magic8ballfl Reviews

Woodstock (1970)

The Mother Of All Documentaries!

[9/10 · 28 June 2003]

I was 8 years old the time this event took place and having older siblings into the times, styles, and cultures of the era I certainly got a feel and liking for the bands in this documentary. I have seen bits and pieces of this event throughout the years, but never took the time to sit down and watch the whole event from start to finish; that is until last weekend. This definitely is what music documentaries have used as the measuring stick to define themselves ever since. The Director's Cut, which is what I viewed, is 224 min in length. It's amazing how one can get "sucked into the experience" and not notice the time elapsing! The Remastered version is incredible especially regarding the visual and audio equipment used in that time period. The 2 channel effect with the split screen is interesting and keeps the viewer entertained by the different sounds and noises in the interview segments. Best musical and visual picks are Jimi Hendrix, CSN, Country Joe (cute use of the "bouncing ball" - can we say Karaoke?), Jefferson Airplane, and my favorite Janis Joplin. If you're a period person, grew up in the late 60's, or appreciate classic rock music, then I urge you to go and watch this classic piece of work.

9 out of 10 ***

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

A "Must See" on any serious movie buff's list!

[10/10 · 28 June 2003]

I think Everyone else has summed up the movie in a nutshell, and my 2 favorites scenes are the defense grilling Judy Garland's character, and the final speech Spencer Tracy makes upon the sentencing. The only other thing, other than saying this is a "tried and true" classic, is that one should spend a rainy Sunday watching this movie back to back with "Schindler's List". You will be left with a very good history lesson of a shameful period in our world!

Slapsie Maxie's (1939)

A Most Enjoyable Short Film For Boxing Fans

[8/10 · 28 June 2003]

I have recently started enjoying older movies of the past 100 years, and came across this interesting short on TCM. I thought it to be more like an episode from a potential TV series in the 40's or 50's. The acting, while certainly not of Oscar contention, it fun and harmless. It was interesting to see the light hearted slapstick humor used with real ex-boxers turned "actors". No big entertainment value here, except a "feel good" impression after seeing it. In the era of realism or big budget special effects of today's movies, it's nice to find comfort and refuge in mindless, light hearted slapstick shorts such as Slapsie Maxie's. Any movie that can leave me with a smile on my face at the end of watching it gets a vote from me!

8 out 10 ***