Sunday, November 10, 2013

Ken Burns..The War

I just finished watching "The War" a seven episode documentary by Ken Burns. It's a very in-depth coverage of World War Two. Available on demand on Netflix.

By watching each episode, it gets you ready to appreciate the last part #7. In it, you see the utter devastation discovered in Germany when it was liberated. And you get a feel as to why dropping the bomb was a reasonable decision.

The Burns documentaries are always so well done (I recently watched the one on Prohibition) They make history come alive and give you an appreciation for what you've got, whether it's the right to drink, the relief from economic and physical ruin or the simple freedoms we enjoy.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Trumbo - an essential watch for movie lovers

This is an important film that every movie lover should watch. It is so important that we value our freedoms and stand up for the freedoms of others.

This film is available on Netflix and on Amazon. It is well done and, to me, very gripping. It doesn't take much of a leap to think that the kind of hysteria that gripped the US in the late 40's and early 50's could happen again.

In fact, it has at times in my lifetime.

As a movie buff, it is amazing that Trumbo wrote some of the movies that are classics under a pen name and some of them are my favorites.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

A Good Day To Die Hard

This is easily the weakest of the die hard franchise. McClain wants to rescue his son, who doesn't seem to need help. His often heard tag line, "I'm on vacation!" which he repeats over and over doesn't work because he's NOT on vacation.

The chemistry between Father and Son is poor. The Son isn't nearly as interesting or as likeable as the computer hacker kid McClaine was protecting in the last movie.

So even with a good budget and good actors, you can't create a good movie without a well written compelling script.

Some of the action is very good in this movie but because you don't care as much, it fails. Usually John is helplessly trapped in some kind of scenario where he can't walk away, in this turkey, it feels like he can walk away at any time, but he's just an angry warrior.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Love Guide

This little gem is one we found on Netflix. I never would have picked it, it must have been a suggestion that came up because of something else we watched.

I viewed a few minutes of it alone and felt that Jeanne might get a kick out of it. It started out with these people on a chicken farm and then switched to Parker Posey hosting a goofy meditation show. Very tougue in cheek, camp, silly. So we watched it and it how it's ups and downs, but was a pretty entertaining show.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Back To Eden Film


Jeanne found this film, it was recommended by a friend, Lynde Mott. You can watch it for free by going to the website, www.backtoedenfilm.com

This is a little documentary about a Christian man, Paul Gautschi, who has been a gardener for 55 years and has developed a system of growing food that is unique. He moved to Washington state in 1979 and has been able to raise enough food for his family and friends ever since. He has seven children, has been published in many articles and gives tours of his orchards and gardens.

This is a truly unique film because it's not a waste of time, it builds character and desire in the viewer. Gardening principles mixed with strong fundamental Christian values, it is a thought provoking and inspiring film.

This is an hour and forty minutes of time well spent!

Monday, March 25, 2013

Creating Video Through the night!

So..this is true..I really am a video junkie! This said after staying up all night (it's 5:20 am) working on video.

I've been creating commercials for videos we sell on Amazon and I up loaded an extra take we did on a wood working project.

If you want to view the wood working project video it's at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObW3yRKYoBo 
the other clip I up loaded is at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T25UAguocI
I also fixed links from a video page so that folks could click and go to clips we've already created. And even though I'm a little tired, I have to admit, I've really enjoyed the evening!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Playing For Keeps

I hadn't seen the cover and knew nothing about this film, so I expected it to be a low budget B movie. Jessica Beal was a known star, her husband didn't stand out and the lead actor was familiar but I didn't remember his name (Gerard Butler).

Then all of these stars showed up during a soccer game, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Hmm, this might be more than a B movie. It was pretty good. Jeanne and I liked it, but it was a lot like a Hallmark movie. You know, fairly predictable plot. Happy ending..but wait, maybe that ending wasn't so happy.

Anyhow, it was worth seeing. I'm not sure if this is one I'd need to see again but it was a good evenings entertainment. Judy Greer was in a great supporting role and I loved what they did with her character.

Broken Discs

I have recently undergone an amazing number of broken discs received from Netflix. I got a disc that was broken, reported it, got the replacement which was broken and expect to get a new one today or Monday. In the meantime, I received two more broken discs the next day, another on the following day...five discs in a weeks time! The folks at Netflix have been great, they have sent extra discs to make up for the lost viewing time and been understanding about the breakage. I told their rep that I've noticed that it's the older titles I order that get broken. Maybe I order too many old titles!

The point is that occasionally things pile up and we could be dissatisfied, but I've taken time to reflect on the state of things before Netflix. Remembering how I used to have to buy or rent discs from local video stores and wondering how we were going to convert all those purchased video tapes over to the new format. Things are so much better now that we can get discs sent to us and stream videos with no breakage ever. It's the best of both worlds!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Take Me Home

Jeanne and I stumbled upon this movie on Netflix and watched it instantly. It's always a surprise to me when I find a really interesting movie on their instant viewing because there is so much garbage on Netflix streaming.

This a well done  romantic comedy, some parts of the storyline were thin but it moved on at a quick pace and was very enjoyable.

So we both recommend it!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Valentines Day, I Hate Valentines Day

"Valentines Day" is  one we have watched already, but neither of us could really remember much about it.

The story weaves in and out of several peoples lives and is a delightful blend of romance and heartache, perfect for Valentines Day viewing..we saw it a few days later and it was still worth watching.
x
x
x
x
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Then the other day
I found this gem that we have seen before

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I Hate Valentines Day
The chemistry is great, even though we've seen it before,
it's worth another viewing.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Morning Glory

Morning Glory is a 2011 treat about a young carrer woman who needs to fix a low performing news show. The tone is fresh, upbeat and amusing. While watching it, I had a real thirst to know what was going to happen, how was she going to survive, how would I turn this show around? This is a nugget, which Jeanne and I watched on netflix streaming the other day. We had seen it before, but couldn't really remember it, so it was like seeing it again for the first time. Rachel McAdams shines brightly amost a cast that features Harrison Ford, Dianae Keaton and Jeff Goldblume.