EMHMARK8

There are several things about Stargate SG-1 that make it one of sci fi's true jewels. The first is that it grew out of a feature film that I, personally, didn't feel was all that good. In fact, I feel the feature film was less sci fi and more action/adventure. I guess that's what it should have been for that medium when I come to think of it. However, it had a concept, the concept of the Stargate, which made it perfect for adaptation to television. That leads me to my next point. Usually TV shows extracted from feature films come out to be far more inferior than their feature parents. On television, the kings of sci fi include "Star Trek," "The X-Files," and a few other select series that have become a part of the societal landscape. It also becomes the measuring stick by which all other series are rated.

When I first heard of "Stargate SG-1," I felt it would be an inferior piece of work and was glad it was kept in the world of cable. I had never heard of much of the cast, and we know my feelings for the feature film. However, I had a chance to try it out when it came on in syndication and I have been hooked ever since! The cast is top rate, headed by Richard Dean Anderson. Anderson has put his own mark on the character of Colonel Jack O'Neill and it really works. The rest of the cast (Christopher Judge, Amanda Tapping, and Michael Shanks) play their characters superbly. The supporting stars of Don Davis and Teryl Rothery round out a cast that is a pleasure to watch week to week. The stories are nicely written and are a mix with some episodes being devoted to science fiction, some to fantasy, and just old fashioned action. No one is left out here.

In the era where sci fi fans question the viability of Star Trek and The X-Files, I say "Have no fear," if those institutions fall, come over to Stargate. It certainly passes the test that would rank it among the best!

Jackie Brown is one of those movies which is so strange it is captivating. That's how I felt watching this film. In one sense, I am watching a "Blaxploitation" flick from the 1970's and I am watching a film from the 1990's. I was wondering what corner Richard Roundtree was hiding behind.

However, this movie is uniquely Quentin T. and exhibits his versatile film making style.

Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Michael Keaton and De Niro are all stellar as the extreme characters they play in this movie which focuses on lost drug money. The adventures and paths taken by these characters converge to make a strange brew which is "Jackie Brown."

A friend of mine dragged me to this movie. I had never heard of it and I was not famous for attending little known, foreign films. However, I have to say that I LOVED this film!

The film was a very intense, yet easy film to watch. Our two main characters, the accountant and the veteran dance instructor, have a chemistry very rarely seen. The viewer is dragged right into the story and you feel as if you were the one who was fighting for the love of a woman you know you can never have. But you also felt the compelling will to get out there to dance and compete.In the end, you would not get the woman, but you would have learned something about yourself and the person you are, not the one other people peg you to be.

I hope to see more films of this type on screen. I think audiences are tired of the usual shoot 'em up films or the ones with senseless sex. From the audience I saw in the theater I was in, I know there is a market for films like these. I hope they get their due!