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Reviews
Deal or No Deal (2005)
Intellectually challenged???
Since when does a show have to be "intellectually Challenging"? Wheel of Fortune has lasted for decades with practically NO intellect required. (Other then knowing the English Language) The reason this "game" is so good is because it IS Brilliantly simple. They could've just called it "Greed" because that's all it's about.. that and knowing how to play the odds. In the tradition of "Let's make a Deal" where contestants keep their prizes or chose between trading for what's behind curtain 1, 2 or 3; there hasn't been a similar game on television since.
You have to Praise "originality" on television these days no matter how simple. Look at how many Networks copy the success of an Original show.. there was American Idol, so other networks tried to bring back Star Search to compete, and then Nashville Star.. both of which never came close. Survivor becomes a hit, so they try Fear Factor, The Cage, and endless others. "Tough Man" makes a mark as a Boxing competition, so they throw out the Contender and another Boxing reality show. Lost becomes a hit, so networks try and compete or Capitalize with Surface, Invasion and Threshold ... Law and Order and CSI are hits, so they make two more Spinoffs of each that saturate the Original.
These days, if a show isn't competing with a similar show it should be PRAISED. Surprisingly enough, "Deal or No Deal" actually has that "addictive" entertaining quality to it. No matter how simple it is. It's only downside in programming is that it's competing for airtime against "American Idol" which has been dominating 3 nights in a row in it's new season... blame those responsible for scheduling.
I can see this show returning many more times. And as for the "Banker", He'll probably be revealed one of these days. Maybe It'll be Regis. Simple it may be, but with all the copy-cat programming, at least it's refreshingly "Different".
Follow Me, Boys! (1966)
Could've been a Classic....
I as well have been waiting years for this movie to come out. My father took us to see it as children several years ago (no doubt a re-lease at the time since I am only 36 now.. much younger then Kurt Russell) I faintly remembered bits and pieces of it, and every scene I remembered took place in the first 80 minutes... the last "Stretched Out" 40 minutes was completely forgettable and after watching it again for the first time tonight in probably 32 years I can see why I forgot that part entirely. Maybe in the theaters it had all the children put to sleep. Either with Court Hearings, Legal Jargin or simpling getting older and not knowing how to end it. The first 80 minutes of the film is good enough to compete with ANY Live Action Disney film of the time, from "That Darn Cat" to "The Apple Dumpling Gang", it's wholesome and sweet and reminds you of everything that was once good about your life and that time period.. then out of nowhere the writers decide to "Advance" time for some reason and they take FORTY minutes to show how some of these great characters get old, retire or DIE. What could've been done in 5 minutes completely takes all the air out of the movie.. Kurt Russel's final scene takes place at around 80 minutes into it, and after that it's like trying to know new kids and a new troop and so on and so on. Granted, as an EagleScout myself, that's what a BoyScout Master goes through in their lives... one troop after another, with new faces, but for storytelling purposes and an audience getting to know the characters, this is a shot to the gut, like someone switched the DVD's on you and you're watching an entirely new film.
Like I said, for the first 80 minutes of this, it was enough to be called a Classic with the Likes of "Swiss Family Robinson" and the "Love Bug" and they could've EASILLY wrapped up the "later years" in a 5-minute segment to leave you with a smile on your face instead of confusion or disappointment in thinking "well that was.... okay I guess." It could've been Perfect... It could've been a classic.