Brodie_C Reviews

The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011)

This is what Doctor Who should be.

[8/10 · 15 November 2007]

If Russell T. Davies had instilled this sort of educational and morality in the new series of Doctor Who, we would have something more akin to the Original series, which, even though I was only young when it was being aired and I never managed to catch either Troughton or Hartnell, was a fantastic series.

Sarah Jane Adventures has humour, monsters and story lines that, although they are hidden behind children running around and on a children's network, are just as accessible to adults than to children.

The characterisations are clear, the directing good, the effects up to scratch with those in Doctor Who and the acting, dare I say it, better. They tackle emotional issues, far-fetched plots and links to the Doctor Who series old and new and still come up Aces whilst being slightly educational along the way.

Whether it was intentional or accidental, adopting the whole point to the original series (Being educational and for the family) The Sarah Jane Adventures should hopefully continue for a long time and be given a n equal focus to that of Doctor Who and far beyond that of Torchwood.

Keep it up Cast and Crew of a fantastic series.

Supernatural (2005–2020)

Nothing Super here.

[20 February 2006]

I have seen several episodes of this show and I must say, for something that came out of the minds of the X-files people, this is a real let down. For all the intelligence, the clever story lines and methods of finishing each one, this show lacks it all. I guess the major problem is the stereotyped lead characters. The eldest brother is someone I believe they were trying to make as the cool, independent, stylish "dude". What they have is a stereotypical loser. He's a deadbeat with no brains, no skills and after ten or so years of hunting demons, all he can come up with EVERY episode is lets find the body, burn it and bury it in salt. And even when he does this he doesn't manage to do it right. The younger brother is more believable, yet by no means a saving grace. So he lost his girlfriend to the same poltergeist, there is absolutely nothing left to this character. His years at uni and developing a life seem only to give them a reason to backtrack and hunt another demon rather than give him any skills. And talking of skills, why is it these boys have been hunting for years, have so much knowledge yet resort to guns in nearly every episode? What happened to the numerous other remedies, wards, defences? Where as X-files would have come up with a clever finish to each story, this show simply has the demons or ghosts burning up or melting away literally. Are there no benevolent spirits? Are there any other creatures or ghosts besides urban legends like the hook man, or bloody Mary? In all, I'd rather be watching Ghostwhisperer and that is saying a lot. Something that may help is a gutsy woman on the team. Get Amy Acker back on to help them. As it is it seems to be every week one of the boys finds a possible love interest and then leaves them behind. At this rate, the boys could become America's most popular bachelors. Oh and why don't any of the characters wear anything other than black, white, brown or other muted colours. I am sure that in every town there are people who wear pinks, bright greens and blues. Also these boys have been arrested with their car and because of their car so often yet not one policeman has ever searched their boot which happens to be full of guns, knives and the like. What this show lacks in character, they do not make up in credibility wherever they can despite it being a fantasy. I'd say give it a miss and watch re-runs of X-files.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

What is all the hype?

[5/10 · 31 January 2006]

I saw this movie without really expecting much. Having read the short story I thought it might be a challenge to get a two hour ten minute film from it. Boy was I wrong. They added long pauses, beautiful shots of scenery and extended scenes beyond what was necessary and comfortable for some audience members. By comfortable, I mean they got boring. Not as a scene by itself but as a whole. By the end of the movie there were notable coughs, fidgeting and I personally couldn't wait for the film to end. In typical Ang Lee fashion, there is minimal dialogue and the lead character tends to lack any emotion (see Eric Bana in Hulk). The make-up for the aging was a huge flaw as I would have believed this took place over a few weeks and not 20 years if it weren't for the children growing up. Michelle Williams gave a very realistic performance as did Jake Gyllenhall, but Heath Ledger was, I feel due to direction, a let down as his broody character went from mysterious to tedious in a short amount of time. The cinematography was fantastic, but that does not make a great film. It's a nice love story, rather depressing, but nothing out of the ordinary (excepting it is between two cowboys).