Mariomac Reviews

Pokémon (1997–2023)

A good dose of difference!

[16 April 1999]

Based on an extremely original idea which was placed into Video Game form, the TV series is actually better than the medium it's based on! Sticking to traditional cartoon rules such as no dying and realistic issues blending in with over-the-top fantasy issues. A lot of fun for all ages, really. Take it from someone who is 15 years old! I hope the movie will be just as good!

The Waterboy (1998)

I can think of nothing better than "stupid".

[16 April 1999]

I looked up this movie and I thought to myself "Hey this is worth a look". I read the user comment. "They obviously haven't seen an Adam Sandler movie before". I know I had, and that was "the Wedding Sinder". That was a fabulous movie. I realise that all I can expect would be a few laughs, so I decide to see what it looks like. Now I wish I hadn't. "The Waterboy" was the least funniest, most ridiculous movie I had ever seen! The plot was reminiscent of a great many amount of Disney movies, the jokes couldn't possibly be classified as funny, and the acting, scripting, directing and producing were atrocious!!! How all of my friends managed to enjoy this is beyond me. The thing that gets my goat about Adam Sandler is that he thinks that just plain being stupid is funny! He thinks that he is funny! I was on the verge of walking out of the cinema when I remembered that it was a social get together and I didn't want to disappoint my friends. But if you're just alone and you want to relax and watch a movie then walk past this one!

The Land Before Time (1988)

I still remember crying...

[13 April 1999]

This fantastic portrayal of "the land before time" really moved me and filled me with hope and understanding. This is the one that brought me to realise what death was and that it is something that is very sad. I am 15 years old, going on 16, and I would watch it a zillion times if I was given the opportunity. Apart from this, my obsession with dinosaurs started from this movie. I had seen this movie about twenty times during my time in grade 2 and when we started studying dinosaurs, I was just reminded of this wondrous movie so much that I knew I wanted to learn and discover more about them. An excellent achievement! Watch it if you just want to escape from the real world and find yourself in a land before time!

Hook (1991)

This opened my eyes.

[9/10 · 10 April 1999]

I honestly think this is one of Steven Spielberg's messages to society. Very often is Spielberg considered, "The child who never grew up", so why do you think this movie was made? Too much criticism over this wondrous movie. It really made me think to myself, "I could be a kid again!", and it has! It was just the movie I needed to convince me that I can hold on to the child within. Anyone can. You don't need to fly away to NeverNever Land, but it would be nice if some people would once in a while.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

I can not think of a better movie.

[10 April 1999]

I saw this when I was very young and my parents thought it would be a kid's movie. Well, yes, and no. I can say that it was a very original and incredible way of telling a story, blending the world of cartoons into the world of humans (from what I remember of it. I was very young). Robert Zemeckis is now one of my favourite directors. I have since then become a movie buff, as you can tell, and this was probably what started my obsession with telling stories. I already liked cartoons, but the fact that this consisted of both cartoon and real-life worlds put my faith back in the real world. If I get the opportunity to see this one again, I wouldn't just watch it, I would keep it!

DuckTales (1987–1990)

Disney's version of "Indiana Jones"

[4 April 1999]

I am fifteen years old, going on sixteen, and this is still one of my favourite shows. It had that level of smarts that wasn't achieved by secondary shows like "Goof Troop" or "Bonkers". A simple idea, pretty much just putting some classic Disney characters in a world full of mysteries and treasures to be discovered. This show also blends in some original elements of the classic characters into this new and often exciting environment, casting Scrooge McDuck as the greedy, self-centered rich man who, as the series progresses, learns that there's more to life than money through the eyes of his grand-nephews who have been left behind by their true uncle, Donald Duck, who decides to join the Navy. Heck, they even made a movie out of it with Christopher Lloyd that was released at the cinemas. That shows how popular it was. The second, and final season, however, took a downwards slope. Concentrating mostly on the new characters in the forms of Gizmo Duck and Bubba Duck, of whom no-one knew about and didn't really gel well with the classic duck community. Sadly, this brought the series to an unfortunate end which is a shame, because it was by far the best of the modern Disney animated series'.

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999)

Not as good as his female counterpart.

[19 March 1999]

I started watching Hercules in 1996, the first year it was screened in Australia. I was pleasantly surprised when I found a mythical, wondrous show full of plot, maybe not originality, but a great many things to keep me watching. Then Xena came into the picture. An original idea, spoofed from the world of Hercules, putting this made up female counterpart dealing, not only with the unordinary, but realistic and typical problems that we ourselves would have faced if we lived in 1000 BC, or whatever. I watched both shows for a while and I noticed that Xena was getting far more serious and involving, whilst Hercules became less and less interesting and more cartoony in feel and in terms of sounds, looks and plots. Where did that monster-slaying, god-fighting guy go? I want him back!!! Now he deals with girls who have trouble dancing and love-affairs that don't threaten the world in any way, shape or form. I don't know about the rest of you, but Hercules is becoming more of a disappointment. If you are over 12, only watch Xena. Far more worthwhile until the producers realise what they've done.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998 Video Game)

The best game invented and the best game I've played!!!

[9/10 · 27 January 1999]

There are classic books, classic movies, classic TV shows, classic board games and classic video games. This one is too new to be a classic game, but so far, it is the most innovative, indepth and well structured game in history!! Never before have I played a game with such dramatic quality that you can actually feel for a video game character, feel his pain and his emotions! There have been other Zelda games, but with the way technology is improving rapidly you can't help but say that this is the best of them. I may only be fifteen, but I have had enough experience to tell the good from the crappy. I know that movies like Saving Private Ryan are meant to touch the human spirit and make you feel like you are right in the middle of the times of War. I have seen it and I was truly touched by its ability to bring such realistic events right to the screens of the world. I have two truly gifted heroes, one is Steven Spielberg and the other is Shigeru Miyamoto. This game touched my soul. Hell, it even touched my Mum's soul up to the level where she actually thought that it was a good game! Video Games are becoming more like movies and one day they'll all have people like Spielberg working for them. This game is the start of all that and will definitely become a classic!