PVOM

This mini-series seemed a bit defanged, especially compared to the 1990 telefilm (which is unfortunately unavailable and all but forgotten). This is largely due to John Stamos' involvement, a close friend of the boys as well as the touring drummer. This creates a slightly biased point of view. The favor leaning towards no-one. No-one is presented as a protagonist or antagonist, even the villainous Murray Wilson is redeemed (an infuriating touch). Mike Love is generally considered the idiot Beach Boy, deterring from Brian's genius. But, personally I liked his character best (Matt Lescher's performance oughtta garner an Emmy nom). Brian Wilson is far too neutral and less tragic here than he was. And finally the series ends during the mid-seventies come-back, which no-one remembers!!! The series takes no chances and tries to be all happy, which it is far from. However, the earnest performances make it worth while. It's the best treatment of the legend to date. So it will have to do.

...Just let us outta the theatres. Have heard mostly negative things from the other patrons. The hell with them. Can't really comment on why they hated it. All I can say is at the very least it elevates the quality of the second "Scream" entry, even making it seem a bit kidred to "Empire Strikes Back" (since we are on the topic of trilogies). In addition it approximates the shortcomings of "Return of the Jedi" (Neve's sorta Sidney performance, bearing similiarities to Mark Hamill's sleepy Luke). Even Randy's materialization of sorts suggests an Obi-wan Kenobi motif (a very contrived motif at that). But Jamie Kennedy's cameo is a welcome one, especially since his witty banter and self-reflexive attitude gave the original and part of the sequal it's edge. This film manages to just barely avoid the after-the-fact irrelevancy of such films as "Beverly Hills Cop III" and "Child's Play 3". The plot is more involving this time around, less concerned with pop-culture commentary. There is repartee aplenty to boot, especially between Dewey and Gale (if you can avoid gaping at Mrs. Cox-Arquette's elfish bangs, bad hair movie). What makes "Scream 3" a solid entry is the fact that it solidifies the entire series. The second two will never top the original in ingenuity, yet give it a few years and fans will have their favorites. Parker Posey crops up and adds a few laughs. Genre vet Henrikson has an amusing role too. The denouement suffers in parts, but is far more convincing than "Scream 2"s, )with two irrelevant characters as the knife wielding cutco representatives). Guess it's time to start waiting for official "Scream" conventions. One thing we can be sure of is Neve's lack of participation (much like her performance here) in such gatherings. And let's see if David Arquette can outrun his role as Dewey. And where have Jamie and Skeet Ulrich gone? Even if their careers never pick up, the "Scream" trilogy, finely wrapped up here, will guarantee them a slot in cult flickdom, which in this viewer (and sometime director)'s opinion is more worthwhile than any oscar.

This is essentially "The Outsiders" for the 90s, not that the 80s needed an outsiders, but with so many future stars and hasbeens in it, it has secured it's place as a cult film, very small cult. Anyway, as "The Outsiders" had everyone from Tom Cruise to Patrick Swayze, "School Ties" showcases the budding young talent of Brendan Frasier "The Mummy" (1999), Chris O'Donnel, already a has-been, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck who seems to be faring okay, coasting on the success of "Good Will Hunting". In addition, this film contains a bit part from one of my professors at SU. He's billed as "boy in shower" and he most certainly is a hasbeen, seeing as how he's now teaching at Oswego State. Check it out on a slow afternoon.