History - Shootout : Return To Fallujah Review

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(More customer reviews)With the Shootout series, history channel seems to be either hit or miss and sadly, this one is a few inches short of a bull's eye. It's not like they've never had any luck, Shootout: An Nasariya and Shootout: Fallujah, were both OUTSTANDING but this one fails to live up to it's peers. Allow me to outline some pro's and con's.
What I liked:
-Did an excellent job detailing the bravery and sacrifice of those involved. During WWII, we made it a point to praise and honor those who fought for this country. Sadly the liberal media would rather crucify a Marine or soldier than praise him. (want proof? Bing West pointed out in his article "Distinguished Disservice: In honoring Murtha, the Navy insults its own." that a web search for "Kasal" returned 30,000 hits, while a search for "Haditha" returned 700,000)
-Well documented and recreated combat scenes (Please note this is NOT, repeat NOT, to make it sound like the deaths of American soldiers/Marines are nothing more than entertainment, but the fighting does grab your attention and forces you to stay with it.)
What I didn't like:
-Without a overall review of the plan to clear the city, the viewer is left uncertain as to whether or not the fighting is going on simultaneously or over a period of several weeks/months, etc. Obviously there must have been some sort of a timeline, since a place like Fallujah would NEVER just allow itself to be cleaned out overnight, even during mop up operations.
-On a similar note to the complain above, this particular shootout episode should have taken a leaf out of Shootout: An Nasariyah, and talked about what exactly the objective was, the American's plan to attain it, and what specific types of enemy forces were thought to be operating in the area. This episode mentioned NONE of those. It merely stated that there were still insurgents in the city (no really?) and that they needed cleared out. It left unanswered what nationality they were, what types of weapons they carried, etc
-It detailed only three firefights, again leaving the viewer with the impression that the mop up was nothing more than small scale stuff fought with rifles and grenades. If that's the case then why mention the Bradley's and Abrams in one of the fights? I couldn't help but wonder if they were used or not, since they were mentioned and then forgotten.
Closing comments:
My advice, skip buying this DVD and watch it on youtube.

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Teens, Marijuana, and Alcohol DVD (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)Good production. This DVD addresses key teenage issues such as marijuana, alcohol and peer pressure. Though I really liked the fact that the DVD highlighted the ill effects of drugs and alcohol on the body, I felt the language used was too technical for pre-teens and younger teens. Nevertheless a good DVD.

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Journey Across Russia DVD (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I usually will go for most travel videos, but this was not worth the price. I teach a class on Russian literature and culture and sadly found little value in this video. I do like when they show a meal with some locals near Lake Baikal, but there is not much too it other than that. This is not worth it.

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PCN Tours Gettysburg Battlewalks: The Wiekert, Trostle, and Klingle Farms Review

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(More customer reviews)Walking Gettysburg's Battlefield: The Weikert, Trostle and Klingel Farms
Gettysburg Battlewalks: The Weikert, Trostle, and Klingle Farms, Barbara Sanders, Pennsylvania Cable Network, 2004, 95 minutes, DVD format, $20.
Before the battle, Adams County was home to prosperous farm families. Remarks by invading Confederates are found in most books that survey the battle. Jacob Hoke's 'The Great Invasion' and Wilbur Nye's 'Here Come The Rebels' provide many instances of the surprise and admiration by the Confederates of the size and prosperity of Pennyslvania's farmsteads. Nearly forty farms were occupied by the armies on July 1, 2, 3, 1863. Entire farms were destroyed; the Harmon farm and Herbst farm buildings were burned by Rebels on the mid-afternoon of July 1. Also, the Bliss farm had all its buildings and it house burned on the morning of July 3 by Union troops who were exhausted by the constant harrassment of Confederate sharpshooters. Most battlefield first aid stations and hospitals were located on farms.
The Weikert, Trostle and Klingel farms suffered on July 2 from the advance of Longstreet's corps and the resistence of the Third Corp. These farm families had little choice but to abandon their homes when the fighting were in there farm yards. National Park Service Ranger Barbara Sanders walks, with an audience of adults and children, over these farmsteads. Few subjects are neglected; Sanders covers fences as defensive barricades and offensive impediments, barns and houses as both sharpshooter posts and first aid locations, and springs and streams as unique meeting places for enemies. She depicts the corn as being 'knee high by the Fourth of July' and the oats, barley, and orchards ripening on the farms and being destroyed by men and horses.
Sanders discusses surgery and amupation as she and the audience stands near the spot of General Daniel Sickles' wounding. She describes the withdrawal of artillery by prolong in the fields of the Trostle farm and the hinderance to the battery's escape by occassioned by the stone and rail fence behind the barn. Of the many tours in PCN Productions' Gettysburg Battlewalks series, this ranks among the most enjoyable and informative. Sanders enthusiasm, point of view, and interactions with the audience adds to her attention to detail regarding the farm families' stories give this tour distinctive.


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History -- UFO Files Day After Roswell, The Review

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(More customer reviews)It's always an excitement for me to be able to lend a small, scholarly insight when I review a documentary. So many great docs exist, and I've reviewed so few of them. This thing here, THE DAY AFTER ROSWELL, will teach something about gullibility factors and the U.S. government's penchant for pulling pranks on We, the People.
This clown, Col. Philip Corso, who was some little pencil-pusher at the time of the Roswell incident in the 1940s, rocketed to fame when he came forward as an elderly man in the 1990s--he claimed he and he alone was responsible for retro-engineering the alien technology retrieved at the Roswell "crash site". Corso took credit for everything that, as far as I know, was actually invented by the great Jerry Lemelson: lasers, fiber optics, cryosurgery etc.
And they say only the top brass is completely screwy!
This documentary is excellent in the sense that it does, indeed, reveal the true origins of all the inventions, including the polymer-based superfabrics. Things Corso says he retro-engineered from extraterrestrials. The documentary makes Corso look like the fool that he was...but I did find it intriguing the way it helpfully animated for us the extraterrestrial technology as Corso described it.
Chalk this up to fine skeptical minds dissecting more absurd claims; they do a good job making mincemeat out of Corso's claims.
What I wanted to know after seeing this was: What the hell IS going on in this country?

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Music of the Renaissance: Ars Antiqua DVD (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this video for use as an introduction to Medieval/Renaissance instrumentation and style in my middle school general music classroom. At the time I thought that the period costumes would be excellent for discussing style trends during this time period. However, upon recieving the (highly priced) DVD I watched and imediately regretted my purchase. The video is filmed live in what appears to be a school cafeteria for 4-5th graders. The characters banter is of period speech, but highly geared toward younger students. Also the DVD was just simply slow and quite boring. Needless to say I did not subject my students to this video.

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Basic Watercolor Techniques DVD (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)While there are some good tips on this DVD the overall quality is rather poor and the run time is fairly short. I think a better choice for the beginner watercolorist is Julie Cohn's The Dance of Watercolor - Beginners and Beyond. She gives detailed information on the use of water, paint & color. And her DVD is even less expensive than the Basic Watercolor Techniques!
Do yourself a favor and order Julie's instead.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The Slayer Pack (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Special Value Slayer Pack contains the two part first ever premire episode,The Witch,Never Kill A Boy On The First Date, Angel, and the uncut version of The Puppet Master. Here's a breakdown of each episode:
Welcome To Hellmouth-(5) The first episode introduces you to Buffy and the rest of the cast and to theroy that there are vampires and that Buffy is the only one who can stop them.
The Harvest-(5) The second part to the premire episode is one of the best episodes ever. It shows that Buffy really can defend herself and take care of others at the same time.
The Witch-(5) This episode lets you know that Buffy will face creatures other than vampires. It starts off when Buffy saves a cheerleader who bursts into flame and goes from there.
Never Kill A Boy On The First Date-(4) This episode introdues you to the fact that Buffy longs for a normal, teenage life and focuses more on that than creature slaying. A nice change.
Angel-(5) Introduces you to the character Angel and the fact that he is a vampire. It's where Buffy has to make a decision- kiss him or kill him? Suprising episode.
The Puppet Master (uncut)-(5) An episode in which Buffy fights a dummy. A black comedy-type episode. This is the only place to see the full, uncut version that never aired.
If you're a Buffy fan, this is a great deal!

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Blue's Clues - Blue's Big News - Read All About It (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a special girl who is now 33. She sits and watches these and signs and laughs whit them. Great stuff for the little guys. She is about 3 to 4 mentally.She has even learned some things from them. Grand kids love them also.

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There's a lot of news happening in Blue's house! We find out about all the different news in Steve and Blue's special newspaper. And then we hear the biggest news of all - Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper are having another baby! Paprika's preparing for the new baby by giving up her crib for a new bed and creating a new "Big Kid" room for herself. We also see other friends' special spaces and learn all about their big news too.

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No, Honestly - Complete Series - 2-DVD Set ( No, Honestly ) Review

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(More customer reviews)Pauline Collins is a joy to watch. I watched the series from end to end after it came.
The British accent is a problem although not as problematic as Scottish. I ordered Shirley Valentine to see the actress perform.

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Nero Wolfe: The Complete Classic Whodunit Series (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)The "Nero Wolfe" TV series (2001-2002) is brilliant - casting, colors, sound and scripts. Producers Michael Jaffe, Timothy Hutton, and Howard Braunstein did a superb job bringing Rex Stout's stories to the screen. Maury Chaykin, as Nero Wolfe, and Timothy Hutton, as Archie Goodwin, along with an excellent supporting cast - Colin Fox, Bill Smitrovich, Conrad Dunn, Kari Matchett, Saul Rubinek, R.D. Reid, Fulvio Cesere, Trent McMullen, and Francie Swift to name a few - do an exceptional job portraying Stout's cherished characters.
The "Nero Wolfe" DVDs have some extras (though fans of the series would be happier with more). Included with the set are: "The Golden Spiders," the 2000 TV movie which led to the series, "The Making of Nero Wolfe," a short documentary which offers interviews with Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, and others involved in the production of this marvelous series, and a "bonus" widescreen version of "The Silent Speaker." To include the widescreen "bonus" of "The Silent Speaker" as an extra is ironic since all of the the episodes were shot in widescreen and should have been reproduced as such on the DVDs. And to make the set truly "mega" it would have been most gratifying if the European versions of the episodes were included in the set.
The producers choose some of Rex Stout's favorite Nero Wolfe stories for adaptation to the screen. "The Doorbell Rang," directed by Timothy Hutton, is the premier episode of the series. Nero Wolfe takes on "the big fish" J. Edgar Hoover to earn the biggest fee of his career. With the able assistance of Archie Goodwin, his intrepid legman, Wolfe triumphs over the F.B.I., earns his client's admiration (Mrs. Bruner, played by Debra Monk: "Is there anything you can't do?"), and solves a murder for the cops along the way. "Death of a Doxy," "Champagne for One," and "The Mother Hunt" are a few more of the well know Nero Wolfe stories included in the series. It's a great sorrow to fans of both this magnificent series and Rex Stout's wonderful books that the show was abruptly canceled before some of the other favorites, such as "In The Best Families" could be adapted for television audiences.
Five Stars plus Five Stars to Mr. Jaffe and Mr. Hutton for giving Nero Wolfe fans a series worthy of Stout's tales.


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No One Would Tell (True Stories Collection TV Movie) (1996) Review

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(More customer reviews)Candace Cameron and Fred Savage shake off the goody-goody images associated with the roles that brought them teen stardom on Full House and The Wonder Years. Cameron plays Stacy Collins, a normal high school girl full of insecurities who happens to land the class hunk. Savage is Bobby Tennyson, high school wrestler and all-around popular guy. When these two get together, Stacy finally knows what it feels like to be a part of the in-crowd and is so grateful she's willing to look past Bobby's numerous faults.
Their relationship starts off normal enough with Bobby wooing Stacy with flowers and love poems, but he gets progressively more possessive and jealous. Stacy initially thinks it's cute that Bobby is so protective until it gets to the point where he becomes overbearing and irrational. Even when he starts hitting her, she defends him to her friends telling them that you stick by the people you love. "Everything's fine" becomes her mantra even though those closest to her can plainly see that it's not the case.
This relationship closely mirrors the one in which Stacy's mother is involved. Her mother is too absorbed in her own dating situation to understand and acknowledge what's going on with Stacy. Stacy assumes the maternal role, in fact, berating her mother for allowing her boyfriend to treat her badly though she's willing to overlook Bobby's abusive nature. In fact, when her mother confronts her about the abuse, Stacy says "That's your story, not mine." That Stacy's mother backs off at this point is a disgrace and this film strives to point out that in any situation no one should let abuse slide.
This film came out in the early 1990's and was one of those Sunday Night movies aimed at letting teenagers know the ills that will befall them if they're not careful. It's stuck with me all these years because the message is delivered without a scolding undertone, but instead as a reminder of what can go horribly wrong if you let things spiral out of hand. Sally Jessy Raphael has a guest role as the judge in Bobby's trial and she reminds those present who witnessed Stacy's abuse that we have a responsibility to the people who we care about. It's a foolish and dangerous practice to simply shake off abuse with the adage "Love Hurts." It shouldn't.

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La Semana Santa en España DVD (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is not what I wanted at all! I am a Spanish teacher, and wanted an informational but interesting and current DVD on Semana Santa in Spain. For $39.99 this is a rip off! It's clearly old footage, (though the date says 2004, it's clearly from the 90s)and doesn't even cover the processions in Sevilla- where they are the most popular! There are no options to have subtitles or anything to adjust the difficulty level for the level of students who are watching. I was bored stiff, I don't know how my students could focus and have any interest in this amazing celebration. What a disappointment!

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Living With Alzheimer's (Home Use) Review

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(More customer reviews)Received a copy with distorted sound so have no clue if it is any good.

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Holocaust: A History DVD Review

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(More customer reviews)A very disappointing purchase, to say the least. What do you get for your $65.00? Only about 40 minutes (including credits) of the most BASIC details of the Holocaust, with nothing new to add, and poorly edited to boot! A total ripoff!

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History -- In Search of History Voodoo Secrets Review

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(More customer reviews)Very good video. Very helpful in my research. It was nice to see a visual account of the events of what I was reading. For me, it made it easier to put into words

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DVD Kick Butt WHFN FitPrime PUSH PULL Pilates Yoga Weights Review

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(More customer reviews)The original "Firm" sisters created this workout, a perfect mix of weights and cardio.Well produced, not boring or irritating...what could be better?Check out all the new fitprimes,which have a much better production quality than the originals.

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