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Centennial: The Scream of Eagles (1979)
That's it ??
After enjoying the previous episodes of the series, the last epsode is basically a recap of the series, with a 1970s pro environmentalist message. It was very dissapointing.
It basically contains Andy Griffith playing a college professor to write some type of history of Centennial and he is told the long history of the area from Paaqunel and McKee to the present day in a 2 hour recap. Robert Vaughn plays a decentend of the Wendells and acts id a slimy manner and offers to share his history with Griffith, but never does. David Janssen is the current owner of the. Venneford Ranch and does basically most of the recapping of the story
In addition many threads in the series are left unresolved. The St Louis family Mercy? Bockweiss dissapears from the saga after the Civil War segment and once Levi Zent passes the story shifts to the Wendells and the Lloyds, with nothing about what happened to the Zent familyll
At the end there is some type of election that Janssen talks how things were in the past and how they should protect the land, while Wendell wante to bring jobs and industry to the state... Not a very satisfactory ending at all and Merle Haggard throws in a song in the cantina where Griffth and Janssen hang out at the end as the election returns come in
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The Dick Powell Show: Last of the Private Eyes (1963)
The Last Dick Powell Show/Theater
Dick Powell was a performer/writer/director and lastly a producer in Hollywood for over 30 years. In all those years, he made many friends in the buisness. Powell passed away in early January 1963, in the middle of what would be the last television series which he was personally involved in, The Dick Powell show, renamed the Dick Powell Theater after his passing
This final show of his last series was introduced by his friend Ronald Reagan. It was actually written and produced after Powell's passing in the spring of 1963. It has a cavelcade of Powell's friends in it, and many references to Powell's detective roles in films, radio and television. It was their way of honoring him, and closing out Powell's last series.
No Time to Die (2021)
Very violent.
Been watching Bond films for about 50 years, since "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was released in 1969. This is the first film that I did not actually see in a cinema, rather I saw it on DVD on a large screen set.
I suppose there is a plotline to this, strung between the special effects and uncountable number of bullets fired from many agents. But the plot seems to simply string along the effects, rather than a strong story with affects to enhance it.
I've been watching it now for about an hour, and frankly I'm getting bored with it. I'm sorry, a story needs a strong plotline to make it enjoyable, not just one violent effect after another to make it work. I suppose I'm just not keeping up with the times with films, in which more and more effects and violence tends to rule which must attract audiences now. Bond films to tend to draw older demographics for it's box office, I suspect this one was to try and change that demographic to a younger audience.
Meh...
The Dick Powell Show: Who Killed Julie Greer? (1961)
A Television Film Noir
Powell's background in film noirs in the late 40s and early 1950s are clearly evident in this production. Eventually turned into Burke's Law by ABC in 1963, this pilot has Powell in the role of Amos Burke, but adds a lot of the wisecracking and snappy lines of Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe, who he played in Murder My Sweet. A throughly enjoyable show, you have to watch it twice to pick up how it ends with a very enjoyable twist.
The show is filled with a bevy of top-flight co-stars, who through Powell's star power and friendships in Hollywood over the years he managed to get for relativley small, but memorable characters.
If Powell had not passed away, this clearly would have been a major, major hit for ABC, even more than the Gene Barry version. You can also tell that Powell really relished his role as Amos Burke. 9+/10.
Hell's Horizon (1955)
A Rare Film showing B-29 Aircrews During The Korean War
The B-29 Superfortress bomber was essentially obsolete by the time frame (1953) of this film. It was a propeller-driven strategic bomber designed for World War II, however the jet age of the late 1940s and the jet fighters developed after the war made the plane vulnerable. The losses the USAF suffered in 1950 of B-29s on day bombing missions over North Korea to the Soviet MiG-15 jet fighter flown by the North Korean Air Force (using Soviet pilots) forced the USAF to switch to night bombing missions. After the 1953 Korean armistice, the USAF switched rapidly to jet bombers such as the B-47 and B-52. The older World War II propeller-driven bombers were phased out.
This film is one of a few films that shows a daylight bombing mission over North Korea and the plane is attacked by jet fighters. The ensuing drama of the plane getting back to Kadena Air Base (where the B-29s were stationed, unmentioned in the film) is what makes this a good war film that is worth watching. The other secondary elements of the film are watchable, but not notable.
Midway (2019)
Another remake of a movie which didn't need remaking
I suppose the millennial generation needs it's own version of films which were made 40 years ago in an attempt to improve it.
Lots of cost-cutting is evident, too much CGI that looks fake. I'll take the 1976 version, especially the extended version which has the Coral Sea scenes. This one is a money waster, suitable for DVD.