2010s
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... »
Gettysburg (1993/2011, Director’s Cut, Blu Ray)
I have to admit, first of all, that I have not seen the original 1993 cut of Gettysburg. Shame on me, I know, so I have nothing to compare any "Director's Cut" to. This film chronicles the events on both sides, surrounding the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. It does so in a... »
Rhineland (2010)
Thanks to indie director Chris Grega for sending me a copy of his film, "Rhineland." Once again I have to cede my penchant for big-budget hollywood productions and go, "HOW did you pull this thing off?!" Because (for the most part) this picture is pretty danged good. I "say for the most part" since,... »
Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
Take equal parts Black Hawk Down and Cloverfield, mix in elements from District 9, Aliens, War of the Worlds, The Phantom Menace, any FPS video game, and Independence Day, and you get this years sci-fi war movie, Battle: Los Angeles. Look, I actually liked this movie. Yeah, I did. It has its flaws, but... »
71-Into the Fire (2010)
Wow, just wow. I'd read a lot about this movie out of Korea, about a band of college students thrust onto the front lines during the start of the Korean War, but I had no idea what I was getting into here. Take elements from Saving Private Ryan, Letters from Iwo Jima, and some... »
Cat Sh*t One, aka Apocalypse Meow is online!
With all the frenzy in our house surrounding the Super Bowl (yay Pack!) I neglected to post this juicy little tidbit I received over the weekend. Shame on me!! I'll quote in its entirety... Its only available on YouTube for 2 weeks starting Feb. 5th..... ‘Cat Shit One’ PRESS RELEASE February5, 2011 The full... »
Restrepo (2010)
This year's Restrepo is probably one of the best war-movie documentaries I've seen in a long time. In 2007, filmmakers Tim Hetherington & Sebastian Junger went to Afghanistan to embed with an Airborne platoon for an entire year, and condensed their efforts into a 90 minute masterpiece. The focus is on an outpost on... »
Green Zone (2010)
Yeah, there were no WMD's in Iraq. And we pretty much know why, and why we thought there were. Green Zone attempts to, well, I dunno, explain a bit of that? Maybe. I think. At least Chief Miller (Matt Damon) and "spook" Martin Brown (Brendan Gleeson) want to, while other elements in "spook" Poundstone's... »
The Pacific (2010)
Hrm. I was really, really hoping this would be a suitable companion piece to 2001's Band of Brothers. (Yes I know I still have to write a review for that one!) I was suitably disappointed, I'm afraid. Part of the problem is that Band of Brothers set the bar way too stinking high. By... »
Saving Private Ryan (1998, Blu Ray)
Saving Private Ryan (1998, Blu Ray) Well, its finally happened!! Saving Private Ryan is available on Blu Ray! Awesome! I'm going to leave the gist of things to my other review of Saving Private Ryan, based on the DVD, and stick to the Blu here. In short. Wow. I can honestly say that this... »
