TMC-4 Reviews

The 11th Hour (I) (2014)

A very captivating, elegant, and sensitive performance by Kim Basinger

[6 July 2021]

I thought that Kim Basinger was so gorgeous in the scenes from The 11th Hour / I Am Here where she's preparing to go to work at her shipping company in Hamburg. Her blonde hair was nicely sleek and coifed, her cheeks were rosy pink, and her lips were a richly textured, shade or ruby red. She looked both elegant and chic in her black satin blouse, pearl earrings, and black rimmed glasses.

I also love how Kim interacts with people when she's act work. She has a very calm and soft and breathless manner of speaking that's equally soothing and seductive. She does a great job at being detached and distracted from the world around her.

One thing that I love about Kim as an actress is her sensitivity and emotionally fragility. I always in particular, loved the scene in which Kim unbuttons her white shirt, pulls down her white bra, and pulls out one of her breasts. What follows is a protracted scene focused on Kim's hard nipple as she squeezes milk out. Kim is incredibly sexy and captivating in that scene.

My heart literally skips a beat when she first cradles her breast and then delivers a soft, breathless little gasp the first moment that she squeezes. And then as the camera focuses on her naked breast, we can overhear Kim grunting, smacking her mouth, exhaling, blowing, and snorting. It's a a very sensual, passionate, and intense scene.

And Kim does a terrific job conveying a sense of curiosity, hesitation, surprise, vigor, panic, exhaustion, and finally, embarrassment all in roughly 36 seconds. It's a very beautiful and intimate scene because it displays a woman remaining in touch with her femininity and womanhood.

Especially the shot towards the end, where an anxiety riddled Kim sees her the milk residue on her finger tips. You can also clearly tell that Kim is both physically and mentally drained at the end of the scene.

Charlie's Angels (2000)

All Hype But Little Substance In Return

[9 December 2000]

Charlie's Angels essentially comes across as one of those so called "Event Movies" that gets hyped up by the press for months on end yet wallows in its own silliness and/or stupidity (and regardless, the movie will make a ton of money off of the almost brainwashed audiences). The movie itself more than likely knows that it's playing down to the audiences' intelligence for the sake of trying to make high entertainment yet it's ultimately all over the map in terms of nailing down a particular tone (it really comes off as a major loose cannon of a movie in other words). What exactly is this movie trying to prove and be, is it a comedy, a satire/parody, or an action film. This question can perhaps be even more justified for a movie that allegedly used over 10 writers over the course of the production.

In return, Charlie's Angels essentially proves to fall flat with some pretty embarrassing results. Virtually everybody who's involved here are stuck practically making absolute fools of themselves right in front of the camera. Yet they seem to firmly believe that they're already in on the joke and are so clever. In the process, the cardboard and almost stereotypical (primarily based upon the opening scenes) characters are reduced to playing dress-up and spouting corny dialog (usually made up of awkward one-liners and innuendos) without much of a payoff or anything to really push it forward from a storytelling point of view. Speaking of the story itself, it's basically something that doesn't have a good sense about actual reasoning for why certain things are happening on screen.

Certain things occur ultimately without much of a point behind them for motivation in the first place like a scene involving a car chase (which was likely thrown in simply for the sake of presenting a car chase in an action film). Most of the time, the movie is seemingly made up of a string of vignettes and some borrowed ideas from a string of popular action films (e.g. the Lethal Weapon movies, Mission: Impossible 1 & 2, The Matrix, the Indiana Jones movies, The Rock, Rush Hour, the Die Hard movies, Batman, etc.) from over the past decade (it even throws in the old "Which wire do I cut?" cliche for good measure). Along the way, we get some lame and unresolved sub-plots (some of which seemingly takes a page from the Batman and Superman movies concerning being caught in a dilemma when it comes to talking about your true identity) that comes off more like padding than something that in some form or another fit into the story.

The "Wire Fu" style of action sequences (which is often made up of the defining of gravity and some pretty gratuitous usage of slow-motion here and there) really lacks a genuine sense of danger and tension. This is needed for an action sequence to make an effective payoff yet the script is totally clumsy on where to lead this. Charlie's Angels is just relentless with is camp factor but it's also so full of itself that it just about sucks most of the excitement and credibility out of it. We already know going in that we have to suspend are belief towards what's going on. While the problem isn't the action on screen, it's really the dialog that seriously ruins the atmosphere due to its absolute cheesiness as you really want to seriously cringe rather than feel amused.

The movie makes the mistake of trying to incorporate comedy to a really high degree on a frequent basis. The problem that can occur when it comes to comedy mixing in with action at the exact same time is that there's all of a sudden too much to think about all at once. This is what helped seal the fate of Batman & Robin (another over-hyped so-called "Event Movie) as being an absolutely obnoxious movie that was insulting to the intelligence. Charlie's Angels likely believes that deep down inside it's providing some sort of positive message for young females. But it ultimately (like described before) is left making absolute fools out of just about everybody (especially those characters are left with cheating and lying to certain people who are really close to them) who's involved and carries a major tendency of simply toying around with its own subject matter.

The action in Charlie's Angels occasionally makes some sort of impact as it puts the "MTV Film-making Style" to some effective usage here and there along with the hard hitting fighting. But the whole thing in a way, ultimately just comes off as simply a major stunt show. What point does it exactly serve to provide a run down of the various out-takes and goofs in the closing credits other than to raise the level of questions towards what to make out of this movie? To go along with the questions (as previously mentioned) towards whether the movie is meant to be some sort of parody (e.g. a parody of the Charlie's Angels TV series itself along with the prologue sequences, the various usage of music, and the usage of the TV show Soul Train which is only mildly amusing), a comedy that's trying to be pretty over-the-top as we see countless costume changes and disguises as well as the humor in-between the action sequences, or a martial arts film that you can argue is trying its hardest to be hip?

Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)

Somewhat Original, but Feels Pretty Redundant In the Process

[18 April 2000]

It's very obvious that Die Hard With a Vengeance is trying to move away from the type of formula that was found in the first two films. It doesn't set around Christmas and the action moves around a city rather than setting itself around one particular building. But there are still several aspects that are considerably similar to the original. There's German terrorist, a plot about an estranged marriage, and a situation that involves being down to only two bullets. There are some involving elements towards the way the action is structured at first. The action and/or tension seems to be based on puzzles and riddles. There are numerous large-scale, well-crafted action sequences that can stand-out but at the same time, the story seems to lose some steam towards the middle (not to mention that the pacing on certain occasions, really bogs down) to the point were a gets to a climax that's not really stimulating. Certain aspects in Die Hard With a Vengeance grows a bit tiresome after a while. First and foremost, the profanity throughout ultimately feels like a really worn-out conversational piece rather than being the exclamation point of a line. Even the "Yippie Ki Yay..." line isn't very effective because the way it's presented simply feels too obligatory and seemingly thrown in at the very last minute. Secondly, while Die Hard With a Vengeance also tries to move away from the formula of having one person taking on the terrorist to having two, the movie obviously allows itself to seriously fall into typical cliches of cop/buddy type of movies in which the cops reluctantly work with each other but slowly begin to accept one other as the movie progress.

The Flintstones (1994)

Recreates Certain Elements of the Series Well, but Still Lacking In Material

[8 April 2000]

The Flintstones seemingly tries its best to create a similar feeling towards the television series. While the movie atmosphere (i.e. the set design) can be really amusing, there's still something lacking in terms of the script. One problem that The Flintstones seems to have is that it apparently derived a majority of its material from episodes of the show. The humor itself is really one-note as it spends most of its time showcasing the special effects, mild moments of slapstick, and recreating certain gags from the show (e.g. the tip-toe sound effects during a bowling game and scenes from the opening and closing credits). It's fine if the movie was trying really hard to pay a homage to the show for which it's based on but the script doesn't really do much to greatly enhance the material. The humor probably works the best when it takes something from the present and slightly twist it. Although the story is perhaps too simple and ultimately predictable, it's somewhat understandable since it is after all based on a cartoon.

Blankman (1994)

Not Clever Enough for a Parody

[1 April 2000]

Many jokes in Blankman center on certain private body parts which are for the most part, are played out in a pathetic and forced manner (the movie perhaps relies too much on this). You can't really expect a significant level of cleverness throughout this movie. The movie is seemingly willing to tell you from the start that it will get really dumb or juvenile in order to get a laugh, but it also tends to reach an amateurish level at the most. Blankman on certain occasions becomes a parody of the (what has by now been described as campy) 1960s television series Batman (an episode of that show even appears early on in the movie). There are several parodies of the fight scenes in that show were various comic book type of words like "Pow!" would show up. But Blankman doesn't really go further with these parodies. It doesn't really exploit the various aspects of the Batman television series effectively enough. Along the way, we also get several views on urban neighborhoods, but there really isn't much to get out of this on a highly satirical level. We're told that type of things that could possibly go on in reality in these types of places but the script is unable to twist this for some more humor. Instead, Blankman is perhaps more like a low-rent, much dumber, variation of comic book themes.

The Cable Guy (1996)

Ultimately, Not Really Involving

[30 March 2000]

The Cable Guy to a certain extent tries to satirize the various effects that watching television brings. And while the movie on certain occasions, is fairly creative with the way it brings up various television programs from the past, it also tends to be give off a really uneasy feeling. As The Cable Guy goes on, the tone seems to become darker and darker to a point in which there's a pretty uneven balance surrounding the comedy. Its several attempts at mixing in slapstick (i.e. scenes set inside of a bathroom and a restaurant with a medieval theme) seem heavy-handed. They either hammer the point of a particular joke in protracted sequences, or feel too odd and juvenile at the same time. Some insight can possibly be found in the script with its numerous references to popular-culture, but the story falls into a fairly predictable approach which places its characters into going threw a slow process of going insane. There are many directions that The Cable Guy takes with its story. It tries to satirize the media, it tries to bring up the potential dangers of watching television (the movie even throws in a small message about reading in the process of this) and alterate things to do, it throws in a story about obsession, etc.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

May Cram In Too Much

[20 March 2000]

There's at times a sense that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is very frantic with the storytelling and trying to rush things along in order to get you to be entertained and excited. It seems like the way the story is set into motion isn't really developed fully. In spite of that, the movie manages to top some of its own action sequences and stunts. There are possibly various sequences from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom to pick from throughout that can supply some suspense. Although Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is able to maintain interest, there's a feeling at times that movies may be giving out too much of a certain thing. For example, there's a particular character's trait of whining throughout. Early on, it feels like some type of comic relief, but after a while, it can get pretty annoying and/or redundant. What helps the movie is its sense of humor which can help offset or add another perspective some of the gross-out gags. It can also offset some areas of dialog which seems too corny to be taken seriously e.g. the lines "Indy, I love you!" and "Please come back to us!"

Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)

Wildly Uneven

[16 March 2000]

Beverly Hills Cop III is wildly uneven for the most part with mixing humor and action. Although the action is packed and fast paced, comedy tends be lazy and uninspired and the presence of pure action seems greater as the film progress. The action itself manages to pull out some moments that have suspense(along with some mildly amusing gags here and there) but on there's also a considerably large sense of being able to expect what's going to happen next. In spite of the fact that Beverly Hills Cop III carries a fairly original premise, certain elements and gags seem to be recycled for the first film. E.g. a small gag an apartment that concerns a case of mistaken identity, the appearance of a truck in the early scenes, a particular substance that's hidden whether it's coffee hiding cocaine inside of a box or a theme park's own money hiding counterfeit dollar bills, etc.

Flubber (1997)

Ultimately Pretty Dull

[11 March 2000]

Flubber can be imaginative with its usage of the special effects, but the movie can also seem dull and uninvolving (perhaps it's because most of the settings in Flubber look murky). The pacing is leisurely and script tends resort to some tiresome slapstick throughout. Every once in a while, some interest and/or some energy can be generated but the special effects in certain areas serve more as an exhibition that really doesn't bare a connection with the story and feels like padding in the process. For example, there's a dance sequence involving the Flubber. Scenes on certain occasions feel stretched out and the movie at one point, throws in an absolutely manipulative thread into the story.

Broken Arrow (1996)

Perhaps a Case of Style Overcoming Substance

[11 March 2000]

Although Broken Arrow manages to be consistent with the action and presents some well crafted action sequences, they ultimately can't over-shadow some flaws with the story. The movie is littered with some holes in the story. For example, there really isn't a thorough explanation towards why one of the characters needs to get arrested and presents a character who switches sides with virtually no explanation. The story is also shallow with handling the motives towards the main thread in the plot and that's the theft of nuclear weapons. Broken Arrow will occasionally show on creativity with the action (even going over the top in the process) but the movie somehow is unable to generate a real sense of excitement, the action tends to play out in a predictable manner.

Superman II (1980)

Manages to Hold Your Interest In Spite of Being Simple-Minded

[9 March 2000]

Superman II doesn't really have a sense of building up the story as it supposedly takes place about a day after the original. The movie sets into full motion from the start based an action sequences and continues the stretch of being action packed. While Superman II manages to be fairly quick with the pacing, expand the characters, and provides some good special effects for its time (i.e. pre-computer graphics), the script on certain occasions can get so simple-minded, that the movie tends to lose a sense of anything logical. When the film tries to be very ingenious and/or showy in certain areas, it's either pretty confusing or silly. Not to mention that the movie throws in an absolutely ridiculous "cop-out" resolution for the relationship of the main characters. Still, Superman II manages to be very entertaining throughout and is definitely superior to the films in the series that followed (Superman III, which was ultimately hampered by awkward and juvenile humor and a certain devoid of action while Superman IV was ultimately hampered by cheesy special effects, a thin story, and some considerable derivation from Superman II).

Armageddon (1998)

Entertaining, but Ultimately Falls Apart As It Progress

[4 March 2000]

Somewhat surprisingly, Armageddon ultimately falls apart when it finally gets into full swing with its premise. Perhaps the biggest flaw in this movie, is the quick editing technique throughout. The camera tends to cut to another character or shot before another person is even finished with a sentence. The editing creates the illusion that numerous situations are happening all at once. Because of this, the movie pretty can be confusing at times in spite of the fact that it can represent frantic situations fairly well. Not to mention that the quick editing technique grows somewhat tiresome after a while. On certain occasions Armageddon can fall into the area of repeating itself. Besides the style of editing, the camera will every once in a while, use slow-motion shots of people all across the world and even some action sequences (e.g. scenes that involve drilling at an asteroid) seem similar. Along with that, certain scenes in space and their outcome (although benefit from moving at a fast pace) can get predictable as they progress on certain occasions. Although the drama is somewhat sappy and manipulative, it's redeemed to a certain extent mainly by a moving musical score. But what really can't be redeemed in Armageddon is some ridiculously played out scenes. For example, there's a seemingly pointless scene on an asteroid which centers on the usage of a machine gun. In spite of the various flaws in that Armageddon contains, it still manages to hold your interest throughout.

The Golden Child (1986)

Flat and Considerably Embarrassing At Times

[3 March 2000]

The jokes throughout The Golden Child have a high tendency of falling incredibly flat (seemingly to the point in which you fell absolutely embarrassed). The one-liners and comedic situations in general are either half-hearted or forced for the most part. For example, there's a scene in which somebody is laying in a dark alley after getting his entire face slashed with someone implying that he cut himself shaving. The special effects are passable but they somewhat feel more like exhibits rather than a plot devise. The action sequences that will occasionally pop up aren't particularly memorable. They play out more as routines than anything else. While the premise of The Golden Child is somewhat interesting, the material all around is lack-luster and lame. There's a too much of a feeling throughout that not much of an effort is being put into the script.

Fantastic Four: The Animated Series (1994–1996)

Stumbled Early On, but Slightly Improved As It Progressed

[2 March 2000]

This series (which was based on the Marvel comic of the same name) initially ran for two seasons in syndication as one half of a weekly show called The Marvel Action Hour (the other half was Iron Man). Perhaps The Fantastic Four was a rare case on a series that actually improved later on. The first season was lacking in various areas. The animation was stiff and appeared to be lacking with the textures (they looked very bright and rough to put it in other words). Somehow, there was at times a feeling that the stories were boarding towards camp. What stands out the most about the first season of The Fantastic Four is the theme song. Although the theme song was catchy, it was also really cheesy and sounded more like a jingle than anything else. Throughout the series, certain annoying factors tended to surface whether it was the theme from the first season or some fairly irritating supporting characters. When the second season came along, several improvements were made. The animation was better, a stronger theme song was put into place, and the episodes felt more action packed.

Bad Boys (1995)

Somewhat Shallow, but Still a Highly Exciting Action Film

[2 March 2000]

The story to a certain extent in Bad Boys is relatively shallow(you can also argue that it's littered with various movie cliches). The enemies (along with their motives) are pretty under-developed and at times the humor seemingly goes threw a repetitious cycle. There either maybe excessive bickering or some fairly lame situations that play out as something that perhaps belong in a situation comedy. One of the biggest assets in the movie is the high amount of tension. The action sequences are so exciting (along with a rousing musical score), that it gets to a certain point in which you're able to look pass the various flaws. The pacing doesn't really bog down to a substantial level and the entire climax manages fairly successfully to top everything else. Almost every scene in the climax manages to top itself.

Forrest Gump (1994)

At Times Fascinating and Informative but Also Considerably Offensive

[27 February 2000]

Perhaps the most interesting aspect in Forrest Gump is its various alternations of certain historical events. While these scenes (presented in the fashion of archives) which center on interaction with numerous past famous people essentially appears to be contrived (not to mention that the film also could have gone further with the satire), this can also serve as some type of source for information on the United States and are amusing and inventive. The storytelling in general, feels like a way to provide some type of information and history of the United States at a certain period. But the film as a whole feels bloated, and along the way, some considerably offensive material can be found here and there. At one point, there's a feeling that the script is trying to lay down a stereotype people based on the type of states that they live in. The script in certain areas takes some humor and/or tries to create satire out of people with various physical disabilities along with seemingly attempting to create some humor out of a racial slur based on misinterpretation from the title character. Certain points in the story are brought up in a relatively low key fashion but we still can help to come to a foregone conclusion on the meaning of the particular topics that are discussed. Along with that, Forrest Gump occasionally aims for absolutely low brow humor rather than providing more necessary satire. While the musical score makes for a good set piece, the drama to a certain extent can also rub you the wrong way. It at times breaks down and treads into sappy territory and can also get pretty manipulative. Take for instance a small reference to AIDS which by itself feels tagged onto the story.

Celebrity Deathmatch (1998–2007)

While Very Creative and At Times Insightful, the Material Seems to Be Lacking In Certain Areas

[26 February 2000]

Celebrity Deathmatch can be entertaining and is inventive with the way it can take various attributes that lie within celebrities and taking them a step further along with the numerous gags. The show will occasionally throw in some type in joke about the celebrities in the process of the fights. While Celebrity Deathmatch makes numerous references to particular movies, television shows, etc., there seems to be a certain restraint in these areas. Rather then attempt to be a hard hitting satire of the way the entertainment industry functions and the various topics that surround it, episodes tend to break down into an assortment of typical parodies of movies and television shows that rely heavily on sight gags (which at times can be fairly predictable) and puns.

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

Lacks in Character Development, but Still Highly Imaginative

[23 February 2000]

The special effects that can be found throughout The Phantom Menace sets an example of its high imagination. While it ultimately gets to a point where it more than ever feels like an exhibition for the special effects, they're top notch never the less. The same really can't be said about the story itself. First of all, the character development is lacking. For the most part, the characters are presented in an one-dimensional fashion (especially several characters who play a pivotal role in the story but are ultimately giving fairly little to do) and it could have gone deeper with the background of the planet Naboo. The restricted character development seems more apparent based on the fact the there's other film that's going follow up on The Phantom Menace. Also, there's a feeling that the movie is trying too hard in the comic relief department at times (i.e. Jar Jar Binks who's dialog can be pretty incomprehensible on certain occasions). In spite of this, there are about two points in the story that is able to generate the most excitement (a quickly paced race, and a light-saber duel). The light-saber duel (with the music aiding things) starts out on a quick pace but then stops in the middle of the whole sequence and eventually goes back into a quick pace.

Titanic (1997)

Worth Looking for Only for the Action Sequences and Camera Work (Some Spoilers)

[23 February 2000]

Titanic really isn't very involving in terms of its drama as it starts out. At this point, main thing that can be really worth observing is the camera work. There are numerous long shots the movie progress, you are able to gain more of a interest with the story around the ship and its atmosphere. It that can help grab a hold on to the scenery fairly well. As occasionally cuts back to the present day setting were the movie begins but not on a constant basis. The drama itself at times feels to be lacking. It tends to force several situations for dramatic impact. Most of the bulk in Titanic belongs to the sinking of the ship. The process of these action sequences is seemingly carefully and well constructed but along the way, it falls into various repetitious situations and dialog (e.g. the lines "Come back", "Oh shi*", and "Never let go"). For example, we either see children standing around and crying or crew members (who set an example of the one-dimensional supporting characters and in the process of this type of scenes usually gets punched) arguing with a group of passengers who paths are blocked. Any other way, this period in the movie (albeit going on forever) is still interesting since it's obviously at moment of panic.

Steel (1997)

Somewhat Ingenuous, but Ultimately Ruined By its Script

[21 February 2000]

The usage of gadgets and things of that nature can be found throughout in Steel. But this in the process is really a case of making either a hit or miss on a frequent basis. The usage of gadgets can either show that movie can be inventive along with being downright silly. While Steel scores to a certain extent with its ingenuity and 1970s sounding score which is somewhat catchy, the movie is really hampered for the most part by its script. The enemies that can be found throughout somehow play off as some type of parody of I suppose you can say gang members or people who live in urban neighborhoods. The best example of this is the fact that they usually speak in typical street slang (i.e. a scene that involves a bank robbery). And if isn't that, the script resorts to cheesy one-liners and puns that can usually be found in action movies. Not to mention several lame situations which was put in place to create a humorous effect like for example, several scenes in which the characters are forced to whisper and some predictable storytelling in certain areas.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

Amazingly Dull (Possible Spoilers)

[19 February 2000]

The Lost World takes its time to get where it's going (Site B) but when it gets there and moves forward, it becomes more apparent that the movie can mainly be viewed as an exhibition for the special effects. The numerous special effects are satisfying as they interact very well with the live action and its presence could have possibly created various situations throughout. But as The Lost World goes on, it slowly grows more and more tedious. It's fairly stylish with the way the atmosphere is presented (i.e. through the usage of rain) and is able to pull out some decent cliff-hanger stunts, but they can grow exceedingly tiresome as well. One sequence in particular involves a trailer and the threat of the cracking wind-shield glass, but after it's all said and done, the sequence (while done to an effect) feels over-long. There are also certain scenes that are apparently there for the purpose of action, but they just feel flat out inane. Like a scene in which a dinosaur is defeated via a gymnastics routine or a segment in San Diego which incorporates a scene set outside of a family's house which would be better suited for a situation comedy. Somehow, The Lost World for the most part is unable to really get you involved or conjure up any real suspense.

Face/Off (1997)

Carries Effect Action Sequences and a Silly Script

[17 February 2000]

Since Face/Off is based on a relatively absurd premise, it's quite easy to look pass various questions concerning logic. For example, is it really possible for the transition of the faces of people with different blood types to work (the story behind it felt contrived by the way), how can somebody still be able to smoke after they have just had their face taken off, how and why can you tell the amount the bullets you have left, etc. This is off-set by some effect camera work (e.g. up close shots of bullets leaving guns the moment that they're fired) that gives something extra to the action sequences. For example, there's an action sequence that somehow gives off an illusion that someone is firing a gun while on top of a moving squad car. But it seems that as the film goes on, the dialog just gets unintentionally sillier and it absolutely gets to a point were the the only thing that Face/Off can fall back on is the action (which can be over-blown and tense at the same time) in spite of the fact that it seems to try to off-set its premise by throwing in a plot about revenge. While the film carries an increasingly mediocre script, then I suppose it works to a certain degree on a psychological level like its usage of mirrors in certain parts.

Independence Day (1996)

The Special Effects are Ultimately the Main Thing To Look Out For

[7 January 2000]

Independence Day is basically a movie in which the special effects are ultimately the main thing that's really worth looking out for. It used miniatures quite effectively (they probably work at best when it incorporates green lighting) as buildings practically shoot out towards the camera with a loud presence and the fighter jet sequences are perhaps highest point overall in this film but ultimately, that's about it, just a collection of hugh special effects. The story itself is shallow with an explaination surrounding the motives behind the alien invasion. The only character trait that's really interesting surrounding the aliens is their telepathy. But the movie only touches on that subject briefly in one scene. At the same time, the movie adds pointless and downright silly traits to the aliens i.e. their smell. You can also to a deep look into the dialog in Independence Day. The script is for the most part basically an assortment of one-liners throughout. It perhaps gives a small notion that it doesn't for the most part want to be taking very seriously or it isn't ment to be taken seriously because of this. Perhaps you can argue that this really provides relief in a story concerning the destruction of earth but at the same time, the writing just feels too lame. While the special effects are the highest point in Independence Day, they also in certain areas set an example of downright silly storytelling. Like for example, a action sequence involving a dog surviving an in-coming blaze. Or a scene in which a hugh alien is knocked unconscious with a single punch. This scene gives a notion that in spite of the fact that the aliens possess the ability to lay out a massive invasion, but they're unable to fight on their own (meaning without the use of any type of vehicle).

Clueless (1996–1999)

Heavy-Handed

[27 November 1999]

It seemed like this show tried to mix together different styles. It tried to be a satire of life in Beverly Hills, California while at the same time, have a tendency of introducing semi-serious issues (i.e. smoking, teenage pregancy, drunk driving, etc.). But when these issues were presented, the show would fall into cliches by having the characters appear in some type of public service announcement (preaching to the viewer towards why these things are wrong). References to popular culture was probably something that Clueless had to fall back on. But somehow, the jokes in large part felt flat (perhaps the acting was a bit amateurish from time to time). What sounded like high violin riffs (which would come at a frequent basis) apparently replaced a laugh track. Not to mention that the web site was shamelessly promoted occasionally during episodes.

Unhappily Ever After (1995–1999)

Perhaps a Guilty Pleasure

[21 November 1999]

Frankly Unhappily Ever After can be considered a guilty pleasure. The show esstentially played out on a trashy level (i.e. in terms of its seemingly inane storytelling) and perhaps the acting had a tendecy of being relatively amateurish. Unhappily Ever After tried to coast as far as it could in terms of references to popular culture and to a certain degree the show benefited from it. Perhaps that was the only thing the show had to fall back on but the references managed to come out on a frequent basis and were fairly interesting never the less. Perhaps Unhappily Ever After can considerably be labled as "low-rent satire." You're viewing something that's can be juvenile on a frequent basis but at the same time will make a fun out of numerous things in popular culture.