david-86864 Reviews

The Finest Hours (2016)

Makes me so very proud of our Coast Guard

[18 September 2016]

This movie has a lot of action and suspense, which is what many of us look for in a film. However, it is much more than a story of an event at sea, it is a testimony of what four men of the US Coast Guard in the '50s were willing to do despite the risk to their lives.

A full scale nor'easter stirred the waters of Massechusetts Bay, making the seas dangerously life threatening. Word by two-way radio of vessels being damaged and broken from the force of the waves demanded the local Coast Guard Commander send his men to rescue who they could.

Reluctant, initially, to respond to such a perilous task, to rescue men that may still be alive aboard one sinking vessel, the Pendleton, Boatwainsmate Bernard Webber gathered three volunteer sailors to assist him. The freezing snow, winds, rain and treacherous waters were certainly more than he and his men bargained for when they enlisted.

Webber took the helm of the craft, the size of which could barely hold him and his three man crew through fifty and sixty feet waves, finally reaching, purely by luck, the darkened liner, a 503 foot, 10.448 gross ton tank vessel that, at its start, contained a full cargo of kerosene and heating oil.

Tactics used to keep the Pendleton from sinking are a lesson to watch. During today's rescue efforts, it is the CG's option to use a helicopter for such undertakings, but when the numbers are as many as these survivors, I doubt one trip would end with Webber's results.

The bravery and single-mindedness needed to accomplish what these four men sought to do makes me very proud to know our country has such heroic individuals willing to give their lives to save complete strangers.

The Fear of 13 (2015)

Resurrection: from death to life

[10/10 · 10 June 2016]

I just finished watching "Fear of 13" on Netflix and was blown away by this true life story.

After being mistreated as a boy, Nick Yarris' young naive life took a turn. He chose to act out by doing illegal acts which eventually led him to become more than a mere suspect, but a victim of backward and judgmental law enforcement during the days prior to DNA testing.

Ending up on death row, Nick, through dedication, becomes well educated, borne out of the kindness of one guard who tells him to do one thing. That one act led to intellectual growth, after which Nick begins to seek aid from numerous officials and one particular person/organization.

This is not the sort of story one wants to pause to fix a sandwich or rush to the bathroom, as it is all too engrossing. Throughout the film, Nick is well spoken, tells his life story with words and manners that reflect the person he alone grew to become, despite having been locked in a cell, in solitary confinement, for decades. Not letting all the terrible incidents that took place in confinement to turn him into an evil person, he, instead, became filled with purpose and vision.

This film is a must watch for all fans of liberation. Please, don't miss this one.

The Deer Hunter (1978)

One of the best films ever

[10/10 · 22 May 2016]

This film is one of the most watched movies of my life, not just because it reminds me so much of my own Pennsylvania upbringing, but because of the masterpiece that it is. Unquestionably flawless in its theme, choice of actors, music, script, and accent on locations, the story well displays the great, great sacrifice of the blue collar community borne out of a sort of naive love of God and country.

It was my fortune, in the early 70s, to be skipping from one African and Middle Eastern port to another as a Navy seaman where skirmishes were near nonexistent in that part of the world. Iraq was unknown to Americans then. While I experienced rough waters and hurricanes at sea, in another part of the globe, U.S. soldiers were serving in the killing fields of Vietnam. Not one single man did we lose, compared to the large number of casualties in Nam.

Cavatina, the moving soundtrack written by Stanley Myers and performed by John Williams, adds immensely to the film. Its tenderness fills scenes where loss and hardship saturate the atmosphere to carry with it a sense of hope and restoration.

Robert De Niro is the strength of the story, the glue that keeps all the parts connected, and he plays that part superbly. This role made him a legend in the industry, beyond the fame he acquired from acting the younger Don Corleone in "The Godfather". Sadly, these days, I see him in far too many lifeless films. They have no equal depth, which is what I look for from him.

Meryl Streep and her, at that time, boyfriend, John Cazale, appeared to have no relationship at all. That part of their real lives was well hidden and a surprise to discover months later. So heartbreaking was Cazale's death due to cancer shortly after the finish of this movie. Throughout, Streep was beautiful in appearance and character.

John Savage (Stephen), as a quadriplegic, was most convincing, as was his wife, Rutanya Alda (Angela), the disheartened silent victim of circumstance. Christopher Walken, the winner of the best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of Nick, the mentally ill drug addict and suicide prone member of the trio, was well deserved. One question surfaces regarding Nick: just where did he find the insight to send his winnings to Stephen who was staying in the VA nursing home?

My recommendation is to view this film numerous times through the years. Its impact will remain with you throughout your life.

The Mighty (1998)

Caution: tears will drip

[10/10 · 22 January 2016]

Truly, one of the most tenderhearted movies I've seen. If you like to feel pure goodness and deep friendship, this movie is for you. It contains the hardships and achievements of two young teenage boys, one, a big, lonely slow student, and the other, a little handicapped genius, who, despite their barriers, show to us and themselves the possibilities of positive fantasy role playing.

At first, they are neighbors who don't really know one another. Soon, they become inseparable, joined by a deep brotherly love.

Through a series of events away from home, their attachment and dependence deepens. Unavoidably, there are realities that come into play for both of them, the last of which will cause tears to run down your face. Your feelings will surface, so keep the Kleenex close by.

Sharon Stone, in 1998, was without question easy on the eyes, and although this movie doesn't set out to display that unquestionable fact, the camera is completely unable to free us from the truth. As a caring, loving mother, she shows an understanding and sensitivity both to her son and his condition, inventiveness and intellect, responding with loving words, even while she takes risks.

Nurse Jackie (2009–2015)

A real life drama

[10/10 · 10 January 2016]

This was one series I could not stop watching. After just retiring after thirty years as a hospital employee, I had all the time in the world to click from one episode to the next. It's not unthinkable that a person with Jackie's addiction could be working in an ER. Pharmacy techs, I would say, would be the most tempted to use.

One of my lost friends was fired because of his addiction to whatever he felt he needed at the time, as he swung from self-prescribed pain to psych meds, and provided them to a couple of his friends who suffered with RA and fibromyalgia. To those sufferers, he was a true life saver, a Robin Hood. But, even for him, his work had to end, which it did, in a mindset that left him madly searching for a new direction.

The numbers of individuals today who suffer with real pain from car accidents, fibro, RA, spinal conditions and more is very high. Without a doubt, there was once many "pill mills" in this country designed to dish out any amount to whoever would pay. One man, I was told, raised a fortune by dealing with numerous pain managers who wrote out scripts for him for the most very sought-after drugs by street users. He left a bundle of money to his children when he passed away from old age. Sadly, his son today, in his thirties, cannot function well because he struggles terribly with alcoholism. A part time job as a fast food worker earns him enough to purchase cigarettes and beer while he lives on the patio of a friend.

"Nurse Jackie" did an excellent job in portraying real life with a not a too-difficult-to believe set of dilemmas inserted. The lies, the relationship issues, the jumping from one set of rules to another, the complete inconsistency of one's life, are real conditions of addicts' lives.

How well hidden some folks are able to lie their way through life with acquaintances, friends, family members, coworkers, and rehab employees. Like the young boy with green hair, they know their life is owned by one substance or another. That is what life is about for them, just another mind alteration ahead. As a musician, I've seen these traits in action among fellow artists.

This series is a wake-up call to the nation, but should not be used to foster the complete blocking of much needed pain meds for the truly ill, like those with cancer and nerve conditions that bring along with them pain and, all too often, a desire to commit suicide.

It is those with real pain who need help, whether they fall into a kind of addiction or not. They need relief. That's what's wrong with this country today. In an effort to rid it of the abusers, it's killing the actual victims "living" with the most profound levels of pain. Let's allow them to live a life the best they know how, even though they sway from, in the least, bouts of constipation and the lack of concentration.

Life is too precious to allow for the depths of agony pain sufferers today feel. Let's be compassionate. Let us pass medical marijuana laws and allow the use of medicine to provide relief for the victims of pain.

Battle at Bloody Beach (1961)

Still a hero

[2/10 · 31 December 2015]

What is there to add regarding this cinematic failure? It has a lot to dislike, including it's terribly written script; vacant, dull and useless film space, and lack of convincing combat. Without a doubt, it is one of Audie Murphy's worst choices -- to act in this horribly boring, low budget flick.

Just why do well known actors do this? Maybe Audie was in dire need of the little cash this part provided him. I tell myself, had I known him personally, that I could have taught him how to manage his finances and to resist gambling. He could have been amazingly well situated, free from the need to pick up the spare change such cheap diversions earned him; but, we must not forget, he fought an inward battle as well with PTSD, which can halt a man's perspective of his entire history: past, present and future. He will do anything to attempt to rid himself of his thoughts when he's alone.

Still, we continue to hold Audie Murphy dear, and are always willing to give him praise and honor no matter his choices. Why? Because he truly was a hero. An inwardly torn one, for sure, yet still a notable figure.

Had someone in his life known more, maybe that person could have helped him, saved him from his own destructive thoughts and behaviors. Unfortunately, so little was truly understood of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in those days, which, even today, men and women, victims of having experienced life in harm's way, continue to battle within themselves.

After working nearly thirty years in a VA hospital, I've seen men return home with it. Relationships suffer, insomnia takes a toll, and poor habits and addictions latch hold. Withdrawing from the world may also set in. Whatever the symptom, these men deserve our lasting respect and honor.

Lonely Are the Brave (1962)

A Sign of the Times

[8/10 · 12 December 2015]

Jack Bondi is a confessed cowhand and loner, not into setting up house with anyone, but still able to love, although not in a typical fashion. What surrounds him must allow for his special brand of solitude and his slowly fading, cowboy ways.

His horse, Whiskey, is fidgety, likes to play, and dislikes the encroaching roads and signs as much as Jack does. They command, as Jack lists them,"no hunting, no hiking, no admission, no trespassing, private property, closed area, start moving, go away, get lost, drop dead!" Please, don't read more of this if you don't want to know what takes place within the jail.

Jack wants to free his friend, Paul Burns, from the local jail. Paul has two years to endure before his release for assisting illegal aliens. A previous bar brawl, which netted him an arrest, didn't open that door, so he hits a cop to earn a one year stretch, knowing he won't be there long. But Paul doesn't want to escape, which leaves Jack to break out alone to flee into the mountains with Whiskey. It is their attempts to reach the peak and down into the woods on the other side, which would eventually lead to Mexico, that takes up most of the movie.

Overall, it's a good film, despite the disappointment some may feel toward the end. If the reader loves horses, then this one's for you, as it shows just how inseparable an owner and his/her mount can become.

The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014)

The good, the bad, and the ugly

[10/10 · 5 December 2015]

Again, another of Ken Burn's masterpieces well worth watching and learning. In the following, I will be exposing the reader to historical events. If one does not want to learn of them at this time, please do not go any farther.

Of all that Theodore managed to accomplish in his seven years as President by:

• Taking on the monopolies of big business and threatening to use the Army to run them for the sake of maintaining fairness and a continual flow of necessities at a reasonable cost

• Setting aside national parks and preserves at the combined size of Texas, including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, among others

• Reaching out to the average man and giving him hope

• Buying and building the Panama Canal after taking that region from the Columbians by arming the Panamanians and sending in troops

• His willingness to display courage and aggression against who he perceived as the enemy, i.e. during the taking of Juan hill in Cuba ...and there is so much more for which he deserves praise.

But, I cannot get my thoughts around the fact that within the space of eleven months, while hunting big game in Africa -- a pastime I hate so very much -- he sent and carried back home with him over 11,000 pelts of lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, birds, and every conceivable animal from that continent. I hate him for displaying such evil and wickedness, and wish he had been the one born disabled so as to make him unable to initiate such a horrible holocaust.

Call the Midwife (2012– )

Love is the theme

[10/10 · 16 September 2015]

Very touching series, full of the kindest remarks and a giving to others that one seldom witnesses in film. The remarks made by the nuns and nurses are saturated with words that edify and never condemn.

Seldom do I shed tears, but with this series I cannot stop them. I want to be like what it is I hear the actors speaking. I want those words to be on the tip of my tongue.

Love is life giving, isn't it? From this series, one sees that love is born from the knowledge of and willing obedience to God's set of virtues, not something of man's own making. Even in the hardest sayings is there love to be felt.

My applause to the writers and to the actors who are so able to convey this message.

War Room (2015)

A timely message, don't miss it

[10/10 · 8 September 2015]

Absolutely the whole counsel of God is shared in this movie. Nothing was left out, not the reality of Satan and his intentions, not the existence of sin, not the truth that all we like sheep have gone astray, not that our righteousness, apart from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is as filthy rags. It is all there, the truth shared with a pure heart fervently.

Finally, the Church can watch a movie that speaks faith and shows the hand of God in the lives of His people. Taking the Lord at His Word, living it, loving it, breathing it, memorizing it. Such is the bread of life!

For man shall not live by a baker's loaf alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. The message of this movie is exactly that. Man must decide today, "Whom shall ye serve? God or mammon?" Choose this day. Don't wait. Now is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time.

If this country will, with a contrite heart, bow to the King of Kings and repent, and turn from their wicked ways, then will He hear from heaven and heal our families and our land!

If I Stay (2014)

May the best genre live

[3 September 2015]

I was struck and very attached to the beautiful face of Chloe. That is really what got me through the movie, as well as the family dynamics. I don't view it as a possibility to mix a truly classical mind with that of a teenage rock wannabe idol. The two just don't combine well, except, of course, when background is added to some soft rock pieces. So, that is what the movie was about to me: the attempt to mix the two genres.

Personally, I see it as impossible at the level one has to understand and memorize centuries old cello solos compared to three or four chord rock songs that really don't tend toward peace. Instead, they're about a mixture of feelings and breakups in a chaotic world, whereas cello solos come from a more profound depth in the soul of the player and listener where God speaks. In order for the real winner to be, the cheapest music had to be dropped, and it was. Let the cello live on.