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stevemon108
Reviews
Haunted History: Haunted Key West (2000)
Key West's dark secrets
This documentary episode is a review of the spooky nature of Key West, specifically which famous cases and famous people now haunt Key West. Ernest Hemmingway's house, John Audobon's house, as well as a local cemetery and old mortuary play into the idea that Key West may be the most haunted of all cities in the US.
Old forts, ships, and pirate hangouts also add some flavor to this tale seeking to convince us of the ghostly haunts of Key West. Eye witness accounts and historical references to cases of ghost sightings are both interesting and credible (if you believe in such things) with some photos and history of Key West offering a nice perspective. The case of one eccentric doctor who falls in love with a patient whom he woos even after death is both spooky and morbid, but adds to the fun.
Inside Man (2006)
A pretty good ride
With all this star power, I must say I expected a bit more, but as thrillers go, Inside Man kept me on the edge. Every time I thought I had figured out what was going on, something changed. Some of it was predictable, but as a movie-going experience, it was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. There were a few clever bits, and some hard to fathom, and some just plain hard to follow. Dialogue was decent if not sometimes stilted. Jody Foster's character did not fit in fluidly with her "I've got something on everyone under the sun" machismo. It was hard to understand her character--a little too black and white. Denzel is always great, but had many predictable lines. Between editing and dialogue, it was sometimes a little too clever for its own good. A plot this complex invites the audience to become a bit picky on believability issues. My first objection was why the NYC Police were running the show when bank robberies fall under federal jurisdiction. Where was the FBI? And why was a substitute, detective second- class, who was already in hot water with his dept. running the show in the biggest crime scene (at least in manpower) to hit New York in at least a month. Denzel's wardrobe left me wondering whether Columbo was the model for his character. With all the pickiness, it was still an enjoyable, if not a forgettable performance.
The True Story of Hannibal (2005)
May have aired under a different name
I believe this may have aired under the name, "Hannibal v. Rome." If so the film was mostly a good history lesson. It explains why Hannibal was considered such a historical hero. Besides using the first elephants used in warfare and his army's trip over the Alps, few people know much of Hannibal. Nor do they know what his motivation for fighting the Romans was. The film reenacts many of the scenes of him crossing the Alps. Showing elephants in this cold weather, one gets a sense for how impossible his mission was. Also, one senses the tremendous motivator he must have been to get his troops to follow him there. The historical research was excellent. Anyone wanting to know more about this part of history will want to watch. Narration documentaries like this are not exciting to watch.
Cracking the Da Vinci Code (2004)
I liked it as a documentary, not an entertainment piece
Previous comments on this documentary have been quite negative, but they were obviously looking to be entertained not informed. While it is a bit dry, the information is good and worth seeing. The book is great and I look forward to the movie with Tom Hanks. This piece is helping me prepare to enjoy that movie more by showing the places, artwork, and other items that will be portrayed in the movie and appeared in the book. Also read Brown's other books if you want to get a bit of his preparation for this book. I like the way he thinks and tells a story, even if the story is a whopper. This documentary is not a "Bowling for Columbine" nor any other of Michael Moore's pseudo-documentary "Let's make a Buck while telling them it's the truth" hogwash. Thank God! Documentary films are supposed to be informative and accurate, not necessarily controversial or entertaining.