Change Your Image
bcrd500
Reviews
Elvis (2022)
A Hard Movie To Watch For An Longtime Elvis Fan
The movie has many problems that grate on an Elvis fan who actually was an adult when Elvis was alive. The method used to fast speed through large parts of Elvis' live and career are hard to watch. The brief introduction of the Memphis Mafia is laughable.
The entire movie career being cut to a brief 1 minute part of the film while starting the film with a 12 year-old Elvis visiting black churches (which did not happen) distorts his childhood. If might have helped if the director had bothered to read the two biographies written in the late 1990s that could have provided a blueprint and eliminated the number of factual errors in the film.
My biggest problem with the film is giving Tom Parker such a big part of the film when you consider he is the major factor that ruined Presley's life and career..
I do credit the director with ending the film with a cut of the "real" Elvis singing Unchained Melody to make it one of the saddest thing on film about Elvis Presley.
Tales of Wells Fargo: Belle Star (1957)
Good Episode but Not The Truth
It is a good episodes as all from this series tend to be. However,, this one really strays from the true about what happened to Belle Starr.
What is correct is she was an outlaw who wrote with a sidekick named Blue Duck and she was sentenced to serve time in the Detroit Federal Prison. However, the sentence was nine months not eighteen.
Hardie stated she was a model citizen but she was charged with horse thief three years after getting out of prison and was murdered February 3, 1889, which went unsolved with numerous suspects.
Gunsmoke (1955)
Here Lies Festus Hagen
Next to Dillon Festus Hagen is the best character on Gunsmoke for seasons 8-10. He was the type of deputy that Chester should have been.
However, some of the higher ups on Gunsmoke decided between season 10 and 11 to change Festus from a smart tough individual into a half-wit, idiot to be laughed at and made fun of for unknown reasons. Perhaps, the worst thing was making him wear his right ear folded over under his hat.
What did the producers of the show have against Festus, seasons 8-10, and how did changing him into an idiot make the show better. We will never know because this question was not asked 50 years ago when those producers were alive.
Several books have been written about Gunsmoke but none have touched on the subject for some reason and no one connected with the show like the actors who wrote books commented about the change.
Perhaps, if Ken Curtis had lived longer he would have gotten around to writing a book but he died in 1991 before anybody connected to the show started writing books.
Blume in Love (1973)
It was not as good as remembered.
The plot of the film is thrown off by the casting of the three major characters. The ex-wife (Anspach) hooks up with a musician (Kristofferson) who is twelve years her junior. Problem is Kristofferson is six years older than Anspach and it shows making the film unbelievable. Another problem is this version of Kristofferson is a paunchy look not the thirty pounds lighter, chiseled look in "A Star is Born".
I watched it again because I like Kris Kristofferson and he turns in a good performance.
The movie failed to keep my attention because it seemed Segal and Anspach mailed their performances, which made the movie seem flat.
The Virginian: The Sins of the Fathers (1970)
One Of The Weaker Espiodes In The First 8 Seasons
It seems that the weaker episodes of the first 8 seasons always centered around John McIntire. Except for Stewart Grainger, McIntire was the worst owner of the series for several reasons. One, during his entire film career, he was a secondary co-star who never carried the film or TV show and that includes his years with Wagon Train.
This episode wants you to believe a 60 year old Grainger would attempt to fight first class gun fighter half his age.
Another problem with the episode is the name dropping of Doc Holiday, The Youngers, and John Wesley Hardin, who for different reasons could not have been in Medicine Bow, Wyoming in 1888-90 or for matter entire 1880s.
The final problem is Drury and McClure are bookends in the episode.
Wagon Train: The Mark Hanford Story (1958)
Weak Unrealistic Story Line
The idea that a saloon girl from the St. Louis area would reject marriage to an older rich man for his younger son who has suddenly decided to follow his Indian ways is idiotic.
I like Wagon Train and currently watch it on the INSPHD channel and it normally has strong scripts but this one somehow slipped by the executives for the show.
It attempts to marry 1860 values with 1950 values and it fails on all points.
Kissin' Cousins (1964)
Beginning Of End Of Presley's Film Career
This was the first Elvis movie filmed in 30 days instead of the normal 6-7 weeks that most films required to get a polished look.
This movie is filled with many dance rehearsals being filmed and used in the movie. One dancer falls down during dance that was used instead of re-shooting to get the right look.
The most obvious signs of lazy film making is the constant use of Lance leGault (Elvis double in film) from behind when Elvis is not in the scene and should have been used. Of course obvious sign is using leGault in frontal view in the last musical number instead of filming it twice, which allows Presley to appear as both characters.
Another sign is director Nelson depending on bits of dialogue to lead into songs, which would become normal for all of Presley's films that follow Kissing Cousins.
This film was exactly halfway in his career (# 15) and the movies would only get worst with Elvis' paycheck taking over half the budget, which meant little money was spent on screenplays, top co-stars, and good directors and producers.
Mastermind of Murder: Ultimate Sin (2021)
Where was Joe kenda?
This crime was also shown on Homicide Hunter starring Joe Kenda. Mastermind got most of the story correct except for one major mistake.
Joe Kenda was the lead detective on the murder and he is never mentioned in the show. The detective shown on the show was one of Kenda's team but Kenda was the lead guy.
I am sure Kenda could not be used because he still works for AMC but leaving him out of the episode is a big omission.
The episode got the murder investigation correct and if you have not seen the Homicide Hunter episode it is worth watching.
Wild West Chronicles: Bat Masterson & the Dodge City Dead Line: Part 2 (2021)
An Almost True Telling About Murder of Dora Hand
The episode is enjoyable to watch and got the history correct except for several errors. The Mayor was not present when Hand was murdered in her sleep not sitting in a chair.
The second error is Kenedy never quite recovered from the wound inflicted by Bat Masterson and he did not die from TB.
The writers also imply that Wyatt Earp was not receptive to chasing Kenedy but he was as eager as Masterson to catch Kenedy before he reached the border of Texas.
Tony Rome (1967)
And I Thought Elvis Made Some Stinkers
This movie is Frank Sinatra trying to be cool and not being able to pull it off a5 52-years old. The run time on this film (I hate to call it that) is about 90 minutes and I bet they shot this thing in less than an hour of actual filming. Sinatra was on the wrong side of the music revolution where by 1967 it music was so out of style and would die out as his fans died out. The movie is a bunch of one-liners that make me the cool and smartest guy in the film. It is not worth watching.
White Christmas (1954)
Your Age Will Reflect Whether You Like This Movie
I recently watched this movie beginning to end and came away with two conclusions: The closer your birth-age is to the year it was made will influence how much you like the movie and if more than $5.00 was paid for continuity, it was too much. This movie has so many errors, it is impossible to count and considering the talent in the movie one would think the producers of the film would have hired people to ensure it did not look so sloppy.
The 1950s and early 1960s saw musical's like this fade into the sunset. I can now watch Elvis movies and wonder where the idea that bursting into song while backed by music played on the car radio came from and how stupid it looked. This movie would have been much better if presented as a straight drama with songs played over the credits and I forced myself to watch it just to get a real feeling for how badly it was made.
Another problem with the movie is Bing Crosby, at 51, playing the part of a 35-year old character. He is much too old for the part and I realize he sings the title song and he was probably one of the driving forces behind getting it made but he does not work for me. Neither does Danny Kaye simply because I have never liked anything he did. That is the age problem for me, once I was old enough to watch it that type of movie held no appeal since the 1970s had dawned and even the Elivs' movies had died a peaceful death. I am 70 and another twenty years and this thing will be looked at the way the silent movie has been viewed for over fifty years.
Follow That Dream (1962)
BEST ELVIS MOVIE MADE
Big Elvis fan but not of his movies. However, this film is his best without a doubt. Since there is not more to really say that has not been said in the other 40+ reviews, I will list his top ten films. (in my opinion)
1. Follow That Dream
2. King Creole
3. Kid Galahad
4. Viva Law Vegas
5. Jailhouse Rock
6. Loving You
7. Wild In The Country
8. Blue Hawaii
9. G I Blues
10. Flaming Star
11. Love Me Tender
12. Roustabout
13. Change Of Habit
14. Fun In Acapulco
15. It Happened At The World's Fair
16. Girls, Girls, Girls
17. Girl Happy
18. Kissing Cousins
19. Live A Little, Love A Little
20. Trouble With Girls
21. Charro
22. Tickle Me
23. Frankie and Johnny
24. Speedway
25. Spinout
26. Clambake
27. Paradise, Hawaiian Style
28. Easy Come, Easy Go
29. Stay Away Joe
30. Double Trouble
31. Harem Scarum
I did not include the Vega concert nor the film about part of the 1972 tour. If ranked, they would be number 2 and 3 with Dream still holding number 1.
The Virginian: The Long Way Home (1966)
Solid Episode
A typical Virginian episode that is loaded with big name guest stars to do the heavy lifting while the regulars are sprinkled through-out the episode to give it a Virginian feel.
Watching this episode makes one wonder why Pernell Roberts left a starring role in Bonanza to bounce over the TV westerns of the decade.
The previous reviewer did a good job of providing an story outline that makes it un-necessary to do the same. What prompted this review is bkoganbing got one thing wrong in his review. Robert's character was not hired for a new piece of property. Rather the Shiloh owner was attempting to buy a nearby ranch and Boyer (Roberts) was given the opportunity to run a crew bringing cattle back to the ranch under some created deadline and he failed, which caused him to return to his outlaw ways.
Two and a Half Men: Most Chicks Won't Eat Veal: Original Pilot (2006)
A Great Beginning
The trivia notes for this episode state Blythe Danner was replaced because of her work schedule. Actually, she was fired by Lorre because she started trying to change the character of Evelyn by "softening" her personality. A piece of film with her is in the episode because you cannot see her face. It is when Evelyn shows up and there is a back shot of her. It is very brief.
When Sheen was fired, Lorre should have just shut down the series because it was unwatchable without Sheen.
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp: The Outlaws Cry Murder (1961)
Great TV Series
Considering this show was made in an era where Hollywood never allowed fact to get in the way of a good story, this series got the history correct about 70% of the time.
However, One major mistake was portraying Earp as the marshal of the Kansas cow towns when he was a deputy in each town.
Another mistake is making him the marshal of Tombstone almost from first day he stepped into the town. He served as Behan's deputy sheriff for a brief time in 1880 and was used as a temporary deputy by his brother, Virgil, who was the marshal of Tombstone.
The last major mistake of the writers was Earp being locked in a duel with Old Man Clanton over crime in and around Tombstone. Earp never met Old Man Clanton and what little dealings he had with the Clanton's was with Ike.
Despite those errors, it is an enjoyable show to watch.
Tales of Wells Fargo (1957)
Overall An above Average Western Series
The first three seasons of the show earned the series a 10-star rating as they were near perfect. The show had a winning formula with Robertson, a tight filmed 30 minute show and Robertson's to the point narrations at the beginning and end of the show.
Seasons 4 and 5 were pretty good but for some reason they dropped Robertson's narrations from most of the episodes. There was also a drop-off in the quality of the teleplays.
Season 6, the final season, saw the show expanded one hour, Hardie becoming sort of a part-time employee of Wells Fargo, and the addition of several regulars to the show.
The new regulars came abroad to support Hardie's ranch, which became a big part of most episodes. They also a side-kick for Hardie but even the actor playing the part realized there was nothing to the role but holding the rein's of Jim's horse and quit after 13 episodes.
All of the changes could not save the show because the 1961-62 season saw hold sale cancelling of westerns, which included Tales of Wells Fargo.
It still plays on the Encore's Western channel minus season 6 if you want to see a really good western series from the heyday of Westerns.
The Big Valley: The Odyssey of Jubal Tanner (1965)
Starts Strong with Weak Ending
Episode tells the tale of a long dead wife and her husband returning to claim a small part of the Barkley ranch promised to him by Tom and Victoria.
The episode lays out a story that points out the good of the majority cannot over rule the rights of the individual. One by one the Barkley's are won over to the rights of the individual with Nick, as usual, being the last to see the light.
The end of the episode destroys the first 30 minutes of the show as the wants of the majority win out by simply killing the individual and the Barkley's fall in line by giving the grandson back the 7.000 paid by the grandfather (what, no interest or profit), giving the kid a train ticket to another relative to pick up the emotional pieces, a pat on the head, and a promise by the town council to name the dam after the grandfather.
Bronco (1958)
If Only It Could Lasted Longer
Bronco Lane was the first film character I truly liked. It was a good series that should have lasted longer than the 3-4 it was on TV.
The biggest mystery is why Ty Hardin did not have a longer film career. He was a good looking actor who seemed to do well in everything he did. However, for whatever reason, he was out of the business by 1970.
I believe he is still alive and like Robert Fuller, James Drury, Robert Fuller, and Clint Walker still has a loyal fan following. Another surprise is none of their career's lasted into the 1980s.
Kevin Can Wait (2016)
Very Disappointing
Like most of the reviews of this show I find it hard to pick out anything good about it. The writing is terrible (where are the writers from King of Queens) and casting a hot wife 10 years younger than a vastly overweight Kevin James missed the mark. James is not playing himself, who could attract a much younger and good-looking wife. He is playing a cop that has ate too many donuts and would be lucky to have any wife.
I had quit watching the show before Leah co-starred in the last two episodes and the announcement that the show will be re-vamped for season two. Those actions might give the show a chance of a longer run.
Since the rest of the cast was not fired it appears they will be back for season two, which means the wife dies or divorces James. The show would be better off to fire the family and friends and start over with Kevin and Leah because the family did not bring much to the show.
Tales of Wells Fargo: The Johnny Ringo Story (1958)
Good Episode; Bad History
All of the episodes from the first three seasons were really well done. However, like most TV series from that era history never got in the way of a good teleplay.
The episode takes place after 1882 because it references the almost gunfight between Doc Holiday and Ringo. By using that incident, it makes the time line for the episode impossible. The Holiday-Ringo incident occurred in January 1882 and Ringo was killed or killed himself, on July 14, 1882. In between those dates, Ringo was involved in a running battle with the Earp's that account for all of his time.
The last problem is Ringo never spent more than a weekend in any jail so serving years in prison, which Hardy states was his future, is out of the question.
Tales of Wells Fargo: Hide Jumpers (1958)
A lot of Ffction mixed with a little history
A good episode of the series that mixes some historical figures with a fictional story about buffalo hides.
The episode wraps an investigation by Hardy about stolen buffalo hides with him running into the Thompson brothers. The writers get the relationship between Ben and Billy Thompson correct with a few changes in Ben's total protection of his younger brother.
One thing the writer of the teleplay does get wrong is having Hardy state that what happened to Billy Thompson is unknown because he disappeared in the west.
Billy Thompson actually continued his life of crime killing four persons before finally getting out of the crime business. He died of a stomach ailment, in 1897.
Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda: My First Case (2014)
Kenda's Start Was Great
All of Homicide Hunter episodes are great but this one stands out because it tells the story of how he became a homicide detective. Kenda is an amazing person who was discovered long after retirement from the police department.
This case illustrates that Kenda possessed the skill set to be a good detective from the beginning as he combines slow painful hard work with a great amount of curiosity needed to solve criminal cases.
The episode leaves the viewer with the feeling that everything worked out for the victims, which is untrue. The young female clerk, Susan Irving, shot in the face lived several years as a paraplegic before dying at a young age.
Fred Howard was the witness who provided the evidence that helped Kenda solve the case was 63 and lived another ten years without serious injury from the robbery.
The show does get it right concerning Fred Swain, who robbed and shot the victims, still being in prison. He is described as still being loud mouth thug that Kenda arrested in 1977.
On the Case with Paula Zahn (2009)
Secret of Show is Zahn does not do face to face interviews
An earlier review thought the interview process seemed fake as if Paula Zahn does not do face to face interviews. That is correct because I know someone who appeared on her show and he stated a team of producers ask the questions and Zahn is not present for the actual interview.
It is simply a matter of editing to have Zahn filmed asking the questions posed by producers to the interviewed person. It makes a viewer of the show question the decision that Zahn does not do the face to face interview since most crime shows do have the "star" of the show or at least an on-camera reporter sit with the person and ask the questions.
The actual show is okay and since it has been on for 7-8 seasons the production team believes in the process.
The Big Bang Theory: The Nerdvana Annihilation (2008)
One Of The Last Good Episodes
This episode represents how good the show could be if it maintained the original concept of a hapless Leonard hoping for a romantic relationship with Penny.
The strong points are how a smart guy failed to understand what he was buying on EBAY. Second, Penny issues a tongue lashing about the total nerd world created by the guys.
However, a fore-warning of things to come reared its head when Penny back-tracked on her blow-up and gave Leonard hope for a future with Penny.
Eventually, the show's writers decided to make Penny and Leonard a couple, which led to the totally unfunny show it has become.
The Big Bang Theory: The Big Bran Hypothesis (2007)
Reminds One of How Good This Show Used To Be
This episode has all of the components that made this show fun before the writers ruined the series by making Penny and Leonard a couple.
Watching Leonard awkward attempts to endear himself to Penny and constantly fail is priceless. Another gem is Sheldon at his best with his odd traits.
Penny is a much better character in the early episodes because she does not react well to none of the guys rather than the past couple of years when the writers were laying the groundwork for her marriage to Leonard.
To top off the episode is a little dose of the old creepy Howard along with the Howard/Raj odd relationship, which are never seen in current episode.
Watching the episode reminds the viewer that the show needs to put out to pasture.