donald-51071 Reviews

Anderson Cooper 360° (2003– )

Mr. Mumbles

[3/10 · 15 April 2023]

Anderson may be a great person. But a television speaker he is not. Every evening there is something he says that I cannot understand. He rushes the words together and mumbles. I cringe when I hear he is about to do an interview. It seems he may not prepare questions in advance, or he veers away from any he has prepared. He seldom states a complete, succinct sentence. His questions have a lingering, distant quality that are difinitive. He certainly looks the part, however, the performance is what is lacking. I see why they have cut his show down from two hours. It is a shame that through the weekday evening there is not a concise, varied real news show on CNN....not opinion. Yes....on CNN Mr. Mumbles he is. But I heard him on 60 Minutes the other night and WOW....he was clear and his annunciation was ok. I had to do a double take to see if that was him.

Bottom line: he just needs to work harder at CNN. Prepare more, be more sussinct and clear...."channel Walter Cronkite ", don't giggle, amnunciate.

Quantum of Solace (2008)

Congrats to CGI

[3/10 · 7 February 2023]

I did not like this Bond movie. Plot was simple(revenge) yet still managed to be unfocused. Gratuitous violence and action sequences everywhere. Only thing missing was an outer space encounter. The movement of the characters and vehicles would have been impossible to achieve without CGI. As a result it seems unreal. They would be beyond superpeople to do these stunts. The worst part, though, was the extreme noise throughout that made it hard to hear what the characters were saying. Bass sounds, explosions, scenery eating....all contributed to the noise. "M" was unintelligible most of the time. And, finally, the music---boy, do I miss John Barry.

The Wild Wild West: The Night of the Winged Terror: Part II (1969) Season 4, Episode 16

Tycho was great!

[10/10 · 26 October 2022]

The thing to see here is Tycho. Makeup on this character must have taken some time. Tycho is a great Wild Wild West villain.. something about the way he speaks is so memorable..."oh!, Mr. W e s t..." . His affection for the raven while waving his hand in approval of the action is cute. His hand and body movements while speaking are creative. Of all the over the top acting in this episode, His is the best. At the end of the episode...where does he go? It seems like a missed opportunity to not have revived this character later in the series. His whole personna was more tight and concise than the evil villains in movies.

Mission: Impossible: Nicole (1969) Season 3, Episode 22

Goofy

[3/10 · 7 July 2022]

At app. 8:37 a car flashes it's headlamps. It is a 1966 Lincoln Continental, seen earlier. Yet, Joan Collins meets Logan Ramsey in a Mercedes-Benz. What a flub. A reviewer wrote the cinematography was great. In my opinion it consists of multiple double exposures and blur outs that go on way too long. And, Joan Collins wielding a rifle is a sight, ugh. Jim Phelps could do better. The only thing great about this episode is the 1969 Mercury Park Lane in the beginning.

Portrait in Black (1960)

Characters in Black....and loving it.

[10/10 · 28 May 2022]

Very entertaining film. Color, costumes, cars all lush and stunning. The San Francisco shots are good. The characterizations are substantial. Lana Turner as good as ever. Lloyd Nolan can be a real creep " take a shot in arm for love deficiency ", Richard Basehart- pre Admiral Nelson- was dramatically fantastic. Sandra Dee, John Saxon, Anna May Wong, Ray Walston and, of course, Anthony Quinn in a surprising yet vital role---all make Portrait in Black a technicolor gem. See it!

The Sound of Fury (1950)

Fit for TODAY. ..January, 2021

[10/10 · 24 June 2021]

Replace the "criminals" with Trump, replace the Victim with Democracy......replace the Mob at the courthouse with the Mob at the attempted takeover of the Capitol; do not replace The Police as they are overtaken. Replace the newspaper sensationalists with today's television and internet sensationalists. Such violence and destruction is the result of "moral and social collapse". See all this in this movie. It is like a mirror of today.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Return of the Phantom (1966) Season 2, Episode 26

Remarkable--you WILL REMEMBER this episode!

[10/10 · 16 April 2021]

The Return of the Phantom stands out from all the Voyage episodes in the mixture of fantasy, sci-fi, horror, murder and the occult. From the extra long intro before the opening credits, you can see the Seaview submarine floating in an eerie sea of swirling fog, the cold wind blowing the uniforms of the crew as they bid adieu to Capt. Kruegar. Then, after going below deck we get to see an authentic "Richard Basehart moment"-he becomes somewhat "mad" as he escapes the haunted laboratory. (At one time in his career, Mr. Basehart feared being typecast in such roles). Next..the opening credits, afterwards, under the credit cards of the guest star. Is the always fantastic view from under the Seaview(Season 1, colorized-I know) but always a memorable scene. Imagine being under the sea and seeing such a sight! Now-on with the show. Other reviewers have described the plot, so I need not. I want to highlight the camera work and the music. NUMEROUS closeups, especially of Admiral Nelson were done-all with great care and set-up. Take it from me, you don't do close-ups too often as the lighting, angle, makeup, hair, even the sound-all need to convey the moment perfectly---and they do. Much production time is used for these. This is what I think stands out the most..the various images of Admiral Nelson in terror of the supernatural, fear of murdering his best friend and trapped in the cloak of a straight-jacket--- thought of as mad. Then jump to the haunting scene of Capt. Kruegar actually enveloping the body of Capt. Crane in sick-bay. The scene can be described as unique, supernatural, even erotic(although you would never think of this in 1960's tv). Fortunately, and as always, Admiral Nelson finds where the re-incarnated Kruegar has gone and dispatches him to a "Flying Dutchman" fate with his mate--and Capt. Crane is returned to his former self. The tribal music on the island stays like an "ear-worm", and after the destruction of the island, it is the music that wraps this episode as FS-1 heads to Seaview. A fine, memorable end to Season 2. Flaws, yes...as in all of Irwin's projects. But please look beyond the inconsistencies and see the images, music and thought that went into this memorable episode.