Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

rivergirl301 Desperate to find a network show I might actually enjoy, I tried "Mental." Have the writers, or anyone associated with the show, ever been to a psych unit, or visited anyone in the psych unit, or actually known anyone with a psychiatric disorder? I have! (Will let you guess which one of the three.) On the show, the psychiatrist assigned to one patients spends the entire day with her, strolling about the grounds of the hospital trying to lure patient out of her shell. Are they kidding? In reality, you've got 20 patients lined up to see 1 psychiatrist who blows in at 10 p.m. for 20 minutes, who then throws meds at the patients, hoping against hope that one will work.Said severely, severely debilitated patient spends the day chatting it up with her family, smiling, laughing, completely normal, while behind the scenes, the staff is trying to decide where to put her away, for good, because she is so out of her mind. Yeah. The only actual clue that she was mentally disturbed was they kind of disheveled her hair a bit. I guess all people with mental problems have messy hair.Finally, I had one of the cases figured out before the drs. on the show knew where to even begin to look for a clue as to what his problem was.I just don't like shows that insult my intelligence. This is one of the worst shows I have ever seen as far as insulting the viewer's intelligence.

tamawil I've read through the reviews and though not surprised on how many people compare it to something else, am slightly surprised on much it's getting ripped. I haven't seen House outside of the Dave Matthews guest episode 'Half Wit' (if correct) but I suppose to have a hospital drama created by the same team things are going to look the same no matter how you cut it.I'm not going to say that it's perfect in every way. I do like it and watch it every week, but it does have good -and- bad points. Here are a few that spring to mind… The bad: Dealing with the over use of SFX. – This was a hook that they over used during the first four episodes of the series. Luckily it cleverly broke away during 'Manic at the Disco' and 'Rainy Days' (5th and 6th episode) as they started to rely more on the situational drama and the characters, but it would be a major deterrent for anyone starting out with it.Different shooting style- From what I've read this show is a bit of a test for FOX and their operation costs. By shooting down in Colombia they do save money and try for a wider international base. This means that if you are used to glossy, high end, movie scale film quality you wont like this. Slightly dark, sometimes gritty or the feeling of 'live'/ 'Telemundo soap opera' the mix will throw you off.Slow character development- The show hammers into the fact that Jack, on his first few weeks, is a very up beat, zany, personable guy who wants to shake the boat. The cocky, confident new kid on the block who knows what he wants but now he's got to manipulate the others to his way of thinking. It stuck with the doctor and his struggles to find his sister while leaving the rest of the cast out in the cold.This also started to become a theme of never ending similarities- womanizers, the backstabbing egotist, adulteress, and the woman surviving/suffering through cancer. The typical issues that you would see in almost any drama makes it more of a stumbling block for the series other than setting up character weaknesses and flaws.Hokey stories- yes the cheese factor can get bad in some episodes, to the point of it being less drama and more high school.The good: Situations and growing character development: Again the major push for this series was 'Manic'. It still had a little bit of silliness but now they started to narrow the three to four cases floating around to just one major one and a side story. This allowed the spot light to be shifted some from Dr. Gallagher to his co workers and how he affects them. Though most of the clichés that were previously listed go through a good deal of the Season, the writers seem to not linger on them for too long. You start seeing the environment change during the season as the turbulent uprising of dust from the new guy in town and how the question of who helps the helpers appears when its show that the Docs may have more issues than the patients.Also Jack changes. As time goes and the pressures surround him you find that he becomes a little more driven, a little darker, and a little more authoritative with his staff and how he thinks things should be done. He still has his boyish charm, but there might be more stress and past that he has yet to deal with or we know of.Short subjects: I might be typical in not expecting much from an hour show. Even the credibility of things being authentic down to the minute details, but I'd be lying if I said I cared. I honestly don't think any of us want to actually watch what we do all day. I do like that each week something new or creatively spun is presented and leaves with questions of what it was they were talking about. Two of my favorite episodes 'Rainy Days' and 'House of Mirrors' gave really good examples of issues that had me researching for more information. Sometimes it's OK to have total authenticity pushed aside to entertain with a little bit of truth. You can't expect them to tell you everything.Breaking status quo: The show has potential to make something out of medical mysteries of the mind. It has a lot of work ahead to find that element (and not that much time) but honestly it could run a very interesting course if treated right.With that I know I have no interest in House though was told by people that it was wonderful, but was hooked when referred to Mental. I was intrigued by Chris Vance and stuck around to see how his character would evolve and watched all of the episodes so far. I personally enjoy the show because its still fresh and again has potential like their on screen profession. It's a series that's still finding a foot hold, and most know its not easy when shows get canned at a drop of a hat.

jenmatsui Think House meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. But change cranky, gimp-legged diagnostician Dr Gregory House with an impish, boy toy shrink and Nurse Ratched for a comely cougar chief administrator and Voila! . . . a FOX prime time TV series targeted at soccer moms on meds. But why stop there with the similarities to House? Why mess with success when you can plagiarize the play book of "Maverick White Hero Triumphs Over 'Diversity' and Teaches Uppity Women and Nervous Nelly Minorities a Lesson in How to Terrorize Your Patients Using Rogue Medical Techniques". Start by hiring a British actor, place him in a cold, sterile institution that frowns upon "genius" and staff it with earnest, well meaning staff who prefer to "play it safe and by the book" while our unconventional hero uses his rakish charm to enlist the support of his former lover who just so happens to run the hospital. Former lover should be an aging albeit hot brunette on the wrong side of forty conflicted by her burgeoning sexual attraction to recently hired doctor/ex-boyfriend, and her desire to avoid the inevitable lawsuits resulting from his "inspired" treatments. Replace Dr House's acutely observed misanthropy with cutely observed musings on the "mysteries of the human mind" and you have 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo House . . . and Dropped a Great Steaming Load' aka 'Mental'.

Lourdes Tolentino There has been so much publicity for this show in Latin America that I just had to watch. You know, give it a chance. Fortunately, I didn't waste my time.The first episode was very good and the show has gotten better. Though it needs a little polishing in the writing area, the cases are very interesting and even when they can be weird can in fact be true, and the subplot about Jack Gallagher's sister and Carl's personal agenda make it appealing and fun to follow.I've never heard of half of the cast before, but they all have chemistry and that works for me. Chris Vance does a pretty good job playing the rebellious, fun, caring and innovative doctor. His scenes with his sister on the phone are very touching.So, how is this show like House? Is it because Gallagher is as sarcastic and doesn't give a damn about the patient like House? Is it because Gallagher is interested in two of his co-workers? Or is it because all the physical illnesses? I have three words for you: Two different shows. Period.I'll keep watching.