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Reviews
The Dick Van Dyke Show: Divorce (1963)
A bad show in an otherwise excellent series
First, a disclaimer: I'm a huge fan of the DVD Show, it ranks as one of my all-time favorite shows, and for the most part the writing was fantastic, the cast was superb, overall just a really well done show, that remains enjoyable 50 years later.
This episode, though, went "off formula" for the show, and should be discarded. Most of the dialog is yelling and/or words spoken in anger, and the "Pickles babble" talk gets way overplayed, to the point of being tiresome and annoying. And, I like Rob... and do not like him getting assaulted not once, not twice, but three times?! This is supposed to be funny, or entertaining, to see Rob get assaulted? I give the series a 9.5/10 rating, but this episode ranks a solid 1, "awful". Skip it.
In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
Could have been done better
A word about myself: I am a huge fan of the Apollo program, have studied it a lot, and believe it ranks as one of the truly great achievements of mankind. This documentary, though, could (and should) have been done better.
First, the good: A number of the surviving moon-traveling astronauts are interviewed. They are great on camera, adding information, humor and insight to what it was like to do what they did. Mike Collins in particular has an incredible sense of underplayed humor, in a very "who, me?" fashion... while at the same time being classy and informative. All the astronaut interviews were interesting and enjoyable to listen to.
While there wasn't a lot of mission footage, what there was of it was nice (would have preferred more).
Now, the bad: I didn't buy this to get the usual "social lecture" about Vietnam War and Woodstock, etc... The director felt compelled to spend time on that, perhaps some people want or thrive on juxtaposing pictures of social unrest with the Apollo missions, but I'm not one of them. Way too many scenes of firebombing Vietnam. If I want a Vietnam War documentary, I'll buy one, thank you.
The interviews with the astronauts were completely jumbled together, mixed with mission footage. This left me constantly trying to figure out what footage was I seeing. Seems like the only thing driving the order was "artistic license".
One goof: the film states after Apollo 13 there were 5 successful landings. Let's see, 14, 15, 16, 17. Any way I count it, that comes up as four.
One quibble: The director chose to zoom in very tight on the astronauts' faces for the interviews. On a big-screen TV set, you can count their skin pores. I don't personally like this "up close and personal" videography style, back off a little, at least where I can see the whole face at one time.
And, a truly poor finish... having the different astronauts comment on "moon landing hoax" theories. I know there's still some ignorant people that choose to believe that, but why include such nonsense in this video? Even in a "refuting" way, it's not worthy of being addressed. Perhaps we should have had them share their views on astrology or whether the earth is flat as well.
American Experience: Hoover Dam (1999)
Good but limited in scope
Having recently visited Hoover Dam and also read a book about the building of Hoover Dam, it was fun to see this documentary. It contains a lot of vintage footage of the dam under construction, which was fascinating.
However, considering all the things that could have been talked about, I found the scope of this documentary way too limited. It focused a lot on the Great Depression, difficult times finding jobs, the project leader for the dam, and some other things. What was woefully missing was any talk about the actual engineering that went into this! Just a few passing mentions of anything that would interest the technical-minded on how it was built and how it operates. Want to know how they made all that concrete? How they cooled it? Why they cooled it? Just what those intake towers do? What a penstock is? What happened to the diversion tunnels after the dam was built? How they tested the concrete? You won't find any of that here. Nor will you find more than a brief passing mention of Six Companies, and the story behind that.
Ultimately, it's mostly a story about the trying times and hardships workers faced and building a dam during the Great Depression. Still worth watching, though.
The Twilight Zone: The Invaders (1961)
Possibly the worst Twilight Zone episode ever
Okay, I know many will disagree, this episode has a very high ranking on IMDb. Why, I don't know, unless it is because of Agnes Moorehead's great performance. And I will agree with that, I'll give her performance great marks. But the episode itself? Hard to know where to start! How about with the big oar, okay, she's ready to defend herself, knock the little invader dudes to pieces, so what does she do? She looks and looks all around for them in an empty room. Then, when she finds one, does she swat it? No! She closes the door to hide from it! And the knife thing? Like, these little 6 inch creatures are going to grab a kitchen knife to nick her ankles? Come on! These are USAF astronauts (as we find out at the end), can you just imagine Neil or Buzz on a strange planet, saying "let's grab a kitchen knife that's 12 feet long and nick the person's ankle"? Or the even more ludicrous knife thru the doorknob hole one? She keeps acting like she's both scared and also on the attack against these little gremlins, yet until the final scene it's like she doesn't know how to attack them! And how did the warty growths figure in? Like the US is going to equip it's astronauts with wart guns? Okay, maybe we started an epidemic on this other planet, and it will destroy their population. Who knows. And is this the way we picture ourselves interacting with a new species? Oh, look, giants, lets sneak around and shoot them with our ray guns! And how did these little guys move around so effectively? At the beginning, she tries to push the UFO with her foot, and we hear a zap... force field? Who knows? If so, why didn't the force field protect the UFO at the end? Overall, episode looks like it was written by a 5 year old, and is nothing more than a "horror and anxiety" flick, lacking all the elements of neat morality tales that make for a great TZ episode. Amazed to see Rod liked it. Not sure where that quote came from, but I'm a bit skeptical of it. Not at all like the episodes Rod wrote. Maybe he was joking when he said it, or being sarcastic?
Gilligan's Island: Nyet, Nyet, Not Yet (1965)
A favorite episode, with Cold War undertones
This has long been one of my favorite Gilligan's Island episodes. It does a wonderful parody of what was then a real, current event: the intense competition of the Space Race, with "US" vs the Russians. One of the best lines, towards the end, is when the Soviet news service, in discussing the capsule that mistakenly landed half the world away from its intended site, claimed that it was "only 18 inches from it's intended target".
One technical problem with the episode (not that GI should be held to a high technicality standard) is the capsule is very American looking. The Soviet capsules of that era not only looked completely different, they landed on dry land, not water. And why was the capsule pink? I'm also curious what the Russian lettering said on the side of the capsule.
One particularly bothersome plot hole in this episode is the ploy to use alcohol (Vodka) to intoxicate the Americans. Then we find out the women aren't included... so what's the use of just intoxicating the men? Then the men excuse themselves one at a time as reasons they can't participate in the drinking party. Next thing we know, they're doing it, albeit with switched bottles.
The suspicious dialog, in Russian (translated with subtitles) adds a delightful dimension of humor to this episode, and also serves as a more serious reminder of just how tense relations with the USSR was in those times.
The Carol Burnett Show: Show Stoppers (2001)
Carol Burnett fan, but this disappoints
Eagerly watched this, hoping for a collection of some of the many wonderful skits I remembered seeing from the Carol Burnett Show. Unfortunately, about half the time, the "show stoppers" emphasized vulgarity or profanity to elicit appropriate giggles. I will say that Tim Conway gave this some fantastic moments in his "current" appearance, and Harvey Korman added some great moments too. Carol and Vicki were wonderful too. But the clips themselves were in general, for my tastes, not well selected, and a sad reflection on what was chosen to be "memorable" some 30 or so years later. Carol Burnett & Co. had wonderful talent, and produced years of wonderful programming. This special does a disservice to that legacy.
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005)
They miscalculated their lunar insertion burn making this film...
The first time I saw "Magnificent Desolation" I was very impressed with it, in particular the "you are there" feeling of watching this in IMAX. If I had rated the movie when I left the theatre that first time, I would have given it a 10.
But then, I watched it again. That was when I started to get annoyed with the film. Why do we hear the blast of rockets in the vacuum of space? And even the footfalls of the astronauts on the moon? Why are we being shown lots of cute schoolchildren posing for the camera, rather than spending the time talking about the engineering and hard work that made this possible? Why are we listening to recorded actors, rather than some interviews with surviving astronauts?
And, to top if off, why do we have the melodramatic near-final scene of "what would have happened if...", instead of just documenting the incredible events that actually DID happen? Was reality not exciting enough for the film makers? So, I'm giving it a begrudging 5. They could have done SO much better with this.
The Ultimate Gift (2006)
Almost a great film, but not.
*** SPOILERS *** There were a lot of fine plot elements in this film, and it had the makings for being great. Having Jason kidnapped and almost killed didn't really fit in with the overall story, and the extreme rudeness of the family at Thanksgiving was overdone, so I would give a few demerits for this.
However, what really "spoiled" the movie (and almost made me give it a 1 or 2) was that Jason comes close to making up with his ex-girlfriend near the end! True, he doesn't see it through, but even so I felt so let down by Jason's behaviour at that point that this movie ultimately comes across as mediocre. By that point of the movie, Jason had seemed reformed, trustworthy, and now I wonder if he ever can be truly that.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Too much clanging!
Having read the books twice, and having enjoyed the first movie "Fellowship of the Ring" quite a bit, this one disappointed me. Too much emphasis on fight scenes and the crash and clash of swords, and some very needless (and not beneficial in my opinion) departure from Tolkien's original story lines. I did enjoy Gimli's humor, though!
The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002)
Two Films, Two Ratings
Being a longtime fan of Steve, I was very interested in seeing his first venture onto the big screen. He performed in his usual inimitable style, combining entertainment, education, courage and an extraordinary ability to understand the critters he deals with.
In the background of this, though, there was some vague, Class B low budget thriller about a spy satellite and secret agents trying to recover its "black box". The script and acting for the spy thriller was underwhelming, at best.
So, for Steve & Terri, I'd give the movie a 9/10. For the spy thriller part of the movie, it ranks a weak 3/10.
The Princess Bride (1987)
A Treasure!
Somehow, I had managed to never even hear of this movie till now (April 2002), when I went over to a friend's house and watched it on videotape. I discovered that I had missed out on one of filmdom's true treasures all these years!
The storyline is passable, the scenery is nice, but what really makes this film a standout is the incredible wit that permeates it. Printed quotes don't really do it justice; the delivery by the actors is what really makes the humor stand out.
Excellent entertainment, and highly recommended!
Mars Attacks! (1996)
If Only I Had The Chance...
If only I had the chance, to have spent my evening better than watching this movie...
Be aware, those who are contemplating watching this movie, that it is non-stop violence. There are very graphic scenes, depicting death and mutilation. The movie tries to be a "comedy spoof", but personally I find it difficult to smile or laugh in the face of rampant, non-stop killings.