DVD Collectors Online

Antwone Fisher, a review by addicted2comics

The Plot: Antwone Fisher, a young navy man, is forced to see a psychiatrist after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. During the course of treatment a painful past is revealed and a new hope begins.

My Thoughts: It took some time before I wanted to watch this, being it 2 hours long. (Idk, guess I have a short attention span)

When I sat down and watched it, really it started off slow, as expected. Still, its a good inspirational movie. You have you romance. You have family. You have tough times. You have realism. You even have a chuckle every now and then.

It can be dark at times, and anyone who knows me knows I'm all about the lighthearted movies, but if you're looking for a movie with meaning and inspiration, I highly recommend this.



(From Addicted2comics(:P)'s Official Review Thread!!! on September 4th, 2010)

The Conscientious Objector, a review by Antares

The Conscientious Objector





Year: 2004
Film Studio: Cinequest Entertainment
Genre: Documentary, Special Interest
Length: 101 Min.

Director
Terry Benedict

Writer
Terry Benedict...Writer
Jeff Wood...Writer

Producer
Terry Benedict
Jonathan Sheinberg
Gabe Videla (1944)

Cinematographer
Francis Kenny
Suki Medencevic (1963)
Darko Suvak

Music
Bob Christianson...Composer

Stars
Max Cleland (1942) as Himself
Desmond T. Doss as Himself

Review
       Most film lovers know the story of Alvin York, the World War I soldier who was drafted, yet requested deferment as a conscientious objector due to his religious beliefs. In the film Sergeant York, he was stoically and humbly portrayed by Gary Cooper as a man who must choose between his religious beliefs and fighting for his country. In the end, York comes to understand that the evils of the world must be vanquished, and the only way is to carry arms and fight and kill the oppressive enemies of the United States. He rescinded his application for exemption and was shipped to France in 1918. After capturing an entire company of German soldiers single-handedly, York is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest medal for valor. Sadly, for York, he also had to kill many men in his attempt at capturing the soldiers, and this haunted him in his later years.

       In World War II, another religious man wrestled with the same choices as York, his name was Desmond T. Doss. Doss was also a southerner with a deep theological aversion to war, a man who took the commandments, especially the sixth; Thou Shalt not Kill as sacred law. But where York acquiesced when shown the greater picture before him, Doss held fast to his beliefs and joined the Army as a medic. He refused to brandish any kind of weapon, and as a Seventh-day Adventist, held fast to his duty to remember the Sabbath every Saturday. This would bring him into conflict not only with his fellow soldiers, but with his superior officers, who viewed him as a slacker and a coward unwilling to fight.

       After enduring an endless assault of scorn and ridicule in boot camp, Doss and his company were shipped out to the Pacific theater of operations. It was on an escarpment on Okinawa that the legendary heroics of Desmond Doss would come to life. When the 307th Infantry Division assaulted the Maeda Escarpment on May 5, 1945, heavy ground and artillery fire pinned them to their position. The unit was suffering heavy casualties under the relentless barrage being thrust upon them by the Japanese. Over the course of 12 hours, Doss rescued 75 men by lowering each man by rope from the top of the escarpment, all under enemy fire. This course of action would result in his receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor on Nov. 1, 1945. When President Harry Truman was pinning the medal on Doss, he told the soldier, Another incident, two weeks after the escarpment battle would speak volumes as to the character and bravery of this most amazing man. On May 21, 1945, Doss was once again out on the battlefield attempting to rescue his wounded comrades when he himself was wounded by a grenade. He was stuck out in for five hours before litter bearers reached him. On the way back to the American front lines, he noticed a more seriously injured man, and slipped off the stretcher, instructing the bearers to take the other man first.

       While Sergeant York'Hero'Ratings Criterion
5 Stars - The pinnacle of film perfection and excellence.

(From The Conscientious Objector (2004) on December 4th, 2009)

Babylon 5: Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: While Sheridan is somewhere stuck in time the rest brings Babylon 4 from the time where it originally disappeared (six years previously) to the time where Sinclair and Garibaldi evacuated it (2 years previously). And then one of them brings it back a thousand years in time.

My opinion: Valen, a Minbari not born of Minbari. A very good conclusion to the Sinclair storyline. And very well put together with the events and footage in "Babylon Squared".

Let me make another point about time traveling: Time travelling is a fairly common conept in Sci-Fi. Personally I distinguish between three different kinds of "time theories".
The first one is the Multiverse. In that you travel "back in time", repair something and when you travel forward again you land in a different universe. It's based on the theory that every choice you or anyone else makes creates a new universe for each possible outcome. Left or right? There will be two universes, one in which you went left, one in which you went right. When you back in time you simply choose to ge left instead of right this time. But the other universe will still be there where you went right. Although it is not really time travelling the TV show "Sliders" uses the concept of multiverses.
The second one is the most comfortable. You went back in time, repair something and when you arrive in the future you will be the only one who recognizes the change that has be done. This concept is used in "Back to the Future" and several Star Trek episodes.
In the third one time is a closed circle. You can jump in any point of time but whatever you do it has always been done this way and will always been done so. The first "Terminator" movie is an example for this (but only the first one, not the sequels). Kyle Reese brings the photograph with him that is made at the end of the movie. John Connor sends Kyle back in time and Reese becomes the father of John. Has always been, will always be that way. Ironically, Star Trek uses this concept, too, for example in the DS9 episode "Trials and Tribble-ations".
The third one may seem scary one because one could think there is no such thing as a  "free will" because every event seems to be carved in stone, but that is not true. It only states that every descicion we make can only be made once and when we look on it from an out-of-timeline perspective we see which descision we've made when the time has passed or what descision we will make when it still lays ahead. But once we've done anything we cannot undo it. It is unchangeable and unerasable.
Babylon 5 uses the third concept of time travelling. Sinclair is Valen and he has always been. He didn't change the past, we (the viewer) knew of Valen before we knew of Babylon 4. And when Sheridan jumps into the future we see events previously seen in dreams or prophecies. And it makes perfect sense. Prophecies (that are actually seen and come true, not fake ones) are only possible when the future has already been written. Londo sees his death and it comes true exactly as he saw it. Delenn warns Sheridan not to got to Z'ha'dum but he will go as he has always done it and will always do.



Synopsis: After Dr. Franklin took a leave from his post as chief of medical staff a few episodes earlier he wanders around the station. He tries to get rid of his stim addiction and uses an old aborigines tradition called Walkabout. Meanwhile Kosh's replacement called "Kosh" arrived at the station.

My opinion: Assumed she sung herself, Erica Gimpel  has a great voice. And we see the first real fight between the White Star and the Shadows.


Synopsis: After Sinclair has left Delenn is supposed to be become the new Ranger One / Entil'Zha. But that is a post the warrior caste member Neroon claims for himself. Meanwhile Garibaldi investigates the mystery of "Gray 17", a section of Babylon 5 which does not exist - officially.

My opinion: The "Gray 17" part was - in a miss for another word - weird. And so was the character played by Robert Englund. But I really liked the other part where Marcus was willing to lay down his life for Delenn and Neroon had to acknowledge her leadership over the Rangers.


Synopsis: The royal court on Centauri Prime demands that the dispute between House Mollari and House Refa is to be settled. And Mollari as well as Lord Refa have a plan how to achieve this. Meanwhile three religious people come to the station. Officially to sheperd their herds, inofficially to bring news from home and the resistance.

My opninion: The Z-countdown has begun. Sheridan once said "Always plant a lie inside a truth, that makes it esear to swallow.". And what a nice plan had Londo planted into another plan. I really liked the plot twist because at the first watch it came fairly unexpected. And it was awesome to look at the White Star fleet.

(From Babylon 5: Marathon on August 26th, 2007)