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 Lee Jones)

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here. Elah follows Deerfield as he searches for his son, Mike Deerfield, who has gone AWOL after returning from a tour in Iraq. The search turns into a murder mystery, as we discover his horribly mutilated remains in a field. Helping with the investigation is the mediocre rural detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron.)

Um. Why did I even bother? Seriously.

Delta Farce is a supposed comedy from the "masterminds" behind the Blue Collar Comedy(cough) tour folks. Namely Larry "The Cable Guy", Bill Engvall, and that skinny annoying guy whose name I can't remember (DJ Qualls, had to look it up.)

In it these three idiot hillbillies somehow are part of the Army reserves. Explain that one to me, especially how their "reserve center" is more like a clubhouse.... Anyway, they actually get called up and wind up airdropped on accident into Mexico (how they ended up in Mexico on the way to Iraq is another mystery!)

And the hilarity ensues. Or at least its supposed to, I think.

In the vein of such military courtroom dramas as A Few Good Men and The Caine Mutiny, comes Rules of Engagement. The short version: One Marine Corps. Col. Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) must defend his decision to fire on a crowd of protestors at the US Embassy in Yemen. Defending him is his buddy since Vietnam, who was saved by Childers in a nasty battle there, Col. Hayes Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones.)

At the core of Rules of Engagement is the entire principle of the boundaries of war. In fact one of the characters spells it out quite clearly, "There's a thin line between a war hero and a murderer." Or something to that effect. Childers has to make the best decision he can, knowing full well the consequences. Which are plentiful.

Military Intelligence and You is one of the funniest pictures I've seen in a while. It's a creative spoof on "old style" World War II films, with enough jabs and pokes at the current administration and war effort to fill a "B-99" bomber.

A brilliant blending of WWII-era training films and new footage, it pits intel officer Major Nick Reed (Patrick Muldoon) against the task of obtaining valid intelligence in order to attack the base of the German's "Ghost Squadron." The "Ghosts" have been using their 109's to repeatedly obliterate the 950th bomber squadron on their runs.

You know anytime you put Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts together, you're going to get something which is at least a fun, well-acted ride. Charlie Wilson's War is no exception.

It's the "true" story of one Texas Congressman, Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), who throughout the 1980's managed to get oodles of money to fund weapons for the Afghan Mujahadeen to fight the invading Red Menace(tm). While there may not really be that many typical "war movie" elements to speak of here, the premise is just as relevant.

The true(?) story of two British army dentists who took it upon themselves to personally invade WWII France in 1942, Two Men Went to War is a delightfully light-hearted film that will put a smile on your face, and at the same time, make you think a bit.

When Private Leslie Cuthbertson (Leo Bill) gets an itching for a bit more "active" duty than simply working on soldiers' canines, veteran Sgt. Peter King (Kenneth Cranham) takes notice, and decides to take Cuthbertson on a mission of glory into France.

When I originally reviewed The Big Red One, the original version, I found it to be lacking something in many respects. I dunno, it just seemed to be missing something.

Then I heard about the "Reconstruction" of The Big Red One, an attempt to rebuild director Samuel Fuller's original vision of the film. I have to say, I have a much better respect for this movie now that its more-or-less "complete."

With an additional hour or so of footage recovered from the Warner and Lorimar archives, and painstakingly cleaned up and re-edited back into the movie, it takes on a much more cohesive tone.