Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Justina The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Rupert Munn Garish, often frustratingly hammy, but well acted and very watchable. I can forgive a lot from writing that cares about its characters, which this evidently does - a show that has heart.

KiteVega Sugar Rush is a brilliant comedy drama who's strength lay in its ability to combine completely opposing views to dramatic affect. It keeps its moral tones (such as treat others as you'd like to be treated, the significance of parental responsibility and the importance of tolerance) pinned down under plenty of outrageously amoral antics to stop the show from ever becoming preachy, and places harsh reality beside blatantly idealistic situations to keep things ticking along in the lightest vein possible. The whole show is saturated with the bright colours, loud music and stop-start, jumpy energy that made Burchill's book so renowned, and, in my opinion, uses these elements to even greater effect. However I have to point out here that the 8 out of 10 stars is most definitely reserved for Series 1. The next (and, unfortunately now, final series of Sugar Rush) series that take place 18 months later has abandoned much of the drama and pathos that made its predecessor so compelling. Yes, Kim's 'Out and Proud' - as you'd expect - but a year and a half later she still seems to have an extremely limited circle of friends, a desperately dysfunctional couple of parents who now border caricature, a brother who has miraculously aged about 6 years and - here it comes - a love interest she conveniently meets a few weeks before Sugar's release from prison. In fact the only remote inkling we get of the supposed 18-month gap is the fact that Kim is now attending 'college' as opposed to rotting away in year 10 at slummy Ravendene Comp. In terms of character there is no real difference and the story carries straight on from the last episode, admittedly with a butt-load of cheap jokes at the lesbian community's expense and a couple of really, really daft episodes that left me scratching my head (episode 7, featuring a Russian gangster and an obvious tribute to BBC1's Hustle was a real mind-bender). Despite this fall in standards I am still gutted this programme was dropped, as I would've liked to have seen if it could've redeemed itself in the future.

Scott W. Larson Not many Americans have seen this show (and with only twenty episodes, that's not likely to change) so I thought I throw a word in. I bought the first season because I buy lots of DVDs in PAL format since they have higher resolution and cost just a few dollars more to ship overseas. I stumbled upon this show which sounded like a lesbian My So-Called Life, one of the most celebrated shows about teenage life that barely survived one season on ABC.The first few episodes are not all that good. Kim is manipulative and kind of despicable but at least is honest to herself about it (thanks to the voice overs, another thing that made My So-Called Life wonderful). It's easy to root for her because she's pretty and surrounded by awful people. Sugar and her mom are sluts, her father is clueless and spineless, and her younger brother is suffering from mental problems so severe I can't believe I'm supposed to laugh at them. Kim apparently had a lot of friends recently (look at the numbers on her cell phone) but dropped them once Sugar arrived and getting her seems to be the only focus of her life. She has no interest in checking out the gay clubs in Brighton where even a closeted minor can socialize and find friends.There are some good attempts at light humor as Kim manipulates her mom and Sugar or have events unexpectedly go her way (in the clever "crabs" episode for example) but a lot of jokes go flat (like the "date rape" episode). At that point it's not much more than a funny soap opera and I'm wondering if this show is ever going to take itself seriously. If the DVD set hadn't traveled thousands of miles to me, I probably would have lost interest in it.Then, in a swirling scene, one of Kim's clever tricks pays off big time! The light humorous tone disappears and the show suddenly and completely comes alive. Finally, the drama I've been waiting for arrives and it's intense and believable. Kim's relationship with Sugar becomes dramatically real and we see just how much she's put her heart on the line for her. The motivations behind her mother's cheating come out and a real mother-daughter relationship develops. Her father becomes a stronger, more sympathetic character and less of a running joke. Even the humor improves. I've never seen a show take off like this.Also, I'm glad to see a series that shows that color EXISTS in Britain. We Americans see so many drab-looking British shows, we all think every day must be gray and cloudy there (well, every day I've been there was). Nearly every scene is full of blazingly saturated colors (much like our Veronica Mars) and the outdoor scenes on the Brighton Pier are wonderfully colorful and beautiful.

smallvilleaddict-2 I have to say, I've become addicted to Sugar Rush. It makes up for all those years I spent as a teenager where there was not a hint of lesbionic viewing was in site. Young lesbians of today should be pleased to have such a show. It's entertaining, funny and regularly shocking. Kim's life is messed up but you don't realize to what extent until she narrates it at the start of the next episode. Still, in Season 2 she's starts to pull it together when she meets Saint. At least she has the love sorted. Her family, are another matter. and of course there's the CC. Wicked! You find yourself wanting to be there or anywhere like it. Careful people, this one's addictive!