Change Your Image
ridsouto
Reviews
Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)
An aberration of a movie
You will not get any spoilers here. Why? I really want to forget this movie.
My kids are big Thomas fans, and I have read and watch more than my fair share of Thomas. This is not a Thomas movie, even if Thomas is involved. Reverend Awdry never included such a sinister character as Diesel 10, intent in bodily harm his enemies. He's scary for the little audience.
I understand the producers make their money in the United States, but that doesn't mean that "Americanizing" Thomas has to be done by turning him into an action hero, fighting shady conspiracies and involving himself in the railroad equivalent of car chases.
Connections (1978)
An absolute masterpiece
For all of us fans of high quality, educational TV, the late 70s brought us 2 of the absolute best documentary series of all times: Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" and James Burke's "Connections".
To call "Connections" enjoyable would be a huge understatement. It's just a fantastic mind-opener: it will change your view of your own world and of the way progress happens, all the while making you laugh. Burke's skill in presenting these subjects is unparalleled.
I watched this series back in the 80s, and watching it again today you realize that it could not be more relevant today. Burke's observations are as valid and compelling now as they were more than 3 decades ago, with the addition that now you can also appreciate his foresight.
It's not often that you can say that 10 hours spent in front of a TV screen were an excellent investment. This is one of those cases.
Battle of the Bulge (1965)
Charade of the Bulge
I understand that sometimes you just don't have the budget to make a big war movie. If that's the case, you better a) reduce your ambitions (and your spectator's expectations) or b) forget the project altogether. Don't hire Fonda, Savallas, Bronson and other big names, let them work in something more useful.
If you're going to make a movie on the Battle of the Ardennes (the Bulge for the Americans), at least make sure that you will be filming in wintry and snowy conditions. Not saying that you should film here in Canada, but if you go to central Spain in autumn, it's pretty sure you will not have a lot of snow.
If I do a film on a major battle of WW2 in my backyard, with some friends and a hand-held camera, it's OK to use any kind of tank (I got a real tank for my movie, wow !), or maybe a badly disguised Chevy 1962 with a rusty pipe as a cannon. But if I had such a cast and a studio behind me, I can not get by using some '50s tanks from the Spanish Army.
And if you want to make a movie on a battle that important, which veterans of both sides will certainly watch, at least show some respect and hire a historian, consultant or whatever, and get a script that includes some realities and not only outright fantasies. The last scene, with a whole German Panzer division charging at high speed (Tigers moving at some 40mph!! Without infantry !) against a fuel dump is just ridiculous. Fonda saving the Allies single-handedly? I guess the guys who stood up against the Germans in Bastogne or the German Panzer crews would have something to say. That's not just an "historical inaccuracy", it's like making the Martians appear in the middle of the battle in a flying saucer and blow up the whole German Army. Beyond ludicrous.
Bottom line is, if you don't have the money, the locations, the resources, the information to make a historical war movie, just don't bother. If you go forward anyway, well, the result is this cheap, nationalist (in a bad sense), flat, boring and ridiculous mess.
Battlestar Galactica: Exodus: Part 2 (2006)
Brilliant
I have to agree with other comments here. If this is not the best episode for any TV series ever, it's certainly damn close. IMO, yes, it's the best.
Just a couple of points:
Acting: Michael Hogan - Edward James Olmos --- Need to say more? Olmos/Adama is imposing as ever, his speech (Exodus Part 1) is just delightful; on Part 2, he doesn't even need to speak too much to deliver great acting. And if there were any justice in this world, the Academy of Television would beg on its knees to Hogan to accept an Emmy for his portrait of Tigh. Just the scene with his wife would be enough for that. And this guy needs just one eye to perform superbly!!!
Action sequences: nothing on TV can compare with this. It's not just awesome special effects (enough money can buy them), it's also impeccable timing to ensure a roller-coaster.
The low point, I think, is the whole Baltar storyline. James Callis is one of the best in the cast, but the story itself sounded a bit too weak. The nuke plot made very little sense, and the whole thing about Hera... what the heck is about her??? Even so, you can (have to!) forgive these small nuisances in such a wonderful episode.
Not every episode of BSG is worth watching it, moreover on this irregular Season 3, but "Exodus" alone is more than enough to make me watch all the remainder of the season and the next one.