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Reviews
The 4400: Becoming (2004)
Serial Killers and Unions, Galore!
A very good episode. I would say the best so far of the series, although I will say things are progressing on the central arc very quickly. It seems we will soon know exactly what happened the 4400 which to me is going to take some mystery out of the show.
This episode features a serial killer who has the ability to manipulate other people's minds to do his bidding. A very cool concept indeed! This episode didn't feature as much about Shawn and Danny and Nikki but Maia does play a vital role in this episode, marking the second time that powers can be used for good instead of evil.
The relationship between Richard and Lily gets steamy and there is an alien in Lily which is sweet. Hopefully we get some serious alien birth stories going. At this point, the show is making these aliens out to be some kind of experimenting, pre-destiny deciding creator like creatures, although there is room for interpretation.
Best part of the entire episode is the addition of Billy Campbell to the cast as Jordan Collier. Clearly, he is a badass and that will be a fun story to watch.
The 4400: The New and Improved Carl Morrissey (2004)
Slower than the Pilot
Finally! This is kinda the style of show I was hoping for. Taking the same style as shows like X-Files. The investigators (Tom and Diana) of the story take on one story an episode and help develop overall character arcs. This is the classic set up and I was afraid this show was going to miss the mark.
We follow a fella who is of course one of the 4400 returnees. He has supernatural strength and decides to clean up his old neighborhood. He eventually meets his demise but this is the first time we see one of the gifted 4400 using their new found powers for good. I did find the ending to be a bit too cheesy for my liking but its all good.
We do see that something weird is going on with the baby of Lily and there appears to be some type of development in the relationship between Lily and Richard. Very little development of Maia in this episode, which is strange since I find her to be one of the most fascinating characters yet.
My only complaint is the development of the soap opera style love triangle between brothers Danny and Shawn and Nikki. Of course, I would fight tooth and nail with anybody for Brooke Nevin. This is definitely the best role I have seen Ms. Nevin in.
The 4400: Pilot: Part 2 (2004)
Promising to Say the Least
Based on premise alone, this series sounds like perfect SciFi. 4400 people are abducted over the years and are all returned on a single day with no knowledge of what happened to them. In this episode we are introduced to the first of the 4400 and to the NSA agents who will investigate the phenomena. The most interesting character to date is a little girl named Myra who appears to have the ability to tell the future in a creepy but delightful way. Why do children always seem so creepy in SciFi?!
The first few minutes are important so pay attention! Things slow down a little and then picks right up. The "returnees" are discriminated against which makes an interesting sub plot, but what really makes this show interesting as a premise is the super abilities of the returnees. Only time will tell if the show gets better or worse from this episode.
I plan on binge watching it so hang on tight and follow my reviews. See how my opinion changes as the series goes on.
The Forbidden Kingdom (2008)
Too Cheesy and Predictable even for Chan
The Forbidden Kingdom is like a Cheesy-Chan version of "The Neverending Story". The plot is predictable and the action is so cheesy that it is hard to watch. I think I actually nodded off once or twice while watching it.
I will say that the antics of Jackie Chan and the strong silent monk style of Jet Li actually complimented each other quite well. I was just disappointed in the choreography and the way the camera angles highlighted them. Many of the fight scenes drag on too long and are simply too complicated.
Overall, I would say that it is worth seeing if you have younger teen boys and you want a clean movie for them to watch.
District 9 (2009)
Gory and Good
This is an unusual take on your traditional alien film. The aliens are actually held under human control even though their technology is clearly greater. The aliens are not there to destroy the planet, but are simply refugees. Kudos to the writing staff. My biggest complaint is the aliens are clearly superior with their weapons, however they are treated very poorly. The entire time I watched the movie, I wondered why the aliens couldn't just kill someone for cat food.
***If you don't like blood, guts and the gore that comes with it, the stay away***
Truly a great film. Lots of good camera work. Alternates using security camera footage and documentary type footage. Easy to understand but yet complex movie.
Tales of an Ancient Empire (2010)
No Beginning and No Ending
After suffering through a horrible beginning and the longest roll of names of the cast I have yet to see in a cheesy B-film, I thought it could only get better. I thought that was the case until I realized the movie ends without really resolving the conflict. Did they run out of money? It sure looked that way. The heart of the story and the satire of it all made the middle of the film quite enjoyable. I laughed at the cheesy hero adventure comedy that was persistent but was still very upset by the failure to properly compose a storyline. I feel like 10 minute of re-writing could have solved many people's woes with this movie. Watch it and see for yourself, but I suggest fast forwarding through the first 10 minutes and turning it off 20 minutes before the end. You will not regret it that!