If I had to choose a word to describe 1969's The Bridge at Remagen, it would be *angry*. That's just the feeling I had coming away from this movie. Everyone in this movie is pissed off, all the time. But that doesn't necessarily make for a bad film.

The Germans have been ordered to destroy the bridge at Remagen rather than have it fall into enemy hands, however, General von Brock (Peter Van Eyck) orders Major Krueger (Robert Vaugn) to keep it open as long as possible, in order to give the retreating Germans a chance to escape.

Meanwhile, on the Allied side, Lt. Hartman (George Segal) and his squad, led by Sgt. Angelo (Ben Gazzara) are charged with preventing said destruction, and of course, all hell breaks loose.

Sometimes you just have to go back, and I mean way back for some interesting war movie action.

Well, maybe not action so much, but the 2000 issue of Civil War Films of the Silent Era takes us back to the time before World War I, before the notion of a "war movie" had even become ingrained in our culture. These three films provide an interesting perspective, but still seem to carry similar themes you'd see today. I'll cover each of these separately, and then end with my complaints about this nearly-excellent collection....

Japan's Longest Day deals with the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II. What makes this movie particularly interesting is the perspective, that of the Japanese. I didn't know what to expect from this film going in, and I have to say I was surprised, intrigued, educated, and even a bit entertained.

Based on the true events following the Allies' Potsdam Declaration, we witness the events in between that event, and the ground-breaking broadcast of the Emperor's voice over the radio, finally declaring the Japanese defeat.

Before I start, I should mention that I had never seen Lawrence of Arabia before today. Not even a hint of it. Why not? Sure I've heard how great it was, but because of its length I've never been able to wrangle the opportunity. Until today.

Lawrence of Arabia is the very definition of a "movie epic." It's probably in the dictionary. From the sheer length (nearly four hours!) to the scope of the vision, the camera work, the story, the characters.... It really is that good. You might be saying, "But I thought you hated long movies!" Not so at all. Only when they are too long for their own good do I not care for it.

But I would say that the nearly four-hour length of Lawrence of Arabia isn't nearly long enough. In fact when it was over I was saying to myself, "That's it? Where's the rest of the story?!"

Um, there comes a point when reviving old films to tack on a sequel starts to get a little daft. Can Tom Cruise pull off a Top Gun sequel?

Movie bosses want to bring back cocky fighter-pilot trainee Maverick 22 years after the first film.

The move follows hit sequels to the adventures of fellow ’80s heroes Indiana Jones and Rocky.

A script outline has been written, but the sequel depends on Cruise, 46, saying yes.

An insider said: "The idea is Maverick is at the Top Gun school as an instructor — and this time it is he who has to deal with a cocky new female pilot."

Please, Tom, say no. Not just no, but HELL no!

Source: Tom has a shot at second Gun | The Sun |Showbiz|Film

In some respects, 1962's The Longest Day could be considered "The Longest Movie," because quite frankly at times it is just that. Long. Weighing in at 178 minutes, it certainly is that.

Chronicling the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6th, 1944, The Longest Day could best be placed into the "docudrama" category. From the initial, bad weather, days before the invasion, we see events and people on both sides of the channel. The Allies waiting out the weather in anticipation of the invasion, and the Germans on the other side, internally divided on where the invasion will happen and what to do about it.

When you go into a movie expecting less, and wind up getting way more, that's usually a good thing (I need to start watching every film this way!) and Stop-Loss is no exception.

Honestly, from what I'd heard I was expecting a Redacted-style bash-fest. Thank God that's not what I found. Stop-Loss is a film that, at its core, could have been made in 1991, 1969, 1952, or 1945. Its a story about the veteran coming home, and the trials he faces as he returns a changed man, to a world that he vaguely remembers, but no longer quite fits in the same way. Alright, I'll concede that there is another aspect to the story of Stop-Loss, but we'll get to that later, as it really isn't that important to getting the most from this picture.