On the Beach (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)The epigraph at the beginning of the book, "On the Beach" is part of a poem from T.S. Eliot: "this is how the world ends; not with a bang, but a whimper." I read the book first, then watched the movie, and would recommend both to everyone. The movie is a fair portrayal of the book, and the cast is outstanding. Fred Astaire is a real surprise in this, his first dramatic performance. Ava Gardner is beautiful and believable as the drunk, but in denail, Moira. My favorite characters are Tony Perkins and actress who plays his wife. The scene in which Perkins explains to his wife how to use the suicide tablets sent chills up and down my spine. Two things really stand out for me in this movie: The first being the use of "Waltzing Matilda." At times it's played with all the fanfare of a national anthem; at other times, it sounds funereal. The use of "Waltzing Matilda" reaches its climax during a scene in the movie when Moira takes Captain Towers trout fishing, mistakenly thinking they could get away to the mountains for some private time outdoors before the nuclear cloud arrives in Australia and pretty much eliminates humankind. Instead of peace and tranquility, they find drunken revelers...and throughout this revelery, they're singing "Waltzing Matilda." It's funny at first...then increasingly annoying...until one last tenor sings the final verse solo. I don't think I've ever seen a finer scene is a film. The impact of that verse, the way it's tenderly sung, and the shared look between Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck---I will never be able to listen to "Waltzing Matilda" again without tears in my eyes. The second thing is although the subject matter and the tone of the movie are serious, there are a few amusing moments, which for me, make the movie even more realistic. On the Beach is a classic...and anyone who loves film, and worries about the future of our children...should watch and ponder...could this really happen? The answer is a terrifying "yes".

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The war is over. Nobody won. Only the inhabitants of Australia and the men of the US submarine Sawfish have escaped the nuclear destruction and radiation. Captain Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck) takes the Sawfish on a mission to see if an approaching radiation cloud has weakened, but returns with grim news: the cloud is lethal. With the days and hours dwindling, each person confronts the grim situation in his or her own way. One (Fred Astaire) realizes a lifetime Grand Prix ambition,another (Ava Gardner) reaches out for a chance at love. The final chapter of human history is coming to a close...From acclaimed director Stanley Kramer (The Defiant Ones, Inheritthe Wind) and screenwriter John Paxton comes this spectacular movie landmarka film masterpiece with a message that will resonate as long as the world has the power to self-destruct at its own fingertips.

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Testament (1983) Review

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(More customer reviews)Two anti-war films were released in 1983: The Day After and TESTAMENT. The former, released in the US as a made-for-TV movie, was visually sensational: missile launches, mushroom clouds, disfigured survivors, urban landscapes turned debris fields. However, the latter illustrates the notion that an understatement can sometimes be more compelling.
In TESTAMENT, Jane Alexander plays Carol Wetherly, the wife and mother of a 5-member family living in rural suburbia somewhere near Central California's Bay Area. Husband William Devane is off in San Francisco, never to return, the day the Soviet H-bomb falls upon it. Jane's character is left to manage alone the family's survival as their community, otherwise untouched directly by blast damage, copes with post-Holocaust disintegration. While some friends and neighbors leave the area for parts unknown, the Wetherlys remain.
TESTAMENT is not graphic in its depiction of nuclear war's devastation. What makes it absolutely compelling is the vision of a community, much like mine and possibly yours, and a particular family, everyday folks like you and me, facing the insidious effects of starvation and radiation sickness as they descend into the darkness necessarily to follow a nuclear exchange between superpowers. Ms. Alexander's performance is soul-wrenching and powerful, as when she cries out for God's damnation of those politicians that have reduced her world to an endless horror.
TESTAMENT is not a feel-good film, but certainly a great one. It's an exercise in bleak despair, and one which ultimately focuses on nothing more than the basic human instinct to survive - the final tribute to a species that has engineered the means for its own destruction.

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In TESTAMENT, an unexpected nuclear strike has occurred and no one knows who did it or why it happened.With her husband away on business, and now unable to be reached, Carol Weatherly must remain strong for the sake of her children.Things take a turn for the worse once food and other supplies become scarce. . The film is directed by Lynn Littman.

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Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie (1995) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are a Cold War history buff, or if you can still remember the days when you participated in those drop and cover bomb drills while going to school, then you must see "Trinity and Beyond" on DVD. Filmmaker Peter Kuran has meticulously weaved together previously classified government footage of the numerous atomic bomb tests which were conducted at the height of the Cold War. Many of these secret films were painstakingly restored to level fully compatable with the DVD format. The images of the bomb blasts exhibit a stark and shocking beauty as superheated gases and fallout expand into the atmosphere. Another unsettling segment shows a mannikin "Ozzie and Harriet" family in their home. They are completely decimated during a bomb test to determine the effects of nuclear warfare on the civilian population.
This documentary has a magnificent score performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and is perfectly in-sync with the awe, beauty and destructive power of the atomic bomb blasts. The DVD version boasts a wealth of extra features for even the most die-hard DVD connoiseur. These extras include a fully interactive menu, a photo slide show, a separate CD track of the orchestral score, and even a 3D segment of an atomic explosion with 3D glasses included. After viewing the 3D segment, you may feel like taking a de-con shower!
The narration by William Shatner is both informational and unbiased. Despite the interviews with Dr. Edward Teller (Father of the H-bomb) and others, "Trinity and Beyond" leaves it to the viewers to decide the ingenius foresight or the foolish arrogance of the scientists and soldiers who have harnessed the energy of the atom. This movie is also a powerful reminder of our past history. How ironic it would be to repeat this chapter again, especially in light of recent allegations that China has stolen America's most secret nuclear weapon designs.
"Trinity and Beyond" is not just another dry documentary. If you have invested a small fortune into your home theater system and DVD player, then rest assured. This DVD version of "Trinity and Beyond" will make your investment pay-off handsomely. Get this DVD now...and prepare to RUN, DUCK and COVER!

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Trinity & Beyond The Atomic Bomb Movieis the top secret, strange and visually compelling history of the design, production and testing of Atomic Hydrogen bombs.Renowned special effects filmmaker Peter Kuran (Star Wars, Star Trek II & V, Robocop) offers up amazing film footage chronicling the top secret, strange and visually compelling history of the design, production and testing of Atomic Hydrogen bombs by the United States. With the development and use of award-winning new film restoration systems, Kuran has perfectly preserved these haunting images for generations to come.Original version includes separate music tracks.Narrated by William Shatner (Boston Legal, Star Trek), Trinity & Beyond features extremely rare film segments from top secret government archives and startling footage of nuclear bomb tests conducted by Great Britain and China, plus the largest atomic explosion ever created by Russia. Whether being exploded under the ocean, suspended by a balloon, shot from a cannon or even detonated in space, these weapons are capable of devastating destruction - the quality of these images is as startling as are remarkable.This award-winning production also features an amazing explosion segment that must be seen with 3D glasses to truly take in its full impact. Trinity & Beyond features an original score performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and an interview with Dr. Edward Teller a developer of nuclear weapons and one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century.Trinity & Beyond is an extraordinary production that provides an important understanding of events and the creations of technologies that have changed the world forever.Special Features: - Atomic Bomb 3-D Bonus Section - Live-Action Bomb Explosion with Actual Sound Delay - Mind-Blowing Photo Slide Show - Reference Chart of All The Nuclear Detonations by the U.S. Including Yields

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Deterrence (2000) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you love political thrillers like 7 Days in May, Failsafe, The Bedford Incident, ect. then you will throughly enjoy Deterrence.Its basically set in a roadside diner where the dialogue and the suspense are the center of the movie, not special effects.It is very similar in that regard to 12 Angry Men.The movie begins with Kevin Pollack (a good character actor) as the new President of the United States, swinging through Colorado during the capaign primary there when he, his advisers, secret service detail ect. get holed up in a diner when a blizzard strikes..While there, he learns from CNN on the Tv there that the son of Saddam Hussein has overrun U.S. positions in the middle east and is going to again invade Kuwait and Saudi Arabia..Since its Saddam's son you know this is the future, 2008 but every other detail in the movie is strictly current era, i.e. no ray guns..Anyway, the President is stuck in this diner, and has to fight this crisis with only 4 secure cell phones at his disposal, repel massive Iraqi armored divisions while all the U.S. forces are tied down in Korea in a crisis there..This is the beginning of the movie and the brinksmanship between leaders, and countries which threatens global thermo-nuclear war.If you love political thrillers like the ones mentioned above then you will lovbe this film too..It was made by a first time director and graduate of West Point..It got overlooked at the theatre and on video by mainstream people.It has become an underground or cult classic with intelligent people who enjoy suspenseful thrillers that don't have to cost 200 million dollars to make..This movie is almost a throwback to the classic cold war thrillers of the 50's and 60's when good acting, writing, and directing was emphasized rather than big explosions.

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