Ray reviews WHEN WE LEFT EARTH, CHAPLIN, QUESTIONING FAITH & UNFORGOTTEN

Ray reviews four DVD's, make sure to click on the titles or the headlines to buy the titles and help support OWF! Man, I'm so jealous he got sent WHEN WE LEFT EARTH, I so need to get hold of this set... anyone wanna buy it for me for Christmas?

WHEN WE LEFT EARTH: THE NASA MISSIONS

Space. The final frontier ... Ugh, I despise STAR TREK, but the youthful, adventurous spirit of those opening words aptly describe the overall emotion behind this monumental overview of the NASA Space program in America. Subtitled THE NASA MISSIONS, this is the complete collection of man's first tiny steps into outer space. And what an epic story it is. Everything is here, from the first rocket missions, to the daring moon missions, to the development of the space shuttle, the space station, and the magnificent Hubble telescope. Even if you're a news junky who remembers these events as they occurred, there is a wealth of information and footage you have never seen that brings these dangerous events into perspective. Declassified video footage is sprinkled throughout, giving a greater picture of the tremendous skill and luck it requires to put man in space. Produced by The Discovery Channel, these documentaries (6 in all!!) are world-class examinations of the space program and their place in history. If you have any interest in science or history, you need to see this gloriously-produced DVD collection. P.S. The package is one for the ages. The discs are bound in a book-like metal case ... BEAUTIFUL and CLASSY!!!!

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CHAPLIN: 15th ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Charlie Chaplin is undoubtedly the world's most important silent film star. He's not my favorite - my heart will always belong to Buster Keaton - but in terms of impact on the fledgling industry and craft, Chaplin's contributions are insurmountable. His long life was punctuated by crushing poverty, meteoric fame, insatiable vices, suspicion, and a pathetic decline. It has become the sad template for many of the Hollywood careers to follow, yet Chaplin's silent screen alter-ego still casts a magical and indelible spell that erases much of the negativity of his personal life. In a town that loves to look at its own reflection, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood managed to give Chaplin a deserved tribute film. The finished film, simply known as CHAPLIN, was released in 1992 under the once-sure hand of epic filmmaker Richard Attenborough. The film stars Robert Downey, Jr. as the famed comedian, but the cast also boasts a who's-who of past and current box office behemoths, including Anthony Hopkins, Dan Ackroyd, Kevin Kline, Penelope Ann Miller, Diane Lane, and Milla Jovovich. Hailed upon release, the film has not aged well since then. Bloated beyond belief and irreparably hackneyed, the film attempts an epic, life-spanning tribute to a man with a simple, iconic image. Told through the dusty trope of an old Chaplin relating his life story to his biographer (Anthony Hopkins), the film feels nearly the eighty years it spans. The scenes are earnest and too grandiose. Everything feels "soundstagey" and overpriced. It feels overstuffed and way too shallow. One of the prime problems with the film come from Downey's lead performance as Chaplin. Praised at the time for its remarkable mimicry, Downey's performance never manages to get beneath the motivations of Chaplin. Precisely recreating the shoe eating scene from THE GOLD RUSH does not equal a complete picture of this complex artist and his life. Just because Downey looks like Chaplin does not mean that he captures anything more than the surface. When asked how someone could know Charlie Chaplin, he simply responded, "Watch my movies." In relation to this bloated mess, no truer words were ever said in the silent era This is a 15th anniversary edition? One would think that, given the nature of the film and the anniversary, there would be copious extras about the man and the film. However, we get a Chaplin home movie entitled ALL AT SEA, and three other featurettes that discuss Chaplin's influence and career. Methinks the boys at Lionsgate are trying to capitalize on Downey's current popularity thanks to IRON MAN. Call me cynical if you must .. Only the most enthusiastic Chaplin fans need to buy this. For the rest, skip it entirely

QUESTIONING FAITH

Macky Alston is a priest. He is also gay. And when his former seminary classmate developed AIDS and died a few years ago, Alston became a filmmaker interested in finding out why God allows good people to suffer and die like his friend did. In his search for answers, Alston befriends a wide group of people, including a Muslim teacher, an atheist, a Jew, and a Buddhist. Each one demonstrates various strengths of belief, and they all come up with differing answers as to the source of that strength. In the end, Alston chooses to embrace all of their philosophies into an intertwined ribbon of belief systems. The film, shot with Alston's own money and time over three years, is a labor of love. Originally intended to be a tribute to his fallen comrade, the film veers away from this theme to the much larger issues behind it. For the most part, it succeeds in respectfully addressing both the strengths and weaknesses of religion and religious thought in the face of evil and suffering. However, the film suffers from too much Alston, who makes his presence felt wit ha fairly droning narration to inject his thoughts and feelings into the narrative. Overall, though, QUESTIONING FAITH is a thoughtful mediation on loss, religion, and hope, and is worth a watch.

UNFORGOTTEN: TWENTY-FIVES AFTER WILLOWBROOK

Geraldo Rivera is an acquired taste. For me, he is one of the founding fathers of exploitative, shock-treatment infotainment. I vaguely remember his trip into the empty vaults of Al Capone with a palpable sense of shame. Before that taudry era, Rivera was an explosive investigative reporter in the New York region. He would often tackle th issues and stories of the unrepresented and discarded with a surprisingly tender touch. His "big break" came in his 1972 expose of the Willowbrook Mental Institution. Having secured a key to the secretive hospital, Rivera and a cameraman crept into the shelter, only to find the most horrifying conditions imaginable. The entire footage was aired in a special entitled WILLOWBROOK: THE LAST GREAT DISGRACE, which blew the lid off of one of the more stomach-turning human rights crimes of recent memory. Rivera became a star. The new documentary UNFORGOTTEN: 25 YEARS AFTER WILLOWBROOK reunites Rivera with several of the patients who suffered through the atrocities in that facility. The stories are unforgettable, like the one amazing man whose MS was misdiagnosed as mental incapacitation and spent 18 years trapped alone in Willowbrook. Absolutely gut-wrenching. While I'm sure it would be difficult to track down most of the former patients of Willowbrook due to death or disappearance, the film suffers from only having three or four former patients to visit. The lack of personal detail gives the film a strangely clinical feel, highly ineffectual with a film that needs to hit the heart. However, the topic and its message is one of hope, tolerance, respect, and love, and they are powerfully presented here. A worthwhile documentary for everyone Most importantly, this DVD contains the original Rivera telecast from 1972. Prepare to be shocked, and you still won't be prepared enough.