2000s
War movies from 2000 to the present
Generation Kill (2008)
I finally got around to watching all my DVR'd episodes of HBO's Generation Kill, based on the writings of Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright about his embedding with the 1st Marine Recon Battalion in the first days of the Iraq invasion. I have to say, Generation Kill is a great look at the ins-and-outs... »
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
K-19: The Widowmaker is based on the true story of the Soviet nuclear submarine K-19, which suffered a disastrous reactor failure and nearly resulted in a worse accident, and possibly could have started World War III. Honestly I'm struggling to write this review. The first half of the movie is a struggle to get... »
The Lost Battalion (2001)
In October 1918, one battalion of American soldiers gets trapped behind enemy lines, thinking they are at the lead of an offensive, the reality is quite different. Based on the Johnson and Pratt book of the same name, The Lost Battalion is a dirty, bloody, gritty look at life in the trenches, and at... »
Son of Rambow (2007)
So. What if the only movie (or TV show) you ever saw in your entire life to date was none other than Stallone's First Blood? What kind of impact would that have on you? Especially if you were brought up in a staunchly religious environment? Son of Rambow takes on that issue, and proceeds... »
The Counterfeiters / Die Fälscher (2007)
The Counterfeiters (or Die Fälscher as its known in its native Deutschland) is a sad, sad, depressing, and somber look at the Nazi's effort to undermine the economies of its enemies during the war by dumping millions in counterfeit notes into their systems. Unfortunately they utilized Jewish prisoners who possessed specific skills for their... »
Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)
In a word: Ick. In two more words: Don't bother. Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers was a story about the conflicts inherent in anybody in military service. The tear between duty and what's right. The often necessary evils one must do in order to save the greater good.... Then there was the 1997... »
Stalingrad: The Attack, The Kessel, The Doom (2003)
Stalingrad. The name conjures up many images, none of them pleasant. This 2003 three-part documentary explores the fiasco that was the Battle of Stalingrad, through interviews with survivors on both sides, reenactments, and still imagery. Produced in Germany, I was actually surprised how frank it was, and also on how apolitical it was. Neither... »
Stop-Loss (2008)
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... »
Enemy at the Gates (2001)
Enemy at the Gates is a dark, bleak, ultimately depressing look at one of the major bloodbaths of World War II, namely the siege of Stalingrad. More to the point, its about the battle between two snipers. Not that it improves the overall tone of the picture or anything. Right from the get-go, you... »
In The Valley of Elah (2007)
As we learn in the film, in the Biblical parlance, the Valley of Elah is where the infamous battle between David and Goliath took place. I'm not exactly sure what the relevance of that to the movie, In The Valley of Elah is, except maybe in reference to the main character, Hank Deerfield (Tommy... »
