Reviews

LUCK is fast and stylish. Michael Mann is exec. producer of LUCK and director of the first episode. Mann is the writer/director of "Heat" and LUCK has the same pace and style.

There is plenty of insider chatter here. The kind of dialogue that is second nature to the people associated with horse racing but that leaves the rest of us a bit dizzy. LUCK is the clash of very different characters and it gives Mann as much contrast as the cinematography that has become his signature. Washed up gamblers, hungry employee's, wealthy owners and the people one step from financial ruin or rejuvenation are painted in different colors of neon or grays as success and/or slime in all its forms contrast with the strength, beauty and earthiness of the central characters: Horses, fodder for the justification of so much excitement and sadness.

LUCK is a convergence of who's who at Santa Anita. I'm grateful that so many deserving thespians wanted in on this project. I'm sure they know much about their peers but their on-screen "history" with each other is believable. Can the script justify the talent? So far, yes. The writing seems to have as much good teeth as its all-star cast - pay attention and hold on.

This premier reminds me of "Mad Men" on AMC, a channel I ALSO got for free for the first 3 (enjoyable) episodes. I did not bite on AMC but LUCK is making a good argument for HBO.

I'm certain the language will soak in with the rest of the story but I have the inside on "bug", as the agent calls the young Jockey. "Bug" is a moniker used for substitute jockey's. Any rookie that replaces an expected rider is noted on a racing program with an asterisk and an asterisk looks like a bug (the definition is courtesy of David Milch).

I was initially very disappointed when A&E's logo flashed across the screen but this is not a watered down feel good cop-out, this is a courageous examination into events that many people want forgotten. It was produced, perhaps before A&E was purchased? When they were able to take chances?

"The men Who Killed Kennedy" is not an all-encompassing documentary, but it contains footage not seen elsewhere so it is up to the viewer to continue his/her search alone or engage others in the investigation. Nevertheless, this documentary earns a 10 thanks to the sheer courage in telling the story, the effort to be thorough in analysis and the effort to assemble so much information from many years past. It contains interviews both from the time frame of the production of the documentary and from the time of the assassination. There is a great deal of information in this documentary that has never been covered before but they provide plenty of information to allow the viewer to research it themselves.

I wanted the audio evidence to be included in this documentary because I learned about it from the 30th (I think) anniversary coverage that two, perhaps even three networks (ABC and Frontline on PBS, and perhaps NBC) broadcast on the same night. I did not tape them, I tuned in haphazardly because I was accustomed to the sort of sensationalized "did Oswald act alone? Yes." hour long program cashing in on the popularity of Kennedy while offering nothing more than advertising and reassurance that everything is what you've been told.

I posted a question on PBS' website about a contradiction that I will explain. My question is still there but has been mangled and now, uneditable by me, makes it appear that I have asked an unclear question - even that I cannot properly form a sentence. (It is not surprising to me, I can name two donors to PBS, ExxonMobil and David Koch, that would prefer Americans just work and consume and entertain themselves with yet more consumption.)

I found out that night that there exists an audio tape of the shooting, recorded by a stuck police radio microphone from a Dallas police motorcycle. This audio was recorded by the Dallas police station. All networks seemed to have knowledge of the others' content because they all addressed the recorded evidence but only ABC played the tape at the end of the program, after "experts" asserted there was not a fourth shot but an echo. Problem ONE for me was that the recording sounded like 4 shots to me (not three). Problem TWO was that the motorcycle policeman was interviewed on two networks. Different "experts" for the different networks placed the motorcycle cop in two different locations at the start of the shooting at Dealey Plaza. A. About to make a left turn in front of the Book Depository BEHIND the limousine carrying Kennedy, or B. At the FRONT of the motorcade, AHEAD of Kennedy. Each network had a quick interview with the policeman, he agreed with both people who questioned him. In other words, he was asked contradictory information, yet each time he agreed, apparently not caring or unaware that this footage would appear on the same night. It is unlikely that many viewers saw the contradiction since the networks aired their programs simultaneously and you had to be lucky to switch between them at the right time. That policeman, still alive for the interview 30 years later, remembers being in TWO places at once at Dealey Plaza. (This information is NOT in "The men Who Killed Kennedy", the network specials were produced AFTER this documentary was made. Incidentally, George H.W. Bush ALSO could not remember where he was when Kennedy was shot, journalist Russ Baker wrote about that.)

That set it for me. That was when I knew the official story was a lie. If a policeman at Dealey Plaza cannot tell you where he was when Kennedy was shot but millions of Americans remember where they were when they heard the news then something is wrong.

People will always ridicule. The Wright brothers heard this from many people before they invented the airplane. It was two people making a difference and nearly everyone believing they were crazy. There is no doubt that evil exists in the world. It is often difficult to say who creates more damage, the ignorant or the evil. It may sound surprising but the ignorant are a majority and therefore have a disappointing amount of influence.

After watching this documentary, I watched on YouTube the footage of the Secret Service being called off the "walking guard" positions around Kennedy's Presidential Limo by their boss. One agent, to his credit, protests the order. ("Walking guards" actually trot and they were once required but have since been phased out thanks to heavier armor, they are still there for slow speeds but Presidents no longer wave from convertibles.) This footage is also NOT part of this documentary.

"The men Who Killed Kennedy" is not a complete compilation of all the data available but I recommend owning this documentary. It makes a sincere effort to examine the information available and while some segments are not as strong as others they definitely examine much of the information that was available but unpublished. Yes, it will depress you and probably even scare you but the people who made this documentary and the people who participated had courage and they expose the cowards that are responsible for creating a world less beautiful than what is possible. I have revealed much of myself here but I would prefer to live in a world that is honest or die fighting oppression. It is important to understand the world around you and stop those who would harm it. The truth is important and it shall set you free.