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GreggoWhitehead
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Nova: Making North America: Origins (2024)
GOOD FOR GENERAL PUBLIC
I always watch these shows with interest. I'm not a geologist, but I have studied geology and know a few things. He does a pretty good job on the Grand Canyon, super continents, and how rocks and minerals are formed in volcanoes.
However, I had never heard of the huge volcanic eruption from Lake Superior. I have heard of the Siberian Traps, Indian Traps, and Columbia River Basalts. This may be very well true. I"ll have to look into that.
I also had never heard of "Ancestral Rocky Mountains." He says they were there, but not how they were formed. Then he describes the flat plate theory for the formation of the Rockies 2.0 that we have now. He say they're still growing, but the plate that supposedly formed them is no longer moving. In it's place is the San Andreas Fault that runs southeast to northwest.
He does talk a little bit about the accretion of the exotic terranes into the west coast, but he missed a great opportunity to talk about the Columbia River Basalts and the formation of the coulees and scabland in Washington.
He also states that the oldest rock in North America is 3 billion (Ga) years old. I have one from the Acasta Gneiss in the Northwest Territories that has been independently by three sources to be 3.9 to 4.1 Ga.
I searched IMDB but it doesn't say who wrote the program. I would be interested to know this so I could send him some hints and different ideas..
It is interesting, and you should watch it if you have some spare time. But watch it with a grain of salt.
Stargate SG-1: Fragile Balance (2003)
A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK!
I've got to compliment Michael Welch for his portrayal of Jack O'Neil. He must have studied and practiced his mannerisms for hours to get them right. But he was spot on with his little quirks and movements and voice inflections. It was hilarious watching him keep pulling his pants up at the first of the show.
There are several homages to different movies and TV shows. See if you can pick them out! If you cant, then go to the trivia section of this page. It was very interesting, at least to me.
I think they kind of went off the reservation when he escaped and tried to buy beer and ended up going fishing. They could have left that part out.
At that song at the end, wow! I heard it and had to find out what it was and who did it. It's Lily Frost singing "Who Am I". It went perfectly with that scene, and him going to maneuver through high school as a lad. Probably one of the writers or producers had heard Lily Frost, as she's Canadian and SG1 was filmed in Canada.
It's my favorite episode and I've watched it over and over. It's well worth the time to watch it!
Star Trek: Balance of Terror (1966)
Definately a re-boot (pun intended)
If you've seen "The Enemy Below," then you've seen this episode. This episode parallels the earlier movie almost exactly, right down to the crewman making a loud noise while the ship is playing dead (and silent), which alerts the other ship to their condition and position.
The role of Romulan Captain (who returns in later episodes as Sarak, Spock's father) is well played. And the on-board turmoil and jeopardy of the Romulan ship is to be expected. It is well worth watching, if for no other reason to experience the homage to the earlier movie, and to see the progress that has been made in CGI, effects, props, etc.
The Racket (1951)
Topsy Turvy!
Hamilton Burger (William Talman) a cop and Lt. Tragg IRay Collins) a DA? And Cannon (William Conrad) to boot! I recognized man of the cast. Robert Ryan I recognized from The Longest Day Dirty Dozen, Bad Day at Blackrock, and lots of other things. And I can never say enough about Robert Mitchem. What a great cast.
A hood that thinks he runs the town associates with a national crime syndicate. There is some friction between the two. Plus they're trying to throw an election. But two honest cops (Mitchem and Talman) try to thwart their efforts. Bought politicians, dirty cops, a night club singer.....it has nearly everything.
And to top it off, I used to have an old Nash just like the police cars used in this movie! It was huge (17 feet long) and looked like an upside bathtub. But it was roomy and rode good. I got a lot of looks in it, for sure. Those were the days. I wish fedoras would come back in style. I guess I was just born twenty years too late. I really don't know why they have such a high number for characters in a movie review. I think I covered it in the first two paragraphs. I didn't want to give anything away. But there is an explosion and several killings. Now that I think about it, Jack Webb would have fit right in, in this movie. He could have given a lecture to the thugs about honest cops and protecting the public and stuff.
But Tragg sure seemed wimpy in this movie. But Burger sure played his role well. I really didn't care to see Ryan in this role. He makes a better good guy than a bad guy.. Of course that's just my opinion and your mileage may vary. I can't believe I still haven't typed enough characters for this movie review. So I'll just keep on typing until the red letters go away. This will probably get canned, but I just wanted to say what a great movie it was. I can't believe I haven't seen it before. I guess I'll just have to binge Robert Mitchem movies.
Still haven't reached 600 characters. Sheesh!;' If you've read this far, I don't know what to tell you except watch the movie! You won't regret it. I like that style of movie. They convey violence but don't show brains splattered out everywhere or blood and gore gratuitously like they do today. Not full of vulgarity and profanity and f-bombs every other word. They knew how to make good movies back then. I hardly ever watch a new movie unless it's more about substance than profanity.
OK I finally met the character limit. Let's see if this gets through! :)
Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017)
DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!
What a boring movie! Even Denzell couldn't make it good. He's a research lawyer for another lawyer that dies and he tries to find his way. He ends up at a big law firm and has conflicted feelings. Lots more to sit through, but that's the just of the movie.
I don't know what else to say. I don't know why there's a "required characters" requirement. Some movies don't take three paragraphs to describe.
I don't know what else to say. I don't know why there's a "required characters" requirement. Some movies don't take three paragraphs to describe.
I don't know what else to say. I don't know why there's a "required characters" requirement. Some movies don't take three paragraphs to describe.
Apollo's Moon Shot (2019)
OK, but a lot of stuff left out.
I just watched all of Apollo's Moon Shot. It is OK, covers most of the story, and is adequate. But it's nothing compared to From The Earth To The Moon. From the Earth To The Moon tells more about the astronauts and their relationships and struggles. It also tells how things were developed. It just has a lot more details than Moon Shot.
It was nice to have Smithsonian people and some historians explaining and showing actual equipment used and their stories. But it doesn't go into detail about the astronauts or the ground crew or their training.
Like I said, it's OK, but there is much better available.
By Dawn's Early Light (1990)
Dr. Strangelove and Failsafe Rebooted Together Badly.
This is Dr. Strangelove and Failsafe Rebooted together. Slight plot twist but similar story. War mongering generals, a few level-headed people, a B-52 on it's on. Russia nuking the US. You get the picture. A cascade of disasters. I don't care for the actor that played the B-52 pilot. I've not seen him before, but he wasn't very good. I like James Earl Jones in nearly everything I've seen him in. I was surprised to see Darren McGavin but not surprised to see him playing an off-key character. I've seen it now. I won't add it to my library. Watch it if you don't have anything better to do. I give it a 4.
Rise of the Continents (2013)
It's all post-Pangaea
There are billions and billions of years of geology before Pangaea. He hardly talks about that. Too much biology stuff. He sure likes to be in front of the camera, too. Good for 4th graders.
So I have to have 600 characters for a review. OK. He didn't talk about Australia being a part of Canada billions of years ago, and Australia and Canada having zircons of nearly identical age. He needs to use more maps, not drawings that are hard to read. More cardinal directions too. I'll probably watch the rest of the series, but just so I can compare other documentaries to it. So this is to use up the rest of my characters.
Dante's Peak (1997)
Fun movie for a while, but...........
It goes on for too long, just one explosion after another. Pretty good geologically speaking, but I guess they had Mt. St. Helens to use as a guide.
It's a pretty good movie, but not one that I'd watch over and over.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
True Madcap Mania!
I guess they got everyone in Hollywood at the time of filming to be in this movie! The English guy was kind of annoying, but maybe he was supposed to be.
But Spencer Tracy's facial expressions are wonderful. He can look so dejected or frustrated or surprised. He was a real actor.
If you like comedy and the 1960s era, you'll like this film.
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955)
A good watch, but seems to move slowly at times.
I admire Spencer Tracy more and more every time I see him act. Compared to the violence, profanity and CGI-filled movies of today, this movie is a refreshing change. A limited cast and a small set of a small town. It's a shame they don't make movies like this any more. These folks were REAL actors, unlike today. The purpose of his visit to the town is not revealed until the end. I appreciate that. It keeps a person wondering. I sincerely hope they don't redo this classic!
Jesus: His Life (2019)
Important chunks of the story are left out
Way too many commercials. Big parts of the story are left out. Much is speculation. I'm not impressed. This review has to contain at least 150 characters to be accepted.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Another CGI cartoon with people occasionally
If you like the way movies are made now, you'll probably like it. But it's all CGI and too much action/fighting/flying/space ships blowing up, etc. Not my cup of tea. Everybody's a bad guy except for the girl. Too many twists and turns to keep up with. I like stories with a plot and actors that can act. Hollywood today gets an idea then goes to the CGI Dept. And says make a movie, and we'll put people in it. At least it wasn't profanity and gore-laden.
Linda Lovelace for President (1975)
Only two reasons to watch this movie.
What a dumb movie! There are lots of character actors you'll recognize in it. Watch for the dirty old man and see if you recognize him. One even changed his name so he wouldn't be associated with it. Lots of worn out puns over and over and over. It might be funny in states where pot is legal. But like I said, there are only two good reasons to watch this movie.
10.0 Earthquake (2014)
About 30 minutes of it was all I could stand.
Terrible acting, corny script, cheap production. This should have never been made. It will give Plan 9 from Outer Space a run for it's money for the worst movie ever made. Don't waste your time.
Yellowstone: A Thundering (2019)
Another episode of grossness
Why do they have to show the blood and guts? It doesn't add to the story. It distracts from the story. I had to turn the channel for a few minutes. It was disgusting.
Yellowstone: A Monster Is Among Us (2018)
I had to change the channel
It is a contest to see who can have the bloodiest, goriest, grossest shows? The surgery made me ill. That junk doesn't add to the story, it distracts from the story. They made blockbusters for years without all that tripe. They could do it now. Now it's just disgusting.
Yellowstone: Daybreak (2018)
Great story lines, but language and sex ruin it.
I like the story. I like Kevin Costner. There's beautiful scenery. The different angles makes it interesting. But I think the writers made up problems for them that could be easily settled. If I had 300,000 acres and cows up the ying yang, it wouldn't bother me to give some away to maintain peace and maybe even develop friendship. I think they're trying to make a modern-day Bonanza. But the language is awful and the sex is totally unnecessary. Neither add to the story, but detract from it and it irritates me.
Law & Order: Charm City (1996)
This episode should be banned from TV
This is Part 1 of a 2 part series. The only problem is that Part two is For God and Country on the show Homicide, Live On The Street which is never shown on Law and Order nights. It's hard to find. You're left hanging, wondering how things turn out. They shouldn't show this on TV if they're not going to show the second half.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Far Beyond the Stars (1998)
Supurbly done! Touchy subject handled very well.
This is a show about racism in the 50s. The script was well written. Although there are some racial words used (I doubt they'd make or show this episode now). Try to recognize the actors without makeup. You'll guess all of them, I'm sure. I'll bet the actors had a blast making this episode. But if you're racially sensitive, be prepared. I think they portrayed the era accurately. I rated it a 10.
Law & Order: Vaya Con Dios (2000)
There is no ending!
I hate to be left wondering. Just before the ending, Abbie said a quick decision wasn't a good sign. So are the two connected? But everything else in the episode was very good. That what I had to say, but it's telling me my review is too short. So, speaking of unknown endings, I hate the way Amazon stopped the series Alpha House. It was a great show and they just stopped the show. No ending with lots of things going on that I'm still wondering about.
From the Earth to the Moon: We Interrupt This Program (1998)
Transition
A story that can evoke emotion is a great story, and this is a great story, although sad. I was born in the 1950s, so my formative years were the 1960s and 70s. I grew up watching Walter Cronkite. He was the most trusted man in America.
This episode was about the change in news style more than the space shot. Cronkite gave factual "And that's the way it is." news. Around the time this movie is set, others in the "news" business started changing to a more "touchy-feelie" style of news. And this episode covers that well.
I don't know if Jay Mohr is anything like the character he portrays. He sure seems to play a lot of characters like that. He did a fantastic job playing that character, because it evoked such strong feelings against him. To this day, I won't watch anything he's in because I don't like those types of people.
I want to know that the sky is blue and the grass is green. I could care less what they neighbor thinks about the grass or how the pilot feels about the sky. As Jack Webb is reportedly reputed to say, "Just the facts."
If you want to know how the news changed into a touchy feelie style, this show's for you.
Mister Sterling (2003)
Supurbly written and acted.
Josh Brolin is a very talented actor. I'm impressed more and more every time I see him.
This is a lot like West Wing and The American President, with a slight twist. I really wish it had continued with more episodes.
If you get a chance, be sure and watch it. It's worth the time.
Clue (1985)
A fun movie you'll watch over and over
This is really a funny movie. The whole cast clicks and it comes off very well. Tim Curry is hilarious, especially towards the end when he is saying how it could have happened. And the look of shock that Martin Mull gives is perfect.
Yvette - what else can be said. WOW!
And I like anything with Howard Hessman.
Critics be damned. This is a fun movie!
Barney Miller: The Kid (1976)
Best scene ever on television.
The hearing aid scene with Mr. Newell is one of the funniest scenes ever shown on television. Great writing and great acting. I've watched it over and over and still laugh until I cry.