By Release Date
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... »
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... »
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... »
Apocalypse Now (1979, Blu Ray)
All I can say (for starters) is that its about time! For one, seeing "Apocalypse" in its full 2.35:1 aspect ratio is worth the price of admission alone. Seriously. Unless you saw it in theatres, you haven't seen all of it. But, I'll let most of my review of "Apocalypse Now Redux" stand. Mostly. ... »
The Red and the White (1967)
The Red and the White appears to me to be a Communist propaganda film straight out of the East Block. I can't see it any other way. It seems to get rave reviews from every source I see, but quite frankly, I just don't see it that way. First and foremost, this seems to... »
War Requiem (1989)
Take a beautiful piece of classical music, Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem", toss in a healthy dose of opera-ish direction and production, some fine actors, a lot of artistic vision, shake well, and throw in some preachy bits, and you've got War Requiem. Frankly, I wasn't sure what to expect from this. I'm not a... »
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... »
Fail Safe (2000)
Ah the classics, such as 1964's Fail Safe, based on the Burdick novel of the same name.... And then somebody gets the bright idea to remake it. Not just "reboot it", but remake it more-or-less verbatim. That's what happened with 2000's Live TV experiment Fail Safe. Now, the original film is a real gem. ... »
Memphis Belle (1990)
The Memphis Belle was the first B-17, along with her crew, to complete all 25 of her missions and bring everyone back alive. The 1990 movie Memphis Belle is an homage to the plane, and more importantly the crew. An admirable goal to be sure, but be warned: The first half of this movie... »
