Yeah, I clearly need to watch more stuff. . . but I've been reading!

American Experience: Triangle Fire (Loved It)--OK, I LOVE history. I almost majored in history, but I wanted something more practical, so I majored in Microbiology & minored in Chemistry. But, history became a hobby. I love to read about it, watch documentaries, historical films, just about anything to learn about the past. This documentary from PBS's series American Experience is one of my favorites.

If you don't know about the Triangle Fire, it occurred on March 25, 1911 in Manhattan off of Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. I've been there, I've seen this building where a fire claimed 146 lives. I don't know how I first became familiar with the fire, but the story has been an interest of mine for years. With the centennial of this tragic event, there has been more interest and so more coverage. This fire helped to change America. It lead to child labor laws, workman's comp, workplace safety, and other advances that we now take for granted.

This documentary spells it out in 53 short minutes, but they pack a punch. I am also reading a book on this event, David von Drehle's, "Triangle: The Fire That Changed America". The author was one of the consultants on the documentary. It's a sad and tragic story, but one that should not be forgotten. It was the worst workplace disaster in New York history until 9/11 and was the 4th worst event of this type in the history of the nation at the time. Young Jewish and Italian immigrants (123 of them women), some as young as 14 had to burn before people would take notice and help with workplace safety and justice for the working class people. It occurred during the Gilded Age which is one of my favorite time periods, the huge immigration from Europe, the staggering poverty eclipsed by unbelievable wealth and the old not having caught up with the technology. Issues that in some ways we are dealing with in today's world. And if we don't remember the past, we are doomed to repeat it. This story is largely forgotten and it needs to be remembered.

Watch this story. It's hard to watch but so worth it. There are parts of the story that show amazing bravery and heartbreaking loss, but I highly recommend it. It can be streamed on Netflix and it can be DVR'd if you look for it.

I've been gone forever

Flipped (Loved It)--So I have not blogged in forever. I haven't been watching fewer movies, just not writing about them, but I want to start up again. So, I am starting with a great new movie called Flipped. This is a cute little movie about a junior high relationship told from both the girl's and boy's perspectives. It's great to see how differently the two see the same event. I wasn't familiar with either the actor or the actress, but I love how they portrayed Bryce and Juli. It's a cute little movies. It's got some bad language, but overall it's G rated.

It was totally worth the 1 1/2 hours I spent watching it. I would highly recommend this little film. It's by Rob Reiner. I like his movies and this one is no exception. It's worth the rental.

Amelia Earhart was lost at sea-That is totally new information!

Amelia (Liked It)--This movie has been much maligned by critics. It's far from perfect, but I don't think it's as bad as some have let on. The things I found disappointing about this movie were that all I really found out was that Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic solo and she was lost at sea while trying to circumnavigate the world. I already knew that. I don't expect biopics to be deep or hugely revelatory or even all that accurate, but this one was so basic that it just could have been better. Hillary Swank does look very much like Amelia, but that's not enough. I would have liked them to just explain more. I don't just want a picture to look pretty and that's what this one did. Why did Amelia have an open relationship with her husband? What ended the affair with Gene Vidal? What drove her to take the risks she did? And was it really all her navigators fault? I don't think so. It just could have been better and that's what's disappointing. However, if you don't know anything about her, watch a documentary and then watch this film. There are some positives, including the feel of the 20's and 30's and the highlights of her ground breaking flights. I've spent two hours doing worse things than watching this film. It's also PG, so it's very family friendly. The affair is only alluded to, there's very little bad language, and they try to tell a good story.

Claymation-Who'd of Thought

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Liked It)--So the Fantastic Mr. Fox is a claymation story based on a Roald Dahl story and directed by Wes Anderson. Now, I don't watch this kind of animation often. I think the last movie was Chicken Run (and that was a long time ago), but I had a good friend recommend this and since I trust his opinion, I decided to give it a try. I really liked this movie. The animation is great. The voices are perfect. George Clooney as Mr. Fox was right on the money and I really liked Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox. The story is original and funny but kind of dark. It is after all, Roald Dahl. That's his signature and this movie falls right in line with that style. But it's funny, original, smart, sassy, and really well done. The interplay between the characters is very adult but it's humorous enough for kids as well. And there are some funny things thrown in by the director. An example is not having the characters really say the cuss words, but instead, say, "What the cuss!" That was just funny. I loved the plot. Mr. Fox wants to "support" his family by stealing chickens and such from three mean farmers. The way Mr. Fox convinces his family and the other animals in his community to go along is wonderful. My favorite characters and my favorite subplot are Mr. Fox's son and nephew. There's a bit of sibling rivalry going on there and it was fun to watch. I highly recommend this movie. It's good for the whole family and it's short. It's only 1 1/2 hours. It's SO worth the rental. I think you'll laugh.

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!!!!