Good Review: Extreme Alaska

Extreme Alaska

I really enjoyed this enlightening documentary of the modern history of Alaska. It outlined stories about the great earthquake and tsunami of 1964 and the building of the Alaska oil pipeline and truck highway to service the oil fields. I'd never heard of the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands during World War II, but I did know intrepid bush pilots helped open the interior of the territory. Seeing their real stories brought me into thier history in a new way.

I loved the stories of the native people who helped oust the Japanese from Attu and Kiska islands. It goes to show that you want someone to do something, send someone who knows the terrain and how to survive. It saddened me to hear of so many soldiers dying not from battle but from poor weather gear. All the native guides and trappers survived.

I find many times the History Channel shows all tell stories of war. Though this has a little known segment of a war story, most of it talks about regular people's lives or the business of oil production. Pick up the DVD from Dora.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0827169/

Buy this DVD from Amazon: Extreme Alaska DVD Set

North Bend Library Gem List

I found more than 42 great films from North Bend Library This list holds but a small sample of all the system has to offer. I'm just finishing the letter E, though some may be out of order when I pulled a gem idea from my own collection. I encourage my readers to comment. These are just my feelings and different points of view are always welcome.


3:10 to Yuma Old west sheriff tries to take a bad guy to the train. Very well acted.

Affluenza Have you considered the impact of what you buy on the world around you? Watch this and you will start.

American Beauty Oscar winner, midlife crisis gone very wrong. Adult themes.

The American President Andrew Shepherd lost his wife before his first election and now during his second, he meets a lovely lobbyist. Their relationship causes him some political trouble. Funny and touching.

Audrey Hepburn Films Look for these fine titles: Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday and Sabrina. Enjoy!

Babe Hero pig makes good, family entertainment.

Because of Winn-Dixie Family friendly dog tale about an uprooted little girl and the dog she befriends.

Capote Another bio pic this time of the author interviewed the killers for his book, In Cold Blood.

Casablanca Oscar winning delight with Bogart and Bergman.

Chocolate Rather strange woman opens a sweets shop in a small French town. She has a sixth sense about people and their favorite tastes.

Circle of Friends Irish girls grow up together. Adult themes, teen OK.

The Commitments An Irish lad forms a rock band and they hit it big until the inevitable infighting breaks them apart.

Cowboy Bebop Adult anime movie. Look in Coos Bay for the series.

The Color Purple Amazing family drama, adult themes.

A Day at the Races Marx Brothers mayhem. Family funny.

The Day the Earth Stood Still Spaceship lands in Washington DC, giant mysterious robot scares everyone. Morality flick, and really enjoyable. The original science fiction classic.

A Decade Under the Influence This series of programs speaks with actors, directors and producers on the topic of film in the 1970s

The Dick Van Dyke Show Black and white, comedy writing dad situation comedy from the 60's.

Elizabethtown Quirky family drama that totally turned me around the last half.

Eragon Family friendly fantasy.

Erin Brockovich Gritty grown up reality Oscar performance.

Firefly Short lived science fiction series about a ship full of ragamuffins.

Good Will Hunting Genius mathematician works as a janitor at Harvard and catches the eye of a snooty professor. Matt Damon stars and he and his buddy Ben Affleck garnered an Oscar for the touching script.

Jaws Big shark, little people SCARY!

Juno Pregnant teen sorts out her quirky life.

Lawrence of Arabia Oscar winning tale of culture classes and war.

Last King of Scotland Scary bio pic of the life of Ugandan leader Idi Amin.

Little Miss Sunshine Very much an adult film, despite the name and the outstanding kid actress. I laughed until tears poured down my face.

My Fellow Americans Two former presidents uncover a plot to kill them and they go on the run. Preposterously funny.

Muriel's Wedding Quirky Australian comedy about an under-appreciated young woman who leaves her family and has adventures in the big city. She answers an ad to marry a man who needs citizenship to swim in the Olympics.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Based on Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, directors Joel Coen and his brother Ethan Coen, send us on a wild tale set in the depression era.

Pan's Labyrinth Spanish language fantasy.

Pretty Woman Hooker with a heart of gold teaches a rich businessman how to be happy.

Red Dwarf Funny science fiction situation comedy about a guy, a robot and a cat who evolved into a man are lost in space. Oh, then there's Rimmer..

Shipping News Kevin Spacey finds himself after a series of tragedies. Somewhat of a downer but it picks up.

Sicko Michael Moore documentary about health care. Interesting no matter what side you find yourself on.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Cute teen girl flick about a pair of magical pants that fits all four girls.

Spanglish Though Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni get top billing the story is truly stars Paz Vega.

Stardust Fallen celestial fantasy.

Tortilla Soup Sweet cultural family film about a widowed father whos life changes after he can longer taste food well enough to be a chef. His adult daughters confound him. Yay for cultural diversity.

The Visitor Love a great character driven drama? This is for you.

The World's Fastest Indian Outstanding film about one man's perseverance.

Watcabe Review: Enemy Below

Enemy Below

Robert Mitchum stars as a new captain of a World War II destroyer menaced by a German U-Boat. His crew doesn't know his capabilities and so frets over what he may do.

Regular fans of Star Trek the original series may recognize this plot in an episode where Kirk and the Enterprise crew fight the Romulans. Clearly someone saw this film and decided to use the same feel for the science fiction adventure.

We see the Germans plot and organize the destruction of the enemy using virtual identical tactics as his American counterpart. These well matched adversaries battle it out with stoic precision. First one has the upper hand then the other. Their crews learn their style and perform above and beyond their duty.

As this is typical of American made war films, "we" win in the end. But it's no hollow victory. Everyone's deeds contributed to a positive outcome. One sailor contributes his fingers to the cause. Still they go on fighting for their lives.

I'm no huge fan of war, but they made their case for honorable combat. It's worth a watch. Look in Myrtle Point for the DVD.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050356/

Buy this DVD from Amazon: The Enemy Below

Soso Review: Enemy at the Door

Enemy at the Door

The British government decided the Channel islands were of no strategic value so when Germany decided to occupy them during the Second World War, no one lifted a finger to defend the land. These two miniseries depict the life of the Britain inhabitants that decided to remain in their homes.

Mostly we see the story of a doctor and his closest friends try and carry on under mainly German rule. Yes they have their own government, but it's highly ineffectual. They show a minor amount of resistance with painting V over the occupiers signs and printing news from the BBC in an underground newspaper.

While quite an interesting topic, I found the series generally dreary and depressing. I do understand that generally was the point, to show such an occupation realistically, but I think they could have done it with fewer stories.

They also showed the Germans as half sympathetic. I'm not sure it worked showing basically all the Brits being "good" and the German's only being half bad. We either needed less sympathy for the occupiers or more "bad" contrast within the native population. It felt lopsided.

Even though I do think most of you wont care for this, I'm glad I saw it. I like learning new bits of history. Find yourself curious about a topic not often covered in school? Take a look. Bandon has both series.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122818/

Buy the series from Amazon: Enemy at the Door Set 1
Enemy at the Door - Series 2

Good Review: Enemy at the Gates

Enemy at the Gates

Jude Law finds himself on a Russian battlefield trying to take out a German commander from very far away. His comrade, Joseph Fiennes, whispers, "time your shot with the explosion. " Boom, one German officer down, BOOM another.

Though they barely had enough to eat and command sacrificed foot soldiers by the thousands, Russia held the city named for their leader. Sniper Vassili Zaitsev. Law's charcter, became their greatest asset. Germany sent in their best shooter to take him down.

Ed Harris comes to town as Major König and enlists the aid of a Russian boy to attempt to manipulate his sniper rival into a trap. But the boy plays both sides.

Add Rachel Weisz as a love interest for Law and we have a war movie like no other. And despite being under used Bob Hoskins shows up as Nikita Khrushchev. How far wrong can you go with that?

This felt more like a psychological thriller than just another film about World War II. I liked the different point of view and recalling a time when Russia was an ally.

Check it out from Bandon, Coquille and Myrtle Point on DVD and Myrtle Point and Dora on VHS.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0215750/

Buy this DVD from Amazon: Enemy at the Gates

Gem Review: Ever After

Ever After

I bought this film based on the advertising and just loved it from start to finish. Drew Barrymore will positively charm your socks off as she falls in love with her prince. Yes, it's a nice take on Cinderella, but with so much more spunk and pizazz.

Look for a sarcastic performance from Patrick Godfrey as Leonardo Da Vinci and Anjelica Huston makes an EXCELLENT evil step mother. The wicket stepsisters show up as one super mean the other just trying to get along.

In a battle of wits with some gypsies, our heroine bests them with logic and saves her prince from capture. Many many references that I honestly don't get but charm me none the less. They imply political and economic changes that I believe happened at different times in French history ,but I don't care. I laughed, cried and felt a part of it all.

Myrtle Point has the only DVD but you can find several VHS copies in Coos Bay, Coquille, Dora, Lakeside and North Bend.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120631/

Please rush out and buy this on DVD. It's a keeper: Ever After - A Cinderella Story

Dog Review: Eys Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut

I've said time and again I'm not a fan of Stanley Kubrick and since this was his last film before he died, some people had huge hopes it would be great. I probably wouldn't have seen it at all save for a friend dragged me to the theater.

A man and his wife can't seem to quite get along so he kind of gets sucked into a decadent world of sex and drug experimentation. I think Kubrick missed the boat by pandering to get an R rating. I bet the shock value of making the sex more revealing might have pushed the envelope of convention and moved me.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman displayed the last throws of their crumbling marriage on screen. I guess they just couldn't hide their contempt. The surreal plot keeps you guessing, but I walked away disliking Kubrick as much as before.

Love the director? Grab yourself a copy from Bandon and North Bend on DVD and in Coos Bay on VHS. This is an adults only film.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/

Buy it from Amazon: Eyes Wide Shut (Unrated Two-Disc Special Edition)

Watchable Wednesday

EdTV

Matthew McConaughey stars with Woody Harrelson as his jerk brother and Jenna Elfman as an eventual love interest. A cable station creates a 24 hour show following one guy's every move. When the show becomes wildly popular he finds it too intrusive and tries to get out of his contract.

Look for funny scenes with Ellen DeGeneres, Martin Landau and Rob Reiner. They almost steal the show.

I really like Elfman and think she's pretty good in almost anything I see her in. It's nice to see her as a different character which shows off her talent.

Pick up the DVD from Coquille and the VHS from Dora or Myrtle Point.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131369/

Buy the DVD from Amazon: EdTV (Collector's Edition)

Well I was going to do the Truman Show as a review but there are only VHS copies at the library so I think I'll forego. It's very similar to EdTV but with Jim Carrey and he doens't know he's being filmed until the end of the program. If you stil have a VCR, pick up a copy in Bandon, Coos Bay, Coquille or Dora.

Doctor Soso

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Many call Stanley Kubrick a genius and while I get that his films are indeed super interesting, I'm not a fan. This film had some bits that were really funny but over all I just don't get why it's so popular. It's one of those you would study endlessly in film school. That's fine, if that's your thing, more power to ya. Study your little heart out.

It's about nuclear war and crazy military people and trying to stop it all from going to hell in a hand basket. ENJOY! heh

Library: VHS; Bandon & Coos Bay. DVD; Bandon, Myrtle Point, North Bend & Powers.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/

Amazon: Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Dr. Kildare's Strange Case

Lionel Barrymore and Lew Ayres star in this soap opera like medical drama from the 1940s. Young doctor Kildare helps a colleague treat a patient others believe untreatable and insane. If you like this kind of thing, have a watch. I found it so dated that I hardly remember even seeing it.

Library: Coquille.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032416/

Amazon: Dr. Kildare's Strange Case

Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

I saw ths seris when it was on TV and while it's somewhat interesting I wasnt much into it. A lady becomes a fronteir doctor in a time most women didn't work or go to college. There may be women who managed this feat, but I'm not confident that it was realistic. If you're really into Jane Seymour, this will hold your interest.

Library: Series 1-5 on DVD in Coos Bay. VHS unspecified in Coquille.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103405/

Amazon:Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: The Complete Series

Good Review: Iron Man

Iron Man

I know Robert Downey Jr. has loads of talent but this boffo action extravaganza didn't tax his abilities too far. Jeff Bridges worked harder. No worries though, it all worked.

Weapons maker Tony Stark gets overconfident and thinks he rules the world when he finds himself captured by some non descript middle east terrorist group. Being a genius he naturally escapes by building himself first an energy generator, then an iron rocket powered suit. He enlists the assistance of a fellow captive medical doctor.

I felt the story and Downey's acting could have been better. With typical sexist comic book rules, his trusty personal assistant stands around and looks pretty. Oh she gets to scream at appropriate moments to towering effect, but Gwyneth Paltrow could have done this role in her sleep. Maybe she did. As long suffering Pepper Potts, of COURSE she's in love with her boss. Eyeroll.

Yes, this is a good film anyway. I liked the action and contrast between the character at the start of the film and how he began to modify his life by the end. Definately a good pop corn action flick. Check out Bandon, Coquille, Myrtle Point and SWOCC for copies of this wiz bang DVD.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/

Buy this DVD from Amazon: Iron Man (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition)