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dittoheadaz
Reviews
Election 2000 (2001)
I cast my vote!
I voted for this movie. At least, I thought I did. But Albert Gore Jr. said I didn't; I voted for HIM.
I went back and recounted my vote. And then I did it again. When I bent the ballot, I saw a tiny bit of light shining through. Whoops, must be a hanging chad! It looks like I voted for Albert after all. But I also voted for the movie. Did I vote for Buchanan? Or was I just confused? So I saw the movie a second time... and I voted for it again. But this time I had a ballot where I just drew the lines. And wouldn't you know it, I messed it up! Anyway, I fully recommend seeing the movie. We all know the result. This shows the details that you may not have known. And, by the way (SPOILER!), even WITH the recount the way Algore wanted it, Bush would have still won. Just ask the mainstream media - they reported it and promptly forgot.
Columbo: Agenda for Murder (1990)
Cameo appearance???
One of the best Columbo episodes (rivals the one with Johnny Cash & Sorrell Booke as the best ever)! I remember seeing this one when it was brand new, and a couple times since. The acting is perfect (McGoohan is one of the better character actors) and he did a good job directing too.
However, watching it again, I just noticed something (we recorded it a few nights ago on Biography) - right after Columbo gets the air spray for the cigar odors from Finch's secretary, the next scene has him standing outside an office talking to a doorman (the doorman doesn't speak so he doesn't get in the credits, apparently).
Was that doorman Dick Van Dyke? (I know sometimes they get stars to make bit parts for the fun of it.) I know D-V-D was definitely grey around that time, and he used to have the same mustache.
Satan's Triangle (1975)
I remember seeing this the "second" time it was on
I remember when this was second run (it was part of some weekly TV-movie series, similar to the NBC Mystery Movie but without the recurring characters). I missed the original running, but a lot of kids at school were talking about it the next morning, so when reruns came around (maybe 6 months later), I made sure to watch it.
I remember that it was eerie (not really frightening, but more suspenseful), especially the twist at the end (won't give it away). Probably not the best movie for a nine-year-or-so-old kid to see on his own (thanks to my parents having friends over to play bridge or something, I got to see it on colour TV instead of my dad's old b/w) but at least I had something to talk about the next day at school, with all the other kids who missed it the first time! Had no idea who the actors were at the time, but Doug McClure's acting was the best. Everyone else's wasn't terrific, but good enough for TV, and the writing was stellar - too bad they churn out such junk and charge you $8 or whatever it is now, when you used to see good stuff for "free" (you just had to put up with commercials).
Would like to see it again, because the rerun (1976?) was the last time I saw it.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982)
One of the better adaptations
This was one of the better adaptations of the original story. There were a few sections of the plot that had to be removed from the script due to time considerations (as usual), but at least I didn't notice any items that were either left unresolved or unexplained (which happens when scripts are hacked or the final product is edited because of time). Tom Baker once again demonstrated his acting ability (from the evil Koura to the good Doctor to the brainy Sherlock Holmes). The only weakness was in a change from the original plot at the end (spoiler coming!): In the original, Stapleton vanished and was presumed to have died in the Grimpen Mire. In this version, Holmes and crew caught up with him (despite his incredible head start) and after a halfhearted attempt to rescue Stapleton, they stood there and watched him sink. (Not even a try to set up a "human bridge" - and they saw where Stapleton had been stepping up to the point where he got caught in the mud.) Other than that, an excellent version! (Although, to be honest, I was half-expecting Holmes to offer Lestrade a jelly baby as he was leaving at the end...)
The Return of the World's Greatest Detective (1976)
Wish they'd had made it a series
I remember seeing this one when it was first (and last???) run on TV. While I only remember some of the plot (like Hagman getting hit on the head by a motorcycle while reading a Holmes novel and then starting to act and dress like him, solving the mystery, etc.), I remember that I did enjoy the show at the time, having only recently started reading the original Holmes stories by Doyle.
If it's ever released on some kind of "one-run pilots" DVD, it would be interesting to see if it was as entertaining as I remember it to be (hey, I was only 10 at the time!) I do remember hoping that they'd make it a series and unfortunately they didn't.
Last of the Good Guys (1978)
Saw it when it was first run
I saw this on TV when it was first run and thought it was excellent.
I remember I was babysitting a friend's little brother (OK, that tells you how ancient I am) and the two of us watched this (past his bedtime! it was so good neither of us wanted to turn it off and send him to bed)
Does this ever get re-run? Would like to see it again! I didn't recognize Larry Hagman. Then again, at the time, I didn't know who he was anyway... I remember Robert Culp was excellent as the chief - even though you were pretty sure the young cops were going to get away with it, even right at the end during the roll call, you just weren't REALLY sure what was going to happen next and what he was going to do...
The Best of 'Are You Being Served?' (1992)
A good collection of the best moments...
This "best of" show (filmed in Phoenix, AZ, when John Inman was in town to promote the show on the local PBS station) makes good use of many of the best moments from Are You Being Served.
Clips from the original show are interspersed with newly-filmed scenes where Mr. Humphries (John Inman) gets called by his mother (John Inman) who is on a trip to the United States. She convinces him to write up his experiences at Grace Brothers in book form, which provides the basis of all of the remembrances of the funniest moments from the 10-year series.
Whether it's taking an inside leg, hanky-panky, or Mrs. Slocombe's hair, you'll enjoy this trip back in time through one of the funniest (and most talented) casts ever to grace (no pun intended) the television screen.
Comic Relief: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death (1999)
Excellent parody!
Rowan Atkinson filled the role so well, there's some consideration that he will be picked for the new series... hey, he's got MY vote!
Excellent performances throughout - Jon Pryce was great as the pseudo-Master (and had a somewhat striking resemblance to Roger Delgado) - and it was a nice surprise to see Joanna Lumley again. (It's ALWAYS nice to see Joanna Lumley...)
If you got the video rather than just seeing it on the Beeb, you got to see the Lenny Henry sketch. I give that a thumbs-up as well, mainly because of Lenny Henry - his characterization reminded me of Gareth Blackstock (Chef!) and his delivery is flawless (of course, the parody script was quite goofy, but then it's supposed to be...)
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)
Not worth the expense of the film
While "Doctor Who and the Daleks (1965)" was a good adaptation of the original serial "The Daleks", "Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D." was a horrendous version of the original serial "The Daleks' Invasion of Earth". Even Peter Cushing couldn't save this one. The writing was wooden, the acting was wooden, the plot was a lot different (and a lot inferior) from the original. If you want to see "The Daleks" in colour, get the 1965 movie. If you want to see "Daleks' Invasion of Earth" in colour, hold stained glass in front of your eyes and watch the original television serial.
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)
Good adaptation of the original
Based on the episode that catapulted Doctor Who into fame, Peter Cushing did an excellent job as the Doctor. While there were some changes in the supporting parts as compared to the original (Susan was supposed to be 16 in the original, but was 9 or 10 in the movie - but at least there was no Carole Anne Ford messing things up!), the storyline was fleshed out better than on the original. Plus, seeing it in colour was nice.