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Reviews
Oh! Sûpâ Miruku-chan (1998)
A Different Milk Perspective
Though I'm probably one of the few, I'll proudly proclaim here and now that I like Super Milk Chan. I find it to be very funny. I cracked up throughout the homeless episode, and even more at the sequel to the homeless episode, (which was exactly the same as the original homeless episode but with different props and jokes...too funny).
Yes, there's no real plot, though I guess that in and of itself could be considered a plot, and yes, the characters are rude. I just find the idea of a 5 year old super hero with no real super powers, who curses out the President, drools constantly, drinks milk from a bottle, and refuses to pay her rent (rent? ...for a 5 year old?) unbelievably hilarious.
I've read comparisons of Super Milk Chan and the PowerPuff girls, many of which are accurate. Both the PPGs and Milk receive information about crimes or other disasters in progress from top political figures. For the PPGs it's the Mayor and for Milk it's the President (of everything). They both resolve the crime or conflict by the end of the episode. They're both cute in a disturbing way. They're both children, and both shows have a sizeable dose of pop culture mixed into the episodes.
That's just about where the comparisons end. Whereas the PowerPuff Girls could be considered to have lite PG-rated content (after all, there's fighting, teeth being knocked out, bruises and broken bones), Super Milk Chan is, in my opinion, a solid R. Milk ridicules everything and everyone, even her closest friend Tetsuko. There's a landlord character named Lalo (get it?), who just happens to be, let's say, not very masculine (not that there's anything wrong with that), who Milk always schemes and belittles so she won't have to pay the rent. Milk also gleefully takes pleasure from others' misfortunes. For example, there's a TV show about what really poor people eat that Milk never wants to miss.
Super Milk Chan is one of those shows where the first time you see it, your mouth hangs open in disbelief. Disbelief shortly becomes disgust, but that doesn't matter, because as disturbed as you may be with the content of the show, something about it makes you want to see it again, and once you do <BLAMO!> you're hooked.
In the final analysis, it's just a stupid cartoon, but if you give it a chance, I'm sure you'll find yourself chuckling, despite yourself.
So, as Milk would say, come on and watch Super Milk Chan with some Sushi or something...You Dumbass!!
Cast Away (2000)
What's the point of cliff-notes trailers???
Why, oh why did they give the whole movie away in the trailers and TV commercials? What could possibly have been the point? To get us to see it? I didn't need that. I was going to see it after viewing the first trailer months ago...you know the one where he lands on the island and yells "Hello,...anybody!!" and then it fades to black. That's all I needed. I was hooked right there. Yeah, Tom Hanks was great. Yeah, it was a good story, so what.
My whole experience of this movie was a big let down, because I knew what was going to happen. I'm sure others who say they didn't really enjoy the movie are feeling the disappointment stemming from this knowledge, as well. The only thing I didn't know for sure was what was going to happen after he got back to civilization...but I had a pretty good idea, and I was right, which was another disappointment. Predictability kills a movie for me. I don't want to know what's going to happen before I see it, and I certainly don't want the whole movie laid out for me in the trailer, as this one was...ridiculous.
I still can't believe it. If you've seen all the trailers for this movie, as I did, there was really no reason to see the movie in the theatre...because you've already seen it, in condensed form. Of course, by just seeing the trailers you don't get the full range and impact of emotion and the subtle nuances that drive the plot forward, and of course you miss the cinematography that makes the movie great to look at, as well as the remarkable physical transformation of Tom Hanks' character, but if you want to know what this movie is all about, and I do mean "all about", then the trailers are all you need.
I kept waiting for something to happen...some twist in the plot. Maybe he would come back and be unable to re-acclimate himself to civilization, or something...anything. But from the moment he came back, the movie sank into dismal predictability, heart-wrenching, yes, but predictable, just the same.
This seems to be a nasty trend in trailers, lately. Perhaps the rationale is the more they show in the trailer, the more will come to see the movie. Faulty logic, if you ask me. Once you have the fish on the hook, you don't keep throwing bait at it.
Remember the Titans (2000)
Remember The Titans - Seven out of Ten stars
Never having been a football fan, I went into this movie with some trepidation. Within the first fifteen minutes, my worries were laid to rest. Though seemingly unabashedly manipulative, Remember The Titans was, nonetheless enjoyable, as well as inspirational. Yes, race relations and integration in the '60's and '70's does seem to be a pet Hollywood theme, but in this case, it wasn't too heavy handedly done. If I had to rate this movie, I would give it a seven out of ten; not great, but entertaining, and thoroughly engrossing.
Denzel Washington gives a commendable, totally believable and entertaining performance as coach Boone. Will Patton, in a departure from the type of role I'm used to seeing him in, actually made me like his Coach Yoast character. It was great seeing him play a good guy, for a change. But the one who absolutely stole the movie, in my opinion, was 11 year-old Hayden Panettiere, who played Cheryl Yoast, Coach Yoast's daughter. Her performance helped to breathe humanity, life and humor into the movie. Hayden's acting seemed so natural that I could actually believe her passions about the game, the team and her father were real. Her scene with Denzel Washington, where they watched post-game films in Coach Boone's home, was one of the best of the movie. Watch Hayden Panettiere; this girl is going places.
Editorial:
If I had to give a criticism about the movie at all, it would have to fall squarely on the shoulders of the Coach Boone character. Don't get me wrong, as I said, I liked Denzel Washington in this movie. I've seen him in (I think) every movie he's done, and I'll probably see every movie he'll do in the future. It would probably have been somewhat less effective had another actor taken the role, as it does seem as though the part of Coach Boone was written specifically for him. ...And that's the problem. Denzel Washington is slowly becoming, if not a caricature of himself, then definitely range-limited. More often than not, his characters have a Denzel Washingtonesque moral rectitude, and most exhibit an engaging condescension that gives the character a father like stature. For all I know, these are traits that may very well be desired in the Roles Mr. Washington tends to take. It would just be nice to see him spread his wings a little and play, dare I say it, a bad guy?