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Zoom: Academy for Superheroes, a review by Dragonfire

Zoom: Academy for Superheroes Buckle up and prepare for a ride that's out of this world! When Earth is threatened with imminent destruction, an out-of-shape, out-of-work and over-the-hill former superhero is called back into action to save the day. That hero is Jack Sheppard a.k.a "Captain Zoom" (Tim Allen). The problem is he's lost all his powers. And now, it's up to General Larraby (Rip Torn) and Dr. Grant (Chevy Chase) to coax him into taking one more mission: train a ragtag bunch of kids with amazing superpowers of their own. With help from the brainy Marsha Holloway (Courteney Cox), they'll learn to work as a team and harness their powers to battle an evil menace who's determined to make one seriously huge mess of life as we know it. My Thoughts I first saw this one in the theater when it first came out.  The movie is a bit silly at times and predictable, but I think it works well as an entertaining movie.  It is just fun and enjoyable to watch.  I like the idea of characters learning to be superheroes.  Having a superhero who lost his power be involved helps to make things more interesting as well.  I also liked how some other established, well known superheroes are mentioned at one point.  Much of the movie is focused on the attempts at training the kids.  Those scenes get a bit silly at times, but they are entertaining and some of them add humor to what is going on.  There is a decent amount of humor to what is going on.  Some of the humor is more gross or crude, but it mostly works for the movie.  The character work well and are likable.  Jack/Zoom does act a bit like a jerk in a few scenes, but that doesn't last long.  It is understandable why he isn't that thrilled to be back at the facility after he went through years before.  The kids are interesting without being annoying.  Cindy is really cute.  I did really like Chevy Chase as Dr. Grant, a sort of bumbling scientist who tries to help with the training and developing things for the kids to use.  The cast works really well together.  Courteney Cox is pretty funny, even doing some physical type comedy. Overall I really enjoy this movie and am glad that I have the DVD. I did post a review on Epinions after seeing the movie in the theater. Zoom: Academy for Superheroes

(From Zoom: Academy for Superheroes on June 8th, 2010)

Frenzy, a review by Danae Cassandra

Frenzy
Year of Release: 1972
Directed By: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Jon Finch, Barry Foster, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Anna Massey
Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Overview:FrenzyMy Thoughts:
Hitchcock lays out all the mystery in the beginning, as the viewer is lead to suspect different people as being the serial killer.  He wraps that up pretty early in the film though, at least for the viewer.  We know long before our protagonist who the killer is.  After that it stays a good thriller, though the deaths in the film were easy for me to predict early on.  Great direction, great camera work, and I really appreciated that the protagonist was an actually unlikeable person.  Yes, he was an innocent man and I sympathized with him, but he wasn't a hero and I didn't like him.  That's not something I see very often in film so I found it very refreshing. 

I do think the first rape/murder scene was quite nasty and it seemed drawn out and fetishized to me.  This is likely intentional, getting into the mind of the killer and all that, but I'm not sure that the film needed it.  The second rape/murder, that takes place mostly off screen, is just as effective in eliciting horror from the viewer.  That's really my only quarrel here, this was otherwise a really good film.  Recommended.

Bechdel Test: Fail

Overall: 4/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on December 5th, 2015)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

15. Phases (1998-01-27)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Rob Des Hotel (Writer), Dean Batali (Writer)
Director: Bruce Seth Green
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Seth Green (Oz), Camila Griggs (Gym Teacher), Jack Conley (Cain), Larry Bagby III (Larry), Megahn Perry (Theresa), Keith Campbell (Werewolf)

I always liked the idea of Oz being a werewolf. Although the werewolf looks quite cheap in this episode.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on February 15th, 2009)