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In the Shadow of the Moon (2007)
A fantastic, underrated Apollo documentary
I've watched this documentary, I don't know how many times. It's a great insight into the minds of the Apollo astronauts. For technical details, other documentaries might be better, but to understand what the astronauts experienced themselves, this is the best documentary to watch. And the music is just phenominal. Not much music makes me swoon, but this does, especially in the visual context of the documentary.
Especially fascinating is the religious or faith observations of the astronauts toward the end. It reminds me that despite our current concerns, despite the idea that Christians are backwards and ignorant, most of the people who sent us to the moon - the astronauts, administrators and engineers, were firm believers in God. The documentary doesn't beat you over the head with it, but it is clear. Christians sent men to the moon.
Special (2006)
Interesting but Flawed
Michael Rapaport really saves this movie. Without him it would be much less watchable. It has a very interesting story and it is very well executed in many ways, but has a lot of small missteps that detract from my ability to believe in it as a story.
It's a story of a common, boring everyman (Rapaport) who enters a drug trial for an experimental drug that is supposed to remove people's self-doubt. On him, though, it goes too far, and he begins to believe that he has super powers. This part of the film is, for the most part, well-executed.
However, a lot of little details don't ring true. I won't go through all of them, but early in the movie is one good example: A man goes into a comic book store and tries to sell a comic. We are supposed to believe he is homeless and desperate, but he doesn't look homeless. He has a long gray beard, yes, but he's dressed in clean clothes and his beard is meticulously groomed. It's like the director thought that a long beard was all you needed to look homeless.
Additionally, this may sound like nit-picking, but the director's choice of music in some areas seems way off. A scene will look like it is trying to be dramatic and the music that is playing is some oddball high energy song. Sometimes this works well (like the ending of Dr. Strangelove) but in this case it just looks haphazard.
Overall its worth a watch, but its unfortunate that the film makers couldn't go that extra step and make it a better film.
Wing Nuts (2004)
Great show
I thought this was a great reality show. The show was basically that this company was in the business of creating Objets d' Art from old airplane parts. Along the way they hired a receptionist (I think she was Russian). There was always some conflict between the business side of the equation and the artistic side. I watched it regularly. Unfortunately, along the way, one of the regular characters died, his name was Tim. I believe he had a heart attack or something, but it was very tragic because he was only in his 50's. I was sad when Tim died... I wish this show had continued. It was as good as most other reality TV shows, better than a lot of them.
51 Birch Street (2005)
Thoroughly unpleasant
This documentary is rife with problems.
How arrogant is it to make a documentary about your own family? I understand you think the subject is interesting. I was bored with it. This isn't a fascinating story to me, and I don't know why you would think it was.
I don't want to come off as mean, but I have to say: Most of the people in this film are just not attractive. And that's OK, not everyone is pretty. But your camera technique, to stick the lens in their face so you can't help but be overwhelmed by their unpleasant appearance because it is filling your 47" TV, is not enjoyable. I had to put my hand up half the time to shield myself from the warts, wrinkles, bags under eyes and yellow teeth. Really, I'm trying not to sound inhuman, but pull the camera back so its not like total strangers are breathing in my face.
The camera work in this "film" is rank amateur level. It's the kind of camera work you see from everyone with a camcorder at a family picnic. Uninteresting framing, unsteady, even static shots are done carelessly. Put a little effort into it, if you're going to do this for a living.
I honestly can't see what the big deal is about this thing.
The Twilight Zone: On Thursday We Leave for Home (1963)
Excellent Twilight Zone episode
Captain Benteen is a leader. He has led this group of "pioneers" leading a hard scrabble existence on a lonely, barren rock of a planet for 30 years, and tomorrow, a space ship is coming to take the forlorn group back to earth. All he has ever known is to be the leader of this group of 187. And when the ship comes, and everyone goes home and gets to live in freedom, what will happen to him then? This is the primary question brought up by this episode. How will Benteen deal with the loss of his authority and power? Will he be eager to lose his position as the leader of these people? Well, maybe this episode is a warning about what happens when power becomes ingrained.
This is one of the most effective and memorable Twilight Zone episodes. It still resonates with power and meaning today.
If this episode isn't an allegory for the dangers of totalitarianism, socialism or just those who think they know what's best for the rest of us, it ought to be.
Shallow Ground (2004)
An Awful, Awful Movie
I could spend all night picking apart why this movie is so terrible. Unfortunately, it's not worth the effort. Let's just say the characters are one-dimensional, the story is confused and contorted beyond all imagining, and the dialog is inane. Added to this, when the story does finally begin to make some sense in the end, a brand new evil appears out of the woods, apparently unrelated to anything else in the movie, and destroys whatever cohesive thought the movie had.
I rented this movie based on the glowing reviews on the case. Note to self: Never rent a movie recommended by The Montreal Mirror or Horrorview.com. "Home Media Retailing" says it delivers an "intelligent, terrifying story." No, it doesn't. Saw II, for example, could never be accused of having an "intelligent" story - but it is about a hundred times as intelligent as this thing.
Practically every scene features something unbelievable. Not "Oh wow, that's so gross it's unbelievable!", but "nobody would ever say/do that, that's unbelievable!" And the movie doesn't seem to know whether its a supernatural thriller, a "dawn of the dead" movie or a murder mystery. Maybe it thinks it is some of each. In fact, it's just an amateurish stew of competing, dumb plot lines. The movie mostly doesn't make any sense, and when it does, it's predictable and silly.