Reviews
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
This Show Works. . .but, Why?
"Zenon" aired on the Disney Channel earlier this spring and was, to my surprise, one of the best made-for-TV teen movies I have seen. True, the film is quirky, and its humor is effervescent; but its idiosyncrasies seem to add to the enjoyment, along with a story that is strong enough to contain its own silliness. The movie draws you in unexpectedly and, as an adult, you will probably think to yourself at some point in the show, "I can't believe I'm watching this - AND liking it!" I think the appropriate term here is "overbrain." The scenes are very well thought out, the acting is good enough, and the story matches with all the other elements to create that magical "likability factor" which makes the movie quite a success. Therefore, the behind-the-scenes overlords who wrote/produced/directed this film must have had - a brain!
On a lighter note, this film makes for a great drinking game [soda pop, please!] Here are a few rules to get started... 1. Whenever you hear "Ceedus Lapeedus" 2. Every time Greg strikes a pose meant to slay a young lady's heart. 3. Whenever you see Protozoa (two drinks), or hear one of his songs (three drinks) Big Unanswered Question: Didn't anyone else in the crowd know the code needed to upload the "undo" file??
Finally, no the movie should not be made into a TV series because the elements which came together to make the movie work would be very hard to capture week after week. However, if it does happen - Protozoa should marry a lead singer, she could be called - Amoeba!
Tales of the Gold Monkey (1982)
A Great Show
I just happened to think of this show one night as I was on the web, and so I decided to look it up. I was SIX years old when this show aired on TV, but I still remember it, ever so hazily. Like the other commentees - I too was captured by it in my youth and would love to see it again. Strange it is that we all seem to have looked it up at about the same time, '98-'99.
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Actors tried, but poor writing subdues film
Kudos to Noah Wyle and Anthony Hall for good performances in this disappointing film. Both actors are quite believable in their roles as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates; but their best contribution to the film is portraying how the inner characters of these two people motivated the successes and failures of both Microsoft and Apple Computer.
The film is disappointing for a couple reasons: 1. The writing at several places is incoherent. For example, the beginning of the film is very messy. We start off with something like a gallery of sound bytes from unknown individuals and jump around in time from 1997 to 1984. The motivation for the rest of the film as a flashback is unclear. Also, at times there are silly breaks from character, like during Gates's meeting with IBM...very stupid moment.
2. The film struggles at balancing the personal subtext of Jobs/Gates with a history of Apple/Microsoft. What the actors did so well, the writing absolutely bombs. The viewer comes away with a cloudy timeline of events. The film starts off strong in this area, but by the end we don't know where (or when) we are. Also, there is almost nothing about Gates's personal life outside his company (as with Jobs/Arlene/Woz) except for a humorous moment at a roller rink.
Overall, the film is worth seeing - especially for its anecdotal quality and the performances of Wyle and Hall, but don't expect to come away with much.