War Movie Blog » News

Good Morning, Vietnam! Blu Ray on 1/17, Win Yours HERE!

Chris — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:20:24 +0000

Tired of listening to the same Tennessee Ernie Ford records? Well you're in luck, the 25th Anniversary edition (has it been that long?!) of Good Morning, Vietnam! is releasing next week (1/17)....

WMB is going to be giving away two copies of this modern classic. All you need to do is A) live in the US (or have a US shipping address) and B) leave a (non-spammy) comment to this entry! Yeah, that's it. Oh, and do it before the clock turns zero-hundred on 1/27 CST.

I'll pick two entries from the list at random and that'll be that. Don't post your address in the comments, if you win I'll contact you. SO BE SURE to use a valid e-mail address!!

Here are some details on the release!

For the first time in stunning Blu-ray High Definition, Academy Award winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers a tour-de-force performance in the 25th Anniversary Edition of the hit comedy Good Morning, Vietnam!

Enjoy the unsurpassed digital sound quality of Blu-ray High Definition as Army deejay Adrian Cronauer (Williams) spins a red-hot soundtrack of ‘60s hits. His sidesplitting comedy and rapid fire wit make him a hero to the troops, but quickly get him in hot water with his by-the-book superiors. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Williams’ hilarious radio monologues, Good Morning, Vietnam remains the quintessential Robin Williams comedy.

Bonus Features:

Production Diary (5 features) - How The Movie Came To Be, Actor Improv; Music Of The Movie, Origin Of The Good Morning, Vietnam Sign-On, Shooting In Thailand & Overview Of The Film A Year Later

Raw Monologues

Original Theatrical Trailer

Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer

"Raw Monologues"... Ooooh brother, wonder if that means all the stuff that Williams did they *didn't* put in the film... I can only imagine the out-takes from this one. And its in DTS-HD Master 5.1....

I know I haven't seen this film in years, and look forward to seeing it on BD. I also can't believe I haven't reviewed this film for the site yet!

(and not to worry folks, I have a bunch of reviews coming up...)

Details
Description
Reviews

Good Morning, Vietnam (25th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]
List Price: ~~$20.00~~
Sale Price: $11.70
You save: $8.30 (42%)
Eligible for free shipping!
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

Disc jockey adrian cronauer who has been given one of the most classified positions in the military - to bring humor to the armed forces. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/17/2012 Starring: Robin Williams Run time: 121 minutes Rating: R

DVD Information

Binding: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Brand:
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
Original Release Date:
Actors:

Robin Williams

Reviews

Director Anthony Hemingway on Red Tails

Chris — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:04:54 +0000

youtube video after the jump!

No related posts.

Red Tails Trailer #4….

Chris — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:54:18 +0000

Looking good! A couple of physically impossible moments (check out that stall!) and it looks like Lucas' affinity for establishing/wide CG shots shines through.... but I'm looking forward to it.

Veterans Day 2011 War Movies on TV

Chris — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:33:04 +0000

That time again! Time to thank those who served our country and remember those who didn't make it back. This year 11/11 falls on a Friday, so there should be some good marathons going on.

The Fox Movie Channel steps up with an entire page outlining their contribution! Titles include: Stars and Stripes Forever, The Desert Fox, Destination Gobi, House of Bamboo, A Farewell to Arms, and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison....

AMC looks to have theirs already going, with Defiance already underway, Spy Game, U-571... followed the rest of the weekend by: Tora! Tora! Tora!, We Were Soldiers, and Apocalypse Now Redux on Friday. Keep in mind AMC edits for content and screen, and has commercials.

TNT will once again not be doing the Saving Private Ryan thing. Shame. One night a year, is that really too much to ask? Sure its 13 years old already, but throw that uninterrupted unedited tribute out there once and a while!

The History Channel gets its act together, and has the yet-to-be released on disc Vietnam in HD. For once I actually wish I still had satellite!!

And of course, Turner Classic turns it out again this year, but only on Friday. Too many to list them all, but here's a few highlights: A Walk in the Sun, Never So Few, God is my Co-Pilot, the Fighting 69th.

...and HBO looks to be running The Pacific on HBO2 and Signature....

If I missed anything, please be sure to leave corrections and additions in the comments!

What war movies will you be watching this weekend?

Thunder Run… A New Kind of War Movie?

Chris — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:35:10 +0000

First I've heard of this project, but it sounds like a cross between those Beowulf/Final Fantasy CG type of movies, with a healthy dose of Avatar and a whole lot of "yeeeeah, I dunno guys" sprinkled on top.... An interesting premise, but if it doesn't translate well back into 2-D (as in home video), you're looking at recouping ALL of your costs up front in the box office.... a risky proposition if you ask me.

....EW has confirmed that Gerard Butler, Matthew McConaughey, and Sam Worthington have all signed on to star in an entirely CG, 3-D adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner David Zucchino’s novel Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad. Robert Port and Black Hawk Down scribe Ken Nolan co-wrote the script, with Simon West attached to direct.

“The idea is that we’re trying to create an event movie,” producer Brian Presley of Freedom Films tells EW. “We wanted to do something that was new, that was fresh, so we’re shooting it in a CG world where we do motion capture and facial capture. The reason we wanted to do it this way — just a pure, straight action film — is to also appeal to that Call of Duty: Black Ops world. It’s not going to have a video game look, it will have a photorealistic look, but the style in which we’re doing it with the 3-D RPGs flying over your head, and tanks coming out across the audience, and explosions… it’s going to be incredible.”

The film will recreate the three-day capture of Baghdad by American forces that jump-started the Iraq War in 2003. This has been an ongoing passion project for West and Presley, who have been working on the concept for five years. ”One thing we’re really focused on is making sure we keep all of the authenticity of the military aspect; really being true to the story and to what actually happened, and representing the military in the right way,” Presley said.

link: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/10/27/thunder-run-gerard-butler-matthew-mcconaughey-sam-worthington/

Rome Sweet Rome?

Chris — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:25:58 +0000

An interesting premise, and one that the Japanese already played out a while ago in "GI Samurai," and in such classics as "The Final Countdown".... Could a (more) modern army of smaller size with superior weapons defeat a historically superior force?

Rome Sweet Rome is apparently an internet "snowball" that looks at what could happen in a battle between a modern Marine battalion and the entire Roman Empire.... and it looks as if WB might actually pick this up for production!

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118044449

Here's one way to make it as a screenwriter: apply online.

Warner Bros. has preemptively purchased the high-concept pitch "Rome, Sweet Rome" from first-time scribe James Erwin, an author and two-time "Jeopardy!" champion from Des Moines, Iowa.

Erwin's pitch sale came about as a result of several postings on the website Reddit.com, an online community and social news aggregator where users vote to determine which posts land on the site's home page.

Erwin set out to answer the question: "What if a unit of current U.S. Marines are suddenly transported back to ancient Rome and forced to do battle with the Roman legions?" Pic will follow the Marines as they're flung into the past where they encounter one of the world's most legendary villains and disrupt history. To return home, they have to set history back on the track they altered.

Madhouse Entertainment's Adam Kolbrenner spotted Erwin's "Rome, Sweet Rome" posts once they reached the top of Reddit and moved quickly to contact the writer and begin working with him to develop the concept. When it came time to find a home for the project, Kolbrenner brought it to WB's Chris Gary, a young exec who encouraged the studio to move aggressively to acquire it.

Kolbrenner will produce with Gianni Nunnari ("Immortals") of Hollywood Gang, where John Ridley will oversee the project for the company. Madhouse's Robyn Meisinger will exec produce and Gary will shepherd the project for Warners.

Erwin's next book, due in 2012, chronicles the history of U.S. military actions. He's repped by Madhouse Entertainment and attorney Bruce Gellman.

We'll see.... here's a "fan mockup" trailer for your viewing pleasure, I suppose....

No related posts.

First Look at “Act of Valor”

Chris — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:56:11 +0000

Hm. A film based on the "Call of Duty" video games, starring real Navy SEALS.... Can't seem to find a story line at the moment, other than a "covert operation" (like you didn't see that coming.) But I'm not sure it matters.

official website: http://actofvalor.com/

Controversy over Rommel’s Film Portrayal

Chris — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:34:59 +0000

An interesting tidbit crossed my wire this morning.

The family of Erwin Rommel is apparently none too happy with the portrayal of "The Desert Fox" in an upcoming film....

...his family, including his 82-year-old son, former Stuttgart mayor Manfred Rommel, believe he is being portrayed wrongly in the film.

In a letter to SWR obtained by Der Spiegel magazine, Manfred Rommel wrote that the family was concerned that there would be “lies” in the film, including the idea that his father was a social climber and Nazi criminal.

“That’s simply not true,” the letter said. “Yes, he esteemed Hitler at the beginning because he was a friend of the Army, but the mutual appreciation came to an abrupt end.”

SWR said it has been in close contact with Rommel’s family and is trying to come to an amicable agreement, although it points out that films are often a matter of historical interpretation. It anticipates showing the film sometime next autumn and said that it was continuing to conduct constructive talks with family members.

Director Niki Stein said Rommel was “representative of a whole nation” because he only realized that Hitler was a horrific criminal too late to stop him.

I've commented on this before, when I've seen Rommel portrayed in an extremely sympathetic, if not glorified light in film. He's often seen (and rightly so) as a master strategist, and nemesis (in the classical sense) of Patton (a similarly glorified persona.) He's also not attributed with the same malice and spirit as the rest of the Nazi party. Whether or not this part is true, I can't say. The fact is that he knowingly, and willingly, served under the flag of the Reich. Like many in the "regular" military, he may have become opposed to Hitler's ideology, but that doesn't give him any sort of "pass" in my book. I also have no idea of general public opinion in Germany, but the last paragraph I quoted above is probably pretty close.

We shall wait and see what happens with this movie. Unfortunately the article doesn't give any titles or details, other than it will air on German public television, and just started filming..... Any further information would be appreciated!

Link: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20110920-37697.html

The Road to World War II

Chris — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:53:46 +0000

Caught wind of an upcoming documentary collection from Reader's Digest (same folks who brought us "WWII in the Pacific" called "The Road to World War II." It's the first release of this on DVD, which was aired in the 70's under the title "Between the Wars," and I don't believe has been seen since.... It's a look at the events that transpired after WWI which resulted in WWII.

Release date is October 18th. Review will hopefully come about that time.

PR Material follows:

Former CBS News correspondent and commentator, Eric Sevareid, one of the world's most respected figures in journalism, presents this extraordinary series which features stunning original newsreels, soundtracks, and rare archival footage.

It was the era of Lucky Lindy, bootleg, Babe Ruth, Valentino and assembly-line Fords. It was also the time of market collapse, Klan meetings, demagogues abroad, red scares at home and bread lines. The best of times, the worst of times, and the times in which the United States reluctantly moved center stage.

The Road to WWII is an innovative 16-part series that examines this crucial time as it progressed from the Armistice in 1918 to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. You will see the people who made history, hear their voices, and revisit the sites of events where consequence occurred. From the election of Roosevelt, to the rise of Hitler in Germany, it's all here.

Disc 1: 1. Versailles: The Lost Peace 2. Return to Isolationism 3. The First Salt Talks

Disc 2: 1. Radio, Racism and Foreign Policy 2. The Great Depression and Foreign Affairs

Disc 3: 1. FDR and Hitler: The Rise to Power 2. FDR and Hitler: The Dynamics of Power

Disc 4: 1. America in the Pacific 2. The Recognition of Russia 3. Latin America

Disc 5: 1. The Italian-Ethiopian War 2. The Spanish Civil War 3. The Phony War

Disc 6: 1. FDR and Churchill 2. Japan Invades China 3. War Comes to Pearl Harbor

Bonus Features: Exclusive Heart Newsreels showcase the era leading up to WW II

Details
Description
Reviews

Road to World War II
List Price: ~~$49.99~~
Sale Price: $29.99
You save: $20.00 (40%)
Eligible for free shipping!
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

This classic documentary series, The Road to WWII, follows the events that inevitably sparked World War II, capturing the drama, the excitement and the juxtapositions of these crucial years between the end of World War I and Pearl Harbor. Former CBS News correspondent and commentator, Eric Sevareid, one of the world's most respected figures in journalism, presents this extraordinary series which features stunning original newsreels, soundtracks, and rare archival footage. It was the era of Lucky Lindy, bootleg, Babe Ruth, Valentino and assembly-line Fords. It was also the time of market collapse, Klan meetings, demagogues abroad, red scares at home and bread lines. The best of times, the worst of times, and the times in which the United States reluctantly moved center stage. The Road to WWII is an innovative 16-part series that examines this crucial time as it progressed from the Armistice in 1918 to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. You will see the people who made history, hear their voices, and revisit the sites of events where consequence occurred. From the election of Roosevelt, to the rise of Hitler in Germany, it's all here. Disc 1: 1. Versailles: The Lost Peace 2. Return to Isolationism 3. The First Salt Talks Disc 2: 1. Radio, Racism and Foreign Policy 2. The Great Depression and Foreign Affairs Disc 3: 1. FDR and Hitler: The Rise to Power 2. FDR and Hitler: The Dynamics of Power Disc 4: 1. America in the Pacific 2. The Recognition of Russia 3. Latin America Disc 5: 1. The Italian-Ethiopian War 2. The Spanish Civil War 3. The Phony War Disc 6: 1. FDR and Churchill 2. Japan Invades China 3. War Comes to Pearl Harbor Bonus Features: Exclusive Heart Newsreels showcase the era leading up to WW II

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand:
Manufacturer: Questar
Original Release Date:
Actors:

Eric Sevareid

Reviews

“The Bomber” Trailer

Chris — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:35:23 +0000

No words needed! Just look at it! Russian epic "The Bomber" appears on DVD ("over there") Sept. 26th. No US date that I can find, but will keep you all updated.

First Look at the ‘Valkyrie’ Trailer