MC1-1 Reviews

Second Opinion: Laetrile at Sloan-Kettering (2014)

Well referenced documentary on laetrile

[10/10 · 29 July 2022]

This is the kind of documentary you'd dismiss if it wasn't for the fact that they've documented everything so well.

Original video, original documents, original photos, original interviews and original studies.

If it's there in writing or on video it's really hard not to give it a lot of credibility.

It's also a good explanation of how laetrile works. Too few people understand the science... and so it tends to be misrepresented. They also refer back to the original studies... the ones some people claim don't exist.

Moss was the inside man for Sloan Kettering and this is the only reason he got copies of otherwise confidential documents.

If you want a smoking gun video then this is it.

I've yet to see a good rebuttal of the claims made in the video... although many people misrepresent the evidence. Let the evidence speak for itself.

If you would like to watch a well-documented expose of why we're not winning the war on cancer then this is a good place to start.

:-)

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

OK but not great

[7/10 · 27 February 2020]

I certainly didn't come away disappointed (which I kind of expected given many poor reviews)... but neither did I come away thinking "wow".

It probably helps if you know the back story better than most people... as the movie dotted the i's and crossed the t's for all the most important things.

In the original it felt like you were there... but in this one I kept thinking that this looked like it was a set (quite a small one often).

The pace is ferocious at times... they're trying to cram in as much as possible. This doesn't allow the characters to be developed very much.

I'm glad I saw it... and I think most star wars fans won't be too disappointed as it's not as bad as some people make it out to be.

The box office seems to tell a different story to many of the reviews (a lot of people have seen it). I have never seen so many reviews focussing on the box office... yet mostly glossing over the fact that it's been quite successful financially. Is someone out to torpedo the film?

I've never seen so many reviews focussing on minutiae in the film... while finding very few reviews that look at the big picture? I assume that some of this is paid content (people being paid to write articles)... but if it is... it's weird paid content... as all it did was keep the movie in the public eye... not encourage the reader to view the movie (a lot of it wasn't all that positive).

This movie has been hyped a lot. Fortunately it's not all bad. You're going to be disappointed if you don't see it.

:-)

Aquaman (2018)

Aquaman polarises opinions

[9/10 · 11 February 2019]

I read a bad review and only went because there was nothing else that looked promising.

I'm glad I went because I enjoyed it a LOT.

The plot was easy to follow and flowed smoothly.

The CGI was great.

A couple of the lines could have been delivered slightly better...

...but it was enjoyable anyway.

My girlfriend liked it too... and she normally doesn't like action movies: She liked the Queen (Nicole Kidman), Princess Mera and the romantic bits of the movie.

Ignore the negative reviews if you're on the fence about this one. It's highly recommended.

:-)

Indivisible (II) (2018)

Tearjerker

[9/10 · 5 November 2018]

We didn't realise the movie was set in Iraq when we went. My girlfriend is from Iraq and cried her way through the movie. She liked the movie even though it bought back painful memories.

The movie sensitively tackles the issues of the young dying in their prime... and the perceived injustice of it all. It contrasts the feelings of the dead, the injured and the uninjured in a way that challenges our preconceptions.

It's hard not to be moved by this movie.

Atheists or agnostics seeking to understand Christianity better would benefit from seeing this film.

:-)

The Red Pill (2016)

Insightful, unexpected and demonstrating some of the worst excesses of feminism

[9/10 · 29 April 2017]

A feminist explores the world of male rights activism. She comes out the other end renouncing her feminist ideology.

The film itself manages to find many remarkably insightful comments. Surprisingly many of the most insightful comments are by women.

This documentary lets the facts speak for themselves.

It's certainly not what it's portrayed to be... and the negative publicity is just helping the movie gain more traction.

Do women have anything to fear from this documentary? No. Do feminists? No.

Yet feminists feel threatened by it. Feminists seem to know very little about what's in it. If they did it seems unlikely they would respond so violently? The problem seems to be that feminists seem disinclined to listen? They seem hell bent on demonising other feminists in particular. The documentary shows a continuing pattern of bad behaviour by feminists which is quashing a meaningful discussion. Pity... because all sides have a lot to gain from some open dialogue.

The documentary is just as relevant to women as men. It has the power to touch the hearts of many women and change their world view?

Do yourself a favour and watch this.

:-)

Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe (2016)

Vaccination: Identifying problems and suggesting solutions

[10/10 · 21 April 2017]

This is by far the best vaccination documentary so far.

It's certainly not anti-vaccine. It highlights one problematic vaccine in particular but suggests how it could be taken safely. Where it identifies problems with vaccines... it also suggests solutions.

An scientist who works at the CDC, wrote one of the key articles on the safety of vaccines, says he mislead the public. This seems like a credible witness? Furthermore he produces a lot of evidence (original documents and emails) to back up his version of the truth. He seems to have archived a lot of stuff. He seems to have worked within the system to provide information to an external scientist in a legal fashion.

The CDC scientist concerned is yet to appear in front of a government committee... despite indicating that he is willing to do so.

The CDC appears to be at the very least guilty of destroying relevant documentation: in breach of laws requiring such information be archived.

It's a good example how data manipulation can take place. Anyone who works with data will realise that often numbers can be manipulated in such a way that you aren't lying but the results don't fairly represent the findings.

The film concludes with very reasonable suggestions which include removing legal indemnity from prosecution from vaccine manufacturers. This indemnity allows the manufacturers to get away with bad behaviour while the public has to foot the bill. It also means that the consequences of poor vaccination practises aren't clearly documented... and contribute to the perception that no vaccination injuries exist (yes some people claim this).

The documentary could be fairly described as a call for improved vaccination practises. It's also a documentary about very well qualified people who are calling out attention to problems in our vaccination practises.

It's an enjoyable documentary in its own right.

Do yourself a favour and watch it?

:-)

That Vitamin Movie (2016)

Good summary of the science from people with well informed opinions

[8/10 · 22 March 2017]

As editor of the Journal of Orthomolecular medicine Andrew Saul is an excellent source of information.

Andrews business is the business of referencing what he says... so what he says is backed up by research.

Andrew's story is not the only one told... but he helps glue everything together.

There are both personal testimonies and science based comment... which is an acceptable mix.

The trigger for this documentary was a guy who was lucky enough to realise that his depression could be corrected in a way he never imagined possible. Fortunately that made him keen enough to make this documentary. We're the beneficiaries of this good fortune.

Not enough people realise how important minerals, vitamins, enzymes and other compounds natural to the body are to our functioning. Without these essential nutrients our body fails to work properly... which results in illness. This is a very basic proposition which not enough people understand well. However today with an explosion in research and unprecedented access to information some people care enough to try to change the way we practice medicine.

It is not surprising to find that Andrew Saul and the other people in the documentary have no particular objection to traditional medicine... when appropriate.

This is a good documentary for anyone wanting to learn about natural science based ways of healing... and how medicine and orthomolecular (right molecule) medicine interact.

:-) PS. Orthomolecular medicine was pioneered by Linus Pauling who won a Nobel prize in Chemistry... so it shouldn't be surprising to find that it's based on science. PPS. In a couple of cases it would have been nice if they had added the references to the research they were referring to. This would have been useful because sometimes the research is a little bit hard to find or has taken on mythical properties. This is more of an issue for the casual reader than the researcher... but many people seem to have never read the original research.

God's Not Dead 2 (2016)

Enjoyable movie

[10/10 · 9 July 2016]

I really enjoyed this movie.

Have you noticed that a lot of the negative reviews have no detail?

Given the lack of detail it's hard to be sure than the negative reviewers have seen the film?

The movie is not based on an actual court case... but the sentiments expressed are the same intolerant ones that come up in schools and universities in many western countries.

We're increasingly not allowed to express our opinions in educational institutions, committees, government departments, legal forums and elsewhere. Yes people are losing their jobs or being threatened with other sanctions for disagreeing.

What we usually need is good robust debate... and we're increasingly not getting it. This movie simply illustrates some of the disconnection that is occurring.

:-)

Evidence of Harm (2015)

Mercury amalgams are ~50 % mercury

[10/10 · 24 October 2015]

Well put together summary of the science... including some personal testimonies.

The documentary shows you how you can make mercury vapour from amalgams visible using UV light.

Then it goes on to measure mercury as it's coming off the amalgam.

The levels on mercury extraction were up to 2,483 ug/m3 and the limit for exposure is 100 ug/m3. That's ~25 times the permissible level.

The documentary points out that the FDA commissioner (Hamburg) had a conflict of interest because she owned stock options in a company producing mercury amalgams. She should have recused herself from any involvement with the issue.

The documentary also points out that some people have problems removing toxins from the body... which explains why not everyone is equally affected.

Given the high levels of mercury measured it is appropriate to use hazmat suits to extract the mercury.

The Minamata convention on mercury has committed all countries to phase out the use of mercury... so it's only a matter of time before mercury stops being used.

If you want a good documentary on the hazards of mercury amalgams (or just environmental hazards?) then this is certainly worth watching.

:-)

Atlantic Rim (2013 Video)

Don't get Atlantic Rim and Pacific Rim mixed up

[1/10 · 25 December 2013]

It was painful to watch this movie:

Whoops... watched the wrong movie!!! What a mistake!

The script of Atlantic Rim was poorly developed & props were terrible:

-All female crew of the rescue sub... which looked like it was sitting in a building somewhere

-Rescue scene where they find a kid in a burning building... fires looked like they had been airbrushed in

-The inside of the robot looked like a room (which it undoubtedly was)

-Since when can anyone authorise a nuclear strike on an American city?

-Since when do military personnel refuse direct orders for no good reason (don't engage)?

-Stand back I'm going to hit the door handle with my hammer (as they broke out of a room)? They had a car standing by... they could have just rammed the door or pulled it out with a rope? It didn't look particularly strong and just pushing hard probably would have opened it?

-It looked like the rail gun the good guys were using did more damage than the monsters did!

-Who goes to a dance while they're still picking up dead bodies in the streets?

• Token white guy, token black guy (with tattoos to prove he's tough) and token girl.

-Despite being in the middle of an invasion they seem to spend every last minute of any time normally used for sleeping drinking? Then they're sober enough to perform properly on a mission? What responsible CO would permit that?

-They've got no fuel left but somehow manage to lift the monstrous beast into low orbit? Go figure?

-The powerless suit falls out of orbit and impacts on land... somehow he just walks away from that?

-The girl is the love interest... but somehow sleeps with both of them... and then they just ignore the whole thing as if it never happened?

A lot of the CGI is so bad it reminds you of Godzilla (the old version). Animated puppets? The monster is not terribly convincing.

A lot of the CGI looks like it was done with an Iphone app?

A lot can be done with a lousy CGI if you develop the script. Unfortunately the script barely holds together.

Watch Pacific Rim (the movie it was based on)... that gets the good reviews.

Atlantic Rim is what is known as a mockbuster: where they try to imitate a good movie.

:-)

Pitch Perfect (2012)

A bad movie that was almost good

[3/10 · 18 December 2012]

A lot of the singing in this movie is very good... and those bits are fun.

However so much of it is so over the top that it spoils the film.

It feels like band-aids have been stuck all over this movie to hold it together. The plot is barely continuous in many places.

The character development sucks... and it felt like the characters were trying not to say the stuff they were scripted to say. At least what you see is not what you hear.

Do we really need to see a deranged Chinese chick make vomit angels? The cute head of the choir who won't compromise? The chick with the nodes on her vocal cords is blown out of proportion. Fat Amy is a bit over the top... but is one of the things that kind of works. We have the compulsory nymphomaniac (why exactly?). Also the lesbian (also why?). It sounds more like a deranged group of girls rather than a choir. Vomit scene? Once was stretching it... second time it was just cheap laughs.

You squirm your way through this movie... when you should be enjoying it. It's like they started off with a clean slate and then added songs, jokes, characters... and at the end it was long enough to be a movie. Pity it could have been a really nice movie.

:-)

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

Do yourself a favour... watch it (If you liked National Treasure you'll like this)

[10/10 · 14 September 2010]

This was a great movie.

YES... magic is physics!!! They tie this in nicely.

Yes... they managed to avoid those dreary love scenes which often detract from the story... while still having the bad guy and a the good guy fall out over the same girl.

Plenty of magic... including an interesting take on the famous Mickey mouse as the sorcerers apprentice... scene where all the cleaning equipment goes nuts.

Enjoyed the good looking girl who saw enough in the hero to be attracted to him.

They did a really nice job tying all the chronology together including setting the scene for how our hero got to be the chosen one... and how his confidence around girls got to be so bad. Really loved the cool antique Rolls with the sporty performance. It was little touches like this that made the film engaging.

In the end it was a knowledge of science that did in the bad guys... not the magic. Nice touch!!!

This film was great fun... in the vein of National Treasure.

Do yourself a favour and watch it.

:-)

Pressure (I) (2002)

Well worth watching

[10/10 · 19 September 2003]

First few minutes of the film have you fooled into thinking it's something else entirely... anyone who turns off because of this is missing a movie which ramps up the "Pressure" notch by notch. It's not for some time that you realise how the movie gets its name...

If you try to explain this movie people get the wrong idea.

:-)