CinemaParadisco Reviews

The Tick (2001–2002)

A Tragic Loss for us All

[2 March 2003]

The Tick was perhaps the best show to have ever been cancelled after one

season. Everyone I know who has actually seen it has loved it and for good

reason - the writing was incredible! The dialogue, especially Patrick Warburton's was fantastic. The casting and acting was right on. In bringing it from comic book to cartoon and from cartoon to sitcom I think they realized they had to

make changes. Purists have complained but often what works for one medium

doesn't work for another and I think the writers had a really good sense of how to tune each medium differently. All three versions of the Tick were successful in different ways. This is evidenced by the cult following they have all built. Right now on ebay you can see people bidding on the complete series

collections for both the sitcom and cartoon with equal ferver. Just the other day I counted over 30 listings of each and they all seem to sell sell.

The Saturday morning cartoon series lasted a couple more years so it had more exposure but even the live action sitcom on VHS,DVD and VCD is enjoying a

growing life after death as it's cult following builds. You'll notice even the people who were cartoon series fans and offer criticism for not making it exactly the same still say they loved it.

So if everyone likes it why is it gone? Well, that's Fox. These are no longer the days when they were bold and intelligent and brought out new stuff like the

Simpsons. Now they're bold in the exploitation/shock value department but lazy in the creative humor department. Now they have a set formula for advertising that is based on doing things to death like they are with reality shows. No one at Fox cared about getting word of the Tick out there or developing an advertising plan that suited it. When it came out it was basically a sink or swim orphan filler that floated through multiple time slots and skipped weeks due to bad planning by the network. If you liked the Tick you had to work pretty hard just to figure out when the next episode would be on.

So the people at Fox didn't give the Tick much respect but luckily no one told the writers and they gave it their all and at least for 9 episodes we got to see

something a little less mind numbing then "World's Scariest Hooker Arrests". Believe me, I just watched Joe Millionaire and I am now dumber for it.

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

Ever wonder why most of the world hates us? - See this Movie!!

[10/10 · 26 February 2003]

Ever wonder why most of the world hates us?

I just got around to seeing this movie at a small indy/art type theater in Washington. Apparently it has been playing there for the past 3 months and has sold out every show. When I heard that I thought there must be more to it then the critics were letting on - I wasn't disappointed. I was at the final showing and even then they filled the neck breaker seats.

It's a open honest look at why we in America are so obsessed with guns, violence and racial friction and have thousands upon thousands of gun related deaths per year when countries like Canada, Germany or England have less than a hundred a year each. Did you know that? That statistics alone make it worth seeing the film. Just one of our large cities can rack up more gun related deaths then an entire European country!

At first you blink and rub your eyes thinking "is this right?". Michael Moore asks all the right questions and then takes a hard look at our media and the role they play in working us into a mass frenzy. Shows like "Cops" and the nightly news are taking every incidence of violence and propping it up to make it look like someone of another color is committing a crime right around the corner from you at any given moment.

There's an amazing interview with Charlton Heston that gives a peek into the conservative gun lover's mind and makes your skin crawl.

Our whole country needs to see this movie.

Max (I) (2002)

"Come on Hitler, I'll buy you a lemonade"

[12 February 2003]

This movie was fantastic if you are open minded enough to view it with a "what if" attitude. Of course there are plenty of people out there complaining because they cannot separate fiction from reality and entertain the idea of Hitler having taken a different path. However, this movie is worth seeing. Great performances by Cusack(Max Rothman) and Noah Taylor(Adolph Hitler).

Also people always wonder how Hitler could be so influential if he was so whacko and the movie gives a great insight as to how it might have happened.

If for no other reason, the movie is worth seeing just to hear the line "Come on Hitler, I'll buy you a lemonade..."

I never would have guessed I'd hear that line in a million years.