In this sequel to the eternal 1961 classic The Guns of Navarone, two of the same characters return to join a new mission and a new squad into enemy territory.  The result doesn't carry the same punch or weight as the original, but still puts Force 10 From Navarone into the realm of the semi-classic Saturday afternoon fare.

Of course that's partly due to the replacement of Peck and Niven in the roles of Mallory (Robert Shaw) and Miller (Edward Fox).  But hey, it is 16 years since the original, so what do we want, right?  The leader of this mission is Lt. Col. Barnsby, played by the newly-made-famous-as-Han-Solo Harrison Ford.  And unfortunately, he's just merely average here.  Also along for the ride (literally in the sense of the film) is Carl Weathers as Sgt. Weaver.

Hmm, might this be a refreshing new twist in the latest round of "America sux0rs" trend of war movies?  I'll have to find out once it's released.  Of course the danger is that this swings the other way, because nothing's ever as simple as black and white is it.  Reserving final judgement for after viewing.

Also note the blurb about "Stop Loss" on the site...  disconcerting!

"Stop Loss", another feature film from Hollywood, implies that soldiers who refuse to serve are the real heroes.

Link: God and Country: Untold Stories of the American Military
Via: blonde sagacity: Hollywood Rebuttal: Finally A Pro-Military Movie
God and Country

Technorati Tags: god and country, war movie news

If you think living in today's terrified "war on terror" world is, well, terrifying.  I can only imagine what it must've been like to live in the shadow of constant fear of impending nuclear doom.  And really the world was closer to total obliteration then than any single terrorist event that could happen now.

1964's Fail Safe is based on the Burdick-Wheeler Novel of the same name, and explores that terror in great detail.  Really this is a story about the fallibility of both man and machine, that if left unchecked can have disastrous consequences.  Additionally its a great example of 60's experimental film making.

If there was a defining moment for the US involvement in World War II, it was obviously Pearl Harbor.  However the second, and I think even more important event was the April 1942 bombing raid on Tokyo launched by Col. Doolittle.  The sheer brazenness and tenacity that it showed the Japanese, not to mention giving the folks back home a little bit of a lift in spirits....  Too bad we'll never see ballsy, all-or-nothing maneuvers like that again.

In short, Doolittle put together a band of Army Air Force pilots and their B-25's, and taught them how to launch from a carrier, for a bombing raid directly at the heart of Japan.  Forget that nobody thought it could be done, dammit, they did it.  You can read the whole story over at Wikipedia....

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a look into that raid.  Is it a particularly accurate and fact-filled look?  Probably not, but that's not the point.  Most of the film is centered on Lt. Lawson (Van Johnson), and his new wife Ellen (Phyllis Thaxter.)  And that's where the heart of this story lies.  Others have tried to pull off similar stories (such as the ill-fated Pearl Harbor) but this film really packs a punch in the emotion department, and really doesn't hold much back.

Although the premise of a disillusioned and even-more-pissed Rambo is somewhat intriguing, I'm still skeptical of the film's overall premise.  Can they pull it off?

"He realizes his entire existence has been for naught," Stallone says. "Peace is an accident, war is natural. Old men start it, young men fight it, everybody in the middle dies, and nobody tells the truth. He says, 'You think God's going to make it all go away? What has he done and changed in the world? He has done nothing. We are an aggressive animal and will never be at peace.' That's how he feels."

When he encounters the human-rights workers, they "somehow touch the last remaining nerve in Rambo's body," Stallone says.

Wow.  How dark is that?!  Maybe, just maybe....

Link: First look: 'Rambo' is on a mission in Burma - USATODAY.com

Technorati Tags: war movie news, rambo, burma, sylvester stallone, myanmar

Wow.  I'd like to thank Brian DePalma for the experience that was Redacted.  I can really say I am totally blown away.

...Blown away at just how completely awful this movie is.  There aren't words to describe the awfulness that is this... this thing.  I'm not even sure where to start.  But that's not going to stop me from trying.

[SNIP]

I had written this big, long, ranting, multi-part, manifesto-like ....thing, which I've subsequently erased, errr redacted even.  (I'll take irony for $200 Alex!)  I'm not going to go there.

I think that's what DePalma wants from Redacted.  A reaction.  Any reaction.  Like a rotten kid being rotten solely to get attention.  "Hey look! I'm still here!"  Well, I think you're going to get it, but not from me.  I'll not recommend this movie to anyone, except as an example of a purely bad piece of failed art/film school schtick.  The writing: bad. The acting: bad.  Production: didn't like it.  If it didn't have DePalma's name on it we'd be poo-poo-ing this off for what it is. The whole faux-documentary thing has yet to be pulled off convincingly, and this is definitely yet another example.

1989's similarly themed Casualties of War was a good movie.  In a lot of ways.  This?  This is just a poor rehash.  It is wailing and finger pointing and DePalma yelling at our current crop of vets, "Baby Killer!".  You should know better than that.  Especially coming from your generation.

I challenge you, Brian.  You want to make a documentary about how war sucks on all sides, and is somewhat fair to both sides, then do that.  Get your ass out there "in the suck" and do that.  Even if you want to make one about how it sucks for only one side, like Redacted, then do that, too.  But don't "imagine" and don't pretend.  Because thats a word that is closely related to "pretentious," which is exactly what I think of Redacted.

And I'd also like to thank you, Mr. DePalma, for allowing me to hand out my first single star.  And hopefully my last.  Don't bother with Redacted.

Technorati Tags: war movie reviews, redacted, 2007, iraq, samarra, brian depalma

Brother, what a brutal film.  The Battle of Algiers is a French production, which focuses on a situation I'm sure most Americans are wholly unfamiliar with: The French struggle to hold onto over 100 years of occupation in the African nation of Algeria, and the rebels who brought about the change.

What struck me most about this film was its style.  Especially considering the time in which it was conceived.  You're looking at a solely black-and-white film, shot in what can only be described as a near-documentary style.  As such you're shown the fight, if you want to call it that, from all points.  Secondly, I was simply amazed at the total lack of bias toward either side, given that the events portrayed were only a few years old.  It should also be noted that this film was actually banned outright in France, and I can't say I'm surprised.  Disappointed but not surprised.