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Masters of the Air: Part Nine (2024)
A perfect end to the story
The last episode depicts the final collapse of the Third Reich as seen by aviators of the 100th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force. The chaos of the end of the War is very well depicted, including children forced to fight for the Wehrmacht as soldiers. As Russian forces advanced during the winter of 1944, prisoners of war including Gale Cleven were force-marched from Stalag Luft III located 100 miles south-east of Berlin to another camp and eventually by rail to Nuremberg in Bavaria. Major Rosenthal was shot down near the front line of the advancing Russian forces who picked him up. Rosenthal witnessed the Russians' discovery of the death camps and saw up close what type of people he had been fighting.
It's important to realize that the story draws on real experiences of real people, so the basic plot cannot stray too far from the truth. The CGI effects are astounding. The views of the vast bomber forces in
box formations seen from behind are unforgettable, as are the vicious fighter attacks and flak. Some reviewers are unhappy that the B-17G chin turrets are not seen. They may forget that the producers built three full-size B-17Fs as props and probably were not willing to update them to the G model. B-17Fs were actually used in 1943 when the group formed. As the bombers experienced the deadly Luftwaffe head-on attacks, more frontal firepower was needed. Perhaps they producers didn't want to have chin turrets appear when the planes were in the air and disappear after they landed. In any case, it is a relatively unimportant quibble. The air battles are terrifying to watch as depicted.
The end of the episode is very touching. The group was employed to drop food to starving Dutch civilians. There is a series of biographical sketches and photographs of some of the actual characters so that we learn what happened to them after the War.
We also learn that the Eighth Air Force was rewarded for their service in Europe by being redeployed to B-29s and to Okinawa so they could take part in the invasion of Japan. Luckily, Enola Gay made that unnecessary.
Masters of the Air: Part Three (2024)
U.S. Air Corps doctrine put to the test
American bombing doctrine was that daylight precision strategic bombing was more effective than the British doctrine of night time area bombing. Americans thought that the heavily-armed and Norden bombsight-equipped B-17s could fight off enemy fighters and hit clearly-defined targets, and that by destroying key industries (fighter aircraft production, oil refining, ball bearing production) enemy war making would be stymied. It turned out that the theory was almost right. Albert Speer, minister of German production, said after the war that if the ball bearing campaign had been maintained, production of heavy machinery would have been greatly suppressed. The Wehrmacht was hindered throughout the war by lack of fuel.
However, in practice, deep penetration of enemy territory without fighter escort was, as the British said in the episode, "Suicide." The Eighth did not try it again until P-51s were available.
This episode of Masters of the Air was very accurate, both as to why and how Schweinfurt-Regenburg went wrong and to why it was tried in the first place. It could be shown in history classes as a vivid lesson.
Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
Visually spectacular modern take
As would be expected from a modern Disney live-action film, this take on the Peter Pan story has a more up-to-date, somewhat feminist atmosphere. Some of the Lost Boys are Lost Girls, and the girls all take a much more physical part in the action. Tinker Bell is less sexy than the cartoon Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell's pixie dust is essential to Peter's super powers. After Hook kills Peter, he is nursed back to health by Tiger Lily, a Native American Princess.
Captain Hook is suitably menacing and made spookier by his fully-dilated right eye. Hook's nemesis, the alligator, is rendered as an enormous terrifying monster. However, in the end, the alligator does not get the rest of Hook: in the original his taste for Hook stemmed from the hand that Peter fed him after cutting it off of Hook. It turn out that long ago, Hook and Peter were best friends, but Hook chose to grow up while Peter did not. Hook did not turn out well. After Peter takes Wendy et al. Back to London, he returns to Neverland. Hook sees him return and smiles. It is clear that Hook and Peter are essential to each other, and their war will continue forever.
Pinocchio (2022)
How can anyone not like this film?
I can't believe the poor rating that IMDB reviewers gave this movie. It is a recreation of the 1940 Disney animation, but done with today's ability to combine photo-realistic animation with live action.
The Zemeckis version brings a tear to my eye as "When you wish upon a star" is played, because I remember hearing it on TV while I was growing up. Hearing it today, now that I am eighty, has a much deeper meaning than it did when I was ten.
People who can't adjust to the Blue Fairy being portrayed by a Black woman are clearly stuck in a bad era in our country. They should realize that Billie Burke is no longer available. People who are offended that Pinocchio does not turn into a Real Boy at the end were simply not paying attention. As Pinocchio and Gepetto walk into the distance at the end, careful observers will see that Pinocchio does indeed turn into a Real Boy. If a live young actor had been portraying the Real Boy, the effect would not have been nearly as magical.
Pinocchio 2022 is a beautiful, haunting retelling of the familiar story. However, as was the 1940 original, it is much too scary to be seen by young children.
Perry Mason: The Case of the Crafty Kidnapper (1966)
A very dark episode
The episode has a shock ending that makes it all fall into place. It also stars several people like Cloris Leachman and Gary Collins that will go on to major careers in television.
Cats (2019)
A beautiful rendition of the T.S. Elliot book in song and dance
It is incomprehensible that so many reviewers though this was "the worst movie ever made." Perhaps they did not understand that it was a rendition of a book which is a series of affectionate essays about cats by T. S. Elliot. As such, it is not like a conventional narrative with a plot and a climax. Andrew Lloyd Weber gave it a semblance of a plot with the device that an individual cat will be selected to ascend to the Heaviside Layer for rebirth.
This is a lovely fantasy ballet with mythical cat characters and wistful settings in England. Computer graphics is used to create actions, characterizations, and surroundings that could never exist in reality.
One can only suppose that viewers with extreme low opinions of this work must have ulterior motivations unrelated to the film itself. It would be good if those motivations were revealed.
Star Trek: The Alternative Factor (1967)
Easily the worst episode in the Original Series
It's OK for impossible things to happen in Star Trek world. Faster-than-light travel? No problem- the Warp Drive uses the Alcubierre principle and Bussard collectors along with matter-antimatter reactions to propel the Enterprise at a billion times the speed of light (warp factor 9). Travel back to the 20th century? No problem, just hit warp factor 10 and back you go.
What is not OK is for an episode to be incoherent. Turgid gibberish writing- not OK.
The Beatles: Get Back: Part 1: Days 1-7 (2021)
Some things about the Beatles are explained
This is a fascinating look at the Beatles' creative process. They seem to be just sitting around jamming, but slowly a familiar Beatles tune emerges. The mental telepathy between John Lennon and Paul McCartney is shown in action. It became clear why George Harrison wanted to leave: he was almost totally excluded from the process. At one point he says "Just tell me what to play. I'll play whatever you want." This was just before he walked out. Yoko Ono's role becomes evident as well: she sits practically on John's shoulder all the time. She must have been very annoying to the rest of the band.
In short, a fascinating look at the creative process in general. They had 14 days to come up with new tunes for a concert. All ideas are heard, even some really loony ones like wanting to hold the upcoming concert in Libya, or somewhere.
News from Home (1976)
News from the lost past
Chantal Akerman was a young Belgian woman who had come to America to make movies. Unfortunately for her, she moved to New York City at a very low point in its history: the Summer of 1976. The Summer of Sam. The year of "Ford to City: Drop Dead." Graffiti everywhere. Burned out buildings. Garbage. Heat. Blackouts.
Chantal's camera records all this squalor in exquisite, non-judgmental long takes. You can almost smell the place. Somehow, the city arranges itself for her in fascinating compositions of color, personalities, and activities. What's that guy over there doing? What is that woman thinking about?
In counterpoint to the visuals, Chantal reads irritating letters from her beloved mother complaining that Chantel does not write frequently enough and When is she coming home? But how could she come home when there is such rich, baroque subject matter for her camera? We know that after her mother died several years later, Chantal committed suicide. The tension between her mother's letters and the power of the city is palpable.
Chantal has left us this gift of a precise record of a time and place that existed once and will not exist again. The final extremely long shot, taken evidently from the Staten Island ferry, is of Manhattan with its Twin Towers still present slowly receding and disappearing in the mist.
Stand by for Action (1942)
A movie made when we were losing WW II
In early 1942, the Japanese armed forces were rampaging all over the Pacific. They had conquered all the American assets in the Pacific, sunk our battleship fleet at Pearl Harbor and were threatening Australia. This movie was made to show that although our Navy was outgunned and outnumbered, we were still very competent and through courage and pluck, we would win in the end. The main forces we had at the time were a few aircraft carriers.
Of course, in reality, in the Spring and Summer of 1942, the tide turned at Midway and Guadalcanal
Interestingly, in October of 1944, the climactic battle in the movie, where an old 4-mast destroyer sinks a battleship, was nearly reproduced in reality in the Battle off Samar during the attempted landings at Leyte Gulf. Admiral Halsey was lured by the Japanese into taking away the force that was supposed to be covering the landings. While Halsey was attacking the decoys to the North, a powerful Japanese force headed for the landing force, which was protected only by small, slow escort carriers and a screen of lightly armed destroyers. As soon as the Japanese battleships, including the giant Yamato came into view, the destroyers attacked at flank speed. Lt. Cdr. Copeland of the destroyer Samuel B. Roberts told his crew that they were entering a "fight against overwhelming odds from which survival could not be expected." The ferocity of the American attack convinced the Japanese that they were facing a much larger force, and they broke off the fight.
But at the time this movie was started, the outcome of the war was very much in doubt.
When the Boys Meet the Girls (1965)
Starring a beautiful red AC Cobra 289
The best part of this movie is the gorgeous red AC Cobra that is featured in a lengthy chase scene. The rest of the movie consists of 60s stars butchering a large number of Gershwin songs with performances by the likes of Liberace and Louis Armstrong interspersed.
Gorgo (1961)
King Kong without Fay Wray
And more's the pity. Fay was such an essential part of Kong.
In this case, 'twas boredom killed the Beast.
The Lion Has Wings (1939)
An attempt to predict the Battle of Britain
This movie was made in September, 1939 shortly after the opening of hostilities in World War II. The producer/director Alexander Korda wanted to show that Britain was well-prepared to resist whatever Hitler was going to throw at her. In reality, after a raid by Wellington bombers on the German base at Kiel as shown in the movie, things did not go well for England.
In the movie, the Battle of Britain comprised attacks by a strange assortment of German cargo planes (Ju-52 and Focke-Wulf Kondors) and British light bombers (Fairey Battles) which were easily defeated by the Spitfires of the RAF. The film's British defense also included barrage balloons, searchlights, and FLAK, and a Fighter Command control room populated by male operators.
Naturally, there is no mention of the Chain Home radar system that was actually an essential component of the defense, as England desperately needed to keep that secret. The actual Fighter Command control room with the big map was mainly operated by women, as young men were needed elsewhere.
In reality, the Battle of Britain during the Spring and Summer of 1940 was a much more desperate affair. Although the Germans were never able to gain air superiority over the Channel, the supply of pilots for the RAF was rapidly reaching criticality. The movie "The Battle of Britain" of 1969 is a more accurate account.
The Blitz, the Germans' attempt at terror bombing after they lost the Battle of Britain, killed 40,000 civilians. This was an outcome not predicted in "The Lion Has Wings."
Le voyage dans la lune (1902)
Incredible time capsule
This movie was made in 1902, a time when no one had the slightest clue about how to actually get to the moon or what things were like on the moon. Only 67 years later, Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon. Someone aged 10 years who went to see this movie in 1902 would only be 77 when he watched Neil's "small step fera man" on television in 1969.
The twentieth century was a busy century for sure. Most of it was very sad. The trip to the moon was one of the very few bright spots.
Zazie dans le métro (1960)
Mad Magazine 1960
The kid Zazie looks exactly like Alfred E. Newman. I have a feeling that was deliberate. There's even a shot showing somebody reading a copy of Mad.
Wonder Woman (2017)
The war to end all wars
Diana sees that although Humanity is capable of great evil, there is "so much more" to them. This is a very touching movie, in spite of the great deal of violence.
In opposition to the comment in the Frequently Asked Questions section, I believe that the death of Ludendorff indicates that, in the Wonder Woman universe, World War II might have been averted. Ludendorff invented the "stab in the back" myth that the German army was not defeated on the field of battle, and that the surrender of Germany was due to the betrayal of the army by civilians on the home front, especially by Jews. This idea was picked up by Nationalists, e.g., Hitler. Without the stab in the back myth, perhaps Hitler would never have been able to seize power, and therefore, no WWII.
The Artist (2011)
The artistry of silence
Many other reviewers have provided a synopsis of the film, so I won't re-do that.
Silent movies are very different from talkies: to paraphrase Norma Desmond, "we didn't need sound because we had faces." As you watch the great silent stars such as Clara Bow or Lillian Gish or Louise Brooks you will notice how much of the time the frame is filled by their faces. These great actors could communicate their thoughts by their incredibly expressive faces. Pantomime was a major part of silent film acting, and a repertoire of effects was developed. In the movie "The Artist", this style was disdained as "mugging" by the newer talkie stars, but it was a legitimate cinematic language distinct from that used in sound cinema.
The Artist reproduces the look of the old films as well, perhaps by using vintage lenses or special film stocks. I believe it was originally filmed in color and then reduced to black and white. However it was done, the high-key low contrast look seems very convincing. Other reviewers have objected to this, but along with the static camera work it seems to me to be a very successful rendition of the vintage look and feel.
Although the plot was also a homage to the old plot devices, it was executed with great energy and conviction. There were many clever uses of unexpected sounds. I can't imagine how anyone could find "The Artist" boring.
Shutter Island (2010)
It was all about World War II?
A few random observations that don't really add up to a theory of the movie:
Some odd clues in the movie: 1. Dachau was liberated in the Spring of 1945, not the Winter. 2. Dachau is a town near Munich, so the weather was warm in Spring. 3. The sign "Arbeit Macht Frei" was over the entrance to Auschwitz in Poland, not Dachau. 4. Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet army in January, 1945, so it would have been cold, as shown in the movie. 5. The guards at Dachau were not executed by U.S. troops. Who knows what happened at Auschwitz? 6. Why does Teddy speak German so well? 7. Dr. Naehrung's name means "nourishment" in German.
According to Ebert, much of the flavor of Film Noir was a depiction of the PTSD suffered by G.I.s in WWII.
It is well known that the U.S. military conducted very dubious research during the 50s into the use of drugs to affect behavior.
Is this the Dark Side of "Men Who Stare at Goats"?
The Pacific (2010)
It sneaks up on you.
I was surprised that I was so affected by this series. I have read extensively about the Pacific war, and was prepared for the harrowing battle scenes at Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Pelelieu and Iwo Jima. I was not prepared to see Sgt. John Basilone killed. His story was told very carefully and it was shocking to see him die. Others have complained about the "boring" episodes where there was no shooting. I agreed with them somewhat until I realized that the story was really not about the Band of Marine Brothers as much as about the individuals. The First Marine division did spend a "boring" year in Melbourne recovering from the incredible Hell at Guadalcanal before moving to Gloucester, Pelelieu and Iwo. We owed them a year of R&R after leaving them stranded on their own at the 'Canal. These stories are taken from individual memoirs and letters. They are not about the grand strategy or the gallantry of units. They are about ordinary Americans faced with an incredibly savage war, very unlike the one in Europe.
Red Scorpion (1988)
Yes, THAT Jack Abramoff
This movie was produced and written by none other than Jack Abramoff, recently in the news (and in the slammer) due to being convicted of illegal lobbying and fraud. Eventually, two White House officials (J. Steven Griles and David Safavian) and a congressman (Bob Ney) were also convicted in connection with his activities. You can get an accurate feeling for the "Rules? What Rules?" attitude of Abramoff and his cronies in the Bush White House by watching this bit o' dreck.
Although this movie was released during the Reagan Era, when the atmosphere was also "Rules? What Rules?" - see Iran/Contra, the October Surprise, etc. etc. - the Bush Administration has taken this to new and previously unimagined extremes. I am anxiously awaiting a movie (written by Scooter Libby- or maybe a sequel from Abramoff when he gets out) that captures the zeitgeist of stupidity and arrogance that only a true insider can really know. "Team America" comes close (America!! F*ck Yeah!!), but it is intended as a comedy. What we have experienced the last seven and a half years is no joke.
The Andromeda Strain (2008)
Danger Will Robinson!! Does not compute!!
Let's see: Some guys in the future have some kind of death organism that they discover can only be controlled by the bacteria that live near mineral-rich undersea vents. So they send a sample of the deadly stuff back in time to us, encased in a bucky-ball package that has instructions written on it in ASCII (not EBCDIC!) about how we shouldn't mine the vents and destroy the anti-virus bacteria. But some military types have a satellite hanging around the worm hole to the future hoping to snag some kind of schrecklichkeit from space they can use for germ warfare. Unfortunately, they snag the bucky-ball and break it open, destroying all the instructions except the name of the stuff and a serial number. The satellite crashes, loosing the virus. Meanwhile, evil big businessmen are preparing to mine the vents. So there are two simultaneous conspiracies, one to use the virus for warfare, the other to make sure the vents get mined. In the end: (1) scientists figure out how to use the vent-bacteria to kill the virus, thus saving the world for the moment; (2) the military conspirators kill each other because some of them have a change of heart; (3) the President decides to go ahead with the vent-mining anyway (4) a cigarette-smoking man saves a sample of the virus in the International Space Station so it will be available for the future.
So...
(1) Where did the virus come from in the first place? Did the Future get it from us, the Past? But in the Past (our Present) the vents get mined and there would be no bacteria for the Future to use to suppress the virus. So the Future could not be telling us how to combat the virus.
(2) Or, we are living in alternative past created when the Future sent the sample back to our universe. In the alternative Future created by our alternative Past, the Future will receive the sample from us, but they won't be able to control it and Time will end. But the real Future doesn't care, because they created an alternative Future (not theirs) that took the fall.
(3) But wait....
(4) And what about those highly favorable reviews posted here that were posted days and sometimes weeks BEFORE the date the show was aired? Are we living in an alternative universe in which the show is a turkey caused by the messages posted by people in the Past sending messages to the Present? If that singularity had not happened, would the show have been as great as they said it was?
Something Weird (1967)
Answers many existential questions...
You will need to watch this movie at least eighteen times before its existential impact will sink in. The movie proves that entropy does indeed increase relentlessly with time. The more you get into the movie, the more you realize that the universe is utterly uncaring and that there is no good nor bad nor is there an intelligence directing anything. Fellini or Wood? What difference does it make? Some high points:
1. You must see the Attack of the Killer Blanky. It proves that evil comes in Orlon as well as brimstone;
2. There is a scene where something happens with a blowtorch. What was it? Was someone injured? Who can say? This scene shows much homage to Antonioni's L'avventura.
3. The movie opens with a long scene of two guys doing kung-fu moves. This sets the tone for the rest of the film, since it bears no relation to anything that happens later. Sartre would have loved it!
4. The characters are completely interchangeable. Since you quickly lose track of who is who and what they are up to, you realize after a while that it does not matter.
I could go on and on, but I am saving the best for my Doctoral dissertation.
Black Legion (1937)
The late thirties were much scarier than this.
In the 1930s, many Americans thought that Fascism was just fine- a proper answer to the 'socialism' of the New Deal. In July, 1934, Fortune magazine ran a long adoring feature article with multi-color pictures extolling the virtues of Italian Fascism. The introduction concludes with the sentence "But the good journalist must recognize in Fascism certain ancient virtues of the race, whether or not they happen to be momentarily fashionable in his own country. Among these are Discipline, Duty, Courage, Glory, Sacrifice." In 1936, there was a serious attempt by the capitalist hierarchy to overthrow the government of Roosevelt with a military coup to be led by a popular Marine general, Smedley Butler. The coup only failed because Butler turned on his backers, much as Frank turns on the Black Legion in the movie.
This movie only touches on the motives of the sinister organizers of the Black Legion, the gray eminence in suits behind loony dupes like Frank. The implication is that they are just running the Black Legion to make money by selling black sheets and revolvers. I would have preferred to see the movie explore the true extent of the cesspool of interests that was behind American Fascism of the thirties. A bit much to expect, I suppose.