andydufresne

When you go to see a SITCOM made into a full length motion picture you go in expecting to see certain things. Almost all of the people involved int the television show are dead now, but I think all of them would have approved of this.

What is the plot? Simple. Nicole Kidman plays Isabella a real witch who wants to leave that behind to be like a mortal. She is cast in the roll of Samantha in a remake of the TV show. It is goofy and silly and nonsensical in places but SO WAS THE TV SHOW! Shirley MC is great as the actress who was a grand actress in past, but placed into a sitcom that doesn't really showcase her talent. DO NOT expect anything complicated from this.

I enjoyed it for what it is. It's light fun. MY main criteria for liking a movie is do I think I got my money's worth and was I anxious for it to end. YES and NO.

MANY of the performances are great. At times Nicole looks JUST LIKE Liz Montgomery and there are plenty of still of Liz and video of her to compare during this film. Michael Caine was excellent and Steve Carell is SPOT ON as Uncle Arthur. I mean SPOT ON! I grew up watching this and was anxious to see if they harmed it's memory. They did not. DO NOT expect a message. GO to laugh a lot and be charmed and you'll have fun.

I very good telling of the events in the trial. It shows how our legal system can run amok.

BUT....

I have knowledge of a case in my local jurisdiction wherein the prosecuting attorney was Certain of the abuse. There was physical evidence and all the kids told exactly the same story. They were one at a time at different times taken to the basement. There they were molested. There was one problem with that, there was no basement at the pre-school. In investigator in a last ditch attempt to see if he could find something drove my the school. He saw a dump truck. He asked the driver what he was doing. The driver said he was there to fill in the cellar. Turns out that they had a storm cellar that was behind a fence behind the house that THEY called the cellar. Once this was introduced the husband pleaded guilty.

Watching this you can get a good idea of how bad things can get, BUT, we can go the other way also.

LOVED the movie and especially Allison Easton.

It's not gladiator but it is not bad. The worst thing about this movie is that you constantly feel like you are watching a Japanese film that has been dubbed in English. The voices of the Playmates are the ones that belong to them but I can't be sure of any of the others.

The two main female characters are lovely. AND YES they do get nekkid. In the Featurette for Lisa Dergen she revealed that the guy she was supposed to be having sex with was very nervous, she was not as she had partaken in quite a bit of wine and was dis-inhibited. She said that somewhere in the scene he leaned over and whispered in her ear the he was gay. She laughed. In the editing it just looks like she is enjoying his labors so they left it in.

The sets are not bad but the "cells" where the slaves are kept are pretty flimsy wood. Really not strong enough to keep in what we are supposed to believe are warriors. They did do a very good job of making things look used instead of brand new.

The SOUND other than the dubbed feeling is quite good.

The dialogue oft times written as though it is intended to be sarcastic but rendered with complete sincerity. I wonder if that is due to non-English speaking actors giving dialogue phonetically.

The fight scenes are not up to par with much of anything else I have scene of this type. Editing is used to make up for the lack of good coordination among the fighters but it doesn't quite make up for it.

For an afternoon of fun and a good bit of T&A THE ARENA is a good choice.