Category Archives: history

“Ancient Aliens: Season 7”

documentary, history, mystery, science fiction, television, ,
ancientalienblu

This is a great series, and I look forward to each new set when they are released. This particular set, I am inclined to tell you that some of the episodes were really farfetched in their theories.

Yet, if you are a true believer in what the producers bring to bear, then there are so many other things they bring up that just cannot be proved wrong.  I am talking about the historical and physical evidence. It is quite amazing.

The series raises questions that are hard to answer, though you have to consider whether the ancients were more technologically advanced than we are today, or whether they had help.  Unless we know where the technology they used is located, because we don’t have it today, these points are hard to determine, and they are among the questions that come up.  That is why the show is out of the ordinary.

You get a chance to explore the fascinating idea that ancient aliens formed our history. According to the series, humans have told stories about beings with superhuman strength since humans could paint on walls.

The series introduces ideas like tales about Zeus, Thor and Hanuman and even contemporary subjects like Superman and Batman and more, which helped form the world we live in today. Did these tales originate from oral legends about extraterrestrials? Whether you believe it or not, it is fun to speculate.

Moreover, ancient myths from around the globe, gods are often found intervening in human affairs, from Sumerian myth to the story of Moses. Where these supernatural visitations are the work of aliens using advanced technology to shape our civilization? We’ll also consider whether the reptilian alien, a fixture of science fiction, is reflected in the serpent gods of ancient myth. Could they have been living beings? Find out, and much more.

Another good aspect of the set is the special features, such as English subtitles for the hearing-impaired, 3 discs, 12 episodes and no extras.

History Channel Presents “The Definitive WWI & WWII Collection”

documentary, historical, history, military, television, , , , , , , ,
The Definitive WWI & WWII

I am amazed at how The History Channel has produced an assortment of documentaries and episodes concerning the two Great Wars, WWI and WWII. The set is endless, with titles including The Color of War, an unrivaled five-disc, 13-episode documentary about WWII, and The World Wars, a stellar production that spotlights a few of the more well-known individuals from the two wars.

Altogether, the complete WWI and WWII package is over 44 hours and some content overlaps from disc to disc. The whole set could be better organized and less annoying, and I’m still trying to come to terms with the flow from one disc to the next. The mixture of documentaries along with episodes from The History Channel series offers a lot of views on both World Wars, but realize the product is a collection of distinct productions and not an epic told as a story from beginning to end. With that, don’t let the time, over 44 hours, allude you to the idea that each distinct disc covers all aspects of these two Great Wars. There was no way I could watch the entire set in order to review the product. I did catch some of the episodes, and here are my thoughts.

Foremost, I found the discs had advertisements for other History Channel programs.  I wish it were an option instead of the trailers coming on right at the beginning of the disc. Sure, I fast-forward, but it bugged me.  Here are some of the programs I had an opportunity to view.

The World Wars, a three-part mini-series, is well worth my time and energy to watch.  The series has a pretty decent overview of WWI and WWII told just about entirely through analysis of some key figures, including MacArthur, Stalin, Hitler, Churchill and Mussolini. The acting and production are appealing.  More vintage footage would make the series even better. The bonus content makes up for the lack of vintage footage. Characters have in depth overview of such notables as FDR, Truman, Hitler, Truman, Churchill, and Eisenhower. The feature is presented as a panel discussion featuring historians and professors who also contributed to the main program. They hold their discussions while clips from the program are shown.

100 Years of WWI is a two-disc set that offers several episodes worth mentioning. They are Armored Beasts, Clouds of Death, Massive Air Attacks, and Underwater Killers. This documentary concentrates on how the industrialized world modernized to make horrific weapons of war like tanks, mustard gas, flamethrowers and submarines. The blend of vintage footage with modern, re-enactment footage is worth watching.

75 Years of WWII is also a two-disc set, with disc one containing D-Day material worth watching, but disc two is nowhere near as good.

The Color of War is close to 10 hours long and is probably the best program in the whole package. The program takes a unique turn and offers an honest view of the civilians and the home front. There is a lot of vintage footage and color film.  There is, however, a lot of battle footage that incorporates violent imagery. If you are faint of heart, this set might be difficult to view. Peter Coyote does a fine job narrating the whole series.

WWII in Space takes a different approach to the Great Wars, with a visual presentation that incorporates many maps and CG animations, more than any documentary. The visuals keep the geography in proportion to the size of the planet we live on.  I like that because it gives me an idea of how the world is influenced by both wars.

“Camilla Dickinson,” a Love Story

book, drama, history, indie, movies, romance, , , , , , ,
camilla

Camilla Dickinson caught my eye because my daughter enjoyed reading A Wrinkle in Time by the same author, Madeleine L’Engle, who authored Camilla, which the movie is based.

Co-written and directed by L’Engle’s goddaughter, Cornelia Duryée Moore, the movie is refreshing and a reminder that films can be simple and poignant without the box-office bonanza. We so often see movies encased with special effects and evil villains out to destroy the world – not the case with Moore’s feature film debut.

Moore was primed to direct this movie with a resume that includes quite a bit of writing, acting and theatrical familiarity. She even co-founded the Seattle Shakespeare Company.

Adelaide Clemens plays the daughter of an affluent family in 1948 Manhattan. At first, she seems shy and withdrawn because her mother, played by Samantha Mathis, is being romanced by a Frenchman. She can’t tell her dad, played by Cary Elwes, because he is stoic and feels his wife is too emotional and immature to confront the issue.

camilla2

Camilla meets her best friend’s brother, Frank, played by Gregg Sulkin. They begin an innocent courtship that is true enough to reinstate her trust in true love.  Like any story, complications crop up and keep the plot moving along, but never really hinder Camilla’s newfound independence.  Her independence is nurtured through Frank, his friends and music.  Camilla shares her desire to be an astronomer and study celestial bodies. Frank encourages her, and her confidence grows.

The whole cast is very good, but the movie is a bit too long and could use some trimming, especially where scenes start too soon and end too late. Still, I enjoyed the movie since it is a believable story of the 1950’s.

The period look is attractive and adds to the era’s story. It is an interesting tale, considering that the author, later in life, wrote wonderful, inspired stories with women as central characters.

Simon Wiesenthal Film Collection

Academy Award Winner, documentary, historical, history, , , , , , , ,
simonwiesenthal

Simon Wiesenthal passed away in 2005. He was a Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor and became well-known for his unrelenting work as a Nazi hunter.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Moriah Films collection of documentaries, which features narrations by Morgan Freeman, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock and others, is now available as a DVD set worth owning.

The collection includes two Academy Award-winning documentaries: The Long Way Home, featuring Freeman’s narration, and Genocide, the 1982 best documentary Oscar winner narrated by Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Welles.

The Long Way Home takes an in-depth look at post-WWII and the survivors of the Holocaust. It also includes the voices of Edward Asner, Sean Astin, Martin Landau, Miriam Margolyes, David Paymer, Nina Siemaszko, Helen Slater, and Michael York. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1998.

The story focuses on the contemptible state of affairs for Jewish refugees in Europe after the war. Antisemitism was still predominant, and destitution was common. The movie shows how emigration to the British Mandate of Palestine became a goal for many. Yet, the British immigration rules often resulted in them being in custody in camps on the island of Cyprus. The eventual formation of the State of Israel resulted from the debates at the White House between Palestinian Jews, President Harry S. Truman, and the United Nations.

Genocide follows the courage and torture of the Jewish people before and during World War II. Elizabeth Taylor’s simple voice reads letters from the victims of the Nazis. The letters are heart-wrenching, hearing the farewells to friends and other loved ones—first-hand accounts of horrifying images. One particular read is about someone who observed a massacre. I was shocked and disheartened, which is the movie’s aim.

Other narrators in the collection include Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Douglas, Sir Ben Kingsley and Christoph Waltz.

The documentaries are in a DVD case with Simon Wiesenthal on the cover. Susan Margolin, president of Docurama, a streaming service for documentary movies, called the collection “historically rich and profoundly important.”

“’71” Fast Pace, Intense

action, foreign films, historical, history, indie, military, movies, , , ,
71

I am impressed with 71 since it had me on the edge of my couch the whole time. It was also a lesson about what was going in Belfast during the uprising.

The movie doesn’t let up, either, thanks to the fine direction by Yann Demange and the unbelievable performances by the entire cast. I am so impressed with the child actors in this movie. Sure. Jack O’Connell is fantastic. He reminds me of Steve McQueen, silent but powerful. The children were so heartwrenching, strong and innocent.

Demange throws the viewer into the grit and emotional torture these people went through during the civil unrest. The lesson is more of a concept of what it was like to be in Belfast. There is no backstory, which isn’t needed since we are at war now with civilians. Diabolical situation with just enough dialogue to keep us connected to the story.

The story concerns the very beginning of “The Troubles.” The violent 30-year conflict in Northern Ireland was rooted in the country’s constitutional status. The movie doesn’t explain “Troubles.” 71 is an experience, a slice of life that will forever be embedded in the souls of those who fought in this bloody war.

The story follows one soldier (O’Connell). His first maneuver is a nerve racking riot on the streets of Belfast. He accidentally gets separated from his unit and is abandoned without a weapon. He tries to survive the night alone in a maze-like landscape with people after him. He has no idea who he can trust, but is scared beyond imagination – it’s intense. The movie is so believable, I thought it was based on a true story. But I haven’t been able to determine whether that is true.

Demange challenges the audience at the outset by introducing the soldier’s son. They spend quality time together, so I was emotionally attached from the beginning and continued to have my fingers crossed throughout his ordeal. O’Connell’s breathtaking performance kept me in awe. He drives the whole movie.  I encourage you to see this movie for the talented work of everyone involved.

“Serena” With Lawrence and Cooper

book, drama, history, movies, romance, , , , , ,
serena

Directed by Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier, who is known for taking on big and complicated stories, took a wrong turn with Serena.  The movie is beautifully shot by Morten Søborg, but that is about as far as it goes, which makes this topic a little tough for me to write since I like to keep them positive.

Serena is a well-known book by Ron Rash and was adapted for the screen by Christopher Kyle. The movie has a stellar cast and a beautiful backdrop. Yet, the production company had the movie in the can and on the shelf for two years before it ever premiered in the movie theaters. A sure sign something is amiss. Yet, the book is very popular with rave reviews on Amazon.

I watched the movie, and it’s a hodgepodge of scenes that end terribly. I was left empty after spending nearly two hours watching a beautifully shot movie, only to care about the characters in a story not worth watching.

Skilled adaptation of a popular book is hard to find.

The story takes place around the time of the Great Depression, when we see classic automobiles and new empires being built from the bottom up by dedicated, hardworking individuals.

Jennifer Lawrence plays Serena, a beautiful and poignant young woman with a suspicious past involving her family’s Colorado lumber company. Bradley Cooper plays George Pemberton, a logging magnate in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains.  The time is before the infamous 1929 stock market crash, which puts his ability to secure a loan in peril. He also has to ward off a humane push to turn his land into a national park. That much is clear, but Serena’s role in his life is not. Sure. They love each other dearly, but what is the real story that caused Rash’s book to be so popular? What was left out of the movie or not explained in the movie that caused it to sit on the shelf for 2 years?

Serena becomes Bradley’s wife and partner in his lumber company. She does a dam good job.  They both share the goal of moving to Brazil after cashing in on the Smoky Mountain timber.  One thing that I found ambiguous was Serena.  She is a remarkable woman who can outshoot and outride any man, but she is neurotic or borderline psychotic.  Her parents ran a logging company and were killed in a fire along with other members of the company. Serena was the sole survivor, and there is a hint that she had something to do with the tragic fire.

Another unclear point is where Rachel, the mother of George’s illegitimate son, is put on the run by George after she saves Rachel and his son from murder. She tells him she is going to meet up with Jacob, who will now take care of her.  Who is Jacob? How come we didn’t see her and Jacob together before this scene?

I wish Bier had made these plot points clear-cut.  At the end of the movie, Serena’s suspicion becomes somewhat clearer. Yet, it means nothing because I am bored. The story is confusing and has a sad ending.