CZ-4

I usually detest "high school movies," where the cliches run rampant and a huge deal is made out of the Prom or the Big Game. That's why my first viewing of "The Breakfast Club" yesterday was such a nice experience. This is the ultimate teenaged angst film, one that rings much truer to life than such pale attempts as "Cruel Intentions" or "Varsity Blues." The story is so simple, it's amazing how deep it goes. Five kids in clearly delineated roles, the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal, find themselves stuck together in Saturday detention, and figure out they're all really pretty much the same.

The mood of the film feel right, the isolation, the funny feeling of promise and doom mixed together. I must have seen television ads for this a hundred times when I was younger, but never watched it. I'm glad my first viewing was of the video version with all the swearing and marijuana left in. These elements may not be pretty, but they keep the film grounded and realistic. I'd say it's aged pretty well, as the archetypes and the questions of identity haven't changed a bit. 10/10

War Planets/Shadow Raiders doesn't match up to its predecessor, Reboot, but it's still a notch above your average Saturday morning kiddie-toon. The computer animation is gorgeous, characters are appealing, and the writing, while a little lackluster, certainly has the potential for greatness.

I really liked the whole design of the show. Each of the four planets has inhabitants to match, and a distinctly different culture. Rock, for instance, is starkly militaristic, while Fire seems to have some Arabic roots.

My only real problem, was that each episode tried to do more than it was capable of, and each the entire storyline didn't seem to be tied together too well. Other than that, I can't wait for Season Two.

Voltron 3D is probably all right for the under ten set and the die-hard fans of the old 80s series, but it's really pretty mediocre. The storylines and dialogue are more reminiscent of Power Rangers, and none of the characters are particularly interesting.

Netter Digital is primarily a special effects house, and it shows. The character animation is awful, especially facial movement. There are some blatant mistakes in terms of design and imaging, that I thought people stopped making five years ago. The space battles and explosions, however, are top notch.

There are some great computer animated series out there. This is not one of them.