diamonds17 Reviews

When in Rome (I) (2002 Video)

I'm going to try to be nice here.

[23 June 2003]

Ok...I'm going to TRY to be nice here. As a kid, I was a huge Mary-Kate and Ashley fan, and I still am....but lately, I tune into their movies to see their clothes as opposed to the actually movie. Not that I can help it, I mean, the clothes are cute, while the movie plots stay exactly the same. I do think Mary-Kate and Ashley have the acting talent and can develop into much better actresses, but I think they're just treading in safe waters with simple, surface-scratching movie plots where everying is all in the name of "cute" and "fun". I guess you can't really blame them considering everyone still regards them as kid actresses, but for us fans out there, I think it's about time they gave something more to their audience. Meaning...no more of this traveling off to foreign lands, meeting cute boys, getting kissed deal. It's cute, but only the first few times around. Like I said, I'm trying to be nice here.

Oh, and personally, I think the only reason Ashley didn't kiss her guy friend in the movie is because she has a boyfriend in real life and merely chose not to. Then again, it's my own personal opinion.

Mom's on Strike (2002 TV Movie)

Good movie....but was it realistic?

[6 August 2002]

I liked Moms on Strike! when I first watched it. And I liked it every other time that I've seen it. But I really wonder if it is realistic. I know for a fact in my family, I could never treat my mother the way Pam's family treats her. I could never throw my dirty laundry at her and demand that she wash it, not shrink it. I could never scream at mom and tell her to clean up the mess the dog made. I could never, EVER tell my mom that she looked terrible in comparison to my friend's mom. And I know a lot of people who could never do that to their mother as well. In my family, I do my own laundry, I help make my brothers' and sister's breakfast and lunch, I take care of the family pets, with no one else's help. My mom does her share, but I do my share as well. We all do. Apparently, in Pam's family, none of her kids had to lift a finger or had daily chores to do. Her daughter, Jessica, has no respect, her sons don't know how to clean up after themselves, and her husband lives in his own little world without any knowledge to how his family is run. Realistic? Who knows? Maybe my family is the weird family.

Of course, Pam was the perfect mother, and she certainly had every reason to go on strike. She was a real mother, but I don't think her family was real at all.

Kim Possible (2002–2007)

Umm...all right...

[22 July 2002]

Yeah, I guess Kim Possible is all right. Personally, it didn't thrill me though. The only thing I truly like about the show is the amazing cast. We have Christy Carlson Romano (She has a lot of talent and a great voice!) as Kim, Will Friedle(He's pretty much the reason I watch the show...so cute AND talented!) as Ron, Nancy Cartwright as Rufus, and Tahj Mowry as Wade. Plus, Christina Milian (I wish I had her voice!) sings the amazingly catchy theme song. Not to mention Kirsten Storms, Raven-Symone, and the rest of the gang.

Personally, I think Kim Possible lacks something...maybe because it's a new show, I don't know. It's interesting, but it didn't spark my interest. I guess this show is all right...after all, it has potential.

As Told by Ginger (2000–2009)

Love it!

[18 July 2002]

As Told by Ginger has to be the best nicktoon Nickelodeon has produced in a while. I love it! It's cute, it's funny, and it's down-to-earth. I was exactly like Ginger when I was her age, and I think a lot people were too! I definitely recommend this show for younger teens. It's all about growing up! Great show!!!

Boy Meets World (1993–2000)

Fresh and Funny

[18 July 2002]

Boy Meets World was an awesome show! Especially for growing teenagers. I'm sad that they ended the series, but I'm glad they still run it on Disney. Boy Meets World is my favorite show because no matter what episode comes on, it always makes me laugh. I thought Ben Savage (Cory), Danielle Fishel (Topanga), and Will Friedle (Eric), seriously matured as actors as the years went on. You have to admit, even though Eric went from this stage of coolness to just plain craziness, Will Friedle was a great actor. Only so many people can bring so much life to a character so well.

Boy Meets World was a great show because it brought families together and had some good lessons on life and love. It showed the lives of two families, Cory's upper-middle class family, and Shawn's lower class family, and proved that two people with different financial backgrounds can still be friends. It also showed Shawn conquering everything that came up against him, despite losing his father and mother and being raised in a poor area. Plus I loved the whole Shawn and Angela relationship. It proved that no matter what your background or race, you can still be in love. Plus, Shawn really cared about her! (It was soooo cute!!)

I personally thought the college years were the best because they were sooo hilarious! They brought so much entertainmnent and laughter to TGIF. Mr. Feeny was great too! I wish I had a teacher who was always there for me like that...even if they really were ALWAYS there! Each character developed into their own person, and each person taught me something new. You have to admit you loved them all!

Holiday in the Sun (2001 Video)

Maturing Mary-Kate and Ashley still need to mature

[17 July 2002]

As a fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen since the age of 6, I knew I had to see this movie sometime soon. I watched it, applauding Mary-Kate and Ashley's maturity yet disappointed by the plot. Yes, Mary-Kate and Ashley are pretty and perky young girls who have captured the hearts of fans over the years, but as actresses, they still have room to grow. The plot of Holiday in the Sun is cute, but it follows the same route Passport to Paris, Our Lips Are Sealed, and Winning London took: they go to a some foreign country, catch up with (and kiss) two cute boys, shop a bit, and solve some mystery. The plot was cute in Passport to Paris, but now that Mary-Kate and Ashley have grown older, the plot must eventually change.

Mulan (1998)

Great Disney Movie with a Different Beat

[17 July 2002]

After watching Mulan at a local movie theater with my family, I have to admit, I was amazed. I had seen previews for it on TV, and I was disappointed. I pictured Mulan as a dark, gloomy movie about war and fighting. Honestly, it was the opposite. With the hilariously clever Mushu and cute Cri-Kee, Mulan colorfully displayed a young girl, growing up, trying to find her way and prove she is worth something to her father and to herself.

Mulan is certainly not the typical, traditional Disney film...and I applaud it for that. Focused in Ancient China, it is about a young, ordinary girl. She is not a princess (Jasmine) and she is no extraordinarily beautiful woman falling in love (Pocahontas). She is just a young girl trying to save her father and trying to prove herself.

I admit to scrutinizing Mulan for not being about a princess and not being about romance, but because of that, it proves that a movie about people, ordinary people, can do well too. Mulan came at a time when Disney movies were not as appealing as they once were (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules), but it revived the Disney scene anyway.

While I still say that the new classics, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King are the best films Disney has produced, with well-written storylines and amazing musical scores, Mulan is a wonder of its own. The lack of music was disappointing, but nonetheless, Mulan is a wonderful movie for families, especially young girls and their fathers.

Pocahontas (I) (1995)

Good movie, although historically incorrect

[17 July 2002]

After falling in love with The Lion King, my family and I ventured to see Pocahontas. Pocahontas, though not as brilliant as The Lion King, in short, was a good movie. It was emotional. It was moving. It featured a handsome young man (John Smith) falling in love with a beautiful Indian woman (Pocahontas). What more could you want? Touching, sweet, memorable...but incorrect. In actual history, there was no love between Pocahontas and John Smith. There was no rugged, blond young man or beautiful woman...instead, there was a young 10- to 12-year-old girl and a red-headed Smith who was a strict leader of his Jamestown crew. Not the 1995 film Disney produced...

In the box, without reference to its historical inaccuracy, Pocahontas was good...but a tad more serious than the movies before it. It didn't feature a character as goofy as Aladdin's Genie, nor did it play upon comedy, like Aladdin and various scenes from The Lion King.

The characters of Pocahontas were not as strong as other Disney movie characters either. While Pocahontas was strong and daring, I felt her character did not completely develop itself. It settled more on the love between her and John Smith. Governor Ratcliffe was indeed wicked, but certainly not as terrorizing as Ursula (The Little Mermaid) or Scar (The Lion King). Nor did I grow to love many of the characters... there was some stiffness about John Smith, and while Meeko made me laugh, I wished Percy and Flit would lighten up. And Nakoma, Pocahontas' best friend, did not play much of best friend. She was hardly in the movie, but when she was in a scene, I often wished she wasn't.

The music was all right, but it definitely was not the music of Aladdin. The animation was all right as well...I love the colored leaves that floated towards the ship at the end of the film.

Pocahontas, in short, was a good movie. But I felt it didn't have the spark the movies before it did. And sadly, the movies after it, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules, lacked whatever spark Pocahontas had as well.