furienna Reviews

Hercules (1998–1999)

One of Disney's most underrated TV shows.

[9/10 · 20 March 2011]

Sure, it takes a lot of liberties with Greek mythology and Greek history. It's not even totally faithful to the 1997 movie with the same name, to which it's supposed to be a "midquel". But still, "Hercules" is rather educational (there are facts about mythology and history in it, if you only care to look for them) and really funny. It must be one of Disney's most underrated TV shows ever!

It follows the adventures of the young demigod Hercules, who's not only a hero in training (he lives with his trainer Philoctetes), so it's often up to him to stop the plans of his evil uncle Hades, the lord of the Underworld, or to solve other problems. But he also has to go to High School, just like any other teenager, and face typical teenage issues. He's got two best friends, Icarus and Cassandra, but he's often taunted by Adonis, the arrogant prince of Thrace, who considers him "a loser".

The ancient Greek gods, like Zeus, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollon, Artemis, Demeter, Bacchus, Aphrodite, Poseidon, the Muses and Hermes, all make appearances, and so do many heroes and monsters from Greek mythology. And like other reviewers have said, this show also have an impressive cast list, even for guest roles. So if you can, check it out!

DuckTales (1987–1990)

Me and "Duck Tales"

[8/10 · 6 January 2009]

I first watched this show back in 1991 and 1992, when I was only seven years old. This was only season 2 though, you know, the episodes with Bubba and Fenton/Gizmoduck. I've never gotten that much into season 1, and for many years, I didn't even know, that an earlier season even existed, because that season was shown on a different channel, which I didn't even have until years later. But even as a little girl, I really liked season 2. The boys in my class must have liked it too, because I remember them building Gizmoduck figurines out of some kind of building kit. And they must have re-enacted the episodes from TV too, because I specifically remember them quoting Mrs Crackshell "But Fenton, we never spend any time together", except they did it in Swedish, of course.

Fortunately, I taped a lot of episodes (though in hindsight, I wish I would have taped even more of them, especially those with Fenton), and I watched them now and then throughout the 90s. And then in early 2002, ten years after these episodes had last been shown on Swedish TV, I watched my old tapes again. And as I now was seventeen years old, going on eighteen, I could see them in a more mature light. And I started thinking "Isn't Fenton cute?" I somehow forgot about it over the summer though, until I watched those tapes again in the fall. And soon enough, it became obvious, that Fenton Crackshell had become one of my cartoon crushes. (Yep, I've had my fair share of those.) I soon managed to get all episodes with him in English, and in 2004, half of these episodes were once again shown on Swedish TV, which allowed to finally tape some of the episodes, that I hadn't had in Swedish before.

And even if I disregard Fenton for a moment (okay, that's hard for me, but I'll try), this must be one of the best Disney shows ever. I must agree with the general consensus here. Especially season 2 shows so much quality, that it can entertain adults and children alike. I haven't seen much of season 1, but from the little I've seen of it, it comes across as more childish to me. But of course, since children was the main target group, there's no harm in that.

I rate this show (or really, season 2, since I haven't seen much of season 1) 9 out of 10. It could have been a perfect 10, if it hadn't been for two details, which just bother me. One is that Gandra Dee, Fenton's girlfriend, is so wrong for him, that I won't even get started on it here. And the other one is that Webby was so marginalized in season 2. Maybe there were so many characters in the end, that there wasn't much space left for her. But she still lived at the McDuck mansion, right? So they should have shown her more, even if it only had been her playing with Huey, Dewie and Louie, and given her more lines.

Aladdin (1994–1995)

One of my favorites.

[9/10 · 20 October 2006]

Once again, I check out the user comments for a great Disney TV show only to be surprised at the many negative reviews. This is one of my favorite TV shows ever from Disney. It's full of adventure and humor, and I don't think Aladdin and Jasmine are as two-dimensional as many other reviewers here have claimed. Okay, I have to admit, that Genie, Jago and sometimes Abu are the funny characters, not Aladdin and Jasmine, but that doesn't make them two-dimensional. This show is a classic of the 90s, and it deserves every praise it can get. Many Disney shows are ones, that I used to watch back in the day, but now, I don't like them anymore. But "Aladdin" will never get too childish or too disgusting or too annoying for me.

The Emperor's New School (2006–2008)

Hmmm?

[8/10 · 22 September 2006]

While I understood, that this show is too weird to please everybody, I don't get where all these bad reviews come from, and I'm most surprised over the bad reviews, that it has gotten from fans of the movies. I liked it and got hooked on it since the first episode I watched. It's a little messed up though, that Kuzco was put into school. And it seems to be High School rather than College. But I guess he's only eighteen, right, so it's not like he's too old to get educated? And haven't the royals always had to get the best education avaible to them? So the "Kuzco has to graduate, or he won't become emperor" thing doesn't sound too weird for me. And I guess his education was neglected before, so that's why he has to be educated now.

The New Land (1972)

The excellent story continues...

[9/10 · 8 July 2006]

Before you read this, you should read my comment for "Utvandrarna" ("The emigrants"). You should also watch the first movie before you watch this one. But let's start with this comment now, shall we? This movie is based on two novels by Vilhelm Moberg: "Nybyggarna" ("The new settlers") and "Sista brevet till Sverige" ("The last letter to Sweden"). The emigrants from Småland in Sweden have now settled down in Minnesota in America. This movie starts in the 1850s and end in the 1890s. Kristina never really adjusts to her new home in America and always misses her beloved Sweden. Her husband Karl Oskar on the other hand has no regrets. After all, aren't they richer now than anybody they knew in Sweden, and aren't their children going to have a better life now? Kristina's uncle Danjel and his family can't have any regrets either. After all, they don't have to fear the prosecution from the Church of Sweden anymore. Robert and Arvid go to California to join the Gold rush. But things don't turn out as good as they would liked too... But no character from the previous movie becomes as rich and successful as the former prostitute Ulrika. And the saga can continue...

The Emigrants (1971)

Everybody in the world with Swedish background should see this!

[9/10 · 6 July 2006]

I just want to thank my grandmother (my mother's mother) for buying these four novels some time during her long lifetime and letting me inherit them after her death three years ago. Even though I haven't read all way through them since 2000, I still appreciate having them in my collection, and Grandma even saved me some bucks by letting me inherit her copies. I might also add, that these books were among the few ones, that her husband (my grandfather and my mother's father) ever even looked into, according to Mum. Vilhelm Moberg sure is one of our greatest writers over here in Sweden of all time. If we move over to the movie, it's really good at following the books. I hate it when film-makers do unnecessary changes in the story, when they turn novels into movies. But fortunately, Troell actually followed the books really well. And I really understand, that Vilhelm Moberg wanted him and no one else to make these novels into movies.

The first movie, "Utvandrarna" (The emigrants), is thus a really great movie adaption of the two novels "Utvandrarna" ("The emigrants") and "Invandrarna" ("The immigrants"). It's about how some people from Småland in Sweden decide to emigrate to America in the year 1850. We have Karl Oskar Nilsson, who decides to move to America with his wife Kristina and their children and his younger brother Robert. Even though Kristina was reluctant to leave Sweden, Karl Oskar convinces her to emigrate after their oldest daughter dies, so that the rest of the children can have better lives. Robert is forever marked by how he was treated by his master, when he was a farmhand, and wants to leave for the free country in the west, where servants can't be treated badly. Robert's friend Arvid is accused of having sex with a cow and wants to get away from that nasty rumor and follow Robert to the golden land in the west. Kristina's uncle Danjel and his wife Inga-Lena has to flee Sweden because of religious reasons. The former prostitute Ulrika and her illegitimate daughter Elin don't have anything to lose either. Jonas Petter, a neighbor of Karl Oskar and Kristina, just wants to get away from his unhappy marriage. After a hard journey over the Atlantic, these people come to Minnesota, where there already are a lot of Swedish people.

The story is continued in the movie "Nybyggarna" (The new land).

Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (1969–1970)

I totally love Zilly!

[9/10 · 7 May 2006]

Does anybody else have Zilly as their favorite from this show? I'm not even starting to talk about the other characters. Others have already done that, and no other character is nearly as interesting as Zilly to me. Zilly is, of course, the coward of the show, so how he ended up as a pilot is beyond me. But he has somehow learned how to fly an airplane, so I guess that got him the job somehow. He often tries to run away from the tasks his boss Dick Dastardly puts him up too. The dog Mutley then has to make him do what he's supposed to do anyway by chasing him and bringing him back before he can get away. He often says things like "Oh dear!" and "Oh my!", when he thinks something is going to be dangerous. He's the only one to understand what Klunk says, and he has to be a translator. It is never explained why he can understand Klunk, while no one else can. I have suspected, that they somehow grew up together, and that they know each other from childhood, and that's why Zilly understands him. Well, that's it. Except that no one has mentioned the general. He's so funny, even though we don't ever see anything more of him than his hand. He often calls Dick Dastardly and his men on a phone, and we hear his angry voice on the other side of the line.

Asterix and Cleopatra (1968)

I think this is the best of all the Asterix stories.

[9/10 · 29 April 2006]

Well, well, well... I managed to find this movie one morning in late December of 1994, so I could record it on my VCR, and I have watched it now and then ever since. About "Asterix" in general, I can only say, that I only like it for one thing: Its historical setting and its mention of ancient gods and goddesses. Otherwise, it can't compare to let's say "Tintin" when it comes to quality. But about this story in particular, where the Gauls Asterix, Obelix and Getafix have to go to Egypt to help queen Cleopatra's architect to build a temple for Julius Ceasar within three months, I must say, that it has to be one of my favorite "Asterix" stories of all time.

The Wiz (1978)

Michael is the cutest scarecrow on Earth!

[8/10 · 28 March 2006]

I admit that I would never have watched this movie, if it hadn't been for who played the scarecrow: Michael Jackson! I didn't even bother to record the parts of the story in the beginning or in the end with no Mike in it, when I recorded back in 1999. But I don't regret watching it, because Michael is so cute as the scarecrow! I even have to admit, that I actually even a thing about any scarecrow for a while back in 1999/2000 because of how cute Michael is in this movie. A 20-year-old Michael Jackson just can't be anything but lovely to me, of course, but this scarecrow part was just so right for him. He has also said, that no other part in this movie would have suited him. And his singing in this movie! Oh, "You can't win" was such a great song for him! And "Ease on down the road" is good too. And even if we wouldn't think about Mike, which is hard for me, but let's try for a moment, this movie still is better than "The wizard of Oz" from 1939, which is nothing but boring in my opinion.

Moonwalker (1988)

Probably not for the MJ bashers, no, but yes, it's great for us fans!

[7/10 · 28 March 2006]

Actually this movie has silly moments, both in the claymation part and in the Joe Pesci and children part, and it's much worse than other MJ movies like "The Wiz", "Captain Eo" and "Ghosts". But as a die hard Michael Jackson fan since almost eleven years, (Yeah, that's half my life, you guys!), I can't complain too much about it. Just seeing this lovely guy and hearing his wonderful music is a trip to Heaven for me. But as a movie, it's not good at all, and I'm afraid, that it would get a much lower grade for me, if my darling Mike hadn't been the one starring in it. But since no one but Mike IS the moonwalker, it has to get a 7 out of 10 from me.

The Sword in the Stone (1963)

A great cartoon version of the story about how Arthur became the king of England.

[9/10 · 16 March 2006]

Disney's version of how the young Arthur could become the king of England might not have any real plot, since it's based on different adventures of Arthur and Merlin. But many different cute adventures make a really cute movie, and the formula sure works for me.

When the king of England (probably Arthur's father Uther) dies, there's no one to inherit his thrown. But there's a sword in a stone in a churchyard in London, and the one, who can pull the sword out of the stone, is the right heir to the king's thrown and the next king of England. But though many men try, no one is able to pull the sword out of the stone. The sword in the stone is forgotten, and England has to do without a king for many years.

Meanwhile, the orphan boy Arthur (who's actually the illegitimate son of the late king Uther and the lady Igraine, though that's of course not mentioned in this movie) has been adopted by Sir Ector, a local nobleman, and grows up in Sir Ector's castle. But alas, Sir Ector openly prefers his own son, Kay, over his adoptive son, and Arthur, who's almost always called "Wart", is merely the lousiest of the servants in the castle. But when Arthur is about twelve years old, his life takes a turn for the better, when he meets the wizard Merlin and his owl Archimedes. Merlin knows that Arthur will become something special one day, so he starts giving him an education. Sir Ector doesn't like that, but he's too afraid of Merlin's magic to really defy him.

During a trip to London, Arthur finally finds out who he is. He discovers the sword in the stone and pulls it out. Amazed by this boy being able to do something so many grown men have failed to do, the people immediately make young Arthur their new king, and Sir Ector and his son Kay regret how badly they have treated "Wart". But only being around twelve years old, Arthur needs the wise Merlin beside him to lead the kingdom.

You're Out of Your Mind, Maggie (1979)

A movie based on Astrid Lindgren's novel "Madicken och Junibackens pims", which is about two sisters and their adventures in 1910s Sweden.

[10/10 · 19 February 2006]

First of all, I'm very surprised to find this movie at this site. I hardly expected any Swedish movies at all.

Of course, I'm Swedish, but I'm afraid this book doesn't appeal to people of other countries as much as it does to my people. The reason why Pippi Longstocking, or Pippi Långstrump, as I like to call her, since it's her Swedish name, is much more popular outside Sweden than Madicken, is of course that Pippi can appeal to other people too. Madicken lives in a very realistic world, in a small town in Sweden in the 1910s, while Pippi Longstocking, who grew up with pirates, is strong enough to lift up a horse on her hands, and has a suitcase full of gold cons, is almost like a fairy-tale and far more international. However, Pippi is one of the most popular Astrid Lindgren characters within Sweden too, while "Madicken" never gets the same kind of admiration. I prefer "Madicken" though, and the stories about her are by far my favorites in the Astrid Lindgren production.

I don't think anyone outside Sweden can understand the status Astrid Lindgen has within our country. When she died in 2002, all other TV shows were cancelled to be replaced by specials about Astrid, and her funeral was shown on TV too. And still, she wrote hardly anything but children's books! However, Swedish children have been brought up with Astrid Lingdren for 60 years.

I must also explain, that child nudity is much more accepted in Sweden than in America. Of course, child porn is not accepted, but back in 1979, when no one really knew there was such a thing as pedophilia or child porn, there was no problem with showing children naked in a movie as they got dressed or went for a swim. But I actually think there would be more problems, if a movie was done this way today, because nowadays, child porn unfortunately is a well-known issue.

And I also must agree, that the "Madicken" TV series and movies really have nailed what it was like here in Sweden back in the 1910s. Everything about them, especially the clothes and hairstyles, are very authentic. And we're reminded of how much social classes still mattered back then.

Ben-Hur (1959)

Lewis Wallace's story about the origins of Christianity focuses on the Jewish prince Judah Ben Hur, who is terribly wronged by his childhood friend, a Roman named Messala.

[9/10 · 14 February 2006]

I simply love these historical flicks, so this was of course a must-see for me. And I don't regret seeing it either. I would like to give it a smashing 10 out of 10, but I settle for 9 out of 10, since the famous race scene is way too long in my opinion, and there are also two things, which bother me. First of all, in the book, Arrius dies before Judah leaves him, but in the movie, he still seems to be alive. I would prefer it if Arrius would have died in the movie too, instead of Judah giving him his ring back. I suspect he got it back one way or the other, but still! And also, I think the love story between Judah and Esther should have started way before it did, so that she never was supposed to get married to someone else. But in the book, (Okay, I haven't read the novel, except a comic book version, but I have browsed through the novel, and the comic book version is more true to the novel than this movie), Judah doesn't think about Esther that way before he returns from his years on the galleys. But still, the length of the race scene is still the main reason why this movie gets a 9 out of 10 instead of a full 10.

Quo Vadis (1951)

A movie based on Henryk Sienkiewicz's novel about the clash between the old pagan ways and the new Christian ways during the rule of emperor Nero in the first century AD.

[9/10 · 13 February 2006]

The novel by Henryk Sienkewicz is one of my favorite books in the world, so of course, I had to watch this movie, and I have even recorded it twice on my VCR on two different tapes, and likewise, I have two versions of the novel. However, the novel is just a little better than the movie, so if the book almost is a perfect 10 out of 10, I have to grade the movie a 8 out of 10. For example, I find Vinicius much more agreeable in the novel, but instead, I understand Lygia's insecurity about him better in the movie. But I won't blame Robert Taylor or Deborah Kerr for this, of course, for I suspect they didn't make the script. And also, other things are different between the novel and the movie. I have to admit though, that Peter Ustinov's performance as Nero is excellent. He really nailed the emperor's cruelty and his madness. But then, Patricia Laffan was just the right person to play the part of empress Poppaea too. She could really look like a female villain. Leo Genn was really the right person to do Petronius too.