miknnik

In a nutshell, the best TV comedy ever. Seriously. Here's why.

CHARACTERS: Dr. Frasier Crane and his brother, Dr. Niles Crane, are a couple of annoyingly (and hilariously) highbrow, snobby psychiatrists. They are both out of touch with the regular Joes and Janes and hide their insecurity behind the well-educated, well-read façade. Or, you can call them hopelessly geeky. Their father, Martin, is a down-to-earth retired policeman who, like many older men his age, has trouble expressing his affection and emotions but has plenty to say when it comes to his sons' shortcomings. Oh, by the way, he and his dog, Eddie, move in with Frasier by the end of the first episode. Daphne Moon is Marty's live-in physical therapist who is a "bit psychic." Niles is married to an heiress but gets infatuated the moment he lays his eyes on Daphne. In addition to this dysfunctional family, that sure could use some psychiatric help, there are Frasier's colleagues at KACL radio. Roz Doyle has street smarts, and her love life can make Don Juan/Giovanni proud! Bulldog is rude, crude and loves humiliating Frasier. Gil Chesterton… Well, is he, or isn't he….?

ACTORS: Individually and as a whole, the cast is impeccable. The chemistry among the actors and the characters is real. I read it somewhere that, when Kelsey Grammar's substance abuse became apparent during the show's eleven-year run, the rest of the cast paid a visit to his residence one night as concerned friends, not to confront him but to urge him to seek help. These actors are mostly middle-aged stage or film veterans. They may not be young sex kittens or stud muffins, but their acting skills make up for their average looks and then some.

SCRIPTS: No praise seems good enough for Frasier's scripts and the writers. Who needs a pretty face when the scripts are so crisp, sharp, witty, intelligent and often naughty. Retorts and double-entendres between Frasier and Niles come at you so fast, so often. They constantly refer to literature, performing arts, history, mythology, gourmet dining, what have you, so you may not have the slightest idea what the heck they are talking about at one point or another but still be able to laugh. Good scripts do that to you.

EDDIE: Okay, it's Eddie played by Moose. Jack Russells are known for their intelligence, but Moose must have been an exceptionally bright pup. Among the cast, he was the one with good looks and brains. Towards the end of the series, Moose's son, Enzo, replaced him, but it wasn't the same without Moose.

CALLERS: You wouldn't believe how many famous film actors rendered their voices as callers at the KACL station. Christopher Reeves, Linda Hamilton, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack… The list goes on. If you write well, they will come.

TITLES: For those who are not familiar with Frasier, each scene in every episode has a short title shown briefly on the black background. You can find jokes anywhere you look while watching Frasier. For movie buffs, there are such titles as 'My Coffee with Niles," "Three Days of the Condo," "Out and In," "A Room with Four Views (with a Rashomonesque story--only funnier)" and "To Kill a Talking Bird" for starters. Since I'm a Mozart fan, I have to mention "Cosi Fan Tushy" as well.

END CREDIT: After each episode, the audience gets to enjoy watching a short video clip during the credit roll at the end. There are no dialogues, but the video clip is an extension of the episode you just saw, so there's no need for dialogues. When you watch Frasier, it ain't over until the final fade-to-black.

BONUS: Frasier and Niles' favorite meeting place is called Café Nervosa! Details, details, details.

EXTRA BONUS: In the last episode of Season 5, the owner of KACL decides to change the station format to all-salsa, and the staff, including Frasier, subsequently lose their jobs. During the last credit roll where Frasier is seen carrying his personal effects in the background as a new Latino DJ occupies Frasier's booth, we hear salsa music. But pay close attention to the lyric of the music--it's the Spanish translation of the little ditty Frasier/ Kelsey Grammar sings at the end of each episode!

If you are a young gamer, you'll probably love 300. If you like films produced and directed by old school pros, watch this movie at your own risk.

This fictionalized account of a handful of Spartan soldiers pitting against a massive Persian armed force is appalling to put it mildly. It is almost two hours long, and about two thirds of the movie is a continuous battle scene. It's not that I am against fictionalization of historical events or battle scenes—I have seen plenty of those. What makes me FURIOUS is that some people in Hollywood made a movie that looks like an extremely violent video game. And glorifying killing. The enemy soldiers are pure evil and totally dehumanized looking like cartoon figures or creatures in a video game that video game players love to destroy. In my view, it's the worst form of entertainment. What's the point of the use of slow motion of a flying severed limb or head? In Bonnie and Clyde, the shooting scene at the end in slow motion was gut-wrenching, and there was nothing 'cool' about it. The larcenous pair met a violent death, and the viewers were horrified to see it on the screen.

Most of the main characters in 300 are so busy slaughtering in the CG battles, there's hardly any storyline. Simply put, the only message in this film is that freedom is not free; sacrifice yourself in the name of freedom and kill as many enemies as possible. Modify the characters and eliminate the historical aspects from 300, and you'll end up with an excellent recruit video for new Al-Qaeda suicide bombers.

As I see it, there are two kinds of kiddie movies--the ones that make children wild and everybody else over ten years of age moan and groan, and those that entertain everyone. Night at the Museum, in my opinion, belongs to the latter.

Some people are critical about this movie pointing out misinformation, inaccuracy, inconsistency and whatnot, and they are right on every account; however, this is a story where an ancient mummy comes to life and a fossilized T-Rex plays a fetch. I'd say just let your imagination take a free rein and enjoy this modern-day fairy tale.

Though the plot of the movie is something straight out of a storybook, the performance of the cast is, surprisingly, straight forward. Ben Stiller plays a ne'er-do-well divorced father of a young boy who is in need of a job. Stiller's character, Larry, may be bewildered, but he's not outrageous or over-the-top as one might expect after watching other Stiller's movies. Dick Van Dyke is a (gasp!) not so decent night guard at the Museum of Natural History. Robin Williams plays Theodore Roosevelt, who becomes the voice of reason and encouragement for Larry. Now, this casting is very bold and imaginative!

When Night at the Museum was at the top of the box office, I saw a news segment which reported that sleepovers at local museums were becoming increasingly popular. True, it said, some 'night-at-the museum' programs had been around for years, but the movie definitely contributed to the popularity. If a movie, any movie, can entice children to visit a museum or learn more about classical music (as Amadeus did), I'm all for it, with inaccuracies and all. 7.5 out of 10