NFL Films - Chicago Bears - The Complete History Review

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(More customer reviews)"Football Digest" once voted week four's 1977 Monday Night game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears one of the top 10 Monday Night games ever played, and arguably one of the greatest Bears games during the post-1963 NFL Championship season. What was even more significant than it being Joe Namath's last appearance as a starter or the last time anyone would see Broadway Joe at Soldier Field and no one had seen Namath in Chicago since the Jets 1974 win over the Bears for that matter, was the fact that Chicago's Bob Avellini threw 3 touchdown bombs in the pouring rain to beat the Rams 24-23 and "Hollywood Joe" (who was knocked out of the game by Bears LB Waymond Bryant and replaced by Pat Haden for the remainder of the season). Not only a great moment in Chicago Bears history, but a great moment broadcasted by ABC's legendary Howard Cosell. Just one of the many great moments left off the "Chicago Bears - The Complete History" double DVD release.
What you have here is a compilation of old VHS Bears highlights (most of which were produced in the 1980's by NFL Films) assembled together by the NFL Network and transferred onto DVD. Making it abundantly clear to real Bear fans that it wasn't compiled by a "real" Bear fan. This 2005 NFL Films production plays more like a propaganda film than anything else (meaning; this is what "they" want you to remember). A history of the Chicago Bears through their eyes, not Bear fans. I found it rather insulting to have to listen to some spoiled brats (Virginia McCaskey) banter concerning a game and history of a team she knows nothing about. What I mean to say is; why couldn't we get some insight from say...Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander (someone who actually covered the Bears) than someone who sat in a luxury box and picked her nose, totally oblivious to what was happening on the field (the Dave Wannstedt era of the 90's is a clear example of this).
Even more disturbing was the "Bears/Packers Rivalry" segment. Packer fans will find this more engaging than Bear fans, considering the infamous "asterisk" game of 1989 (Green Bay's 14-13 instant replay victory) along with Jim McMahon's 1986 pounding into the Soldier Field astro turf are covered with a fair amount of detail. Although...i'm still trying to figure out why those moments would be more memorable than Chicago's 61-7 slaughter of the Bart Starr coached Packers of 1980 (which by the way wasn't mentioned at all here). Instead we're shown (Ditka's continuing "fullback" saga) William Perry's 1985 Monday Night touchdown as though that were the only memorable moment of the Bear/Packer rivalry concerning Bear fans. I mean...who's highlight reel is this? For a more comprehensive view of this rivalry, pick up Gary D'Amato's "Mudbaths and Bloodbaths" book. Although a bit pro-Packer in places, a good read never-the-less. And after all, at this point in the DVD...anythings better than watching Green Bay's Don Majkowski spike the ball after scoring a TD (against the Bears mind you), on a Bears highlight film no less. Considering how pro-Packer this segment was, I was quite surprised they didn't include Vince Lombardi's infamous quote in response to a sideline tackle made by Doug Buffone in front of the Packer bench. "Buffone?...whats that? Italian for buffoon?".
The NFL Network and NFL Films continues with its barrage of lowlights and insults levied against Bear fans by showing clips of the New York Giants 47-7 mauling of the Bears (in color mind you) in the 1956 NFL Championship, but failing to show any highlights from the famous slush bowl of 1977. This was an important game to the Bears and their fans. It marked Chicago's return to the post-season for the first time since 1963. I can still hear Vin Scully's "watch Fencik lower the boom" on New York's Jimmy Robinson in one of the most devastating hits in the history of the game itself. Chicago won the game 12-9 (a classic nail biter) in the last frantic seconds of OT to capture their sixth game in a row and finish the season at 9-5 enroute to the playoffs. But we're shown none of this. Instead we're told how great Frank Gifford was before, during, and after a few clips of the 1963 NFL Championship victory over the Giants. Again...who's highlight reel is this? Also, there was no mention at all of the Bears week nine game of 1977 (the game that started the 6 game win streak) against the Marv Levy coached Kansas City Chiefs (Bob Avellini's TD pass to Greg Latta as time expired to steal a 28-27 victory in the wake of another brilliant performance by Walter Payton). Or, the 1979 demolishing of the St. Louis Cardinals 42-6, to finish the season at 10-6 and secure a playoff birth (the day after "Mugs" Halas' death, and yet again...NFL Films failed to mention any of it).
And although it was humorous to see Abe Gibron's "wired for sound segment", lets not forget...he never coached a winning team in Chicago. Watching Gibron just reminded me of all those losing seasons after the 63' NFL Championship. And considering the absolute chaotic, mind-numbing bewilderment on the sidelines, it's a miracle the Bears won any games at all under Gibron's baffling direction. The only memorable Gibron moment would have to be 1972's Monday Night win over the Vikings at Soldier Field (the game in which Abe got carried off the field,...a huge achievement considering the fact that the Bears hardly ever beat the Vikings during the late 60's & early to mid 70's, and well...taking into consideration that it was a nationally televised game and Abe's weight (lbs)...it was perhaps the team's greatest performance under his leadership). But even more poignant than that for Bear fans was the priceless blank look on Gibron's face, captured by the CBS camera crew during the last home game of the 1974 season. In the midst of a 5 game losing streak, a mere 18,000 fans showed up in the rain and sleet to watch the Bears Mirro Roder split the uprights in the closing seconds to clip the Giants 16-13 (known as the "fight inflation or conserve energy; stay home and watch Bears lose" game...only they won!). But again...we're shown none of this.
Casual Bear fans will find this insightful and entertaining i'm sure. But real Bear fans will find this to be nothing more than an overpriced cheap VHS transfer of the same recycled file footage NFL Films delivers whenever a Chicago Bears documentary is in order.
...hardly a complete history.
olofpalme63

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This two-disc set celebrates the rich history of the Chicago Bears, from the inception to today. Bonus program is the NFL Films production of Super Bowl XX, Bears big win over the Patriots, featuring the impenetrable 1985 Bears Defense and the colorful Jim McMahon. Includes tons of bonus features on the greatest Bears moments, games and players.

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Changeling (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Clint Eastwood's "Changeling" is not easy to watch, but I implore you to give it a try. This is filmmaking at its finest. It's all at once heartbreaking, infuriating, touching, empowering, and immensely compelling, which is to say that it taps into core human emotions without being manipulative. It tells a story so absorbing, it's as if the movie is happening to us instead of just passing before our eyes. This is appropriate given the fact that it's a true story and not merely based on a true story; screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski relied on actual articles, transcripts, and testimonies to document the story of Los Angeles native Christine Collins, whose nine-year-old son, Walter, disappeared in March of 1928. Five months later, the LAPD returned a boy Collins knew was not her son. Because the police refused to admit that a mistake was made, they deemed Collins an unfit mother and subsequently had her committed to a mental institution. But she wouldn't be silenced, and with the help of some key figures, she took on one of the most shameful cases of police corruption in Los Angeles history.
Angelina Jolie gives yet another wonderful performance as Collins, an honest, caring woman who was clearly striving for independence in a male-dominated society. She works diligently as the supervisor for a telephone company, so much so that she's offered a managerial position. As a single mother, she's firm yet nurturing, and she's upfront with her son (Gattlin Griffith) about why his father left before he was born. After Walter's disappearance, and after the wrong boy is returned to her, she initially faces the LAPD on her own, which leaves her with little since it's a tyrannical system motivated by power, not justice. There's a pivotal scene in which Chief of Police James E. Davis (Colm Feore) makes the following announcement: "We will hold trial on gunmen in the streets of Los Angeles. I want them brought in dead, not alive, and I will reprimand any officer who shows the least bit of mercy on a criminal." This is immediately followed by a shot of officers executing a line of criminals in the middle of a dark street. An elimination of the competition. For a system this dishonest, a persistent woman like Collins is seen as nothing but a disruption.
Of all the authority figures in this film, Captain J.J. Jones (Jeffrey Donovan) is by far the most deplorable. He's obstinate and domineering, bullying Collins into taking in an imposter child, who was found with a drifter in DeKalb, Illinois. Jones has the nerve to question Collins as a mother, claiming she was so happy her son was taken that she's now resorting to phony accusations. Her insistence that he carry on the investigation lands her in a dehumanizing psychiatric hospital, where numerous disruptive women are sent to endure constant medicating and cruel electroshock therapy. A kindly but broken prostitute (Amy Ryan) tells Collins that there's absolutely no winning with the doctors. If you smile too much, you're delusional. If you smile too little, you're depressed. If you're neutral, then you've lost touch with basic human emotions. All anyone can do is learn how to behave properly.
The only person on Collins' side is Gustav Briegleb (John Malkovich), a Presbyterian minister and community activist who made it his life's work to expose the corruption of the LAPD during radio sermons. When Collins is committed, Briegleb takes it upon himself to publicize the disappearance of her son and rally the public to support her. This puts tremendous pressure on the LAPD, as does the recent discovery of a crime scene; buried beneath a chicken ranch in Wineville, California are human remains. A mechanic named Gordon Northcott (Jason Butler Harner) becomes the primary suspect in a string of murders. I don't want to reveal any more about this case, but I will make it a point to praise Harner for not playing Northcott as a fanatical stereotype.
Apparently, Straczynski inserted newspaper clippings into copies of his screenplay, just as a reminder to the actors that everything being depicted actually happened. "The story is just so bizarre," he said, "that you need something to remind you that I'm not making this stuff up." Indeed, a lot of what Collins goes through is so outrageous that it's just shy of being funny. She knows, for example, how tall Walter is, for she measured his rate of growth on a wall. The boy who was returned to her is three inches shorter than the last notch. Collins also notices that this boy has been circumcised; she knows for a fact that Walter has not been. A doctor sent by Captain Jones assures Collins that, after months of improper care and nutrition, children can actually shrink. As for the circumcision, well, she should never put it past a kidnapper to do something extreme.
But what about the LAPD? Should she put it past them to do something extreme, such as returning the wrong child and knowing about it? It's easy to watch this movie and feel just as emotionally drained as Collins; there are moments where I wanted to scream, others where I wanted to cry, and many where I didn't know how to feel. This is not a criticism. The success of a movie like "Changeling" depends on a strong emotional gamut that reflects what the audience thinks and feels. This is, without a doubt, one of the year's best films, a powerful human drama dedicated to the ideals of hope and perseverance.

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CHANGELING - DVD Movie

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American Pickers: The Complete Season 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)Hey look, it's that infamous Church of the Flaming Sword and it looks like he's at it again. He's writing a review for another reality TV series, but wait. He's giving it a positive review. What gives?
Do not take your computer to the shop for repairs, you are reading it correctly. I found a reality show I like. American Pickers is an antidote to just about 99% of all the crap known as reality programming. You might want to steer clear if you are expecting -
1. Washed up celebrities performing acts of desperation in some vain hope of recapturing their fame.
2. Spoiled 20 and 30 somethings who treat the world like it's their personal nightclub.
3. Pregnant teenagers.
4. Drama queens and kings.
5. Competitions in which participants win by any means necessary, or not so necessary.
This show is mainly about two average guys, tall and lanky Mike Wolfe and short and stocky Frank Fritz, who go around the country to buy antiques and collectibles for a store in Iowa called Antique Archaeology. They go and buy everything from old movie posters to long forgotten gas station signs to worn out motorcycle frames, and in one case a painting of a nude woman. The only thing that matches the diversity of the antiques they buy is the people they buy them from. One of whom is a rather eccentric man who runs a Bigfoot museum in Alabama and another is a retired attorney who collects old cars among other things. Sometimes Mike and Frank make a substantial profit, but there have been occasions in which they went in the red. When you run a business or work for one, those are the risks you take.
What really makes the show for me is how well Frank and Mike work together. There is nothing Hollywood or made up about these two. They love to goof around, but they are also serious about what they do and I especially liked how Frank compared one lady he bought from to his grandmother.
American Pickers exemplifies what is sorely lacking from reality TV - reality. It not only shows two normal guys making a living - but it also makes it entertaining and interesting. While I'm certainly not going to watch these has been pop stars trying to find a date or Dancing with the Stars anytime in the next quadrillion years, my opinion of what reality shows can be has been raised.
Thank you Mike and Frank,
Keep up the good work.

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In small towns, and along America's back roads, treasures are waiting to be uncovered--valuable relics from our history that are hidden in junk piles, buried in barns and stacked in garages. It takes experts to find them...and turn rust to riches. Season One of AMERICAN PICKERS on HISTORY follows highly skilled 'pickers' Mike Wolfe, owner of Antique Archaeology in Iowa, and his business partner Frank Fritz, as they hunt down objects with historical, collectible and pop culture value that have been long forgotten by their owners. From a vintage Harley to a one-of-a-kind Ferris wheel, each treasure hunt uncovers weird and wonderful Americana, offering a glimpse into a little-known side of the antiques business. Along the way, Mike and Frank meet people whose own stories open a window into American lives and history.DISC 1 (4 episodes, approx 180 min): Big Bear / Super Scooter / White Castle on the Farm / Invisible PumpDISC 2 (4 episodes, approx 180 min): Back Breaker / Mole Man / Frank's Gamble / 5 Acres of JunkDISC 3 (4 half-hour episodes, approx 92 min): Bigfoot in Alabama / Know When to Fold / Fill er Up / Leland's Cafe

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