Home Fires Still Burning

Home Fires – 2016 (3.2). As WWII progresses, the effect on the English village becomes more direct, with local men off to war and their families losing track of them in the turmoil. The various love relationships move along, some for the better and some not. An evacuated unit of Czech soldiers temporarily housed in the area provides a new love interest, the local business baron dies and leaves a mystery and danger of sabotage lingers. The intertwining of character and plot lines still feels correct, though one can always find a few quibbles. Bottom line is you have to admire the Brit stiff upper lip and the ability of most of the villagers to overcome their differences and pull together.

13^th – 2016 (3.1). Documentary filmmaker Ava DuVernay spent a couple years working on this comprehensive movie about the history of using the American criminal justice system to continue many of the aspects of the slavery that was abolished by the 13^th Amendment. She rightly compares the segments of the film to pieces of a puzzle that she wanted to put all together. She interweaves segments from many two hour interviews with ex-con activists, politicians, academics and commentators with historical film and photos. One of the major thought provokers from the movie is the fact that 97% of the incarcerated never had a trial but were pressured into accepting a lesser offense plea bargain instead of risking conviction and a long minimum mandatory sentence. In many states this makes them an ex-convict ineligible to ever vote again. Also revealing is the collusion between politicians (usually Republican) and corporations that have a financial stake in perpetuating the incarceration industry.

Command and Control [American Experience]– 2016 (3.0). In 1980 in an Arkansas Titan missile silo a mechanic dropped a wrench which set off a series of mishaps leading to the nuclear warhead being catapulted some distance off the head of the missile. This documentary eerily captures this extremely dangerous occurrence which necessitated a secret search of the local area to locate the warhead packing 6000 times the firepower of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Archival footage and interviews are combined to chronicle what happened.

Dead Reckoning: War,Crime and Justice – 2016 (3.0). Shown on PBS as a three part documentary, this was a bit of a surprise because it did not go into great technical detail about the process of prosecuting war crimes but instead spent much time on the process by which the crimes are uncovered and investigated. Starting with WWII and coming forward the movie covers declared wars and civil insurrection and genocides. At first it seems there are too many talking heads, but then the realization sinks in that these people are knowledgeable experts with hands on experience investigating and prosecuting the crimes. Sadly, the sheer extent of atrocities is discouraging and the minimal numbers that are prosecuted is extremely disheartening. Local community confession and forgiveness programs in Africa demonstrate a sophistication that seems to have escaped people from other continents. Given that war crimes are overwhelmingly committed by males and often against females, one has to wonder whether a world run by women would be far better.

The Great War [American Experience] – 2016 (3.0). Shown on PBS over three nights, this documentary covers the immediate lead up to WWI, the countervailing attitudes toward American involvement or neutrality, the American entry into the War and the negotiation of the Armistice and then the final Peace Treaty. Our complex President Woodrow Wilson was central to the American aspect of the story, first as a proponent of neutrality, then asking for a War declaration and finally working toward a peace treaty that would create a new League of Nations. Historical commentators are interspersed with archival footage to cover numerous aspects of the War, some more familiar and some less known, whetting the appetite to go more in depth and learn more about this pivotal time when the US became a world power.

Game of Thrones (Season Six) – 2016 (2.9). The saga continued based on outlines of future novels from author Martin, adapted as were previous seasons to be more TV friendly. Martin gave input on the finished scripts. At times this year the episodes seemed to drag a bit in parts. The climactic land battle was a tour de force as it was intended to be. It remains hard to keep track of all the story lines and remember fully what has gone before, but the sense is there that events are moving toward some ultimate conclusion, but apparently not before two more somewhat abbreviated seasons, one of which has been filmed and the other contracted.

Seed: The UntoldStory – 2016 (2.9). There are activists worldwide dedicated to preserving as many heritage seeds as possible for future use before the profit driven greed of corporate monoliths contaminates or annihilates all seeds except the ones the corporation have placed under patents.  This documentary uses archival footage and interviews and fields trips with some of these activists to explain the history of seeds and of the battle to monopolize seed stocks. The movie does not include specific advice for viewers to become personally involved nor does it provide much information on legal battles being waged for protection of heritage seeds.

Snowden – 2016 (2.9). Oliver Stone personalizes Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower in this movie drama, giving us a better understanding of the patriotic geek who becomes a civil libertarian when he learns that our intelligence agents have gone rouge. The film manages to give enough technical information to impress without making eyes gloss over. The DVD special feature question and answer session including Snowden via the Internet is a useful postscript.

Bridget Jones's Baby – 2016 (2.8). Though it is actually the third film about these characters, the second one was so forgettable that this new one, with the original director, seems like the real sequel. The romantic comedy plot about a 43 year old with no active sexual relations bedding two men within a couple weeks is expectedly [pun intended] predictable and it is fun to pretend it is difficult to figure out which one is the father to be, her stuffy Brit former love or the exciting new American. Renee Zellweger embodies the appealing character and the sound track is a dynamic mix of good music.

Grand Coulee Dam [American Experience] – 2012 (2.8). This straightforward documentary uses some interviews and much archival footage to tell the story of the envisioning and building of the enormous dam on the mighty Columbia.

The Hoodlum Priest– 1961 (2.8). Maybe because of the documentary background and style of the director and the earnest drive of young actor Don Murray to bring it to the screen, this true life drama about a Jesuit priest who works with ex-cons and sets up an early half way house in St. Louis holds up pretty well. The debate over criminal justice and capital punishment continues and this movie is still relevant. As with most movies of this age, the musical score is often loudly annoying.

National Bird – 2016 (2.8). Not eagles, but US military drones are the featured flyers in this documentary which follows three analysts whose job was to pore over live video from the drones in the Middle East and make the decision whether to authorize the firing of weapons to kill the people seen on the screen. They each suffer from PTSD. One has trouble getting help from the VA, another travels to the scene of the killings she authorized and a third becomes an activist against the faults of the drone system thereby incurring government action against him. No expert commentary or great insights are included, but the close following of these three people and seeing the impact the program has made on them raises serious questions.

Newtown – 2016 (2.8). A documentary that checks in on the Newtown community a few years after the terrible school shooting could have taken various directions. This one essentially concentrates on intimate visits with individuals who were directly involved as they recall that horrific day and tell about how they have been coping with the aftermath which will last the rest of their lives. What happened at that school was too horrible to comprehend and this movie does not help overcome that. Maybe that is the point as we learn as we see the people in the film continue struggling to cope.

Florence FosterJenkins -2016 (2.7). This movie is based on a true story of a woman with money who mistakenly believes she can sing opera. Her costumes and terrible voice are so hideous as to be funny. Her second husband enables her as she financially supports him and enables him to maintain a mistress. An expected farce takes a script turn as we are given reason to feel sad for Florence and develop some admiration for the husband and for her young piano man. Probably intended from the start as a Meryl Streep vehicle, her appropriate acting cannot overcome the unfocused nature of the script.

Manchester by the Sea – 2016 (2.7). A slow paced movie that tells a downer story is not made better by a script that intersperses flashbacks in a way that is more distracting than revealing, supposedly to create an element of mystery. It may have been better if just told from start to finish, because seeing how tragedy affects future lives is more honestly felt by living the lives straightforward. There are exceptions to this, as for example where a character learns something from someone else and the audience is shown that via flashback, or when a character hiding from his past suddenly lets that part of the story come through via flashback. Maybe a bit of the latter is what was intended here, but it did not come across effectively.

Moonlight – 2016 (2.4). This may be a really good movie as many critics and the Best Picture Oscar say, but it did not connect with me. A black boy born in 1967 is raised in the Miami ghetto by a crack addict single mom and struggles to find out who he is, complicated by the likelihood he is gay. We see him at age 11, 17 and 26. He is quiet and unexpressive. He has a friend who is forced to turn on him at 17 after they had a sexual encounter and then initiates reconnection at 26. The mom is a continual mess. The local crack dealer and his motherly female partner become de facto parents but the man is dead by the time the boy is 17. In high school the boy finally fights back against a bully and is arrested. In stage three he has become a crack dealer in Atlanta. This movie is acclaimed for its quiet nuance in struggling with black gay masculinity, which certainly makes it different. Though that subject is not high on my interest list, I could have appreciated a script that had more to say literally and included more drama and story. One has to wonder whether years from now the film will be more remembered for its artistic merit or for the mistake that the Best Picture Oscar was at first erroneously announced for a different movie. 

Thanks for PBS

Every film on this list was broadcast on PBS, except for one Disney animation. After perusing the awards lists for last year I was able to add some to my library queue. They will start filtering in over the next several months. Maybe some older films will be sprinkled into my library holds.

Call the Midwife Christmas Special 2016 – 2016 (3.3). This special episode of the series gets a separate mention because it takes place in a totally different setting and because it is very good. It is 1961 and many of those associated with the clinic in England spend the holidays in South Africa helping with a struggling clinic. They encounter apartheid, impoverished and oppressed Africans, the doctor who has dedicated her life to the African people and is now ill and a seriously bitter white resident, and they are moved and enriched by the experience.

The Witness – 2015 (3.2). Filmed over several years this documentary follows the youngest brother of Kitty Genovese as he investigates whether the iconic story of 38 eye witnesses watching for 35 minutes without calling the police while she was brutally attacked and murdered in 1964 in New York City. The Genovese family had moved to Connecticut but Kitty stayed in the city. She was 28 at her death and her youngest brother 16. When he graduated high school he joined the marines because he did not want to be a passive bystander to that American War. He stepped on a land mine and lost both legs so extensively he cannot wear prosthesis. Though fifty years have passed, he does an excellent job of tracking down the story, the witnesses who are still alive and many of the authorities and journalists who were involved. All this is very interestingly documented with archival and current footage and excellent animation.

Tower – 2016 (3.1). The sniper shooting from the tower on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin is the first major mass school shooting in American history. On the 50^th anniversary of that rampage this documentary chooses not to tell the story in a way quite different from the usual news style presentation of the chronology of events with a look back at how the perpetrator became so deranged, how the sequence of the tragedy transpired, how law enforcement and the victims reacted and what was the final legal outcome of the case. Instead the filmmaker tells the story from the point of view of a few of the victims, witnesses and police involved, using a compelling style of rotoscoping animation (drawn over live footage) interwoven with archival footage all narrated by the participants. About halfway through the movie, we start to see the actual narrators as they appear 50 years later. Telling how the experience of that tragic day affected their lives and how the participation in making the film has also affected them seems to be the ultimate purpose.

Victoria (Season One) – 2016 (3.1). This Brit series starts with a Victoria we rarely see, the lonely young teenager who is about to become Queen. The usual excellence of writing, production values and acting is present. The female writer studied history at the university level and was given Victoria for a thesis, at first being disappointed at being assigned an uptight old lady dressed in black, but then being excited when she read the diaries of the young Victoria. Real and re-created venues enhanced with some computer work, sumptuous period costumes and courtly surroundings are the backbone of the production. I doubt there is even one mediocre actor in all of England and once again we have every role from top to bottom portrayed with excellence. The young actress who plays Victoria captures wonderfully her rise from ingénue to Monarch and the young man who plays Prince Albert at first seems dorky until we realize that is how Albert really was at first look, but then he becomes quite appealing and they turn an arranged match into a true love and emerging ruling team. With her long reign this series stands to be around for many highly enjoyable seasons. One downside, the inclusion of subplots involving the servant class is not essential and often seems a bit clichéd.

American Experience:Rachel Carson – 2016 (3.0). Personal biography and professional career are naturally blended in this documentary movie celebrating the woman who should be considered the mother of the environmental movement. Her scientific training and superb writing skills enabled her to bring the scientific wonder of nature to the attention of millions of people. When she wrote Silent Spring warning of the dangers of pesticides, she was attacked both by government officials and chemical industry shills, but her research and writing was so effective that many scientists rose to her defense and the world was saved from a continuation of the massive overuse of these dangerous chemicals. Archival footage of the indiscriminate application of DDT is chilling, particularly the use directly on people to fumigate them.

American Experience:Oklahoma City – 2017 (2.9). White Supremacists and anti-government militias are linked in this movie which sets the background of how the Oklahoma City bomber of the Federal building became a radical domestic terrorist and killed more people than any other such terrorist. This all happened before the Internet and social media became so prevalent, but the ignorant racism and anti-government sentiment have always been present. Back then it was spread by word of mouth and expedited through gun shows where the weapons of terror were readily available. Excellent police work by the FBI is documented with the swift apprehension of the terrorist surprising many people when he turned out to be a native born American white man who was a US military veteran. Somehow his execution seems like letting him off the hook.

American Experience:Ruby Ridge - 2017 (2.9). The way Federal Law Enforcement became involved with the Weaver family and eventually engaged in a deadly confrontation and standoff at Ruby Ridge in Idaho is clearly explained in this documentary. Adopting a fundamental biblical belief that the end days were near, the family left the Iowa farmlands for remote Idaho where they befriended the members of the white supremacist Aryan Nation. Caught in a weapons law violation by an ATF sting, Randy Weaver refused to become an informant and then failed to show for his court appearance on the weapons charge, leading to US Marshalls being sent to apprehend him. Archival footage is combined with current interviews from authorities involved and most interestingly from the oldest Weaver daughter who provides effective memories of the mindset of the Weaver family during the standoff. The end result of this case is probably inaccurately known to most Americans.

Six Wives with Lucy Worsley – 2016 (2.9).  Historian Lucy Worsley uses historical dramatizations combined with visits to the historical sights to tell the story of the wives of King Henry VIII in this entertaining and informative mini-series. Lucy narrates and also appears in dramatic scenes as a servant who observes what happens, as she tells the stories of the wives more from their point of view and expresses her professional opinions on the personal strengths, weaknesses and motivations of the women.

Zootopia -2016 (2.9). Disney animation with heart and a contemporary message without the cloying cuteness is refreshingly delivered in this story of a city populated by non-human animals The underlying friction between the predators and the prey leads a new police recruit to uncover a plot to exploit prejudice for political power. Hmm.

Accidental Courtesy – 2016 (2.8). Daryl Davis is a large African-American musician with an interesting background and a personal mission of matching interest. Born in 1958, his father was a Secret Service agent who transferred to the Foreign Service which meant Daryl spent his childhood living in numerous foreign countries and attending schools with a diverse student body of the children of diplomatic personnel from all over the globe. With a Howard University education, quick wit, winning personality and deeply mellifluous voice Daryl has dedicated himself to embracing and loving all Americans, even members of the KKK, many of whom have come to embrace him as a great friend. Over time, many of these once high ranking Klan members have rejected the KKK and Daryl collects their robes and hoods as historical souvenirs.

The head of the Southern Poverty Law Center discusses the Klan with the Daryl and says the goal is to eradicate the entire KKK and Klan members only leave the organization when they themselves decide to do so. While the documentary captures these successes faithfully there is a disturbing scene where Daryl sits down with young black activists in Baltimore and is not able to connect with or charm them and actually ends up seeming to treat them with disrespect he is never shown delivering to KKK members.

Maya Angelou and Still I Rise – 2017 (2.8). Archival footage and interviews with her son and famous people who knew her result in a straightforward biographical presentation of this celebrated African American poet, writer, entertainer and teacher. Her life passed from the Jim Crow south through the struggles of the civil rights movement and she was a perceptive observer and explainer of it all. Traditional family life seems to have eluded her, perhaps in part because she never experienced it as a child and also because it would have interfered with her personal mission as a visionary.

Birth of a Movement – 2016 (2.8). The Birth of a Nation is justly celebrated as a cinematic masterpiece for creating new film techniques, but the 1915 movie is also rightly condemned as pro KKK racist propaganda. Protests over its showing in theaters came to a head in Boston where a prominent African-American newspaper publisher organized demonstrations and tried to pull political strings ultimately without success. But though the film was shown, this documentary presents the view that the reaction to the film was in effect the start of the civil rights movement in the black community. The presentation is perhaps spread too thin between personal biographical sketches of individuals involved and putting many aspects of the matter into historical context, all using archival film and a plethora of historical commentators.

Mercy Street (Season Two) – 2016 (2.8). I was hoping this series would not have a second season but am pleased to report that much of what was so annoying in the first year has been eliminated or at least toned down considerably. As we become more familiar with the characters, they also are showing more nuances and the historical context of the Civil War turmoil become more believably interwoven with their lives. As is typical, a few new characters come and some old ones go, but the central players remain and become more familiar even as they develop with the shifting people and events. One might argue that the series is a bit judgmental about the Confederacy, but the fact that so much of what was bad about the "Lost Cause" persists in America even after 150 years seems to indicate a lot of good judgement is long overdue.

SevenSongs for a Long Life – 2016 (2.7). In this Scottish documentary seven terminal patients of varying age are followed for a few years during their treatment in a hospice day center. We see them in their home life and at the center where they interact with other patients and staff. The movie is intended to make us more aware and willing to face impending death situations. The patients filmed show resilience and strength but the underlying tragedy of what is happening to them is always present. Singing as therapy is interspersed but the overall effect of the movie is a bit disjointed, perhaps in part because I watched the PBS version which seems to have been shortened.

Best of What I Watched in 2016

Streaming Netflix only the first half of the year and using the library the second half, plus some PBS shows tallied only 77 views for the year, though some of course were full seasons. Here are the ones I scored 3 or higher. Remember, these are what I watched during the year, not the best ones released during the year. The fact there are none rated very high means I did not watch many good ones or I am a crotchety rater, or both. My lists of movies alpha and rated from high to low, linked at the right, are also now updated.

Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine 2014 3.2 Downton Abbey (Season Six) 2015 3.2 Call The Midwife (Season Five) 2016 3.2 Hamilton's America 2016 3.2 Call the Midwife (Season Two) 2013 3.1 Call the Midwife (Season Three) 2014 3.1 Call the Midwife (Season Four) 2015 3.1 O.J.: Made in America 2016 3.1 TheGalapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden  2013 3 Journey of Hope 1990 3 Last Man on the Moon, The 2014 3 Tab Hunter Confidential 2015 3 Tangerines 2013 3 Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory 2011 3 Mine Wars, The 2015 3 Poldark (Season Two) 2016 3

Another Year

This list wraps the end of 2016 and includes a first DVD for 2017. Viewing has certainly slowed down. A lot of what I watch on TV is PBS documentaries and I continue to debate which ones should be included on these lists. I do not miss Netflix streaming and have not taken advantage of Amazon Prime viewing or free Xfinity movies on demand. Checking availability of 33 movies viewed through the years and highly rated by me, Amazon Prime only had two and Xfinity on demand for free had one, but the library had 28. I have put some newer movies on hold at the library but it will take a while for them to come available. Meanwhile I will be watching more PBS shows. An article with the updates through 2016 will be forthcoming.

Poldark (Season Two) – 2016 (3.0). As the story lines progress, Elizabeth becomes less appealing while Demelza is more so. Ross continues principled if sometimes troubled and the dastardly George seems overdue for a fall.

The Durrells in Corfu (Season One) – 2016 (2.9). This fun series follows an impoverished Brit widow and her four children who relocate to the Greek island of Corfu in the late 1930s and settle into a charming rental house from which they integrate with the locals to varying degrees. The children include an aspiring novelist son, another son who is a bit of a bumbler, a coming of age daughter who is not too bright but means well and a young boy who is a budding naturalist.

Citizenfour – 2014 (2.9). NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden comes across as more of a patriot than a traitor in this Oscar nominated documentary about him contacting the filmmaker and a journalist for help in exposing the extensive, secret and probably illegal gathering of massive amounts of private communication and other information on all Americans and millions of people in other countries. Snowden spent five days in a Hong Kong hotel explaining the clandestine government activity to two journalists while the filmmaker documented the process and the immediate aftermath during which Snowden sought asylum and eventually obtained it in Russia.

Black America SinceMLK – 2016 (2.8). This  documentary uses plenty of archival footage and commentary from social historians all hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr to tell the story of African Americans over the last 25 years. Progress but not enough is the message, not surprising in view of the longer history before MLK. No new insights but a useful compilation.

The Intern - 2015 (2.8). Robert DeNiro plays a widowed executive who is bored with his retired life and answers an ad seeking interns to work at a new Internet company selling fashion clothing. He is assigned to company founder Anne Hathaway who has no use for him at first but then they predictably form a bond. There is no real depth here but DeNiro projects an appealing authenticity and has pretty good chemistry with Hathaway. There is gentle humor, but no slapstick or farce, except for a scene about trying to intercept an e-mail sent in error. Though set in Brooklyn in 2015, the company and cast are surprisingly devoid of diversity.

The Judge – 2014 (2.8).  Robert Duvall plays a long serving judge in a small town in Indiana who has just lost his wife of 50 years. His middle son, a hotshot lawyer from Chicago, returns home to a cold reception from the Judge after having chosen to distance himself from the family for many years. The plot thickens when the judge is accused of killing a man he felt he had been too lenient on in sentencing him for a killing many years ago. The movie should have been shortened by half an hour, which could have easily been done without damaging the story.

Anne of Green Gables – 2016 (2.7). It is a challenge to take a classic story which was told on screen so effectively in the 1985 series and try to condense it into an hour and a half. There is not enough time for character development and nuanced acting. It is a testament to the strength of the material that this production is marginally effective. For those not familiar with the story, this might serve as an inducement to watch the excellent series.

Indian Summers (Season Two) – 2016 (2.7). This series about the Brits in India in the 1930s was originally hoped to run for five years, but the second season succumbed to wandering story lines and characters coming and going in all directions. As ratings fell the decision was made to end after two and the finale was a slapdash of sewing up plot lines. Too bad a series with the exotic charm of India, a typically excellent cast and a fascinating time and place in history could not have done a better job of telling its story.

The Secret Life ofPets – 2016 (2.7). The parts of this animated movie that show what pets do when their owners are gone ring pretty true and make us knowingly laugh. But much of the film follows the created drama of animals with homes suddenly being on the street and besieged by evil animal control officers and a motley gang of strays headquartered in the sewers. There does not seem to be any clear message or point being made by the drama, so a gentler film with a light drama about our pets at home when we are gone would have been more enjoyable.

45 Years – 2015 (2.7). On the verge of their 45^th wedding anniversary a Brit couple hits a bit of a bump when the man receives a letter from Switzerland bringing up the matter of a girlfriend from his pre-marriage days who was killed in an accident way back then. The feelings this taps into for both people is subtly presented, but the resulting movie could have benefitted from at least a pinch of drama.

American Sniper – 2014 (2.7). This movie directed by Clint Eastwood is quite heavily weighted in favor of showing action scenes of the true exploits of a Navy Seal who served four tours in Iraq providing defensive sniper fire to protect American troops. There is very little depth about his personal life, his relationships with family and fellow service members, the Iraqi people and circumstances involving American forces, or the attitude of American troops beyond pursuing their violent duties with a vengeance. This is a bit at the end about the psychological effects of his service on him and others who served.

Still Here

Though it has been a while since posting a list, I am still here. Cancelling Netflix streaming, summer activities and more book reading are some of the excuses for diminished viewing. This list includes what may be my last Netflix stream. I have not yet tapped into the Amazon Prime choices. My library list is not particularly inspiring. Now that PBS has started fresh shows, I am watching Masterpiece, Point of View, American Experience, Independent Lens and other offerings.

Hamilton's America – 2016 (3.2). All the hype about the musical will seem justified when you watch this documentary about the creation of the show and its impact on the cast members. The creative and artistic people involved in the musical and this movie are excitingly talented. Interviews, excerpts from musical numbers and visits to historical sites are nicely blended to make us share the excitement for this compelling story of an important founding father made into a show that expands the boundaries of American musical theater.

What Tomorrow Brings – 2015 (2.9). Several years in the making this documentary tells the story of a school for girls on the outskirts of Kabul. The woman who founded the school is very dedicated and capable and has managed to get all the Afghan male elders on board to support this school and the girls who attend. One teacher and a couple of the girls in particular are followed over time and present an inspiring case of women struggling to overcome very unfair challenges.

American Experience:Norman Lear – 2015 (2.8). There is a lot of ground to be covered in a biography of the personal and creative life of such an iicon of TV history as Norman Lear. This documentary does a pretty good, though the personal side gets a bit shorted.

American Experience:Tesla – 2015 (2.8). A genius pioneer in electrical engineering, immigrant Tesla made a splash on coming to America and then sort of burned out. This documentary does a good job of telling his story, from the high legacy of having made alternating current the practical technology the whole world relies on to the low of envisioning concepts that fizzled.

American Experience:The Battle of Chosin – 2015 (2.8). Archival footage from both sides, interviews with American survivors and commentary from historians are put to good use in this documentary about the MacArthur ordered attempt to take UN control of the entire Korean peninsula in 1950. The effort was met with an overwhelming Chinese response, but in spite of being greatly outnumbered in brutal weather conditions the US forces managed to fight their way out. China suffered great losses which probably prevented them from taking control below the 38^th parallel.

Room – 2015 (2.8). Adapted from a novel by an Irish author, this Canadian-Irish drama tells the story of a young girl who was kidnapped and held captive in a back yard shed for seven years during which time she gave birth to a son who was age five when the movie began. The first half of the film takes place completely in the shed, which the boy knows as "room" and which is the only world he has ever known. As the mother tries to explain to the boy that there is a world outside room, the film starts to strain credulity a bit. But when an escape plot pays off and the boy for the first time experiences the reality outside room and as the liberated captives struggle to make the transition to the wide world, some genuine emotion is evoked.

The Salt of the Earth – 2015(2.8).  Sebastiao Salgado has spent decades working as a photographer recording indigenous and suffering peoples throughout the world. He has also restored his environmentally ruined ancestral ranch in Brazil to prove that such accomplishments are possible. Wim Wenders and the son of Salgado independently shot voluminous footage documenting this work and then jointly decided on the editing and final format of the movie. The resulting Oscar nominated film is hauntingly beautiful in parts and a bit disjointed and slow in others.

Defying the Nazis:The Sharps' War – 2016 (2.7). During WWII a Unitarian minister from New England and his wife engaged in dangerous missions to rescue Jews from the Nazis. Ken Burns and associates tell the story in this documentary using archival photos and footage, interviews with their daughter and with people who were rescued and some dramatic reconstructions, but the resulting movie is at times a little hard to follow and the full impact of their work is never felt to the extent it should be.

Hell on Wheels (Season Five) – 2015 (2.7). In what should be the final season lots of ground gets covered in what seems like a rushed effort to wrap up plot lines, yet parts of some episodes still seem to drag. Unfortunately the net result is a feeling of waning interest in the characters and an attitude of "let's get this over".

Hooligan Sparrow – 2016 (2.7). A young woman returns to her homeland China and documents the activities of a female activist and her colleagues who call out failures of the government to prosecute those who sexually exploit young women and girls in this quite personal documentary. The movie is a one woman production with no crew whatsoever, so the resulting footage is more like home video. The corruption of the police and other officials is pointed out and the intimidation of the activists by the exploiters is chillingly shown but there is no particular analysis or explanation of the problem

My Friend Rockefeller - 2015 (2.7). A documentary about a German teenager who ran away to America and for decades assumed continuously changing identities including that of a supposed member of the Rockefeller clan while fooling everyone including a couple wives should have made a very interesting movie, especially when murder is added in. But this film spends too much time interviewing people he befriended and not enough time telling the actual story of his escapades. The impostor targeted upper crust people since that was the lifestyle he desired, but it also turns out they may have been more gullible than the rest of us.

Thank You for Playing – 2015 (2.7). A video game designer whose young son has  terminal cancer found himself called to use the ongoing experience of seeking treatment and carrying on life as best possible to create a video game. His wife is supportive as are his professional colleagues. Some people say it is too morbid and a bad idea, but when he demos the game at an expo, people are deeply moved. This documentary is quite personal and raises more questions than it answers.

 The only (and maybe last) movie on this list streamed via Netflix was (though the streaming rights may now have expired):

My Friend Rockefeller

Au Revoir Netflix

The increase in Netflix streaming price prompted a look at what I have streamed in the last six months and the realization that for now it is not cost effective. So I have cancelled Netflix streaming effective this coming week. The same movies of marginal interest have been in my queue for quite a while. In fact what prompts me to stream most movies in my queue is the impending expiration of streaming rights. I have likely pretty well tapped out the old Netflix movies of interest. There are probably some good documentaries and foreign films left to glean, but they are almost always available through the library. This current list of movies watched includes a final flurry of Netflix streams.

DVDs in the mail seems old fashioned since stopping them from Netflix when they jacked the price up a few years ago. Their star rating algorithm no longer works for me and the filmographies are not complete unless you subscribe to DVD service. The IMDB provides free information and Red Box kiosks are quicker (though I still have not used one). The library and PBS TV will work fine for now.

So my eleven year relationship with Netflix has come to an end. Netflix as a business has been going through some ups and downs with its stock currently rated two stars out of five by Morningstar.

O.J.: Made in America - 2016 (3.0). An extended production of ESPN 30 for 30, this five part documentary puts the OJ murder case and later trial in Nevada in historical context, particularly regarding the oppressive treatment of African-Americans by the LAPD and how that affected the jurors in the murder trial. Archival footage is expertly mingled with recent interviews of many of the people involved in the trials and surrounding events. Though we are familiar with the case, this movie not only refreshes our memory but sharpens it and keeps us riveted to the screen.

Tab Hunter Confidential – 2015 (3.0). A young heartthrob with no talent turned into a box office phenom by Warner Brothers in the 1950s and a candidate for some third rate "whatever happened to" movie over 50 years later might be what was expected of this documentary. But we are quickly corrected as an eighty something Tab looking handsome and healthy proceeds to tell us his life story, about being almost unnaturally handsome, seeking escape in the Coast Guard, having a lifetime love of horses, falling into a movie career, being overhyped, working hard to learn to act, supporting his single mother who was afflicted with mental health issues, dealing with his homosexuality while keeping it from destroying his career, and about his family, friendships, business relationships and loves. This is a very enjoyable visit with a really nice man and it is not surprising that so many notable people chose to offer their filmed comments to supplement the archival and contemporary footage.

The Last Man on theMoon – 2014 (3.0). Twelve humans have walked on the surface of the moon. In 1972, the last one was Gene Cernan and he tells his story in this effective documentary. We get his personal and professional biography as he takes us with him to revisit the sites and mementoes of his life journey. Of course he cannot take us back to the moon in person, but with archival footage and computer simulations we can come close to realizing what he experienced. The production values are high and Cernan is engaging as he gently explains how he feels today about this remarkable thrill from his past.

Paradise Lost 3:Purgatory – 2011 (3.0). After almost 18 years of incarceration, the story of the West Memphis Three gets another documentary update. This time new evidence and expert testimony are developed and presented to a new judge. All the new interviews are put in context with footage from the earlier movies and we see how prison has changed the three convicts, how many other people, including especially one surprising member of a victim family, have changed in their lives and attitudes, but how Arkansas criminal law prosecutors fight tooth and nail to prevent the men from getting new trials. As the prospect for new trials gains strength, we get a new suspect and a sudden resolution.

If I Were You – 2012 (2.9). A pleasant surprise, this romantic comedy from write and director Joan Carr-Wiggin has a nicely paced script with some clever lines, modest laughs and sincerity in presenting the issue of marital infidelity from three points of view, the husband, but primarily the wife and the other woman. Good acting by the two women, especially Marcia Gay Harding.

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations – 2000 (2.9). The makers of the original documentary about the West Memphis Three, teenagers in Arkansas convicted of supposedly satanic murders of three eight year old boys revisited the story several years later as a movement has arisen to free them as wrongfully convicted. New evidence and expert re-examination of the evidence is argued as a basis for new trials. The original trial judge handles the new proceedings and this time decides to exclude cameras, but there are plenty of ongoing interviews with the prisoners, their families, families of the victims, witnesses, police and attorneys and others. The likelihood of the boys being exonerated seems to be growing and a very likely candidate for the true killer comes into view.

Trapped – 2016 (2.8). Southern legislators have passed many laws in recent years purportedly to make abortion safer, when in fact their purpose is to make it impossible for medical practitioners to comply with the myriad of regulations so that abortion will effectively be outlawed. This documentary follows the efforts by the few remaining clinics and their doctors to stay open to serve women seeking an abortion. Roe vs Wade recognized the right to abortion, but a later case allowed states to regulate the practice so long as the laws do not place an undue burden on women. The Texas law has been challenged in the US Supreme Court with a decision due in June 2016.

Spotlight – 2015 (2.8). Somewhat in the mode of All The President's Men, this drama follows a team at the Boston Globe as they work up the story of the Boston priest sexual abuse scandal and ongoing coverup by Cardinal Law. This scandal in the Catholic Church worldwide has become quite well known and been covered in many documentaries and other media, so this movie does not break new ground other than touching on the failure of the Globe to investigate the story much earlier. What could have made the film more informative would be showing more about the other institutions and individuals who facilitated the coverup.

Taxi Teheran – 2015 (2.8). Iranian director Jafar Panahi came up with this clever movie to comment on artistic repression in his country. The premise is that he is posing as a taxi driver in Teheran and using a disguised dashboard camera to film a succession of passengers who dialogue about various aspects of their lives as affected by the policies of the regime. After first thinking this is a sort of candid camera stunt, we realize it is a smart drama blending humore with probably about as sharp criticism as could be allowed without getting the film totally banned. The movie is also titled Taxi and Jafar Panahi's Taxi.

Fruitvale Station – 2013 (2.8). Based on a true story of a shooting of a young black man by an Oakland transit policeman, this drama gives the background on the man by showing some of his past history and then going into detail by following him in his interactions the day of the shooting with family, friends, enemies, strangers and the police. Michael B. Jordan plays the role quite effectively, presenting a nuanced performance of a young man trying to figure out where his life might be headed.

The Keys of theKingdom – 1944 (2.8). Gregory Peck plays a sincere young Catholic priest from Scotland who is sent to Imperial China as a missionary in this WWII production from the A. J. Cronin novel. Good production values, fine acting by Peck and the use of Chinese actors for the subordinate roles help this movie hold up fairly well after 70 years. The loudly annoying Oscar nominated music by Alfred Newman is something that movies thankfully left behind.

Daughter of the Dawn – 1920 (2.8). A movie made in 1920 outdoors in Oklahoma with a cast composed entirely of Kiowa and Comanche Indians is so unique that it is worth watching even though it is a quite hokey drama. Thanks to film preservers and Oklahoma historians for keeping this film in being and thanks to Netflix for making it available.

Beasts of No Nation – 2015 (2.7). This Netflix drama based on the novel of the same name tells a story of a boy in West Africa whose village is caught between government forces and rebels in a civil war. His faily is killed and he is taken captive by a warlord running a battalion of boy fighters. He is quickly converted to a soldier and partakes in violence at first by being forced and then gradually of his own volition. The movie has good production values and acting but the accents make the dialogue hard to decipher at times and the fictional story is totally lacking on any bigger picture of what the war is about and who the parties are. As a first personal account of the young boy who does not understand the political issues the film is limited in what it can accomplish.

The Big Short – 2015 (2.7). Trying to explain to the general public the financial instrument machinations that led to the housing bubble and 2008 financial crash is hard enough to do in a book but even harder in a movie made from that book. The resulting screenplay won the Oscar but did not make this esoteric subject generally interesting, and the jumping around between so many characters who predicted the bubble or otherwise tried to warn others and then decided to turn the prediction into personal profits is about as confusing as this sentence. Blurring the line between documentary and drama is tricky work.

The movies on this list streamed via Netflix were (though some of the streaming rights may now have expired):

Tab Hunter Confidential

Last Man on the Moon

If I Were You

Spotlight

Taxi Teheran

Fruitvale Station

The Keys of the Kingdom

Daughter of the Dawn

Beasts of No Nation

Spring Transition

Well into spring, the PBS shows wind down their seasons providing more time the glean Netflix and to resurrect check outs from the library. This is probably a good time to go over all my waiting lists and build up queues for summer watching.

Call the Midwife (Season Five) – 2016 (3.2). The series enters 1961 and encounters the impact of new drugs on pregnancy, from Thalidomide to birth control pills. Changing times and evolving characters are nicely interwoven and portrayed with typically high British TV standards. By now we have become emotionally involved in our relationship with all the cast, but usually with personal favorites. A sixth season is on its way and if the series stays true to itself there is no reason it cannot go on for many more.

The Galapagos Affair:Satan Came to Eden – 2013 (3.0). In 1929 a German couple left their respective spouses and settled on a small Galapagos Island. Over the next few years a few others followed. Typical of such back to nature adventures, paradise did not ensue. This pleasantly engaging documentary uses a surprising amount of archival footage from the settlers, along with dramatic readings from their writings and interviews with living descendants and a few historians of the history of humans on those islands. The resulting story is told in a well edited chronology with conflicting points of view on what were thee relations between the various inhabitants and what ultimately happened to them.

Tangerines -2013 (3.0). A grandfatherly Estonian living in a Russian Georgia village of tangerine orchards is caught in the crossfire of the early 1990s civil war and takes in two wounded combatants hostile to each other, A Georgian and a Chechnya mercenary. His even handed treatment of the men gains their respect and provides pause for reflection on territorial disputes and the resulting wars. A neighbor with a tangerine crop in need of harvest pickers rounds out the small cast. Good acting, particularly by the grandfather, evocative cinematography and economical writing and direction led the movie to nominations for best foreign film at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

Journey of Hope – 1990 (3.0). This German Oscar winning drama about a poor Turkish farmer and his wife paying traffickers to get them to Switzerland in the hopes of earning money to bring back home will probably always be a timely subject. The actors appear to be real people and the filming of their journey has a documentary feel of authenticity. Three kinds of people are encountered on the journey: good ones who try sympathetically to help; bad ones who seek to cheat; and the authorities who try to humanely apply the immigration laws. American viewers may be inclined to feel the journey is too risky, but if our ancestors had not ventured out, we would not be Americans.

The Return – 2016 (2.9). In 1994 California passed a "Three Strikes" law mandating life imprisonment terms. By 2012 such laws were acknowledged to be overkill in many cases and voters then passed by 70% a measure to allow such sentences to be reviewed by judges to determine if the prisoner should be released as posing no threat to public safety. This sensitive documentary follows two released men as they cope with making the adjustment to life after prison. The technique used is quiet observation of the men, their families and the attorneys and other volunteers who work with them. Periodic titles provide information on the status at various points in the months the men were observed. There is no preaching or expert commentary, other than what is said by the attorneys in the course of their work.

Brothers In War – 2014 (2.9). In 1967 the last company of drafted American combat soldiers who had trained together was sent to Vietnam for one year. After that, units in Vietnam were supplemented with individual replacements as casualties were incurred. Surviving members of the original company, including the commander and some unit leaders, were interviewed for this documentary. Some home movies and a few audio tapes were also incorporated. The chronicling of the one year tour using memories of the men and footage from the time and place begin to give a feeling of the fear and resilience of these men who survived patrols in the Mekong Delta in which 26 of the original men were killed and over 100 were wounded.

Mr. Selfridge (SeasonFour) – 2016 (2.8). The series concludes at the time of the 20^th anniversary of the store, and this final season emphasizes how Harry's gambling and womanizing bring him down, ultimately being broke and squeezed out of the store he founded. It all feels a bit rushed, as if the writers knew the plots needed to build and conclude swiftly. Some of the supporting characters have more nuanced dramas in their lives but Harry and his made up love interest Mae are the main presentation. Viewers probably feel like the Board of Directors – it was time for Harry to go.

My Nazi Legacy – 2015 (2.8). Two men born in 1939 whose fathers were Nazi commanders in occupied Poland in WWII have a different view on the culpability of their father in this documentary. One has bad memories of his early childhood and agrees his father deserved the execution he received at Nuremburg. The other has good childhood memories and cannot be convinced to believe his father, who died a refugee in the Vatican where he fled to avoid prosecution, was in any way to blame for the atrocities committed under his command. A Jewish international activist attorney whose family was almost entirely annihilated under the command of the two fathers joins with the man who accepts the truth of the villainy of his father in trying to convince the other son. But the effort fails and the truth accepter concludes the truth denier is in fact a modern day Nazi. He frustrated attorney is not quite sure of that.

Winter on Fire – 2015 (2.8). When Ukrainians elected a leader who told them he was going to take the country into the EU, the people were delighted. But when he reneged and acted like a Russian puppet, they took to the streets, especially the young people. The protests were met with violent response by the government and when young people were injured the elders and ecumenical church leaders joined them in support. The violence continued until finally the leader fled into exile in Russia. This story is told in a documentary using interviews with protestors and lots of footage shot during the months of protest. There is no historical analysis or expert opinion, just film of what happened on the ground combined with protestor viewpoints.

You've Been Trumped – 2011 (2.7). Watching this documentary about the scoundrel Donald Trump scamming the Scottish powers into letting him ruin a wondrous sand dune treasure to build a golf course for the rich and then bullying local Scot farmers in an attempt to get their homes removed as eyesores is like seeing a preview of his disgusting 2016 US Presidential run. The journalist who made the film lives only 40 miles from the dunes and he could not believe the favorable press Trump was receiving so he went to see for himself and tells the story from the point of view of the little people Trump scornfully wants to trample. The movie does not have extra content that would have made it better, because potential sources of financing for the cost of including such material were afraid of being sued by Trump. Funds were raised by the filmmaker mortgaging his own home.

Los Angeles Plays Itself – 2003 (2.7). This documentary is essentially a three hour lecture class about how Los Angeles has been used in numerous movies. The narration includes comments on movie making in general but most of the attention is put on specific locations in the city that have been part of many movies through the years. The editor has compiled great clips to illustrate the somewhat professorial narration, all of which would certainly be of much greater interest to a Los Angelino.

Time Out – 2001 (2.7). A Frenchman fired from his job wanders around trying to look and act like the executive he imagines himself to be, but keeps his unemployment a secret. Soon he starts bilking family and friends to raise money which leads him down a dangerous path. This French movie is slow and overlong, though well-acted and with some saving cinematography.

The Man Whose Mind Exploded – 2012 (2.4). Watched at Netflix on a bored whim, this documentary was poorly made and was about an eccentric and unappealing man, so it ended up being excluded by oversight from the previous blog list. My two stars rating at Netflix with a benefit of the doubt produces a 2.4 here. Don't bother watching it.

The movies on this list streamed via Netflix were (though some of the streaming rights may now have expired):

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden

Journey of Hope

Band of Brothers

Winter on Fire

Los Angeles Plays Itself

Time Out

The Man Whose Mind Exploded