What was missing from the Gettysburg documentary

I've complained that History Channel's Gettysburg documentary focused too much time on lesser players in the battle. So much so that Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain wasn't even mentioned. Well, let's make up for it. Here's Chamberlains' heroic defense of Little Round Top from the movie "Gettysburg." (1993) Let me set this up. Chamberlain's Union troops are running out of ammunition. They are at the end of the rope. The Confederates are marching up the hill. Chamberlain calls for a bayonet charge. And the rest is history.

Gettysburg Documentary Review

I looked forward to the documentary Gettysburg for the History Channel because it was produced by Tony and Ridley Scott. Both are fine directors and I've especially enjoyed much of Rideley's work such Blade Runner and Alien. Both bring strong visuals to their movies.

What the Scotts bring to the documentary is that cinematic style. Professional actors were brought in to perform the roles of actual participants in the battle of Gettysburg. Director Adrian Moat pulls no punches in showing the horror of the Civil War. From hand to hand combat to troops getting mowed down by artillery to field hospitals doing amputations, this is the Civil War at its most realistic depiction for a documentary. The use of maps and CGI to elucidate the battlefield is also much appreciated. The obligatory talking heads also help explain the important events of the battle.

Writer Richard Bedser's script is not just about the battle itself. It follows the personal lives of the soldiers who fought this battle. And that is one of the weaknesses of this documentary. Too much time is given to the personal stories of the less important figures of Gettysburg. This creates a time problem that causes slights to bigger events or more important figures in the battle. For example, Union colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's heroic defense of Little Round Top is not even mentioned. Perhaps this was done to avoid comparisons to Ken Burn's documentary The Civil War (1990) or the movie Gettysburg (1993). Still it's a big omission.

It's a welcome sight to see the Scotts producing historical documentaries. But more care must be placed focusing on the important events rather than spending too much time on personal stories. The grade for Gettysburg is B.

Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day, a time to thank those men and women who died for our country. I also want to thank all the active and retired military for their service to America.

A Salute and Appreciation for Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Carlos Fisher

On May 25, 2011 Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Carlos Fisher (pictured) was forced to pitch 5 2/3 innings in Philadelphia. He threw a whopping ninety five pitches and eventually lost the game. The reason he was forced to pitch so many innings was that the Reds other two pitchers Sam LeCure and Matt Maloney were not available, they were injured. Eventually both would end up on the disabled list.

Last night due to Lecure's inability to get loose, Carlos Fisher had to pitch again. He threw one inning and could not get out of the twelfth inning.

This is an appreciation for Carlos Fisher. He took two games for the team. He did not deserve to lose. As a fan, I will remember what he did. I wish him well in his future endeavors.

As for the current situation, the Cincinnati Reds find themselves in, with pitchers going down, all I can say is "Hold on Reds fans." It's a long season. The Cincinnati Reds will endure and thrive.

The Hangover, Part II Review

In 2009, "The Hangover" was a gigantic success. It was the sixth highest grossing movie in the U.S. Of course, that means sequel. So would the new movie be a small indie about the problems of married life? Guess again. The Hangover, Part II opens today.

The Hangover II begins with a frantic call from playboy Phil (Bradley Cooper) telling his friend's wife that "it" has happened again. "It" is that the guys, Phil, Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Stu (Ed Helms) aka The Wolfpack have just woken up from a hangover and have a problem. You see Stu is getting married in Thailand. The Wolfpack and Stu's fiance's teenage brother Teddy (Mason Lee) are missing before the wedding. The problem? Teddy is gone. The gang must retrace their steps to find out what happened and find Teddy. Along the way they meet up with Chow (Ken Jeong), the Asian gangster, who had a memorable naked scene in the first movie.

What makes The Hangover, Part II work is the gags and the cast. With the success of the first one, the budget is larger and this one feels like cross between Memento, Inception and Animal House. Director-writer Todd Phillips, writers Scot Armstrong, Craig Mazin have absolutely no fear as to what they can come up with in order to make you laugh. Obscene, smoking monkey is okay. Mild mutilation. No problem. Strange sex acts? You got it.

As with the first one, the cast will do any humiliating thing for a laugh and it works. Bradley Cooper seems happy to be a bit of a cad even trying to steal Stu's prescription pad in his underwear. Ed Helms gives his dentist character a geeky charm while getting caught in some of the crazier moments. Zach Galifianakis, again plays crazy and childlike Alan. Ken Jeong steals every scene as the loopy gangster who at this point is so important to the plot, they should make him an honorary member of the Wolfpack.

The Hangover, Part II sets back Thai-American relations twenty years. It will not be welcomed by animal rights advocates. It is also one very funny movie. The grade is A.

Roswell Was A Russian Hoax?

Author Annie Jacobsen in her book Area 51 says that the alleged Roswell UFO crash was a Russian hoax. According to her sources, she says that the Russians recruited Nazi Josef Mengle to create alien like children to pilot a craft to America. The goal was to create mass hysteria ala Orson Welles' "The War of the Worlds."

Okay let me get this straight. First, the Air Force says it recovered an alien aircraft near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. Then they change their mind and say it was a weather balloon. Then in the mid-nineties, the Air Force says it was top secret balloon to detect Russian nuclear tests. The Air Force then says that the alien bodies were really anthropomorphic dummies dropped from high altitude balloon tests. One problem with that one is that the tests occurred in the fifties.

The Truth Is Out There

So should we believe Jacobsen's explanation? I say no. Clifford Clift of MUFON points out in Christian Science Monitor, that if the Russians wanted to create mass hysteria, why crash this "alien" craft in New Mexico. Why not New York. He says crashing the craft near a big city would create more panic. I agree.

Jacobsen's version of what happened at Roswell is even crazier than aliens crash landing. Josef Mengle allegedly fled to Argentina soon after the war and died in Brazil. I have seen no proof he was captured by the Soviets. Second, why would the Soviets send over a flying disk with advanced technology to be captured by the Americans. Yes, I'm assuming that the craft was advanced because it was remotely piloted and could avoid radar. It makes no sense for the Soviets to do that. Third, if it was obvious that they were human and this was a Russian plot, why didn't the Air Force disclose this in the nineties? Look, we already knew that Japan was able to send balloons over American territory to start wildfires. So, the Soviets did allegedly did a crazy thing. Americans wouldn't panic in consideration of the Japanese balloon attack. And with the collapse of the Soviet Union, how come we haven't heard about this from anybody in Russia? Finally, this sounds like a stupid joke by Stalin. I mean how could a Welles like panic hurt the United States?

Annie Jacobsen is being used.

During World War II, at the time before the D-Day invasion, the Allies used Gen. George Patton to deceive the Germans that the invasion would happen at Calais. It was called Operation Fortitude. It was leaked that Patton was in charge of a fake army and photographed near its assets.

I believe Annie Jacobsen is being used the same way by the government. The government has had multiple explanations for Roswell. Alien craft. Secret balloon test. Dropped dummies. Now, it's a Soviet joke. With all these explanations, the government has something to hide. What? I don't know. Witnesses to Roswell like Jesse Marcel have no motives to lie. If aliens did crash at Roswell, it's one of the biggest secrets that the United States government is trying to keep under wraps.

Reds Win A Big One

Yep, it's just one game. But the Cincinnati Reds had just lost six games. The Philadelphia Phillies had owned the Reds. It was quite possible that the Phillies would take all four games in this series. But Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto held on and gave the Reds six innings, giving up three runs and keeping the team in the game.

But it was in the ninth inning and the Reds finally had a clutch hit. Now folks, the Reds have been known for late inning heroics and clutch hitting. It's just that the Reds have been struggling. Reds up. Two outs. Bases loaded. Reds outfielder Jay Bruce blasted a three run double. Francisco Cordero saves the game. Reds win 6-3.

It was a big win. The Reds stopped a losing streak. They are resilient. They will win the NL Central Division. Here's the story with video.