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Reviews
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Teacher's Pet (1997)
ehh...not THAT bad
All in all this episode has and will forever be a disappointment to loyal fans of the show for many reasons. The first of which is the plot which involves vampires...no sorry...praying mantis's.
This episode is a little bit out there as far as the main storyline goes but that does not say the episode is worth missing. For die hard fans of the show, the special fx and the overall "attitude" the episode displays will be worth watching even though the general story is flawed.
While trying to be bias meanwhile avoiding spoilers all I can say is this episode had promise but was not executed in a way which would have brought out such promise.
The episode is far from "bad" but also far from "excellent" In my opinion I give it a six.
Rescue Me: Kansas (2004)
Gritty, Powerful, especially for the year it was released
This episode has an amazing start thats fully charged and action packed. From the opening scene to the closing titles I didn't find myself bored or thinking "how much longer?" a single time.
The episode roughly revolves around the aftermath of a fight at a local gay bar and an upcoming hockey match between the NYPD and the FDNY. The "probie" seems like a good player but a certain member of the hockey team has some doubts which get settled in only a way that the sport of hockey can depict.
Another storyline revolves around the main character and his father who without giving it away have an awesomely dubbed sub-titled scene which leaves this viewer laughing.
All in all this episode focuses on change and how change effects us in both a positive and a negative way. Highly recommended and a great episode!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Witch (1997)
Welcome Amy
This episode is nice because we get to "know" the characters a bit more. The episodes in the first season of Buffy are unique because its fun to see the characters sort of "figure out" who they are. I enjoy this episode because it has a nice twist that I *wont* give away towards the end.
As far as action wise / pacing wise, this episode is a little bit on the slow side. The action really doesn't start until the last few minutes *BUT* the episodes pacing is unique because it slowly builds throughout.
The ending is well...they do only have 45 minutes....all in all a slow average episode with a good twist.
6 out of 10
Hell's Kitchen: Day 8 (2005)
Good, Bad, and Great!
As the first season started to draw to a close I noticed a little bit of a change in the pacing of the show. Its almost like the producers realized the show was almost over and wanted us to get to know the characters a little bit better.
The first challenge is amazing. Its simple yet fun and as a chef myself, its something that is commonly done in most kitchens. I don't want to give anything away but lets just say the simpler the dish (sometimes) the better the taste.
I still don't like Michael. He's like the mean backstabber of the show, your friend one minute, your enemy the next. The only sad part is that most of the cast is too slow to realize his true intentions. In fact, some three-four years later I bet they still haven't figured it all out yet.
Another note on this episode, or the season in general is what I call the JF or Jealous Factor. In most episodes it borders around 4 or 5 (out of 10) but in this episode it reaches near 75. The cast of season one goes back and forth between a love and hate relationship in my mind. Just a note to the cast if they are reading this: Calm down, you are ALL on TV!
As far as the main challenge goes, well lets just say its sorta like an awkward game of musical chairs gone wrong. The contestants are tested in a strange way to see who really has the skills. Some of them do OK and some of them don't, to quote Chef Ramsey "What a pile of idiots" (lol)
Chef Ramsey says that the spirit is missing from the main challenge and I couldn't agree more. The cooks turn their backs on each other and in the end its as if no one wins. Hopefully by the end of this season some sense of order and teamwork will return to a show which lacks both.
As far as the ending goes, I still won't give anything away, but I will say that anyone with half a brain knows whose going home, but its the creative way they end this episode which brings the "Unique" factor way up. In fact if you remember only ONE thing out of the whole episode, it will be the final 10 seconds.
All in all a good episode with a lot of action, tension, and heart.
8/10
Hell's Kitchen: Day 7 (2005)
Good Episode....Good Pacing
Wow! Just when you thought it couldn't get any "Hotter", Hells Kitchen turns up the heat. Season 1 episode 7 begins at a fast pace. In fact, the pacing in general of the show started to speed up with this installment. Pace wise this episode wins as one of the better out of the first seven episodes. In my mind, Ralph should have gone home in episode 6. His menu was bad and he didn't take the blame for his mistake, but thats water under the bridge. The scene transitions for this episode are amazing. It creates a nice flow and balance to a show which lacks both up until this point. The episode is all around good, the competition is tense yet the rewards are fun and easy to watch. Its the kind of episode you could watch over and over and not get bored. The only negative thing about this episode are the camera cuts. Sometimes the cuts seem a little bit too rushed or too soon. It almost ruins the pacing of the episode but is made up by the good overall storyline.
Now on to the characters. I like Jimmy, his sweet, charming attitude is tested throughout this episode which will keep fans interested on seeing how he measures up to the tough scrutiny of Chef Ramsey. Jessica in my opinion is treated a little bit unfair in this episode, but I feel like I'll be in the minority with my opinion.
Overall the episode is good, fast paced, and fun to watch. I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
ER: Hit and Run (1994)
Brilliant.
The Third Titled episode "Hit and Run" originally airing 10/6/1994 begins with a troubled mother and a future child star (I'll leave that one a secret). Dr. Carter shines in this episode as a troubled Doctor who is often shovled around between Dr. Benton and his rival all the while trying to deal with his first ER death. Dr. Carter carries this episode through its middle with his wonderful performance as a doctor who is just trying to make it through the day. Some humorous highlights include a salesman who will do ANYTHING to make the sale, even if it means disrupting the entire ER floor. We also get to know a little bit about Dr. Bentons family (mother, sister) in this epispde. Dr. Ross also provides some excellent acting, he is slowly starting to become the star that he is today. All in all a highly entertaining episode worth checking out.
ER: Going Home (1994)
A great turning point for the series
The Episode in this weeks "About" is called "Going Home" and originally aired 9/29/1994. The episode centers on nurse Hathaway's first day back on the job after her attempted suicide. The episode is strong, moving, and powerful (as were the previous two) but lacked a little bit of luster that the original two episodes had. The script is sometimes spotty leaving the viewer to wonder what exactly was left on the cutting room floor. Some highlights though are Dr. Carters performance on a strange singing lady (played wonderfully by Rosemary Clooney). All in all this is a so-so episode recommended for fans of the first season. 7 out of 10 stars.
Dr. Rage (2005)
Based on a False Story
This review pertains to the "Unrated Directors Cut" Where to begin on a film like this? First of all I have seen many, many horror movies, but never one quite like this. You will notice from the first five minutes that this film isn't exactly a "Hollywood" production, but I tried not to let that taint my review. The film revolves around a taxi-driver who has a bit of a rage problem and instead of facing jail time, decides to do some medical "research" There are a few minor twists and turns that I will leave for you to find out, but the bottom line is this movie never reaches the high expectations shown on its DVD Cover. The special effects are OK, the last five minutes are fair, but the overall mood of the movie never really reaches full effect.
If you are a fan of odd, low budget, dialog movies, then you might actually find this one somewhat entertaining. The added sex scene provides at least some sort of excitement to an otherwise dull production.
My rating 2 out of 10.