Emperor picks up with Japan's surrender, when MacArthur tapped Gen. Bonner Fellers (played by Matthew Fox) to decide whether Emperor Hirohito should be charged with war crimes.

"It's a look at a time when America not only had military strength but also a keenness of intellect and perception for what was a very difficult situation," Webber says.

Most scenes of war-torn Japan were shot in Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand. But the crew was able to shoot a key scene on the grounds of Tokyo's Imperial Palace.

Link: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/story/2012-05-15/first-look-emperor-tommy-lee-jones/54964042/1

No related posts.

ANYWAY.

Here's a bit of news during the downtime that I find extremenly disheartening.  From:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz/2012/05/01/sylvester-stallone-reveals-he-s-working-on-final-rambo-film-86908-23843419/

SYLVESTER Stallone has revealed he is planning to play action hero Rambo one last time.

The 65-year-old actor said he is working on a script that will see the former Vietnam veteran fighting his final battle.

In an interview with MTV, Stallone hinted that the ageing mercenary’s last showdown could take place in Mexico, where he’d take on drug cartels.

He said Rambo’s “destiny” was “to go out in a blaze of glory”.

Stallone first played Rambo in 1982 and made three sequels – the last of which was released in 2008.

Why do I think this just sucks?  Because John Rambo FINALLY WENT HOME in 2008's "Rambo."  The place he was going in 1982's "First Blood" but was so terribly sidetracked.  His story is done.  There is nothing left to tell.  At least nothing that isn't a blatant squeeze on the Hollywood money tit.  Mexico? Drug Cartels? Seriously Sly? SERIOUSLY?!  I don't even....

But there it is.  Discuss.  Disagree.

Related posts:

1. First Look at Rambo IV
2. The Return of Rambo
3. Rambo vs. The Monster? No! Thank God!
4. Rambo: First Blood, Part II (1985)
5. Rambo (2008)

Usually I like this sort of thing.  Raiders of the Lost Ark (AND The Last Crusade!) were pretty damned, well, awesome, and I've played the crap out of Return to Castle Wolfenstein....

...but this.  No.  Just didn't feel it.  Maybe its because I'm just not a big anime fan. This was a joint Russian and Japanese production, so it had that stereotypical anime look and feel to it.  Nothing wrong with that, but it just doesn't do it for me.

Not to mention the story was just plain flat and silly, and was over way too quick.  It was like "um, that's the ending? really? ran out of money did we?"

I don't know what else to say about it.  I watched it with the original Russian dialog, subtitled, thinking it might be a better experience (usually this is true) but it still felt like I was watching a half-ass dubbed barely-animated cartoon with a paper thin plot.

So, no, I didn't much like it.  Unless you are a die hard anime fan or are morbidly curious, just steer clear of First Squad.

First Squad: The Moment of Truth [Blu-ray] List Price: $29.99 Sale Price: $15.00 You save: $14.99 (50%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

Set during the opening days of World War II on the Eastern Front. Its main cast is a group of Soviet teenagers with extraordinary abilities; the teenagers have been drafted to form a special unit to fight the invading German army. They are opposed by a Schutzstaffel (SS) officer who is attempting to raise from the dead a supernatural army of crusaders from the 12th-century Order of the Sacred Cross and enlist them in the Nazi cause.

DVD Information

Binding: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Brand:
Manufacturer: ANCHOR BAY
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Elena Chebaturkina
• Cassandra Lee Morris

Reviews

---

Related posts:

1. First Squad
2. City of Life and Death (2009)
3. WWII in HD (2009)
4. Inglorious Basterds (2009)
5. The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)

Then we all saw the trailers, and we all cringed, reared back a bit and made that "oooh, I dunno" face.  Well let me tell you, those initial reactions weren't warranted.

Red Tails is definitely not anywhere near as bad as I expected it to be.  Not the epic oscar-nominee as I had hoped, but its definitely a good movie.  All those scenes we cringed at in the trailers, they needed context.  Out of context they looked, well, dumb. (out of the blue physically impossible stall/dive)  Put back in the context of the whole film they make more sense ("we fight!")...

The story is, of course, about the Tuskegee Airmen.  A group of black fighter pilots created during the war as an "experiment" and "curiosity" but who proved everyone wrong by being one of the best squadrons out there.  This movie is an excellent tribute to these guys.  Is it "Saving Private Ryan?" No. But I don't think it aims to be, either.  If it were, it wouldn't be nearly as "approachable".  You could (and probably should) show this film in the classroom.

But we are talking about Lucasfilm, so you can't escape the inevitable review of the effects.  All in all, I was suitably impressed.  From a pure-realism point of view, there are numerous issues with the physics of flight involved in this film.  Most obviously that "hit the brakes and they'll fly right by" move in the trailer.  There are a lot of "Pearl Harbor" style moments as well.  Problem is *real* flight isn't nearly as exciting or fun to watch as all this near-video-game style eye-candy.  So there it is.  And it *is* a lot of fun to watch.

There are some aspects of the movie that I don't think should have been included, or either explored more and refined.  As they stand, they don't do a whole lot for the film.  One is the romance between "Lightning" (David Oyelowo) and the Italian Sophia (NCIS LA's Daniela Ruah)...  It started out as a nice diversion, and an all-too familiar story for most war movies, but I'm not entirely sure of the relevance of it here.  Except to make a point about inter-racial romance.  Nothing wrong with that, but it started to feel forced.

The other was "Ray Gun/Junior" (Tristan Wilds) getting shot down and captured, only to wind up in "The Great Escape"...  comically in a shot-for-shot rehash of the "into-the-woods" scene from that film.   It makes sense I guess at the end, so that the picture doesn't end on a down note (whoops did I spoil it?) but again, felt forced.

Other bits and pieces fall together nicely.  The cocky pilot putting himself and others in danger, the alcoholic, although this time getting blamed erroneously for things that weren't the bottle's fault....   It's not just about aircraft.

The message of the film is also unavoidable.  That this sort of segregation was just plain wrong.  It's always good to have those 20/20 hindsight goggles, but yeah, these guys were just as good, if not better than anyone else in the cockpit.  And I only wish I had watched "The Tuskegee Airmen" not so long ago.  It's been far too long for me to even remember any of it, so I can't make a good comparison to that.  There should be one.

I would like to compare this to another war movie which dealt with the segregation issue, "Miracle at St. Anna."  I've caught a lot of flack for that review, and maybe its warranted, maybe not.  But in Red Tails, the issue is dealt with *without* that feeling of being preached at and whined to, and having it rammed down your throat.  *This* is how it should be shown to everyone, that yes it happened, yeah it was wrong, but you know what?  It doesn't really matter *now*, does it?  These guys were damn good pilots and soldiers, not to mention fine men, and here's our tribute to them.

What you've got here in a nutshell is a pretty good air combat action picture first and foremost, with an important historical context and worthy message on the side.  So I'm going with a 7/10.  Not quite as surprisingly good as "War Horse", but a whole lot better than I was expecting.  Sure the dialog is a bit, uh, corny at times. Sure the effects are the same way at times.  But roll with it, have fun, don't take things quite so seriously, and think about the underlying message while you're at it!

Here's a longer clip I found which might help illustrate what I'm talking about.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. “Act of Valor” set for 2012

Thankfully, Vietnam in HD is quite the opposite, and its actually an interesting and insightful look into the Vietnam War.  Is it a complete picture?  No, but I don't think it claims to be.  Does it still contain a fair amount of HD violence and death?  Yes, but its not presented in the same way, or in the same quantity.  Here its part of the documentary aspect.  Shown, but not with that "reality TV" sort of feel to it....

For example:  There's that one infamous scene where the suspected VC collaborator gets shot right in the head and left on the street.  When this scene started playing I was like "I wondered when they'd trot this one out."  But to my amazement, and satisfaction (for lack of a better word), they cut it short of showing the nastiest bits.  This kind of restraint is what separates the two.  If you've seen this clip in its entirety, you know what I am talking about.  Necessary to show, but we don't really *need* to see *all* of it.

It's also not as long as the WWII version.  This probably helped a lot to avoid that same feeling, keeping with only what was necessary to get the points across, rather than trying to cram as much remastered footage as they could.

And the footage, its really some impressive stuff.  Some of it you've likely seen before.  A lot of it you haven't, I hadn't.  And all of it (well OK most of it) looks like it was shot yesterday.

Another aspect of this documentary that I found incredibly interesting, was the inclusion of the story of Joe Galloway, along with interview footage from Joe himself.  If the name sounds familiar in the context of war movies, it should.  He was the author of "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young", which is of course what the movie "We Were Soldiers" was based off of.  Once again I've had to re-examine my opinion of *that* movie based on the footage and story told in this one.  One of these days I will have to revisit it, with all this new context in mind.

As a documentary it comes across much better than WWII in HD.  It tries to paint a picture of the war from start to finish, but only in the context of a few people and their stories.  Because of this there are a lot of events and stories that *aren't* told, but hopefully someday will be.

I'll have to go 8/10 on Vietnam in HD.  I would go higher, were it longer and more in-depth...  but it is after all a much more refined and focused picture than its counterpart.

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Description

Their story is in danger of being lost to history. The men who came home from the Vietnam War represent a second silent generation. These are the men who won every battle in a lost war. Using the same experiential approach to storytelling as WWII in HD, HISTORY gives these veterans a voice. Through a collection of color Vietnam footage never seen by the public from private collections, museums, the US government, veteran's and news organizations as well as sources from Vietnam, they tell their stories and relive their struggles, courage and fears. This six-hour miniseries spans the massive initial troop build-up in 1965 to the fall of Saigon a decade later. Sound design, using popular music from that era, powerfully evokes the time period and experience. This 2-disc set presents all 6 episodes in stunning Blu-ray high-definition.

DVD Information

Binding: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand: A&E
Manufacturer: A&E Entertainment
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Various

Reviews

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Related posts:

1. Good Morning, Vietnam (1987, Blu Ray)
2. Gettysburg (1993/2011, Director’s Cut, Blu Ray)
3. Gods and Generals (2003/2011, Blu Ray Director’s Cut)
4. Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
5. Ironclad (2011)

Oh, boy, this ought to be good.  (Note the heavy sarcasm.)

But, actually.  It's not bad, not bad at all.  I might even go so far as... It's pretty darned good.  Actually.

Spielberg has managed to evoke the spirits of 1930's/Frank Capra-style Hollywood with War Horse.  From the start, it has that "feel" to it.  Whether the result of the script, the acting, the direction, the production/sets, or Williams' always-excellent soundtrack....  you can't help but think that if this were in black and white with a few scratches here and there... you'd never know the difference.

But the story:  British farmer boy Albert (Jeremy Irvine) comes into a horse, bought at auction in a pissing match with his landlord.  The horse, "Joey" as Albert calls him, isn't fit for farm duty, but Albert manages to whip him into shape and prove everyone wrong.  When the British army comes looking for materiel for the war effort, Dad sells Joey off into service.

Well, Joey nearly gets killed (in a rather scathing commentary on officers), escapes, gets adopted by a sick French girl and her grandfather, captured by the Germans, put into service, and finally winds up stuck in the wire in no-mans-land.

He's cut free in one of the more cornball scenes of the movie, and eventually reunited with the wounded Albert, who has also found himself in the trenches.  Grandfather shows up, gets the horse, gives him back, and Albert and Joey ride off into the sunset.

That's pretty much the story.  Some good 1930's/1940's classic matinee fare.  And that's what this movie is at its core.  There's no bloody realistic combat (although the scenes do manage to imply quite a bit), no language, nothing at all which would prevent me from letting the kids watch this.  Parts may go sailing over their head, probably quite a few adults as well...  but all-in-all a pretty good movie.

I have to give War Horse a 7/10.  I actually went into this with the intent of *not* enjoying it, but Spielberg managed to change my mind.  Not an easy feat.

When it shows up on Amazon I'll update this section....

Related posts:

1. The Road to World War II (1978, 2011)
2. Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
3. Gettysburg (1993/2011, Director’s Cut, Blu Ray)
4. The Bomber (2011)
5. Ironclad (2011)

Billed as a movie about a "top secret operation to infiltrate the Nazi's secret rocket base!" turns out to be not much more than a rather dull attempt at intrigue or something.  Probably more an excuse to get Sophia Loren on screen, in a sequence that takes far far too much screen time.

Part of the reason I watched this movie, was I had just finished watching the recent NOVA episode on the British recon photo experts and how they managed to deduce the locations and meaning of the V-1 and V-2 rocket sites.  This seemed relevant.  Well, I think I enjoyed the NOVA episode more.

Long story short, American Curtis (George Peppard) and Brit Lindemann (Trevor Howard) infiltrate the base disguised as scientists.  They (of course) manage to expose the position of the base exactly as British bombers make their run.  Of course this is at the cost of their own lives.  Making it all more dramatic I suppose.

Turns out "Crossbow" was actually the name of the over-arching operation against the German long-range weapons program, you can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Crossbow

As a movie, well, this movie anyway.  I was pretty disappointed.  It felt more like an episode of some 2nd rate 1960's TV series to me.  Your milage may vary of course....  Giving a 4/10...  I just wasn't feeling the love on this one.

Operation Crossbow List Price: $19.97 Sale Price: $4.85 You save: $15.12 (76%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

A fearsome rumor reaches Britain's World War II command. The Nazis are developing rocket technology that could rain death on London and, then, New York. Quickly, England develops a plan to send saboteurs into the sites manufacturing the rockets. Just moments after the carefully chosen commandos parachute into the drop zone, their pilot receives an urgent message. The mission may be compromised. Abort. Operation Crossbow is the partly fact-based tale of how that team succeeded against daunting odds. Michael Anderson (The Dam Busters, Logan's Run) directs, guiding a huge cast in a film that builds to a spectacular finale, yet never neglects war's unsparing personal costs. As a record of a wartime espionage incursion and as an intrigue-filled thriller, Operation Crossbow is on both counts Operation Accomplished. DVD Features:Featurette:Vintage Featurette A Look Back at CrossbowTheatrical Trailer

Operation Crossbow was one among many '60s films aiming, in the wake of The Guns of Navarone, to cash in on nostalgia for "the Good War" of 20 years earlier, plus snag a share of the spy-movie market stoked by James Bond. A decent-enough stiff-upper-lip thriller in its day, it's yet more enjoyable now. The nostalgia has deepened to include affectionate enjoyment of a fine, big cast now mostly departed, dependably hitting their marks in a jolly good yarn. The tale begins around the midpoint of the war, with Hitler aspiring to hurl a second Blitz against London using "flying bombs" and rockets. The British War Office starts recruiting officers fluent in the necessary technical fields, as well as German, Dutch, and/or French--the languages of the Nazi-occupied countries from which the Germans are recruiting technical personnel. The screenplay follows two tracks: the Germans' progress with their new aerial weaponry, and the progress of the Allied infiltrators--chiefly Yank George Peppard, chirpy Englishman Jeremy Kemp, and Dutchman Tom Courtenay--sent to penetrate the V2 project. Despite the resemblance between the Navarone caves and the underground V2 launch center, Crossbow is something of an anti-Navarone. Its heroes are resolutely small-scale, and the mission is fraught with more opportunities for horrible miscues and moral-ethical murkiness than commando derring-do. The most memorable, indeed disturbing, part of the film involves Sophia Loren as the apolitical wife of a collaborator she doesn't know has been killed (and his identity assumed by Peppard). John Mills and Trevor Howard are deliciously deadpan trading war-council flapdoodle at the highest echelon, and Anthony Quayle (the spiritual leader of the Navarone mission) does yeoman service in a tricky role. Time--or rather, the transfer to video--has also been kind to the film's thin, overlit Metrocolor and last-reel special effects, which looked feebler on theater screens. The writers include Michael Powell's longtime partner Emeric Pressburger (under the pseudonym Richard Imrie). --Richard T. Jameson

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Brand: Warner Brothers
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Sophia Loren
• George Peppard
• Trevor Howard

Features

• A fearsome rumor reaches Britain's World War II command. The Nazis are developing rocket technology that could rain death on London and, then, New York. Quickly, England develops a plan to send saboteurs into the sites manufacturing the rockets. Just moments after the carefully chosen commandos parachute into the drop zone, their pilot receives an urgent message. The mission may be compromised. Ab

Reviews

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Related posts:

1. Operation Bikini (1963)
2. In Harm’s Way (1965)
3. 36 Hours (1965)
4. Battle of the Bulge (1965)
5. None But The Brave (1965)

And you know what, they were all correct. It's been a long, long time, since I'd seen GMV, and I have to say, its really held up well. Not to mention that it seems even more of a tragedy than a comedy to me at this point.... But no less funny, that's for sure.

The story, if you don't know it already: One Air Force radio personality, Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams) gets sent to AFR for his next gig, and completely turns the place on its ear. The movie would be nothing much to speak of, if it weren't for Williams' monologues at the microphone. Some of his best material, there's no doubt about that.

But, as I watched this again after so long, and having seen so many more war movies now.... There are undertones here that are really, really dark and twisted. The entire story with the girl and her brother/Cronauers' friend, who turns out to be a VC operative.... The recurring teletypes indicating the war's direction is *not* going as planned, but yet Cronauer must continue to shovel the BS.... That wonderful scene where he's stuck in traffic and gets to put faces to all the people he's talking to every day....

And not only that, but just the "in between" scenes, where you're shown just little snippets of various armed forces personnel going about their daily work, positioned against the backdrop of the city.... It all falls together in a really complete way. That's about the best way I can describe it.

Then it ends, with Cronauer (and everyone else for that matter) wondering if what he did over there was really worth it, to anyone but him (and maybe the few civilians from the English class)....

The blu ray release? I can't really say that its worthy of the moniker of "25th anniversary special edition." Don't get me wrong here, the picture and sound are pretty much flawless. I couldn't see anything that made me cringe, and the typical 1980's grainy "look" has been cleaned up to modern standards quite nicely, really nicely. Not sure if that had to do with the source material or advances in processing, but when it was over I had to stop and think, "yeah, that actually looked pretty damn good!"

The audio? Well, this isn't a sound effects spectacular type of picture, but there again, the DTS soundtrack is flawless to my ears.

Extras? Not a lot to speak of. The only thing really of note is the "Raw Monologues" which really weren't at all what I was expecting. After a brief introduction and explanation from director Barry Levinson, we get to see Williams' methodically and mechanically pare down some of the jokes in the "on air" segments. I was expecting much more of a slapped-together ad-lib segment of takeouts and whatnot from Williams. But here, he shows that he takes his job quite seriously as he eliminates the wheat from the chaff before you see the final result. Interesting from a "here's the process" perspective, but not nearly as entertaining as a full-on improvisational circus...

Worth it? Absolutely if you're a Robin Williams fan, or a fan of classic 1980s films. If you've already got this, I don't think it'd be *that* much of a step up, unless you're a real perfectionist.

I still have to give this one an 8, just because the entire package really is that good. Matter of fact, here's that scene in the traffic jam....

Good Morning, Vietnam (25th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] List Price: $20.00 Sale Price: $9.98 You save: $10.02 (50%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

In stunning Blu-ray high definition, Academy Award winner Robin Williams (best supporting actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers a tour-de-force performance in the 25th anniversary edition of the hit comedy Good Morning, Vietnam! Enjoy the unsurpassed digital sound quality of Blu-ray high definition as Army deejay Adrian Cronauer (Williams) spins a red-hot soundtrack of '60s hits. His sidesplitting comedy and rapid fire wit make him a hero to the troops, but quickly get him in hot water with his by-the-book superiors. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Williams' hilarious radio monologues, Good Morning, Vietnam remains the quintessential Robin Williams comedy.

DVD Information

Binding: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Brand:
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Robin Williams

Reviews

---

Related posts:

1. Vietnam in HD (2011, Blu Ray)
2. Hamburger Hill (1987)
3. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
4. Tour of Duty: Pilot (1987)
5. The Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission (1987)

WMB is going to be giving away two copies of this modern classic.  All you need to do is A) live in the US (or have a US shipping address) and B) leave a (non-spammy) comment to this entry!  Yeah, that's it.   Oh, and do it before the clock turns zero-hundred on 1/27 CST.

I'll pick two entries from the list at random and that'll be that.  Don't post your address in the comments, if you win I'll contact you.  SO BE SURE to use a valid e-mail address!!

Here are some details on the release!

For the first time in stunning Blu-ray High Definition, Academy Award winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers a tour-de-force performance in the 25th Anniversary Edition of the hit comedy Good Morning, Vietnam!

 

Enjoy the unsurpassed digital sound quality of Blu-ray High Definition as Army deejay Adrian Cronauer (Williams) spins a red-hot soundtrack of ‘60s hits. His sidesplitting comedy and rapid fire wit make him a hero to the troops, but quickly get him in hot water with his by-the-book superiors. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Williams’ hilarious radio monologues, Good Morning, Vietnam remains the quintessential Robin Williams comedy.

 

Bonus Features:

 

• Production Diary (5 features) - How The Movie Came To Be, Actor Improv; Music Of The Movie, Origin Of The Good Morning, Vietnam Sign-On, Shooting In Thailand & Overview Of The Film A Year Later
• Raw Monologues
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer

"Raw Monologues"... Ooooh brother, wonder if that means all the stuff that Williams did they *didn't* put in the film...  I can only imagine the out-takes from this one.  And its in DTS-HD Master 5.1....

I know I haven't seen this film in years, and look forward to seeing it on BD.  I also can't believe I haven't reviewed this film for the site yet!

(and not to worry folks, I have a bunch of reviews coming up...)

Good Morning, Vietnam (25th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] List Price: $20.00 Sale Price: $9.98 You save: $10.02 (50%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

In stunning Blu-ray high definition, Academy Award winner Robin Williams (best supporting actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers a tour-de-force performance in the 25th anniversary edition of the hit comedy Good Morning, Vietnam! Enjoy the unsurpassed digital sound quality of Blu-ray high definition as Army deejay Adrian Cronauer (Williams) spins a red-hot soundtrack of '60s hits. His sidesplitting comedy and rapid fire wit make him a hero to the troops, but quickly get him in hot water with his by-the-book superiors. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Williams' hilarious radio monologues, Good Morning, Vietnam remains the quintessential Robin Williams comedy.

DVD Information

Binding: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Brand:
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Robin Williams

Reviews

---

Related posts:

1. Morning Departure (1950)
2. Penn to Star in Stone’s Next Vietnam Film?

No related posts.