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From D-Day to Germany (1944)
Amazing narration and eyewitness accoung of WWII footage by cameraman Jack Lieb
Excellent documentary of the Allied landing in Normandy and civil life during the beginning of Europe's liberation. These pictures and the accompanying narration by a person who was actually there are invaluable. I recommend this to everyone. Jack Lieb has preserved some very important lessons for us and his closing statments still hold true as if no time had passed.
The First (2018)
Brilliant science-fiction drama
The whole cast of the The First did a tremendous job in showing the impact on families and the immense labor necessary to further the progress of a spacefaring civilization. The story is rich with details to make everything as believable as possible. We see the show's protagonists struggle with a multitude of problems on their long way to Mars. The show wants to present a realistic but also inspiring experience of what it takes to visit our close neighbor in the search for life and a potential habitat for future human generations.
In addition, the musical theme of The First is a gift send from heaven for the ears of viewers that are willing to listen. For me, the music often evoked feelings similar to Interstellar. Good storytelling takes time and the success of a TV show should not be based on loads of CGI, action scenes and fast cuts. The First is a rare example of TV shows, which tell a wonderful, breathtaking story by utilizing and blending so many interesting aspects of mind and matter in this universe. So here is hoping for Season 2 and lots of viewers that give this show the chance it deserves!
The Putin Interviews (2017)
The multifaceted relations between the US and Russia
Oliver Stone has faced a lot of criticism for his series of interviews with Putin, chief among them the accusation that he abstained from critical questions and only provided Putin with a platform to spread propaganda. This allegation may hold true to some effect but if you watch the series closely you will notice that besides some friendly banter, Stone also questions Putin about subjects such of the state of democracy in Russia, the rights of non-heterosexuals, freedom of religion, and other important topics. Stone could have been better prepared with regard to some questions or he sometimes missed the opportunity to counter some of Putin's arguments. After two episodes, I am interested to see if Stone will directly tangle with criticism towards Russia regarding the war in Ukraine or the annexation of the Crime. Despite Stone's neglect of some of the hallmarks of critical journalism, the real value of these series lies in showing US citizens and interested viewers around the world that according to Putin's view both superpowers should do everything to build on the existing international partnership to lower tensions regrading NATO or the US missile shield in Europe. The number of nuclear warheads on the US and Russian side alone and the potentially disastrous consequences, should give everyone pause and make him or her able to listen this central message of Stone's documentary. In my opinion, Stone is and always has been a US patriot but with the will to see both sides of the coin and the passion to promote a deeper, though sometimes not clearer, understanding of things. But for his effort to promote a new understanding of US-Russia relations, I will give him 8 out of 10, maybe a bit much but the world really needs to come together with regard to threats such as nuclear war and climate change. Putin reiterates the need for multilateral relations constantly and I want to believe that he is genuine in that regard.
Morris from America (2016)
Not an accurate portrayal of German society
The vile and demeaning review from Sven B. prompted me to write my first review at IMDb. This is in now way an accurate portrayal of German society and as a German citizen I am quite appalled that the production is apparently almost completely German-based. Talk about shooting yourself in the head :) (Mild spoilers ahead) They have chosen the most stereotypical actors you could imagine playing a 'snitching', self-absorbed female tutor, a male teacher who doesn't know the first thing about respect or empathy as well as an ultra-mean girl, who loves nothing more than to play games with people and not the good ones. She gains a little more character towards the end although it doesn't help much. If you have never been here you can really get the impression from this movie that all Germans are Nazis with a big stick up their ass. And that may be true for ignorant folks in the Sächsische Wald or elsewhere who never met a foreigner or experienced something different beyond the scope of their own village or for people who are simply nihilistic and irredeemable. But I would like to believe and I have seen it often that there are a lot of Germans out there who appreciate the togetherness of different cultures although it's yet far from the melting pot story in the US, which is also not without its problems. So I guess my point is, this movie just shows that the world is full of mean people at every corner but Germany shares this with I guess almost any place in the world by now.