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Jessica Alba isn't that experienced an actress and her performance in the first third of this season is good but flawed. She always excelled at the comedic moments, but she didn't nail the latent ferocity of the character until later in the season. By the time William Gregory Lee (Zack) enters the picture, happily, Alba is in control, and the show finds its narrative focus as well. John Savage is excellent as the ruthless but strangely vulnerable Lydecker, and the enormously charismatic Michael Weatherly is the perfect foil to Alba. The supporting regulars are perfect: Valarie Rae Miller, as Original CIndy, deserves applause for playing one of the first truly well-rounded lesbian characters I've seen on TV. This character is not defined or trapped by her lesbianism, but merely enriched. Alimi Ballard is a hoot and a half as ganja-smoking Herbal Thought; Richard Gunn is lovably bumbling as Sketchy; Jennifer Blanc plays sultry roommate Kendra; and J.C. Mackenzie's turn as obsessive Republican fanatic Normal is a comic delight.

I'm not too fond of Dark Angel's overt passes at post-modern techniques -- those video speed ramps got on my nerves after one episode, and the opening titles look strangely cheesy. However, the production values throughout are high, and the action scenes are terrific, making the martial-arts scenes in Buffy the Vampire Slayer look downright primitive. And the world of post-apocalyptic Seattle they created is intoxicating, a never-ending wasteland of hip-hop culture, old-New-York-style graffiti and technoscapes.

Some of these episodes are slow and ponderous -- the weakest being the dull, snail-paced serial-killer yarn "Pollo Loco" and "Shortie's in Love", which was hurt by an overtly preachy pro-lesbian tone and a weak, one-note performance by Tangelia Rouse, who is simply no match for Valarie Rae Miller and only serves to bog her down.

All in all, this was a very good show. Given its enormous production scope, I was hardly surprised that the show didn't survive. But even given its short lifespan, Dark Angel has already left an impressive legacy and will no doubt become one of the premier cult shows of the decade.

"The Killer" is about two men on opposite sides of the law: Jeffrey (Chow Yun-Fat), a professional hit-man, and Inspector Li (Danny Lee), a cop determined to bring Jeffrey to justice. Jeffrey is on the run after the mob places a price on his head for making a mess out of a nightclub hit. The botched hit also haunts Jeffrey on a personal level because his conscience refuses to let him forget about the innocent nightclub singer who was blinded in the shootout. The extent of this guilt surprises Li when he finally catches up with Jeffrey and the two men eventually develop a mutual respect for one another when they discover they both are fuelled by the same lust for justice. When the mob finds the pair hiding out in a church, the new buddies team up to battle their mutual foe and light up the night with a firestorm of bullets.

"The Killer" was a fitting film to end a decade that was saturated with brainless shoot-'em-up films. It infused a new sense of style and complexity into a genre run into the ground by the un-ending parade of Rambo clones. This not only revived the action film but set the foundation for other inspired works to follow. Both Chow Yun-Fat and Danny Lee distinguish themselves as well as polished Hollywood actors and deserve much credit for helping to develop living, breathing three-dimensional characters that do not fire guns just for the sake of firing guns. Logic sometimes doesn't bother to intervene into the story of "The Killer," but its kinetic energy helps to compensate for its outrageousness. Pull up a chair and have a good time with this film. Subtle it is not. Entertaining it is.

I bought this movie, and hard boiled(As a combo), and recieved it today. With all the reviews, I was expecting something simmilar to hard boiled, but I got more.

Right when the first shootout started, I knew I was gonna like this movie. Man I watched it untill the end just amazed. I had to watch it twice to understand the story, because at first I dind't care about the story, I just loved the stylish action I was looking at.

Chow Yun Fat is just one of the best actors alive, and John Woo is just a brilliant director. If anyone loves action movies, has got to pick this up, and hard boiled. Those 2 movies are perhaps the greatest action movies ever made.

Peace

Sheeta, voiced by Anna Paquin, is being chased by a variety of people, including what appear to be government types, the military, and pirates. At first it's difficult to understand who is a good guy and who is a bad guy, which mirrors Sheeta's own confusion in separating the two. Sheeta soon meets up with Pazu (voiced by James Van Der Beek) who dreams of visiting far off lands. When Pazu discovers that Sheeta has a connection to the mythical floating castle Laputa Pazu resolves to help Sheeta, though he has yet to discover where assisting Sheeta might take him.

Sheeta finds herself continually chased throughout the film by various persons with different agendas. Most are after the treasure of Laputa, but some are after power. Sheeta herself is just the girl next door who also happens to be a princess and whose only goal is to grow up without people chasing her around. Along the way she demonstrates her love for nature and the desire to protect beautiful things.

What is amazing in this film is the technology. There are a host of flying machines that reminded me of Jules Verne's "Master of the World." The castle itself is a technological marvel of an advanced civilization with its own set of interesting features. Military armament is sophisticated and powerful, and yet can appear graceful. Contrasting with the advanced technology is the wide-spread use of steam power and the relatively lower technology evident for civilians.

The characters are often over the top, and include Cloris Leachman, Mandy Patinkin and Mark Hamill. While they are often caricatures, the combination of humor and seriousness tends to be a trait of Japanese animation.

This movie is generally suitable for most of the family, but the violence at some points may be unsuitable for the pre-school members of the family. If you enjoy creativity in your animation, and enjoy a story with a bit of science fiction and fantasy, kick back with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy this one.

When the Dora Pirate Gang, consisting of the matriarchal Dora and her band of daring but not terribly bright sons, raid the military transport carrying Sheeta and her captors because they want the pendant for themselves, Sheeta falls off the transport, from immense height....and right into the arms of Pazu, a resourceful boy of her own age. Pazu lives in a mining town, as assistant to an engineer. He spends his days working to keep the machinery of the mine running. After many adventures and near escapes, from both the government/military and the pirates, Sheeta and Pazu decide to join the Dora Pirate Gang (who are really not such bad folks after all).

There are so many things to like about this movie. Sheeta and Pazu are both plucky and determined, a true young heroine and hero. They're living examples of the old saying, "If you're handed lemons, make lemonade." They take turns of fate that would have most people fuming and whining in stride and, through their innate decency, somehow magically turn them around into positive experiences. As just one example, when they join the pirates, Pazu is put to work maintaining their flying ship's engine room; Sheeta is shown a filthy, degenerate kitchen and told this is now her domain, it's up to her to produce five meals a day for the pirates. These both hardly sound like appealing fates. But Pazu thinks the engine room is really cool, he loves machinery, and immediately pitches in with such real enthusiasm and skill he soon earns the respect and liking of the ship's irascible chief engineer. Sheeta so charms the male pirates with her beauty, grace and sweet personality that these rough hewn, dangerous men fall all over themselves to help her, and soon her kitchen is full of pirates peeling potatos, cleaning pots, etc. Not only does this make her job much easier, but everyone's having a great time.

The artwork and animation throughout this movie are both uniformly excellent. The best of many thrilling scenes, in my opinion, occurs when Pazu, who makes Young Indiana Jones look like a wimp, along with Sheeta as passenger, pilots a kite through an electrically charged hurricane. The sight of Pazu's face, wearing flying goggles almost bigger than he is, features illuminated by lightning bolts, his expression of mingled determination and wonder, is one of the most arresting images I've even seen in any medium.

I would describe this movie as "a great viewing experience for the entire family" were it not for the fact there's stuff in here that might be a bit rough for some younger children. There are several scenes of Sheeta and Pazu being hit by much larger adults, so hard it results in unconsciousness at times. And although we never see anyone die on-screen, there are many instances of people caught in explosions, or falling from such a height it's obvious, whether we actually see it or not, people really are dying here, violently.

For all that, Castle in the Sky is a great viewing experience, not just one of the best pieces of animation you could ever see, but one of the best movies, period. I give this film my highest recommendation. If you watch it, you will love it.

Only the minds of two disturbed semi-genius teenaged girls could create something as wonderful and dreadful as the story told in HEAVENLY CREATURES. Their world begins quite innocently, as a novel about a kingdom called Borovnia, with noble characters such as Charles and Deborah, and their renegade child Diello. Soon, you realize that their dissatisfaction with "real" life is dissolving into an escape into Borovnia, where Mario Lanza sings his beautiful songs, and where the two girls twirl about in beautiful ball gowns, while Diello slaughters anybody who dares to infringe upon their happiness.

The narration of the diary entries made by Pauline are in the exact words the real Pauline wrote. Very chilling. "We realized we had the key to the fourth world on the day of the death of Christ." Whoa!

You will never meet two characters quite like Pauline and Juliet in any other movie. You can't believe they do what they do, but you also route for them because you have come to love them.

I am kind of glad they are both doing well to this day. Yes what they did was outrageous, but I can't help but "get" why they did it and I'm convinced they were indeed insane at that time, because their escape into the fantasy world was so deep.

For starters, the story is enough to disturb anybody. Two prim and naive school-girls in 1950's New Zealand commit the unthinkable: the murder of one their mothers. And what drives them to such a horror? A pathology which Peter Jackson's film does its best to uncover. Two rebellious and confused teenagers suffer neglect at home and at school and in reaction create a special fantasy land of charming opera-star princes and giant butterflies, where pain and rejection are unheard of. But behind all the escapism, lies a mighty thorn in the sides of both girls: the need for love and acceptance which is not forthcoming from either family. One girls' mother ignores her motherly instincts for the sake of her own pleasures, while the other seems to only nag and complain. While not enough to explain such a senseless murder, Jackson gives us something to think about.

As their make-believe world spins out of control, the girls form an excessive emotional bond that eventually leads to obsession with each other. True love or blind dependency? The girls really never have the chance to find out, as their parents suspect....horrors!..'unnatural tendencies' at work in their heavenly creatures. The parents plan to break up the girls' relationship by splitting them up. In retaliation, the girls make a desparate attempt to protect their world and their 'love'.....but with less-than heavenly consequences.

What makes this film a must-see five starer is the quality of the acting in it. Especially that of Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey. Their performances as infatuated school-girls is so believable that one almost forgets that it's....just a film. Gives you that necessary 'suspense of disbelief' that is the stuff of 'drama.' Winslet and Lynskey breathe and sweat their parts. While Winslet is definitely the star with her character's hysterical pyrotechnics, Lynskey's performance, albeit understated, is equally fine stuff. She seethes with a ferocious energy, just waiting to burst.

Not only is the acting stellar, but Jackson's direction is also first rate. How he manages to mix the 'real world' with that of the girls' fantasy land is nothing but pure craftsmanship. I loved how in the beginning he lures you into a false sense of comfort by opening with reels of 1950-ish documentary material and then abruptly shatters everything with the screaming, bloody-faced girls rampaging up the mountain. Shocks you out of your socks. As does the ending. I found it almost too difficult to watch. Winslet was masterful as she struggles to stay focused on their grim task. Her face says everything.....should we or shouldn't we....as she appears to have doubts.....or then again, maybe not....

Strong stuff. Not for those who like cinema-lite. But for those who liked to be shocked and or confused so as to better understand their fellow heavenly creatures.....then take a peek at this one.

There were, however, some movie executive producers in Hong Kong who were related to the Triad actually got killed during that time.

It's a shame that apparently all DVD versions in the US are currently out of print. This is one of Woo's best works. The only flick he directed in Hollywood that's up the par is Face/Off. Let's hope Hard-Boiled'd be reissued in the near future, as it deserves to be seen.

There were, however, some movie executive producers in Hong Kong who were related to the Triad actually got killed during that time.

It's a shame that apparently all DVD versions in the US are currently out of print. This is one of Woo's best works. The only flick he directed in Hollywood that's up the par is Face/Off. Let's hope Hard-Boiled'd be reissued in the near future, as it deserves to be seen.

Whoopi Goldberg made a triumphant movie debut in her role as Celie Johnson, a woman being abused by her husband and yearns for a better life. She rightfully earned a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination both for Best Actress. Oprah Winfrey and Margaret Avery rightfully earned their Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actress as Sophie and Shug, strong female fighters who survived past life trials. Danny Glover's role as Celia's abusive husband is one of the best performances in his career. The entire cast, major or minor, placed every drop of heart and soul through their characters.

The wardrobes and the setting were constructed wonderfully. Every detail looks like "The Color Purple" was actually filmed in the early 1900's. The research and the hard work shines. Its background offers a gloomy look into the characters' harsh lifestyles and the sad plot. This seems to have allowed the cast to express themselves deeper. Without it, the movie wouldn't have the same level of emotion that attracts the audience. Most scenes offer its emotional level through the background alone, whether it's sadness, anger, happiness, etc.

"The Color Purple" is great for those looking for a power drama. Some may have to watch it more than once to understand every event. There's a lot. Once understood a lot better, the audience will be glad to have explored it to that level.

To find a real comparison to The Color Purple, it would be necessary to go way back to the great films of the 50's where all the arts forms were included.

Born in the South (in one of the cities mentioned often in the movie), I can relate directly to how authentic the acting is. Oprah Winfrey was able to delineate the depth of Sophia's emotional spectrum quite remarkably and out of the entire cast, she was most able to depict the southern way of speaking and moving. She was a different woman then and she has not achieved this kind of distinction in other roles. Margaret Avery gave a performance of a lifetime as the beloved and equally reviled Shug. Whoopi Goldberg's golden moment came as she spoke, "I got two chirrun........and they's alive." Danny Glover was horrifically great! I could wright a book on the other magnificent performances.

This movie comes as close to a masterpiece as anything I have seen. I watch it again and again. Each time, I feel renewed vigor, love, loss, pain, rejection, joy, familiarity, and at last, survival. The movie could have bestowed much greatness upon the Academy Awards!

Buy two copies because you are sure to strip the original from playing it so much!

PS At least I have not seen people dancing with bears on Moscow streets. It would make the movie a usual western rubbish about Russia, which we all have seen so many times.

This movie is based on the revolution in Russia in the early 1900's. The story is being told by Zhivago's half brother that is looking for his niece. It is about a man that lost his
parents at an early age but was taken in by friends of his fathers. Zhivago becomes a doctor and marries Tonya. He is a man of peace and loves his country (Russia). Doctor Zhivago endures suffering and tragedy throughout the revolution, surviving freezing temperatures and going without food. He and his family endures degradation by having to share their home with thirteen other families and going without fuel for their stove.

Doctor Zhivago is based on the novel written by Boris Pasternak and is a story about Pasternak's life. It is a heartbreaking film that makes you wonder how anyone could endure the harsh, cold winters of Russia and the cruel and unjust treatment by their fellow Russians.

I recommend this movie to everyone. It will make you very proud and thankful to live in America.

The story takes place in a fictional town called West Canaan, Texas, a small, steamy town in southwestern Texas where high school football is a way of life. The town is the home of the West Canaan Coyotes, a football team which has won 22 consecutive district championships and 2 state championships. The head coach of the team, Coach Kilmer (Jon Voight), has a "win-at-all-costs" attitude, meaning he has a reputation of playing his players injured or sick. He has also coached many of the current players' fathers, who seem to be re-living their glory years through their sons. When the all-Texas star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) goes down with a season-ending knee injury, backup quarterback Jonathan "Mox" Moxon (James Van Der Beek from Dawson's Creek) reluctantly assumes the duties of filling Lance's shoes. Once he miraculously leads his team to victory, his life begins to drastically change. He becomes very popular in school, gets free under-the-counter alcohol, and even easy sex from the former quarterback's girlfriend. So as the movie goes on, Mox continues to lead his team to victory, while dealing with the pressure of his coach and the love triangle that he has gotten himself into. In the final game at the end of the movie, he shows what it is like to be a high school hero after the coach abandons the team. As the movie ends, we hear a voiceover of what became of the characters.

So in conclusion, it's a pretty good movie from MTV which shows what high school life mixed with football is really all about. That is why I mentioned that this film should mainly be viewed by high school/college students. There are some really funny scenes in this movie; the most notable would probably be when one of the players hijacks a police car and parades around town with a bunch of naked girls in the backseat, and when they discover that their science teacher has a job at a local strip club. Adults might want to stay away from this one. 3 1/2 stars.

Anyone know?

Thanks in advance...