The USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter 2019 DVD

     The USS Indianapolis wreck site is 18,000 feet below the surface of the Philippine Sea.  The sinking of this ship resulted in the largest loss of life in U.S. Naval History.  The ship was sunk by the Imperial Japanese Navy with Type 95 torpedoes on the starboard side and went to the bottom in 12 minutes.  The wreckage has rested on the sea floor for 70 years.  It was discovered August 2017 by an expedition launched by philanthropist Paul G. Allen.  The main portion of the wreck lies in an enormous impact crater and other sections are in different locations from .5 to 1.5 miles away. 

     Launched in 1931 the USS Indianapolis was a Portland-class heavy cruiser built for the US Navy and named for the city of Indianapolis.  She was the flagship for the commander of Scouting Force Force 1 for eight years and then the flagship for Admiral Raymond Spruance in 1943 and 1944.  Spruance commanded the Fifth Fleet in battles across the Central Pacific during WWII.  In July 1945, the parts to assemble Little Boy, the first nuclear weapon ever used in combat were delivered to the island of Tinian.  Their next assignment was to sail on July 30 to the Philippines for training duty.  Japanese submarines were operating in the Philippine Sea but this information was not passed on to the Indianapolis.  The ship would have followed a zig zag path instead of a straight path if they had known.  There were 1,195 crewmen aboard and approximately 300 went down with the ship. Awaiting the 89 men in the water was exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks in the open ocean.  The Indianapolis was expected in the Philippines but no one was notified when she did not arrive.  Four days after the sinking, survivors were spotted by the crew of a PV-1 Ventura on routine patrol.  Just 316 men were alive.  Everything about this episode is very interesting.  Some of the personal items from the crew members can be seen beside the ship.  It was a terrible tragedy for the men lost and the men floating in the sea.  4 ½* (I really liked this series) 

 

85 min, Doc directed by Kirk Wolfinger, Lisa Quijano Wolfinger, Rob Y Lyall and narrated by Kyle Chandler. 

Note:  TV episode premiered January 8, 2910.  Amazon 5* with seven reviews, PBS 4 ½* with three reviews

Special Note:  There is another film USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage 2016. 

Life After Flash DVD 2017

     This film is about Sam J. Jones during and after his role as Flash Gordon.  He really had his ups and downs and he started his career with a role in the film 10.  He was chosen over Kurt Russell and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  This role brought about his role in Flash Gordon of 1980.  The producers hoped to make a trilogy but it didn’t happen.  The first film was only moderately successful at the box office and there was a falling out between Jones and Dino De Laurentis.  There was a dispute for lack of payment for Sam’s salary.   Sam refused to go to the studio to redub his lines and these two actions also helped kill the second two films.

     Flash Gordon was an American football hero and he is skyjacked aboard Dr. Hans Zarkov’s rocketship.  His beautiful girlfriend Dale Areden is also taken aboard the ship.  The group of three people is drawn into the influence of the planet Mongo.  Emperor Ming the Merciless rules Mongo.  The evil Ming has been causing unnatural disasters on Earth and he believes Earth is a threat to his rule.  He attempts to execute Flash and he intends to take Dale as his concubine.  He also intends to destroy Earth.  Flash must resist the amorous attentions of Ming’s daughter.  He also need to unite the warring kingdoms of Mongo to rescue Dale and save Earth.  All of the action sequences are done without special effects.  I thought this was interesting and I didn’t know any of this information before.  I also haven’t seen any of the Flash Gordon episodes.  3 1/2 * (I liked this movie)    

111 min, Doc directed by Mike Hodges with Sam J. Jones, Meoldy Anderson, Max von Sydow, Topol, Ornella Muti, Timothy Dalton, Brian Blessed, Peter Wyngarde, John Osborne, Richard O’Brian, John Hallam, Philip Stone, Suzanne Danielle, William Hootkins.  

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10, 88% critic on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 19 reviews.

Special Note:  The costume for the evil Ming weighed over 70 pounds and he could stand in it for only a few minutes at a time.  George Lucas loved these Universal serials as a kid and he wanted to make modern version.  Federico Fellini optioned the rights so Lucas wrote Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope 1977.  Sam has had various acting roles since Flash Gordon from 1981 through a 2019 film Axcellerator.  He also works as a bodyguard when he doesn’t have acting roles.

Kilauea: Hawaii on Fire 2019

     Kilauea is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands and the most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii.  It is located along the southern shore of the island and it is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old.  It emerged above sea level about 100,000 years ago.  Kilauea’s eruption of 2018 caused considerable property damage with the destruction of the towns of Vacationland Hawaii and Kapoho.  The 2018 eruption was a lower Puna eruption and it began on May 3.  Two-dozen lava vents erupted downrift from the summit in Puna.  There was also a strong earthquake on May 4.  Evacuations were ordered for nearly 2,000 residents from the rural Leilani Estates subdivision and nearby areas.

     There was another explosive eruption at the summit in Halemaumau Center.  Ash was thrown 30,000 into the air.  The Kilauea section of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was closed for months.  Activity in the lower Puna area sent lava into the ocean in three places.  This event caused the destruction of Hawaii’s largest natural freshwater lake.  Lava covered substantial portions of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens.  Vacationland Hawaii was completely inundated.  Only three homes were left in Kapoho Beach Lots.   

     The scientists at the Hawaii Center for Voleanology were able to increase their knowledge and also teach others about what they learned.  Their main office is located in Honolulu at the University of Hawaii and this is 200 miles from Hawaii Island.  The University of Hawaii at Hilo and the USGS Hawaii Volcano Observatory are also involved in studies of the volcanoes.  I thought this program was very interesting and there is a LOT of information about the history and the current status of the Hawaiian volcanoes.  The lava scenes are very dramatic.  3 ½* (I liked this episode)

60 min, TV episode on NOVA, shown on 1/23/19, Doc directed by Peter Chinn with Manaiakalani Kalua, Eric Meyers, Christina Neal, Frank Trusdell, Stacy Welch.

Note:  Imdb 7.9 out of 10, Amazon 5* with one review, PBS 5* with two reviews. 

Special Note:  Nova Season 46, Episode 3.  Filmed in Hawaii, USA.  

The Railway Children 1970

     This film is based on a novel by E. Nesbit and the setting is 1905 in Edwardian London.  The Waterbury family lives in a middle class home.  Their father has an argument with their mother, he leaves and doesn’t come back.  They have three children, Robert is the oldest, then Phyllis and the youngest is Peter.  The family is forced to downsize, sell some of their furniture and move to Three Chimneys.  This is a house near the fictional Great Northern and Southern Railway in Yorkshire.  Later, they learn that their father worked at the Foreign Office and he has been imprisoned.  He was wrongly accused of selling state secrets but another man in the office has committed this crime.  The children spend their time waving to the train passengers and they become friendly with the railway workers.

     In the beginning, their new life is quite different from their former one.  They can’t afford to buy coal when the house is very chilly and they have to forego any treats with their tea.  Their mother is a writer and when she sells a story to a magazine, they can afford buns with their tea.  They soon adjust and they alert the train before an accident, they rescue a Russian dissident and reunite him with his family.  They also help a young man with a leg injury after a race.  3 1/2* (I liked this movie)  

    

109 min, Family directed by Lionel Jeffries with Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins, William Mervyn, Jenny Agutter, Iain Cuthbertson, Sally Thomsett, Gary Warren, Peter Bromilow, Ann Lancaster, Gordon Whiting, Beatrix Mackey, Dreddie Davies, David Lodge, Brenda Cowling.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, 100% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, The Telegraph 5* Anna Baddeley, The Guardian 4* out of 5* Peter Bradshaw, Empire Online 4* out of 5* Ian Nathan,

Special Note: Filmed in West Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and West Yorkshire, England, UK.  Sally Thomsett was 20 when she was cast as 11 year-old Phyllis.  She was forbidden by her contract to reveal her true age during filming.  She was also asked to refrain from smoking, drinking, going out with her boyfriend or diving sports cars.  The cars were her passion and even the film crew did not know her true age.  This film was the most popular British movie release at the box office in 1971.  The production costs were reimbursed just in the Britain alone.  Jenny Agutter is also in the Call the Midwife PBS series.

Hope & Glory 2018

     This film is a semi-autobiographical project by John Boorman about a nine-year-old boy called Bill as he grows up in London during the blitz of WWII.  It’s based on John’s own childhood experiences.   As a young boy, this is a time in history that’s more of an adventure, a lack of regular order, with less restrictions and discipline.  I’m sure the adults in this film have more somber and grim memories of this time period!!

     There seems to be either bad or good reviews but not in between?  Sometimes it does seem too long, dragging and boring at times.  3* (This movie is OK)

113 min, Comedy directed by John Boorman with Sarah Miles, David Hayman, Sebastian Rice-Edwards, Geraldine Muir, Sammi Davis, Derrick O’Connor, Susan Wooldridge, Jean-Marc Barr, Ian Bannen, Annie Leon, Jill Baker, Amelda Brown, Katrine Boorman, Collin Higgins, Shelagh Fraser.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, Roger Ebert 3*, EmpireOnline 3* out of 5* William Thomas, Amazon 3.9* out of 5* with 182 reviews, Common Sense Media age 12+ 4* out of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in London, Berkshire, Middlesex, Surrey, England, UK.  A 650 feet long suburban street set with seventeen semi-detached houses was constructed for this film.  At the time of filming, this was the largest set built in the UK for 25 years.  Newsreel footage shown in a theater of the RAF versus the Luftwaffe is actually from the film Battle of Britain 1969.  Originally Trevor Howard was to be in the role acted by Ian Bannen as Bill’s Grandfather George.  Katrine Boorman in the role as Charity, Bill’s aunt is the daughter of Director John Boorman. 

The Last Race DVD 2019

     This film is about a small town stock car racetrack and the drivers.  Blue-collar drivers call this place home.  They are trying to hold onto an American racing tradition but the world around them is transforming.  Globalization and commercialization are taking over.  The community socializes and they contribute to each other’s lives at the track.  The track is the Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, New York and it’s the last of its kind.  There used to be 40 tracks on Long Island.  Surprisingly, “big-box” stores replaced the tracks.  Barbara and Jim Cromarty are in there 80’s and they have owned and operated the Raceway since 1977.  They were offered over $10 million to sell the because of the rise in property values.  A multiplex movie theater wanted to buy the land.   

     The Raceway is a quarter-mile (400 m) oval track with a Figure 8 course.  There are seven racing divisions, Modified, Figure Eight, Late Model, Blunderbust, Super Pro Truck and Legends.  Other events include demolition derby, school bus racing, monster trucks, enduro, one-on-one spectator drags and go-karts.  On August 14, 2015, the Cromarty’s sold the track for $4 million to Ed and Connie Partridge.  The Partridges plan to keep the track in use.  This is what the Cromarty’s have wanted all along. 3* (This movie is OK)    

75 min, Doc directed by Michael Dweck with Marty Berger, Barbara and  Jim Cromarty, Bob Finan, Scott Kraniak, Ed Mistretta, Tim Mulqueen, George Muse, Larry Oxman, Tom Pickerell, Millie Thomas, Rick Todd.

Note:  Imdb 5.9 out of 10, Metacritic 77 out of 100 with 6 critics.

Special Note:  I was surprised about the cars!  They have been modified with the front end supports added.  There are no headlights and the glass has been removed.  They have roll bars and the drivers wear very sturdy helmets.  They have a support cushion for their neck too.  I don't know if they all do this but one driver had earplugs taped to his ears.  The drivers get very mad at another driver that gets in their way.  

Wild Way of the Vikings DVD 2019

     Are they in this film?  Seafarers, raider, traders, yes to all of them!!  This episode of Nature focuses on the Vikings and their relationship with the natural world.  They both exploited and nurtured their world.  Researchers travel from Norway to Newfoundland just as the seafaring warriors did in 1,000 A.D.  This was hundreds of years before the journey of Columbus.  Vikings ruled the northern seas and their only guides were the ravens in the sky and the killer whales pushing through the cold waters.  Everything needed by the Vikings was taken from nature. 

     I thought this was good and interesting.  I didn't know that the Vikings played chess and they used the ivory tusks of walruses to carve the chess pieces.  The Viking Age of Scandinavian history was from 790's until the Norman conquest of England in 1066.  They used the Norwegian Sea and Baltic Sea for sea routes to the south.  The Normans were descended from Vikings and two Vikings ascended to the throne of England,  Sweyn Forkbeard in 1013-1014 and his son Cnut the Great was king from 1016-1035.  3 1/2* (I liked this episode)  

53 min, TV episode, aired February 13, 2019, directed and produced by Nigel Pope and Jackie Savery with Ewan McGregor as narrator. 

Note:  PBS 4* with one review, Amazon 5* with two reviews.

Special Note:  Animals featured in this film are reindeer, otters, harbor seals, orcas, puffins, gannets, arctic foxes, eider ducks, ravens, walrus, gyrfalcons and humpback whales.