Change Your Image
r-e-witt
Reviews
American Masters: A. Einstein: How I See the World (1991)
Try Amazon and Ebay for VHS copy.
Even though this was produced by PBS in part with our tax dollars, they only ever made it available on VHS and only for a limited time. I doubt they would make it available again because much of the content is not now considered "politically correct." There is only an info page about it at the PBS website now, with carefully filtered content. It is not available for streaming regardless of our taxpayer dollars having at least partially funded it. There are VHS copies as of this date available on Amazon and eBay. I found this video very compelling and it is interesting to compare it with the more recent and "politically correct" works on Einstein.
The Blackheath Poisonings (1992)
The Most Well-Made Drama Ever Not Worth Seeing
I expected at least a little enjoyment out of this piece. What a terrible waste of talent and time. I sat through the whole film. I strongly recommend that you do not. With all the effort made in acting, costumes and settings, this work simply has no soul. I wish I had not spent the time. The end, with it's swift shallowness, makes the loss of the time spent even more regrettable. There is not a moment of uplift, either. It's almost as if someone needed to crank this piece out simply to use up the funds. And with so little effort it could have been so much better. All the actors certainly did what they could. The scenery, film work,props and costumes cannot be faulted. It simply fails as a whole. So sorry.
Sicko (2007)
A Hero for Everyone Who Wants It For Free
Michael Moore is a hero for collectivism and for all those who want "free health care." But the truth is that there is no such thing. All around the world people are suffering and even dying waiting in line for "free health care," while even more people are being slowly bled to death under the burden of paying for it. Now, in some parts of the world, people are even being told that the government will soon refuse to give you the "free health care" you pay for with your taxes if you don't comply with the government's proscribed lifestyle. Now, perhaps more people will get the message that nothing works under collectivism, and that with the making of this film, Michael Moore has become a drummer for Big Brother.
Eye of the Needle (1981)
Well worth watching.
I stumbled on this film while researching Donald Sutherland. I have just watched the 1981 Juniper Films version on an MGM DVD copyright 2000. I enjoyed the film and thought it well worth watching. It was beautifully filmed and very well-acted. I enjoyed it enough to watch again in the future. According to what I'm reading here at the IMDb, there exist several versions with different endings. The final scene in this version must have been a not-too-carefully-done reverse. It is as if one is flying away from the beach and up and around the lighthouse. Why reversed? Because if you look carefully, smoke is going *down* the chimney!
Bandidas (2006)
Just awful.
This film was awful: unfunny and tastelessly sexually exploitative. It had no soul, and was a sad waste of talent and production. With all the beautiful scenery, fine film work and high production values, it still came across empty-handed. I'm sure everyone worked hard to make this film a reality, but the end product is shallow and trite, and the sexual humor falls flat and is rendered tasteless. It lumbered along from start to finish without ever really coming alive and engaging the viewer. I wanted very much to enter into the world of this film, but even during the "training" scenes with Sam Shepard, there was just nothing to take hold of.Even the attempt to parody and/or pay homage to other western films only made things worse. A film that's not meant to be taken seriously can still have a heart; this one just didn't.
Around the World with Orson Welles (1955)
Wonderful; not to be missed!
The DVD version I've seen has five episodes: St. Germain Des Pres, Chelsea Pensioners, Madrid Bullfight and Pays Basque I & II. Films like this are as close as we may ever come to traveling in time. Welles' inimitable self is revealed here as nowhere else as he travels about Europe, meeting, greeting and interviewing. A rich "cast of characters," the real people encountered on the journey, make for a remarkable study. At times, not only is the influence of the recent war apparent, but also the ominous sense of life at the "dawn of the nuclear age." It's a shame only that there aren't more episodes. Long live Orson Welles!
The Alamo (2004)
Boring? Only for the jaded and empty of heart.
An excellent piece of the kind of real value and craftsmanship not seen enough today. Once in awhile a film comes along that stirs those who have not been spoiled by too much gratuitous violence, too many special effects and too much low humor. It should come as no surprise that it seems tedious to those who have developed a taste for these. This movie would certainly be boring to the jaded, empty-hearted souls whose only purpose in viewing films is to expose themselves to the latest technique for stirring their prurient interests. This film will hold its own and be watched and respected long after most of the time-wasting nonsense being made today has been forgotten. That this kind of work is being done gives hope for our cinematic future.
The Lost Son (1999)
Well-filmed thriller, worth watching.
It is interesting that "8MM," with a plot so similar, came out the same year. I found this film more interesting and believable and far less dark and stomach-turning. It is well-filmed and acted with some interesting locations. The tension is well-metered. I enjoyed the colorfulness of the filming. The cosmopolitan/European flavor lends a great deal. I enjoyed the music as well. I would see this film again with a friend.