Jeff Hodges

For everyone disappointed about this movie, I suggest checking out the 2003 movie, Ferrari. I saw it almost twenty years ago as a little boy back in China on TV. It told a more thorough story. Enzo Ferrari had a long life, with many events. I wondered how could a movie at 2hrs and a quarter capture them. Obviously, it didn't. It merely captures a small glimpse, this movie cannot handle the title. Sex scene is a bit too much. Racing part is good. Leaving out Grand Prix seems unwise. Technical aspect, not very much ( but I work in Fiat so I guess my bar is a bit high ). Acting, prop were very good, plot is a bit weak. It fails to explain Enzo's passionate for motorsports, from the way I understand Enzo Ferrari, his passion went deeper than how the movie portrayed it. One thing this movie got right is, every detail relating to cars is on the correct end (period correct), down to the wiper arm, paint pattern (I didn't spot any metallic painted cars, which is correct. Usually cars that old with that paint tended to be from the US, and metallic paint is very common among restored cars, difficult to avoid for the movies), something even Steven Spielberg tends to neglect in his long career.

It's a good documentary. It touches few timeless topics: what and who we love, sex, death, and immortal. And it is painful when all those happen together. I have to give it 4 star out of 5 because it is not a stand-alone documentary. Good knowledge on the movie, Death in Venice is necessary to experience the plot. The documentary pinned down what is underneath the spirit of a timeless beautiful boy with shade of sadness behind. I'm extremely unfortunate enough to experience it from a very close friend of mine and the sexuality, objectification of male beauty, nudity, the desire and how ghosts of monetary greed follow is all too real. And it is still true today. It was captured very precisely here. Music is great, but not the best among documentaries ( comparing to likes of Apocalypse: World War I ) so is the narrative. Perhaps the gravity of history is too high of a bar to reach for this topic. Maybe only Thanatos himself can grip it. Last I have to reserve my criticism to the United Sates. Many years ago I only knew the movie Death in Venice from a British man, then I knew Björn Andrésen was used on a book cover, very unhappily, as always about his idealized male beauty. Last, in an era of Internet, I cannot find anywhere to purchase this documentary online in the United Sates ( few theaters were screening it in 2021 but I missed them all ). It is available in UK Microsoft Store but not in the US. Why does it have to be THIS difficult to watch it in the US, coming to everything about Björn Andrésen?

Battlefield 5 has the uniforms looking like Captain Klenzendorf's from JoJo Rabbit, not in a good way. ( it was supposed to be sarcastic! ) The weapons, vehicles don't have the weight in multiplayer version ( they feel very cheap, plastic, as if from toy solider sets ) especially the vehicles, stationary weapons, they have the bouncy handling and the cannon shells look, sound rather off. Despite being almost 20 years newer, it doesn't look very improved compared to Battlefield 1942, and it feels not as credible neither. Towing cannons however is good and handy. Visual effects on multiplayer is rather off, to a point I thought my video card was broken or driver crashed. However the War Stories are good, rather engaging ( but not with a lot of weapons ) with rich plots as good as some movies, and music is excellent. ( Bravo, Lucas Rebato! It is one of the best cover for I vow to thee, my country. Since it is a traditional song, it is rather difficult to have a good cover actually, just like Auld Lang Syne and The Last Rose of Summer for example, and amazingly Lucas' singing with the music fits the theme, emotions of the war stories very well, probably the best music in all video games I can think of, on a par with the music from Dr Zhivago ) It is a surprise for me since I quite enjoy the war stories from Battlefield 1, and I enjoy the war stories even better in this. Sadly the good music only applies to the European maps, the music for Asia-Pacific is rather off and uncanny. It is disappointing for a Battlefield WWII themed game, but it has good stories to experience like a movie or tv series.