Lonely Planet : New Zealand
This Turner Network Televison movie tells the true story of the black calvary corps known as the ‘Buffalo Soldiers.’ These troops patrolled America’s wild west after the civil war. In addition to keeping the peace they fought the racism of their commanders and other white corps soldiers.Running Time: 94 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 053939747027 Manufacturer No: T7470
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Customer Review: Nice Little Movie
Danny Glover gives us just a little incite of what the life of the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th cavalry was like. Will they survive in this hard land? In the 1800’s in Arizona and New Mexico, came a brand new hero Indians called him Buffalo. From prison camps and slavery the Black came to be. He was the hard riding hero of the 10th cavalry. Many of the soldiers wanted to desert. They were tired of the killing, the hatred and the hurt.But, I’m proud they stuck on in there.
Customer Review: Great overview of a little known historical event
As a teacher of Tx History, I find this movie to be helpful in dealing with a little known, and politically and socially sensitive topic. It is the story of the black men who joind the US military following the Civil War, and were stationed on the western frontier to take care of the Native problem. The movie explores the confrontation between these two persecuted minority groups, depicting both groups as men of dignity and honor. Reccommended for general history buffs, and those who are interested in black history.
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Director Sam Mendes’s much-anticipated follow-up to his Academy Award?-winning American Beauty found him exploring the period gangster film–but with a moral fiber and undercurrent of family tragedy familiar from his Oscar? triumph. As he did with Beauty, Mendes again wisely entrusts the film’s music to Tom Newman, a composer with an instinctive knack for getting inside a film’s characters via innovative and often orthodox methods. As many of Newman’s preceding scores have been rhythmically driven and rife with improvisation-driven experimentalism, its good to hear his equally distinctive writing for orchestra largely take center stage here again. But Newman’s inquisitive musical instincts can’t be denied, and his melancholy string writing is leavened first with subtle uilleann pipe flourishes that echo the characters’ Irish-American roots, then with savory, yet ever-restrained touches of his own ethnic-defying instrumental color and rhythmic accents. It’s another moody and introspective gem, seasoned with some lively period jazz (courtesy of the Charleston Chasers, Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra, and Chicago Rhythm Kings) and a warm, final surprise: a duet of John M. Williams’s autumnal title track performed by none other than stars Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. –Jerry McCulley
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Customer Review: Music that stands alone
This composition did win an oscar. Yes, I thought the film was a great story and the photography was great. But, the film score was artistic genius that surpassed the film. This composition stands alone. It captures the era of the city and country. It is emotional and contemplative; serene and expansive. I think film score is where the great music is today and this is one of my most favorite.
Customer Review: Fathers & Sons
After losing my Father back in October, I began reaching for things that reminded me of him. One of the things I reached for was the score for the Road to Perdition. Although my Father was gravely ill the day I took him to see the film, it ended up being a day not soon forgotten. I am listening to the soundtrack as I write this review. Fathers and Sons.
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The powerful true story of a talented poet who dreams of winning his country’s most coveted literary prize, only to have his hopes shattered with the onset of World War I.
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Customer Review: Welsh tragic poet
Hedd Wyn was the bardic name of a very talented Welsh poet who went into WWI so his younger brother would not be called up. He died there. This is a historical tragedy. The poet’s masterwork, a long poem on war, won the prestigious Eisteddfod prize, the Bard’s Chair, but the poet was dead, and the chair was delivered in a solemn procession to his grieving family. It’s interesting to see a movie in Welsh with English subtitles. Beautifully filmed, convincing characters, a moving story.
Customer Review: Fantastic, everything you need in a great film.
I am welsh, and I am studying welsh in my local college. We have studied this film and it is by far one of the best films Ive seen that includes english films as well. The whole film is basically a flash back of Hedd Wyn’s life. Hedd Wyn is the bardic name of Ellis Evans who is a farmer on his dad’s farm in a small village called trawsfynydd (spelling). This film is serious as its about the first world war and how people were drafted and pulled away from their normal lifes to fight. There are many funny and humourous parts in the film which I find excellent. I highly recommend this film to you. It isnt gorey even tho it deals with war. Its more of a love story in a way. Hedd Wyn’s love for his poetry and his love for women and Wales. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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Customer Review: “How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank”-
This CD with the original soloists who debuted Vaughan William’s Serenade to Music alongside conductor Sir Henry Wood has better sonics than one might suppose with a span of almost 70 years. Many archived recordings from the old LP days are now transferred so well that most, if not all, of the surface noise that LPs had are absent. But sometimes a grainy quality remains, so it was surprising to hear the excellent sound on this new release. I have several recordings of the Serenade, and a few different versions, including the purely orchestral one that Wood requested from the composer, and a choral one with no soloists. If one were to introduce someone to Vaughan William’s music, the quintessential Tallis Fantasia, Five Variants of Dives & Lazarus, the first three symphonies (the 5th is my favorite), Lark Ascending and any of his beautiful songs or choral works might be choices you’d pick out for them (maybe the sweet Tuba Concerto). I would think every short-list would have to include this little jewel set to verses of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, its so typical of the VW sound. For those who aren’t fond of “refurbished” recordings from the ’30s-’60s, however, there are plenty of recent recordings for you to choose from for both the Serenade and the song-cycle Wenlock Edge, another piece that has several different versions, besides many recordings. This Wenlock is also an original recording. Like another VW song-cycle (House of Life), this is gorgeous music that stays with you the rest of your life. The Song of Thanksgiving pops up on a couple Vaughan Williams CDs in the last several years, and the Old King Cole ballet suite rounds out this welcome disc. The budget price just adds to the sweetness of this moonlit, luscious music.
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Customer Review: A Movie to fit the Mood
I don’t know about you, but I have noticed a definite change in the acting style of Clark Gable after he went off to War. Prior to his service, he was a fast talking, often humorous, center of attention. His later movies, with the notable exception of “The Misfits”, seemed to portray a somber, pensive man; someone who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. It could be the script, it could be the directing, it probably had a lot to do with the death of Carole Lombard as well, but Gable just wasn’t the same. He wasn’t one of the guys and his romantic roles made him look antiseptic and distant. The reason I make note of this is that this style found a movie that suited it to a tee in “The Homecoming”. Gable plays a good doctor who means well but finds his personal life more important than his professional life. And he finds his well-to-do clients more appealling than those across the tracks. He volunteers for War, goes off with the right intentions while leaving a devoted wife (Ann Baxter) behind. He meets up with Lana Turner and falls in love. He also discovers a few things about duty and responsibility. In the end, he comes home a sadder but wiser man who realizes that his failures in the past don’t have to repeat themselves in the future; a future he resignedly accepts that he’ll have to face. “The Homecoming” wasn’t all that great of a movie. There was a fair amount of the plot that was properly left to our imagination. The acting was decent as was the direction but it’s no accident that this movie doesn’t pop up often on the late show. It is a good morality play and, thanks primarily to Gable, it works well. I realized, as the movie was coming to a close, that the very reason that most of his other Post-War movies were mediocre was the same reason that this was worked well. Gable looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders in the role of a man who was supposed to look like someone who had the weight of the world on his shoulders. I rate the movie a C and the casting an A.
Customer Review: One of the best war movies of all time!
This classic WW2 tearjerker is not only a great war movie but is also one of the greatest screen romances of all time. Clark Gable (”Useless”) and Lana Turner (”Snapshot”) seem so natural together and as always make a wonderful couple. One of the things I like so much about this is the fact that Gable and Turner’s relationship is slowly developed, making it much more believable than other screen romances from this period. Anne Baxter is great playing Gable’s worried wife “left behind”, and John Hodiak is awesome playing Gable’s only close friend. I particularly enjoyed the scenes with Hodiak and Baxter, because they were married in real life. They had first met and appeared on-screen together in the 1944 classic “Sunday Dinner for a Soldier”, which has sadly not been released on dvd or vhs. Many view this as simply another adverage melodrama of the 1940s, but I think it’s an underated classic that should’ve won several oscars. Gable and Turner both deserved oscars for their incredible performances. I hope it’s not too long before this film is released on dvd.
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Lonely Planet : New Zealand
With the southern summer (and northern winter) now upon us, this is a perfect but cruel time to release a new edition of the Lonely Planet guide to New Zealand. Since, in common with many independent travellers, Lonely Planet hails from the Antipodes, perhaps it is to be expected that this book should be rich and authoritative. But nevertheless it surpasses expectations, for on top of all the practical information on hotels, food and transport which Lonely Planet guides traditionally are so good at, it has a depth which in my experience is rare in the series.
The book is written by two New Zealanders and an Australian, and this local background perhaps explains why it is more culturally informed than some other guides in the LP series. The authors have been especially sensitive in their coverage of the Maoris. There is a long and erudite guide to Maori culture and history, including fascinating sections on mythology, art and culture, and very revealing photographs and illustrations. The book also has a superb and beautifully illustrated guide to the country’s flora and fauna, which is very well tailored to its market, since many visitors come to experience New Zealand’s wealth of outdoor experiences.
Guides are usually best when they come from a deep knowledge of the place being written about, and this Lonely Planet guide to New Zealand is no different: it is eloquent and informative and will be a great help to anyone heading south. –Toby Green
Customer Review: The only guide to New Zealand you will need
I bought this for a trip round the whole of New Zealand and was amazed to find the level of detail within the book. I actually travelled with both this and the Footprint guide (which certainly contains more info, although probably more on where to stay). I would have to say Lonely Planet wins hands down on New Zealand in terms of quality, readability and interest.
The standard Lonely Planet structure is adopted, providing the reader with a history, general information on the country for the visitor, suggestions for activities and itineries, a vast amount of info on sights to see and lots of useful maps.
The sights info is broken up into region and neatly follows a trip going from the north to the south. The index makes it easy to find details on where you are at any time though. For each location, there’s suggestions on where to stay, where to eat, what to see and what to do. I am usually quite wary of following restaurant suggestions in travel guides but found myself using the suggestions in this book a lot, mainly because I found it quite difficult to find restaurants I liked.
During the course of my holiday, there was not a single place I came across that was worth seeing, or was recommended to visit by a New Zealander, which was not covered in Lonely Planet. The maps were also excellent, and although New Zealand is an easy country to drive round, the small maps included with some sights in this book were of great value.
I cannot recommend this book enough for travelling around NZ.
Customer Review: An absolute must have!
On embarking on a RTW trip for 6 months and with 3 months in New Zealand - this book provided to be invaluable during our stay. We arrived with just our LP and 3 months of adventure ahead of us.
It was 90% accurate although needs some updating as things have inevitably changed since it was published! We discovered some great new hostels not mentioned.
Would recommend it over other NZ guidebooks but also get a BBH Hostel Guide if you are backpacking for latest quality ratings and new places to stay.
