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Love, Death & Robots (2019)
Hit and MIss as Expected
As with all anthologies, the episodes are hit and miss. Mostly, the graphics are enthralling. Some of the stories are entertaining, and some are gross, as in "what were they thinking?"
The producers needed to find competent audio mixers. Some of the episodes have dialog at 20 dbm while the special effects are at 90 dbm. Clearly, this does not make a pleasant viewing experience.
The anthology is heavy on swarms of creatures. After three volumes, the swarm episodes got a little tired.
I am surpised that "Zima Blue" is rated so highly. I found it to be an extremely boring paean to black supremacy. Probably the most gross is "The Drowned Giant."
Navy Log: Man Alone (1956)
Incredible
I don't understand how Lt. Miller could kill two Japanese patrols and two machine gun nests with hand grenades and not find one serviceable rifle or pistol among the dead.
I don't understand why the Japanese forces did not send more patrols to investigate what happened to the elements above. Were they not curious why their patrols did not return?
I don't understand why a Japanese fighter plane would strafe an obvious Allied military man and not report it to the island command.
I find it incredible that the Japanese were that stupid as Lt. Miller surmised.
Of course, I'm relieved that he survived, which was obvious as he supplied the narration, and saddened that the two men he sent away were killed, but I suspect some details were left out of this script.
The Avengers: From Venus with Love (1967)
Absolute Rubbish!
The writer of this obviously knew nothing about laser technology, which was invented seven years prior, so he should have known something.
We have a noisy laser that makes drinks bubble and either turns people white or burns them up. Whichever is chosen has no explanation. Also, it can fit in the engine compartment of a car and can blast through anything at any distance!
There is a mirror in a barn that reflects a bright light that comes from nowhere.
Steed is talking to Emma on the phone when he hears a loud noise and she is no longer on the line. Instead of going to her rescue as is his habit, he goes to visit the BVS!
This season shows that clearly the writers had run out of barely credible plots and just let their fantasies run wild.
Star Trek: Requiem for Methuselah (1969)
Another of THOSE Last-Season Episodes
"We're out of ideas. Let's throw caution to the wind and write whatever fantastical ideas come into our heads. Our budget is in the tank. We know we're not science fiction but fantasy. Logic is no longer in use here. It's impossible? No worries. "
Were Shatner, Nimoy, and Sorel playing a joke on us Gentiles? Like many others this episode is poorly conceived, badly written, and contains portrayals that must have embarrassed all concerned except the above three.
Adjectives that come to mind are: ridiculous, silly, impossible, laughable, and cringe-worthy. Yes, it's another of THOSE Last-Season Episodes.
Star Trek: The Lights of Zetar (1969)
An Unwoke Episode
Starfleet Lieutenant Mira Romaine is usually "the girl."
She is told by Kirk not to resist the Zetarians, but when they inhabit her, he tells her to resist.
Scotty plays a Joe Biden-like character in lusting after Mira, who is 12 years his junior. Surprisingly, the feeling is mutual.
The Enterprise computer, Spock, McCoy, and Scotty concoct a plan to defeat the invaders, which, of course, doesn't make sense given the latter's demonstration of their powers.
I give the episode two stars for the beauty of Jan Shutan's figure (I'm unwoke, also). I'm glad they didn't cast Shari Lewis as that character.
Flight to Mars (1951)
Bad Science
The crew is missing the unqualified wise guy from Brooklyn.
A flight to Mars is described as "hurtling through the universe."
Artificial gravity perfected in 1951.
A rocketship crashes at high speed into a mountainside, but it's barely damaged and the crew is only a little shaken up.
An underground civilization looks like it has 22nd Century technology, but they can't figure out how to build a radio transmitter and require one Earth rocketship to reach Earth.
Unlikely romantic tension thrown in as an extra.
An Earthling can walk unchallenged into the Martian high council room during a critical meeting.
A very abrupt ending.
Watchable because of bullet bras and legs, legs, legs.
I would write that you can't make this stuff up, but they did.
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
Review from 1956 Perspective
I believe this is the fair thing to do. Film-making technology and perspectives have changed much since then.
I know the clumsy back projection is annoying as are the pseudo science technobabble, the obligatory "smoking is good for you" scene, the continuity lapses, and the plot holes.
I never knew that the U. S. Government had the resources to launch 12 missiles into outer space so quickly.
The best part of the movie begins with the attack on Washington, District of Corruption. The special effects were good for the time.
It wasn't the truck-mounted weapons alone that knocked down the flying saucers. The air was so thick with corruption that it affected the saucers' flight handling ability. It was fun to see the Congressmen running out of the Capitol building with luggage stuffed with kickback payments. (Just kidding.) The crème de la crème is the last scene with the beautiful Joan Taylor in her bathing suit. That figure! Those legs!
The Twilight Zone: Little Girl Lost (1962)
Spoiled
This episode really creeped me out when I saw it as a kid, but even then I could tell that the child's voice was that of a woman. What a stupid casting idea! I know the child actress could talk. Why not use her voice?
Unfortunately, The Twilight Zone is littered with stupid ideas. The writers were dramatists who had no science background whatsoever. Examples: asteroids are miniature earths with earth-like atmospheres; a dead woman's ghost can interact with live people who regard her as living with no differences whatsoever; a stopwatch can stop time all over the earth. How does that affect it's attitude in the solar system?
Disneyland: One Day at Teton Marsh (1964)
A Classic Documentary
Yes, I know most of the animal interactions were staged, but this episode is entertaining, and the photography is amazing. It well captures the majestic beauty of the Grand Tetons and the Snake River.
Sebastian Cabot's narration is well-fitted. It is no wonder that he was a regular in the Disney stable.
I would rate this episode higher if not for the obvious staging, but I don't suspect many of the children in 1964 were aware of it.
And they probably didn't catch the irony of Cabot's concluding narration that at the end of the day, all of the animals could conclude they had a good day. I don't believe the fish that were chewed and eaten would agree.
The Twilight Zone: And When the Sky Was Opened (1959)
Good Drama But Incredible Story
This is one of my favorite episodes because of the drama and Aussie Rod Taylor's superb acting; however, the story is incredible even for The Twilight Zone. Only God could erase a person's existance, and He wouldn't do that. The story just doesn't work. Even the ending doesn't make sense. If the spacecraft never existed, why would there be a tarp on the hanger floor? In the hospital, all of the pilots' beds disappeared after they did.
Most of the acting is good, except I was disappointed by the way Sue Randall was directed. In one scene Taylor is shouting in her face, but she doesn't flinch or move backward. She just stands there like an actor waiting to say her lines.
The Twilight Zone: The Fever (1960)
Enjoyable but unrealistic
Although it isn't highly rated by the majority, this is one of my favorite episodes because 1) a long time ago I lived near Las Vegas for over five years, and 2) I'm smitten by the beautiful Vivi Janiss.
As others have mentioned, Everett Sloane gives a masterful performance as the totally unlikeable Franklin Gibbs. What I didn't like about "The Fever" is that it is unrealistic. Casino personnel do not behave like that. They do not stand idly by when a patron is visibly extremely upset. They quickly move in to mitigate the situation.
Another thing that spoils the episode as others have mentioned is the clumsy staging of Franklin's fall.
Igor Sikorsky: A Man and His Dream (1990)
Part of 1989 BBC Series
It is strange that the wonderful BBC series "Wings Over the World" is not listed in the IMDB, nor is Richard Todd given credit for narrating it. This Sikorsky episode was the second in the series.
All of the episodes are a must for aviation buffs. The archival footage is tremendous, and Todd's narration is intelligent and clear. What I like best, however, is Toby Gilk's haunting music. Not only is it beautiful, it fits its accompanying scene perfectly.
This particular episode shows how brilliant Sikorsky was in general aviation, not just helicopters. The interview with his son is very illuminating and highlights the brilliance of the man.
Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Absolute Woke Garbage
I was living overseas during the first three years of this show, so I missed the beginning. When I returned in 1990, I hated it, but I watched it because it was Star Trek, hoping it would improve. But it only became worse.
It has at least three America-hating actors--Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg, and Wil Wheaton, who play characters equally dislikeable.
It has diversity and inclusion forced into your brain with a cattle-killing captive-bolt gun.
It has bad science and bad science fiction.
It has plot holes and other goofs galore.
In sum, it is the perfect reflection of Gene Roddenberry's socialist, diverse, utopian world.
The Great (2020)
Elle Fanning
Gets to:
Play dress-up
Curse like a sailor
Talk dirty
Use a faux-British accent
Chew the scenery
Insult Russia.
Actually, it's the writer, Tony McNamara, who insults Russia. The story is decadently British. It was mostly filmed in the UK, and most of the actors are British or from the Commonwealth. The dialogue is so vulgar that it seems to be lifted from Whitechapel in 1888.
I'm curious if Moscow didn't summon the British ambassador for a good tongue lashing.
The sets are stunning. I'm amazed that the owners of the buildings allowed the crew to use them, knowing how accidents happen during production.
Black Sails (2014)
I Departed After it Became a Comic Book in Episode VIII
Like in Vikings,the writer(s) just had to give the principal characters superhuman powers. Here we have a character beaten to a pulp, buried alive for several hours, and then digging himself out of his grave to murder his assailant. No suffocation. We also have a character shot, wounded by cannon blasts on his ship, fallen into the sea, sinking while unconscious, and then waking up alive on a beach. No bleeding to death, no drowning.
I give it three for the sets and the women.
Star Trek: Voyager: Revulsion (1997)
I can dream
If Jeri Ryan told me to remove my clothes, I would strip faster than a Congressional pay raise could be passed. Ensign Kim is pathetic.
I find it hard to believe that someone's heart could be grasped, but that person is still able to function.
Voyage of Darwin's Beagle: On the Future of Species (2012)
Woke. Slow Paced
I stopped after the end of Episode 3. I was expecting more science. Instead, I got a heaping helping of ecofascism and social justice. If you have the patience for this, you may find it very interesing.
Devil Island (2013)
Ruined in Post-production
Whoever was in charge of post-production needs vocational guidance. This fine documentary was ruined by the music that drowned out the narrator!
Hawkeye (1994)
An Anachronism
I liked that the producers tried to be authentic for the period, but Lynda's modern make up and cleavage display playing an 18th-century woman forced me to suppress giggling when she was in any scene.
Bonanza: The Gunmen (1960)
Insulting
Seems like every television series has to do the "duplicate of the star" episode. Bonanza, Sugarfoot, The Rifleman, etc. Slap a fake beard on the star and the audience is supposed to believe that such a double exists. Only twins could resemble that closely. Writers really know how to insult the intelligence of their audience.
The Veil: The Return of Madame Vernoy (1958)
Ficitionalized Story of Shanti Devi
(1926-1987), who claimed to be the reincarnation of a man's wife who died 10 days after childbirth in Mathura (145 km from her own hometown of Delhi).
All the non-Indian cast faking Hindi accents gives this episode an unintentional humorous aspect.
Science Fiction Theatre: Y..O..R..D.. (1955)
Over and Out
This episode had a "scientific advisor" for electronics and radar. Too bad it didn't have one for radio communications. The title means "transmit, but I'm not listening."
Aside from that Hollywood ignorance, it's an interesting story.
The Lawless Years (1959)
Fake History
I do not remember this show from my youth, so I gave it a shot with "The Dutch Schultz Story." Now I'm glad I never watched the series. Despite having Rudisky as a technical advisor, this episode, at least, is fiction based on fact. Schultz was not hit in the manner portrayed. Not even close. Also, there is another version of his last words before expiring.
I give it four stars for the acting and drama.
Unacknowledged (2017)
"Unacknowledged": A Hilarious Farce
First I cracked up whenever Daniel Sheehan, Esq. spoke. He looks like an old Harpo Marx in full costume. His "proofs" also were funny for their emptiness.
Then I almost spat out my hot chocolate (it's winter here) during the discussion of how the corrupt media is in cahoots with the Federal Government!!! Clearly, Greer did not recognize Trump Derangement Syndrome when this farce was compiled.
They speak of reproduced flying saucers executing right angles at supersonic speeds, but they don't explain how the human pilots survive such maneuvers.
See! Footage of the 911 attack in Noo Yawk accompanying narration of false flag operations, i.e. attacking oneself!
Hear! The narrator reading a FALSE quote from Douglas MacArthur about the "next war" being interplanetary!
Hear! Steven Greer say that Earthlings are a threat to extraterrestrials!
Hear! The guy in the red shirt divulge what seems to be classified information but refuse to talk about certain things because they are "classified"!
Vikings (2013)
I Departed After it Became a Comic Book in Season 3
I came back to this during a period of boredom, giving it a second chance. It failed me again.
Like the Spartacus: Blood and Sand series, Vikings began a little bit seriously but then devolved into a comic book by Season 3 like Blood and Sand did during its run.
Vikings is mostly an easy-to-predict formulaic (set-up, reversal) story with incredible events, including principal characters with superhuman powers of recovery. Examples: A builder of large boats seems to do it all by himself; a metal wrist ring is thrown into a fjord, but the boat builder somehow finds it (he has SCUBA gear?). By Season 3, the main characters get all but decapitated and rise up smiling after a very brief rest.
I won't comment on the history, because I know that like the 1950s TV show Tombstone Territory, the writer took a hodgepodge of real and legendary people, technology, and events and mixed them up for the purpose of drama.
The female actors apparently could not give up their manicured fingernails and modern eye makeup, even though they were portraying 9th-century farming women.
The principal actors of both genders did not age at all during the first three seasons, even though at least one decade has passed.
I'll give it two for the sets.