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Dan Briggs
Reviews
Mission: Impossible (1966)
THE show of shows!
I used to think Star Trek:TOS was the best show ever made, but I now think M:I is. No other show makes me Think like M:I does. Briggs, Phelps, Hand, Carter, Armitage and the ever present Collier were the back bone of the show, among others. Episodes such as "Operation Rogosh", " The Photographer", " The Exchange", "The Town" and " The Carriers" are some of the best written in TV history. Subtle subversion and the art of the con are two of the trademarks of this explosive series that proved that spies need not be Maxwell Smart, James Bond or John Steed to be effective; Although each is in their own way.I think of M:I as a thinking man's " Gaslight". If you think TV shows are written for morons, Watch "The Mind Of Stephan Miklos" and get back to me if you can understand the plot.
Barbarians at the Gate (1993)
Greed,Inc
This movie is great!the takeover of RJR Nabisco was the Zenith of Greed in the US,and this movie exemplifies it.the cast is great,but James Garner steals the film.The escalation of the bidding,the greed and the Oreos fly in this movie;Which makes you wanna run out to buy some Oreos and a gallon of milk and laugh at this masterpiece of 80's decadance.Were we really that Greedy in the 80's?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
DS9=Great Sci-Fi and lessons in Humanity
Without a doubt, Deep Space Nine was the best integration of all 4 Trek series:The Human exploration of TOS,the technology and jargon of TNG, and the drive of VOG.Deep Space Nine has always been a good series.I watched the series since its inception and was pleased with it from day one,and when the show entered its third season with the addition of the Defiant,the first Federation Battleship in awhile,it began to show the Fed's had teeth.One thing that always bothered me about TNG was it was so whimpy,rarely did we see any real carnage and threat.Oh sure the Borg were scary for a few episodes,but the Borg never go their mitts on Earth,The Breen and Dominion nearly wiped Starfleet HQ off the map!Try that on TNG? Tng had its moments,but so many people were infatuated with the U.S.S.Howard Johnson's they couldn't see the Alpha quadrant as anything else.DS9 evolved and soffened the Klingons,Romulans,Ferengi,and Cardassians.TNG treated them as unevolved thugs.And in DS9, people died and didn't come back,in TNG it was like watching Dallas,Data loses his head,and gets it back in less than 90 minutes.Although TNG did make DS9 possible,and I am thankful for that;It made DS9 all the more better to watch.And the Dominion War was great,no wars done in one episodes here,finally Star Trek gets a war that gets nasty."Best of Both Worlds" was good,but the Fed's lost 39 ships and panicked.on DS9 they lost 3900 ships!Half of Starfleet is gone,man that's drama! Charaters were well written,and reoccuring charaters were not relegated Q-esque status as trouble makers who were delt with in 50 minutes.Imagine TNG with as well developed charaters as Dukat,Zyal,Garak,Martok,Adm. Ross,Kassidy..hell even Morn!!All in all DS9 is most probably the best Trek,and will get the recognition its due,and I look forward to seeing my friends on an Old abandoned Cardassian Space Station again in the future.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
DS9=Great Sci-Fi and lessons in Humanity
Without a doubt, Deep Space Nine was the best integration of all 4 Trek series:The Human exploration of TOS,the technology and jargon of TNG, and the drive of VOG.Deep Space Nine has always been a good series.I watched the series since its inception and was pleased with it from day one,and when the show entered its third season with the addition of the Defiant,the first Federation Battleship in awhile,it began to show the Fed's had teeth.One thing that always bothered me about TNG was it was so whimpy,rarely did we see any real carnage and threat.Oh sure the Borg were scary for a few episodes,but the Borg never go their mitts on Earth,The Breen and Dominion nearly wiped Starfleet HQ off the map!Try that on TNG? Tng had its moments,but so many people were infatuated with the U.S.S.Howard Johnson's they couldn't see the Alpha quadrant as anything else.DS9 evolved and soffened the Klingons,Romulans,Ferengi,and Cardassians.TNG treated them as unevolved thugs.And in DS9, people died and didn't come back,in TNG it was like watching Dallas,Data loses his head,and gets it back in less than 90 minutes.Although TNG did make DS9 possible,and I am thankful for that;It made DS9 all the more better to watch.And the Dominion War was great,no wars done in one episodes here,finally Star Trek gets a war that gets nasty."Best of Both Worlds" was good,but the Fed's lost 39 ships and panicked.on DS9 they lost 3900 ships!Half of Starfleet is gone,man that's drama! Charaters were well written,and reoccuring charaters were not relegated Q-esque status as trouble makers who were delt with in 50 minutes.Imagine TNG with as well developed charaters as Dukat,Zyal,Garak,Martok,Adm. Ross,Kassidy..hell even Morn!!All in all DS9 is most probably the best Trek,and will get the recognition its due,and I look forward to seeing my friends on an Old abandoned Cardassian Space Station again in the future.
Fun with Dick and Jane (1977)
Fonda and Segal Shine in this Tale of Financial Woe!!!
This film brings a smile to my face every time I think about it!Jane Fonda and George Segal are Jane and Dick Harper,A typical Suburbia Couple in LA.When Dick loses his Aerospace job,he goes downhill,first losing his Welfare status by Working one night at the Opera,and getting caught by the welfare adjuster!!And the laughs just keep on coming.Jane loses her job,Dick borrows money from a loan agency,but as they collect the cash,the place gets robbed.The Harpers get a new idea:Rob to pay the bills!As the story progresses,they rob:The telephone company,A record store,a no-tell motel,and a minister!But the best of all:When the Harpers are invited to a party at Dick's old job,they go in and steal all the money out of his old boss's safe.Since the Money is not supposed to exist:He let's them go:WITH THE MONEY!!All in all a good film and one that will make you laugh to see that crime does pay......In Laughs!!
The Happy Ending (1969)
A Hard Hitting Film about Love and Marrage
A really well made film,one of the better 1960's Melodramas.The cast shines,with Jean Simmons perfectly cast as Mary Wilson,A Denver Housewife who is stuck in a Stale Marrage,but wants to be loved in the way she was when she first fell in love.John Forsythe plays a great 60's Three-Martin-lunch-stuffed-shirt husband Fred Wilson.Nanette Fabray,Bobby Darin,and Tina Louise also compliment the others in a stellar lineup,and Michael Legrand's score can't be beat.A real Winner!!
The Egyptian (1954)
Beautiful Picture, Strong Social Comment
Based on Mika Waltari's Book,This Second CinemaScope movie ever made is full of rich color,beautiful music and panoramic spectacle.The Plot sometimes gets muddled in contrite wording,But all in all it has a strong social content:Man is ruled by his emotions,and that every action has an equal consequence.But to truly enjoy this film,First see the movie,then read the book.Although different,it sheds light on a whole lot of things that were not seen on the screen,and gives breath to some more of the depth of Sinuhe.