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Reviews
In Country (1989)
A Good Reminder
To this Marine Vietnam vet, just the ending made the whole film worthwhile. The daughter kissing her father's name on the Wall did it for me and had this geezer sobbin' pretty good. How many friends and family members went through that grief when a loved one was lost? Too many, and to this day, I feel for them.
I went to the Wall in the late 80's and etched my boyhood friend's name on a sheet of paper that I still have in my "Vietnam File." At nineteen, he was KIA near Con Thien in the fall of 1967. All his tomorrows lost. I got lucky and lived those tomorrows. When I'm gone, even though you never knew my friend, please carry on remembering him. He was a good kid.
The Holdovers (2023)
The Vietnam War Connection
I liked this movie in many ways, but something that struck home for me was the boy who was killed at nineteen in the Vietnam War. I was a Marine there in 1968-69 and had a boyhood friend who was a Marine KIA near Con Thien in 1967, also at nineteen years of age.
The mother grieves for her lost son, and I would love for people to think of this and think about how much grief these losses caused families during the Vietnam War. Of course, this happened and happens in all wars, but as I said, this hits home for me. Yes, many will say it was a long time ago, let it go. But some of us can never forget. Wars are like that. For many of us, the memories never leave.
One other thing to mention that is touched on in the movie is, back then, if you decided, "aw shucks," I don't want to go to college after graduating high school; I think I'll just get a part-time job or see the world. Unh-uh. Drop out of school and the draft board was on you before you could draw your next breath. It happened to me and to countless others. I think this is something easily forgotten, but it was a life-changing decision for late-teens back then.
Anyway, two lessons to take from this exceptional film. I hope they're recognized and remembered.
All Creatures Great & Small (2020)
A Scene to Remember
This particular scene really did it for me: Season 3, episode 6, the scene where Mrs. Hall is running after her son who's sticking his head out the moving train window and Mrs. Hall is trying to hand him the tin of biscuits.
They've had a very trying rendezvous at the train station, seeking to make amends for the past. Mrs. Hall wants so much not to be estranged from her only son as he goes off to an imminent war. Then not succeeding and having the biscuits fall to the ground. Then having Mrs. Hall running and shouting to her son that she cannot not hear what he's saying to her. Then, after failing and seeing her son rail away, having the hearing-impaired woman run up to tell her - because, of course, she could read lips quite expertly - that he was saying to her, "I love you, mom." Whoa. The pathos evoked in that scene. Beautiful.
And setting it up through the beginning of the episode with the kindly, perceptive, hearing-impaired woman offering Mrs. Hall tea and asking about her son and just being tuned in to what Mrs. Hall was going through. I thought that was extremely well done.
Now off to war. What the British went through in that time will be fodder for drama for a long, long time. Bless them.
Paratiisi (2020)
How to Manage CC
I am English-speaking and I enjoy this program very much. However, many people are complaining about the Close Captioning, and that when Spanish/Finnish is spoken with CC on you cannot read the CC because a blurb comes on saying a foreign language is being spoken. Here's a suggestion: To manage the Close Captioning, use the CC button most remotes have. When English is spoken, tap CC to turn it on and the English CC will appear; when Finnish and/or Spanish is being spoken, quickly tap it to turn it off. Conversely, you can keep the CC off all the time if you can understand the English without Close Captioning. I have found, however, that CC even in English is handy to help decipher what is being said!
The Beatles: Get Back (2021)
Alive
I'm just happy to still be around to see this, and I feel bad for all who are not. I was on board on Day One, when I sat cross-legged in front of the TV, February. 9, 1964. Watching them on Ed Sullivan. To see the entire Rooftop Concert has always been my dream. Thank you to all who made this happen.
Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan (2019)
More, Please
This review is less about the acting or the screenplay, or whether the Aussies and Kiwi's should have been there, or whatever. This is a review from an American Vietnam veteran who recognizes the sacrifice these troops made for their country, and for ours - something paid short shrift too often.
Any film that documents these frightening experiences from that War is worth it, I believe. We can't forget these guys, these guys who never made it home at 19, 20, 21, denied the opportunity to live out their lives. All the naysayers should put themselves in their boots: "How'd you like to cash it in at 19?"