VIETNAM: The War That Changed America

 

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Apple TV+ from director by Rob Coldstream and A 72 Films narrated by Ethan Hawke is an in depth look at the conflict through archival footage and first-person accounts of VIETNAM: The War That Changed America.

Starting with the Episode One – Boots On The Ground, it is July 1965 and C.W. Bowman is an 18-year-old young man who discovers he’s been drafted to Vietnam. The draft is happening and Malik Edwards and Philip Van Colt are headed to the Marine Corps. Also, 75,000 combat troops are sent to Vietnam as well. Gary Heeter is a young man fresh out of high school in Texas going into the Army and meets Bowman and the two become inseparable. When they arrive in Vietnam, they are greeted by camera crews. Now, it’s a fight with the Communists in North Vietnam and the U.S. ally, the South Vietnamese.

The Battle of Ia Drang begins in November of 1965 and Tony Nadal of the U.S. Air Calvary is commanding the troops and again, camera crews are there. A very young George Forest is there and admittedly scared. The camera catches that fear and the firefight that ensues and, unfortunately, catch death as well. Month go by and now there are 250,000 troops in Vietnam. During a sweep, a battalion discovers a tactic by the North Vietnamese also called Viet Cong – underground bunkers. Bowman and Heeter become tunnel guys, or “tunnel rats”, and they become known for it. This isn’t the only place there are tunnels as Bay Hon and Vo Thi Mo, both Viet Cong, explain that they believe that Americans started the war and did not understand the Vietnamese people. They have one goal – tunnel to Saigon.

In 1967, Operation Junction City has 30,000 U.S. soldiers are sent in to find Viet Cong headquarters. The “tunnel rats” Bowman and Heet are busy but in one moment, that all changes. The soldiers begin to realize that the Viet Cong are not going to stop nor are they typical adversaries. In December 1967, things become more intense One hundred towns and cities are about to experience the unimaginable.

Episode Two – Uprising, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson promises the war will be won. He does not yet know what is coming. In Saigon, Dang Yuan Teo is one of the Viet Cong who are scoping out the city for weak spots. On January 31, 1968 the Vietnamese New Year called Tet, there is supposed to be truce for the day but it is further from that. Paul Healy is with the U.S. Military Police and due to go home. He receives an alarming call that the American Embassy is under attack and cameras are everywhere filming it all. At the same time, dozens of attacks are happening in the streets of Saigon.

Young Vietnamese like Bay Hon and Vu Ming Nyhia are fighting the U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers for very personal reasons. Although Saigon and surrounding areas are attacked, six hundred miles away in Hue, John Baywell (U.S. Army) is a radio DJ starting a station there. At two in the morning, this sleepy town does not remain sleepy much longer. Alex Wells (USMC) is sent to Hue on the chopper ride in, they are quickly shot at. Capturing it all is female journalist Thea Rosenbaum. She has landed in the middle of a fight that will last 14 days. By February 1968, 23,280 U.S. soldiers have died.

Beginning Episode Three – Not My War, Huan Nguyen, a South Vietnamese civilian speaks about a photo seen world wide and how it pertains to him. When he was nine years old, a horrific event takes place that speaks of the effects the war had on children into adulthood. The U.S. sends in 36 Battalions as a response to Tet and head straight to the Cambodian border and what is to come is one of the biggest battles as the U.S. calls 200,000 more soldiers. In the Mekong Delta, soldiers are sent to tackle the Viet Cong there as Melvin Pender (U.S. Army) is leading his group. Boats are loaded with weaponry and flame throwers to tackle the Viet Cong along the banks and helicopters and gunships aid them.

Le Ly talks about the effects being caught between North Vietnam and American soldiers had on villages that have no part of either side. Edwards recalls his own feelings about what soldiers, especially himself, had to deal with after battles. While Edwards deals with the fighting in Vietnam, the United States is dealing with its own internal struggles. In April 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated and the country is in an uproar. Making the situation even more confusing for soldiers is listening to the radio as Hanoi Hanna as she plays her own game of psychological warfare.

Another major attack by the Viet Cong happens in over 190 cities in May of 1968 and making it the deadliest month of the year. In the Mekong Delta, there is finally the discover of the Ho Chi Minh trail explaining how the Viet Cong manage to supply their soldiers. John Stiles (USAF) is sent out to look for bombing targets and through his experience becomes friends with Bob Noble. Getting the Mekong Delta is one thing – hearts and minds are another. The U.S. is dealing with riots as Johnson tries to calm the country. Edwards leaves the Marines and becomes part of the Black Panther movement and Pender is ordered to join the Olympic team but this is all far from over.

Other episodes include Mutiny, Homecoming and The End Game.

Apple TV+ is a video on demand web television that debuted in 2019. Viewable through Apple’s TV app, CEO Tim Cook wanted original content calling it “a great opportunity for us from a creation point of view”. From THE MORNING SHOW to TRYING and THE BANKER and Jason Momoa in SEE, there is plenty of choices for everyone. Plenty of genres? That is exactly what they are bringing to viewers and to see more of what they have to offer please visit www.apple.com/tv/.

This is just a small piece of the six-episodes of this fascinating look at the Vietnam War. I have seen many documentaries on the subject but the insight with VIETNAM: The War That Changed America, the viewer is privy to the stories those who lived it have to tell – from both sides. To hear them speak of their experiences brings about several things, it reinforces what the VA has been trying to tell people for years. Soldiers returning home from that war, to this day, are still struggling, much as soldiers who have returned home from the war in Iraqi and Afghanistan are struggling.

What the first three episodes also gives us is a look at brotherhood, survival, having each other’s backs and reunited again back home to offer the emotional support they deserved all along. The way each of the men speaks about one another is exactly as my father told me when he and my Uncle Red spoke of the war when I was a young girl. Uncle Red did not come home, after my father rarely spoke of the experience again. For me, this was a tender subject matter but one I needed to understand more about and not from a college history book’s perspective. That is what this documentary provides, a first-hand account that needs to be heard.  

The 50^th Anniversary of the fall of Saigon is approaching and VIETNAM: The War That Changed America is a must see for all who want to know the unvarnished truth through the eyes of those who experienced it.

 

Next week – review of Episodes 4-6

THE BLACK PHONE

 

Jeri Jacquin

Currently on Bluray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and on the streaming service Peacock from writer/director Scott Derrickson based on a short story by writer Joe Hill is the thriller THE BLACK PHONE.

It is 1978 on the streets of Denver, Colorado and a time of innocence. Finney (Mason Thames) and sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) are not living in that innocence. Being raised by an abusive father Terrence (Jeremy Davies), Finney is also being bullied at school. Saving him from one beating is Robin (Miguel Mora), who all the boys are afraid of. But there is someone lurking on the streets even more frightening than the school bullies.

Given the name “The Grabber” (Ethan Hawke), someone is grabbing boys off the street. One of the boys is Bruce (Tristan Pravong), then followed by Robin as Finney tries to keep it together. Yet, it is Gwen who is trying to avoid her dreams because they seem to be telling her what is happening. She tries to talk to her father about it but is met with an alcoholic’s response of derision.

Detective Wright (E. Roger Mitchell) and Detective Miller (Troy Rudeseal) want to speak with Gwen who tells them of her dreams of a man with a black van and black balloons. Met with skepticism, Gwen does not take any guff from anyone. On their way home from school, Gwen and Finney go their separate ways and the boy meets up with The Grabber.

Waking up in a basement, Finney realizes he is now another of the victims. The man wears a mask and speaks very little but lets the boy know that the telephone on the wall does not work. After he leaves, the phone rings and Finney answers it and hears a familiar voice telling him how to escape.

Each phone call brings Finney closer to knowing the truth about The Grabber and if he will ever get back to his family alive!

Thames as Finney carries the bulk of the film with courage, bravery and a belief in those who know more than he could ever imagine. This young actor gives up nothing as his character already knows fear and is clever which I loved. McGraw as Gwen is a spitfire, and she is not going to take anything from anyone (except maybe her father). Knowing her dreams are real, when Finney is taken – the gloves are off! I so adore McGraw’s performance!

Davies as Terrence is a tortured soul, and he makes sure that he is not alone in his misery. Constantly putting his pain onto his children, he refuses to listen to Gwen when she tries to express her dreams. Pravong as Bruce has a small role, but it sets the stage for what is to come for Finney. Mora as Robin is a boy who thought he could stop anyone, till he meets The Grabber. Mitchel and Rudeseal are cops who do not want anything to do with the paranormal but are running out of options!

Hawke as The Grabber is a man who thinks he is in control of every aspect of the kidnappings. There are twists and turns, moments of quiet madness and a boy who is not going to go down without a fight. Hawke’s character could never have anticipated such a boy would go up against him. The creepiness of Hawke’s performance is what makes the story nail biting.

Other cast include Rebecca Clarke as Donna, J. Gaven Wilde as Moose, Jordan White as Matty, Spencer Fitzgerald as Buzz, Brady Ryan as Matt, Jacob Moran as Billy, Brady Hepner as Vance and Banks Repeta as Griffin.

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Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has just added an amazing film to their library and making it available for us to all experience and re-experience in our own home theaters. There are films of every genre available from scary to drama to family films. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.uphe.com.

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Bonus Features of the Bluray include Deleted Scenes, Answering the Call: Behind the Scenes of THE BLACK PHONE, Ethan Hawke’s Evil Turn, Feature Commentary and more. Plus, SHADOWPROWLER – a Short Film by Scott Derrickson.

THE BLACK PHONE is not about gore or slash, which I so appreciate, it is about the mental anguish and then mental strength of a boy and his sister. Yes, Finney is the object of The Grabber’s game, but Gwen has an important role to play as well. The cat and mice are going at it full force and the film keeps us holding our breath.

I love that it is all done in the 70’s era because that is a time when kids roamed freely and did not consider consequences. Those of us who came up in that time remember the music, the freedom of riding a bike from dusk till dawn, school crushes, bell bottoms and bullies. It is not that child abductions did not happen then; it just wasn’t headline news except in the town where it was happening.

It was easy then for someone like The Grabber to get away with what he was doing. The film gives the feel of the era, the fright of the happenings and the proper mind bend from start to finish. The only issue I might raise is the vagueness of The Grabber’s story but then again, that is part of the mystery.

In the end – never talk to strangers!

He was Born to be THE NORTHMAN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from director Robert Eggers and Focus Features comes the tale of loss, revenge and Valhalla with THE NORTHMAN.

Amleth (Oscar Novak) is a prince to his people living with Mother Queen Gudrun (Nicole Kidman). Excited about the return of his father King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke), they, along with the people greet the King and his brother Fjolnir (Claes Bang) home.

Spending time with the King, Amleth also is brought into the mystical world with the help of Heimir the Fool (Willem Dafoe). But it is not to last long as Amleth must run from those who wish to end his life. Reaching a boat, he retreats chanting of revenging and rescue.

Year pass as Amleth (Alexander Skarsgard) is now a grown man accepted into a group of men who raid a village for slaves. Catching his eye is Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya Taylor-Joy), one of the women of the village. He also enters the dwelling of the village Seeress (Bjork) who tells him things he has long kept secret about himself.

He also discovers that some of the slaves are being sent to King Fjolnir and this sets him on a path of the revenge and rescue he has thought of for years. On the boat journey, Amleth and Olga become very close as he shares what his goal is. Arriving, he sees his mother who now has a young son and still no one knows who he truly is.

Except maybe the He-Witch who tells him exactly what to do and how to get what he is after. Moving toward the ultimate goal, Amleth discovers what he never even considered about his early years. Now, he must make the hardest decision of his life to save those he loves.

Skarsgard as the grown Amleth is absolutely stunning in this role. He has a, oddly, quite rage from the moment we see him on screen. It is almost as if he were living in a fog and happily taking on the role of brutal savage in the eyes of those are at his sword’s mercy. It takes a moment alone with a sorceress to wake him up and a trip with Olga to see there is something else, yet he has unfinished business. Skarsgard as Amleth takes us on a well thought out journey, step by step he takes the lead, and we go along with ease.

Bang as King Fjolnir has taken everything from Amleth and would never have thought there would come a time to be held accountable. When his village goes through strange circumstances, it is the furthest thing from his mind. Trying to maintain control becomes difficult and Bang’s character realizes that there is only one way to stop the madness – at the gates of hel.

Kidman as the Queen has moved on with her life in a new place and a young son who she clearly loves. Still ruling as a queen, she becomes frantic when the horrors of the village start hitting close to home. Kidman’s character has her story moments that tell of life without Amleth.

Taylor-Joy as Olga is very clear on who Amleth is and learns what he is trying to accomplish. Supporting whatever he decides to do, she feeds him information and helps to make plans for their departure. Taylor-Joy’s character understands why and what must happen and gives her character strength without fanfare but instead an intensity of spirit.

Hawke, Dafoe and Bjork have their roles to play and although brief, have an impact on the character of Amleth. These three invididuals offer insight to the young man’s future and their characters give equal intensity.

Other cast include Ian Whyte as Thorvaldr Giant-Crusher, Hafpor Bjornsson as Thorfinnr, Doa Barney as Melkorka, Olwen Fouere as Ashildur, Ralph Ineson as Captain Volodymyr, Kate Dickie as Halldora, Gustav Lindh as Thorir the Proud, Ingvar Sigurosson as the He-Witch, and Murray McArthur as Hakon Ironbeard.

Focus Features’ mission is to make a lasting impact on global audiences by creating the home for artists to share diverse, distinctive stories that inspire human connection. Focus Features is part of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies that brings entertainment and news to a global audience. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.focusfeatures.com.

THE NORTHMAN is a cinematic experience for many reasons. First, there is such an emptiness (once away from the King’s village), from ships on the sea surrounded by the elements to Amleth’s journey across the same emptiness on land before reaching his destination. He may be with others, but the cinematography brings in the feeling of the world being so big and Amleth being so small in that world.

The cast brings a richness, and each has their own story to tell, and director Eggers gives ample time for that to occur. Amleth is so singularly focused on his own pain that, for the longest time, he does not see that he is not the only person in this madness. The fantastic images of the Shield Maiden (shout out to Katie Pattinson) are absolutely stunning, rich and full of emotion.

The story is brutal, ethereal and based in their strong and unbendable belief in the halls of Valhalla. Getting to that place honorably changes Amleth’s path and takes on the indestructible faith that evil must be destroyed. From childhood to manhood, his path is filled with strange twists of fate with a story that could easily be Shakespearean.

In the end – conquer your fate!

GATTACA Arrives in a Stunning Steelbook

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD in a Limited Edition Steelbook from director Andrew Niccol and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the newly remastered and intense look at the road to GATTACA.

Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) lives in a future of eugenics where biometrics is used to conceive children known as ‘valids’. Deciding to forego lab conception, Vincent’s parents have a child who they discover has a heart problem and is labeled an ‘invalid’ with a very short life span. That does not stop him from having boyhood dreams of going to space while brother Anton (Loren Dean) is conceived by genetic selection.

Years later, Vincent meets Jerome (Jude Law) who volunteers to exchange his genetics, or borrowed ladder, so that Vincent can pass as a valid. All of this done so that Vincent, now Jerome, can work at the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation as a navigator for a trip to the Saturn moon of Titan. Daily he must rid himself of everything that is Vincent to pass for Jerome.

A short time before the mission he is to leave on, he meets Irene (Uma Thurman), who shares that she is a valid but with her own defects, so the chance of a mission is none. They become close but fall to being leery of one another when an administrator of Gattaca is murdered. Irene is directed by Mission Director Josef (Gore Vidal) to help the police in any way possible.

Enter Detective Freeman and partner Detective Hugo (Alan Arkin) who tear Gattaca upside down to find the killer. When an eyelash is discovered that leads to someone names ‘Vincent’, the police and Irene are not far behind in discovering the true relationship between Vincent and Jerome.

A dream is about to get lost in space!

Hawke as Vincent/Jerome has a deep story to tell and will go to any lengths to prove that he is just as good, if not better qualified to go on a mission. Society believes otherwise which makes his transformation even more important. Hawke gives us a calm, cool and well-dressed navigator of Gattaca where no one suspects a thing – until death begins to unravel things.

Law as Jerome is amazing portraying a young man who has had his life changed in such a way that letting Vincent in keeps his life comfortable. Providing him with all the things that make a human being a human being, Law has his moments of screw ups but begins to see Jerome’s vision and what he will do to go on a mission. Experiencing something like that can change a person, even someone like Jerome.

Thurman as Irene is also a straightforward, tightly wound worker of Gattaca who sees something in Vincent/Jerome that is close to her own feelings. She takes it upon herself to protect him at all cost. Thurman keeps us all wondering if she is will see everything through to the end. Dean as Anton is suspicious of everything and everyone which brings him closer to discovering the murderer than he could have realized. The problem is he is to focused on a trail he has created for himself to deal with issues from the past so he is a tad jaded.

Arkin as Detective Hugo is like a dog with a juicy bone and he senses that Anton is distracted by something he couldn’t possibly understand. Following orders in front of Anton does not mean he won’t do his own digging into the discovery of a murderer.

Other cast include: Jayne Brook as Marie, Xander Berkeley as Lamar, Elias Koteas as Antonio, Mason Gamble as young Vincent, William Scott as young Anton, Ernest Borgnine as Caesar

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The GATTACA Steelbook contains the Bonus Material of Deleted Scenes, Blooper Reel and Welcome to Gattaca Featurette.

GATTACA was released in 1997 and I can tell you that every time it has showed itself on my television, I stop to watch it. There is something intense and memorable about this film from the cinematography to the idea behind the story that is worth every watch. Director Niccol wrote and brought us GATTACA for $20 million after his first film THE TRUMAN SHOW.

Even in 1997 the question of humanity in technology was difficult to imagine and here we are in 2021 and it is still difficult even in the midst of a pandemic. He says of Gattaca, “characters are scared of leaving a trace of themselves, so the world is very sterile”, sound familiar? Hand cleaning, no touching and six feet of distance bring us closer to a GATTACA existence.

Also in this film is the will to exceed human expectations by any means possible (without hurting someone in Vincent’s case). He is willing to push the limits that are so extraordinary that I had to shake my head and say, ‘nope, I’m good’. Vincent/Jerome is smart, creative and yet so very unlike the Jerome he is forced to be while employed with Gattaca. Perhaps that is why he is such a believable character. Hawke gives him heart, soul and the so unexpected emotion of love.

The Steelbook is awesome to have and 4K Ultra HD, Bluray and Digital copies all in one stunningly done artwork that, as a GATTACA fan, I could relate to for my own home entertainment library.

In the end – a life is a dangerous thing to share!

STOCKHOLM is Filled with Twists on a Bank Heist

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres from writer/director Robert Budreau and Smith Global Media is the story of a bank heist that would lead to a phrase we all know beginning with STOCKHOLM.

It is 1973 and Lars Nystrom (Ethan Hawke) along with partner Gunnar Sorensson (Mark Strong) have decided that they are going to rob a bank in Stockholm, Sweden. Taking hostages including Bianca Lind (Noomi Rapace), they work with officials to get what they want.

What they want is money and an escape car and make it very clear to Chief Mattsson (Christopher Heyerdahl). Feeling they aren’t taking them seriously, Lars looses it a little giving officials till morning to meet their demands. In the meantime Bianca is trying to keep it together.

Then the telephone calls from reporters begin and Bianca seems to side with Lars and Gunnar. When the Prime Minister catches wind of the interview he tries to convince the hostages that they are in danger. That’s when Lars gets the idea to make sure that everyone watching believes they are dangerous and Bianca goes along with it.

Now the officials are taking them serious and Bianca, Christopher and Klara are all for helping their kidnappers. It is the beginning of ‘Stockholm Syndrome’

Hawke as Nystrom just wanted a simple bank robbery and when it doesn’t turn out to be simple, he starts showing a human side to his captives. They begin to connect and this puts Chief Mattsson in a mode of trying to break up what is happening inside the bank. But who is crazier – the robbers or the law?

Hawke as Nystrom seems to have all the bad guy moves in place to rob a bank but when it all goes awry; he is the first to sort of panic it out. Never quite sure about his partner or what the crazy Chief of Police will do, it just adds enough frustration to bring out moments of brilliance. Back in action Hawke gives a complex performance that isn’t going to end well.

Strong as Sorensson is like a brother to Nystrom and with that comes brotherly agitation and a few well thrown punches. I love everything Strong does and this is a bit of a strange character that never lets the viewer truly know what is deal is. I’m okay with that!

Rapace as Bianca is a woman who had no idea her day would include wondering if her husband can make dinner while she’s busy being a hostage. Not feeling much in the way of fear, it is more like curiosity about the two men who have the authorities guessing from one minute to the next.

Heyerdahl as Chief Mattsson is, in my opinion, crazier than the crazy bank robbers. With every moment that goes by, he isn’t exactly sure what is going to happen. Trying to keep 

Nystrom and Sorensson calm, his frustration begins to show and it isn’t pretty.

Other cast include Thorbjorn Harr as Christopher Lind, Bea Santos as Klara Mardh, Mark Rendall as Elov Eriksson, John Ralston as Detective Jackobsson, Shanti Roney as Olof Palme, Ian Matthews as Detective Vinter, Vladimir Jon Culbrt as Davin and Christopher Wagelin as Vincent.

It is easy to see where the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ comes from watching this film. It is Nystrom that shows Bianca a human side with all the frailties and insecurities that come with him. Klara and Christopher follow suit when they realize that the police don’t seem to care if they survive the whole thing. Their tactics pretty much are in line to take everybody out.

It is Hawke and Rapace that keep the story going as they get to know one another and basically what makes them want to survive. Strong is the silent partner who has every reason in the world to be exactly that – silent!

The story is based on the 1973 bank robbery that was written about by Daniel Lang in an article called “The Bank Drama” for the New Yorker in 1974.

In the end – based on an absurd but true story!