DavidInAustin Reviews

A World of Love (1970 TV Special)

I was one of the kids in A World Of Love

[10/10 · 13 October 2008]

I was one of the kids on this program and it was an fascinating experience. This show remains the only commercial broadcast to ever be taped in the UN General Assembly building. Production was done in one (as I remember, very long) day, as the General Assembly was actually in session during filming.

I was the little boy from Texas who was comparing Christmas in Fort Worth and New York City with the boy from Brooklyn with Bill Cosby.

Meeting everyone on this program was, for a starry eyed ten year old, something! We actually sat at the US delegation desk and met the Ambassador and UN Secretary-General.

It was a wonderful experience!

The Guardian (I) (2006)

Excellent - Semper Paratus!

[10/10 · 13 October 2006]

I have to agree with zzsilentbobzz's assessment of the movie. I am a former QM2 and served as a Search and Rescue and Law Enforcement LPO in Stations from Dutch HArbor to Key West (during the Mariel Boatlift in 1980) The few inconsistencies are the ones zzsilentbobzz already mentioned (read his comments too - another Coastie) and much of the content, look and feel of the film is EXTREMELY accurate, especially the "A" School and rescue scenes.

It is also nice to FINALLY see a movie that honors, and just as important acknowledges, what is in peacetime and in war the most important service for the average American. Why is that so? Because our chief mission is to save lives and property, not destroy them. That is not to diminish our DOD associates at all - I always honor their courage and service and would not want their billets - but it IS to also honor the Coast Guard equally, something that has never been a priority in the United States, at least until someone needs us. The USCG has had an incredibly high per capita duty related fatality rate throughout its history, and as the oldest of the seagoing uniformed services has always had a unique, and uniquely dangerous, mission.

"So Others May Live", the motto of the Rescue Swimmers in the movie, is actually the motto of all of us who served, and serve, in Search and Rescue (SAR) and Law Enforcement (LE) and of the many Coasties who have given their lives so that others might live.

Semper Paratus - the USCG is Always Prepared!

L.A. Story (1991)

One of the best ever in its own way

[10/10 · 24 June 2006]

When I first saw this film in the theater, I remember the complete emotional reaction I had to it. I had to watch it several more times to really grasp all of the many complicated levels it contains. This film has more layers than a Vadallia Onion, and each one is as sweet and intricate as the next. This film is in many ways the best work Steve Martin has ever done. It reflects the best of his intellectually complicated and sophisticated silliness while also delivering a deeply emotional and spiritual message of self discovery and the eternal hope of love and life. At times poignant and funny concurrently, at other times silly and spiritual together, this film is an entrancing journey into a vision of a better, more hopeful, world. The music used in the film, particularly Enya's contributions, add an profound element of power and beauty to the overall effort. Indeed, the music, and the way it is employed throughout, is a complex layer of the film in and of itself. This film covers the gamut of humanity without being arrogant, and mixes Shakespeare, Saturday Night Live and Existential Philosophy in a VERY entertaining and at the same time inspiring journey. This was one of the few films I have ever seen that made me laugh, cry, smile knowingly and get chills all across my spine virtually at the same time. You will need to watch this remarkable effort more than once to appreciate all of its levels and beauty, its message and musings, its hope and glory while you are laughing and being inspired beyond what seems reasonable for a film all at the same time. This film was never appreciated as it should have been, and it is a rare gem. You will never forget this sweet journey into what could be, and maybe what should be, the real world.

The Salton Sea (2002)

A Little TOO Real

[5/10 · 24 June 2006]

This movie portrays the brutality and reality of the methhead subculture VERY graphically. Kilmer is absolutely haunting as the man seeking revenge for a brutal loss, and the overall flow of the film is at times almost riveting, but it is riveting the same way as watching one of those Al-Queda beheading videos that circulate on the internet. At many points of the film, it seems that the script is too busy seeking to portray the brutality of the drug underworld simply for the sake of portraying brutality, and in doing so it takes away from what could have been a profoundly intricate and powerful examination of what the drug underworld is and what drugs do. It is still a passable film, but not one that just anyone would like.