Reviews

In the last few years, Alex O'Loughlin has been all over TV in the USA, however FEED was his "Good Will Hunting". O'Loughlin helped write/create and star in this film, which I don't mind saying, caught me totally off guard. Bored and surfing Netflix one day, I happened upon this, clicked Play and spent the next few hours watching some of the strangest things I've ever seen in a movie. Of course FEED isn't studio-budget quality but then again, it wasn't a studio film. I thought the actors did great in their roles and even though I know nothing about the Feeder/Gainer lifestyle, I found them to be believable. If you can stand watching a man eat his own body parts and if you like weird, FEED is worth a watch.

Angel is another one of those series that I never watched in its original run but discovered in re-runs. Honestly, I believe I was apprehensive about ever watching the show because of its ties to the Buffy series. Something about a teenage girl slaying vampires while worrying about prom that just never appealed to me. However, even though the Angel character may have been spun off from the Buffy series, the Angel series itself is a completely different show with much darker, more interesting characters. Not to mention, the storyline for Angel is much more grown-up than its Buffy predecessor. The show follows Angel, a Vampire who, after being "cursed" with a soul, struggles to make amends for all the horrors of his past as "Angelis", one of the most ruthless vampires to ever exist. In my opinion, one of the best things about the Angel series was David Boreanaz's ability to bring a touch of levity to a character that stereotypically has no sense of humor while still maintaining the appearance of a soul tortured by his own immortality. Through the duration of the show, Angel and his group of rag-tag "Champions" go from a small-time P.I. firm fighting demons to being the heads of the infamous Wolfram & Hart that is basically evil personified as an LA law firm. The interplay of the characters is priceless. Almost like "Friends" only with demons, prophecies and an endless supply of bad guys. All in all, this is definitely a series that's going in my DVD collection.

Being a fan of the horror genre, I was so looking forward to the release of this movie. If for no other reason, than to see Kate Beckinsale dressed in leather from head to toe (which, by the way, did NOT disappoint). Either my expectations were too high or the whole Vampire theme was just too played out, but I felt really let down by this movie. With all the flash-backs, flash-forwards and I think even a few flash-sideways, the plot boiled down to a regurgitated story about the battle between Vampires and Werewolves. The leading man would have been better off as a mute as he proves that just because you look like a rock-singer, it doesn't mean you should act. All in all, the movie reminded me of a Mariah Carey video, fun to watch but only as long as you have the TV on mute. But as bad as the movie was, I'd still let Kate Beckinsale bite me any day.

I somehow missed this show in its original run in the mid/late 90's. But as luck would have it, I've recently discovered this show in re-runs and was so interested by it that I even bought the Season 1 DVD set. The show consists of a hero (Jarod) who is a genius capable of insinuating himself into any profession or situation. Kidnapped as a child and exploited by "The Centre", Jarod escapes and sets out to find his long-lost parents. During his search, Jarod uses his abilities to seek justice for strangers he reads about in newspaper articles. Part of what makes this series great is the relationship between Jarod and Centre psychologist/instructor Sydney who has raised Jarod from childhood and become the closest thing Jarod has ever known to a father. Additionally, Centre Hench-woman "Miss Parker" tracks Jarod relentlessly, while discovering more and more that the Centre has manipulated her own life almost as much as they have Jarod's. The only negative thing I have to say about this show is that it was canceled prior to its conclusion. An attempt at a TV Movie "Pretender 2001" was made to give us the answers about Jarod's family but I have yet to find a copy to see how it ends. It's too bad there aren't quality shows like this on today to save us from Reality-TV.

I enjoyed Thought Crimes. Not only is Navi Rawat gorgeous, but she proved, at least as far as I'm concerned, that her acting abilities extend well beyond a walk on character for The OC. Nice to see that the 90's demise of ThirySomething didn't completely end Peter Horton's career but I don't expect he'll win any awards for his performance. All in all, it's a show I would definitely watch. I wouldn't sit at home on Friday nights just to see it, but it's definitely TiVo worthy. I hope it's not just another one-hit-wonder but only time will tell. As fir the overall concept, let's face it, not much is original these days but a fine little hottie like Rawat could make even an infomercial keep my attention. It's nice to know that just because you hear voices doesn't mean you can't still get a job in Hollywood.