2000s
War movies from 2000 to the present
City of Life and Death (2009)
Quite frankly, this is the best, most brutal, most gut-wrenching war movie I've seen in a long, long time. City of Life and Death is everything Schindler's List could have been, should have been, and more. The short version: City of Life and Death is a condensation of the 1937 "Rape of Nanking" in... »
Mein Führer – The Absolutely Truest Truth About Adolf Hitler (2007)
You wouldn't think you could make a movie about a Jewish actor being pulled out of a concentration camp in order to help Hitler (Helge Schneider) with his speech presentation skills... and make it funny at that. But, its been done, right here. Adolf Grünbaum (Ulrich Mühe) is that actor. He's pulled from the... »
Gods and Generals (2003/2011, Blu Ray Director’s Cut)
I am likely in the minority here, when I say I enjoyed Gods and Generals so much more than its predecessor and sequel, Gettysburg. Sure it has its problems, but to me, its a far better movie, in many aspects. Caveat: My knowledge of Civil War history is not exactly deep (you could wade... »
Battle For Haditha (2007)
Battle for Haditha is a faux-documentary-style movie based on a true event, the November 2005 'retribution' attack on a group of Iraqi civilians after an IED attack. It really isn't *that* bad of a movie, but quite frankly, it just pissed me off... bigtime. The first part of the movie is just build up... »
Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009)
In this straight-to-video (I think) release, Seal Team Seven (one better than team six dontcha know) gets caught up in a power grab in Colombia. I'll keep this one short, as there's not a lot to talk about, really. Take some lesser-known actors, add a dash of Rambo, the A-Team, WWE wrestler "Mr. Kennedy,"... »
To End All Wars (2001)
Don't mistake To End All Wars for just another rehash of The Bridge on the River Kwai. While the topic-at-hand is the same, the setting the same, and yeah, more or less the gist of the thing is the same, this movie delivers a bit more gut-wrenching reality to the screen, and a slightly... »
Lebanon (2009)
Lebanon is a tight little movie about an Israeli tank crew in the early days of the 1982 Lebanon/Israel war. And really, that's about all I have to say about it. Well, OK, maybe not *all*.... Despite winning several awards, (see the IMDB page) I just couldn't bring myself to like this film. It... »
The Thundering 8th (2001)
If you've read this blog for very long you know I've got an up-down relationship with low budget indie stuff. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I rail on it, sometimes I'm on the fence. This time, though, I thoroughly enjoyed "The Thundering 8th." A tribute to the guys of the 56th Fighter Group of... »
World War I Films of the Silent Era (1917/1975/2002)
1917. The "war to end all wars" is raging on in Europe. The brand new technology of the motion picture is just coming into its own.... Combine the two, and you get an interesting snapshot of history. Unlike the previously reviewed Civil War Films of the Silent Era, which approached the Civil War with... »
9th Company (2005)
Wow, man. Talk about perspective. Just released on DVD and Blu Ray over here is the Russian-made 9th Company. It's about a group of recruits who are trained up and sent off to Afghanistan. In a way I think this film is especially relevant today. You could likely take all those red stars off... »
