I took a pass on reviewing “The Queen” after my first viewing of the film because, well, it sucked. It was also boring as hell, but with the DVD hitting stores on April 24th, it seemed as good of time as any to revisit my thoughts on the Stephen Fears-directed drama.
Now, I tend to believe that I have quite the mental stamina when it comes to watching movies, but there’s not a single thing that happens in “The Queen” that even pretends to hold your interest. The Queen walks around her bazillion-yard estate, takes her dogs out for some fresh air, and does a whole lot of talking about things like British politics and such, but none of it really matters to the average moviegoer. The film is set around the Princess Diana tragedy (and how the country responds), but I would have much rather just watched a movie about Diana.
Based on the shakedown of every major (and minor) awards show of the year, it seems Helen Mirren was unbeatable. The performance definitely has its merits, but did every other actress in that category deserve such a thrashing? Not in the slightest. Plus, Michael Sheen’s turn as newly-elected British Prime Minister Tony Blair is far more remarkable than that of Mirren, so why didn’t he recieve even half as much acclaim?
Maybe it’s all part of some secret conspiracy by the Queen herself, but I’m more apt to believe that the film simply had a little luck on its side. You see, when a handful of respected film critics praise a particular film, the rest of the film critic community commonly follows suit, whether the movie deserves it or not. Unfortunately, “The Queen” doesn’t. It’s a well-made film in the tradition of BBC-produced dramas, but it would have been better off competing for an Emmy than an Oscar.
A must-watch for anyone from the Nintendo Generation, “Captain N” followed everyday teenager Kevin Keane on his journey into Videoland to help the N-Team (consisting of Simon Belmont, Kid Icarus and Mega Man) fend off the sinister Mother Brain and her gang of hapless goons. Watching the series more than ten years after the fact exposes some serious inaccuracies in the main characters; ones we probably never noticed as kids. For instance, Simon Belmont looks nothing like this video game counterpart, Mega Man has been transformed into some robotic midget, and Pit has been given the name of his video game (“Kid Icarus”) so as to not cause any confusion. Furthermore, Mother Brain sounds more like the plant from “Little Shop of Horrors” than a legitimate threat. What’s even worse, while the four-disc box set boasts the inclusion of the entire series, only the first two seasons of the show appear, with the incomplete (and lesser quality) third season completely left out.
Based on Sega’s most famous video game character and voiced by Jaleel White (“Family Matters”), the “Sonic the Hedgehog” cartoon series first premiered in 1993 only to be cancelled after two seasons. I was only 13-years-old when the show left the air, but I still remember why the show never succeeded. Two reasons, actually. First off, the animation sucked, and it only got worse as the series progressed. This must have had something to do with its production company (DIC), since many of the studio’s cartoon series progressively got worse around the same time. Secondly, it’s main competition during its Saturday morning time block was “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” and well, back in the day, no show had a chance against that particular fad. Regardless, the show managed to secure a decent cult following, and that’s about the only good thing about its DVD release. Though not confirmed, it looks as if the slim case and DVD cover art has been supplied by the fans themselves. If true (and I’d have to believe so, since the styles are so different across the board), then kudos to Shout! for giving something back to the fans.
