Greatwhitewhale2 Reviews

Tony Hawk's Underground (I) (2003 Video Game)

A definate for Tony Hawk game fans

[21 May 2004]

To like this game, you have to play the others first. Or you could play the Very easy difficulty. This is nicely different from the other games because it gives you a great story mode with movies and everything where the main character can look like whatever you want.

One really cool features is that there's more to create. Other than doing skaters and parks, you can now create tricks and goals!

The usual skaters are here (Tony Hawk, Bam Margera) and they get involved in the story mode too. The music isn't great. There's a lot of lesser-known bands (or perhaps that's a good thing) but I enjoyed skating to the Sex pistols before! But you can now do it to Kiss so that's cool.

Multiplayer is still the same except for the new "fireball" mode which is really cool.

So I definitely recommend for Tony Hawk fans and for the cool secret characters too!

Spider-Man (2002 Video Game)

A bit too easy

[21 May 2004]

A lot of movie tie-in games ain't too successful but this is OK cause you're Spider-man.

The plot's pretty much the same as the movie except there's other baddies to fave other than the Green Goblin.

As cool as it is to swing around New York city like Spider-man, the floor combat ain't that good. All you have to do is punch and kick. You can get combos but they're pretty pointless. Another problem is the camera, it keeps moving and going the wrong places!

Some cool features is that Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe reprise their roles. Unlike the movie, Spider-man says more jokes, making you think Tobey is Spider-man. Bruce Campbell does some very funny voice-over work, watch out for one of the training sessions where he talks about his grandfather, it's very funny.

There are some cool secrets to get so that's pretty worth it.

In the end, it's an OK game but doesn't offer anything challenging.

Dead Ringers (2002–2007)

Can be for both grown-ups and young people

[21 May 2004]

Jonathan Ross said at the British comedy awards that Dead ringers does a great impression of Alistair McGowan's shows. How wrong he is. He's probably never seen Dead ringers. Dead Ringers offers an up-to-date of the past week look at the news, TV, media and other things. They do polticans, got more impressionists, do more adult jokes, do Candid camera style jokes so Jonathan Ross is dead wrong.

The show started on Radio 4, perhaps that's why young people go away from it but it's a great show. It's very funny, and takes a very sharp swipe at certain stories.

The impressions are fantastic. Espically to Jon Culshaw who does both Bush and Blair very well and made some very funny trademarks about them. (Blair: "Sweaty palms, Hard man hand gesture, Vote-for-me smile" and Bush: "My fellow UmaThurmans, it has been a sadificantly day"). Though it does more politians, it does do movie stars, TV stars music stars and anyone else. One problem is some of the people they do. I mean, I didn't know who Dr. Simon Schama or Brian Sewell were until this show. I didn't even know Newsnight review existed but still laughed at the Tom Paulin impression. But ignore all that, they basically do them really funny and strangely.

So it's a great show, do watch if you want the world to be given a satical swipe!

Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996–2023)

Very funny celebrity music quiz show

[14 May 2004]

It's one of BBC 2's longest running serieses and no doubt as it's

funny and still is to this day.

Everyone's perfect for it. You can't imagine anyone else presenting

it than Mark Lamarr, Phill Jupitus is hilarous and Bill Bailey is

superb, outshining the former team captain before him, Sean

Hughes.

The rounds certainly create great games to play at home. Guess

the intro, opening lyrics.

One disapointment is when Mark Lamarr goes too far. Like giving

certain famous people death threats and making some quite

mean jokes.

Other than that, a verry funny show. May it continue.

Battle Royale (2000)

Very very sick movie but strangely nice

[11 May 2004]

I first head about Battle Royale on a British show called Adam and Joe do Tokyo and it just said "It's a film where a class has to kill each other". I thought that was a pretty extreme idea but the film made sense as I saw it.

It shows a world of adults and young people at war and the extremes the adults go through to get rid of them. What I was concerned about was whether people really did lose all their goodness? Whether they are really living in a world where the goverment is actually killing their own people? But the way they had a happy news reporter wanting to see a Battle Royale winner and the video they show to the students beforehand pretty much summed up the world.

The film really does show the themes of trust. Can you really trust your best friend in that situation? Can you trust a person who you think is all right? Can you trust anyone? But it also explores friendship and love which is very touching.

The actors do good here, they not brilliant but good. The main man behind it was very good and you do explore his character as well as the pupils.

WARNING INNOCENT PEOPLE DO DIE IN THIS MOVIE IN PRETTY HORRIBLE WAYS. I must admit. I closed my eyes sometimes, just in case it was going to get really violent. It is very thrilling though, wondering who was going to survive or the situations where people are pointing weapons at each other.

So this is a very good Japanese movie. It's definitly not for everybody. Hate violence, I recommend the other Japanese movie, Spirited away. And if you went insane or disturbed by the movie after watching it, do what I did. Get out the Finding Nemo DVD and watch the Storytime extra.

True Lies (1994)

An Arnold Schwarzenegger film that laughes at itself

[10 May 2004]

Arnold Schwarzenegger films are just of Arnie playing a hard man shooting bad guys but this film has a comedy touch to it.

The film's over-the-top on purpose cause really it's spoofing the whole action genre. When Arnie started doing comedies like Twins, he started putting that into an action film (Kindergarden cop is debatable) and it comes out in this entertaining thriller.

Arnold, not known for his acting skills, does a pretty funny performance in scenes where he's supposed to be funny. Jamie Lee Curtis does a great transformation into looking like a boring business woman to a sexy hooker but still keeps to the same character. Of course, there's the comic relief Tom Arnold as his wise and less-angry sidekick. Bill Paxton with a good role as a loser pretending to be a spy to get women. Eliza Dushku with a not very big part and Art Malik, the British actor who after this went on the Kumars and Holby city, as an angry terrorist.

The action scenes are superb, espically the chase through the city including a motorbike and a horse. If you want Arnie-like action and comedy, go for this film!

The Witches (1990)

A film that scared the hell out of me as a kid

[10 May 2004]

No doubt Roald Dahl is a great children's author but maybe perhaps children will feel less scared reading the book than seeing it on film!

The story of a boy and his grandmother, finding out that the hotel they are staying at has a witches convention which is planning to turn all the children in England into mice is very well done. Though the major concerns I have is 1. The head witch in her real form 2. The scene when people turn into mice (espically the English kid) WARNING THOSE SCENES SCARE CHILDREN CAUSE IT SCARED ME! So parents, just put your arm around your kid the whole time, just in case.

Performances are good, espically from Angelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson. Jasen Fisher is quite a cheesy lead to have, I reckon.

A good family movie with very scary scenes so I'll warn you there.

EastEnders: Christmas Party (2003 TV Movie)

I beg the BBC not to do this again!

[1/10 · 7 May 2004]

I do think Eastenders is one of the best soaps on TV but honestly, giving it a special Christmas show in which they sing and do lousy sketchs, COME ON! As much as I like Shane Richie now doing Eastenders, people prefer to see him act NOT sing. (See what he did to Wham's I'm your man?) Espically doing sickening duets with Jessie Wallace, it may bring old cheesy Shane RIchie again! One of the worst things is that the damn Lame academy judges were there AND singing! No one knows them, get them off the show!

So if they this this again next Christmas, watch a good Only fools and horses Christmas special.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Another love it/hate it film but to me, it's one of the coolest films ever!

[10/10 · 7 May 2004]

This is no doubt one of the best sci-fi films of all time. The

creatures, the planets, the characters, the ships are all cooly

designed.

The plot is hard to explain, it starts of with 2 robots (or droids)

being caught in a battle on the starship they are on, so just think of

this as an adventure which goes on from there.

Star wars looks at all types of themes and issues. War,

Gangsters, Lowlifes, Country life, Politics, Religion, Love, Comedy,

Action, which is really cool.

It is strictly a love it/hate it film. That's what "overrated" should really

be. People hate it and think it's overrated but there are people who

love it.

Titanic (1997)

You're either love it or hate it. I just think it's a good reconstruction of the event with a lovey-dovey romance

[6 May 2004]

There was no doubt Titanic was going to be big. It was 3 hours long and it recreated a major event. But away from the media hype, I find it too romance-like for my liking.

Looking at the results of the user ratings for this film, females prefer it to males and espically the females under 18! It comes to show that this has more of a female appeal. It has romance, bits that'll make you cry and introducing Leonardo DiCaprio (to the much dislkie of men). I'm not being sexist, men can like this film too but the results just show it.

I didn't like the sickening romance or the sickening ending but what I did like is the reconstruction of the Titanic crash. Well worth the money and certainly showed the sadness of the whole event (I never cried during this movie but what got me close to crying is the scene when the mother tucks her kids into bed, knowing they were going to die. Wonderful).

So like romance, like this. Like expensive reconstructions of events, like this. This film certainly introduced Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and that damn Celine Dion song!

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

A great not-too-compliticated drama

[4 May 2004]

Jim Carrey doing serious films always did seem crazy. The Truman show and Man on the moon was good, wish you could say the same with The Majestic. But here he stars in a very good comedy drama that's more drama.

In some senses, this is similar to Minority Report. A new technology that that seems to make the world a better place but actually makes it worse. But unlike Minority Report, Eternal Sunshine doesn't go through scene by scene, it continously switches between small scenes. The beginning is simple enough but then it'll get confusing but gradually makes a bit more sense. So not a film for people who just want a simple drama.

Jim Carrey does an impressive-enough performance but I find that quite a mostly serious performance was ruined when in 2 scenes, he acted like a kid, going back to zany comedy Jim Carrey. Kate Winslet does a good performance too with an impressive American accent. And some good support from Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson and Elijah Wood (after Lord of the rings, you would have though he'll go for a bigger part.)

The story will keep you going along with the other story that develops between the staff of the memory-erasing clinic.

So if you fancy a strange drama with twists and turns, go ahead with this. But if you love Jim Carrey in his comedy films, don't go for this.

Kung Pow: Enter the Fist (2002)

I could do a stupid movie like this!

[4 May 2004]

Kung Pow is one of the simpliest comedies you could do. Take footage from an old Hong Kong Marital arts film, over dub them with silly voices and add your own crazy characters and you get this.

Though I must admit, it did make me laugh sometimes, it's not a brilliant well-written comedy. It would only make teenagers and kids laugh, not grown-ups (I'm trying not to make myself sound like a grown-up).

I could do this. Give me some random film, I'll go over some old geezer 'Oh, my name is Master Poo-Poo, dude.' Just like that.

So if you are young and laugh easy and silly voices and simple jokes, go for this. If not, go for Schneider's list or something.

Anger Management (2003)

Another Adam Sandler movie, but this one has Jack Nicholson in it

[29 April 2004]

Yes, it's a typical Sandler movie. Adam plays a character with either a disability or anger problem. He gets a girl. There are insane characters around him. But I guess this one's different because of Mr. Jack Nicholson.

Adam has worked with Oscar winners before (Kathy Bates) but Jack is quite a big movie star and I was surprised to see Jack do this. Jack does look like he's having fun doing it though.

There are some good laughes in this and some very good cameos (like a certain man who's well known for his anger problems). It is an entertaining movie and a great chemistry between Sandler and Nicholson and wondering on whether Nicholson's character is a psycho or not.

The ending's pretty weird and a lot of people complained about it but like many ofter Sandler movies, it's a feel good one.

So like Sandler films, watch this but Jack Nicholson doing an Adam Sandler film is the real reason to watch.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)

Nice Lightweight sitcom but cut the seriousness out

[29 April 2004]

No doubt that when musicians get popular, they get offered a film or a TV series and Will Smith got a very entertaining sitcom. A sitcom about a rich family with a "homeboy" relative staying. The characters are good, Will with his flirtous and funky nature, Phil, the angry wise big judge, Hillary the airhead, Geoffrey the wise-cracking butler and of course, Carlton, the short hilarous but stupid boy. Ashley is pretty much there as another character.

The show can be sometimes perdictable, in it's jokes, when Hillary complained "Why are we sitting around in some dusty old cabin waiting for Will to show up", you know something's going to happen.

Jazzy Jeff is quite a funny recurring character though you know he can't really act but he's still very good.

One complaint I have is the serious parts. The life lessons, it really brings down the mood of the sitcom. I know sitcoms do serious scenes but Fresh prince goes too far, a sitcom is a sitcom. It should stay funny, I'm not watching for the serious parts!

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996–2005)

Why's it "the funniest show on Earth" when it's not?

[27 April 2004]

Everybody loves Raymond in England, is shown early in the morning and has started from the beginning. I found out it started on 1996 and is still going so I decided to watch it. And all it is, is an average sitcom about a family man. It only made me laugh a few times, mainly from Ray's brother but that's it. It has some clever storylines but not enough to compete with the likes of Friends and Frasier and some storylines are lame. Ray may be a different type of main character with his whiny voice but not really funny. Ray's parents who always fight is always quite annoying. I did like Ray's brother, he's quite good. Other people may love it and that's the reason why it lasted so long, but I just find it average.

Friends (1994–2004)

One of the best American sitcoms

[27 April 2004]

Friends seems such an unoriginal idea. 6 New-Yorkers, who just happen to be 3 boys and 3 girls, with different career styles and personalities living and hanging out together. I guess it's all about the chemistry and the things you can do with the characters, probably why it lasted a decade. All the Friends have interesting storylines (Ross espically) and ones together. It's brilliantly written with great jokes, a great sitcom (strange to seem a great sitcom starring young people). Phoebe and Joey are really funny characters, their dumbness is the reason and their loveibility. Monica was a wonderfully sweet girl at the beginning with a sense of tidiness and bossiness but in the later series, it seems she's been absolutely transformed into this loud, bossy, hardly sweet girl and I always wished for the old Monica back. Ross maybe annoying to some but he does end up with the best lines sometimes in episodes. Rachel is overrated. She may be a big star in real life, being married to Brad Pitt, but it doesn't make her the best character on the show as that goes to Chandler. Who's always being funny and I don't care if the other characters don't like his jokes because I do. The early series was better than the later series, I wish Phoebe married David instead of Mike but it's still great and watchable. Here's to Friends, a great series and a great decade.

The Simpsons (1989– )

You've heard it before but one of the best shows on TV

[27 April 2004]

The Simpsons is the best show on TV because it's a great comedy that's suitable for all ages. Younger ones may not get certain adult-like jokes but the show never was unsuitable for them. The Simpsons pretty much-dominated as it lasted longer than the Flintstones and has some of the biggest celebrities around on the show. The characters are brilliant, there's not one annoying character you wish they get rid of. Homer Simpson is no doubt one of the funniest characters on TV and some great minor characters like Comic Book Guy, Moe, Chief Wiggum and the list goes on. The show maybe not what it used to be but it hasn't lost the love. May the Simpsons go on for ages.

Back to Reality (2004– )

It's not the ultimate reality TV and it's not going to make Channel 5's repetition any better.

[26 April 2004]

It was said to be the ultimate reality TV but instead, it's a bunch of people who were not the most popular people in their shows anyway (come on, Uri Gellar? James Hewitt?). No good TV. This is reality TV going too far. Channel 5 needs good original TV, instead it's this, documentaries and films. Back to reality will never be popular unless they actually do have the favourites from other reality shows like John Lydon but as he would not be available, it's going to crash and burn like a lot of Channel 5's ideas.

So when Channel 5 attempts to do this again with Lord what's-his-fave and Major Charles Ingram, just watch a good DVD.

The Bronx Bunny Show (2003– )

Oh, they're puppets, oh, they said the f word, oh it's completely unfunny!

[26 April 2004]

I just saw some of this and think it's the stupidest thing I ever saw. Smutty adult humour may not have been done on puppets before, really, but not like this. A stupid rabbit and badger saying the f word and really lame sexual jokes.

All they do is interview celebrities and really awful cartoons. Engelbert Humperdink's name may sound like a disease but you can't really do much with that joke, can't you? The interview with the swedish model just concentrated on her breasts. Lame. Watch Letterman or Leno or Parkinson or Ross, anything but this!

Little Britain (2003–2006)

A very funny sketch show which will last

[26 April 2004]

Finally, David Walliams is a big star and Matt Lucas is not known as George Dawes anymore. The two did a good show before called Rock profile but as they impersonated Craig David and Michael Jackson and with Bo Selecta here, that's dead but Little Britain will be alive for a long time.

Walliams and Lucas have made some great characters, Daffyd, the only gay in the village, Lou and Andy, Majorie Dawes, Ray McClooney the creepy Scottish hotel manager and of course, Vicky Pollard. All very rememberable and Tom Baker does some very funny and surreal narration. Though people have critised the show, saying it does League of Gentlemen references, League of Gentlemen was very dark and very strange, yet Little Britain is much much lighter.

Hope the show stays for a long time and Walliams and Lucas be very big stars.

TV Burp (2001–2012)

Very funny show, who thought a little scene in a hallway in Holby City could be so funny

[26 April 2004]

Harry Hill came back in a great series in which he takes a funny and surreal look at the past week's TV. Just one image from Casualty or one scene in Emmerdale can be a comedy gem. It does seem he's making fun of certain people's acting and the scripts but everyone notices that about TV dramas. It will make you laugh out loud, something an ITV show doesn't usually make you do but ITV is getting better at comedy now with Hardware, Ant and Dec and Harry. So watch it, it's a great show.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

A good adventure film but the real reason to watch it is Johnny Depp

[26 April 2004]

Everyone loved Johnny Depp in this movie and no doubt, he deserved that Oscar nomination but if it didn't have him, it'll be some swashbuckler with Orlando Bloom which wouldn't attract much except girls.

I'm not saying Captain Jack Sparrow is the only good thing. The special effects, costumes and performances from others such as Geoffrey Rush and MacKenzie Crook (Gareth from the Office in a Hollywood movie, yeah!) also to the arrival of Keira Knightley. But do watch it as it is a great fantasy adventure film.

Spirited Away (2001)

Nice

[26 April 2004]

I felt that the most popular anime films and shows were Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh, really stupid shows. But this film certainly put that rubbish to the ground.

The story may seem simple, a girl in a fantasy place trying to rescue her parents but it's done in the most imaginative way. All the non-human characters are wonderfully designed and has some lovely backgrounds. The animation is way better than any other anime films or shows.

It's not badly dubbed, which is a good thing, though I can't help feeling Americanised it too much, especially having John Ratzenberger again, the regular to films Pixar are involved with.

A film a family could watch, with the only real violence being a dragon bleeding but that's it. I loved it.

Man on the Moon (1999)

If you don't know anything about Andy Kaufman, watch this movie

[22 April 2004]

I didn't know who Andy Kaufman was until someone said the squeaky guy from Taxi. After watching this movie, I never look at that squeaky guy the same way again.

The people who shouldn't really be watching this movie is people who know about Kaufman's life already. Everyone else should because it is some very interesting stuff. I'm a British teenager, how am I supposed to know about his appearance on Letterman?

The whole film keeps you guessing on whether you're supposed to like Kaufman or hate him, and it works really well. People complained about this movie saying there's no insight to off-stage Kaufman but what was off-stage Kaufman? As Lynne Margulies (Courtney Love) says in the film, there is no real Andy, it's a mystery.

This is no doubt one of the best performances Jim Carrey ever did. The film is a bit serious but it's about a comedian so it works well for Carrey. As to, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, Gerry Becker, Leslie Lynes and people who were playing themselves.

So don't know anything about Andy Kaufman but you're interested to, watch this movie.