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dboyd001
Reviews
Gods and Generals (2003)
Every war has a price
In spite of what a liberal law professor might believe, this is not Trent Lott's war. He neglects that the Mississippi Senator is not even in this film though Senator Robert Byrd (Democrat- West Virginia) is and actively sought a part in this film.
My great-grandfather was in the 20th Maine Regiment through this campaign right through to Appomatox. Seeing both this movie and "Gettysberg" puts me in awe that he survived the Civil War. The trials and the horror of combat can only be known by those who experienced it, not any ivory tower professor with an agenda. Having been in combat in Viet Nam and Desert Storm I feel more qualified to comment. The Civil War was not a war for the timid. It was a war that cost the lives of more Americans than all other American wars combined. The men on both sides were brave, though each side had their fair share of cowards, incompetents and brutal thugs. The South today is far different from the South of the Civil War era. Sure there is discrimination down there still, but so is there here in the "enlightened" North. White Southerners do not revere the soldiers of the Civil War as racists for the most part, but as their ancestors that fought for what they believed was right. One does not deny your entire family history just because they sided with the Confederacy. The Civil War is a part of the history, heritage and culture of the United States. Trying to erase it with political correctness in this, as everything, will solve nothing. When I hear "The South shall Rise again" I think of the businesses that have been driven from Northern states to the more business and industry friendly Southern states. Perhaps they will win the Civil War after all when all the highest-paying jobs in the North are in the South. Certainly this movie is not the greatest or will ever rate in the top war movies of all time. Robert Duvall seems a much better fit as General Lee. It tells a story of a Confederate general who was a human being despite his support of a doomed way of life. For Civil War fans (on either side of the Mason-Dixon Line) it is an entertaining though longish telling of the story, but worth at least renting. I'd give it a 5 1/2 on a scale of 10 at least.
The Triangle (2001)
Geometry was Better!
I kidded my wife it was about geometry when I rented it. It would have been far more interesting and less predictable if it was about geometry. Whoever designed the sets had no clue what it looks like on a ship... typical Hollywood. This movie is only a little more exciting than a coma. Avoid it, there are far better videos to rent.
John Doe (2002)
Is this John Doe CSI?
So far he only seems to be involved with solving crimes. It could branch out to other areas of life where his knowledge would be intriguing to a storyline. That he has a uncanny and vast knowledge does not necessarily mean he knows everything. Some people know lots of things, but have little if any experience... that is the most likely premise of John Doe "knowing everything." My advise... don't hang this series just as another crime drama.