StayinFrosty

Based on the 1974 American movie, The Longest Yard, Mean Machine is about an ex-pro footballer/soccer player who is sent to prison. Hated at first, he gains friends when he begins to coach an all-convict soccer team against the prison guards' already-established team.

I haven't seen the original so I can't compare them but I found Mean Machine pretty enjoyable. Vinnie Jones does a good job as Danny Meehan and it's nice to see him in a role where he's not the scary one. I liked the subtle humour as well, from Massive's ironic name to the unpredictable Monk (the crazy "Scot even the Scots are afraid of" - convincingly played by Jason Statham) to the pair of commentators, Bob and Bob at the final match.

The DVD I saw included audio tracks for both the original UK theatrical release and the "domestic" (i.e. American) release. After watching the original, I learned that the American had a few words re-dubbed to make the language easier to understand for these audiences. I then watched the second version and didn't find much of a difference between the two. There were some things that the character Nitro said that were noticeably re-dubbed (which didn't help much considering the way he shouts!) and a few slang terms were changed to more international expressions. I think some reviewers of this film may have been unaware of this and so complained about the more obvious dubbing.

The only one I actually found helpful was when a character says he's in prison "for [an abbreviation]." I didn't catch what he said and the American version replaced the letters with "assault and battery." I found one change a bit puzzling though: Mr. Sykes gives the governor of the prison tips for horse racing, writing letters next to his choices on a newspaper. After losing money on a false winner ("W"), Sykes explains to the governor that "it got smudged in the rain. It says EW: either way." This was changed to "EW: to place." I thought the original was quite clear and the new one no longer matches the letters.

Overall, it's not a bad film. I liked it enough to watch it twice and if you like football/soccer and prison films, there aren't many that combine the two to choose from.

"Inuyasha" follows Kagome, a modern Tokyo teenager who accidentally discovers a time portal to Japan's feudal era. Besides warring clans, she encounters magic and demons, including the half-demon Inuyasha of the title.

I discovered this show in my local TV listing. There was no summary or description but it was on YTV and had a Japanese title so I wondered if it were a new anime series. I went and checked YTV's website and saw one picture, a group shot of the main characters. I looked at it and said, "I will love this show" - I was right.

I don't think there's one aspect of the series that I don't like. I love Inuyasha's insensitivity and when he pretends not to care when he really does. I enjoy Kagome's boldness in the face of danger, while still keeping her modern teenage awkwardness. Miroku, a monk with a weakness for attractive women, whose "wind tunnel" (a void in his hand that sucks in anything nearby) is a powerful weapon that may some day kill him. Sango, a skilled female demon hunter with Kilala, her cat-like companion who, when needed, can grow to a sabre-toothed cat larger than a horse, breathe fire and run on air with flaming paws (if that doesn't sound interesting to you, you might have come to the wrong place!). I even like Shippo, the goofy little fox demon.

The villains have depth as well, Naraku seems only to want power but he may have other things on his mind. Sesshomaru (Inuyasha's half-brother) is one of the more suave villains I've come across. Seemingly ruthless, he's really quite honourable, with a well-hidden soft side.

I love the frequent humour, like Kagome's family making up various diseases and afflictions to explain her absence from school, Inuyasha and Kagome's fiery friendship, and Shippo's smart-aleck remarks. The music is excellent and I like the English-language voice actors. Some of the actors, newer to anime, sometimes pronounce names wrong (but it's not too bad) while anime veterans like Kirby Morrow and Kelly Sheridan do a better job. The only voice I was unsure of was Jillian Michaels as Shippo but I got over that quickly. I now love the way Shippo says "Kagome", "Inuyasha" and especially "Kilala".

If you're a fan of animation, fantasy, action-adventure and humour, you may want to give it a try.

"My Family" follows the day-to-day foibles of the Harpers, a British family of five. There's Ben (Robert Lindsay), the dentist who seems to loathe his life and family. Susan (Zoë Wanamaker), his tour-guide wife who prides herself on her open mind and is an awful cook but doesn't let it hinder her culinary style. Janey (Daniela Denby-Ashe) is the fashion magazine-reading, self-admittedly shallow teenaged daughter. (In season 4, Janey goes to college and is replaced by the vacuous Abi (Siobhan Hayes), Ben's cousin's daughter, for just as much fun). Michael (Gabriel Thomson) is the youngest son, who seems to be the brightest of the bunch. All of them are funny but the character who really shines, is the oldest son, Nick (Kris Marshall). Every scene with Nick is comic genius; from his quest to make money through various schemes and an assortment of jobs to his seeming inability to be troubled by anything.

The writing is good, with a variety of entertaining stories. I'm watching re-runs so there are many I have yet to see but I've found every episode that I have seen amusing. The actors are well-suited to their roles and all do a fantastic job. There are a few running gags as well, including Nick's quest for the perfect job, as mentioned, and some Harry Potter references that have popped up since Zoë Wanamaker appeared in the first Potter film. Since I've mentioned it, I might add that under other circumstances, Gabriel Thomson could easily have played Harry himself.

I'd highly recommend checking it out if you can. The show's episodic enough that one can start watching at any point.