What I've been watching

As you may know, I don't subscribe to cable TV or have one of the digital TV antennas (which don't really work). I have found that amount of time for TV viewing is more than adequately filled by a pretty good selection of DVDs (for FREE) from the public library supplemented with an occasional purchase. I am particularly found of the inexpensive releases of old movies and TV shows.

Here are few things I've recently been watching:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I bought this at Target for $5. So far I've watched three of the four movies. These were hard to view because the sound is pretty scratchy and the actors have distinct British accents (and there are no captions or subtitles). I didn't care for Arthur Wonter as Holmes; his Dr. Watson was portrayed by Ian Fleming (but not of Bond fame). The 4th movie has Basil Rathbone as Holmes and I anticipate that I will enjoy that one most of the four.  Each of the 4 DVDs has a corny intro and outro by Christopher Lee, who played Holmes at one point in his career.

To my surprise, the highlight of set has been the 39 episode of a 1954-55 TV series. I really like Ronald Howard (son of Leslie) as Holmes (see picture above). In the series, Holmes is portrayed as a young man who is extraordinarily perceptive but not always smart. Dr. Watson is played as a recent veteran of Britain's imperial adventures in Afghanistan.

So far, I've watched about 2/3 of the episodes and have only encounter one clinker. The rest have been quite enjoyable. Each episode in only 30 minutes long. So you don't waste much time. Did I mention that everything in the set is in B&W?

 

I borrowed this one, "The Dawn Patrol" from the public library. This 1938 movie is also in B&W. I have seen it many times during my life. Most Errol Flynn movies are worth a view. This movie is actually a remake of a 1930 movie and uses much of the dogfight footage from the earlier film. The big difference is Errol Flynn and David Niven and Basil Rathbone in the 1938 version.

Someday I'd like to see the 1930 version. I remember seeing both versions on late night TV when I was in high school.  While the DVD had a bunch of extra shorts, I would've enjoyed a commentary instead.

 

I also borrowed this one, Act of Valor, from the public library. It is a 2012 movie (in color). I watched it because a colleague had given it a thumbs up when he saw it the theater during its original release.

This was a bloody action film. Hard to stop watching because of the story line. Want to see what happens next (even though you could figure it out). All the parts were played by real US Navy Seals. I didn't have any complaints about the acting. Made with the cooperation of the US government and, as you might expect, lots of patriotic overtones. Thank you guys for protecting us from the bad guys.

 

"And now for something completely different...."

 

My friend, Gary, at the office, let me borrow his set of Christian movies. Flywheel was the first one I watched. I was surprised at how much I liked it because you could tell exactly what was going to happen and everything turned out okay once the main character surrendered his life to Jesus. I still cried because I like miracles and happy endings.

The movie did have a neat twist toward the end. I was also impressed at how professional the DVD/movie was for a film shot by amateurs. The commentary was very good and interesting (as long as you don't mind the Christian sales pitch during the technical explanations). However, the story of how the movie was made was almost as enjoyable and interesting as the original movie about the slimy used car salesman.

 

Facing the Giants was the second of the three movies set that I watched. All three are by the same organization and share some of the same actors. This one, as you might guess from the DVD cover, is about football. It is another old fashioned rags to riches story about a high school football team. Pretty much the same story as Flywheel: Loser football coach's life turns completely around when he gives his life to Jesus (aaaahhh, if only life was that simple).

Still, as I mentioned above, I like happy endings and a riveting story (even if you just know what is going to happen). Hooray, the good guys win!!! The director's commentary on this one too was worthwhile and interesting.

The third film in the set is "Fireproof." It's about a fire fighter having marriage problems. As you might guess, the marriage is saved when he gives his life to Jesus. For some reason, I just can't bring myself to watch it. Perhaps it reminds me of my own divorce and the failure of the RC Church to help when I asked. I do believe that God is an essential part of a successful marriage. Too bad the church was not willing to step in and emphasize that. They are now wrestling with the consequences of their ambivalence towards the sacrament of marriage (and the corresponding sale of annulments). Sorry for getting political.