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adamchurchill
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The Stand (2020)
Like the ending or not - It was written by Stephen King himself
First and foremost, I enjoyed the original 1990s adaptation of the book, so much so, that I bought the book and read it from cover to cover several times, and understood the adaptation a lot better when I subsequently bought it on VHS
On the whole, I enjoyed this adaptation, and as pointed out in other reviews, it has it's pros and cons.
Pros-
1) Episodes concentrate on a few individual characters at a time instead of swamping it by trying to introduce everybody at once
2) Including Larry's sexual contact with Rita, escaping from NY with her, and her suicide - omitted from the 1990s adaptation
3) Including "Russell Faraday" in the ending, as near as dammit faithful the ending in the book
4) It was as faithful to the book as possible for a TV adaptation, a 100% faithful adaptation would probably be an 18 certificate movie, (I'd love to see a 100% faithful, 18 certificate movie version) considering the book's vivid description of Nadine and Harold's sexual contact, while not dong that "one little thing"
5) It dealt with more of the aftermath than either the book or the 1990s adaptation - IE, The well in Nebraska, Stephen King obviously approved of this ending, he wrote this ending
6) Stephen King obviously approved of this adaptation, his own son was one of the Producers
Cons-
1) I'm not a fan of flashback storylines at the best of times
2) Nick, Tom and Trashcan Man, all very central characters in the book were very underdeveloped in this adaptation
3) No inclusion of Lucy Swann - Larry's love interest in the book and in the 1990s adaptation
I binge watched this adaptation over the past couple of days - I'm writing this review literally hours after watching the final episode.
Strategic Air Command (1955)
A Must-See For ANY Aircraft Enthusiast
As stated categorically by numerous other reviewers, this film isn't a fast paced action movie with state of the art special effects or a riveting plot, no edge of your seat white knuckle rides here.
BUT - It was well acted...
His military experience in WWII and with post war Strategic Air Command (see trivia) made James Stewart the ideal choice of lead actor.
Also - M*A*S*H fans watch out for Harry Morgan.
AND - It is a must see for aircraft enthusiasts
There is stunning aerial footage and a close look inside of two (now extremely outdated) most advanced military aircraft of their time...
B-36 Peacemaker - A massive 10 (4 burning & 6 turning) engined bomber.
B-47 Stratojet - A smaller, but faster 6 engined aircraft - A true Jet Bomber
Although now outdated, the technology of these aircraft led to the B-52 Stratofortress, still in use today, and in turn the technology paved the way to modern Jet Airliners
Basically, .....
This film is ANY aircraft enthusiast's dream.
Warlords of Atlantis (1978)
It's so bad that it's good
I saw it in the cinema when I was 9
I saw it on TV in the early 1980s when I was about 12
I vaguely remember seeing it again, probably when I worked on split shifts in a hotel in England and almost ANY film made a welcome change from watching kid's programmes in the afternoon.
I'm watching it again this afternoon on the Legend channel - Sky 148.
I remember most of it, but like every film I always always spot details that I missed whenever I watched it in the past - top of the list, I never realised that John Ratzenberger - aka - Cliff from Cheers was in it until I looked at the cast list.
It's a typical low budget 1970s "Monster Movie", just a piece of fun escapism - and typical of the late, and IMHO great Doug McClure films - it's so bad that it's good.
I Can See Your Voice: UK (2021)
What a load of rubbish
This is an insult to people who (unlike me) are able to lip read
Lip readers can distinguish words - BUT - How can anybody lip read the sound of somebody's voice ?
I'd rather watch Dad's Army on BBC2.
Hart to Hart: Year of the Dog (1983)
It wasn't so bad - It was so bad it was good
Sony Channel (Sky 157) show a Hart to Hart double bill on weekday afternoons
I choose the one I want to watch based on reviews and write ups - I watched this episode because the episode I missed was a Christmas one - not my idea of fun in early May
The "cloak and dagger" themed format and James Bond references made a refreshing change
Hart to Hart was always intended to be "Light Harted", this episode hade more comedy than usual - Sometimes it was almost slapstick - I laughed out loud while I was watching it
Overall I enjoyed it - purely from a so bad it was good perspective.
M*A*S*H: That's Show Biz (1981)
Part 1 was good - Part 2 was better
I loved this 2 parter - luckily Sony Channel (Sky 157) showed both parts back to back which IMHO made it funnier
I'm English - we don't always "get" American humour - BUT - They nailed it with M*A*S*H in general, and this two parter in particular
.
Spoiler................
.
One of my all time favourite quotes was in part 2
I drink my Scotch Whisky neat - I hate adding ice or water because it activates my gag reflex
Colonel Sherman T Potter's line is a line I often say out loud whenever I taste an unfamiliar brand of Scotch and like it....................
"Not enough o's in smoooooooooooooooooth to describe this"
The late, great Harry Morgan was a very good and sorely missed character actor.
The Great Escape II: The Untold Story (1988)
I enjoyed it - BUT.....
As far as TV Movies go, I think this is a good one - I tried watching this last Christmas, but due to bad weather, my satellite dish lost the signal, just as I was getting into the film - suffice to say I swore very loudly !!
Luckily they showed it again tonight, and I'm glad that they did !!
I failed my RAF and Army applications in 1986, and so I always maintained a strong interest in RAF based war films - not least because my late Uncle served as Ground Crew in the RAF in India during WW2.
And my late Father saw Active Service as Ground Crew at RAF Kasfareet, Egypt in the 1950s.
The original Great Escape is an all time classic - I remember Dad sitting glued to it in front of the TV one Christmas when I was a kid
This TVM remake cast the late, great Christopher Reeve, and the "Lovable Rogue" Actor Ian McShane as real people who were there when it really happened.
It captured the "essence" of the escape itself, but IMHO the evidence gathering that led to bringing former Gestapo members to justice in the aftermath was the best part of this TVM.
I enjoyed it - BUT........... They tried to cram too much into too little space by splicing what were essentially two great storylines into one TVM
IMHO
They missed out on a very good opportunity, why not....
Make a TVM remake of "The Great Escape" concentrating on the fact based escape from the POW camp - ending it with "To Be Continued"
And Then
Make "The Great Escape II: The Untold Story" as a sequel dealing with the aftermath.
Win Win.
The Mallorca Files: A Dish Served Cold (2021)
Watching this gave me a craving for Sobrasada
I loved watching Mallorca Files, not least because I have been living in Palmanova, Mallorca for 15 years
This episode was one of my favourites from Season 2
Believe it or not, after watching this, I bought a Sobrasada Dulce - a few days later I bought a Sobrasada Picante - I'd had Sobrasada from a tub, but never a Sobrasada sausage
If you see it in your local supermarket or online - treat yourself ......
Sobrasada spread on toast and topped with a fried egg is my Saturday night treat
CHiPs: Mitchell & Woods (1981)
Backdoor pilot for what would have been a lousy Cop Show - BUT - It could have been a funny sitcom !!
I just watched this episode on Forces TV (Sky 181)
The narration was like a parody of the "Hardboiled" detective style
The "jump" during the car chase was every bit as funny as watching Bo & Luke jumping the General Lee in Dukes Of Hazzard
I agree that it was a weak plot for a light hearted Cop Show - But I laughed out loud so many times that I think that Mitchell & Woods should have been formatted as a spin off sitcom
Don't watch it and expect a plot that requires concentration to follow - watch it to see how many times you can laugh