Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues: A Musical Journey: Vol 1: Feel Like Going Home

Director:  Martin Scorsese
Producer Martin Scorsese
Topic: American Music The Blues

sez says: Oh my I love this music, and I love that this series was made, and I could listen to it over and over again.  In this one blues artist Corey Harris is featured as our tour guide and he introduces old and contemporary musicians from the Delta Blues region of the South --and then he goes on to Africa to meet current musicians from that region and to demonstrate the roots of the music. It is something of a general introduction to the topic and it has footage of lots of famous and not so famous musicians... but to me it was all just a joy to watch. But then, I am a dyed-in-the-wool lover of the Blues so maybe I am not really capable of being critical of this sort of documentary.  I am just delighted to see this sort of documentary made.

mjc says:  really wonderful introduction to the blues and its roots.  Grade A

Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues: A Musical Journey Vol 2 Soul of A Man

Director Wim Wenders
Topic: American Music: The Blues

sez says -- First off I'll say I love this series -- and I recommend it to anyone that loves the Blues.  But, if you don't love the Blues it might not be of much interest.  There is a lot of detail, various renditions of the same songs, interviews with sometimes rather unusual people.  But still I could watch any of the volumes in this set multiple times, just like I'd listen to an album multiple times.   That said, I also have to say that Vol #2 is rather bizarre: You've got to ask what "cartoons of outer space" have to do with the subject -- that is the framework around which Wenders sets his telling of this story.  (There is a connection but it is thin and then it is stretched--so it's got holes in it--but that didn't stop Wenders --a mistake I'd say but then maybe others found the connection moving or camp. You'll have to watch it to see what you think.) Titled "The Soul of A Man" the focus is on the contributions, (and lives) of three men: Blind Willie Johnson, J.B. Lenoir and Skip James. The story is well known --amazing musicians made wonderful music --got cheated out of the profits, were rediscovered in the 1960s, etc.  But this one demonstrates how much of the music we know actually came from these men.   It is an awe inspiring and amazing contribution they made--I am sure glad that Scorsese put this together to acknowledge that contribution.  And I hope lots more documentaries are made about this subject so an ever increasing number of people will be exposed to the gift the world received from these men. Hallelujah!

mjc says:  I love the blues so I am always happy to sit and listen and watch the guys who made it.  This movie is a bit over the top, Wenders trying way too hard to be cool and creative!  Grade for this Vol B

Rome: Rise and Fall of an Empire

Producer: History Channel
Topic:  Roman Empire

 sez says: This is a 4 Disc Series--each disc has 4 episodes --so there is a lot of material covered.  The visuals are reenactments--and maps.  Meanwhile there is a voice-over narration telling about the rise and fall of various figures, or reading from texts of the time.  This is interspersed with talking-head academics filling in info about what is known / or believed to be true / about the folks involved. Why we got into watching this I am not sure. It is not fabulous but it is just compelling enough to keep you with it.  Certainly it is full of detail that I'll never retain but it also provides a strong overview-sensibility that describes a civilization that is based on militarism and is held together by the military. According to this program no one could rule without the support of the military; all wealth came from the plunder obtained via military conquest; the military repeatedly removed leaders and replaced them; there was always trouble on the borders with various tribes of people fighting back; there was plenty of intrigue inside Rome as people vied for power.   That is not particularly surprising. But I keep wondering about all those folk (called barbarians) who resist the Romans along the borders...who were they? -- did they too just want to be 'Romans' and conquer other people, or were there any that just wanted to live peaceably and get the Roman's off their backs?    Also, not covered are questions like how exactly did communication take place over such a large area? People seemed to know what was going on from one end of the empire to another..and I'd sure like to know more about the society that grew out of this wealth..not just the ruling elite but how did regular, everyday-people fare. But there is the rub, the more you learn, the more questions you have, and this silly thing is already over long.

mjc says:  I've picked up a few morsels about this empire from the series, although I am always skeptical about what is said when I don't know the ideology/perspective of the producers.  I mean, was this really all about to whom the legions were loyal, or was there more to it then that.  Most of the academics, I noticed, were from fairly obscure schools, many in the South.  Just a itch that I might scratch one of these days.  
GRADE C

Influenza 1918, American Experience

Director: Robert Kenner
Narrator: Linda Hunt

sez says:  interesting bit of history. It must have been frightening to have lived through this epidemic. 600,000 dead in the USA, 33 million dead around the world-and this all happened in a very short time.  It started sometime in 1918 and hit its peak in October of that year, then mysteriously it tapered off.  No one anywhere had any idea how to stop it.  Certainly people tried, scientist worked feverishly, people turned to folk medicine, but there was nothing that worked.  And it was not killing the weakest members of society-it was killing the strongest.  A reminder that we really don't have all the answers--not then, not now. GRADE B -

Riddles Of The Sphinx , NOVA 2010

sez says --What happened to NOVA? It use to be such a good, reliable show. Now it is all hyped up language and hold your breath cliff-hanger talk that is really off putting.  The Sphinx is an iconic image and so I thought it might be interested to learn a little about it..and that is what I learned, just a little bit.  So sure I now know something more than I did but it was hard work listening to the dialogue, that wanted to make the story into a race of some sort, saying things like: "Just in time" somebody is studying the Sphnix! --Huh? Even I know that people have been studying the Sphinx for a long time.  Oh well --maybe I just need to give up on the NOVA series.

mjc:  agree with the sentiment about how the show was constructed, all breathless and awestruck.  They could have had the camera slowly wander around the giant statue and it would have been more interesting. GRADE D

Sam Cooke, Crossing Over, 2010

Director:  John Antonelli
Topic: Sam Cooke, American Music and Race Relations
Narrator: Danny Glover

sez says:  what a delight it is to hear this music and to learn a little more about this talented man.  The film makers tried hard to make each stage of his life 'yet another dramatic moment.'  but his life was not so very dramatic. The subtext is he had enormous talent, he was ambitious and he worked hard. That added up to many accomplishments. Tragedy also entered his life but his ultimate downfall came from his life long habit of chasing women.  Too bad for us. He died at age 33. GRADE C

mjc says:   pretty guy; pretty music.

Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor, 2009

NOVA  Premiere Broadcast on PBS: January 5, 2010

sez says: This has interesting new information about the details of exactly what happened at Pearl Harbor,,,but how annoying can you get with all the hyperbole about 'at last the truth is told' -- the material doesn't need that kind or stupid talk.  A puzzle has been pieced together.  We know more now than we did previously, and some interesting scientific specialties were used to get the new picture in focus. So if you are interested in what happened at Pearl Harbor you will find this interesting..but you may find your self talking back to the TV about the hype and drama the script engages in.  I wish they wouldn't do that. GRADE D


mjc says:  all I could think about was how much I wanted to get in the warm Hawaiian waters and float around.  OK, I know that is retrograde, but it was what I thought.  That, and how horrifying it would be to be one of the crew in the midget submarines the Japanese had created.