Codename Kids Next Door - Sooper Hugest Missions File One (2002) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm 28 and I love this cartoon. It's corny and at times it's pretty stupid but the pure ridiculousness of it is what makes it so entertaining. I love the concept of 2x4 technology and having guns that shoot condiments, ice cream, gum balls etc... is classic! Not to mention the robots and other vehicles that are made of everyday things like carousels, cars, school lockers, and even a chimney! Codname KND puts a great spin on the action cartoons of the twenty first century. No blood, no guts - just plain fun and gags that can be appreciated by children of all ages. Also, the constant spoofs on classic movies; Robin Hood, Star Wars, Terminator, etc... is entertaining to adults who watch with their children (or by themselves!) I'm a lifelong lover of cartoons and although I really didn't like Codename KND the first few times I watched it I eventually came to love it and now watch it every chance I get. I've also converted a few of my adult cartoon loving friends into fans.
As for the animation style - it's true that the characters are drawn pretty amusingly. They look like pencils with apples stuck on them for heads, hands and feet but instead of complaining about the style take it for what it is. The entire cartoon is a spoof and the way it's drawn emphasizes that.
A comment on the accents of the characters; While reading through other reviews I noticed many complaints on how fake the British accent of Numbah One sounds. As stated in the previous paragraph - this is a spoof and how much more ridiculous would Numbah One sound if he had been voiced by someone with a real British accent? Could you seriously imagine Hugh Laurie reading the part? I believe that a real British accent would get even more complaints and besides, if you actually watched the cartoon you'd realize that neither of Numbah One's parents have an accent which would clue you in - he's just a kid trying to be cool as so many kids do. I've never heard a convincing accent come out of a child's mouth without extensive training. And to bash on Numbah Four's accent, calling it a bad British accent, is further proof that you don't watch the show. Numbah Four is Australian.
The characters all have distinct personalities and their individuality is part of what makes them so fun. Watching this cartoon takes me back to my own childhood, back when cartoons were only on Saturday morning and for an hour or two after school. Back before Nintendo and Xbox... When our imagination was all we had and we used it to the point of frying our brains. Today's youth can't always appreciate a cartoon like Codename KND because they can't necessarily relate. If you don't like it that's okay and feel free to trash it all you want, that's your right and I recognize your right. We all have different opinions and I love that amazon gives us the ability to share our opinions. Don't use these review spaces to put down the other reviewers though - that is immature and unnecessary. Who cares if someone misspells a word? I'm sure that I've misspelled quite a few words in my own review! Also, if someone writes a review that you don't agree with don't trash the person, just write your own review and leave it alone. Allow the consumer to make the choice don't try to sway them to your way of thinking. The purpose of these reviews is to share your opinion of the item in question with the intent of informing people of what it is they're considering purchasing.
I love Codename KND and I reccomend this cartoon to cartoon lovers everywhere!

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Five extraordinary 10-year-olds, dedicated to freeing all children from the tyrannical rule of adults, have formed a covert team called the Kids Next Door (KND). To mask their identities, they have taken numbers instead of names, led by Numbuh One from the fortress of their treehouse! DVD Features:FeaturetteOther:Exclusive KND Game Boy advance cheats. Also, Cartoon Network bonus toon: Foster's Home for Imaginary FriendsTheatrical Trailer

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Speak (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Speak" tells the story of a girl, Melinda Sordino (Kristen Stewart), who made it through the end of the difficult middle school years as one of the popular girls. She does not appear to be conceited or stuck up; she's only just a girl who enjoys the fact that she and her girlfriends are well thought of and the center of the social scene. That all changes for Melinda at a summer party thrown at a friends house where she gets friendly with a popular high school jock only to be shockingly date raped by him. In her shock after the rape, Melinda tries to call the police from the party house, but that just leads to the cops showing up and breaking up the party and getting a lot of Melinda's friends in trouble. Not knowing why Melinda really called the police leads her group of friends, especially her best friend Rachel (Hallee Hirsch) to ostracize her in the way that kids that age lash out at anything that they don't understand and challenges their socially accepted norms. Melinda is also hindered by the fact that her parents, despite clearly loving her, are too caught up in their own issues to recognize that their daughter just underwent a tremendous trauma.
When high school begins that fall, Melinda selectively chooses to remain a mute while enduring the hateful behaviors of her former friends (including Rachel, who is now dating the guy that raped Melinda). Yet, slowly, through finding herself through an art class with and an art teacher (Steve Zahn) that truly inspire her, Melinda manages to recover and find a new sense of self and confidence and even resolution to the events that have plagued her.
"Speak" has all the makings of a typical after school special that is rife with pretentiousness and pat resolutions. Yet, it manages to transcend that genre and make for a truly moving film. The performance of Kristen Stewart and, to a lesser extent, Steve Zahn, is truly remarkable. Zahn is a known quantity in Hollywood and his performance as art teacher, Mr. Freeman, is full of the pathos we've come to expect from him. Stewart, who was only 13 when she filmed this role, is simply stunning. She took a role that actress three times her would find daunting and, not only fulfilled it, but so thoroughly mastered it, that she made it her own.
It's ironic that Stewart played Jodie Foster's daughter in the hit thriller "Panic Room", because she evokes memories of a Jodie Foster from 30 years ago. Stewart has the same physical look and mannerisms and definitely shows the potential to have the same acting talent. I look forward to seeing more films starring Kristen Stewart. I think she will turn out to be a real Hollywood gem and, anyone who has seen "Speak", will remember the exact moment when Kristen Stewart gave notice that she had arrived.

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Based on the award winning novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, "Speak" unfolds a story about Melinda (Kristen Stewart), a smart and spirited high school freshman who retreats into self-imposed silence after she is raped one night at a party. Feeling isolated from her classmates and from her preoccupied mother Joyce Sardnino (Elizabeth Perkins), Melinda retreats further in an attempt to escape the torments of high school. It is only through her work in art class with the help of her compassionate art teacher Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn) that she begins to reach out to others and eventually finds her own voice and inner strength. A feature debut of director/co-writer Jessica Sharzer, "Speak" resonates with stubborn honesty and sardonic humor as we follow Melinda on her journey from traumatized isolation to a brave and final triumphant disclosure.

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