The Tuskegee Airmen (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)The story of the magnificent 332nd Fighter Group is woven into a dramatic tapestry of the horror of war and the disjointed approach of many Americans to a difficult time and a situation many would have preferred to ignore. The performance of the pilots who graduated the Tuskegee Training Program (they NEVER lost an escorted bomber to enemy action!) unfolds against the backdrop of misunderstanding, racism and political machinations that nearly destroyed the entire enterprise. This film does a magnificent job of telling the tale without being melodramatic, preachy or snide, but does full justice to the accomplishments of the pilots and their eventual victory against both German pilots and their own nation's refusal to recognize their talents. For the student of World War II, this is a well-known and much-respected story. For the student of African-American History, it is a tale of pride which shines as brightly as the stars on the American Flag these men so courageously defended. Fishburn and Cuba Gooding are superior as men caught between their own humanity and the de-humanizing effects of war. If ever a film deserve a 5-Star rating, this one does.

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Featuring an all-star cast headed by Laurence Fishburne, fireballs of high speed air action explode off the screen in this exciting story of the "Fighting 99th," the first squadron of black American pilots to be allowed to fight for their country. Based on the true story.

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Amistad (1997) Review

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(More customer reviews)This review refers to the Dreamworks Doby Digital Edition.....
Based on actual events, Steven Spielberg and Debbie Allen collaberate to bring us one of the many heartwrenching stories of the plight of Africans,during the illegal slave trade of the 1800's.
A group of African people who were brutally draggged from their villages are being transported for slave trade. Only knowing that they are chained and mistreated one man,breaks loose and leads a rebillion against the ship's crew. In order to ensure their own freedom they must take the lives of their captors. They are discovered in American waters, and a trial ensues as to the question of murder.
It becomes an international case. Everybody from the queen of Spain to the owners of the ship "Amistad" are claiming ownership of these men and women. Being pre-civil war, the abolishionists are also making a case for their freedom.This is a case that could lead America one step closer to Civil War.
One property lawyer who has never worked on a case of this proportion, takes on the task of trying to prove that these are not plantation slaves,but citizens of Africa taken by force and did what they needed to do to be free, as any American would do the same. His task is a difficult one,but as the tragic story of these people unfolds he is able to put on his defense. They also get some help from the ex-president John Quincy Adams,whose eloquence puts the Declaration of Indepence to the test.
This is a magnificent piece of cinema in all respects. Spielberg brings to our attention yet another important piece of history that was cruel and inhuman,one of American history that we were hardly aware of.It is an epic film that will wash over you with several different emotions, and you will want to watch it again and again.
No big introduction needed for most of the cast who seemed perfectly fitted to their roles. Matthew McConaughey outstanding as the lawyer, Sir Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as Adams, Morgan Freeman and Stellan Skarsgard are totaly believable as the abolishionists,and Pete Postlethwaite perfect as the lawyer for the prosecution. Also in a sterling performance is Djimon Housnsou as Cinque, the spokesperson for the Africans. His portrayal of the enslaved man who only wants his freedom will captivate you.I must also make mention of Nigel Hawthorn and David Paymer for their wonderful performances.The cinematography is breathtaking. The music scored by John Williams and especially the African music will stay with you long after the movie. You will also be impressed with the costume designs. The film was nominated for four Academy awards,including one for Best Supporting for Hopkins.
The DVD is top quality.The Widescreen(Anamorphic) gives us an incredible view of everything going on in the courtroom scenes and on the ocean voyages. The picture does justice to the great cinematography. It is clear and crisp, colors are vibrant. Nighttime scenes are vivid as well. The 5.1 Dolby Dig surround fills the room. It can also be viewed in the 2.0 stereo. The special features,including a behind the scenes featurette are informative as well as entertaining. There is closed captions if needed.
You will not be dissapointed with either the film or the DVD transfer, it is one that will be a great addition to your collection. Watch it again and again.......Laurie
also available in this Spielberg 2 pack:Saving Private Ryan/Amistad

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Eyes on The Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954-1965 Review

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(More customer reviews)Eyes on the Prize is the best and most definitive film ever created about the civil rights movement in America. It goes from the 50s, post WWII all the way through until the end of the technical Civil Rights movement. There is another 7 hours of footage beyond what is included in this set, and I look forward to owning that half of the series as well. I am a teacher, and I am proud to be able to show parts of this film to my students during my study of black literature. I fell in love with this series in college when my history professor showed us the first episode, and I have been a devoted fan ever since. The interviews, taken years after the events, are so perfectly blended with real footage from the protests and speeches, along with beautiful recordings of freedom songs in the background, I really don't think there is any way this documentary could be improved on in any way. The DVD should be in anyone's collection who values learning about the rich, and often disturbing, history of civil rights in America. I still tear up when I watch this, it is truly amazing.

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Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today. Winner of numerous awards, Eyes on the Prize is the most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America.

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60 Minutes Presents: Obama: All Access - Barack Obama's Road to the White House (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)President Barack Obama. From his beginning as a Senator from Illinois to his road to the White House and to the monumental day of his inauguration, only one show and one correspondent was granted exclusive access to the Senator and that was "60 Minutes" and correspondent Steve Kroft.
"60 Minutes Presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama's Road To The White House" is a wonderful glimpse into the personal and professional life of Barack Obama, his wife Michelle and their two daughters.
The DVD features the following:
* The 44th President (November 16, 2008) - This 38-minute post-election interview with President Obama goes into the economy, automobile industry, bail-out, his Washington apartment and getting a family dog and his mother-in-law. Also, interesting insight from President Obama in regards to having an NCAA Football playoff system. But also, an interview with first lady Michelle Obama and reflecting on the past with their relationship. A very good interview featuring a confident, calm but also anxious to get to work President.
* The Road to the White House (December 28, 2008) - This 34-minute interview features President Barack Obama's road to the White House. Exclusive footage given to "60 Minutes" of Obama's two year audition to the American people and clips from past interviews with then Senator Obama and his wife Michelle. A very well done compilation of two years of footage from "60 Minutes" showcasing the challenges, the problems but also the high notes of his campaign.
* What You Haven't Seen - Steve Kroft explains that there were so much footage that did not make it on the air and thus with the DVD, they included 14-minutes of footage. This footage is much more personal as President Obama talks about his upbringing, his mother, Abraham Lincoln and the relationship between Barack and his wife Michelle.
* Major Speeches - This section features six major speeches given by Senator Obama, Democrat nominee for President, President-elect to President Barack Obama. Included are:
1. Candidacy (February 10, 2007) - Duration: 21 minutes. Illinois Senator President Obama makes his candidacy speech in Springfield at the Old State Capitol where President Abraham Lincoln made his speech against slavery.
2. Race (March 18, 2008) - Duration: 15 minutes. The topic of race was unavoidable due to his former pastor's comments. So, this speech in Philadelphia dealt with race and union.
3. Berlin (July 24, 2008) - Duration: 16 minutes. Barack Obama set out in a tour in the Middle East but also making appearances in Europe and the highlight was a speech in Berlin.
4. Nomination (August 28, 2008) - Duration: 43 minutes. Barack Obama spoke in Denver in front of 83,000 supporters. Rallying his supporters as he became the Democrat nominee for President. An exciting and energetic speech!
5. Victory (November 4, 2008) - Duration: 19 minutes. We had a new President-elect and Obama and his family greeted their cheering supporters and he gave another awesome speech.
6. Inauguration (January 20, 2009) - Duration: 22 minutes. The important oath and transfer of power as Barack Obama became the 44th President of the United States.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
The following video is featured in 4:3 and audio is English 2.0. Pretty much the TV broadcast footage as shown on television. You'll notice that the recent interviews are much more cleaner as opposed to the footage done two years prior. But overall video is as expected and audio is clear and understandable.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are no special features. Granted, the portion "What You Haven't Seen" can be looked at as a special feature. But the menu features the two "60-Minutes" segments, the "What You Haven't Seen" and Speeches as the main categories for menu selection.
I found "60 Minutes Presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama's Road To The White House" to be a fantastic collection of exclusive footage of Barack Obama. It's one thing to see the political side of the President but you really had good insight to both the President and the first lady. How they want to live normal lives and especially how important they are as parents to their two young daughters.
Hearing his speeches again were very calm, powerful, communicative and energetic. His charisma and his delivery of his speeches were so exciting to watch again and to see the various energy, the happiness, the tears of happiness of the supporters and the thousands who turned out to see him give a speech was just touching, amazing and memorable.
If anything, I love these DVD collections that include speeches because when I was in college. Back then, I would use President Kennedy's speeches as a way to practice my delivery for speech class and also public speaking and in this case, people of today can use this as a resource for speech class because Barack Obama definitely has great delivery and confidence in his speeches. Speeches you can learn from.
Overall, "60 Minutes presents Obama: All Access - Barack Obama's Road to the White House" is enjoyable, entertaining and insightful. This DVD is for those who want to celebrate Obama's rise as a Senator from Illinois to become the 44th President of the United States and for those who want to learn more about him.

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60 MINUTES PRESENTS OBAMA:ALL ACCESS - DVD Movie

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The Richard Pryor Show, Vols. 1 & 2 plus Bonus Disc (1977) Review

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(More customer reviews)I saw this when it first came on in 1977 when I was 13. Surprising how much I remember these skits. Overall, while it's unique, it's certainly a mixed bag. Like the Smothers brothers, it's quite daring and not surprising that it had trouble with the censors.
"The Richard Pryor Special?" is clearly the best of the lot. Basically, it's Pryor trying to get to his show and meeting strange characters with varied skit ideas along the way. Some really good stuff like the young children's choir (with future soap star Kristoff St. John) and the drunk lover performance with Maya Angelou.
A lot of the ideas that Pryor brings to the fore are unique, but some are just plain strange, such as the "Pet head" with Charles Fleischer (later Roger Rabbit) and "Black Death", a bizzare goth-rocker who kills all of his fans during a concert (this freaked me out and puzzled me in 1977 and still does today). Much of this humor is based on race relations and the subject gets sort of beaten in the ground after a while.
The edited skits makes one wonder why Pryor filmed such profanity-filled routines knowing that they had no chance of airing (there is a particularly foul moment when Pryor curses heavily during the Audience Q&A when there are clearly children visible in the audience). As he has admitted, Pryor had a bad cocaine habit in those days and it shows in some of these monologues.
However, it's also interesting to see the cast of soon-to-be's such as a very young and glamourous pre-"Night Court" Masrha Warfield, Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard, John Witherspoon, Paul Mooney, and Tim Reid. So overall, you can see in this the direction Black comedy was to take from the 1980s into recent times.
It would be nice if "A Time For Laughter," the 1967 special that featured a young Pryor with Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley, Pigmeat Markham, and Godfrey Cambridge, would also make it to DVD as that was equally as ground-breaking.

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One of the most talked-about comedy shows ever, this hilarious collection of classic laughs became a legend during its showings on NBC and now returns on DVD for a new generation! Guests include John Belushi and Maya Angelou, Cast Members include Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society), Sandra Bernhard (Without You I'm Nothing), Shirley Hemphill (What's Happening!!), Paul Mooney (Hollywood Shuffle), LaWanda Page (Sanford and Son), Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati), Edie McClurg (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) and Marsha Warfield (Night Court) and Peter Cullen (The Tigger Movie).

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