Michael Bacon Movies

Based on Jack Horrigan's play Children! Children!, Twisted is a thriller starring Christian Slater as a psychotic young adolescent who torments his new baby-sitter (Losi Smith) with electronics, swords and mind games. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

This film profiles the life and political career of the powerful United States senator from Texas Lyndon Baines Johnson, who became president of the United States when John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The documentary considers this tragic figure in American history, whose social legislation, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act, has transformed American culture. LBJ may be remembered for the disastrous American involvement in the Vietnam War and the civil unrest it created in this country. Film clips, photographs, interviews, and personal recollections by friends and colleagues, as well as speeches and commentary by historians, tell the story of LBJ. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

This PBS documentary chronicles the highly political and oftentimes tragic dynasty of the Kennedy family, and the profound impact it has made on America throughout the years. Hosted by historian David McCullough, the documentary features several Kennedy experts, including fellow historian Theodore Sorenson, author Doris Kearns Goodwin, the late Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, and a bevy of family friends and colleagues who have served the Kennedy clan in their many political endeavors. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Written, produced, and directed by Nancy Porter, this documentary chronicles how the eccentric Wright brothers overcame their own sibling bickering and the skepticism of the world to build the first successful flying machine. As Tom Crouch of the National Air and Space Museum explains in an interview, "They weren't college graduate engineers, but at the same time, they were two of the best engineers working in the world at the time." Highlights include footage of a replica of the Wright brothers' plane built by Rick and Sue Young and flown at Kitty Hawk by Jacqueline Young and David Young. Narrated by Garrison Keillor. David McCullough hosts this program, which originally aired as an episode of the Emmy award-winning PBS series The American Experience. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

The Richest Man In the World is a thoughtful portrait of one of history's most complicated men. Andrew Carnegie was a study in contrasts, a walking contradiction. He was a great philanthropist who endowed nearly 3,000 libraries, but he was also a ruthless businessman who dealt savagely with employee and competitor alike. This video deals with all facets of his puzzling personality in probing and careful fashion, relying both on original sources and testimony from historians and Carnegie's leading biographers. The major events of Carnegie's life are given close attention, from the Homestead Strike to his eventual sell-out to J.P. Morgan. A man such as Carnegie is inseparable from his age, and this volume of the American Experience puts the events of Carnegie's life in proper context. Its sober delivery and balanced tone make it appropriate for the college classroom though its length may preclude its use in this context. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

Upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, Harry Truman became the 33rd president of the United States. This video captures the exciting details surrounding Truman's later race for re-election against Dewey, along with many other important historical moments. Viewers are reminded that Truman was a combat artillery captain during WWI and a highly respected U.S. senator before becoming vice president. As many recall, it was Truman who made the fateful decision to drop the first atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. Three years later, he chose to recognize the new state of Israel. Truman was also behind such important programs as the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the North Atlantic Treaty, which was designed to stop the Soviets from expanding further into Europe.
~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide

This lengthy (4 1/2 hours) TV documentary on Ronald Reagan, part of The American Experience series, intercuts film clips, network feeds, home movies, and interviews to survey the life, career, philosophy, and policies of the 40th President of the United States. Interview subjects include Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Ed Meese, Donald Regan, Nancy Reagan, Maureen Reagan, Ron Reagan, Patti Davis, Dr. Helen Caldicott, George Will, and Reagan's official biographer Edmund Morris. Narrated by David Ogden Stiers and filmed by WGBH Boston for PBS, the documentary premiered as a two-parter on 23-24 February 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The American Experience presents Surviving the Dust Bowl, a one-hour account of the farmers of the Southern Plains who endured extraordinary conditions during the 1930s. This video traces the families as they traveled to the Plains in search of the good life. Finding rich topsoil, they felt they had hit gold and began plowing the land to sow their seeds of success. But unpredictable weather patterns and abusive farming techniques took them by surprise. Following a short-lived spell of bountiful crops, drought replaced the rains. Viewers learn about the unrelenting heat that turned the soil into dust because of overplowing. Then high winds whipped the dust into blinding storms so thick that people were coughing up dirt. Viewers experience the disillusionment that sent some packing for California, while others died of disease. But the majority of survivors stayed, their drive still thriving. Surviving the Dust Bowl explains the practical and drastic measures that kept these livelihoods and spirits afloat. ~ Brooke Hodess, All Movie Guide

Something about the millennium makes documentarians wax nostalgic. ABC is no exception. With the rollover of the year, decade, and century, summations are in order. The Century: America's Time is one such wrap-up, albeit a mighty ambitious one. Peter Jennings narrates this look back at the last 100 years. From a strictly American point of view, the video starts at the turn of the century, with the birth of the common man, and moves all the way to present-day technology, with the computer leading the way. The presentation is divided onto six tapes. Each program tramples through a dense history with Jennings providing the transitions. Beginning with the great melting pot, a timeline of occurrences highlights each video: the invention of the automobile, the suffrage movement, both world wars, and Vietnam. The video covers the "hippie" movement, the Red Scare, and the undeniable AIDS epidemic. At times, the stories are told by American icons, including Oliver Stone and Eudora Welty. Other moments are described by photographs alone. This collection is an exercise in textbook description with little analysis assigned to the events. However, for the history buff, The Century: America's Time is a gold mine. In Century: America's Time, Vol. 6, unexpected changes dot the landscape of the Reagan era. The end of the Cold War and the emergence of the nouveau riche dominate the '80s. This wrap-up focuses on the pivotal moments of the '90s -- from the Oklahoma Bombing to the Persian Gulf War. The creation of a media-hungry culture is apparent. The program ends with a look to the future. Episodes included are: Century: America's Time - 1981-1989: A New World and Century: America's Time - The '90s and Beyond: Then and Now.


~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Something about the millennium makes documentarians wax nostalgic. ABC is no exception. With the rollover of the year, decade, and century, summations are in order. The Century: America's Time is one such wrap-up, albeit a mighty ambitious one. Peter Jennings narrates this look back at the last 100 years. From a strictly American point of view, the video starts at the turn of the century, with the birth of the common man, and moves all the way to present-day technology, with the computer leading the way. The presentation is divided onto six tapes. Each program tramples through a dense history with Jennings providing the transitions. Beginning with the great melting pot, a timeline of occurrences highlights each video: the invention of the automobile, the suffrage movement, both world wars, and Vietnam. The video covers the "hippie" movement, the Red Scare, and the undeniable AIDS epidemic. At times, the stories are told by American icons, including Oliver Stone and Eudora Welty. Other moments are described by photographs alone. This collection is an exercise in textbook description with little analysis assigned to the events. However, for the history buff, The Century: America's Time is a gold mine. In Century: America's Time, Vol. 4, the focus is on the "Happy Daze." On the surface, most Americans seemed content. But the nation teemed with anger. McCarthy riled up the public, while civil rights leaders were jailed. This period stands as one of the most tension-filled in history. Later, with John F. Kennedy at the helm, America's potential was never so great. This program traces the fall of Camelot and the rise of communist resentments. At home, a race war heats up as America enters a perilous time with the unending Vietnam War and the end of segregation. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy are killed and the future seems bleak. Episodes included are: Century: America's Time - 1953-1960: Happy Daze, Century: America's Time - 1960-1964: Poisoned Dreams, and Century: America's Time -1965-1970: Unpinned .



~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Something about the millennium makes documentarians wax nostalgic. ABC is no exception. With the rollover of the year, decade, and century, summations are in order. The Century: America's Time is one such wrap-up, albeit a mighty ambitious one. Peter Jennings narrates this look back at the last 100 years. From a strictly American point of view, the video starts at the turn of the century, with the birth of the common man, and moves all the way to present-day technology, with the computer leading the way. The presentation is divided onto six tapes. Each program tramples through a dense history with Jennings providing the transitions. Beginning with the great melting pot, a timeline of occurrences highlights each video: the invention of the automobile, the suffrage movement, both world wars, and Vietnam. The video covers the "hippie" movement, the Red Scare, and the undeniable AIDS epidemic. At times, the stories are told by American icons, including Oliver Stone and Eudora Welty. Other moments are described by photographs alone. This collection is an exercise in textbook description with little analysis assigned to the events. However, for the history buff, The Century: America's Time is a gold mine. Century: America's Time, Vol. 2 focuses on the Great Depression. Prosperity is almost unattainable for a quarter of the population. Next, the build-up to World War II captivates America's attention; as the nation struggles to remain uninvolved, Europe falls into greater strife. Episodes included are: Century: America's Time - 1929-1936 Stormy Weather and Century: AMerica's Time -1936-1941 Over the Edge. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

Part one of American Experience: The Rockefellers chronicles the rise of John D. Rockefeller from the son of a gambler to the owner of Standard Oil. Born in 1839, Rockefeller gained his mother's prudent disposition, but learned about the value of money from his unreliable father, nicknamed "Devil Bill." When oil was discovered in Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s, the young commodities trader decided to make money by refining it. At 25, he owned one of the largest oil refineries in the world; at 30, he founded Standard Oil. Rockefeller married the progressive-minded Laura Spellman in 1864 and they raised four children on their country estate on Cleveland's millionaire's row. By 1880, Standard Oil controlled 90% of the world's oil refineries while the Rockefeller fortune grew to over a billion dollars. In 1902, however, Ida Tarbell published an expose in McClure's on the predatory practices Rockefeller had utilized against competitors. John Rockefeller Jr. faced even more intense criticism following the deadly coal strike at a family-owned mine in Ludlow, CO, in 1913. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Movie Guide

Part two in The Secret Life of the Brain series explores the development of the brain in young children, most specifically the phenomenon of language, whose explosion in children after age one most dramatically illustrates the brain at work. But how do we learn to talk and read? Whereas linguistic activity is limited to the left side of the brain in adults, the same activity activates the entire brain in very young children. What happens when the physical development of the brain is compromised? And where do language disorders like dyslexia have their roots? ~ Kathryn Tamms, All Movie Guide