The Man in the High Castle

Based on the 1960s novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, this is the pilot for an Amazon Prime series that happens on an alternate world where the Axis powers won World War II.

In this world, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was assassinated in the 1930s before pulling the United States out of the Depression. Presidents that followed pursued an isolationist stance in world events, and the US was therefore unprepared for the crippling blow at Pearl Harbor. At the end of a prolonged war, the once powerful US is now divided into three puppet nations under the control of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. In this new timeline these two empires engage in a familiar yet more dangerous nuclear Cold War.

As the Fuhrer is dying and the power struggle to fill the void promises an oncoming American war between Germany and Japan, the pilot follows a handful of characters as they navigate this alternate political landscape. Complicating matters is a film called "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy," which depicts a World War II occurring as we know it, whether it's trick photography or an actual newsreel is left up in the air in this pilot.

"The Man in the High Castle" is a streamlined version of a very complicated book, with a few subtle twists not present in the source material. It sets itself up as an enthralling political thriller albeit taking place in a sinister yet fascinating parallel world. I hope it does well in Amazon's pilot season because I'd like to see more.

The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises ~ Also known as Kaze Tachinu, written and directed by the great Hayao Miyazaki, is a masterpiece of phenomenal artisanship and brilliance, but it's also a pretty hard film to like.

While I recall hearing of Miyazaki's love of aircraft and flight, it had never occurred to me that he'd make not just a film about it, but also a fairly historical film about it - and specifically about the creation of the Japanese Zero, a plane that destroyed Pearl Harbor and plunged the United States into World War II with only the skeleton of a functional navy. As an American whose father served in the Pacific theater in WWII, I found it both hard and frightening to sit still during this movie, beautifully animated, and wonderfully presented - or not.

Released by Toho in Japan, and Disney in the United States, The Wind Rises is a fictionalized biography of Jiro Horikoshi, an aviation and engineering genius, who eventually designed what would become the dreaded Japanese Zero. This award winning film was based on Miyazaki's manga, which in turn was based on the 1937 short story by Tatsuo Hori.

While slow in places, it is a compelling tale of love, passion, dedication, and dreams, all wrapped up in a love of aviation and engineering. It's really quite brilliant and well done. I cannot decry the quality and achievement of this piece, but I am still left of two minds on it. This is a wonderfully realized film, definitely worth seeing.

The Final Entries of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest

Sweden - "You" by Robin Stjernberg


It's a nice pop tune, but I guess Sweden doesn't really want to win two years in a row.

Spain - "Contigo Hasta El Final (With You All The Way)" by ESDM


At first it seems like Spain has gone traditional. I just wonder if the audience will still be with them by the time the song really kicks in.

Italy - "L'Essenziale" by Marco Mengoni


Wow, that's some hair.

Germany - "Glorious" by Cascada


Germany is usually a strong competitor, despite most of Europe still hating them for that World War II business, and this year is no exception. It's a great dance tune that would have won if it were from the Ukraine, but not Germany.

France - "L'enfer Et Moi (Hell and Me)" by Amandine Bourgeois


This is a great song, and per usual, it's in French, but it's much better than most years' entries. It seems the French are in it to win it this year. I can't wait to see what this looks like on stage. That will make or break it.

Along with the UK entry, "Believe in Me" by 1980s songstress Bonnie Tyler, the above finalists join Semi-Final winners Lithuania, Moldova, Finland, Belgium, Estonia, Belarus, Malta, Russia, Armenia, The Netherlands, Romania, Hungary, Denmark, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Greece, Ukraine, Norway, Georgia, and Ireland in the Grand Final tomorrow afternoon. Those of you in the States can watch it live here.

Titanic, The Evil Version

Titanic ~ This is not the Titanic you think it is, in fact, this is not any of the Titanics you might think it is. It's not from 1997, 1953, or even 1915. I had never heard of this 1943 version until very recently, and it is a sad and very intriguing monument to the power of propaganda. This is the Nazi version.

This Titanic was made by the German film industry, controlled by the Nazis, in the midst of World War II. At a time when Germany was at war with Great Britain, this dramatic propaganda film showed the story of the Titanic sinking, not strictly because of an iceberg, but because of the greed and folly of the British ship's owners.

In this Titanic, the upper class British passengers are all rich, careless, and decadent, with the Germans poor and heroic, in fact, the only German crew member is our hero. The skewed almost-Bizarro World version of history has to be seen to be believed.

This subtitled anti-British piece of work was never actually released as Nazi officials thought the scenes of chaos inboard the ship might panic German citizens who were under attack during wartime. For years it was thought lost, but occasionally shows up on TCM. Worth watching as a curiosity.

Progressive/Offensive

Disfigured ~ This quirky independent film takes a look at perspective when an anorexic woman who sees herself as fat tries to join a fat acceptance group. A friendship develops between her and one of the group's founders that makes everyone learn a bit about themselves in the end. Disfigured is an important film about body image written and directed by Glenn Gers, and it's highly recommended. I really liked this film.

Blubberella ~ On the opposite end of the spectrum is this mess. Just when I thought Uwe Boll could not sink lower, could not possibly make worse movies than he already made, comes … this. Lindsey Hollister, who should know better, plays a World War II superhero in the shade of Blade who kills Nazis because they are depleting her supply of men on JDate.

This is just horrible, and despite being labeled a comedy, there are no laughs. It is offensive, and offensive to everyone, from overweight people obviously to every possible minority, including Holocaust victims. There's even blackface in it. Hollister and Ron Howard's brother's Clint have made the bottom of my hate list for being in this piece of crap. At least Uwe Boll plays Hitler here, a role so suited to his filmmaking abilities.

As good as Disfigured is, Blubberella is bad. This is a major contender for worst film ever made.