reaching its conclusion, but that's not going to diminish its success. Congratulations to Paramount Pictures!!!

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005)

Amazing!

[29 March 1999]

How did he do it anyway? We've been watching a lot of comedies over the years. When we thought it was starting to get boring, Raymond came out of nowhere and renewed my opinion about comedies.

The episodes are excellent. Ray is incredibly funny. I've never heard of the actor before. Apparently, he was no one, until he lived the American Dream the same way Matthew Perry did, when Friends premiered on TV. Now he's one of the world's best comedians. And it's pretty simple.

His parents can be annoying, but they are extremely funny. The best of them all is Ray's brother, Robert. The crossover with The King of Queens was incredible. I couldn't stop laughing when Ray and Robert were hitching a ride with The King of Queens and he said he didn't have a license. Robert ordered to pull over and stepped out of the car. As a cop he asked to see his license. I'll never forget this situation.

Everybody Loves Raymond is the best show CBS has ever created. I hope it lasts forever. Congratulations to Ray Romano!