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Reviews
The Partridge Family: Fellini, Bergman, and Partridge (1972)
I guess things were different in the 70s
What I found shocking about this episode was the scene with Tracy in the bathtub. We've all seen how bathtub scenes are made for television. We have the tub neck high with water and the bather covered with lots and lots of soap bubbles. The idea is to suggest nudity without showing any.
However, in this scene we get Tracy (9 years old) in waist deep water. There are almost no suds to speak of. We see Tracy naked from the neck to her waist. Yes, topless. I know she prepubescent girl lacking breast. Yet, it has always been the norm to dress girls fully by age 6. It just looks wrong.
As if the scene didn't have enough cringe factor. We have Keith and Danny filming her with full lighting while Keith moves in for a close up. A Close Up! Meanwhile Tracy holds a rubber duck and smiling
Then comes the question how did they talk her into this? Was Shirley aware of what her sons were doing? And Tracy is so casual being naked in from her brother. And then comes the behind the scenes questions. Who green lit this? Was it necessary? How did tv censors miss this?
The Hollow (2018)
Diverse characters but not voice actors
With characters that are Hispanic, Black, and Asian. All are voiced by White actors. Netflix list this in their Representation Matters Collection but someone forgot to inform the casting director.
The Partridge Family (1970)
Was actually a funnier show than I remembered.
Nowadays a show gets a gimmick and beats it to death. The Partridge Family gimmick was they were a singing family. However, the shows main joke wasn't about the fame but the family antics. The cast had a really goid chemistry and acted like real brothers, sisters and a mother. Dave Madden comic timing was fantastic. His scenes with Danny were comic gold. My only nitpick would be the two youngest kids who were basically background. They were rarely given anything to do.
Pippi Långstrump (1969)
A magical part of my childhood.
I saw this on TV back in 1976 on KTLA's Movie for a Saturday/Sunday Afternoon. Inger Nilsson shines in the role of Pippi Longstocking with her impish smile and bright eyes full of mirth and joy. The english dub is terrible but the voices still fit the characters. The special effects are extremely outdated but as a child yet spoiled by today's computer effects I found them amazing. Plus Star Wars was still a year away didn't hurt. The adventures of Pippi and her friends were lots of fun to watch.
Love, Death & Robots (2019)
Robot Carnival and The Animatrix's mature offspring
An anthology of science fiction that range from comedy to thriller to sheer horror. These 18 animated shorts go from 7 to 17 minutes in length and are easy to binge. The animation of each of these stories varies in style. Some are photo realistic computers animation and others use classic 2D animation. Some of the tales ended too abruptly leaving the me wanting more. But I not sure if that's a bad thing. The only ones that fell out of place were Fish Night, The Witness which left me with more questions and The Dump whose ending wasn't much of a surprise. And were my only reason for not giving this a full 10 stars. Top of the class awards go to the titles Shape Shifters, Lucky 13, Three Robots, Sucker of Souls and Sonnie's Edge. The rest are very good I just like these better. These film shorts are NSFW and definitely not for children due to mature language, full nudity, sexual themes and graphic violence.
The Mentalist (2008)
The Mentalist is a flashback to Sleuth Shows of old
The Mentalist uses all the skills of some of the best Sleuths in history. He uses all the tools of Sherlock like deduction. Or Hercule Poirot's observation. and a dash of Ellery Queen's charm and inquisitive nature. What's original is the choice of an former con artist for the role. Changed into a crusader of justice by the death of his wife and daughter by a serial killer. Patrick Jane is such a breath of fresh air. The way he speaks his mind to the rich and powerful. Calling them jerks for the way they act. His bunt nature is similar to Dr. House with out that venom he spews. Its a great show without all of the gory murders of CSI or NCIS.
Superman Returns (2006)
Was somehow lacking
Back when the original Superman film was made it was new and fresh. It gave us an adventure worthy of Superman. We were all pleased. Superman Returns is a decent film. Those there are bits that are just too far out of character for Superman or Lois.
Superman leaving Lois without a goodbye after having premarital sex with her? A child out of wedlock? Lois lying to her current boyfriend about the child's parentage.
Then there is the adventure itself. After Spider-Man and X-Men have moved the bar up to superhero/super-villain battles. A match of wits with Lex Luthor is small potatoes. I was hoping for Brainiac,Livewire,or even General Zod. With today's special effect it would have been great. I remember seeing the Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions and thinking they should do a Superman movie now. Neo was flying and fighting a very powerful Agent Smith. Yet this film just has Superman flying about saving people. Fighthing common crooks. Excuse me but lame superhero films like Elektra had her fighting people that had superpowers. This film is slow and tedious at times. and the adventure is too far apart. I hope that the next Superman film has something more exciting than pushing a rock into outer-space for a climax.
Aero-Troopers: The Nemeclous Crusade (2003)
At least it didn't have talking animals
In today's computer animation age this film is at the bottom of the barrel. The animation is jerky,lip syncing is non existent and the overall look of the film is amateurish. However I've always had a soft spot for small studios that attempt big things. There no doubt that with companies like Pixar,Dreamworks and Blue Sky studios film like this are a joke.
Nueart Pictures tried to produce a science fantasy about a world of floating land masses,where no gravity exist, and dirigible are the main means of transport. I love computer animation yet with the exception of Pixar studios's The Incredibles, all the big studios are making are comedies with talking animals. And only small animation houses (mostly European and Japanese) are attempting to use this medium for more mature audience.
The story is about a boy (Joshua) who dreamed of the flying the winds. This takes him on an adventure against a mechanical whale that has been terrorizing the skies. The pace is set through narration by an older Joshua via The Wonder Years TV series. The story shares bits of Moby Dick and Frankenstein. There is some violence and death so this isn't intended for young children. And that's why I'm giving it five stars out of ten. It would have been more if they had polished the story more. However they did avoid the easy path of creating some flying talking animals, a princess and have an unlikely nerdy hero learning a life lessons while saving the day.
It is my hope that one of the major studios will attempt in the near future to give science fantasy genre a try without cartoon-like traits. May I suggest Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. Which I recommend before looking at this valiant attempt but utter failure.
ABC Afterschool Specials: Amy & the Angel (1982)
teen version of its a wonderful life
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***
If memory serves me right, this was about a lonely teenage girl,Sara, that thought her life was worthless and unimportant. She lives alone with her loving mother and has upbeat optimistic best and only friend,Amy. Amy is very happy to be Sara's friend. Even though Sara is extremely depressed and short tempered all the time. Sara tells Amy to leave her alone and stop bugging her. Amy leaves in tears.
Like "Its a wonderful life" she starts thinking that life would be better off without her. Enter teen angel Oliver on his last chance to make it into the angel band. He grants her wish of never being born. Amy goes back to the town not believing the Angel has done this.
What she finds is a childless mother that's living alone who resembles a deranged cat lady.
yet the saddest thing is what has become of her best friend Amy. I clearly remember the dramatic scene of Amy begging Sara's mother to tell her what happened to Sara.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Amy's friend"
"Friend?
if only that was true...If only she had had some friends even one good friend"
the film climaxes with Sara finding Amy's gravestone in a storm,of course. Angel Oliver appears and explains that without her friendship. Amy became extremely lonely took her own life. Sara argues that Amy wouldn't do that. That she was a happy person. But Oliver yells back over the thunder "that's only because you were a part of that life.Don't you see Sarah we all contribute something to the people around us."
Sara begs for her life back. She wakes up with her friend Amy still tearful and getting her books she left earlier. Sara hugs Amy and apologizes. Oliver gets into the angel band and Sara has learned a valuable lesson
yeah it was cheesy but I remember thinking it was cool. of course i was only a kid at the time and my recall of this after school special is a little blurry.
Silverhawks (1986)
Worst cartoon ever!
This was the worst example of formula writing I ever seen. No only were the characters carbon copies of the Thundercats, they were bad copies. The villain had the same transformation that Mum-ra did.
I remember one episode in particular. Where one of the Silverhawks was hit by a laser blast and started falling...in space!?! Where was he falling to? Exactly which way was down in space? And then one of the other Silverhawks flies to catch him. Before what, he hits a planet on the way down? Argghhh! This used to frustrate me to no end.
And to top it off they would end every episode with some thinly disguised science lesson.
Silverhawks was a lazy attempt to make a franchise off something that worked. I do believe they even tried a sea version of this but the title escapes me.