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Reviews
Mr. Church (2016)
I was expecting Will Smith?
This movie was recommended by my brother over the phone one night several weeks ago. He gave a brief description and named Eddie Murphy as the star, but in my mind, based on the story line, I envisioned Will Smith since he does quite a few heart tugging movies, and Eddie in such a role did not compute.
When I started watching there was Eddie Murphy and it threw me a little, and then when the young girl goes into her Mom's room and said "There is a Black man in our kitchen fixing breakfast!" I was expecting a Murphy comedy with a tragic tilt at some point. What I got was something all together different!
This movie was so touching and engrossing that I quickly told my daughter about it and between she and I we have suggested it to about a dozen people and all loved it, and I am sure have recommended it to others.The resounding question has been, "Why have I not heard about this before?" Followed by, "How many awards did it win?" Sadly few if any and it was panned by the social engineers that deem themselves "movie critics!"
How so many people can watch this movie and think it is one of the best they have seen in years and a handful of others can trash it is amazing. What in the heck were they watching? Eddie Murphy should have walked away with a Best Actor award and the movie holds it's own with all of the Best Motion Picture nominees for 2016!
The Last Ship: Nostos (2017)
Put the Captain back at the helm!
I absolutely loved the end of this episode! Captain Slattery's flash backs were well done, and when they transitioned into the the final scene with Tom Waits beautifully poetic song "Shiver Me Timbers" I got goose bumps! I always knew that song would find it's way into a Sea Adventure soundtrack someday. I wasn't expecting it her, but it was the perfect time and place! Now put Captain Chandler back at the helm of the Nathan James, and let's right this ship!
The Battle of Midway (1942)
A review of reviews
I happened to watch this amazing piece of history again the other night, (I'd already seen it several times before over my 60 years), and went online looking for added information. That is how I came upon the previous IMDb reviews. The first thing to catch my eye was the 6.4 rating. Are you serious? Some of the most amazing documentary war footage ever shot, and by a legend of the film industry who almost paid for it with his life, and that only rates a 6.4? I then discovered that the score was over burdened by one reviewer who said "I enjoyed it very much!" and then went on to give it a 4! Not only that but he double posted further hurting it's rating by giving it 8 out of a possible 20 points. He said many good things about the film , (the exception being the misuse of one word I will get into in a minute), leaving me shocked that he would only rate it a 4. This films importance and greatness isn't in it's entertainment value, or it's cinematography as art, but in it's raw presentation of history as it was taking place. There is a much deeper story behind it all as this was a turning point in the war with Japan and the most significant events of that day took place over a wide expanse of ocean and not just on the deck of this one ship. This short film let's us feel the emotion as Mr Ford looked death in the face and continued filming.
What I take the utmost exception to in several of the reviews is the misuse of the word "propaganda." That word is bandied about now days by people who have not taken the time to learn it's true definition. The Websters definition strongly implies a sinister nature to the word and it is something used to deceive and not simply influence. There is absolutely nothing deceptive about this film. It is straight forward fact from the raw footage to the inspirational narration. I find this part of the last review especially inaccurate, "Everything, including its Oscar win, seems to be there for propaganda purposes." This reviewer uses the tainted modern day definition of the word used by professors to make students think that they need to be ashamed of our country and it's history. To them everything that influences or motivates people would be labeled "propaganda," which only serves to lessen the diabolical intent of true propagandists like Hitler who through lies and deceit sought to misguide millions into following an evil path!
Homefront (1991)
Every time I hear that song
I am a huge Johnny Mercer fan and every time I here the opening refrains of his classic hit "Accentuate The Positive" I get nostalgic for my all time favorite TV show, "Homefront!" The only thing more disturbing than ABC's disregard for the the shows many fans during it's short run, is the continued disregard for the small army of viewers clamoring for it's release on DVD. It has been gone for nearly 20 years now and I still think about it and miss it.
I feel compelled to comment on giconceptsjw's short sighted review. His or her entire 3 rating seems based on the inability of that poster to get over the name "Homefront" indicating the show should take place during the war and not after! Well guess what? I know with a name like GI Concepts you wanted a war story, but the effects of the war did not instantly stop when the Japanese surrendered! There was still a world to rebuild, and it took many more years for all of the soldiers to return to the Homefront and that is when much of the real impact of the war set in for those back home. That is the story this series told so passionately well. It became very obvious to me that you are uninformed about that time in history by your comments on racism in the North. Having lived half of my long life in the North, and half in the South I can say without a doubt that there was as much, and often more, racism in the North. It was just less overt. No less harmful mind you, just less honest. Travel a little before making such sweeping comments. You just might find that there is a lot more tolerance in Mississippi then you imagine, and much less in Ohio then you think!
That all being said, I would love to have even that sorry DVD copy of the show you weren't impressed much by!