Tom's Random Reviews

[Emma]

Thanks Tom! I think im gonna get Starship Troopers 3, I loved the first one and enjoyed the second one but a friend said the third one was terrible... Ive read some reviews on the net and they all said it was fun.

I think ill look out for it after Christmas.

[Jimmy]

What is blaphemic about cursing using "f*cking"? If I would be religious, I probably would have found some imaginery blasphemic.

We, the French Canadian, have a lot of blasphemic cursing. At least in this area we are the world champion

[Tom]

What is blaphemic about cursing using "f*cking"? If I would be religious, I probably would have found some imaginery blasphemic.

We, the French Canadian, have a lot of blasphemic cursing. At least in this area we are the world champion

We in Bavaria have also some blasphemic cursing. But "f*ck" is in my opinion not one of them. It does not have any association with religion or the church.

[Tom]

Title: Dawson's Creek: Season Five
Year: 2001
Director:
Rating: NR
Length: 987 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: Portuguese, Spanish

Stars:


Plot:
They've gone from adolescence to adulthood and now it's time to make their way in the world. Joey, Jen and Jack head to college in Boston, Dawson makes his way to film school in Los Angeles, and Pacey chooses to explore other opportunities instead of going to college. Dawson also finds himself facing some major changes on the home-front. Even though they're starting a new chapter in their lives, there's nothing that can break the bond between these friends.

Awards:

Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice TV - Drama/Action Adventure
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice TV Actor - Drama/Action Adventure	Joshua Jackson
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice TV Actress - Drama/Action Adventure	Katie Holmes
Teen Choice Awards	2003	Nominated	Choice TV Sidekick	Mika Boorem
Teen Choice Awards	2000	Won	TV - Choice Actor	Joshua Jackson
Teen Choice Awards	2001	Won	TV - Choice Actor	Joshua Jackson
Teen Choice Awards	2002	Nominated	TV - Choice Actor, Drama	Joshua Jackson
Teen Choice Awards	2000	Nominated	TV - Choice Actress	Katie Holmes
Teen Choice Awards	2001	Nominated	TV - Choice Actress	Katie Holmes
Teen Choice Awards	2002	Nominated	TV - Choice Actress, Drama	Katie Holmes
Teen Choice Awards	2000	Won	TV - Choice Drama
Teen Choice Awards	2001	Nominated	TV - Choice Drama
Teen Choice Awards	2002	Nominated	TV - Choice Drama/Action Adventure
Teen Choice Awards	2002	Nominated	TV - Choice Sidekick	Busy Philipps

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

I am still enjoying this series. I think the transition from High School to University went well in this series. In the audio commentaries for season 4 they said they were trying not to pull the same stunt as a lot of other series were doing. I.e. that there is suddenly a university in town where all main characters are going to. Though they didn't exactly do this here, they still managed to put all main characters to the same city (Boston). This started with finding a way why Jack and Jen did not go to New York as originally planned. Then Pacey showing up in Boston and finally for Dawson to quit UCLA to also be in Boston.

Now a small review on the character developments this season (spoilers ahead):

Dawson:
The beginning of this season Dawson had to deal with the sudden death of his father. Mitch (played by "The Flash" actor John Wesley Shipp) was always one of my favorite TV dads so I was a little sad to see him go.
Later on Dawson had a small relationship with Jen. It was okay to get them together for a short while. It shows that they just do not click. Then Dawson pulled a miracle (or it is strange TV timelime): He made a great movie based on a phone book sized screenplay in just a few days. He even changed the main star half-way through without a problem.

Joey:
She seems to be in her element in college. Also her love interests were fun to watch. First she almost started a relationship with her professor. And later on she tamed a resident womanizer.

Jen:
Besides her relationship with Dawson and her starting hosting a radio show, nothing much happened.

Jack:
He joined a fraternity, became an asshole, started drinking and finally pulled himself together again.

Pacey:
Starts working at a noble restaurant and becomes quite a big shot there, until he looses his job at the end of the season. Towards the end he starts a relationship with Audrey.

Audrey:
Joey's new roommate. She is one of the reasons I finally went ahead to watch this series. Because I was curious about her. She is played by Busy Phillips who was part of the cast in Freaks & Geeks. It is a fun character to watch. The friendship which develops between her and Joey is nice. Also her relationship with Pacey seems right.

#	Episode	Rating
01	The Bostonians
02	The Lost Weekend
03	Capeside Revisited
04	The Long Goodbye
05	Use Your Disillusion
06	High Anxiety
07	Text, Lies and Videotape
08	Hotel New Hampshire
09	Four Scary Stories
10	Appetite for Destruction
11	Something Wild
12	Sleeping Arrangements
13	Something Wilder
14	Guerilla Filmmaking
15	Downtown Crossing
16	In a Lonely Place
17	Highway to Hell
18	Cigarette Burns
19	100 Light Years From Home
20	Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
21	After Hours
22	The Abby
23	Swan Song

[Tom]

Title: Veronica Mars: Season Two
Year: 2005
Director:
Rating: FSK-16
Length: 882 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, French: Dolby Digital Surround, German: Dolby Digital Surround, Hungarian: Dolby Digital Surround, Italian: Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Stars:


Plot:
Wer hat am Ende der ersten Serienstaffel an Veronicas Tür geklopft? Duncan? Logan? Oder steckt dahinter eine noch größere Überraschung? "Ich habe gehofft, dass du es bist", hat die Teenie-Detektivin damals gesagt. Jetzt erfahrt ihr endlich, wer das seltene Lächeln auf Veronicas Gesicht gezaubert hat. Und ein neues Geheimnis gilt es in Neptune ebenfalls zu ergründen.
Alles beginnt damit, dass Veronica den Bus versäumt - jenen Schulbus, der Minuten später in den Abgrund stürzt und tief unten im Pazifik zerschellt. Vielleicht war es nur ein tragischer Unfall. Oder Selbstmord. Oder Mord. Vielleicht hängt der Fall mit dem Mord an Lilly Kane zusammen - vielleicht auch nicht. Aber eines ist klar: Wenn Veronica sich in einen Fall verbeißt, dann ist es egal, ob sie durch andere verzwickte Geheimnisse in Gefahr gerät oder übers Ohr gehauen wird, selbst wenn sie in ihrem Liebesleben öfters auf die Nase fällt oder wenn sie ... also, wartet es einfach ab und findet es selbst heraus.
Die zweite Staffel: Neue Gesichter, neue Beziehungen, dieselben gnadenlos scharf geschliffenen Dialoge, dieselbe absolut coole Atmosphäre. Wagen wir einfach eine neue Landung auf dem Mars. Dort finden wir nämlich alles, was uns an Neptune so gut gefällt.

Awards:

American Film Institute Awards	2005	Won	TV Programs of the Year
Saturn	2004	Nominated	Best Actress - Television Series	Kristin Bell
Saturn	2005	Won	Best Actress in a Television Series	Kristen Bell
Saturn	2006	Nominated	Best Actress in a Television Series	Kristen Bell
Saturn	2005	Nominated	Best Network Television Series
Saturn	2006	Nominated	Best Network Television Series
Teen Choice Awards	2005	Nominated	Choice TV Breakout Performance - Female	Kristen Bell
Teen Choice Awards	2005	Nominated	Choice TV Breakout Show
Teen Choice Awards	2006	Nominated	TV - Choice Actress: Drama/Action Adventure	Kristen Bell
Teen Choice Awards	2006	Nominated	TV - Choice Parental Unit	Enrico Colantoni
Teen Choice Awards	2006	Nominated	TV - Choice Sidekick	Percy Daggs

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Outtakes

My Thoughts:

I didn't enjoy this season as much as the first one. If I would have watched it when it originally aired, I probably would have given up on the show.
In my season 1 review I said, that I was hoping it to be Logan who was at the door. Now it turned out that he was, but I didn't like the way they handled it. Through flashbacks we learn, that Veronica and Logan were a couple throughout the summer but broke up when he became an asshole again. I didn't like this. Season 1 was about him first being a little bit nasty, but growing closer to Veronica throughout the season and at the end of the season him being a likable character.
But then they start out this season with him being a bigger asshole than ever before. It just ruins the character development of the first season.
I am glad to see more of Mac, my favorite supporting character. But sadly they didn't pick up the storyline of her family life from season 1.
This season's mystery was mostly uninteresting to me, but it was nicely wrapped up at the end.

#	Episode	Rating
01	Normal Is the Watchword
02	Driver Ed
03	Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang
04	Green-Eyed Monster
05	Blast from the Past
06	Rat Saw God
07	Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner
08	Ahoy, Mateys!
09	My Mother, the Fiend
10	One Angry Veronica
11	Donut Run
12	Rashard and Wallace Go to White Castle
13	Ain't No Magic Mountain High Enough
14	Versatile Toppings
15	The Quick and the Wed
16	The Rapes of Graff
17	Plan B
18	I Am God
19	Nevermind the Buttocks
20	Look Who's Stalking
21	Happy Go Lucky
22	Not Pictured

[Tom]

Title: Bolt
Year: 2008
Director: Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Rating: PG
Length: 96 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: DTS HD Master Audio, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital Stereo, Italian: DTS 5.1, Spanish: DTS 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1, Swedish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Finnish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1, Icelandic: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Finnish, Icelandic, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish

Stars:
John Travolta
Miley Cyrus
Susie Essman
Marc Walton
Malcolm McDowell

Plot:
Enjoy the ultimate Bolt experience with this action-packed Blu-ray™ + DVD Combo Pack. Disney's sensational animated comedy adventure is Super-Powered on Blu-ray with pristine picture and theatre-quality sound.

Bolt is the star of the biggest show in Hollywood. The only problem is, he thinks the whole thing is real. When the super dog is accidentally shipped to New York City and separated from Penny, his beloved co-star and owner, Bolt springs into action to find his way home. Together with his hilarious new sidekick Rhino, Bolt's #1 fan, and a street-smart cat named Mittens, Bolt sets off on an amazing journey where he discovers he doesn't need super powers to be a hero.

Featuring the vocal talents of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus and loaded with totally awesome Blu-ray bonus features you can't see anywhere else, Bolt saves the daay on Blu-ray Disc™.

Awards:

Academy Award	2008	Nominated	Best Animated Feature Film
Annie Awards	2008	Nominated	Best Animated Feature
Annie Awards	2008	Nominated	Individual Achievment - Animated Effects	Kevin Lee
Annie Awards	2008	Nominated	Individual Achievment - Production Design in an Animated Feature Production	Paul Felix
Annie Awards	2008	Nominated	Individual Achievment - Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production	Joe Mateo
Annie Awards	2008	Nominated	Individual Achievment - Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production	Mark Walton
ASCAP Awards	2009	Won	Top Box Office Films	John Powell
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Animated Feature
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2009	Nominated	Best Song	"I Thought I Lost You": Miley Cyrus, John Travolta
Golden Globe	2008	Nominated	Animated Film
Golden Globe	2008	Nominated	Original Song	"I Thought I Lost You":
Satellite Awards	2008	Nominated	Best Motion Picture – Animated or Mixed Media
Visual Effects Society Awards	2009	Nominated	Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture	Adam Dykstra, Dave Gottlieb, Clay Kaytis, Hyrum Osmond (For various sequences – Rhino)
Visual Effects Society Awards	2009	Nominated	Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Motion Picture	Becky Bresee, Bob Davies, Renato Dos Anjos, Wayne Unten Jr. (For various sequences – Bolt)
Visual Effects Society Awards	2009	Nominated	Outstanding Animation in an Animated Motion Picture	Chris Williams, Byron Howard, John Murrah, Doug Bennett (For the chase)
Visual Effects Society Awards	2009	Nominated	Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture	John Murrah, Michael Kaschalk, Dale Mayeda, Adolph Lusinsky (For various sequences)

Extras:
Bonus Rhino Short
Deleted Scenes
DVD included
Featurettes
Interactive Game
Music Videos
Photo Gallery
Rhino Soft Toy
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

A really fun movie. Loved it from the beginning. The first 15 minutes were really great. But also later on it was just fun to watch. It had some really funny moments. The hamster was great
Also the bonus short with him is worth a watch.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
Links: IMDb | Wikipedia

Year:	2008
Director:	Kunal Kohli
Writing:	Kunal Kohli (Story By), Kunal Kohli (Screenwriter), Rohena Gera (Story By), Rohena Gera (Screenwriter)
Rating:	FSK-6
Length:	134 Min.
Video:	Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35
Audio:	German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Hindi: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:	German

Stars:
Rishi Kapoor as God
Saif Ali Khan as Ranbeer Talwar
Rani Mukerji as Geeta
Akshat Chopra as Vashisht
Shriya Sharma as Aditi

Plot:
On the day he receives an award, arrogant, wealthy, and self-centered, Ranbeer Talwar, has an accident with his BMW. This results in the death of the parents of four young children. Ranbeer is arrested, and a year later is sentenced to look after all the four children until they reach the age of 18, or face 20 years behind bars without any parole. Ranbeer agrees to do so, not realizing that the children have a plan of their own - to avenge the death of their parents, ensure that he breaches his undertaking and ends up in jail.

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Music Videos
Poster
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

Although the premise of the movie is ridiculous, I enjoyed this movie. Such a heartless sentence by the judge, sending the orphaned children to live with the man who caused the death of their parents.
The plot borrows from Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. The best thing in this movie is of course Rani Mukerji. She saves this movie for me. She plays an angel sent down by god to help bringing the kids and their new guardian to like each other. And of course doing so, she herself falls in love with that man.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: She's the Man
Year: 2006
Director: Andy Fickman
Rating: 12
Length: 101 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Surround, English: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround, Commentary: Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English, Trivia

Stars:
Amanda Bynes
Channing Tatum
Laura Ramsey
Vinnie Jones
David Cross

Plot:
Amanda Bynes proves that girls can do anything guys can do in She's The Man. The laughs are non-stop when Viola (Bynes), disguised as her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk), joins the high school boys' soccer team and helps win the big game while unexpectedly falling for Duke (Channing Tatum), the hot star forward. Viola discovers that dealing with high school politics and twisted love triangles is a major challenge when you're a guy who's really a girl! She's The Man features an ensemble cast of up-and-coming stars and hit songs. So kick back and get ready to laugh out loud!

Awards:

Teen Choice Awards	2006	Won	Movies - Choice Breakout (Male)	Channing Tatum
Teen Choice Awards	2006	Won	Movies - Choice Comedy

Extras:
Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Music Videos
Outtakes
Photo Gallery
Scene Access
Trailers

My Thoughts:

This movie was more fun than I had expected. It wasn't dull for a minute and I enjoyed watching it. Even though the plot is nothing new, I think it was executed fairly well. Like "10 Things I Hate About You" it is based on a Shakespeare play and makes obvious references to it.
I thought Amanda Bynes did a good job here. The only movie I saw with her before this was "What a Girls Want" and I was rather disappointed with that movie. David Cross as the principal is also a hoot. I was surprised to see Julie Hagerty still looking darn fine (she was over 50 at the time of shooting).

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Brittany used to enjoy Amanda Bynes. Will have to see if she would want to check this one out.

[Tom]

Brittany used to enjoy Amanda Bynes. Will have to see if she would want to check this one out.

I think you both would enjoy this movie.

[addicted2dvd]

Yeah... I would think I would enjoy it. I will have to keep it in mind. I just meant that I wonder if Britt would be wanting to watch it with me or not. Who knows she may have already seen it.

[Tom]

Title: Just Shoot Me!: Season Three
Year: 1999
Director:
Rating: PG
Length: 551 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio:
Subtitles:

Stars:


Plot:
COMEDY EXPOSED

The sassy stars of Blush magazine are back with more hilarity in the third season of JUST SHOOT ME! Join Maya, Jack, Nina, Elliot and Finch for 25 side-splitting episodes of the Golden Globe nominated series. This witty ensemble comedy explorers the often turnultuous and always hysterical dynamic between five quirky staff members of a high fashion magazine. Available on digitally re-mastered DVD for the first time, the deadline, models, and hangovers are even more hilarious than you remember. Fuinny has never been so fashionable!

Awards:

Primetime Emmy Awards	2000	Nominated	Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series	Cheri Oteri
Teen Choice Awards	2000	Nominated	TV - Choice Comedy

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:

Although this is not a series which I think is a must-see, I enjoyed all the episodes I have seen so far. Too bad that the season sets aren't selling that well, as it seems. The first set (which included the first two seasons) was released almost five years before the second set with the third season was released. I hope I get the chance to watch further seasons. This season had an ending which made me curious about how it will play out.

#	Episode	Rating
01	What the Teddy Bear Saw
02	Steamed
03	The Mask
04	Funny Girl
05	Two Girls for Every Boy
06	The Withholder
07	Puppetmaster
08	The List
09	How Nina Got Her Groove Back
10	How the Finch Stole Christmas
11	Slow Donnie
12	A Spy in the House of Me
13	Lies & Dolls
14	Nina Sees Red: Part 1
15	Nina Sees Red: Part 2
16	Hostess to Murder
17	Toy Story
18	Miss Pretty
19	Maya's Nude Photos
20	And the Femmy Goes To...
21	Softball
22	Shaking Private Trainer
23	Nina's Choice
24	The Odd Couple: Part 1
25	The Odd Couple: Part 2

[addicted2dvd]

I liked the few episodes I caught on TV here and there... but not so much that I think I will bother collecting the series. Maybe if I found the sets very cheap.

[Tom]

Title: He's Just Not That Into You
Year: 2009
Director: Ken Kwapis
Rating: 12
Length: 129 Min.
Video: Widescreen 2.35
Audio: English: Dolby Digital TrueHD, English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Ben Affleck
Jennifer Anniston
Drew Barrymore
Scarlett Johansson
Justin Long
Jennifer Connelly

Plot:
Remember that really cute guy who said he'd call...and didn't? Maybe He's Just Not That into You. An all-star cast looks for love and finds laughs in this savvy, sexy, right-now romcom. Based on the runaway (like some guys you know) bestseller by Sex and the City series writers Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He's Just Not That into You sparkles with zingy aha moments any survivor of the dating wars will recognize. See it with someone you'd like to love.

Awards:

BMI Film & TV Music Awards	2009	Won	BMI Film Music Award	Cliff Eidelman
Teen Choice Awards	2009	Nominated	Choice Movie Actress - Comedy	Jennifer Aniston

Extras:
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Trailers

My Thoughts:

At the beginning of this movie I was really bored. I was tending to a bad rating. But after half an hour it picked up and in the end I enjoyed it somewhat.
This movie shows again, that having an all-star cast does not necessarily help to make the movie good. Even supporting roles are familiar faces.
I knew that Drew Barrymore had a rather small role, but even for that the role was really minor. She only pops up twice or so.

Rating:

[Tom]

Title: I Dream of Jeannie: Season Five
Year: 1969
Director:
Rating: NR
Length: 628 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital Mono, Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono, Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: Portuguese, Spanish

Stars:
Barbara Eden
Larry Hagman
Hayden Rorke
Bill Daily

Plot:
The fifth and final magical season of I DREAM OF JEANNIE is here! In the show's final season, watch as Jeannie (Barbara Eden) and her master, Tony (Larry Hagman), finally say "I Do" in one of television's most memorable weddings. This time we watch as Jeannie is crowned Queen of her own country, Dr. and Mrs. Bellows meet Jeannie as Major Nelson's fiancée, and Tony's house gets a 'mod' makeover! Making her final appearance, Jeannie's wicked twin sister tries to wreck the newlyweds' marriage, while Dr. Bellows' nephew discovers Jeannie's secret and Tony becomes the spokesman for his own canned chili. Plus Dr. Bellows finally catches Major Nelson, an astronaut with a genie! With 26 hilarious episodes featuring such guest stars as Farrah Fawcett, Jim Backus, Dick Wilson, Jackie Coogan and Dick Van Patten, the complete fifth and final season will have fans forever dreaming of Jeannie.

Awards:

Golden Globe

1969

Nominated

Actress - Television Comedy or Musical Series

Barbara Eden

Extras:
Closed Captioned
Trailers

My Thoughts:

This is the season where Tony Nelson and Jeannie finally get together. Though I remember the first season was much more raunchy than this fifth season where they are married.
One of my favorite moments in this series was, when shortly after they got engaged and Dr. Bellows was encountering Jeannie in the NASA base, that instead of searching for an excuse he introduced Jeannie as his fiancé to Dr. Bellows. The look on Jeannie's face is priceless
One of the episodes I anticipated the most when I read the synopsis of it, was the one where Dr. Bellows finds out about Jeannie being a genie. Although this episode was good, I was disappointed that it all turned out to be Tony's dream. It was the third to last episode, so it would have been appropriate to let Dr. Bellows keep this information. It would have made the last two episodes more interesing.

Sadly this series ended on an average episode. No real conclusion to the series.

I know that there are reunion movies. I have seen one or two of them a long time ago and remember being very disappointed. Especially because Larry Hagman chose to not reprise his role. Though I would seek them out again, if they become available on DVD.

#	Episode	Rating
01	Jeannie at the Piano
02	Djinn Djinn, the Pied Piper
03	Guess Who's Going to Be a Bride - I
04	Guess Who's Going to Be a Bride - II
05	Jeannie's Beauty Cream
06	Jeannie and the Bachelor Party
07	The Blood of a Jeannie
08	I'll See You in C.U.B.A.
09	Jeannie & The Mad Home Wrecker
10	Uncles A-Go-Go
11	The Wedding
12	My Sister, the Home Wrecker
14	Never Put a Genie on a Budget
15	Please Don't Give My Jeannie No More
16	One of Our Hotels Is Growing
17	The Solid Gold Jeannie
18	Mrs. Djinn Djinn
19	Jeannie and the Curious Kid
20	Jeannie the Recording Secretary
21	Help, Help! A Shark!
22	Eternally Yours, Jeannie
23	An Astronaut in Sheep's Clothing
24	Hurricane Jeannie
25	One Jeannie Beats Four of a Kind
26	The Chili King