![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Essential though Patton may be – as war movie, as American history, as biopic – it’s not the epochal statement the Academy thought they were canonizing with seven Oscars in 1971, including Best Picture. Back then Frances Ford Coppola’s script seemed subversive, undermining American militarism …
WikChip Image
If I had my way, I'd meet Rommel F2F.
|
||||||
![]() Admirable and interesting, this retelling of the first major battle of the Vietnam War nonetheless can’t escape the overall drag of that war’s outcome, and in fact the similar outcome of the Battle of Ia Drang depicted in the movie. Still, the …
WikChip Image
3 Medals of Honor from this battle
|
||||||
![]() The battles of 1st Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville get brought to terribly glorious life in this opening salvo of a planned Civil War trilogy. Funded by a son of the South, Gods and Generals focuses on sympathetic Confederate heroes Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee. It could …
WikChip Video
One of the signal moments in US history.
|
||||||
![]() Defiance is a white horse of a movie, telling an improbable and previously little known story that seems too good to be true. Anglo-Saxon star Daniel Craig playing Jewish partisan Tuvia Bielski adds to the fable. A must see for Jews and other WWII buffs, the movie delivers plenty of action, i…
WikChip Image
Action Hero: The real Tuvia Bielski
|
||||||
![]() Finally, a USA friendly Iraq War movie, the novelty of which shows how far Hollywood has drifted from objective reality and obvious movie subjects. Wonder of wonders, a show of fellow Americans resolutely and professionally pursuing their liberation mission offers a tremendous adrenaline rush, a…
WikChip Image
SFC James: More gung ho than sane.
|
||||||
![]() The Civil War’s decisive battle can get extensively aired over nearly 4½ hours, and does in Gettysburg. The real battle lasted three days in July of 1863, say 36 hours actually fighting. The movie covers fully an eighth of that. Stamina is required, a long plane ride ideal. Consider it a …
WikChip Image
Hell saved the Exceptional Nation.
|
||||||
Into the Valley of Death rode the 2nd Platoon of Battle Company, ultimately riding back out with their dignity, humanity and honor intact, a trial by firefight that this important documentary shows in vivid detail. Well, given the ferocity of the fighting, not all rode out. Killed early on was …
WikChip Video
Dauntless Courage and American Spirit
|
||||||
![]() The heart of a battle-tank turns into a heart of darkness for four soldiers – softies – thrust into the horror of war. The obvious comparison to Das Boot captures Lebanon’s ironclad claustrophobia and blinkered view. Yet, Apocalypse Now seems more fitting an antecedent given how these unw…
WikChip Image
Caught in the crosshairs: Major Hardb...
|
||||||
![]() Wow. Not many movies peg the meter in terms of skiing, mountaineering, WWII and contemporary history. This documentary does. A great lens into the Greatest Generation, Fire on the Mountain explores the exploits of the legendary 10th Mountain Division…
WikChip Video
Not the best excerpt. Amazing noneth...
|
||||||
![]() First class prequels are Hollywood mutants, crisply intelligent rather than trite – obligatory touchstones notwithstanding. X-Men: First Class surpasses that standard, rebooting a tired saga with fresh casting, well grounded plot devices and an engaging mix of resonant themes. Marvel achiev…
WikChip Image
Jennifer Lawrence in-n-out of body paint
|