Change Your Image
LadyAmina
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againReviews
Cobra Kai (2018)
I'm Proud of Zabka and Macchio
The Karate Kid films were a childhood watch and before beginning to follow the 'Cobra Kai' series, I had to rewatch the films again. And I'm glad I did.
What I love about the series...
The continuity and return of the characters. Growing up, I was Team Daniel, I could relate with him because I too was a victim of bullies and I still wish I had a Mr Miyagi to teach me martial arts. Season 1, we find out more about Johnny and what happened to him after losing to Daniel back in '84 and Daniel's life after the events of Karate Kid 3. We find Johnny struggling and bitter with his lot and Daniel, while successful and with a happy home life, missing his beloved Mr Miyagi (like we the fans do, may he rest in peace).
I loved how several episodes paid tribute to Mr Miyagi (and Pat Morita) via references and flashbacks of the movies and Daniel doing his best to apply his teachings in his personal life as well as in Karate. We see also Johnny go from a villian stuck in the past to a likeable anti hero as he slowly moves past his resentments and demons to become Daniel's ally, if not close friend, as they come together to mentor the new generation via their different fighting styles and philosophies.
The children's rivalry mirrored the rivalry of the two men and sadly turned ugly but hopefully in Season 4, we will see a truce.I also hope Samantha LaRusso will finally decide who she wants to be with, it's been a real see saw with her all through.
My favorite episode was when Daniel travelled to Oshinawa and was reunited with his second love interest, Kumiko (Tamlyn Tomita). I always felt he had a deeper bond with her than with Ali (Elizabeth Shue) from the first movie and the scene when Kumiko and Daniel reminise about Mr Miyagi and her aunt and showing him those letters, left me in tears, because Daniel too was in tears...it was even more obvious how much he missed his Sensei and surrogate father!
Zabka and Macchio did a great job on and off screen as co-producers and I honestly love them both. I can't wait for Season 4.
Little Women (1970)
The Adaptation That Started My Fandom
This adaptation aired in my country when I was a child and it introduced me to Louisa Alcott's masterpiece. I was fascinated by the 4 sisters and their friendship and I thought 'Marmee' was the sweetest lady since Rose Maylie in 'Oliver Twist.'
I related with Jo because I'm a writer myself (have 3 published children's books under my belt) but I did NOT like her. I found her weird, temperamental, awkward and SO tomboyish the way she talked and felt her objection to Meg marrying was selfish. She was only gentle when she was around Beth and I liked her devotion to her. But after reading the book, I got to know her better and found her a more relatable and human character. And I also saw that the 4 actresses were way too old for the roles, particularly Beth and Amy and I hated the scenes where Amy and Jo quarrelled.
But it's not an adaptation I can forget since it was the reason how I ended up reading the book.
How I Met Your Mother: Last Forever: Part Two (2014)
NO!!!!!!
JUST NO!
My attraction to HIMYM when it first aired in my country because of the following reasons:
- Neil Patrick Harris, who I adored years back in DOOGIE HOWSER M.D, it was a joy seeing him as an adult actor.
-Alyson Hannigan who I first saw in the American Pie movies and Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- The title itself. I didn't care for Ted but I liked the technique where the viewers had to keep guessing which of Ted's numerous girlfriends ended up being his wife and mother of his children in the end. The wait and guesses were agonising, until we finally meet the sweet, quirky Tracy and we fall in love with her.
Dave (1993)
Kevin Kline steals the show
This movie about an idealistic man who is asked to pose as the most powerful man in the country is actually a modern retelling of 'The Prisoner of Zenda'.
I can watch this gem of a movie over and over. Aside from the delight of seeing Kevin Kline in a dual role and the appearance of real life politicians ,media personalities and journalists to give it a realistic feel, was Kline playing a president any country will be LUCKY to have in this present day.
Frank Langella played the villainous Chief of Staff Bob Alexander well enough to creep me out and root for both Dave and the Vice President played by Sir Ben Kingsley.
Everything about the movie played out very well, with Dave doing a better job than the actual president and at the same time paving the way for the Vice President, despite Alexander's plots. In addition, Dave gets the support of the First Lady, played perfectly by ALIEN's Sigourney Weaver and a Secret Service agent played by a young Ving Rhames.
The scene where Vice President Nance was finally sworn in, witnessed by his wife and son and promising to be a good leader and continue his predecessor's legacy always leave me in tears.
A wonderful movie that even Anthony Hope will nod in approval.
Tales from the Hood 2 (2018)
Disappointed with the film and with Rusty Cundieff
As a fan of TALES FROM THE HOOD (1994), I was not expecting a sequel and I watched it with dread after getting hold of it. I should have known better. I'm a Nigerian woman and I've read more than enough black history and read articles about the ugliness of racial prejudice, past and present. My father went to college outside our country and he experienced it, but at the same time insisted he also encountered many kind people who didn't see his skin colour and vice versa. I believe in universal brotherhood and hope it will happen one day. The previous film brought a grim but through message in each tale. But each tale in this one made me cringe; the first one its subtle attack on Enid Blyton- who while admittedly a few racial tones were in some of her stories- 'The Three Golliwogs' for example- the tale made it look like she was the one who created the Golliwog doll to begin with.
The third tale, 'The Sacrifice', I was very angry. I wept for Emmet Till the first time I read his sad story- may he rest in peace, as well as the other civil rights martyrs- but the writer also seemed to present his not so veiled disapproval for interracial marriages. Isn't this what Dr. King and the others fought and died for, integration? WHY did Henry have to die, rather than do what he should really have done- take his mother's advice? It was also poorly presented, was Emily possessed that she lied against him, only to seemingly forget everything after she saw Henry dead? Keith David was a great replacement for Clarence Williams III but his maniacal reaction when he heard the S word left me baffled, considering it was not in keeping with the present situation, unlike the first movie. Rusty Cundieff should have reviewed each tale in the script before shooting it.
I'm very disappointed with him and with the movie, it is a poor following of the first one.
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
Tintin finally comes to life
The Tintin comics have been in my life since Primary school, I have no favorite when it comes to any of Tintin's adventures. I was no fan of the cartoon adaptations, i t was just like reading the comics without seeing the speech bubbles. But I was thrilled with this one, the animation was so realistic, it was like watching an actor play Tintin instead of voicing him, this time I felt Hergé's creation had finally come to life. Being a long standing fan of Tintin, I understood the merging of 'The Secret of The Unicorn' and 'Red Rackham's Treasure' but was aghast when I saw 'The Crab with The Golden Claws' was also added, it sort of made the film's plot seem rushed. And why change the villain? Plus, I felt his real grudge against Captain Haddock was also stretched too far, though I liked the nail biting duel between them. Captain Haddock has never been a character I was fond of, in this movie I simply hated him. Sorry if I am been dramatic , but Haddock's passion for alcohol makes him behave foolishly and do stupid things, he was downright annoying and irritating more than he is in the comics. And as for Tintin, he is ever the optimist, why make him suddenly decide to give up when it seemed the villain had won? That was wrong of the writers. And while he seemed more realistic than in the cartoons, he remained the enigma he was in the comics. What do we know about Tintin? A reporter who travels a lot and gets into mysteries accompanied by his white fox terrier Snowy. What is his family background? Why doesn't he have a girlfriend? Does he work for a particular paper or does he sell his stories to different papers who pay him for it? We still know little of him, after all these years. All the same, I liked this movie and I LOVED the wonderful homage to Hergé by depicting him as the street artist sketching Tintin. Hergé (rest in peace) will be glad how far his creation has lasted.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Blood Is Thicker Than Mud (1993)
Look at Yourself In the Mirror Top Dog
I am a Nigerian woman and I have read and studied what African Americans went through to get equal rights and end segregation. It especially broke my heart reading about Ruby Bridges, who because of her skin colour, parents withdrew their children from the elementary school, all the teachers except one refused to teach her and she had to be taken to school and taken home every day by four federal marshals for her protection. Therefore I was furious with the President of the fraternity Will and Carlton wanted to join. True, Carlton is sheltered and privileged but he represents how far Civil Rights had gone- how many boys before he was born were allowed to go to a top class prep school? The idea of rising through your humble beginnings and work hard is to make a better life for yourself, not look down on those who have and then call them sell outs. People like Top Dog will blame white people, saying they are the ones holding the black man down, when in fact it's people like him who are guilty of it! A very good episode.
The Fog (1980)
Once Is Enough of Carpenter's Eerie Tale!
I'm not dissing this movie at all; it's just a movie I don't EVER want to watch again. Why? Because it's JUST SO SCARY! I was a child of about 9 when I first watched this (and made the mistake of watching during the day, hence got NO sleep that night) and it's been with me since then. No exaggeration... this movie terrified me; the whole time I kept wondering when the evil lurking in the fog will strike next. John Carpenter pulled out the stops in this movie and left the viewers trembling so much since Alfred Hitchock's PSYCHO. An old fashioned horror film that has a good background story to why the terror was happening; compared to today's 'slash, slash, slash, blood, blood and more blood!'
A good classic but not for the faint of heart.
Dallas: Digger's Daughter (1978)
And so it began... *may have spoilers*
I heard enough about J.R Ewing here and there to be interested and ready for DALLAS that fateful day it aired in my country. And I was taken in immediately by Bobby and Pamela Ewing- LOVED them immediately! Miss Ellie seemed like a reasonable woman and at the time I felt that she would be the first to warm to her unexpected daughter-in-law; especially since she once dated her father, Digger Barnes. Jock Ewing was terrifying but I was relieved when he disapproved of J.R's plan to break up Bobby's marriage. Pamela soon showed her brother-in-law and her ex boyfriend Ray that she was NOT a woman to be trifled with; I was so impressed at the way she turned the tables on Ray by just once simple threat, making J.R see he had definitely underestimated 'the new Mrs. Ewing.'
CSI: Miami: Nailed (2005)
Poor Ryan!
Tim Speedle's (greatly missed) issue was he lacked a huge sense of humour but he was a professional and a gentleman and got on very well with Eric Delko. Ryan Wolfe on the other hand, while professional and thorough, is a tad too full of himself and I hate the way he seems to always annoy Eric. The opening scene was horrifying, poor Ryan screaming with pain from the nail protruding from his eye... (ouch!) and Eric racing him to the hospital. Rivals or not, Eric came through for him in this episode. Ryan and Eric both had lessons to learn and we also got to meet another Delko- Marisol, Eric's sister who seemed to have health problems. The case was very interesting and the shocking discovery of the victim's (an insane and very unpleasant woman) plan made me think of one of Sherlock Holmes' cases- "The Problem of Thor Bridge". Avid Sherlock Holmes fans will know what I mean and probably would have noticed it too.
Friends: The One with Phoebe's Wedding (2004)
Something was missing...
Phoebe wasn't the only one cross with Monica in this episode, I was! Must everything be 'according to Monica'; she was really, really bossy and controlling with everyone, I was so glad when Phoebe finally lost her temper and fired her. It's just too bad that Phoebe couldn't handle the rest of the arrangements herself and was forced to rehire the 'crazy bitch' again, who did not even apologize for her controlling behavior! Chandler and Ross were understandably hurt they weren't in the wedding party and the way they competed to be the last minute replacement groomsman was very funny. Joey took his role to be Phoebe's 'dad' a bit too seriously and it was rather irritating than funny.
And the big thing missing- Phoebe's family! Okay Lily is dead, Phoebe's step father is still in prison and Phoebe's twin Ursula probably wouldn't have come if Phoebe had invited her and we don't know if Phoebe kept in touch with Frank Senior after meeting him in Season 5. But what about her birth mother, Phoebe Senior; her brother Frank Junior and her sister-in-law Alice? Why weren't they present at the wedding? Why couldn't Frank Junior walk his sister down the aisle and the triplets being the little ring bearer and flower girls? This was a SERIOUS omission on the part of the writers and till now, I'm very disappointed in them. Phoebe discovered she had other family members besides her very odd twin in the previous episodes; so why weren't they present at her wedding, including the triplets? Phoebe's wedding, as touching as it was, was not complete with the missing family members hence I give this episode 4 out of 10.
Friends: The One with the Red Sweater (2001)
And The Father is...?
Monica is no longer a bride, 'now I'm just somebody's wife'. I hated that line, A LOT. Does that mean Monica just wanted an elegant wedding day where she would be the center of attention and get to wear a white dress BUT NOT what comes after... married life? I felt sorry for poor Chandler and wished he'd called her out on that stupid remark instead of going out of his way to cheer her up. And Monica used her so called depression as an excuse to open the wedding presents without Chandler, even though she was persuaded not to. Monica was really shallow and selfish in this episode. I thought it was funny the way Chandler and Ross tried to replace the missing photographs but they should've known it wouldn't have worked! But still, very kind on their part. So is Joey, who offered to marry Rachel to give the child a father figure and Phoebe's comical jealousy was a plus. My first suspect of Rachel's pregnancy WAS Tag, imagine my shock when it was revealed it was actually Ross. My words were 'OH NO!!!' What were they thinking putting this mismatched pair back again; this time by making them parents? Still... a very good episode.
Friends: The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 2 (1998)
The one with the London wedding
I loved this episode but I was aghast at what Ross did at the end. I was amazed and horrified about Chandler and Monica hooking up- at the time. I was like, 'Oh no, no no no!' Monica with her obsessiveness and bossiness and Chandler's issues with commitment, I felt it was a recipe for disaster. Even with the Season 3 flashback and the episode where Chandler tried to prove he was boyfriend material; I felt they would even be worse than Ross and Rachel, (whom I NEVER approved of) because their relationship would be based on sex only and would fight a lot. The next season and the ones after proved me wrong of course! Elliot Gould was very funny with the 'You thieving, would be speaking German if not for us cheap little man' line. I know my history so I kept rewinding that part so I would laugh again. Christina Pickles was funny too but while I don't really like Monica, I don't like how Judy Geller treats her either. Hugh Laurie was great as the man on the plane who tells Rachel what he thinks of her, 'a horrible person.' I first saw him years ago in BLACKADDER GOES FORTH so it was nice seeing him unsmiling and grumpy and telling Rachel what she was doing was selfish and agreeing she and Ross were 'On A Break'!
Friends: The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 1 (1998)
The Friends go to London
Chandler was out of character in this episode; mean and grumpy. Half of the time Joey is irritating when he displays his dimwit behaviour but Chandler and the others mostly ignore it out of affection for him. I love the music used in the London scenes; The Clash's 'LONDON CALLING' and Roger Miller's 'ENGLAND SWINGS'. Emily made me laugh when she didn't understand Ross's signal for time-out. Monica annoyed me with the way she tentatively tried to make Emily switch from Chicken Kiev to Salmon because it would be 'more elegant.' Order Salmon at YOUR OWN wedding, Monica! And what sort of idea is postponing the wedding for another time, instead of finding another place for the ceremony? Monica can be such a fool and I was furious her idea made Ross and Emily argue. But Ross arranging the half demolished hall as best as he could and then showing it to Emily was very sweet. I also liked the surprise cameo by the Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson. My brothers admire him so they were astonished when I called them over to see him play the role of a vendor who sells a hat to Joey. Joey was funny with the map thing and then bumping into Fergie, Duchess of York who was friendly at first but then beat a hasty retreat when Joey, being Joey starts to hit on her. Rachel is PLAIN selfish, it's harsh but true. First she's jealous about Ross and Emily then pretended she's not, refused to go to London with the others and finally realises she still loves Ross, packing her bag to go and stop the wedding, even though she knew very well Ross loved Emily. I was not pleased with that.
Friends: The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner (1997)
Phoebe was once in a duo
Rachel was justified at being angry with Ross for falling asleep; he was the one who insisted on going with her, just so Mark wouldn't accompany her. I've never really approved of Rachel and Ross as a couple any way; Ross is far too whiny, insecure and unreasonable and considering Rachel finally found her niche in Bloomingdale's after putting her hated waitress job behind her, he should not put belittle her interest in her job or the fashion lecture. Not everyone's a dinosaur intellectual Ross! The plot about Phoebe and her ex partner was interesting. Anyone would be hurt if their singing partner left them to move on to something better but I imagine Phoebe was also angry because her partner was the better singer hence she got less appreciative fans after her departure. The leg burning was NOT funny and I can't believe Joey did such a thing to Ginger and thought at some level she would find it funny.
Friends: The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just Friends (1997)
The One Where Monica and Richard Are Just... *cough* Friends
Richard and Monica run into each other at the video store and after helping him make a lasagna for a potluck dinner, they are knocking boots; clearly they are not over each other. Monica is an attractive woman but her bossy personality and obsessive compulsive behavior makes you wonder just WHAT men see in her! Richard is a mature, good natured man who is firm when he has to be and I'm glad he stuck to his guns when Monica tentatively talked about having babies. Monica, if the man does not want to have children at his age, do NOT try to force it on him, that's why you broke up with him in the first place! Phoebe has no problem saying ridiculous things or speaking her mind in almost every FRIENDS episode so I do not see why she had difficulty telling her current boyfriend his 'you know what' was peeping out of his shorts. Spirited Phoebe was suddenly rather prudish Phoebe. Joey's introduction to Alcott's LITTLE WOMEN was funny and moving. Funny because he thought Jo was a boy and Laurie was a girl and moving because he obviously got to the chapter- THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW - where Beth dies. I've read the book and that chapter in particular still makes me cry.
Friends: The One with the Metaphorical Tunnel (1996)
Another brilliant performance by Matthew Perry
Chandler is my favorite character in FRIENDS but he can be a bit annoying and childish sometimes. First he tells Joey he's happy with Janice next he acts all weird and neurotic and afraid of commitment. But Matthew Perry gave a great performance as neurotic Chandler. Phoebe was funny acting as Joey's agent; I wish she kept on being so. The Barbie doll sub plot was exasperating. Ben is still a toddler hence a toy is any toy to him, even if it's a Barbie doll. Ross has no business making Ben switch from Barbie to G.I Joe- I think he read too much in the little boy's preference; implying it was because he was being raised by a lesbian couple. Speaking of which, I'm not against same sex couples but since her introduction in Season 1, I hate Susan. At least in Season 1 episode THE ONE WITH THE CANDY HEARTS, the kiss Ross exchanged with Carol showed Carol still loved Ross (albeit in a different way), was sorry he was sad and alone on Valentine's day and assured him he will find someone eventually. Susan is Ms 'I slept with your wife and she's mine now, deal with it'. If she were a man, I would still not like her because basically she's a home-wrecker and I don't like how she treats Ross. Monica exposing Ross as a hypocrite by revealing his childhood fondness of dressing in ladies' clothes was hilarious.
The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years (1996)
Touching, Unforgettable
To this day, I still read the book; it's a book you can't put down and it's a story you can't forget. An unattainable love true but SO deep and consuming! Richard Chamberlain is a versatile actor and though he was the only member of the original cast present; I was happy the whole time I watched this. Amanda's portrayal of Meggie is different from Rachel Ward's - cynical and harsher- but she had Meggie's vulnerability as well so I say Ms. Donahue's performance was good as well. And I loved the boy who played young Dane; I hope he's still acting presently- young Dane was just like adult Dane in the original mini-series; sensitive, loving and knowing what he wants. What I didn't like about the film; the Vittorio was completely different from the Vittorio in the original mini series. Christopher Plummer was an understanding, shrewd and compassionate man, this one was rather narrow minded and unsympathetic! Didn't he watch the original? And where on earth was Bob Cleary, We only saw Jack! But the biggest surprise was Fee- gossipy, talkative Fee! I love this film all the same.