McL-Cassandra Reviews

Frontline (1983– )

Perfect Antidote for Fake News!

[9/10 · 31 March 2024]

It seems anytime a program bears witness to the unvarnished facts someone will spring up to claim it's a left leaning piece of biased commentary. What a shame. Frontline has always been a terrific place for clear, concise, information. All sides of an issue are raised and yet most often the subject (usually the antagonist) refuses to appear... only to cry "FOUL" immediately following the episodes air date. Getting into a snit afterwards does nothing to enlighten their point of view to the public and is a lame retort..

For over 30 years the series has tackled a broad range of topics with brave, thorough journalistic excellence and will be an informative legacy providing well researched facts about the issues of our century and will be a reliable reference for those living in the centuries to follow. I've especially enjoyed listening to that deep dispassionate, (yet somewhat sexy), voice of the narrator (Will Lyman) whose words convey a resonate gravitas. My favourite episode was the investigation into NFL head injury claims. It unfolded with all the suspense of a great film noir.... even though I knew nothing about the sport whatsoever!

FRONTLINE is always compelling television.

Sabre and Foil (1967)

Kissing Competition!

[8/10 · 5 August 2022]

Just viewed this amazing display of 1967 fencing and the ending blew my mind. The man who won was kissed ON THE LIPS by many men who were offering their congratulations. It was great to see unabashed smooching by joyous players, coaches, and audience alike. When did this outstanding custom begin and does it still occur in Montreal, Canada?

Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers (2019)

Cinematic History Acheived!

[8/10 · 5 December 2021]

This documentary is thoroughly charming. Does anyone know the opening theme music title? The haunting tune is also repeated several times during the film and sounds like a mystical carousel ride song. It's currently stuck in my head which can often be annoying but this one I truly enjoy. I'll watch below if any other review can help me out. It's not any of the 4 music selections listed in the films trailing credits... I checked. Thanks all!

Dr. Kildare's Strange Case (1940)

Eeeeeeks! ...a bold ( uncredited ) mouse steals scene!

[8/10 · 25 February 2021]

Yup, that's right folks... in a supposed sterile hospital, a speedy little mouse dashes across the top of the dividing curtain right behind the beautiful face of of nurse Mary Lamont (Laraine Day) exactly 40min into the movie. Although MGM did not plan this squeekers debut, it was certainly no less jarring than the act of doctors and nurses lighting up cigarettes here, there and everywhere including the surgery suite! But the weirdest whopper is a stunner when they instantly diagnose "insanity" after only hearing a few words the patient mumbles within seconds of waking in an post - anesthetic haze following a serious brain operation. After half a sentence is uttered they pronounce "this man has lost his mind". It's all par for the course in 1940's era medicine gone mad film fun. Incredibly "insulin shock" was actually a viable therapy for mental illness decades ago ...INCLUDING the procedure's ghastly contortion descriptions and its outlandish " backwards evolution" premise. It's staggering to observe Dr. Kildare (Lew Ayers) basically sleepwalk through actions that defy all ethical, moral, and legal codes today, ... and which naturally makes it a terrific watch!

The supporting cast of character actors deliver some hilarious lines. Although Kildare's Sherlock style investigations on behalf of Dr. Lane (Sheppard Strudwick) are altruistic, I can't understand why they didn't just run a "do you know this man?" picture in the newspapers or even call the police?.

Give this mangled medical drama a peek. It's short and certainly has many angles of interest and especially behold the quips that spring from Dr. Kildare's mother.

Castle Rock (2018–2019)

Falling Leaves and Slipping Time!

[10/10 · 26 September 2019]

Holy cow! So hard to find anything with some originality to it these days that I didn't really expect this series to dish up such an inspired story. But whoa, was I wrong. Watched all 10 first season episodes on a rainy day in September and was transported to "Castle Rock's" mysterious locales. Bewitching atmosphere and unique storyline, pitted with Stephen King trivia, and presented in a slow-quick-slow pace whose scenes deliver actors at their finest with Skarsgard, in particular, dripping ominous pathos. Give it a whirl - who knows what time era you'll be in when it ends, Season 2 starts in about 3 weeks and I am hooked.

Night Nurse (1931)

" I'm a dipsomaniac, ....and I LIKE IT! "

[8/10 · 13 October 2017]

The raucous one-liners never end in this outlandish 1931 Pre-Code, set in private health care hell. You get ethical bootleggers, lascivious drunks, lingerie clad nurses (like gum smacking, and forever glove fiddling, Joan Blondell), and a menacing, yet dashing, future heartthrob Clark Gable hell bent on diabolical child abuse. Although the hospital staff seem rather dubious, ...their ambulance is a real vintage vehicle beauty and it's always thrilling to watch old time street scenes as the drivers roll through pre-recorded authentic American traffic. I'm a dedicated lover of looking out the back window during any films moving cab or car scene to view locomotion from past decades. It's truly astonishing that automobiles have evolved so much over the years.

Best of all is young Clark Gable as a slick, dark haired, sexy brute throwing his nefarious weight around and spouting witty dialogue like "Hi, I'm NICK, the chauffeur!". Although dressed head to toe in a villainous black uniform complete with high top riding boots and a fist that doesn't flinch when slugging women, (even at Night Nurse Barbara Stanwyck's chin), I almost slid off the couch in a sinuous faint for that hunky he-man Mr. Gable! "In a big way, sister" ...especially garbed in that sexy form fitted chauffeurs uniform.

The entire 72min of questionable milk baths and Murphy drips, along with a few of MGM's upcoming stars at the dawn of their careers, is worth a gander. Where else can you hear an actress proclaim "I'm a dipsomaniac, ...and I LIKE IT!" AND "I'm a nymphomaniac, ...and PROUD OF IT!"? Censor boards be damned and a pre-code film means just that, ...lots of saucy dialogue. Have at it folks!

Our Dancing Daughters (1928)

Art Deco Dreamland!

[8/10 · 8 October 2017]

Art Director Cedric Gibbons surpassed himself on this sumptuous set... wow! Crawford and the gang spill from one stunning Art-Deco room to another. From the wallpaper and murals, to furniture and fittings, this movie is a riot of cool sleek decor. The screwball inter-title lingo alone is worth a gander.

The films portrays an era when young people first began asserting themselves through fashion. I'll bet not many viewers know where the term "FLAPPER" comes from? Well, back in the 1920's, the VERY FIRST fashion "craze" began to spread across the youth of America. Suddenly young ladies displayed unbridled zest while energetically dancing to the hip new sounds of jumping jazz music. They sported stylish short bobbed hair cuts and donned their brothers galoshes. If you're unfamiliar with galoshes, ...they are rubberized ankle boots that usually fit OVER the shoe with a zipper or buckles in front to hold them in place. Well these gals decided to wear their brothers galoshes DELIBERATELY unzipped so that when swinging the Charleston, (and other aberrant dance steps), their open boots would FLAP around!

They also wore dropped waist dresses to appear more vertical while binding their breasts to be as flat chested as possible. The whole idea was to shock society and scandalizing parents by trying to look like a boy. It must have seemed OUTRAGEOUS at the time, given that the Edwardian period was still clinging to the decade. Of course boys egged on this behaviour and swooned over these fun "new" girls who seemed far more approachable and therefore touchable... not surprising.

Anyway the fad of flapping boots rather quickly faded away but the "FLAPPER" label stuck. Our Dancing Daughters is a somewhat forced time capsule of the era but Joan Crawford certainly dishes up some frantic flapper moves for the ages.

Camille (1936)

Garbo Is Grand!

[9/10 · 8 October 2017]

If you ever want to watch a truly IMMENSE actress portray a gut wrenching scene, just dive deep into the 1936 film Camille. The spectacle of which I speak is easily one of Garbo's finest. It comes quite far into the movie when Marguerite must gather the courage to rip Armand's heart to shreds. As she sits at her dressing table, pleading with her maid to help give her the strength to carry out this brutal act, you'll find Garbo achingly exposed and at her passionate best, emoting a raw unpasteurized portrayal of abject suffering. It is almost torture to bear witness to this pageant of despair. I can't say enough about a woman who would give so much of her inner soul for her craft. There are many fine reviews outlining the plot of this beloved movie, so I think I'll end right here and admonish you to see Camille for the sheer spectacle of enchanting intensity and endless fascination, .. that is, ..and forever remains, ..Garbo!

Crowhaven Farm (1970 TV Movie)

A Wild and Witchy 1970's True Fright Night!

[9/10 · 5 October 2017]

Along with most of the reviewers here I watched this film back in the '70's and it scared the brightly colored bell-bottom pants right off me! I've read the lament that this flick is NOT out on DVD so I really just wanted to give everyone some renewed hope by providing a high quality version of the complete movie Crowhaven Farm (1970) that I found on YouTube! Enjoy! Here is the link (just highlight it, right click it, and then choose "Open Link in New Tab") : https://youtu.be/u_1MAsVOPqE

The Murder of Laci Peterson (2017)

Think Straight People, She Washed Up In the Bay, ...He's GUILTY!

[1/10 · 3 October 2017]

There is nothing worse than a ONE sided argument and this mini-series presented ONLY Scott's (and his supporters) asinine viewpoint! It skims over the salient FACTS and jumps into ridiculous conjecture. Laci washed up inSan Fran Bay after being in the water for months and guess who took "spur-of-the-moment" trip to actually fish in that exact spot for less than half an hour (after driving for 3hrs) on Xmas eve? On the very day she vanished? SCOTT! He also told Amber that his wife was dead BEFORE she REALLY was and then tried to tell her a ridicules tale of being at the Eiffle Tower while at her candle light vigil. Pure drivel!

This lazy dimwitted series deserves its bad reputation and certainly seems financed by Scott's family and his worthless lawyer Mark Geregos who seems unable to stop spouting bunk. The whole show stinks. All of their flimsy propositions go haywire, if you follow the ACTUAL evidence. I'm SERIOUS! It's so DUMB! Just ask the REAL jury who heard EVERY detail, ...GUILTY! It's an injustice, that just because a few years have passed, that some naive fool then attempts to throw shade and make money re-inventing a fair trial and twisting the truth. I mean, PLEASE, not everyone who was duly convicted is now somehow "innocent" just because it may mean a tidy profit or law student credit and convenient for a handful of influential supporters. Just think of the true victims, ...Laci and her baby! Keep Peterson on death row, where he honestly belongs and avoid this clap-trap!

Million Dollar American Princesses (2015– )

Lovely Series IF ONLY You Could HEAR It

[5/10 · 30 May 2017]

Elizabeth McGovern is a sweet actress but she has a terrible idiosyncrasy whereby she mumbles, if not whispers, her lines! Often sound men make up for this problem, however this time in American Princesses they washed background music all over her dialogue! Yet, if you have the patience, and don't mind constantly rewinding, you can still enjoy much of each episode. The viewing ordeal is very MADDENING though and several times I wanted to give up. Hopefully some other audience members also had this annoying experience which somehow reached the production team and the situation can be rectified. If not, good luck with it! What a shame!

Cops (1989–2023)

Latest Copy-Cat T.V. Shows Can't Compare With C.O.P.S.!

[9/10 · 9 January 2017]

This is the one and ONLY best police action programs EVER aired! The situations and varied encounters that law enforcement face are portrayed realistically and honestly. NO narration to sway your impression of the participants. Truly a treasure for years to come. Unfortunately A&E has tried to copy-cat this series with its all new "PD-Live. It's a far cry from C.O.P.S. and in many ways owes its intimate camera shots to the original show. You see, I don't think any police force would allow major camera "ride-along" crews if it hadn't been for the GREAT experience they've had with the C.O.P.S production teams. Even the public now expects an honest forthright portrayal of these 911 calls because of the decent representations that have materialized from an experienced team of cinematic pros. I sure hope people DON'T get sucked into the newer programs and remain loyal to the show that "started it all".... C.O.P.S.!

A Haunting in Connecticut (2002 TV Movie)

"A Haunting......" INDEED!

[9/10 · 23 September 2016]

This movie is easily one the best supernatural features EVER! I watched years ago and recently saw it again along with "A Haunting in Georgia" to top off the fright night! Both are well done, especially the narration. But what scared me senseless was the sound effects of windy trees, blowing snow and doomed music. The terrifying scene in the boys bedroom when a group of ghostly beings gather to discuss something, ignoring the two boys, was so truly frightening and really leads one to believe this haunting really happened. Quirky is much more believable than cliché. Although it's a made for T.V. production, a sort of moody genius pervades throughout. For maximum effect watch this after dark and ALONE!