Mike_Wiggins Reviews

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Excellent conclusion to the series

[10/10 · 3 February 2019]

Something rare occurred at the end of the viewing of the film I was at: the audience applauded. There were also audience members still dabbing their eyes.

To me, that's all that needs to be said without giving anything away. Go see it!

CSI: Cyber: 404: Flight Not Found (2016) Season 2, Episode 11

Worst episode of CSI Cyber so far.

[2/10 · 19 January 2016]

Don't let the summary mislead you. I really DO like CSI: Cyber. But when it comes to aviation, Hollywood doesn't seem to have ANY idea about what can and can't be done in the world of flying.

First example:a co- pilot with an insulin pump???? Really???? I have my commercial license and I can not get my medical renewed because I take insulin. And the pilots with an ATP (airline transport rating), which covers all airline pilots, have far stricter health requirements. So, to me, this was an impossibility.

When the flight finally appears on the screen, it is about 500 miles off the coast (almost on top of Bermuda), yet it is announced that we'll scramble jets and they'll be there "in a few minutes". Let's see ... do the math ... 500 miles ... even at 1,500 mph = 20 minutes minimum.

There were many other points that had me groaning or laughing. In the end this was a poorly written episode. I will continue to watch the series, but I hope the producers take another look at the writing credentials of the screenwriter. This was just lazy writing and a lazy production.

Scorpion (2014–2018)

Stupid beyond belief.

[1/10 · 22 September 2014]

I have just finished watching the pilot episode of "Scorpion". All I can say is that it makes "Mr. Ed" seem like high literature. I didn't like any of the characters, the aviation situations and the resultant "fixes" make you choke with laughter, the tension was boring, and ... well there are SO many problems with this show that it needs to be cancelled ... NOW!!

I'll say it again: I have just finished watching the pilot episode of "Scorpion". All I can say is that it makes "Mr. Ed" seem like high literature. I didn't like any of the characters, the aviation situations and the resultant "fixes" make you choke with laughter, the tension was boring, and ... well there are SO many problems with this show that it needs to be cancelled ... NOW!!

Cutthroat Kitchen (2013– )

It only took one viewing to say "Never again!"

[4/10 · 24 April 2014]

The summary pretty much says it all. I had been avoiding the show as I was pretty sure I wouldn't like it. But one evening, when there wasn't much on, I chose to commit to watching one full episode. And I did.

I just wish I had listened to my inner alarm bells. Even though it was hosted by Alton Brown, who I admire a lot, the premise for the show was just mean and unsportsmanlike. What fun is there in stacking the deck so that ANY other opponents can't really perform. Forcing a cook to use a hockey skate instead of his knives (in the episode I watched) was not what I would call entertainment.

But there ARE moments where you might see a chef shine with their knowledge. In this episode, one chef was allowed to "steal" cheese from another chef. The "thief" thought he had mortally wounded his victim. But he was unaware that his victim was very smart and had wisely brought out enough ingredients from the pantry to make her OWN cheese. Clever.

In the end, I don't like this type of gaming. It's like watching a game of high school football players going against an NFL team (to me, at least). And that's why I say "Never again!"

The Big Brain Theory (2013– )

Too much backbiting, not enough science

[6/10 · 10 May 2013]

After watching two shows I'm ready to call it quits. While there is interesting science and unique thinking going on, I am tired of the angst, the backbiting and the deplorable "who do you think should be fired?" programming formulae. Eecch!! To me it totally ruins the show to the point I don't care about ANY of the contestants.

And as for leadership, I haven't heard where leadership is one of the criteria for failure, but it's what caused the first person to be sacked. And what's with this bringing back a person who's been sacked. Where's the basis in reality for THAT?

There have been similar shows in the past, like "Junkyard Wars" and "Mythbusters" that make the science fun, interesting, and even educational. "The Big Brain Theory" needs to be "re-architectured" to show true innovation and scientific analysis at work. In other words, concentrate on the science and not on the interpersonal squabbling.

6 out of 10.

Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

A Surprisingly Well Made Piece of Dark Sci-Fi

[7/10 · 18 July 2011]

Usually when you watch a sci-fi film, the first half usually piques your interest only to sink into a confusing and badly written second half ("Star Trek V" comes to mind.). "Johnny Mnemonic" has the unique distinction of having a rather bad first half being saved by the second half. There were moments of badly delivered lines and situations, which I fully blame the director for. There were cuts where the demeanor of Keanu Reeves changed confusingly. Again I blame the director and continuity supervisor. There was, IMHO, more gore than necessary. But that's a matter of taste. And, to make matters worse, I wasn't sure of what I was watching.

There was a LOT of good things about the movie. It told a sci-fi story about a dark and bleak future....somewhat similar to "Blade Runner". And it did it well. There were an amazing amount of sets, extras, and really well done computer effects. There was even one really well filmed shot in a hospital that reminded me of the long scene from "Gone With The Wind" showing the dead and dying in the Atlanta train yard. Many of the secondary actors (especially Henry Rollins as "Spider" and Ice-T as "J-Bone") were surprisingly good and helped to raise my rating of the film from an initial 4.0 to an overall 7.0 rating.

If you aren't into a lot of foul language and/or gore, I'd steer clear of this film. But if you want to see a surprisingly well made piece of dark sci-fi, this is a film worth giving a chance to watch.

Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020)

H5O (new) is to H5O (old) as Mission Impossible (new) is to MI (old)

[5/10 · 19 October 2010]

I saw the first half hour of one of the episodes and was disappointed with what I saw. I'm going to give it a few more tries, but I'm not holding out any hope.

As a fan of the first H5O, one of the things I noticed was that most of the shots were indoor shots. And, to me at least, very few (if any)outdoor shots where you saw BOTH the actors AND the Hawaiian scenery together. The car scenes I saw were shot from above, a technique that can be duplicated in any Hollywood back lot. An interior shot showing a beach background could EASILY have been a green screen shot. The original H5O was at LEAST 90% shot in Hawaii (including the interiors). That was one factor that added to the richness of the show. Here, I see gorgeous stock footage of Waikiki locations, but I don't remember any where the actors are in the scenery. So, to me, I can't shake the suspicion that the show is filmed mostly in Hollywood with outdoor scenery thrown in for good measure. At least in the old show you would see McGarrett having a conversation, interviewing someone, etc. at a recognizable Hawaiian location. There used to be a HUGE number of outdoor shots. I didn't see many in the episode I perused.

Also the executive producer said: "The characters in "Hawaii Five-0" will be more three-dimensional than during the series' first run, with their own troubled histories, unpredictable family ties and personal mistakes...". Say again? The show was never about the personal lives of the characters, unless it connected to a crime that was being investigated.

And why was the first episode I watched one of female victimization? Yes I realize that occurs in the real world, but I'm tired of Hollywood using this tired plot device so very frequently.

And having McGarret resorting to torture techniques is way out of character. He would NOT have done that....even to Wo Fat (who WOULD have).

I think this rendition of Hawaii Five-O is a cookie-cutter of previous New York based police dramas with a few Hawaiian references scattered about. I think it's lazy and sloppy writing with little TRUE originality.

As for the opening credit music, I'll actually give that a 7...BUT I could tell that it was shortened, and was mostly electronic. Does it REALLY cost that much to hire a real orchestra for a television series?

In the end, as my subject line says, I feel that this show is NOT Hawaii Five-O. It has some of the same structure but it does not resemble the original, nor does it have the same charisma as the original did (except toward the end when the original series became unwatchable), and is not as intriguing a show as the original was. I will try to watch it a few more times, but I'm afraid the "taste" is going to be bittersweet.

Leonardo (2009)

Excellent short film on Leonardo da Vinci studying how to fly.

[9/10 · 8 June 2009]

I just saw "Leonardo" at the Newport International Film Festival as part of the "Short Films For 6+" showing (June 2009).

"Leonardo", is a humorous and endearing film that pays homage to a person and a process. The person is Leonardo, the genius. The film follows Leonardo da Vinci as he attacks the problem of human-powered flight through observation of how birds fly, then what his solution is to the problem. Although the character of Leonardo is anthropomorphic, you still feel you are witnessing a genius of a man who seems to have insatiable curiosity and drive. One can't help but reflect, through the humor, of where modern civilization would have been if Leonardo's inventions had been taken more seriously.

The process is two-dimensional animation (2D animation). This movie was created in 2D to help keep this age-old process alive. As you watch the movie you will notice items like unfinished pencil sketches, animator's markings in the corner, but also (and brilliantly I might add) other notes that appear momentarily through the film, but written in Leonardo's handwriting and style (upside down and backwards). Part of the genius in the film is that it was done in pencil-sketch style. While this is an obvious short cut, where it is clever is that the sketches were done in a way to remind you of Leonardo's own drawings. So the sketches fit the man, and it's almost as if Leonardo himself created the animation.

Leonardo is not alone. He has a support cast (albeit a minor one) of doubters and helpers. And in here, Mr. Capobianco (the animator, the director and a Pixar alumnus) has added the soul to the film. His keen observations and knowledge of character movement show that he was willing to take the time in this labor of love to add, for example, the gentle swaying of a cow's udder as it was walking. On a film that was done mostly on weekends, this shows how important this level of detail is for a professional animator, even in this animation étude. Mr. Capobianco has also not forgotten to use the "what if?" device to set up situations that add significantly to the film.

I don't want to say too much more about the story. I want you to be as enchanted as I was when I saw it. "Leonardo" is 9 minutes of pure enjoyment. Try not to miss it! My vote is 9 out of 10.

Leverage (2008–2012)

Excellent new TV series! Well worth watching!

[10/10 · 12 December 2008]

It usually takes me about three episodes of a new series to decide if it's worth continuing to watch. With "Leverage" I was hooked after the first 15 minutes. I think it's because it seemed to be an amalgam of some of my favorite TV shows of the past. This includes "The Equalizer" (righting wrongs using unconventional methods), "Mission Impossible" (the TV series)(putting a great team together to work towards a common goal), and "Banicek" (solving seemingly perfect crimes).

What I really like about it is the team. It is made up of very independent individuals who are master criminals. The key is how they have been enticed to work for Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton's character). They all contribute to the cause and, because of it, find they are a very powerful force that can get them more of what they are looking for. There is also a camaraderie that I haven't seen in a long, long time.

What I also like about this show is that it is not dark and seedy. While there is violence, it is not gratuitous. And, so far, there have been no plot lines that involve stalkers or other misogynistic individuals. One can only hope it continues that way.

While there are great special effects, great sets, great actors and great acting, etc., I find that it is the writers who deserve the lions share of praise for concocting such an enjoyable storyline.

I am REALLY looking forward to more "Leverage" episodes! 10 out of 10

Gnome (2005)

A surprisingly good film about self-discovery.

[9/10 · 16 January 2008]

When I saw this film at the Newport International Film Festival, it was one of about a dozen films in a "Shorts" program. So I had come to the screening not having read the plots too deeply or who was starring in them. I made the assumption it would be mostly unknowns.

So imagine my surprise upon seeing Lauren Graham awkwardly getting into a car with three black cross-dressers. Initially the tension was such that I thought that the filmmaker was going to go through the typical stereotypical racial scenarios. As such, I had my guard up to not like the movie.

But as the movie progressed I saw how the writer had other ideas. As Lauren Graham's character interact with the other occupants of the car, she realizes that, despite their MANY differences, there were experiences that Lauren's character could learn from. It re-reminded of why I go to the Film Festival: to see truly independent film making that cuts away at the tired story molds that Hollywood puts out and throws them in the trash. Before long I was smiling, and by the end I was laughing and satisfied with this very different gem of a movie.

Kudos to Jenny Bicks (writer and director). Here's to seeing more of your works in the future!

Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Measure of a Man (1989) Season 2, Episode 9

Best episode of the ST:TNG series.

[10/10 · 6 December 2007]

Of all the episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, this is the episode that I consider, without hesitation, to be the best episode of the series. Its brilliant writing explores many facets including the right to choose your pathway in life (be you android or not), what makes a "sentient being" ("Does Data have a soul?"), the ethics of robotics (do we have the right to make slaves out of them?), friendship, camaraderie, and other factors.

As MTDAVIES mentioned, this is the type of storyline that Gene Roddenberry wanted for "Star Trek". By the time this episode came along, most of us who watched the series were already attached to the Enterprise crew, and especially to Data as he was the foil for exploring ourselves and the human condition. To have Data be told that he didn't have the right to choose for himself was inconceivable. The resulting JAG case was riveting as well as emotional.

You just can't ask for better Star Trek than this. This also ranks very highly in the "Best Science Fiction ... period" category.

Mission: Impossible (1996)

Inexcusable revision of a classic TV series.

[5/10 · 1 February 2006]

I haven't seen this movie for a while, but I do remember that when the movie ended I was livid. It wasn't that the production was poor (it was quite well done) or that the acting was poor (no Oscars, but good solid performances by all). The problem was with the screenplay.

For those of you who did not grow up watching the Mission Impossible TV series, I can understand why you liked this movie and its sequel: you have nothing to base your opinion on except the movie. But for someone who has seen almost every episode of the Mission Impossible TV series, there were two fatal flaws in the screenplay that made me want to force-feed the screenplay back to the writers (David Koepp and Robert Towne) or at least force them to create an UNABRIDGED, G-rated screenplay for James Joyce's "Ulysses" before they are allowed to write anything else.

The first sin has to do with teamwork. In the TV series, Jim Phelps would receive instructions on his next task, and after the message had self destructed, Jim would go about selecting those individuals who would be needed to complete this particular "impossible mission." After Jim Phelps met with the members of this team to discuss what needed to be done, the show would go about showing how each individual or groupings of individuals would go about with their assigned tasks (i.e. how DO you get tons of gold bullion out of a heavily guarded and surveilled vault without arousing suspicion?). This movie ended up ONLY being about Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise's character). As a matter of fact, MI2 was, once again, ONLY being about Ethan Hunt. This is so out of character with Bruce Geller's original TV series that I felt that the only thing the movie and the TV series had in common was the name "Mission Impossible." I think the reason for this is that in this day and age of movies like "The Bourne Identity" (which I liked, by the way), the Bond movies, and others, where there is only one person who seems to have his act together, and can fight off a small army of highly trained assassins without getting scratched, the idea of the individual hero is believed to be more palatable than one showing teamwork (other than movies depicting sports or war). In the TV series, I cared about the characters … in this movie I was hoping Ethan Hunt would slip on a banana peel or something.

*** SPOILERS FOLLOW! *** *** YOU'VE BEEN WARNED! ***

The second sin was where the writers had Jim Phelps as a double agent. While it's true that a writer can do just about anything he/she pleases for the purposes of writing a good story, you are not supposed to make major changes to an established character for the sake of the story. For example, what if there was a remake of "Forrest Gump" where Gump becomes smart enough to receive the Nobel Prize for Physics? That would be a major turn-off for me. How about Harry Potter teaming up with Valdemort to become drug overlords? How about Wallace and Gromit being ax murderers and using the victims as a spread for Wallace's "cracking toast"? You get the idea. In the Mission Impossible TV series, there were plenty of opportunities for Jim Phelps to be indicated as suspicious. But guess what? He was someone that was so committed to his team members that when one of them got captured in one episode he came up with a hastily made plan, using the remaining members (including himself), to get that member back. In other words: he was never a turncoat! Making him one in this movie was lazy and sloppy writing, was just as ridiculous a premise as the above examples, and was inexcusable in my estimation.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

For those who liked the movie, I really do understand why you did. But due to the writing I could not enjoy the movie at all. Because of this I rate "Mission Impossible" (the movie) a 5.

------------------------------------------------------

For those of you who haven't seen the TV series, take a look at a couple of episodes. I'm sure the 60's technology will be a turn-off to some, and many of the plots DO strain the limits of believability. But many of the plots also embodied a spark of originality and creativity that I embraced and always had me wondering how in God's name they were going to pull off THIS one. Getting the gold bullion out of the vault was one such episode (mentioned above). Another episode that is seared in my mind was how they managed to get a criminal to reveal the location of a stolen stash of millions of dollars before the statue of limitations expired. Yet another episode (the one mentioned previously about the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) team member who was captured) was frightening in the way it portrayed the captured member being interrogated with special emphasis on trying to discover what this members' worst fears were and how to exploit them. When the captors found out this fear happened to be of enclosed spaces they used it to maximum effect. You were shown how the sanity of the member started to unravel and how that member started to crack, almost giving away the existence of the IMF. In other words, the TV series was about SO much more than just one character "whuppin' ass".

Corpse Bride (2005)

Tim Burton and Danny Elfman do it again with a macabre romance only they could successfully make!

[9/10 · 5 January 2006]

I recently did something that I haven't done for over 20 years: I bought a movie soundtrack. That was because I was so enchanted by Danny Elfman's score in "The Corpse Bride" that I HAD to hear it again ... and again. What with the haunting main melody heard throughout the movie contrasted with the catchy jazz tunes of the underworld (the name of the lounge was the "Ball and Socket") plus songs like "The Remains of the Day", "Tears to Shed", "The Wedding Song" and a brief piano solo (and a piano duo), I really felt, as some IMDb reviewers have alluded to, that I was watching a Broadway production. It was also interesting to note that Danny Elfman was the voice of the underworld band leader (Bonejangles).

*** MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW *** *** YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!! ***

Now that you know that I loved the music, I will say that I really liked the movie. I found the plot a bit weak but still quite enjoyable. While we, as the audience, are supposed to empathize with Victor's dilemma at having to choose between Victoria and the Corpse Bride, to me it lessens Victors character because it shows him as being wishy-washy and even a bit of a jerk. I just wished he were given a little more backbone. At the end of the movie, when the Corpse Bride makes her metamorphosis (quite beautifully I might add), the trouble is that there is no apparent vehicle for this change. While it doesn't ruin the movie, it kind of leaves me hanging wondering "What just happened?" For example, I would think that the maggot, who is resident in the Corpse Bride's eye, could have been revealed to really be a caterpillar and from there you have the vehicle for the change. I really liked the pre-wedding celebration in the underworld. This joyous part of the movie was probably the most difficult to compose and shoot what with all the motion. The music at some points in the celebration reminded me of Walt Disney's "Cinderella" when the mice were making Cinderella's dress. It is only one of two places (that I remember) where Danny Elfman's score shifts to major key, instead of the traditional minor key in Burton/Elfman collaborations.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

The stop-motion animation is exquisite. For example, the movement of cloth (including veils) was amazing. In the attention-to-detail arena, there is a skeleton dog in the underworld whose movements were so good I thought I was looking at a real one. It still amazes me how you can make a stop-motion production that includes the numerous combinations of pans and zooms that this movie had. I can only imagine the agony there must have been trying to shoot it, not to mention re-shoots. If you read the TRIVIA section, you will notice that "...it took the animators 28 separate shots to make the bride blink." Many other, less patient or less funded, animators would have settled for 8 separate shots.

Now, as for rating the movie, it was more difficult for me than I expected it would be. In the end I give the movie 9 stars. But I will say that without Danny Elfman's score, I would have rated "The Corpse Bride" at 8 stars. To those in IMDb-land who have made comparisons between Elfman and Richard Rogers, I am beginning to believe you're absolutely right.

Ryan (2004)

Outstanding animated short

[10/10 · 14 June 2005]

I saw this film at the Newport International Film Festival a few days ago (June 12, 2005). It won an award at the Festival for Best Animated Short.

I am an animation enthusiast who has created some of his own experimental animations. Up until seeing "Ryan" I didn't know the film existed and the NIFF did not list it as an Academy Award winner. So I went into the theater to see a series of short animated movies of which "Ryan" was included.

When I LEFT the shorts program screening, I couldn't help thinking of how profoundly moved I had been after having seen "Ryan". The imagination and creativity that went into the making this short were nothing short of incredible. The two main characters were fragmented and distorted in a way that represented (as many of you have said) the disintegration of the psyche and persona of the individuals. But the faces still had shreds of their original faces included. This was one of the animation techniques that amazed me the most because I really could not tell if the facial shreds were computer generated or rotoscoped from the faces of actors then applied to the individual shreds.

This movie was also laid out as an animated documentary, which is unusual. This means that there isn't much action. Everything is in the interviews that were conducted throughout the film. This means the animators had to REALLY pay attention to the small details. One detail in particular occurred towards the end of the film. This detail shows all street signs, store fronts and window writing written backwards. But if you look closely in one of the windows, you will see the reflection of one of the characters, and he is a complete being. So the world we have been taken to in this marvelous film is very similar to the world Alice stumbled into when she went through the looking glass.

This is a very definite 10 out of 10. Most of my points are awarded for imagination, creativity and for telling a moving story about someone I had never heard of before.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Edit 10/17/2011

Entire film on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrsVa3CzQj0

Blue Dog Blues (2004)

Very entertaining cartoon made the old fashioned way with 3-D methods.

[9/10 · 9 June 2005]

I saw this short yesterday (June 8, 2005) at the Newport International Film Festival and found it to be highly entertaining.

*** MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW *** This is a story about how a blue dog, with a case of fleas (I think), gets one of those conical guards put on to keep the dog from continually scratching itself. The trouble is that the owner doesn't take the guard off when it comes time to feed the dog. As a consequence, the dog has to figure out how to get the dog biscuits out of his bowl. The results are hilarious.

I give this film a lot of credit because it tells a story that is easy to understand and easy to follow. While it was created using computer generated imagery, the director maintained enough restraint with the CGI to make sure that the story line was first and foremost.

The other comment I have is that this is one of the first animated films I have seen in a long time (not since the Baby Herman/Roger Rabbit cartoons and the Pixar shorts) that I consider to be in the same league as Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Robert McKimson, Ian Freling, Hannah & Barbera (in their MGM days), Disney, and so many others. The reason I say this is because the director not just tells the story, he fully exploits the "What if ..." possibilities of a dog and his elusive biscuit.

My only negative comments (and they really are minor) have to do with the scene transitions which were many and I considered each of them to be too long. I also wish the director had come up with a better ending.

I hope to own this film one of these days.

Seamless (2005)

An interesting look into the world of fashion.

[7/10 · 8 June 2005]

I just saw this documentary film at the Newport International Film Festival last night (June 7, 2005) and have to say that I liked it a lot.

This is a film about how the fashion industry (which included Vogue magazine), in order to encourage new and upcoming fashion talent, create a fund to provide incentive capital to a designer who has, not just well thought out clothes, but also has the business sense to survive. It is a tale about how the fashion industry realizes that there doesn't seem to be anyone replacing the likes of well known but aging designers and how they realize that something needs to be done to encourage growth. It is also a look about how terribly difficult it is to take a business idea, especially in the fashion industry, and make it grow.

A panel of judges is formed to screen approximately 175 potential candidates. The movie starts at the point where there are 10 semi-finalists. The movie follows three of these semi-finalists from visits to their workshop(s), putting on a public fashion show, putting on another "show" in front of the judges with the designers choice of 5 of his/hers best outfits (one finalist, who was not one of the three filmed, only made shoes, another made jewelry), plus grill sessions concerning business sense, etc. At the end of the movie there is a banquet where the top prize is awarded. With only one winner, you, as an audience, have been so well manipulated by the film that you feel almost instant grief for those others who didn't win. It is a well told story! To give you an idea as to how well, considering I don't follow the glitterati of the world (especially in fashion), I came away from the movie thinking how I would like to get a tuxedo from this one designer.

So why did I rate this a 7? In short: cinematography and editing. After the screening last night I came close to asking the director if the budget had been so tight that he couldn't afford a tripod. This was because the entire movie (at least it SEEMED like the entire movie) was one jerky scene after another (especially in the public fashion show). In a few other scenes the camera was not focused on the subjects but, rather, on the wall beyond the subjects. This, to me, was quite irritating because I was not allowed enough opportunity to appreciate and evaluate the clothes that were so vital to the survival of the contestants. I realize that the hand-held camera technique is supposed to lend an air of authenticity to the film. In my opinion, however, it should only be used when a) it is absolutely mandatory (filming in a white-water raft or in very close quarters with a moving subject, for example), b) when you can't afford SteadiCam equipment and/or operators, or c) when you can't afford a tripod. A good example of a good balance between hand-held technique and traditional tripod/dolly/etc. methods is "Day For Night" (La Nuit Americaine) by Francois Truffaut.

And as for editing, is it really too much to ask to have a minimum cut of 3 seconds instead of 3 frames? While this complaint did not happen much (fortunately), when it did occur during the public fashion show I felt cheated because I was not allowed the opportunity to make my own evaluations of what had been created by these people the movie was trying to get us to embrace. The only time I have seen quick cuts used effectively is for flashback sequences, otherwise I find it irritating, as it was when I saw "Moulin Rouge".

Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie well enough to want to see it again. Only next time I'm going to wear glasses with self-leveling electronics in them.

Das Boot (1981)

The best submarine film ever made.

[10/10 · 25 March 2005]

While it has been a very long time since I have seen this movie, it is one of the very few that I own. Wolfgang Petersen's magnificent accomplishment in "Das Boot" is reiterating the dictum that "war is hell", no matter which side you look at it from and no matter where the battlefield is located.

*** Minor spoilers ***

The plot has been well described by other viewers so I won't rehash it again. But my personal observations, as an ex-submarine sailor, are that Petersen probably portrayed life on board the sub pretty accurately. I say "probably" because todays subs are hotels compared with the German U-boats and American submarines. The commonality between yesterday and today is how the crew deals with being closed up in a "sewer pipe" for weeks at a time. More importantly, you as a viewer become an invisible crew member as the crew lives in very cramped conditions (American WW2 subs used to be called "pig boats"), deals with an unfortunately believable political officer, deals with drills, actual torpedo firings, actual ships casualties, and deals, most frighteningly, with retribution from the "enemy". My own experience watching the depth charging of the U-boat was such that I was thinking "stop it, Stop It, STOP IT, STOPITSTOPITSTOPIT...!!!!!" That's how real it felt to me. For the rest of you, I feel certain you will too be dragged in and know what it is like to live on board a WW2 U-boat.

This movie also shows how leadership is so important in keeping the crew (and ultimately the sub) together. Petersen's direction for Captain Lehmann-Willenbrock was masterful because it didn't portray the captain as a god. It showed him as a man who knows how to lead, knows his submarine as if he were married to it (and in many ways he is) but isn't perfect at the job. It also shows that even with great leadership qualities, Captain Lehmann-Willenbrock can not do the job alone: he must have both officers and enlisted men who have the knowledge and skill to not just do their jobs, but to also advise the captain. Petersen also managed to give each member of the crew their own separate personalities instead of the predictable cookie-cutter personalities that Hollywood feels is needed.

I could go on and on. So I will close by saying that with the plot, direction, cinematography, acting, sound, music, editing all being top notch, this is one of the few movies that I can truly rate a 10 out of 10. I also preferred the German version with subtitles.

------------------------------------

I believe that this movie was either the first or one of the first to use Steadicam technology. It was truly amazing for me to see a camera zip its way through a submarine, specifically through the open watertight doors, without a break in the filming. Up until I heard what Steadicam was, I was always wondering how Petersen managed to hide the camera dolly track or the wires the camera hung from.

(It turns out I was wrong: "Bound For Glory" was the first.)

EDIT (12 OCT, 2006): I have been corrected by an observant viewer. Wikipedia has the following comment on what I thought was Steadicam usage:

"Most of the interior shots were filmed using a hand-held Arriflex of cinematographer Jost Vacano's design to convey the claustrophobic atmosphere of the boat. It had a gyroscope to provide stability, a reinvention of the Steadicam on a smaller scale, so that it could be carried throughout the interior of the mock-up. Vacano wore full-body padding to minimize injury as he ran and the mock-up was rocked and shaken."

So, literally, a Steadicam was NOT used in the filming of "Das Boot". However, a camera that resembled Steadicam in function (in the way it gyroscopically leveled the filming platform) was used.

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Even though todays submarines are far cleaner then their predecessors, and we have refrigerators, freezers, air conditioning, are able to take showers, etc., there is one aspect of living in an enclosed space that still lives on: the smell. While the smell of the "pig boats" of WW2 was truly atrocious, even with todays ability to clean the atmosphere, you can not escape the fact that any smell that is created, from burned toast in the galley, from the smell of the "sanitary gasses" (to be kind), to gasified hydraulic oil and diesel fuel, all these particulates will eventually become absorbed in your clothing. You, as a sailor, may get used to it, but when you get home, your wife will most likely declare that you smell like a submarine and demand that whatever you are wearing get thrown in the wash ... immediately!

The Way I Look at You - Five Stories of Driving School (1999)

Delightful movie on the most unlikely of subjects.

[9/10 · 25 March 2005]

As I write this, it is 2005. I saw this movie at the Newport Film Festival in 2001 (?) and I can't seem to forget it (not that I want to).

*** Minor spoilers ***

This gem of a movie takes the viewer on a look of humanity through the experiences of five foreign nationals attempting to get their drivers licenses in Switzerland. While on the surface this description may seem boring to some, the script is anything but. The reason for this is because you aren't just learning how to drive, you are looking at the stories of five different students and their respective instructors. And because of this you start to look at yourself and your fellow human beings.

In one case you see a Swiss instructor, while being a great teacher, has to hide personal issues with the ever increasing number of foreign nationals coming into Switzerland. Conversely you have another instructor, with an Asian background, who amusingly tries to teach the "zen" of driving. But the story that keeps coming back to me and beckons to be viewed again and again is the story of the Portugese woman.

It takes a great craftsman to create a finished diamond out of a seemingly innocuous piece of rock. It takes an equal talent to take a cube of solid marble and turn it into "David" or other masterworks. In film making, in my humble opinion, it takes a great writing/ directing/ editing team to have the vision to take on a banal subject such as teaching five people how to drive and turning it into a film that may leave you with a tear in your eye at the end. "La Bonne Conduite" is just such a film.