Kaleko

This theme has been done before in Star Trek. The whole alternate universe scenario where the good guys are bad guys. It was not original at all. It was so annoying to see the same situation unfold as before: Senior officers in an alternate evil universe who do not trust each other and use treachery to gain rank. And then you have the seductress who is on the inside of things whose place is in the bed of the captain. It felt so copy-cat and pointless that it was hard to even pay attention. I was waiting to see some character sporting a black goatee. I was very disappointed that I didn't see one. I'd have loved to see Archer in a black goatee. It may have helped his image as an evil man be more convincing. Is it just me or does Archer always seem like an eternal nice guy at heart, and his toughness/heartlessness feels like a charade?

Obsession with goatees aside, it was a deviation from the main plot and all the characters were actually cared about. What was the point in it? Was the original storyline that boring?

To its credit: The first scene where Cochran shot the Vulcans was actually kind of cool because they actually tried to make the world more realistic and believable. And I appreciated the surprise theme song which confused me and was a bit amusing once I figured out what was going on.

But really, overall I felt these two episodes were kind of pointless and lame, especially so near the season's climax. I'd rather be seeing some exciting storyline development, not a silly side-story with made-up characters that has no bearing on any of the other episodes. Shouldn't this play-time for the writers been done earlier on?

This is definitely one of the standout episodes of the series. Note this review will contain spoilers. There are a few reviews already commenting on the high quality of the episode, but I wanted to discuss the ethical/character issues with the episode.

In this episode I feel we saw a darker side of Archer. In particular, the scene where he said he would indeed commit murder to save his crew member. I was a little surprised by his stance here. I feel that this probably contradicts his character somewhere else in the series, but I cannot think of an example right now so perhaps not. Ultimately he saw Sim as less than human, which seems unethical. Though he is clearly torn, as he initially was against the idea.

What throws a wrench in the morality of sacrificing Sim is that there was the possibility of extending his life, which both the doctor and the captain dismissed. The fact that he originally would not have lived long anyways almost justifies his sacrifice, or does it? But the fact that his life could be extended changes things.

Should they have willingly brought the death of a creature to save another? Or should they have saved the life of a creature and tried to extend his life and accepted that they would to try another way to save the crew member? I feel that the latter choice would be the more moral one. They had ruled out all other possibilities of saving Trip. There may have been another they had not thought of.

On a side note, I thought that the whole idea of having a symbiote that could so easily grow a genetic copy of a being was an inconsistency in the Star Trek world. Why wouldn't they have used this in any other series of Star Trek? It could have been incredibly useful in countless other episodes. The doctor reasoned it away as it was a closely guarded secret, but come on. How could it have been such a secret, especially if it was so attainable as Flox kept a spare just hanging around in his lab? Not to mention, this series took place long before the other series. I would think this symbiote would have become more well known over time, especially considering the incredible usefulness of it. Why wouldn't for example the doctor of Voyager, a literal database of all medical knowledge, have knowledge of this symbiote? Anyway, I suppose it is only a TV show, but this point did stand out to me.

Overall, I concur with the viewers that this was one of the better episodes. I feel that one of the strengths of Star Trek has been the way it makes you consider moral and social dilemmas. These types of episodes are my favorite. And I haven't seen a whole lot in Enterprise. So I am pleased to have been able to enjoy this episode. It improved my opinion of Enterprise in general.

This anime is a serious anime. You don't have the off-the-wall characters reacting in extremes. Except for Robin, even the hairstyles are realistic and average. The clothing is modest. The characters act human and mature. The humor is subdued and infrequent. I appreciated the maturity of the show.

This anime is also a dark anime. Most of the time you are indoors or in a dark city atmosphere. However I did feel the art was well-done. There is a somberness in both the environment and the characters. Characters cry but rarely laugh. You see some anger, fear, and insanity in side characters. The leads seem to try to hide their emotions or simply are not very emotional at all.

The situations you see involve law-force-like action, investigation, office work environments, and supernatural powers.

The storyline is mildly interesting. The first half doesn't build much on the story, but the second half is more dynamic and leads up to the point of the series.

Honestly, I didn't get much from this anime so far as making me think, sending a message, or even evoking emotions. Because of this, I do not consider watching this anime worth it. Two points in the story did touch me - One involved a mother and her lost child. The other involved a scene with the heroine when she entered a well.

There is a theme of hidden intentions, bureaucracy, and knowing what is right and who to trust. And perhaps a theme of loyalty to friendship. But there is nothing striking or eye-opening in the way these themes were presented, at least not to me.

This is a great film to watch when you are feeling a little melancholy and want to be taken away somewhere else- Somewhere far away, and subdued.

It was a slow yet enjoyable film. I would say that some might find it boring. It is true that the plot is fairly simple, and you have to wait a while for the few twists and turns it has. Though, it does always have something interesting going on, and the pace is decent for what it is. But if you don't enjoy long cerebral romances and period films, you probably won't enjoy this.

I have to say it was visually appealing. This helps the film from becoming boring. Also the two leading ladies are gorgeous. You see the beauty of darkness in Kate and the beauty of sunshine in Millie- like night and day. I must agree fully with Lord Mark's comment about Kate's eyes.

What was great about this film was the acting, presentation, mood, and lesson.

Okay spoiler time, because I'd like to share my opinions on what happened. What I took away from this film is that it is not a good idea to persuade your love, for whatever reason, to be with another, even if it seems like a good idea at the time! Ha. Though I fully sympathized with Kate.

She wasn't the sociopath that you often see in stories like this. She actually did care for Millie, and it seemed that she tried to convince herself that it would actually be good for Millie, at first. Although, the way she did try to break them up was a little heartless to her friend. But you can understand how it would be difficult for her to find any other way to do it. I suppose she could have admitted it to Millie herself, but I would think she might be too ashamed to do this. And anyways, she did say "this is the first time I didn't feel bad for her." She was jealous, and whilst at first she may not have expected herself to feel jealous, I think we can all understand the lack of sympathy we might have for someone if we did truly become jealous of them. So it is a little understandable that she would have hurt her friend. Besides, her friend would have been hurt anyway if she knew the truth with whatever way she found out, and she did deserve to know it.

The best part for me was the ending where she was turned away by Merton. (By the way, did anyone else notice how at the end, Kate laid in the same position as the woman in the painting she asked Millie to look at?) I didn't fully expect her to be rejected. But it did make sense afterwards, as he was faced with a truly good human being, and felt so wretched about what he and Kate did to Millie, and finally realized that Kate wasn't such a great person after all. I think he was put off by the selfishness in Kate's final demand. I think if she hadn't requested that, he might have let bygones be bygones. But seriously, one can understand why she felt hurt and worried about throwing away so much to pursue this "true" love that she wasn't sure still existed. She was worried she already lost him to another woman and missed his undying singular commitment to her. But I can see why Merton would be so offended. Her request really did speak of an ignorance and uncaring about his feelings which may have developed, which were all her fault to begin with.

I honestly thought it was a little silly for Kate to make her final demand. I mean honestly, she loved Millie and she should have realized that it was only natural to love such a great person. Besides, it's not like she would truly be a threat any more, 6 feet under! All things fade with time.

Kate was honest with him about her feelings and intentions, so I don't think that Merton should have turned her away due to a lack of trust. Especially since she did change her mind in the end about going through with the plan. But I do suppose he could have resented the fact that she wanted money so badly, or acted so selfishly, or lied at all, and would have never known whether she was with him for his money after he got it. I suppose that was where his demand came from. But the fact she agreed to marry him should have been enough. He should have called her silly when she brought up her side of the bargain, and admitted that yes he loved the memory of Millie, just as Kate found herself loving her. I mean come on, Millie was an easy person to love, and Kate should have understood that. Besides, if Kate truly just wanted Merton for the money, she wouldn't have made her request.

But really, they probably did need some time apart. I think that later on, they probably would find themselves back together after they had healed from the experience.

One last thing I wanted to mention - The scene where Merton was crying was amazing. I don't think I've ever seen such a realistic portrayal of a man crying on screen before. He really nailed that one, and I felt very sympathetic to the feelings he was portraying.

Anyway, it really was a wonderful film. It was very grey in its portrayal of the goodness and badness of the characters, which I like, and which isn't easy to do. It also made you think. I only downgraded it a bit because the storyline, while nicely portrayed, wasn't anything really spectacular.

I have to admit I wasn't expecting much when I started to watch this film. The title and photo looked quirky however so it grabbed my interest and I decided to see what it was about.

Needless to say I watched the whole thing through instead of stopping after 10 minutes. Something about the characters drew me in. I think it was the heart of the movie and its unconventional situations which kept me watching. Also, the message at the end was actually uplifting and inspiring instead of cheesy. I think this was credit due to the writers and their wise choice of words.

One thing that struck me about this film is it shows an amazingly real friendship between two girls from black and white culture. Sometimes I feel that there is this divide between certain black and white cultures where people from the different cultures cannot really connect. But this bond between these two girls showed a strength beyond stereotypes where it was possible: Where people can look past their differences and see each other as human beings: caring about each other and sticking together despite their differences and social pressures.

Some people complained about the "booty shaking," but I feel the film was simply being true-to-life. In fact, I'm amazed that a film could show such a kind light on both black and white stereotypical behavior at the same time. Normally "booty shaking" films don't have a dorky white likable protagonist, and vice versa.

To those who were leery of the hermaphrodite theme: I wouldn't worry too much because it never gets too graphic or goes too far with it. It did however make me think about the fact that there are people out there who have to live with that condition.

This film did remind me of some others at first, like Napoleon Dynamite. I was actually expecting something like Welcome to the Dollhouse when I first started watching it. But to me this film had more heart than those other movies. It was about strength, perseverance, and staying a kind person despite bullying and having a difficult life. There was a subtle maturity about this film, and it was uplifting.

I give this movie 8 out of 10 stars because I actually enjoyed watching it.

The acting was what gave this movie all 8 of the stars. It was believable, as the characters really drew me in. Most of the time, chick flicks seem cheap with unbelievable obnoxious characters. But this show showed a little more realism and heart.

There were good sides and bad sides to all of the characters. Okay so most people will end up hating Darcy because of what she did concerning her fiancé, and the fact that she treated the lead so badly. But there were moments where she did sincerely seem to have a heart. She was a selfish person. But she also had amazing qualities of being able to let go, have fun, and be a strong opinionated woman. A lot of strong people are a bit "selfish," so the two qualities can naturally go hand in hand.

The lead (Rachel) was also interesting. She cared greatly and always wanted others to be happy, yet she had weaknesses and did not stand up for herself. Personally I only half liked her character.

My favorite was the "best friend" (Ethan). He was funny and actually spoke the words that the audience was probably thinking. I would have liked to see him and Rachel get together. I think that would have turned out the best for all parties. Having two weak people together is not going to lead to the healthiest of relationships. I can see the communication breakdown already as Rachel carries on with fake smiles and hides her feelings when something goes wrong.

I thought I saw a little jealousy in Hudson's character. I found it interesting that she stole the man (Ethan) that she knew her best friend had interest in, and then cheated with the man (Marcus) she thought was going to make it with her best friend at the beach house. It seemed like she wanted what her best friend had, from controlling her every move, making her a servant, and stealing any man who had interest in her.

Needless to say, this movie's plot and message was terrible. Interesting, yet did not provide any worthwhile morals. People did bad things and got rewarded in the end and the only good guy gets left in the dust. Well, okay, it did have the moral of standing up for oneself and taking chances. Though, it sort of ruined that moral at the end when Rachel said how much she missed Darcy and lied about being jealous of her just to placate her. After that little scene I wondered whether she had learned anything at all from her new found freedom from her master.

Anyway, hopefully no one who hasn't seen Something Borrowed is reading this due to the spoilers, but I would recommend watching it if you like chick flicks in general. It's a fun little ride and has its romantic parts.

*Spoilers* This movie was wonderfully done for what it was. The acting was amazing. The characters seemed very real and convincing. I cried many times. The visuals were great. It really took you into the era it was portraying. Completely phenomenal.

However, my gripe is with the story itself. Do not watch this movie if the darker side of humanity gets you down. This movie was not uplifting and only in an indirect way taught moral values: By witnessing how wretched selfishness and snootiness is from the outside. I finished this movie feeling pretty crummy about people in general. It could definitely make one want to never have children or get married, seeing the monster that this decent lady created, and seeing how married people cheat on one another like it's nothing.

I was hoping throughout that there would be some turn-around. That the mother and the daughter would somehow reconcile. That the daughter would somehow find some wisdom from her experiences and become less of a demon. The scene where Mildred attacked her daughter after witnessing her with her husband is when I finally knew there would be no recovery from this horrible situation. It really made me sick to my stomach. And in the end, when it ended with Mildred telling her daughter she never wanted to see her again, I felt just depressed.

This movie did provide me with a few good things. For example, witnessing Mildred's strength in being able to overcome all of her tragedies was inspiring. However, it also taught you that once a snake, always a snake. I didn't like this lesson, but it is undoubtedly true in this case. The only feel-good part of the story was when Mildred finally said "to hell with her" and came to terms with the fact that her daughter was the snake she was previously described as by that musician.

I wished that someone had taught this child at a younger age to not find self-value in what you do, or what you have, but in being a decent person. And I wished she had been taught that all people are of equal worth. I felt that somehow Mildred could have turned her around and corrected her in her younger years. Letting her hang with her lover was about the worst adult influence she could have.

Anyway, I'm going to try to go now and feel better about life, and hope that most people are not as horrible as some of the ones in this movie.

I really wanted to watch this. I really did. And I really wanted to like this.

There is just so much nudity that I am not continuing.

This show seems to have lots of neat and interesting points to it. But I have seen ENOUGH of women's naked body parts. And I simply cannot stomach any more.

Many people obviously don't mind this. But I absolutely hate that what looks like such an interesting show has been cheapened so badly. Some people may call it "gritty" and "realistic." I find it trashy. You can still imply things are happening without shoving it in your face.

I am extremely irked because I simply love fantasy, and the mythical creatures, political situations, and intricate world makes me want to watch this badly.

But I don't know if I can get through my disgust. I almost turned it off after seeing yet another de-robing of a woman (the second time with this particular woman) with her pointed parts in plain view, while a man proceeded to take advantage of her while she was crying. I mean, this show can stand on its own without all this stuff and still be successful. What is the point of throwing in this trash? Is titillation to draw in perverted viewer counts worth ruining what could otherwise be a very respectable timeless work? I believe that whoever decided to include this was directly, and absolutely, lowering the value of this work.

Anyway, I'm sure many will disagree with me, but I was extremely disappointed.

Additionally, yes there was a fair amount of gore. A lovely intestine hanging out of a freshly sliced man, maggots on a de-gutted deer with a closeup of its head and bloated tongue, be-headings with pretty views of the red neck meat. Ugh. It was not as bothersome as my prior complaint, but I don't have too much of a problem with gore. Also it wasn't as frequent.

With so many positive ratings, I feel that my viewpoint should be put out there.

I wasn't too keen on this episode on the beginning, having become a little annoyed by Tom and B'Elanna's less-than-happy coupling. I did not feel like going through another round of Telanna fights. However by the end of the episode I was impressed by how they both have seemed to have grown and show that they care for one another more openly. Not only that, but this episode was constructed in such a way in that really pulled you into the characters' plight.

When someone becomes a parent, they are often reminded of what they went through as a child. This happened with B'Elanna, and we were given a little more insight into why she hated being Klingon so much. While she did get teased a little, it was her interpretation of her father's departure being not only her fault directly for telling him to leave, but indirectly her and her mother's fault for being Klingon and too difficult to live with, as she overheard him complain about them.

This whole portrayal was very realistic, minus the Klingons! It is very common for adults to still harbor illogical beliefs that surface when things happen to them as children exactly like this.

In the end, you really felt B'Elanna's pain when she finally confessed all of this to Tom. Tom did a stellar job in comforting her and putting her fears to rest. I was impressed by both of them in this scene so far as being mature characters in a relationship. Due to their acting in this sequence, it was highly believable and moving. Also, knowing these events made B'Elanna's actions in the past when she denied her heritage a little more understandable.

The episode ended on a very feel-good note when B'Elanna finally accepted her child as part Klingon and gave the most realistic heartfelt smile I have seen her give in the series.

The idea of genetic manipulation arose as well. This is a timeless issue, and it was interesting to hear the arguments. There were comparisons made about how is it okay to correct one defect, but not another? As genetic manipulation becomes more realistic in future years, we may be revisiting these issues.

For anyone who liked Kes, I'm sure they were a little miffed with the quick turn of events where she was shown in a more negative light, had an inexplicable breakup with Neelix, then suddenly "left" Voyager. Not only that, but she was immediately "replaced" with someone who seemed to be nothing but eye-candy, as if there was an attempt to please with a titillation factor at the expense of getting rid of a truly good-hearted character on board. However, Seven really grew on me and in retrospect, I am very glad she was brought on the show as she is a great character.

In reality, the actress didn't know of her being let go until she got the script for this episode. If Kes wasn't bitter when she left, I was. Some could be excited to see the character again. Was this going to be an episode to give her the proper goodbye or remembrance that she deserved? However she was definitely not portrayed in a graceful manner.

In fact, throughout most of the episode, she is a villain. If anything about Kes was true during the majority of her stay on Voyager, she was an extremely caring, forgiving, and even wise person, despite her young age. This did not seem to jive with the bitter personality that she had in this episode, and her selfishness at being willing to sacrifice the lives of the crew to save her prior self. True that in the end, she had a change of heart. However it did not make up for the rest of the episode.

I feel that this actress, and her character, deserved a lot more than this episode gave her credit for. I hope that today, life is treating her well.

I found this episode rather good as it introduced a moral dilemma and showed character development.

Seven's character was advanced as she discovered new emotions such as anger and regret. Surprisingly to me, she also showed evidence of compassion in response to Kovin's death, even despite her almost irrational anger towards him prior (thanks to the Doctor's encouragement!) She had stated earlier in the episode that she wanted him to pay and would be satisfied with nothing less, after being shown evidence supporting his innocence. Seven rarely changes her mind and so it was a surprise to see her do so at the end of the episode.

Yes it was frustrating to be left with the question- Did Kovin do it or not? However some may feel that it is satisfying to be left with this dilemma to create an open-ended thought-provoking episode. I am on the border here. I do feel it would have been more satisfying to see that in the end, Seven's memories were accurate.

I believe that while the end of the episode seems to point towards the characters agreeing it was a mistake, I do not. There must have been a reason for Seven's response to Kovin and the medical bay. She did not have this reaction during her countless visits prior. While the investigation did not find conclusive evidence, I believe that further investigation would have.

However, in the event that Seven's memories actually originated from her Borg life, this also makes the episode a good lesson. To try to be objective and not judge someone based on simply not liking them. Many times when an innocent is attacked we love to place blame. And if someone is already irritating (like Kovin, as expressed by multiple crew during the episode) then we easily place the blame on that person with limited evidence without considering we could be wrong.

It is episodes like these, which make you think deeper about morality and society, that make Star Trek good for the soul.

I found this movie to be an enjoyable watch. I know that a lot of Austen diehards disliked the immorality in this movie. Well, coming from someone who didn't read the book, I found the main character to be of pristine moral character.

I admired how she went with her gut, despite how easy it would have been for her to marry the other man, and despite the opposition from the family.

So far as the other points of immorality, I didn't see much of it. I mean, yes they had the "love scene" where the heroine walks in on the couple in bed. There was no raunchiness to this: There was no erotic lovemaking that you caught a glimpse of. It didn't seem overdone and it seemed appropriate.

The only thing that disturbed me and seemed unnecessary however were the pictures in the drawing book. There were scenes of rape and sexual gratuity concerning slaves, and this not only disturbed me, but seemed non-consequential to the plot. It was unclear whether or not these pictures were of things that actually happened, although the old man's reaction and appearance of shame did seem to point to that the pictures did represent something that happened. I did not like this at all.

In the end, it seemed that being a moral prevailed however, as the two people who always did the right thing whom you hoped would somehow be together, did get together. To me, it seemed that the people who did evil were in some fashion punished for their crimes by the consequences that comes from doing these things. For example, the man that said it was "safe" to flirt with a married woman, or the woman that said that she was in an unhappy marriage so she had a "right" to cheat, basically ended up being out of luck in the end from the consequences of cheating.

Then there was the part when heroine made a decision to marry that man and then changed her mind. I know that some people were disturbed by this. To me, it seemed realistic that she would begin to fancy the idea of him, and it was both shocking and admirable that she was able to go with her brain over her heart and say no, even after making the mistake. I thought maybe it was because she was just afraid to let herself fall for someone, but, in the end she showed herself to move forward without fear when it was with the man whom she loved and knew was right for her.

Anyway, I enjoyed this film. It was an inspiration, although a small one. It wasn't something I will remember forever, but it gave me something to think about. By the way, the acting was great. I also quite liked the heroine's sister, and wished to see more of how her life turned out.

This episode touched on "real life" issues that would exist if there was a relationship like this one.

Catherine becomes depressed, it being triggered by her mother's death. She sinks into despair over the impossibility of her and Vincent being able to have a normal life.

This episode was just wonderfully done.

I was actually blown away with the very real way they portrayed Catherine's despair. The way her work was distracted at work and had to take time off. The way in which watching a piano piece made her cry. Everything she said seemed to really hit home. Somebody truly was able to portray real human emotion and the real way someone would react in such a situation as this.

In the show, she is always so happy to be in love with him, but it always seemed to me that she couldn't be happy being apart, and this episode really expressed the exact issues I thought they should be having.

This is just my opinion, and of course they couldn't do this because they had to keep the show going, but I really think they should either 1. Have Catherine move down there, and just go there after work as if she lives there, or 2. Have Vincent admit himself to the public and live up on the top world with Catherine. It would be a hard life but I think one of them should make the sacrifice. It's just not worth it otherwise.

By the way, did they really kiss at the end? It was hard to tell.

But yeah the acting was superb. If anyone has had experienced "forbidden love" they should really be able to identify with this episode. Very moving and very realistic, despite the unrealistic situation (She is dating a lion!)

You rarely get to see Carter actually affected by a man in this series. Even with Jack, she is so repressed that it is difficult to believe she has feelings for him.

There was such a strange chemistry between Carter and Orlin, more than she has had with any other characters (that I've seen so far) on SG1. There was an adorable scene where he proclaimed she liked him and she was grinning with embarrassment. The guy has a funny sense of humor, and him and Carter have a unique dynamic that works well somehow.

After watching this episode a second time, I was so touched that in the end when they separated, I broke out in tears because I felt so bad for Carter. I know she doesn't get to experience something like that often. You can tell that she holds everything inside and acts a good soldier, but after seeing her lonely life at home, you've got to know it hurts bad to lose him.

By the way, some of the things this guy says about Carter in the beginning- Wow. What incredibly romantic and wonderful things to say about someone. I never thought SG1 would have such a touching romance story.

So far from my chronological viewing of the series, this is the most moving episode yet for me. For anyone who has lost a parent, they can relate.

But this episode deals with death on different levels. It deals with the concept of the temptation of living in the past and ignoring the reality of loss, and mentions the strength of humanity in overcoming the acceptance of our mortality.

There is a great conversation between Data and Riker, where Data questions why we do not equally mourn the loss of those we are close to and those we are not. Riker makes a compelling comment while explaining this to an android, and it ends with Riker saying that if we mourned all loss of life equally, humans would have a much less bloodier past.

This episode brought laughs and tears. The ending with Worf and the boy was great, it made Worf out to have a decent and likable character inside of him.