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Reviews
Sister, Sister (1994)
A memorable sitcom
Sister Sister really takes me back to my life in the 90's! It was a unique show which went from strength to strength, with a simple formula, good plot lines and very strong character types. As enjoyable as Tia and Tamera's characters were, for me personally, the unparallelled Jackee Harry took the show to a new level as the sassy and brash Lisa Landry. Much like her lauded performance in 227 in the 80's, Jackee managed to steal show here as well.
My only complaints are the drop in quality of the show in the final season as well as the fact that the finale was extremely rushed and didn't have a particularly great ending.
In the House (1995)
A good show which had so much more potential
"In the House" could have been a marquee African American-led sitcom in the mid to late 90s, following end of the Fresh Prince. It wasn't short on star power as it brought together Quincy Jones as an executive producer, and LL Cool J and Debbie Allen in lead roles. The first two seasons were the crowning glory of the show. LL stepped up to the plate admirably as the level headed, injured NFL-turned landlord Marion Hill; but it was Allen's portrayal of the hapless divorcée and mother of two Jackie Warren which really brought the show to life. Their interactions provided plenty of laughter, as the more spiritual Marion clashed with the sarcastic Jackie (in addition to her clashes with her kids, her boss, her ex-husband and everyone in-between!).
The move from NBC to UPN completely modified the show's premise as well as writing out Debbie Allen's character. For me, her departure was ultimately the show's undoing. Season 3 was quite good as Marion ventured out into setting up a clinic in partnership with Tonia Harris (Kim Wayans) and Maxwell Stanton (Alfonso Ribeiro). Wayans' eccentric character somewhat made up for the lack of Debbie Allen. Ribeiro was essentially playing Carlton Banks again. There was also more emphasis on Maia Campbell's character Tiffany Warren (the only member of the Warren clan left on the show). She was easily identifiable as the guy crazy, partying type teenager. This aspect provided a challenge to Marion who was acting as her guardian after Jackie left.
By the time "In The House" entered its fourth season, it was clear that the producers were running out of ideas. Once a family oriented show, now became more targeted at the late teen/young adult audience. The result was a less comedic, more melodramatic show. I truly believe that much of it pertains to the lack of Debbie Allen at this stage. The final season was very short and probably served as a procedural one before it got cancelled.
Looking back at "In the House", it was enjoyable overall, but was inevitably let down by major casting changes. I'd have kept Debbie Allen and Jeffery Wood on the show, and perhaps introduced the clinic in Season 4. One of the earliest themes of the show was Jackie hoping to find love again. The finale could have easily centred on her getting married or something, had she stayed on.
Heyy Babyy (2007)
Horrible doesn't even scrape the surface
I don't think I've ever felt more demoralised and disgusted watching a Bollywood flick. The AWFUL Akshay Kumar and those two other idiots make for a stomach churning viewing experience. Even the apparent comedy isn't funny. The very talented Vidya Balan was wasted on this one too. The soundtrack terrible on the whole.
Worst aspect was seeing the three buffoons as camp father figures. I was hoping the movie would end when Angel's mother took the baby away from them.
And I'm fed up of Bollywood movies becoming so westernised. Do a movie which actually reflects something about India!
Sex and the City (1998)
How can anyone like this trash? Reflection of a society degenerated
I truly despair for womankind when they discuss this joke of a programme as if it's intellectually engaging and promotes female liberation and independence. This show is the biggest insult to women next to all those libidinous hip-hop videos. If talking like a bunch of reckless teenage boys over $100 lunches in swanky restaurants, indiscriminately shopping for unnecessary fashion and jumping into bed with the nearest male in site is considered empowering, the fate of western women may be doomed as we speak.
Aside from the damage it does to the female gender, Sex and the City is NOT ENTERTAINING. Not once has it been funny, captivating, exciting or original. The episodes play out monotonously. Each character are factory produced mannequins who behave in the same manner every episode. Not once have any of these shallow, unattractive women evolved. Perhaps the worst is lead character Carrie Bradshaw. Aside from looking hideous, her penchant for over analysis of relationships is cringe worthy. On top of all this, the show portrays men as a bunch of empty headed slobs who are unable to commit to healthy relationships. Even when there is a decent man, he is somehow painted as a villain. The utter lack of empathy for men is clearly the work of some "progressive" pseudo feminist.
Saddest part of the whole show is that these women live unfortunate miserable lives. Any intelligent woman would never envy them. It is a banal show with even more banal characters. The NYC tourist board must hate the way this garbage is showing up their otherwise fine city! Thankfully this train wreck is over! Desperate Housewives is seen as the fitting replacement for SATC. While DH can be quite far-fetched, at least it explores women in more multi-faceted ways. Plus it treats men more respectfully and it's actually entertaining!
Rugrats (1991)
A crowning jewel of Nickelodeon which somehow ended leaving a bad taste in everyones' mouths
Though stating the obvious, I think it is safe to say the Rugrats was a giant among 90's children's television. Compared to the sickeningly sanitised animated programming of today (except for maybe Spongebob), Nickelodeon was at its ultimate creative peak from the early to mid 90's. Despite the slightly low-budget animation and sketchy production standards, the originality of the likes of Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, Doug, Real Monsters and Ren and Stimpy were simply unparallelled.
Rugrats was my absolute favourite cartoon, growing up as a child. The versatile characters, the witty dialogues, the simple but compelling story lines and the subtle cultural references made for a remarkable show. The world viewed in the eyes of babies and toddlers was a fascinating insight into early childhood. The babies represented universal character 'types' which a lot of young kids can identify with. Tommy, the brave leader; Chuckie, the chronically scared one; Angelica, the quintessential spoilt child; and Phil and Lil, the twins with their similarities and implicit differences.
Much of the original run of the early 90's brought out all these qualities. Episodes which can be viewed over and over again! The show was given a second birth in 1997. This time with considerably enhanced animation standards and a crisper musical score. The episodes, while lacking a bit of spark of the early 90's era, maintained my interest considerably. All was good.
By this time, Rugrats had become a major franchise with an international following. It always seemed like a natural progression to produce a Rugrats 'movie'. Such happened in late 1998. The results were stellar--an all star cast, top notch animation and a crazy, funny and emotional plot. Most notably was the introduction of Dil Pickles, Tommy's new baby brother.
The following new episodes, however, proved much different. The episodes were visibly watered down, relying on gross out, toilet humour and contrived plots. Dil served as nothing but a device for viewer annoyance and disgust. Nonetheless, the stupidity was largely watchable, as it didn't really require much thought.
A second movie was subsequently made, called Rugrats In Paris, in late-2000. Again, this was a triumph much like its predecessor. Tragically this next era marked the beginning of the end for the Rugrats. Yet more new faces were introduced--Kira and Kimi, step mother and step sister of Chuckie. While neither character was as horrible as Dil, they were about as interesting as cardboard cutouts, adding zero relevance to the show. What stuck out the most was the dramatic decline in the show's quality. Each episode became worse than the next, with one-dimensional and predictable plots and a drastic makeover of all major characters. They had been reduced to farcical caricatures of once vintage personalities. Basically, if you had seen one episode, you'd seen them all!! Along with this sad train wreck came new voice overs for Grandpa and Chuckie, the contemptible babysitter character Taffy and a couple of horrendous spin offs. The latter mainly focused on the lifeless All Grown Up as well as the short-lived Pre-School Daze which is up there with some of Nickelodeon's worst material.
It's sort of hard to sum up Rugrats. Its legacy is one that was tarnished towards the end, but the sheer strength of its early days more than compensates for it shortcomings. The cartoon is easily up there with the greatest, because of that.
Little Miss Jocelyn (2006)
Loved the show, but I can sort of understand why.....
OK, I simply adore this new comedy sketch show by 3 Non Blondes star, Jocelyn Jee Esien. But first of all, I must admit that this show is an acquired taste. The less positive comments about it are understandable, considering the sketch material.
But for me, it is Esien's sheer versatility and wide-range of characters, that make this a winning formula. She becomes that character and adopts a whole new persona, in each sketch! My favourites include acid-tongued, man hating Gladys Kingston, Fiona the office employee who believes that no-one knows that she is black, Jiffy the busy-body traffic warden with her love for stopping ordinary people and lecturing them on various topics, and so on. Her facial expressions are just priceless, too.
You either love or hate it. I personally can't get enough of it.