ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

ClassyWas Excellent, smart action film.

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

adamspector Many people said that this time around, it was much darker and downright dreary. Yes, it was darker, but the times were darker, too. Yes, AIDS was starting to rear its very ugly head (with an even uglier president freshly elected who practically promoted AIDS as something beneficial to the population at large...but I digress). But other things were happening, too.For instance, Mary Ann Singleton started to discover love in her own backyard. She's also found a hot story, that she holds (to good effect) onto, waiting to spring it upon the public, even if her GSR's (now called "Q" ratings) are miserable. Through a series of only-can- written-by-Armistead-Maupin twists and turns, she and her new-again friend DeDe Halcyon-Day go through a wrenching comedy of errors. That's not to say that Michael Mouse and Mrs. Madrigal don't have their own series of twists and turns to go through, which of course, only makes them grow even further as characters in the series, but this time around, they play second banana to Mary Ann.In the end, perhaps things turn out glib, but remember that this is merely a continuation in a long chain of stories. It's not meant to be the climax of the series. It is meant as entertainment, and that's precisely what it accomplishes: what can be more fun than a chase leading to the very borders of the Cold War, a kidnapping (not what you think!), and a gun- wielding born-again Christian blowing someone away! Altogether, a faithful rendition of the third installment of the Tales of the City saga.Let's hope Showtime (or HBO or someone in Canada...they've got such better programming!) makes the last three books into the well-depicted realities that Channel 4 and Showtime have already accomplished.

raze-1 You have to start at the beginning, so I'd suggest watching Tales of the City and More Tales of the City first. These mini-series are based on a six part series of books by Armistead Maupin. Maupin began writing these stories for a San Francisco newspaper in the 1970's. They became the Tales of the City book series. And in the early 1990's, he started serializing them for the small (TV) screen. I've watched all three of these films over and over again. They are (like the books) like getting a really juicy letter from an old friend you've been aching to hear from. This third installment is shorter than the previous, but packs in a great storyline and lots of fun. All of the actors from the 2nd Tales are back for more mystery and romance. The best thing about Maupin's stories for the new millennium is that he was the first author to integrate gay and straight characters into a novel and then watch them grow and age together as a family throughout the six books. For the cinema, this is still a HUGE leap. For those of us who've been living in reality, it's our world come to life. I'm anxiously awaiting the fourth book, Babycakes to be made into a mini-series, but in the meantime I watch Mrs. Madigal, Michael, MaryAnn, Brian and all their extended family look for love and excitement in late 1970's San Francisco.

Mort & Spunky the awesome cat Another enjoyable installment, from Mr Maupin, about normal fun people who do find themselves tangled in many webs.For anyone to whom the pacing seems a bit odd. Please remember that this was originally written for a newspaper. Each installment had to move quickly and leave the reader interested. It's good to see that Showtime has remained true to the articles (which were turned into books) again.

Dr. Ed-2 What a disappointment and what a boring mini. Totally wasted the talents of Jackie Burroughs, Parker Posey, Joel Grey, Billy Campbell, and John McMartin. Hideous "happy" ending and quickly tied-up endings. There may have been a good story, but it didn't make it to the screen (and Maupin wrote the damned screenplay himself).