Point of Personal Privilege: How the "Mission Impossible" series picked up the ball dropped by James Bond

 

When I was growing up, the Bond Series was the gold standard for action spy thriller popcorn entertainment.  Every other summer, audiences could expect to see Mr. Bond take on SPECTRE or some megalomaniac who wanted to start World War III or kill everyone on Earth For Reasons.  It was silly, campy fun and even when Roger Moore was staggering around the screen looking like he had forgotten to take his arthritis meds, we always walked out of the theater figuring we had gotten our money's worth.

During the reign of Daniel Craig (2006-2022) the Bond series definitely lost it's way.  The new Bond was morose, pouting, and dull.  The villains were limp and their grand schemes were not grand at all.  Remember the guy who wanted to crash the economy by nuking Fort Knox?  Now we have a guy who wants to win a card game, and another who wants to assassinate M.  Remember Blofeld sitting inside a volcano getting ready to "inaugurate a little war" involving the deaths of 3 billion people and the ascendancy of Red China as the new world power?  Now we have a Blofeld with Daddy Issues who wants to punish Bond because he didn't get enough attention as a child.  What a bore.  Where are my larger-than-life villains??

The answer:  they are in the Mission Impossible films.  These really are the new Bond movies, and they have been at least since the Craig era began and arguably from the waiter-with-a-machine-gun forgettable Pierce Brosnan period as well.  Here's where we find our unstoppable secret agent out to save the world from a shadowy organization (the Broccolis murdered SPECTRE a few minutes after finally gaining the rights to the name after a 30-year legal battle, what a waste!) intent on chaos.  Here's where we get our popcorn-munching fun that doesn't ask us to psychoanalyze the hero or suggest that he go on depression meds. 

With the exception of the god-awful, Almost Series-Killing second installment, there is no run of films that have been more reliably entertaining than these.  We walk into the theater knowing what we are going to get, getting it, and still being amazed at the consistent quality provided.  Bond?  Seriously, who cares if they recast the character?  We've got a shelf full of DVDs featuring Ethan Hunt doing everything Bond used to do and doing it better.  The only thing the Brocollis have been good at lately is making us wait years to find out how bad the next installment is going to be.  

Sorry, Mr. Bond.  Your time has passed.  It was a fine ride- for a while.  But you went out with a whimper and not a bang.  It's been the Hunt era for several decades now, and you've got no one but yourself to blame; you opened the door, and Hunt crashed through it.  Just in time. 

All Morons with low credit scores On Deck (fixed it for you!)

 

The YouTube mouth-breathers who may or may not be actual people (and here's hoping they are NOT) just adore "Loan Cannon" and "Loan Falcon" and one even hopes that we see a "Loan Rino" in the future, probably because this particular poster OD'd sniffing glue somewhere around 1985 and has been drooling into his keyboard since Dial-Up was all the rage.

Me?  I think this is equal portions sad and stupid.  Sad because in all these ads for "On Deck Loans" we see people with problems most employed middle-class people deal with by whipping out a credit card lunging desperately for money from any source- the nice Native American guy from Western Sky Financing ("the money is expensive, but it's here when you need it so bend over",)  the pawn shop on the corner, Rocko who will only GENTLEY break your legs if you don't pay up on time- when faced with an unexpected, yet completely predictable, cash shortfall.  Stupid because- well, again, check out the kind of people these ads appeal to:  the kind of people who high-five the writers and want a whole series of this garbage.  

Sketchers: Another Sign of the Times

 

I'm always impressed on how completely common activities can become "a real pain" overnight.  Suddenly bending over to put on shoes is a war crime that we modern people no longer need to put up with because Check Out These Amazing New Slip-Ons From Sketchers!  

Add these things to scramble-in-the-shell egg beaters, Carnation Instant Breakfast, Lunchables, Rear-view car cameras and about ten thousand other devices you never realized you Absolutely Needed But Just Assumed Were Impossible that have become available through the Miracle of Capitalism and the Magic of Gullibility combined with the Curse of Instant Gratification.  Get ready to hear from thousands upon thousands of people celebrating the breaking of the shackles of Bending Over To Put On Shoes-

"I thought I'd never leave the house again.  What a game-changer!"

"For years, I've suffered from the agony of reaching down to put on shoes.  Finally, someone listened to my cries for relief!"

"My BMI is 45, and I'm not certain I still even HAVE feet, but when I move whatever is below my knees a certain way, they seem to get covered by soft objects and they are warmer when I venture outside, so I assume these sneaker things are responsible for that- and the fact that I experience less sudden, sharp pains while walking to my mobility cart while wearing these is another plus!"

I just want to know when someone is going to invent a way to put on my coat without the whole right arm goes in here left arm goes in there thing, because man that's such a hassle half the time I don't even bother and just stay inside. 

Those Car Shield Radio Ads- Endlessly Entertaining, Endlessly Frustrating, Remarkably Consistent

 

1.  "This is a special alert..." so special, it's been repeated on radio hundreds of times a day for several decades now.

2.  "Due to a decline in the economy..."  First- has the economy been declining for twenty years?  Because that's how long this ad has been running.  Second, are you really trying to sell us the idea that Car Shield is responding to an economic downturn by providing car warranties?  Well, how nice of Car Shield. 

3.  This plan is "now available to the public."  As opposed to being previously available to- who, exactly?

4.  "Call now to find out how you can pay almost nothing for future car repairs."  What does "Almost Nothing" mean to Car Shield?  Just the premiums for the "month to month" (instantly cancellable by Car Shield, good luck doing it from your end) non-insurance?

5.  "An open phone line has been established for all drivers to call for a quick free quote"- first, "open phone line has been established" means "we've contracted with an Indian phone center."  Second, the quote being free is not a selling point.  Who pays for a quote on anything?

6.  "Drivers who are covered will not have to pay for covered repairs again."  This is my all-time favorite line- not in this commercial, but in the history of commercials.  What are "covered repairs?"  Don't worry, Car Shield will let you know when you call asking to use your "coverage."  But here's a hint:  Whatever is broken ain't covered, sucker.

7.  "Cost of this protection plan is at an all-time low"...again, it's been at an all-time low for twenty years now.  And I'm sorry, but this isn't a little white lie- it's a blatantly false claim.  I guarantee that Car Shield's rates have gone up since this commercial first aired.  

8.  "Drivers who activate this coverage today will also receive free roadside assistance..."  So if I called yesterday, this coverage didn't include free roadside assistance?  If I call tomorrow, this coverage won't include free roadside assistance?  How could that be, since this ad has been on the radio for TWENTY YEARS?

9.  "...and car rental options at no additional cost."  What does "car rental options" mean? If it means "you have the option to rent a car," well, I have that now.  Without giving Car Shield a single premium.

10.  Then we get the 800 number four times and "what do you have to lose?"  Um, the two things I can't afford to lose- Time, and Money.    It only cost me one of those to write this post.  You scumbags don't get any of the other thing- not from me, anyway.  No matter how many times the economy "declines" or how free the call is.  It clearly costs far less to run the same stupid ad for two decades than you take in from premiums that never cover the repairs that need coverage, so I guess you soulless weasels will just keep running it.  But man this act has gone stale. 

Utter Nonsense from Pulse.tv

 

...delivered with an appropriate level of enthusiasm, of course...

Anyone who has ever used solar-powered lights to illuminate walkways, porches, etc. knows why they aren't really practical replacements for battery-or-AC-operated security lights:  they simply cannot absorb enough power over the course of the SUNNIEST days to do what they pretend to do in these stupid ads. 

 MAYBE a security light comes on- for a few seconds, and a few times, before the power runs out.  MAYBE.  But Because Physics, you are going to get a very bright light for a very short period or a very dim light for a longer period.  Again- because Physics.

 MAYBE you are going to get a light that attracts bugs- but enough power to zap a lot of them to death?  Again, there's this whole physics issue- there is only a certain amount of power that tiny band of solar cells is going to absorb on the SUNNIEST days.  It's not going to be enough to both attract bugs and kill them- at least, not for very long.  Anyone who has ever used one of those bug-zapping fly swatters that use AA batteries knows that it takes a pretty decent charge to kill bugs- and those swatters are only "on" when you push a button, and they don't emit light to attract bugs.  They aren't on kill-mode for hours upon hours.  If these things were 10'x10' with 99 percent of the surface covered in solar panels, I MIGHT buy what we see on the screen and what this Clearly Insane Woman is trying to sell us.  But this?  No.  No way. 

Bug zappers are plugged into the home's electrical system for a reason- they use a lot of power, because they do a lot of work.  Security lights activated by motion detectors do quite a bit less work, but still- you aren't going to get blinding illumination without a steady power source like the electrical grid or at the very least, batteries.  They can't be replaced by solar power collected by six inches of panel, sorry.  This is a total fail.  Come on, lady.  Try harder. 

Something a little different: sharing a debunking video on bug zappers

 

I've been so busy avoiding doing schoolwork, I haven't had time to decide which of the many, many fake bug zappers (mostly from Bell and Howell, which seems to be dominating the Nonsense Fake Only Available on TV Products Using Lights these days) to choose from, so while I'm still doing that I thought you might enjoy this excellent breakdown of how companies LIKE Bell and Howell use phony stock footage to sell their crap products to gullible consumers.

I'll continue to look for my current favorite scam bug-zapper ad which tries to convince us that solar power is sufficient to create not only blinding light capable of illuminating a suburban terrace but also zap bugs, but until that shows up on YouTube or another source, please consume this content lifted from a guy who did a far better job than I ever could explaining why you should never, EVER buy some BS "miracle product" from a tv commercial- or a Facebook Ad, or Amazon- but instead should only buy stuff like this from your local brick and mortar hardware store or tractor supply place because the only thing more important than supporting local businesses is not getting yourself ripped off. 

The further adventures of these weird Wendy's employees....

 

...who apparently work 24/7 now, as for more than a year we've seen them working day shifts but here they are whoring for their favorite grease and carb delivery systems in the middle of the night....

...who are so clueless that they think they will be embraced by the neighborhood if they stand outside with bullhorns announcing that, yes, Wendy's is STILL OPEN so if your body "needs" an fatty 800 calorie carb bomb at midnight COME'N GET IT!

...who probably all expect to get legitimate acting jobs out of this sad gig but really should give Flo from Progressive a call about that.  She'll bring them back down to Earth- Flo has become a bloated zombified senior citizen and is still nowhere to be seen outside of ads for nobody's favorite insurance company.

...who are not to be trusted with the handling of any food product as far as I am concerned.  I seriously can't imagine ingesting anything served up by these mental midgets, who are way, way too thrilled to be earning minimum wage to promote late-night diabetes booster shots.