Lisa Wolfinger Movies
Fifty years after the Soviet Union made history by launching Sputnik into space, the reverberations of that historical event are still echoing around the world. Produced to coincide with the 50th anniversary of this defining moment in human history, this documentary from filmmaker David Hoffman draws on lost footage and informative interviews to detail the remarkable story surrounding the launch of Sputnik, as well as the incredible events that unfolded in America the following year. While American enthusiasm over this technological breakthrough was at first palpable, that excitement quickly turned to dread as politicians and the media pointed out that the same rocket used to propel Sputnik into space could have just as easily been outfitted with a nuclear warhead and used to launch a devastating war against the United States. The following year, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States reached an all-time high, effectively propelling the Cold War into overdrive. With bomb shelters being built, nuclear testing lighting up the atmosphere every three days, and then-senator Lyndon B. Johnson comparing the launch of Sputnik to another Pearl Harbor, it's no wonder that folks began to get so fatalistic. In this film, Hoffman explores the tenuous first steps into the modern age, the positive and negative effects of those steps on international relations, and the staunch determination of Americans to always be the first and the best. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Nova Video Library: Beast of Loch Ness documents an expedition to Loch Ness in Scotland in search of the legendary Loch Ness monster. The expedition is headed by respected patent lawyer and scientist Bob Rines. The documentary gives a general history of eyewitness sightings and previous attempts to prove and disprove the existence of the Loch Ness beast. The first photograph taken of the monster in 1934 set off the worldwide fascination, but the program questions the validity of the picture by attempting to recreate it as a hoax. Loch Ness is 24 miles long, 800 feet deep, and too murky to allow much visibility with cameras. The research team uses two boats to search for the animal; one boat has sonar to detect large moving objects, and the other has an underwater camera that takes pictures in dark waters. ~ Thomas Carpenter, All Movie Guide
