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JBastock
Reviews
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Missed the mark once again
Although this installment of the Mission Impossible franchise is certainly a better effort than the abysmal showing we had in MI:2, this movie still misses the mark by miles.
We have come to know Ethan Hunt, or so we think, but even familiarity with that character is taken from us and we are never allowed to know him or connect with him again. We are introduced to his "new" team, but the characters are never fleshed out and we never connect with any of them. Hunt's girlfriend is thrown at us and we are to gather that he loves her, but we never are allowed to get to understand how they came to meet, or make a connection with the couple. Likewise the character of Hunt's protégé whose rescue takes up a large part of the film is tossed at us and only much later are we allowed to understand Hunt's connection to her.
Unlike MI:2, at least this outing has a plot, but even then, the story is tossed at us in pieces and in flashbacks too long after the questions arise in our minds to help us understand or enjoy the movie.
Tom Cruise needs to stop now before we have to endure an MI:4 which could be subtitled Action for Action's Sake.
Skyhawks (1969)
Follow the Flying Wilson Family
The sister program to Hot Wheels, it was about a family of flying aces from all generations. From biplanes to jets, the Wilson Family would fly into our Saturday mornings and make our imaginations fly outside where we'd play we were one of the characters of the show and sing the theme song as we'd swoop our toy airplanes all over the back yard. "Fly with us we're the Sky Hawks!"
Hot Wheels (1969)
One of a handful of cartoons I recall from my youth
This was just one of the cartoons I would watch religiously as a kid. It never even occurred to me that it was a 30 minute commercial for the miniature cars. It and it's sister program "Skyhawks" had catchy '70's era theme songs which had my friends and me playing with our Hot Wheels cars and toy airplanes and singing the songs every time we let the cars roll down the track. The Hot Wheels show was almost the American version of Speed Racer and traced the exploits of the Hot Wheels race club from one race to the next. Looking back, I wonder how it held my attention for more than the first episode. But even after 30 years, I can still hear the theme song in my head... "Hot Wheels! Hot Wheels! Always racin', always chasin'... Keep a turnin' Hot Wheels! Please someone get it out of my head!!