Baseball - A Film by Ken Burns (1994) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Contained in these ten DVD's are just about every historical moment in baseball.
Inning 1 Baseball from its inception in the 1840's to the 1900's This explores baseballs roots from Abner Doubleday to the beginnings of what we know as modern day baseball.
Inning 2 1900 to 1910. The beginning of the World Series. Great footage and photos of old parks and players.
Inning 3 1910 TO 1920. Covers Babe Ruth, the Black sox, Grover Cleveland Alexander and more. Footage of Fenway being built
Inning 4 1920 to 1930 Really the beginnings of the Yankee dynasty but the Cardinals rule the National league with the famed gas house gang.
Inning 5 1930 to 1940. More footage of all the great stars of the day, Ruth, DiMaggio, Williams and more.
Inning 6 1940 to 1950. The effects of war on the American pastime. The splendid splinter goes to war, he comes back and picks up where he left off.
Inning 7 1950 to 1960. The Yankee dynasty continues. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, The shot heard around the world, Don Larson's perfect game. The Giants and Dodgers pick and leave.
Inning 8 1960 to 1970. The Los Angeles Angels are born, The Kansas City A's become the Oakland A's, The Royals and Mets are born. The Padres are born and move into a small stadium outside of San Diego. And then there was the Seattle Pilots. Those amazin Mets win the World series. Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax get agents but are unsuccessful in changing baseballs anti trust act and re sign with the Dodgers. Maris passes the Babe with an asterisk.
Inning 9 1970 to 1994. Curt Flood loses his war against baseball but the players eventually win. The players union gets stronger. The Reds come to power. The A's win a couple world series. Roberto Clemente's life cut short. Washington loses another team called the Senators.
The film also has some great commentary interspersed through out all of the DVD's. At the end of each DVD is a trivia game based on the decade that the DVD covered. While the movie is based for the most part on New York teams this is truly a must for all baseball fans. There is no other collection of materials that covers baseball like this one does in terms of breadth and depth.
I have watched this m any times now and it's still just as interesting as the first time I watched it.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Baseball - A Film by Ken Burns (1994)

Click here for more information about Baseball - A Film by Ken Burns (1994)

Read More...

Athens 2004 Olympic Games Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Disc 1 is the entire opening ceremony; disc 4 is the entire closing ceremony. One of the other 2 is general highlights; the last is Greek athlete highlights (I did not watch it).
These were done by a Greek company, so the English subtitles leave something to be desired. They are also very distracting and too fast to read at times; they also obscure what is going on. I strongly advise that they be turned off. You don't need them, since the announcements are done in Greek, French, and English anyway, and you don't need to know what the Greek commentators are saying, anyway (see below). Even if you have difficulty hearing, you don't need them: they don't identify the various cultures represented, etc., so all you would miss would be the welcoming speeches.
The commentators were all too often disrespectful. They would continue to talk while announcements and other things were said by people involved; they belittled several nations and ignored others. Thankfully, one can turn off the commentary also, and I highly recommend that you do so.
The highlights could have been two hours instead of one, but at least they included often-overlooked events such as shooting and equestrian, as well as all types of cycling. And, they did include "my Olympic moment" when Paul Hamm was mentally/emotionally stunned by his fall, but courageously finished the competition and came back to win the gold (they showed the fall and then his amazing final routine).
If you really enjoyed the opening ceremonies and found the living-art depictions of the various cultures to be excellent (they were extremely accurate "reconstructions" of paintings and sculpture), you will enjoy the set (so long as you turn off subtitles and commentary). If you love Greek contemporary culture, you will enjoy the closing ceremony (ditto re: subtitles and commentary). If your focus was strictly the sporting events themselves, you will find this set disappointing since only about 60 minutes out of the 502 are general highlights (plus another 60 of Greek highlights).

Click Here to see more reviews about: Athens 2004 Olympic Games

Click here for more information about Athens 2004 Olympic Games

Read More...

Last One Standing: The Complete First Season Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have to admit, what first drew me into the show was the super-hyped advertisement of a few extremely fit,(and one particular, not to beat around the bush, tall, dark haired, gorgeous British guy), sporting tribal wear, fighting passionately, raw, in all sorts of exotic landscapes and cultures, all set to the infectious, adrenaline infused beat of Saliva's "Ladies and Gentlemen." Blood Stained Love Story
When I started watching, it was all that, but so, so much more. That show had me so inspired and pumped, I was in the best shape of my life from the first episode to well after the last. As for the six very unique young men, they were real, extremely likable characters that drew you in each on their own, you root for them all. Okay, I lied there, I never thought Corey belonged in the show, in fact I insulted him a lot through my t.v., and I adored Rajko above them all. But five amazing characters out of six, you can't get better than that, and I've watched a lot of reality shows! Don't get me started on the cultures, the connections they made, the injuries, or the mental, physical, and spiritual highs and lows they all faced.
I have searched for other shows like this one, and none has ever come close to Last One Standing.
From day one, I spouted this show to every single person I knew like I was getting paid for marketing, and I definitely recommend it to you.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Last One Standing: The Complete First Season

Click here for more information about Last One Standing: The Complete First Season

Read More...

Inside the Third Reich Box Set (2009) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Excellent film footage seldom seen and then footage seen often blended together with a fresh view. Excellent narration. The focus of this series of DVDs is on topics usually explored briefly in other documentaries. This series serves to focus and then present an indepth representation.
For those interested in something more than an overview of isolated topics. The Goebbels Experiment is a narration developed from his diary. The focus on Goebbels helps in placing the Reich players in their respective hierarchial order. Notwithstanding none of this history needs repeating, the study of the Third Reich remains a confusing abomination and each perspective adds information albeit no additonal understanding of why enough never seems to be enough.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Inside the Third Reich Box Set (2009)

Click here for more information about Inside the Third Reich Box Set (2009)

Read More...

Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns (Includes The Tenth Inning) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've watched the first 9 innings numerous times and this series is by far my favorite sports documentary. If your a baseball fan and have never watched this it is an absolute must watch it will give you a whole new perspsective on the game especially if you are younger like me (25).
Just an FYI the 2010 box set comes with the 10th inning. I don't know why Amazon has them available as a "frequently bought together" combo order but I just wanted to give you guys the heads up just buy this box set and you'll get all 10 innings plus the bonus features which include 2.5 hours of deleted scenes and additional interviews. Check the PBS site for a picture of the box set and it clearly states it includes the 10th inning and the run time and disc count are identical to what's on here.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns (Includes The Tenth Inning)

Click here for more information about Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns (Includes The Tenth Inning)

Read More...