Reviews by Vix

The Kingdom presents a very real view on cultural differences and highlights how people are fundamentally alike than they are different. The performances are all top notch but my favorite was the actor who played the character of Colonel Faris Al Ghazi, the FBI team's guide and guard during their time in Saudi Arabia. His sense of fairplay and justice really rang true and I like how his friendship with Jamie Foxx's character develops from misunderstanding to mutual respect.

The major let down of The Kingdom is the pacing. Things get off to an unsettling, emotional and thrilling start but gets bogged down by delving too much into the political background of Saudi/US relations as well as posturing by various big wigs.

But still once the investigation gets underway, The Kingdom is choc-a-block with action and by the time of the last act, I was at the edge of my seat.

Enchanted puts its own spin on the classic Disney princess story with great charm and humor.

The characters were all well cast with Amy Adams being the standout - being likable and innocent without being cloying.

And the musical numbers that you would expect from any Disney movie are a treat. I dare you not to sign along when Giselle starts singing "That's How You Know".

This is the first time that I've come across this type of street dancing and the choregraphy was great.

But the overall story was boring and I just couldn't feel anything for the main character.

A great ending couldn't make up for the rest of the movie which is a shame because Stomp The Yard could have been much better.

Blue Crush is a halfway decent film until the introduction of the love interest. I don't know why Hollywood movies feel the need to ram a love story in a film when it's just not needed.

If the director had made the movie more about Anne Marie's love/fear of the waves it would have been more nuanced. As it is the whole romance totally sidetracked the film.

A look at the life of Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippine dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. Diaz mixes archival footage together with interviews with dissidents, journalists, friends as well as the "Steel Butterfly" herself.

That Mrs. Marcos comes across in a less than flattering light has less to do with any critic than what she has to say about herself. Try as she might to make you believe in her innate naivete and innocence, Mrs. Marcos shows herself to be out of touch with reality and who couldn't see how her childish sense of entitlement nearly derailed a country.

In The Abyss, James Cameron weaves a number of plot lines - a rescue mission for a submarine, encounters with alien life, the perils of the Cold War and the redemption of love - in a manner that actually works until the ending.

The movie is at its most successful when it plays on your fears of the deep to create a tense atmosphere. What is more remarkable is that the special effects and cinematography are still stunning after 18 years.

While the characters may be stereotypical at times, the actors make you care what happens to them. Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio do a great job in walking the tightrope between intense and vulnerable as the estranged couple who come to settle their differences. Michael Biehn is wonderfully over the top in playing the rapidly unraveling Navy SEAL team leader.

My main problem with The Abyss is that the coda neatly ties up the movies plotlines in one grand Hollywood-style gesture.
This feel good ending doesn't do the previous 2 and half hours of the movie justice at all. If The Abyss ended 15 minutes earlier I would have been very satisfied.

I'm a huge fan of criminal forensics and when CSI first came out I jumped at the chance to watch a new take on the usual murder/mysteries shows. This isn't Columbo or Murder She Wrote - the clues are in DNA or some shoe impression, or even a piece of lint (maybe I'm exaggerating).

But still, the show has lasted this long because of the intriguing stories, great ensemble cast and the way they mix in science without making it boring.

Favorite Character: Gil Grissom
Favorite Episode: Grave Danger (season 5)

The only thing redeeming quality of Phantom Menace that the Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi fight scene was one of the best I had seen. That is it.

It seemed like George Lucas tried to dazzle us with special effects because he had forgetten to put in a halfway decent plot. The dialogue was wooden, the pacing off - at some times I was bored out of my mind and at others totally confused by what was happening.

Even watching it again on DVD I kept on fast forwarding to the better parts. All in all, I watched The Phantom Menace in 5 minutes. I'm still surprised at how badly Lucas screwed this up.

Fast Food Nation takes a look at how the fast food industry affects people's lives and by doing so examines fast food culture, corporate america and illegal immigration. It is based on Eric Schlosser's non-fiction book of the same title.

I don't know why I got the impression this movie was a comedy because it's not. It's a DRAMA about how corporations control our lives and the lengths that they will go to in order to maintain their profit margin. Richard Linklater capably directs an ensemble cast, letting you follow each one, almost like a documentary.

Sometimes funny, at other times ironic or tragic, Fast Food Nation is ultimately quite depressing. Even though each character's life is changed by the end of the movie - some for good, others for bad, there is this feeling of hopelessness - the impossibility of taking on the corporate american behemoth.

I don't eat a lot of fast food but I can't bring myself to eat a Big Mac after watching this movie, especially because of the last 10 minutes.

Set in the mid 21st century, Space: Above and Beyond follows the a team of rookie pilots, the 58th "Wildcards", who are called to duty when most of Earth's military forces are destroyed by an alien species, the "Chigs".

Known for its gritty and often depressing look at the frontlines of war, this cult classic only lasted one season.

While realistic sci-fi is now dime a dozen, Space: Above and Beyond was an anathema for sci-fi tv in the mid-90s. The dark storylines together with some bad scripts and Fox's poor handling of the show made it difficult for the show to find its audience.

When it first aired, Nathan West's quest to find his girlfriend, Kylen Celina was my main motivation for watching the show. But on viewing it again more recently I found the overall arc to be cliched and West to be a sniveling, complaining individual.

Far more interesting is the character study of invitro, Hawkes and his relationship with the rest of the team, especially fellow invitro, Lt. Col T.C. McQueen (played by James Morrison). McQueen remains to be my favorite character on the show.

While a lot of the effects haven't aged gracefully, Space: Above and Beyond's underlying theme of loyalty and courage during times of conflict is still powerful enough to overcome its shortcomings.