WWAT?: What Was ABC Thinking?

Have you seen the promos for ABC's Thursday night lineup?

No announce.

Music over a clip. Show title. ABC Thursday.

No explanation as to what these shows are, or why I should change my Thursday night viewing habits - just show titles. Pretty weak marketing.

They're expecting people to give up ER because they have a show starring pretty people called SIX DEGREES? Is the show so complicated you can't explain it in thirty seconds? If so, maybe you should have sold it to HBO.

Gonna have to do better than that, ABC.

Jericho: It's a Bomb

JERICHO premiered tonight on CBS.

That's the best thing I have to say about this unfortunate little show.

It never ceases to amaze me how the alleged creative types in BIG TV just don't get it. This show is supposed to be the CBS version of LOST - but it's bulky, flat, derivative, predictable - and very badly written. Hmm, I guess it IS the CBS version of LOST.

This show is living proof that the Suits in BIG TV are more comfortable copying than creating. It's a knockoff, knocked off by people who can't possibly understand what makes LOST work.

This show is sloppy - a sheriff who can't tell the difference between a school bus and a prison bus? Please.

There were a couple of other moments that made me wish I was watching BONES, but I'd rather get on with life.

Congrats, CBS - you've launched yet another crappy show!

What I Watch: 2006

I like TV. Have I mentioned that? I mean, I really like TV. A 23 episode season of a good drama contains so many more memorbale moments with well drawn characters and way more emotion than your average two hour blockbuster.

Good TV is not as rare as it used to be. There is some incredibly good stuff going on out there. And I am addicted. Twenty years in the local TV biz may be to blame, but I don't care. I like it.

I probably watch more TV than most folks. Some nights, scheduling it all takes a little 21st century technology. And hence, my viewing schedule:

MONDAY (all times Central)
7p PRISON BREAK - see my recent review
8p HEROES - hoping it's as good as advertised
9p STUDIO 60 - watching it live and in Hi-Def
11p VANISHED (West Coast Tivo)

TUESDAY
7p GILMORE GIRLS
8p STANDOFF
9p HOUSE (TiVo'd at 7p)

WEDNESDAY
7p BONES
8p LOST
9p THE NINE

THURSDAY
7p TIL DEATH - still haven't made up my mind
8p THE O.C. - haven't given up yet
9p ER - not giving up til they do
11p GREY'S ANATOMY (West Coast TiVo)
12a SIX DEGREES (West Coast TiVo - maybe)

FRIDAY
TiVo catch up/Netflix night

SATURDAY
TiVo catch up/Netflix night

SUNDAY
7p SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL - High Def!
10p THE SIMPSONS/AMERICAN DAD (TiVo'd at 7)
11p FAMILY GUY/WAR AT HOME (TiVo'd at 8)

Studio 60: Good Watchin'!

I'm not a big Aaron Sorkin fan. I didn't care much for SPORTS NIGHT and I found THE WEST WING to be more soap box than TV show.

But STUDIO 60 is good. Very, very good.

Sorkin's going to be skewering a few personal demons on this one. He's obviously drawing characters from some of the idiots in suits he's had to deal with at the networks over the years. But all the skewering isn't of other people. There's a character with a drug problem that's interfering with his ability to work - a situation Sorkin knows about firsthand. Kudos to him for being brave enough to include it in the collage.

And this show is quite a collage. There's an evangelical Christian - whom I hope Sorkin will be treating with great respect (it is possible to be smart, competent and evangelical) Matthew Perry's character spent the pilot high on Vicodin - something Perry knows of firsthand. Kudos to him as well.

These characters ring true. From Steven Weber's take no crap, take no chances network exec, to Timothy Busfield's director - you know, deep down, Sorkin knows these people.

The show is beautiful in high def. The camera moves well, but not unnecessarily - and the use of color is wonderful. At one point, I caught a few stray hairs on Amanda Peet's pretty head catching a bit of light from her backlight. There's no way they were visible in standard def.

Ah, but that's another post.

For now, STUDIO 60's season pass is locked in. As long as Sorkin continues to skewer the big business of TV, I'll be along for the ride.

Prison Break: Life on the Run

PRISON BREAK (Monday 8/7c FOX) was a fun guilty pleasure for me last year. It was incredibly convoluted, but a wonderfully goofy time - and a very good companion piece for '24.'

After an entire year of wondering what in the world the producers were going to come up with to keep things going once the boys escaped, they have delivered.

This year, PRISON BREAK has erupted across the wide open plains of America, free from the confines of Fox Run Penitentiary. The multiple storylines help a great deal - the chance that they will all intersect at some point is pretty much a given.

It's nice to see the boys getting a little sunshine now that the production has moved to Dallas. The show overall is now brighter, more colorful than the dreary grays of Fox Run, and there's an infusion of energy from car chases, hot pursuits and explosions that was impossible in Season One.

I am guaranteed a loud chuckle at some point in every episode. This week, there were two. One when Burrows dragged T-Bag out of the trunk of the car and T banged his head lid. No way that one was scripted. (Poor Robert Knepper - he's drawn such a completely nasty character in T-Bag that he may very well be doomed to play characters like him for the rest of his career.)

The second outburst cam as the camera boomed high into the sky as the boys crested the hill to discover a residential development where their buried treasure is supposed to be.

Incredible. As in not credible. But I'm OK with that.

There's no way you're getting me to delete the Season Pass on this one.

Justice: Guilty

Guilty.

JUSTICE (Wed 9/8c on FOX) feels like a redress of last summer's Jerry Bruckheimer project, THE JURY. A loud, mindless knockoff of Law & Order, minus the soul.

Like THE JURY, JUSTICE features no likeable characters, nor a moral center. Dr. House isn't a nice guy, but somehow we're on his side, pulling for him - because he's saving lives. The lawyers of JUSTICE don't care about their clients. All they care about is winning. And that makes them losers.

Mrs. Kemosabe is quick to point out that the sheer volume of forensics based TV shows and novels have armed potential viewers with a better understanding of the process than Bruckheimer.

The pilot featured a suspected murder that would have been revealed as an accidental death in the first ten minutes of BONES.

The characters in JUSTICE are burdened with so much exposition and have to over explain the details of things like jury research that very little character remains. They're just generic lawyers.

It seems odd to me that critics are labeling VANISHED as a show that feels like it was cut and pasted together. JUSTICE is the guilty party.

Time to cancel the season pass. I have more important things to do with my time. Like watching LOST.

Standoff: Season Pass!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first episode of STANDOFF. (FOX Tuesdays 9/8c)

For starters, the show features three great performers - the lovely and strong Gina Torres (Zoe on FIREFLY & Jasmine on ANGEL), Michael Cudlitz (Bull on BAND OF BROTHERS) and the incomparable Ron Livingston (OFFICE SPACE and also BAND OF BROTHERS).

The characters, and their relationships, have history. The dialogue is crisp. There's a sense of depth that comes from more than expository dialogue.

These great actors know how to read the lines on the page. Each had a moment in which you could actually see and hear their character thinking while they spoke. As if they didn't really know the words they were about to speak - you know - the way people really talk.

If this show were populated by the kind of actors you get on, say a CBS drama, those nuances would have been absent.

Is STANDOFF 'important television?' Probably not. But it's good enough to get a season pass on my TiVo.

Is the anniversary over yet?

For the rest of the country, maybe it is a good thing to be reminded what people down South have gone through during and after Katrina--especially if it reminds them that the devastation was not limited to New Orleans, bad enough as that was and is, and that thousands upon thousands of people across the region, their fellow Americans, are still struggling to get their lives back to some semblance of normalcy.

For those of us who lived through it, it is still too fresh in our minds, something we, our families, our friends and our neighbors still live with day to day. Even as one who was fortunate--whose home was left standing, still inhabitable and soon-repaired, whose losses were only things, whose dear ones survived--I find it hard to relive the details, to revisit the days already lived through. The TV, the radio, the newspaper have all been full of unrelenting retrospectives of what happened, what was lost, what we have yet to rebuild or replace as a community, a region. If I want a retrospective, all I have to do is get out of the house and walk down the street, or take a drive across town. Further than that is a bit of a problem; the bridge that used to cross the bay will take at least two years to rebuild. Just turning off the TV or laying aside the paper doesn't make it go away. Small wonder that some people are overwhelmed, that mental health problems have doubled, that suicides are up sharply from the statistical norm.

We would dearly love to be able to forget for a little while about Katrina. But we hope and pray that our fellow Americans remember.

VANISHED - Let's Hope Not

VANISHED (Mondays at 9/8c on FOX) premiered to mixed reviews from the TV critics. It's been called a cut and paste job, a hodge podge effort, this year's REUNION.

I'm here to tell you the critics are wrong.

Two episodes into the season and I am officially all in.

VANISHED looks to be a perfect companion piece to PRISON BREAK. It's as deliciously convoluted, twisting and surprising as its sophomore lead-in and it shows in the ratings. It's keeping a very healthy percentage of the PRISON BREAK audience.

It didn't take me long to accept John Allen Nelson as Senator Collins. I was afraid it might be tough for the actor to shed 24's Walt Cummings.

It's the lead FBI investigator I'm finding most enjoyable. He is a compelling mix of Nathon Fillion and Ashton Kutcher. Ming-Na is his touchstone of a partner, who is burdened with a good deal of exposition and technobabble - can't wait to see her kick some bad guy butt down the line.

VANISHED is not "IMPORTANT TELEVISION." It's not groundbreaking like 24 or LOST. But it is tasty escapist fare, like a big juicy hot dog at the ballpark.

If we're lucky, come January, VANISHED will still be appearing weekly.

Comedy, But Not As We Know It

I am now some 12 hours removed from watching Comedy Central's Roast of William Shatner and I still can't get the taste out of my mouth.

What a complete waste of time.

I suppose I'm showing my age, but I can recall a time when celebrities could gather together and poke each other with very sharp sticks - all while avoiding any need for their network to step and censor them.

I'm not a prude. Far from it, in fact. I LOVED The Aristocrats. Dirty jokes have their place. But when it comes to TV - even basic cable - I'd much rather the stick poking be in the form of wit instead of something that rhymes with it.

But I suppose you can't expect much from a C-list group of comedians. I mean, when Andy Dick is the most recognizable name among the jokesters, you're in trouble. Then again, I don't watch a lot of Comedy Central. It may be that our beloved enemy to Western Civilization - VERTICAL INTEGRATION - may be responsible for who was on the panel.

It took me a minute to undertand why Betty White was ionvolved - obviously I don't watch BOSTON LEGAL. I still haven't figured out what Farrah Fawcett was doing on the stage.

We were treated to a barrage of bleeped F-bombs and waaaay too much information on the personal life on George Takei. It actually made me feel pity for George. Sad that his sex life is all he has to trade on these days.

Amazingly, no one mentioned anything about Mr. Sulu dropping aft shields.

The joke of the night came from one of the stand up comedians - the short one, I have no idea what his name is. "George, when you came out of the closet, did it make that SWISSSH sound?"

No, seriously. That was as funny as it got.

I miss Dean, Sammy, Frank, Bob, Lucy and Milty. They could get down and dirty with the best. (OK, they WERE the best) But when it was time to be on TV, they somehow managed to clean it up - and keep the funny.

I wish someone could teach today's alleged comics that skill.

The Descent: The Big Squeeze

THE DESCENT is being billed as the scariest movie since ALIEN.

I'm not sure what's wrong with me, but I didn't find ALIEN particularly scary. Tense at times, perhaps, but scary? Not really.

THE BLAIR WITCH? Had me unnerved the entire ride. THE DESCENT let me off the hook early on.

Oh, don't get me wrong - there are enough 'jump' scenes in this movie to make parts of it fun, but ultimately, there's not a lot of 'there' there. Not much in terms of a moral lesson, character development, growth, or any of that rot - especially in comparison to the extended UK ending on YouTube. (Bookmark that link for AFTER you've seen the movie!)

After taking a peek at the way the film makers wanted THE DESCENT to end, you've got to wonder what in the world the American studio suits were thinking. Americans can't handle ambiguity? Do they honestly think their version is less ambiguous? More so, I say.

Kudos, though, for the sheer sense of claustrophobia the director managed to literally SQUEEZE into an early spelunking sequence. I haven't felt that unsettled in a movie theatre since Uma Thurman was buried alive in KILL BILL.

I am by no means claustrophobic - but this sequence had me wanting to go for a walk around the cinema lobby. At that point, I was actually wondering if I was going to be able to make it through the entire film. Unfortunately, there's not a lot that follows that's anywhere nearly as creative, compelling or original.

Ultimately, I suppose I have to give THE DESCENT a half-hearted recommendation. Six girls go in, one girl comes out. Did you expect it to work ANY other way?

Two and a half hands up.

Arkansas Sports Announcer Killed in Car Crash

Monday night, the state of Arkansas lost one of its finest ambassadors, sports announcer Paul Eels.

Mr. Eels' car crossed a median and hit an oncoming car head on. His death was instant.

Paul is being remembered as the voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks for the past umpteen years, a kind soul and a genuine human being.

I caught myself pausing to wonder what it must be like for his survivors to be struggling with their grief - that sort of overwhelming pain associated with an unexpected death. Paul Eels was not ill. He did not retire, he did not linger on a death bed for weeks or months. He simply didn't make it home for dinner Monday night.

On top of that, add an outpouring from complete strangers - strangers who all felt a personal relationship with the man they called husband and father. I hope it's reassuring.

I'll miss hearing his voice. Sometimes it made me a little less homesick to hear him call a game. But, I can't help but think most of have just lost a sports announcer. The family has lost so much more.

I hope they can wrap their minds around the genuine sorrow that is being felt by fans statewide, and by transplanted Arkansans all over the country and the world.

The family has requested memorials be made to the Paul Eells Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 10689, Conway, AR 72034.

MTV at 25: Idiots Killed the Video Star

Yesterday, MTV celebrated its 25th birthday - by ignoring it.

Instead of giving music fans a trip down memory lane - perhaps with a retrospective, interviews with VJs and bands of old, MTV spent the day at Laguna Beach. The retrospective was being held over at MTV's step sister channel, VH1 Classic.

Even the VH1 was a bit lackluster. The fete was billed as MTV Day One, but all we really got was some bimbo from the 21st century telling us what it was like back in the day and airing the crappy videos that were available back in 1981. Had those same crappy been offered up with a healthy dose of Martha Quinn, I'd be more forgiving.

I suppose it really shouldn't have come as a surprise, after all the Viacom Networks were the same cable channels that butchered coverage of Live Aid anniversary concert.

All in all, it's just another example of the cold hearted vertical integration that has taken over cable TV of late - the same mindset that allows wrestling on Sci-Fi, prevents music from being played on MTV.

Video may have killed the radio star, but it took a corporate behemoth with a brain the size of an acorn to kill a video channel.

"Who wants to watch a Superhero Wannabe?"

Who says this isn't The Marvel Age of. . . well, what exactly is it supposed to be
"The Marvel Age of -" this time? Reality TV? Lowered Expectations?
Cynically Snickering at Comix Fandom?

Biff! Bam! and Zowie! live again, despite decades of Damage Control
and Marvellous efforts to rid comics of the public perception of campy drivel.

Face front, Stan! True Believers probably cannot see one character in this lot
with even the potential shelf life of that Marvel classic, "Night Nurse". Nope.
Instead of the promise of possibly pulse-pounding pulp-paper page-turners to be?
Well, we get something that looks like escapees from "Let's Make a Deal" stuffed
into MTV's "Real World". (Wasn't there a cartoon on Comedy Central that did
something similar?) One cannot really imagine a Graphic Novel waiting in the
wings for any of these rookies.

Okay, so even the most classic of comic book icons have not-entirely-original
concepts. Superman gets compared to Doc Savage, and both of them owe a debt
to Philip Wylie's novel "Gladiator"--amongst other inspirations--while Batman
follows in the footsteps of Zorro, The Shadow and a bit o' Sherlock Holmes.
For that matter, Zorro cribs Robin Hood's old act. Whatever. Truly NEW ideas
are few and far between. In the end, there is inspiration from what has gone before
OR there is lack of originality which brings nothing new to the table.
Any guesses what we have in this show?

Meanwhile (as they say), it projects the overall image that comicdom's fan-base
is just what the non-comic-book-buying public has always suspected, a sad lot of
ForbushMan-wannabes. The sort of nebbish who, they imagine, still lives at home
with his parents at age thirty-five, has neither social skills nor a social life,
and still reads "that trash". Could be worse, I suppose.
He could be addicted to "Reality TV" . . .

When did "Excelsior!" become just another word for packaging fluff, Stan?
'Nuff said!

Lady in the Water: M. Night's NOT All Wet

I'm an M. Night fan. I really liked SIXTH SENSE. I enjoyed the ride of THE VILLAGE, and I thought UNBREAKABLE was brilliant.

I'm having a hard time understanding why the critics are coming after M. so hard with LADY IN THE WATER. Surely it's not just because the film includes a clueless film critic. (No, it's not and don't call me Shirley!)

The characters in LADY aren't too far removed from the characters of SIGNS. They're caught up in a situation that has important repercussions for the entire world. The genesis of that situation overlaps with their mundane little world and creates an extraordinary scenario of incredible things happening to ordinary people.

A couple of the supporting roles may be slightly miscast, but when Paul Giamatti's character is finally called upon to release himself to his destiny, the result is a moment of sheer vulnerability that is both heroic and moving.

It seems to me that the critics who are trashing this film are unable to separate the man from the movie. They've decided M. Night's personal bedtime story is pretentious, and they seem to be responding by striking out with a pretentiousness of their own.

I saw a story about a writer who was inspired to fulfill his destiny in a world where the critics are often very wrong.

In fact, this time they're all wet.

LADY gets 3 hands out of 4.

Boo!

This is the show open for THRILLER THEATRE STARRING MARGALI.

The song is called "Boo!" and was written by the brilliant Niels Erickson, as a parody of Madonna's "Vogue."

The video clips are primarily from various episodes across the years, including one shot from an episode that has never aired.

Margali's minions include her ever faithful hand servant, Hans, the never seen program announcer Wendel and her ten legged mutant spider, Freddie.



We'd love to hear what you think.

Motel 666

Here's a blast from the past:

Motel 666 was one of Margali's favorite sponsors back when she presented the midnight movie on WDBD-TV in Jackson, Mississippi. THRILLER THEATRE STARRING MARGALI aired from 1990-1993 and earned three awards from the Mississippi Association for Broadcasting during its run.

Part of the reason for this blog is to expose the world to the madness viewers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia were blessed to see.



Once you get past "What the hell is that?" let us know what you think!

More to come, couch pumpkins, more to come.

Emmy Noms: Weak Laughs, High Anxiety & Ennui

Quickly, let's run through the Emmy acting nods. Time is precious this week.

Lead Actor - Comedy - You know...there's just not a lot of Lead Acting by guys to go around this season. I'm sure the actors nominated have done well, but I've never seen any of these shows. Guess I'm just watching too many scripted dramas lately. So, no comment.

Lead Actress - Comedy - Kaczmarek is the only actress I've seen of late, and I think her character became a bit too one dimensional towards the end of MALCOLM to merit this nom. Other than that, I don't care.

Lead Actor - Drama - Now we're talking. Excuse me, academy, but where the hell is Hugh Laurie's nom? You DO realize he's a British actor playing an American jerk of a doctor, don't you? Somehow, I suspect the viewing tapes for HOUSE should have been labelled "That's not how he really talks" Cool to see Keifer get a nod, but I dont' think he'll win. Marting Sheen will probably score a very PC one-two win to go along with his son Charlie in the comedy category. Won't that be sweet?

Lead Actress - Drama - Don't watch any of these, can't say.

Supporting Actor - Comedy - Totally surprised to G.O.B. scoring a nomination here! But I'd much rather see the statue go to Cranston. Hal was the heart of MALCOLM. Cranston cranked out some incredibly brave performances along the run of the series. The man is simply fearless when it comes to what he is willing to subject himself to for a few laughs.

Supporting Actress - Comedy - Man, it's a weak year for comedy, ain't it?

Supporting Actor - Drama - Gregory Itzin's weasel of a prez deserves to win this hands down. The supporting cast of 24 was so strong this year!

Supporting Actress - Drama - Which leads us to Jean Smart. I so want to see this duo take home the trophies.

I'm surprised Omar Epps didn't get a nom. I'm not surprised the cast of GILMORE GIRLS was left out - what a crappy year for that show. But by far, the biggest omission is Hugh Laurie. The man is brilliant.

Agree? Disagree? Discuss!

It's Not TV. It's 24.

The Emmy nominations were announced earlier this week, and now that we've all had some time to digest the list I suppose it's time to put in my two cents.

My first reaction was to note that once again HBO dominates the other networks in total nominations with 95 - that's more nominations than NBC and CBS combined. But it's not really an apples to apples comparison, is it? After all, as they say, it's not TV. It's HBO.

The second thing I noticed, was that while ABC led the broadcast networks with 63 noms, for a second year FOX is has closed the gap with the more established nets, scoring 41 nominations compared to NBC's and CBS' 47.

That's significant.

The 'Big 3' nets each program 22 hours per week. FOX supplies 15 hours. So let's do some math, shall we?

ABC earned 2.86 nominations per hour programmed. NBC and CBS scored 2.14. FOX passed them by scoring a 2.73.

Last year, with ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT scoring multiple nominations, FOX scored 3.33.

What's my point? I suppose it's this - the network that has a reputation for shock and awe reality like WHEN ANIMALS ATTACK and WHO WANTS TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? is actually proucing more quality programs per hour than the so called Tiffany network, CBS.

And the network that once derided FOX's early reliance on unscripted fare, NBC, has now succombed to the beast itself. THE APPRENTICE, LAST COMIC STANDING, THE BIGGEST LOSER, don't seem to be Must See TV in America's or the critcs' eyes.

Moving on to specifics, the show with the most nominations this year is 24. Huh? I mean, it's riveting television, but 12 nominations? Wow.

BEST DRAMA - HOUSE, 24, GREY'S ANATOMY, THE SOPRANOS and THE WEST WING.

THE SOPRANOS season was not its best, but I'm not going to argue the nom - but THE WEST WING? Really? Was it really better than the incredibly mystifying and addictive season two of LOST? Hardly.

BEST COMEDY - ARRESTD DEVELOPMENT, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, THE OFFICE, SCRUBS and TWO AND A HALF MEN

Another wow. Apparently, I'm not watching the best comedies on TV anymore. Apart from ARRESTED, I have never seen an episode of any of the nominated programs. And I watch a LOT of TV, people. A ridiculous amount of TV. It's like cocaine for me. How is it, I'm not watching any of these shows? Could it be that they're on opposite some of the best dramas on TV? Yep, that would be the reason! Oh well, that means I'll be pulling for ARRESTED to score a second win here. The finale was simply brilliant. Annyong!

Of note, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND didn't get a curtain call nod, but ARRESTED did. Hmm.

Later in the week, I'll ruminate a bit about the acting nominees and what might be a change in the tide in the Vareity/Music/Comedy category.

'Til then!

Superman & Lois Lane: Things We Forgot We Forgot

SPOILERS BELOW

Hansel and I are fresh from viewing SUPERMAN RETURNS last night and I've got a few things that need to be said.

First, this new guy wearing the tights - it took me a good thirty for forty-five minuites to stop comparing him to Christopher Reeve. It's amazing how definitive Chris was for this role. Every word that came out of Superman's mouth, every gesture, every bumble by Clark Kent brought comparison to the way Christopher did it before.

But then something happened. I don't know when, or why, but at some point, Bryan Singer's story emerged victorious over my struggle againt willful suspension of disbelief - and I started enjoying myself.

This is quite a decent film. I found myself surprised at the direction the story took several times. The script managed to supply the characters with a depth that was unexpected.

I loved the fact that Supes had to struggle against the physics of the real world when trying to save an airplane, that the metal of the craft buckled while he was trying to slow it down, that a wing gave way and snapped off whle he was trying to slow it's spinning out of control. It helped place Superman in the real world, illustrating that while the man inside the cape may be impervious to bullets, he can make mistakes.

And this Superman makes mistakes. It is his mistake in judgement that is blamed for Lex Luthor's freedom. This Superman is a jealous man, a hurt man, a very lonely man - and that helps make him Every Man.

There was one particular moment in the film that struck me as more than the an obligitory homage to the films that came before. During a crisis that requires him to fly out into the Atlantic Ocean for a rescue, Superman sees a giant trough opening up in the sea floor. When he realizes this rip in the sea floor is heading straight for Metropolis, you can actually SEE the character remember the earthquake in the first film that claimed Lois' life. Again he must decide between her and the fate of many more souls. Nicely done.

The visuals are great. Most of the modern CGI stuff looked really, really sharp, though there were a couple of instances in which an animated Supes looks just a bit too cartoony. And while the crystal island is awesome, I found myself wondering how in the world owning such craggily, crappy, unfarmable land would vault Lex Luthor to global domination.

My one nagging issue with the film really didn't bring itself to the forefront of my mind until an hour after coming home. At the end of Superman II, Supes wiped Lois Lane's memory of her love affair with him with a magical kiss. It was done to protect her, to relieve her of the pain of being in love with him, yet being unable to be with him. Cleary in Superman Returns, Lois has no memory of knowing Clark Kent's secret identity. Yet, when she delivers big news to Superman in the hospital, it's clear she remembers being with him. In fact, the memory of that relationship is central to a lot of conflict within Lois' relationship with her son's father.

So, if somebody can explain to me how Lois remembers only a bit of what transpired in Superman II (Lex clearly remembers EVERYTHING that happened in both films), I'd love to hear from you.

The film's a bit long, and drags a bit after the big climax. Was it necessary to go on for another 20 minutes after the story was finished? Perhaps the hospital visit, and the evnts that transpire therein, could have been worked into the middle of the movie, providing Supes with new motivation to save a world that thought it no longer needed him.

What do you think?

I'm going to give it three hands up out of four.