Collection ID 139
Director: George Paul
Starring: Peter Jennings, Pierre Salinger, John McWethy, John Lawrence
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Mpi Home Video   Release date: 1990   Rated: NR   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: ABC News takes a step back for an in-depth look at the events leading up to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Peter Jennings reports on the long-standing relationship of Saddam Hussein's Iraq with the United States and other Western nations, and the impact of their support of Iraq's military build-up during the past decade.

Peter Jennings is joined by Chief Foreign Correspondent Pierre Salinger, Chief National Security Correspondent John McWethy, and London based correspondent John Laurence to discuss the volatile situation.

Documenting the beginning of the Gulf War, this program details what American military forces encountered in battle and what many people view as the underlying cause of the six-week-long war: oil.
My Rating:
My Review: There are basically two versions of this movie - The first (this one) was released in 1990 under the name/title of 'A Line in the Sand'. The second was named/titled 'A Line in the Sand - War or Peace?' Both movies were 50 minutes long, but the content is quite different. The first movie spent much more time on background of Iraq, while speculating whether their might be a war and if so what would American forces face?. Produced by ABC News, it's an in-depth look at the events (by Peter Jennings joined by Pierre Salinger, John McWethy and others) leading up to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. I give this documentary a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 922
Director: George Paul
Starring: Peter Jennings, Pierre Salinger, John McWethy, John Lawrence
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Mpi Home Video   Release date: 1990   Rated: NR   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: ABC News takes a step back for an in-depth look at the events leading up to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Peter Jennings reports on the long-standing relationship of Saddam Hussein's Iraq with the United States and other Western nations, and the impact of their support of Iraq's military build-up during the past decade.

Peter Jennings is joined by Chief Foreign Correspondent Pierre Salinger, Chief National Security Correspondent John McWethy, and London based correspondent John Laurence to discuss the volatile situation.

Documenting the beginning of the Gulf War, this program details what American military forces encountered in battle and what many people view as the underlying cause of the six-week-long war: oil.
My Rating:
My Review: There are basically two versions of this movie - The first (this one) was released in 1990 under the name/title of 'A Line in the Sand'. The second was named/titled 'A Line in the Sand - War or Peace?' Both movies were 50 minutes long, but the content is quite different. The first movie spent much more time on background of Iraq, while speculating whether their might be a war and if so what would American forces face?. Produced by ABC News, it's an in-depth look at the events (by Peter Jennings joined by Pierre Salinger, John McWethy and others) leading up to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. I give this documentary a 3 out of 5.

Collection ID 141
Director: George Paul
Starring: Peter Jennings, Bill Redeker, Jack Smith
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Mpi Home Video   Release date: 1991   Rated: NR   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: On the night before the United Nations deadline for Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait, Peter Jennings anchors this in-depth ABC News Special.

Mr. Jennings is joined by a team of ABC News Correspondents: Bill Redeker reports from Saudi Arabia on what American forces will face in a military battle with Saddam Hussein; Correspondent Jack Smith examines the two men who have brought us to this brink - George Bush and Saddam Hussein; and National Correspondent John Martin explores what many see as the root of the crisis - Oil.
My Rating:
My Review: There are basically two versions of this movie - The first was released in 1990 under the name/title of 'A Line in the Sand'. The second (this one) was named/titled 'A Line in the Sand - War or Peace?' Both movies were 50 minutes long, but the content is quite different. The second movie takes place just before U.S. forces join a growing coalition in order to force Iraqi forces to withdraw from Iraq. The second movie focused on the background of the Kuwaiti conflict, and basically assumed that there would be a war to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi military. Produced by ABC News, it's narrated by a group of senior correspondents and specialists (by Peter Jennings joined by Bill Redeker, Jack Smith and others). They also spend some time exploring the root causes of the conflict and the power of oil in the gulf. I give this documentary a 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 924
Director: George Paul
Starring: Peter Jennings, Bill Redeker, Jack Smith
Genre: Documentary
Studio: Mpi Home Video   Release date: 1991   Rated: NR   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: On the night before the United Nations deadline for Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait, Peter Jennings anchors this in-depth ABC News Special.

Mr. Jennings is joined by a team of ABC News Correspondents: Bill Redeker reports from Saudi Arabia on what American forces will face in a military battle with Saddam Hussein; Correspondent Jack Smith examines the two men who have brought us to this brink - George Bush and Saddam Hussein; and National Correspondent John Martin explores what many see as the root of the crisis - Oil.
My Rating:
My Review: There are basically two versions of this movie - The first was released in 1990 under the name/title of 'A Line in the Sand'. The second (this one) was named/titled 'A Line in the Sand - War or Peace?' Both movies were 50 minutes long, but the content is quite different. The second movie takes place just before U.S. forces join a growing coalition in order to force Iraqi forces to withdraw from Iraq. The second movie focused on the background of the Kuwaiti conflict, and basically assumed that there would be a war to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi military. Produced by ABC News, it's narrated by a group of senior correspondents and specialists (by Peter Jennings joined by Bill Redeker, Jack Smith and others). They also spend some time exploring the root causes of the conflict and the power of oil in the gulf. I give this documentary a 4 out of 5.

Collection ID 511
Director: Roger Corman
Starring: Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller, Myrtle Vail
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Santa Clara Productions   Release date: 1960   Rated: Unrated   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Seymour is a young man who works in a flower store. He manages to create a carnivorous plant that feeds on human flesh. Nobody knows about it, so Seymour and the plant become good "friends". The plant needs food to grow up, so it convinces him to start killing people.
My Rating:
My Review: A black and white campy horror classic. The main character (Seymour) is a social misfit who raises a meat eating intelligent plant. The plant is the key to the characters continued employment, and it demands 'Food!'. Seymour is forced to feed it blood and bodies, eventually commiting murder in order to satisfy the plant. It was hilarious. Eventually remade into a play and movie in 1986, this movie, shot in three days, for next to nothing ($30,000), is better than some of the blockbusters I've seen hollywood churn out. A 60's B-Movie. The acting wasn't that good, but the directing by Roger Corman was very good. Solid, and fast paced, this humorous black comedy was definitely worth the $5.00 I spent (for DVD). Oh yeah, this is Jack Nicholson's second film credit. He plays a masochistic dental patient in a walk-on role. Wow he's young in this movie.

Collection ID 1216
Director: Roger Corman
Starring: Jonathan Haze, Jackie Joseph, Mel Welles, Dick Miller, Myrtle Vail
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Santa Clara Productions   Release date: 1960   Rated: Unrated   
Language (Country): English (USA)
Summary: Seymour is a young man who works in a flower store. He manages to create a carnivorous plant that feeds on human flesh. Nobody knows about it, so Seymour and the plant become good "friends". The plant needs food to grow up, so it convinces him to start killing people.
My Rating:
My Review: A black and white campy horror classic. The main character (Seymour) is a social misfit who raises a meat eating intelligent plant. The plant is the key to the characters continued employment, and it demands 'Food!'. Seymour is forced to feed it blood and bodies, eventually commiting murder in order to satisfy the plant. It was hilarious. Eventually remade into a play and movie in 1986, this movie, shot in three days, for next to nothing ($30,000), is better than some of the blockbusters I've seen hollywood churn out. A 60's B-Movie. The acting wasn't that good, but the directing by Roger Corman was very good. Solid, and fast paced, this humorous black comedy was definitely worth the $5.00 I spent (for DVD). Oh yeah, this is Jack Nicholson's second film credit. He plays a masochistic dental patient in a walk-on role. Wow he's young in this movie.

Collection ID 1607
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Studio: Warner Bros.   Release date: 2014   Rated: PG-13   
Language (Country): English (USA, Canada)
Summary: An alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world. Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again...and again. But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Vrataski take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy!
My Rating:
My Review: Directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) Starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and many others. Here's a Sci-Fi movie with an excellent script/story. Aliens are invading the Earth, and they're easily defeating everything we can throw at them. Major William Cage (played by Tom Cruise) is the latest recruit. He's never seen combat before - but the planet is desperate, and Cage is next in line. He's suited up, put on a transport, and dropped into the 'Kill Zone' - It's a suicide mission - Or is it? The Sci-Fi part of the plot involves a 'Time-Loop' Cage has to relive his failures over and over again, learning something new every time. Fighting alongside the 'Legendary' uber-warrior 'Rita Vrataski' (played by Emily Blunt), eventually he may get it right. It's either that or keep trying until his mind can't take it any more. The Transformer-like battle scenes - With the soldiers wearing 'Mech-Warrior' inspired 'Powered-Armor' (ala Storm Troopers/the novel), the cgi-laden choreography is expertly overlaid with the fly-by-wire ballet of actors on green screens. Once you get past the artificial environment, you can realize who good the plot is. With it's ironic time-looping lines and character driven dialog; this movie is far better than it's block-buster outward appearances would suggest. A great script backed by some serious money? I thought Hollywood couldn't back anything original. This one gets a 5 out of 5, and I bought a copy.

Collection ID 695
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Sony Pictures   Release date: 2006   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German (Germany)
Summary: Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this is a first-rate thriller that, like Bertolucci's "The Conformist" and Coppola's "The Conversation", opts for character development over car chases. The place is East Berlin, the year is 1984, and it all begins with a simple surveillance assignment: Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe in a restrained, yet deeply felt performance), a Stasi officer and a specialist in this kind of thing, has been assigned to keep an eye on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch, "Black Book"), a respected playwright, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck, "Mostly Martha"). Though Dreyman is known to associate with the occasional dissident, like blacklisted director Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert), his record is spotless. Everything changes when Wiesler discovers that Minister Hempf (Thomas Thieme) has an ulterior motive in spying on this seemingly upright citizen. In other words, it's personal, and Wiesler's sympathies shift from the government to its people--or at least to this one particular person. That would be risky enough, but then Wiesler uses his privileged position to affect a change in Dreyman's life. The God-like move he makes may be minor and untraceable, but it will have major consequences for all concerned, including Wiesler himself. Writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck starts with a simple premise that becomes more complicated and emotionally involving as his assured debut unfolds. Though three epilogues is, arguably, two too many, "The Lives of Others" is always elegant, never confusing. It's class with feeling. --"Kathleen C. Fennessy"














Beyond "The Lives of Others"
Films from Germany

Other Cold War Films


More Arthouse Selections
from Sony Pictures Classics
Stills from "The Lives of Others " (click for larger image)
My Rating:
My Review: This absolutely amazing movie was written (from a Novel) and directed by one immensely talented director - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (this was his first feature length film). It was acted by some splendid German actors - Martina Gedeck (Mostly Martha), Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch (The Tunnel), Ulrich Tukur. This movie takes place in East Berlin, before the fall of the wall. I was stationed in Berlin while the wall was coming down, and watching this movie brought me back to the cold war in a very poignant way. Here is the story of East Berliners under the watchful eye of the Stasi. The all knowing, all powerful Stasi. Able to crush dissidents with a mere whisper, to banish your family members to gulag just for thinking the wrong things, for writing the wrong words, 'acting' the wrong way. Here is a story of how the Stasi came to turn it's malevolent eye upon one promising East German author. An amazing story of humanity, suffering and hope. Nothing in this movie is wasted. I was mesmerized by the direction, spellbound by the acting, and dumbstruck by the authentic look and feel. A powerful and important film that comes oh so late after the cold war has ended.

Collection ID 1385
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme
Genre: Art House & International
Studio: Sony Pictures   Release date: 2006   Rated: R   
Language (Country): German (Germany)
Summary: Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this is a first-rate thriller that, like Bertolucci's "The Conformist" and Coppola's "The Conversation", opts for character development over car chases. The place is East Berlin, the year is 1984, and it all begins with a simple surveillance assignment: Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe in a restrained, yet deeply felt performance), a Stasi officer and a specialist in this kind of thing, has been assigned to keep an eye on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch, "Black Book"), a respected playwright, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck, "Mostly Martha"). Though Dreyman is known to associate with the occasional dissident, like blacklisted director Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert), his record is spotless. Everything changes when Wiesler discovers that Minister Hempf (Thomas Thieme) has an ulterior motive in spying on this seemingly upright citizen. In other words, it's personal, and Wiesler's sympathies shift from the government to its people--or at least to this one particular person. That would be risky enough, but then Wiesler uses his privileged position to affect a change in Dreyman's life. The God-like move he makes may be minor and untraceable, but it will have major consequences for all concerned, including Wiesler himself. Writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck starts with a simple premise that becomes more complicated and emotionally involving as his assured debut unfolds. Though three epilogues is, arguably, two too many, "The Lives of Others" is always elegant, never confusing. It's class with feeling. --"Kathleen C. Fennessy"














Beyond "The Lives of Others"
Films from Germany

Other Cold War Films


More Arthouse Selections
from Sony Pictures Classics
Stills from "The Lives of Others " (click for larger image)
My Rating:
My Review: This absolutely amazing movie was written (from a Novel) and directed by one immensely talented director - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (this was his first feature length film). It was acted by some splendid German actors - Martina Gedeck (Mostly Martha), Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch (The Tunnel), Ulrich Tukur. This movie takes place in East Berlin, before the fall of the wall. I was stationed in Berlin while the wall was coming down, and watching this movie brought me back to the cold war in a very poignant way. Here is the story of East Berliners under the watchful eye of the Stasi. The all knowing, all powerful Stasi. Able to crush dissidents with a mere whisper, to banish your family members to gulag just for thinking the wrong things, for writing the wrong words, 'acting' the wrong way. Here is a story of how the Stasi came to turn it's malevolent eye upon one promising East German author. An amazing story of humanity, suffering and hope. Nothing in this movie is wasted. I was mesmerized by the direction, spellbound by the acting, and dumbstruck by the authentic look and feel. A powerful and important film that comes oh so late after the cold war has ended.

Collection ID 104
Director: John Glen
Starring: Timothy Dalton, Maryam d'Abo, Jeroen Krabbé, Joe Don Baker, John Rhys-Davies
Genre: Action
Studio: Eon Productions   Release date: 1987   Rated: PG   
Language (Country): German, English, Spanish (UK)
Summary: James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitikar and General Koskov.
My Rating:
My Review: The first 007 movie after Roger Moore's retirement. Starring Timothy Dalton, this movie marked a resurgence of the James Bond franchise. The story - James Bond is dispatched to protect a defecting Russian General. When he 'fails' to eliminate the beautiful assassin, Bond is sucked into a complicated double crossing weapons heist involving freelance Russian and American villains. Maryam d'Abo does a fine job playing the Czech cellist turned reluctant assassin - The Bond girl in this movie. The movie featured lighter moments, British humor; but bond stayed relatively stoic, as funny as Timothy Dalton can be (not very). The movie contained all the gadgets, girls and gabby bad guys you expect in a Bond movie. The involvement of US/Soviet/Afghan conflict dates the movie and does very little for the plot. The pacing was a bit too fast, with the convoluted pace, but the action scenes fit smartly with the overall pacing. I enjoyed the movie, but it clearly wasn't on par with others in the genre. 3 out of 5.