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The Thousand Plane Raid (1969)
Jackass of a Leader!
Christoper George's portrayal of a bomb group commander is terrible. He ruins the film for me and I really waned to like it! Hoping it would be like Memphis Belle! But Colonel Brandon is a terrible character. He doesn't listen to the men. Doesn't take anyone's advice. Goes off half-cocked before he's got all the information. Downright mean and condescending to his officers and mechanics. And even blames another pilot when he himself crashes a B-17! He's rude to his girlfriend and is really not appealing in any way. (Besides fraternizing with a subordinate officer, you wonder what she's sees in this jerk?) You actually hope he gets shot or crashes. So, I expected maybe this was part of the plot and he'd come around eventually and maybe even his pilots and crews would come to understand and respect him. Nope. Instead, he crashes on take off and shows up late to the big bomber formation and starts barking orders based on some special intuition that only he has. Then, he manages to get his whole crew shot up and never once gives LT Archer, a young pilot he grounded, a chance to actually pilot the bomber. Instead, he flies the entire mission himself refusing to give up the controls. He nearly crashes and Archer has to take over at the last moment. No decent pilot or commander would behave this way. What a jackass! When the wounded crew climb out of the burning wreck, the one he caused, everyone shows up to praise him and his plan, including his girlfriend (she doesn't seem to have a job). Does he turn to the young lieutenant and thank him for saving his life? Does he tell his men, great job! Nope. Instead he accepts all the praise for himself and barks at everyone "don't just stand there, you have a briefing to get to." And the credits rolls. No redemption, no payoff.
Space Force (2020)
Got through 3 episodes and then gave up
I was an officer in the Army and Aviator for 28 years. And I worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and I really wanted to enjoy and laugh at Space Force. It just isn't funny.
Fleetwood Mac: Unbroken Chain (2004)
Why Make a Music Documentary without any Music?
All this documentary has is some fake, canned music while some narrator tells the story of the band. He makes a lot of claims about their personal lives but doesn't seem to have any evidence. The people interviewed are not part of the band, the record label. They had titles like "BBC executive" or "Fan Club manager UK" and they say things like "I think that...." Which is code for "I have no idea because I wasn't there...." I hate these documentaries that grab up a bunch of photographs and then zoom in/out on them, or spin, or blur them, etc because they didn't do their own photography or filming. They just made up a show based on other people's work.
Becoming Queen (2004)
No Music? Why bother.
I got through about 15 minutes before I started skipping ahead looking for some actual music by Queen. Not one note of a Queen song was in this film. What a waste. Why make a documentary about a famous rock band without getting permission/rights to use the music??
A to Zeppelin: The Led Zeppelin Story (2004)
Contains no Led Zeppelin Music
I hope that's not a spoiler. You'd think a documentary about one of the most famous rock bands of the 20th Century would have A) Their Music and B) The band members themselves! They only had old black and white footage from interviews long past. Plus dozens of other people who may or may not have met LZ at some point.
I could only stand about 30 minutes or so. When they hadn't played a single note of Led Zeppelin, I was thinking "These guys don't have permission or copyright to play any music. They saved money on royalties by not using the boys themselves or their music. Now, I don't really know how these laws work, but I guess you have to purchase the right to play their songs, which comes out of your production budget. Oh well, I'm glad I didn't pay to see this otherwise I would have been mad.
The Green Inferno (2013)
Count me as a "Walk Out".
I stopped watching the DVD at home at 55 minutes. It was outrageously gory and I wasn't prepared for the graphic violence, blood, and depravity.
Netflix sent it to me as an "extra" they thought I might enjoy. Not even close. I will be sending them a strongly worded letter as well.
The acting up to the point was okay. The characters a little contrived. The dialog somewhat predictable, and I was enjoying it but then at about 50 minutes in, it goes off the rails. Maybe that's the point for fans of this kind of genre, but it is not for everyone and it is not for me. Unlike some horror films where the violence is hidden from the viewer, or implied, this is not. It is close-up, in your face, and fills the screen.
No thanks.
Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land (1983)
Spent all their budget on big stars (of the 70's or earlier)
My problem is with the sets. Very little attention to detail except for maybe the cockpit. The headquarters in Palmdale, home of the Space Shuttle and many other famous aircraft looks like a lounge in a Holiday Inn. And the high tech equipment used for operating this supersonic aircraft? A collection of Radio Shack multi-meters in "test" mode. The Nasa control room was equally pathetic. Instead of a big Mission Control "theater" we've all seen in movies and documentaries, they shot those scenes at a simple air traffic control facility with standard radar screens. Come on, didn't Nasa offer any advice? Heck, there's a real Mission Control room right there at JPL in Pasadena. No, it looks like they wasted all their money on big name stars. Many do the best they can with script they were given.
Air Collision (2012)
Hokey and Sloppy
Everything about this movie is hokey. As a former military and now commercial pilot, I could go on for hours about the technical flaws in this film, the aviation dialog alone sounds like it was written by a couple of grade school kids playing with their GI Joe dolls. Most filmmakers don't control this and don't know any better, unless they have a really good technical adviser. But let's look at the movie production, things they do have control over. Have these costume designers ever heard of an ironing board? You know, one those things you use to make a shirt look nice and crisp? From the commercial pilots to the Air Force officers on Air Force One, everyone looks like a rag bag. The shoulder boards are backwards, the shirts are too big on most actors and are so wrinkled, they look like they pulled them out of a dirty hamper. How did the director let this slide? I watched just long enough to be disgusted and turned it off. About 20 minutes.
Europa Report (2013)
Former JPL Employee - I Loved It!
I'm a space nut. Always have been. Even when I worked at JPL in Pasadena, I was often distracted from my job in Mechanical Engineering by what was going on in Spaceflight Operations. There were as many as 15 active spacecraft all over the solar system actively sending data and/or images back to Earth via the Deep Space Network. It was fascinating.
The producers of this film really did their homework. The attention to detail was superb. Right down to the emergency chem sticks in the shoulders of the flight suits. The actual images they got from NASA and JPL added an incredible level of detail to the drama. I had no trouble following the dialog, although I can see where an average audience might get lost with the science and engineering of deep space travel. I also loved the characters and found them to be very plausible. Each with their own strengths for the mission and a professionalism I have seen first hand in our astronauts.
I loved the multi-camera effect and didn't find it difficult at all. I am sure missions in the future will be recorded in just this manner.
Anyway, I plan to watch it again and look for more fun stuff. I loved it.
Brothers in Arms (2003)
He was only there for four months!!
Using tons of news and documentary footage from Viet Nam, the producers have cobbled together a tepid story of a US Navy Swiftboat crew with LT(jg) John Kerry. It is narrated by several crew members, including Kerry. Most sound very credible and it is certain that they did their duty and served with distinction and honor. John Kerry however, who only served for four months, sounds contrived, rehearsed, as if he had been reading from script or at least an outline of buzzwords. The infamous story of how Kerry earned his Silver Star is covered in detail as if to confirm the campaign rhetoric of his 2004 run for President. Kerry himself has several anecdotes where he describes his service as if he had been through an entire tour across the Meykong Delta and into Cambodia. The truth is, he found a loophole to get out after only four months and never set foot into Cambodia. What leader worth his salt would leave his crew after only four months anyway? Say what you want about his three Purple Hearts, one of which he earned by shooting himself in the arm, but again, who leaves their troops after only four months? I look to the example of the officers and NCOs of today's military who, even after losing an arm or a leg, refuse to leave the combat zone or their buddies. Some have even served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. How do they stack up against Mr. Kerry? There is no comparison.
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Music doesn't fit
SPOILERS: Don't read if you don't want find out some stuff.
I don't understand the hype about the score. It's terrible. Belongs in an episode of Little House on the Prairie, not in a great gangster flick. Some the most gritty scenes have this dreary, soap opera whine that I initially thought was coming from another TV in my house. I couldn't believe it was the musical soundtrack. Really wrecked an otherwise good movie. The live or ambient music, such as the live music at the end of prohibition was perfect. Exactly right. It's that syrupy melody that gets me right in the ear drum. The rape scene between Dinero and Elizabeth McGovern was disturbing. I kept expecting the shot would cut away. Instead it just went on and on. It could have been done without the shock value.
Submarines (2003)
Where is the military adviser?
What always burns me on a film like this, the producers have made no effort to consult a military expert for anything. Set design, uniforms, weapons, etc. These guys just wing it. Navy uniforms that look like someone just pulled them out of a hamper. Army rank insignia on the collars. (I was in the Army for 28, I know the difference). The lady JAG officer with her long hair, fail! The undisciplined SEaLs with their nervous twitching and whining; the gigantic cabins; the sailors constantly saluting everyone in sight; a Bell 222 (American) helicopter used by the Russian terrorists; so much silliness. Why is it only Hanks and Spielberg can make a good military movie? Officers eating with the junior enlisted? Candles on the dinner table? WTF? Okay, I can't watch anymore....Stopping at 23 minutes.
Over There (2005)
Over There is Over Blown
Steven Bochco's "Over There" is to Operation Iraqi Freedom what "Lost In Space" was to the Apollo program. As an OIF vet, and an officer with 24 years experience in uniform I watched the pilot episode on FX and was appalled. I watched the whole thing and gave it a chance, but It was garbage, totally unbelievable with implausible situations, characters, and dialog. Who is the military consultant on this show? Michael Moore?
Bochco and co-producer, writer Chris Gerolmo have made US Soldiers look stupid, unprofessional and completely inept. Portraying them as regulation-breaking, pot-smoking, back-talking, and risk taking was insulting to the hard-working pros that make up the vast majority of military members, especially those serving in Iraq. This production is not helping our soldiers at all; it makes them look bad at a time when we can ill afford to damage their credibility with the public. Their use of worn-out stereotypes of screaming sergeants, racism against black soldiers, sexism against female soldiers, and contempt of officers is outrageous and could not be further from the truth. They have simply taken characters out of old war movies and recast them in desert camouflage.
We don't throw rookies into the fight without any training. Troops in Iraq have been together for a long time in the US training for many months before going overseas. When they arrive in theater, they train some more. When they reach their base, they train some more. Our soldiers know each very well way before they find themselves in a firefight. The idea that new recruits would be dropped into a fire fight is Viet Nam era thinking. It just isn't done today. Our professional non commissioned officers (sergeants) do not swear at officers, or scream at their soldiers. They do not threaten them..."I'll shoot you myself." And they would never make one sergeant stay behind to train "virgins".
It is clear they had no current or former members of the Army participating. Their reference sources are "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now", plus the headlines from newspapers. They are not at all interested in what is really happening in Iraq, how Army units operate, what tremendous progress is being made, or how many lives have been changed for good now that the freedom loving people of Iraq are free from Saddam Hussein and his dictatorship.