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Monterey Pop, a review by Danae Cassandra

Monterey Pop
Year of Release: 1968
Directed By: D. A. Pennebaker
Starring: The Mamas and the Papas, Canned Heat, Simon and Garfunkle, Hugh Masekela, The Animals, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Country Joe and the Fish, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar,
Genre: Music

Overview:
On a beautiful June weekend in 1967, at the height of the Summer of Love, the first and only Monterey International Pop Festival roared forward, capturing a decade's spirit and ushering in a new era of rock and roll. Monterey would launch the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, but they were just a few among a wildly diverse cast that included Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Papas, the Who, the Byrds, Hugh Masekala, and the extraordinary Ravi Shankar. With his characteristic verite style, D.A. Pennebaker captured it all, immortalizng moments that have become legend: Pete Townshend destroying his guitar, Hendrix burning his. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this timeless document of a landmark event.

My Thoughts:
Interesting documentation of the Monterey Pop Festival but it feels incomplete. As a concert film, the music is excellent but it cuts between acts. I'm pretty sure it's to create a portrait of the entire festival, as if the viewer is travelling from one act to the next, but it means you never get a full set from anyone. There are also moments during Otis Redding's song that the camera is facing directly into the light and the screen becomes a blinding white square. Really annoying. As a documentary it includes little information about the Festival and it's place in the Summer of Love. So there's a lack of context for the less informed viewer.

But for those of us who would never have been able to go, the film offers a trip to the Festival, a capsule of a time and place in history. It is wonderful to have it, even if it leaves you wanting more.

Bechdel Test: N/A
Mako Mori Test: N/A

Overall: 3.5/5

(From July Movie Marathon: Musicals (Yes... You read right!) on August 1st, 2016)

Get a Clue, a review by addicted2dvd

Get a Clue (2002/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Disney DVD (United States) Director: Maggie Greenwald Writing: Alana Burgi Sanko (Writer) Length: 83 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles:

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Stars:
Lindsay Lohan as Lexy Gold
Bug Hall as Jack Downey
Ian Gomez as Mr. Orlando Walker
Brenda Song as Jennifer
Dan Lett as Frank

Plot:
Teen sensation Lindsay Lohan stars as Lexy Gold, budding journalist and fashion queen of Millington Preparatory School in Manhattan. Together with her best pal Jennifer (Brenda Song), Lexy's always on the lookout for the latest scoop and the latest style.

When one of her teachers mysteriously disappears, Lexy goes from school advice columnist to determined investigative reporter. And with a little help from her friends Jennifer and Gabe, and her street-smart editor Jack, Lexy vows to get to the bottom of the mystery. Before they know it, they find themselves hot on the trail of a story bigger then they could have ever imagined!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Closed Captioned

While entertaining... this one is an average film...maybe a little higher. It did keep my attention easy enough but I found the mystery itself to be very predictable. Though I shouldn't be surprised by that... as the film is made for the younger crowd.



(From August Movie Marathon: Disney Channel Original Movies on August 1st, 2016)

"Battlestar Galactica" Marathon (1978-2009), a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: For a thousand yahren the war with the Cylons has lasted. The Cylons are machines and their creators - the original race called "Cylons" - have died out long ago. But now an armistice was negotiated by Baltar and the fleet of the Twelve Colonies of Man meets with the Cylons to sign a peace treaty. But Baltar has betrayed his own species to seize power and the Cylons launch a large-scale attack on the colonial fleets and the colonies. Only one Battlestar - the Galactica - and a few refugees survive that holocaust. But there's a myth about a thirteenth colony of Kobol. Commander Adama and his fleet of 220 ships leave the colonies behind to find that legendary colony: Earth. But it won't be an easy journey and there are still those who believe that mankind should lay down its weapons and seek peace with the Cylons.

My Opinion: The show begins with an epic three-parter which was re-cut and re-published as a movie. The designs of that show are still great. The Galactica, the Cylons ("walking chrome toasters"), the Cylon Raiders, the Basestars. Although the deception of mankind and the destruction of the fleet was a bit too easy, it was a decent start for the story and it showed that Adama is an astute commander and that he has the best pilots in the fleet. I also liked their sense of humour: One of the ships had an advertisement printed on the side: "Colonial Movers - We Move Anywhere". The characters are also good. They may not have the depth of nowadays's characters, but they have charm: Adama, Apollo, Starbuck, Athena, Cassiopeia, Serina, ... and of course the diabolical Baltar.

(From "Battlestar Galactica" Marathon (1978-2009) on March 13th, 2009)