On Board Marine One (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)[This capsule review applies to the version of the program aired on National Geographic Channel in January, 2009.]
I have seen many (all?) the documentaries available on Air Force One, but I had always craved more information about the other prominent presidential aerial transport, Marine One. "On Board Marine One" at last gives us a rare look inside that helo and the unit (HMX-1) supporting it.
The storyboard of the film progresses in logical fashion from Marine Base Quantico to the White House to an actual transport mission. We observe the lone crew chief practicing his drills until they are absolutely perfect, would-be pilots undergoing simulator exercises followed by actual practice approaches and landings on the South Lawn of the White House and, finally, we travel with HMX-1 to New York City as they prepare to shuttle President George W. Bush from JFK Airport (where he arrives on Air Force One) to the Wall Street Heliport in preparation for his visit to the United Nations. The footage inside and outside the helicopters is outstanding and is as close to flying with the president as most of us are ever likely to get.
Witnessing the consumate skill that the members of HMX-1 bring to their job, you will come away with enhanced respect for the small group of incredibly hard-working people who, as the unit commander says, "are not special Marines doing an ordinary mission" but "ordinary Marines doing a very special mission."
[Note: There will no doubt be an updated (or new) version of this program once the new Marine One enters service, but don't let that delay you in acquiring this gem of a program. I would hope that National Geographic will offer a special disc set pairing this program with its mate, "On Board Air Force One"--maybe in time for Father's Day?]

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Following up on the success of previous specials including Air Force One, the National Geographic Channel takes viewers On Board Marine One to reveal the incredible challenges and imminent dangers of protecting the President and Vice President.

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IMAX: Fighter Pilot - Operation Red Flag (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I know this world well--flew from Nellis for 3 years against all of these aircraft, targets, and all through this airspace. Overall, I think this documentary does what they set out to do, and I think it tells a good, but overly spectacular story of Red Flag.
There is no doubt that this film is filled with CGI aircraft effects, rigged explosions, questionable flying tactics, and conversation/terminology that you just don't hear in a real training battle. I thought I would offer up the "why." Much like Top Gun, movie producers quickly learned that the "real thing" doesn't make for very engaging movie material. The real thing includes spread out formations, intense radar work, and shooting long range missiles from 30,000 feet, often without ever seeing the bandit with your own eyeballs. None of this shows too well on the big screen, so they have to "juice it up" by bringing all of the aircraft together into the same video frame, move the fight down to treetop level to convey the speed, and throw in a bunch of aileron rolls because they look cool (even though they don't make the guy behind you spit out in front of you). The CGI fills in the gaps where the AF wouldn't fly the requested maneuvers due to safety reasons.
As for the rigged explosions, there are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that the directors/producers wanted a "from the target" view of the bombs and bullets hitting, which I must say came out really cool. To film that actual aircraft's ordnance hitting the target would have meant losing their camera and the film in the course of the explosion. The other thing is that the rigged explosings can be crafted to be especially "fiery" whereas real world bombs look like gray, soot-filled explosions and don't cut the mustard for the Hollywood types.
The last thing that really varies from the real battle is the communications between pilots. To put it simply, it they were to use real terminology, only other military pilots that knew the lingo would be able to follow the action. The target audience would be totally lost. So they toss in some of the lingo, and then typically have the pilot "explain it" in english, all in the same radio call.
Does any of the above wreck the movie? Only if you're really familiar with the way it really happens. My biggest complaint is that the CGI additions to the dogfight look fake. On the other hand, they look a lot better than they did in Air Force One, which I'm sure had a lot bigger special effects budget. For whatever reason, the CG folks just haven't figured out tactical aviation yet, so I'd rather them just show me the real thing, even if it isn't quite as spectacular.

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A state-of-the-art, edge of your seat experience! Get in the cockpit with the world's best pilots to witness the most challenging flying of their careers... Follow a young American pilot as he makes his way through Red Flag - the world's most intense, simulated air war, training event - where U.S. and international pilots, ground crews, mechanics and rescue personnel are taken to the limits of their endurance. Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag delivers speeds of up to 800 miles per hour with thundering, roaring, screaming sound and stunning aerobatics that will blow you away! Filmed over the Nevada desert with unprecedented access to military procedures, the film features an enormous armada of aircraft including four American squadrons of F-15C Eagles and F-15E Strike Eagles, F-16 Aggressors, Stealth F-117s, B-1B Lancers, B-2 Stealth bomber, C-17 Globemaster III, a U-2R and more... This DVD version of the film has been specially mixed and mastered to produce an outstanding DTS Digital Surround and Dolby Digital 5.1 home theatre experience.
Offers the complete feature in Microsoft Windows Media Video High Definition, playable on your PC widescreen version only). WMV HD delivers up to 1080p resolution(6 times the resolution of standard definition DVD video) and 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound

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The White House: Behind Closed Doors (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)A very interesting back of the scenes look at the White House during the Bush years.

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The White House is at all times many different things. It's a museum where tourists come to see our country's history, a place of business where some of the greatest decisions of democracy have been made and, to the families of 42 Presidents, it has also been a home. The White House is perhaps the most photographed location in all of the United States of America but those images are mostly from the outside looking in. Now, President and Mrs. Bush invite viewers to join them on the first in-depth televised tour of this grand residence since Jacqueline Kennedy invited cameras inside in 1962. President and Mrs. Bush share their own personal insights and what it has been like to live in this historical house. In addition, special guests, brothers Leslie and Leigh Keno, well known from television's Antiques Roadshow, join the tour to offer their insight and engaging curiosity to the journey.

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