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Willisroute2
Reviews
Land of the Lost: Elsewhen (1974)
One of the better shows
This was written by Star Trek veteran writer D.C. Fontanta. The episode is actually one of the better shows to me. Holly meets a special "friend" who helps her along in this. It showcases Holly more than many episodes. Her character is allowed to expand here, as well as could be in this series. Erica Hagen does a nice job as Holly's friend. Given that female guest stars were rare on this show, she was nice to watch. Also, Fontanta gives this episode a nice ending. There's hope for the Marshall family yet, it seems. To watch it again 35 years later, it all looks so hokey, and the acting is fair at best, but it sure was great fun as a kid.
Patton 360 (2009)
Patton's battles finely detailed
I've seen the movie "Patton" countless times, but this series so far (after viewing two episodes) takes Patton's battles and breaks them into fine details. It's interesting to view how difficult things were for him, far more than depicted in the movie.
The movie opens up after the U.S. defeat at Kasserine Pass. The first two episodes of this series, however, goes way back before that, showing the triumphs and difficulties that Patton had in North Africa before and after. It details Kasserine Pass, and several other battles with great graphics, and accounts from soldiers still alive today.
To date the series has been more about Patton's military tactics, feelings and actions as a soldier, rather than him as a personal man. So, don't take this series as a documentary on Patton solely. It's about his battles, and what he had to do to help win the war.
All a Bir-r-r-d (1950)
Good cartoon, but animators got sloppy on the train details.
I always enjoy watching this cartoon, with Sylvester trying to catch Tweety on a train, rather than at Grandma's house. It's actually a standard fare, but entertaining, especially when Tweety pulls the emergency stop cord. One of my complaints about this is how sloppy the animators were with the train. When you watch this over and over, like my little boy did (who loves trains, which is why he liked it so much), you begin to notice some things.
Throughout this short, the position of the baggage car changes on the train, either 3rd, 4th or 5th, and in long shots not at all. The engine has either the number 651 or 814, or none at all. The coal tender has either the number 99, or the letters "S.P. & Q.R." on it, or no number or letters at all. The coaches carry the "S.P.Q.R." without the "&" in long shots, and then in closeups it has the words "SouthEast and Western."
All of this doesn't interfere with the story, but the production details were obviously not looked into very carefully.
Still this cartoon is among my favorites with Sylvester and Tweety.
The Andy Griffith Show: The Haunted House (1963)
A superb comedy entry of the show.
This entry of the Andy Griffith Show is a wonderful comic episode of the series. Starting out with trying to find a lost baseball in an old house, Andy and company run upon lots of spooky happenings. You know there will be a logical ending, but what a fun ride this episode is. Don Knotts and Jim Nabors play the scary-cats to a hilt. They make this episode enjoyable to watch no matter how many times you've seen it. I especially love the part where they enter the house with Andy. The three of them walk shoulder-to-shoulder, and even bend over together in unison at one point. Andy is the straight guy, of course, figuring out what is going on in the end. Before they get started to the house, be sure and listen to what Otis chants as he is jumping a rope in the jail. It's rather funny. If you are a collector of Andy Griffith episodes, you'll definitely want this one.
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
Boom mike is a major irritation here.
I enjoyed this picture overall, but if you watch it, be sure and count the number of times the boom mike comes in from the top of the screen. At one point, it appears it might almost hit Bonnie Hunt on the head! I actually lost count of the times I did see it. Outside of that, the movie was very enjoyable, and even kind of sad toward the end. It was fun to watch Steve Martin in a decent roll, and I'm glad it didn't have a lot of language that comedies today seem to thrive on.