The premise is enticing: search for Magellan's gold, which has been missing for 500 years.
- Americans all learned about him as the first to circumnavigate the world, a Spanish expedition mostly funded by 18-year old King Charles 1 of Spain (who was broke, so the Fugger Family from Germany came up with the resources) led by a Portuguese explorer, Magellan.
- Can you believe that the food brought on board cost as much as those five ships, and 80% consisted of wine and hardtack, a cracker?
While scurvy (lack of vitamin C) became a huge problem, one of the items for the officers was preserved quince (right), which was not yet known to prevent this ailment, but no link was made in those days about why they never caught scurvy, but only the crew.
They left Seville in 1519 with 279 men, seven cows and three pigs on five ships seeking a western route to the Spice Islands, which are near Indonesia.
- Doldrums, storms and mutinies, while behind them were two fleets of Portuguese ships sent to arrest Magellan.
- Entering the Pacific Ocean, they expected to reach their goal in a few days. Three months later they ran into the Mariana Islands, then Guam. How did they keep alive?
...we only ate old biscuit reduced to powder, and full of grubs, and stinking from the dirt which the rats had made on it when eating the good biscuit, and we drank water that was yellow and stinking. We also ate the ox hides which were under the main-yard, so that the yard should not break the rigging: they were very hard on account of the sun, rain, and wind, and we left them for four or five days in the sea, and then we put them a little on the embers, and so ate them; also the sawdust of wood, and rats which cost half-a-crown each, moreover enough of them were not to be got.[44]
In the Philippines they began to get gold from the natives in trade, and planted the flag there for Spain. Magellan was killed at the Battle of Mactan in 1521.- Considerable turmoil until on 8November1521 they landed on the Moluccas, Spice Islands.
The Victoria passed through the Indian Ocean, commanded by Elcano, lost another 20 through starvation and finally, three years after departing Seville, returned with 26 tons of spices (cloves and cinnamon) and 18 of the original crew. An additional 12 held captive in Cape Verde eventually returned.- Of course, they were the first to go around the world, taking them 37,560 miles.
Yet, there are historians showing evidence that Zheng He of China beat Columbus to America by 72 years and circumnavigated the globe a century before this Spanish expedition. He's ships were monstrous compared to Columbus'.
- My history books never mentioned much of the above.
Well, anyway, with this background you should be better able to appreciate Uncharted.
- The movie starred Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg and Antonio Banderas, and is adapted from a video game.
- Development began in 2008 with Wahlberg set to play the Holland part, who, as you know, was the the second Spiderman, following Tobey Maguire, and succeeded by Andrew Garfield. The next one will be animated.
Filming finally begun in 2020, but the pandemic got in the way. It did premier in February of this year in Barcelona.- In short, Wahlberg and Holland find the gold, impeded by two ladies, plus Banderas, representing the Moncada Family, what must have been the equivalent of the Fugger Family,
The film is banned in the Philippines and Vietnam because the Magellan map in the film shows the area of search as part of China. Countries are so sensitive about these matters. Hey...this was 500 years ago.- Already made more than $400 million world-wide.
- There was too much hand to hand combat, which is why 90% of audiences loved the movie.
- Will there be a sequel? Almost surely. More than one. Maybe beginning with a prequel.
Thirteen Lives is showing for free on Prime. Rotten Tomatoes bestowed excellent ratings, 88/94. Directed by Ron Howard. Remember him as Opie Taylor? The film focused on the British as the heroes, headed by Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen. Filming occurred in Australia.
Playing almost like a documentary, the movie chronicles how a soccer team in Thailand--twelve members and their 25-year old assistant coach--in 2018 got trapped in a cave, and the 18 days that followed. I of course reported on this miracle in my posting of 18 July 2018: HAPPIEST NEWS STORY OF THE DAY.
There are three other productions of this incident.
- The Cave is a 2019 Thai action film by Tom Waller. Features cave diver Jim Warny and others as themselves. Got 97/80 ratings from Rotten Tomatoes. Not on Netflix and Prime. It was re-edited and just released as Cave Rescue, still too early for review. In movie theaters and Vudu. 13 Lives does not mention Warny, no doubt because of film rights issues.
- There was an National Geographic documentary called The Rescue in 2021 given fabulous scores by Rotten Tomatoes, 96/99. You can only watch this on the Disney pay channel.
- A brand new Netflix series in six episodes, Thai Cave Rescue, will come on September 22.
I can say a lot more about 13 Lives, but will end with a recommendation that you watch any one of these productions.
- I scanned through the list and never heard of 95% of them.
#64 was the Spanish Money Heist (2017, RT 94)), which was terrific.- $50, Squid Game (2021, RT 95), also good, but haven't finished yet, and it's into Season 2.
- #42, The Queen's Gambit (2020, RT 96), about chess.
- #32, Russian Doll, (2019, RT 97).
- #18 and lower are all rated 100 by Rotten Tomatoes.
But did not see any until #8, Giri/Haji (2019), which was excellent- #6 Ugly Delicious (2018), chef David Chang.
- #4 Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (2017). Loved the whole series.
- #1 Baby-Sitters Club(2020).
100 Best Netflix films:
- #97 Blue Jasmine (91, RT 91), Woody allen film with Cate Blanchett.
Lot of familiar films. Probably saw maybe a third of them.- #6 and better all 100 Rotten Tomatoes rating. But never heard of any of them.
- #1 His House (2020), escape from South Sudan.
These are the Best Amazon Prime shows (including movies):
- #63 Electric Dreams (2017, RT 72), interesting, saw a few episodes.
- #47 The Man in the High Castle (2015, RT 84), what happened if Japan/Germany won WWII.
- #35 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisen (2017, RT 89), thought it was kind of boring.
- #19 Mozart in the Jungle (2014, RT 94), has promise.
- #17 The Expanse (2015, RT 94), boring life in space in the future.
- #10 Bosch (2014, 97), saw a few episodes. Okay.
- # 1 Fleabag (2016, RT 100), watched a couple of episodes. Will go back someday.
Blood Lily Season on Day 19:
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