Nature's Movie Theatre

Yellowstone National Park (Loved It)--So I haven't posted in quite awhile. I've been busy working and then I went on vacation. I'm digressing from my normal format on anything I can watch on a screen to write about Yellowstone National Park. It was amazing. It was nature's movie. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed my visit to the world's first national park. I had asked quite a few people who had previously visited there to tell me about their visits. Everyone, and I'm not exaggerating, everyone I asked loved that place. I am with them. I thought I might like it, it would be pretty, I would get to see a buffalo/bison, it would be fun. NO, it was phenomenal. I got to see a bison within the first 10 minutes in the park, the scenery was beautiful, and Old Faithful was as cool as I'd heard. I loved the geysers and the hot pots. I was floored by the vast array of terrain in that 3400 square mile uncommercialized oasis. And then, I got to see two grizzlies, who were no more than 25 yards away at their closest point, also the point where we got back into the car and drove away. I would recommend this park to anyone and I would go back. I saw people from France, England, heard people from Germany, saw license plates from almost all 50 states and would have seen them from all 50 if I'd looked harder, and plates from several of the Canadian provinces. It was so fun to see nature as true to nature as I will in my life. The wildlife, the baby bald eagle learning to fly, the enormous 6 point bull elk in the middle of the road just chilling out, the trumpeter swan, all of it was so cool. It may sound cliche, but it felt so American to me. That we would take this land and give it to humanity is awesome. A coworker challenged me once to find a government program that actually works, after my visit to Yellowstone, I stick by my choice of the National Park system. I'm telling everyone I know to go visit this park. It is so worth the time. You will not regret it.

I'll be back with a regular movie review soon.

A Must See Documentary On The Civil War

Ken Burns: The Civil War (Loved It)--So, I haven't watched many movies in the last couple of weeks, because I've been watching a documentary on the Civil War. This documentary is 9 parts, but it is a must see. I love to study history. It's one of my hobbies. I like to read about it, I love to visit these places, and I really enjoy watching documentaries and movies about history. I also like the Burns brothers. Both Ric and Ken choose subjects that interest me and do an very thorough job of giving the history and the details of the subjects they pick. This documentary is no different. It's wonderful. That's not to say it's always easy to watch. The carnage and sheer numbers of people that died during that four year war is mind boggling. Thousands of men would die in battle in the morning and then it would all repeat in the afternoon. This went on for 4 years and the total number of men dead outnumbers all other deaths in ALL of the other American wars combined. It also shows pictures, many which I had never seen before, of the soldiers, the carnage, and the people who were part of this event. I also really enjoyed the actual writings of the many of the soldiers and those they left at home. This is done through journals, letters, and memoirs of the actual players in history.

Another favorite was Shelby Foote. He was a southern historian who has written a definitive three part history of the Civil War. Mr. Burns was going to use him as a resource and liked him enough to put him in the documentary. He talks as if he knew the people he's written about and I feel he tries to be impartial even though he's southern. He criticizes and praises people on both the Blue and the Gray equally. He later said that Ken Burns made him a millionaire because sales of his books skyrocketed after this documentary premiered and I know why. His knowledge and insight were wonderful and the way he tells the stories was mesmerizing.

This is worth the time investment. It's information that any American should learn and know. It is well done. I highly recommend this to anyone.

I'm changing a rating. . . a new movie to see

The Young Victoria (Loved it enough to Buy it)--First, I need to say that I am changing the rating of The Snow Walker to Loved it enough to Buy it, because I did. I bought it. So, this is the first time I've changed a rating but that is because I decided I really loved this movie. And the ending which at first I didn't like, I have now decided that I enjoy that it's not entirely wrapped up and the end. It's a bit ambiguous, and you have to think about the ending. In this case, that was a good way to end the movie.

Now, on to The Young Victoria. I LOVED this movie. I'm buying this movie as well. I have watched it twice already and I could and will watch it again. Now, I'm a history buff. It's one of my hobbies. I love to watch, read, visit, learn about the past. That's why I love to visit Europe and historic sites in the USA. I love to visit museums and old homes. It's as close to time travel as I can get. I feel the same way about movies. It allows me to visit places I will never get to and to be part of experiences that I could never have been a part of. The Young Victoria is one of those movies.

I visited London in July 2009 and there was a billboard of this movie on the train platform in the small town we were staying in. I saw it every morning for an entire week and I remember I put it in my Netflix queue when I returned. It was just released in the U.S. on DVD about one month ago and it went to the top of my list of must sees. The story is compelling and for the most part true. There are a few embellishments, but this is a movie and not a documentary. And, from what I've read about Victoria and Albert, it's close enough to the truth. Besides, it transports you to the reign of a young Victoria and her new husband. It shows how they became the great team they were, and how they were better together than they were apart. Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend where pitch perfect and Victoria and Albert. They had amazing chemistry and the performances were wonderful. They became the two people they were playing. It worked. Their performances show a royal match that actually resulted in love and team work. The film also showed the machinations of royalty and politics, but how in this particular case, love conquered it all. Everyone wants to believe that's possible and it's rare. So, I really enjoyed watching a true case where it happened.

The costumes are terrific (they won an Oscar), the sets look perfect and are lavish, and the acting is top notch from everyone in the production, and I do mean everyone. There really isn't a weak link. I LOVED this. I also want to say, that it's PG and for good reason. No bad language, very little violence, and although quite a bit of kissing (it is about newlyweds), there's NO skin. It's great. Everyone can watch this. Now, as I said before, there are a few poetic licenses taken, but it's close enough and if you want to know the history, watch a documentary. Watch this for the fantasy, the romance (men included, because ALL women want an Albert), the escape, and the feel and look of the past. It's one of my favorites and I'm recommending it to everyone!!!!

A sports movie

The Express (Liked it)--I liked The Express. I like underdog sports movies. I watch quite a few of them. Rudy, Miracle, Hoosiers, The Rookie, etc., you get the idea. A coworker of mine says you can pretty much write any sports underdog movie (I agree). They're all sort of the same formula, but I still enjoy them anyway. Life isn't always easy and I enjoy watching someone beat the odds. Sports flicks are usually one way of seeing that.

Well, I didn't know anything about Ernie Davie before this movie. The only thing I knew about this film going in is that it had something to do with the Heisman Trophy. I had never heard of this man, but his story was compelling. He was the first African American to win the Heisman. I'm not sure why I hadn't heard of this player before this movie, although the ending may have something to do with that. However, if making this movie helps get the story out there, it was worth doing. I love true stories and this telling was good. The acting was good, especially, Rob Brown, who played Ernie Davis. The story was good, and although the ending was sad and may explain a bit why I hadn't heard of this player before 2010, I would highly recommend it. There is absolutely nothing offensive in this movie. It's PG, so anyone can and should watch this. It's definitely worth a rental.

The reason I'm finally visiting Yellowstone National Park

The National Parks: America's Best Idea (Loved It)--This is a documentary by Ken Burns. I love both Ric & Ken Burns documentaries. Their styles appeal to me. but this documentary is now one of my all time favorites. It is beautiful and should be watched. Rent it, Nexflix it, DVR it, do what you have to do to see this. It's GREAT. I didn't know there were 58 parks in the National Park System. I've been to two (Zion's & Arches) and after seeing this, added Yellowstone to my travel itinerary. I'm going in June with my mom, my stepfather, and my sister.

It's wonderful how Ken Burns combines the history of the parks and their development with the stories of "ordinary" people. These or4dinary experiences are the truly extraordinary part of this series. And I'm not going to lie that I teared up (as I often do) when listening to the stories about John Muir and the Gerkes who toured the parks in the 20's in a series of Buicks. The real tears came when I listened to my favorite story of Tuan Luong who has visited and photographed all 58 parks and has the stamps to prove it. He's a French/Viet Namese man who fell in love with the parks, set a goal to see each one, and did so. I have a goal to visit all 50 states before I die (I've been to 30 and to Washington D.C., but none of the 5 U.S. territories), so I understand his motivation and that's probably why I loved his story so much.

A man at work asked me to find one government program that has worked and my answer was the National Parks. The United States invented this idea and we are the benchmark for the other nations that have followed this pattern. It is a system that provides universal democracy. It allows all men to "own" a piece of the most beautiful and important land this country has to offer. So plan on watching this and then visiting a National Park. There are 5 in Utah, so if you live near me or not so near--GO!!!

Netflix Streaming is Awesome

The Snow Walker (Loved It)--So occasionally I stream movies on Netflix. It's another way for me to get my movie fix. I just watch them on my computer and I love it. If I don't like a movie, I can instantly stop it and move on to another movies ASAP. It's perfect for me. But yesterday, I started a movie that captured my attention from minute one and I didn't need to find something else to watch until the movie was over. The movie was The Snow Walker. It's directed by Charles Martin Smith. He is the actor that starred in Never Cry Wolf a couple of decades ago, and I loved that movie. It also stars Barry Pepper, who I really like as an actor and I think he's under utilized. He's starred in a couple of my all time favorite movies, so when this popped up on my Netflix recommendations I wanted to give it a try. The movie is based on a short story by Farley Mowat (who also wrote Never Cry Wolf). It's a simple story about a pilot in 1950's Canada, who is taking a native to the hospital to treat TB when the plane hes' flying crashes into the Canadian Wilderness. The pilot, Charlie (Pepper) and the native Kanaalaq, played brilliantly by a non-actor named Annabella Piugattuk, have to survive together in a cold, brutal, and vast countryside. The pilot is cocky and thinks he can traipse out to civilization on his own. He soon finds out this isn't the case and learns to depend on Kanaalaq to survive in such a harsh environment. Anabella is wonderful. They auditioned hundreds of girls and I really think they picked the perfect person for this role. She is a natural and the interplay between herself and Barry Pepper was great. Their scenes together have a natural chemistry and the arc that Charlie has is completely believable. The story is much weaker when civilization and the search party stuff is brought in, but to see how the survival happens and how the pilot learns, is worth the two hours. The ending (which I don't want to give away) was a little weak, but overall, I could watch this again. And, I probably will. It had the elements in a movie that I love. It took me to a situation which I will never be in, but was thrilled to view.

I have a confession. . .

Inglorious Basterds (Loved It)--I have a confession. I will watch just about anything that has to do with World War II. I am especially interested in any story concerning the European Front and the Holocaust. I had a co-worker mention one day that I was a Holocaust fan and I told him that you can't really say that because it makes you sound like you can't wait for the next one. That is not the case for me. I just find the war and the stories that feed from that dark period of history interesting because I do not think I am brave enough to go through what so many millions had to deal with in one of the darkest periods of human history. I watch many documentaries, I've read countless books, and I have viewed so many movies about these topics. So, although I don't see a lot of Tarantino film, I wanted to watch this one. His films are very violent and this film is NO exception. The language and violence are R rated (and for good reason). But, I wanted to see Tarantino's take on how he thought World War II should have gone. Plus, this film had Brad Pitt in it and that never hurts. He was perfect as the good ole' boy that wants to "hunt some Nazi's". This movie is NOT for the faint of heart. I found it entertaining but I admit I had to fast forward some of the Nazi killing. It was bloody but satisfying. I also loved that the film cast Germans playing Germans, French playing French, and Americans playing Americans, with Mike Meyers doing a great cameo as an Englishman. I had a friend who thought I wouldn't like this movie because it was NOT historically accurate, but I knew that going in, so I enjoyed the revisionist story. It's not a film for a World War II history lesson, but oh, if only. . .