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...)

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Good Morning, Vietnam (25th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] List Price: $20.00 Sale Price: $11.70 You save: $8.30 (42%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

Disc jockey adrian cronauer who has been given one of the most classified positions in the military - to bring humor to the armed forces. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 01/17/2012 Starring: Robin Williams Run time: 121 minutes Rating: R

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

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The Fox Movie Channel steps up with an entire page outlining their contribution!  Titles include: Stars and Stripes Forever, The Desert Fox, Destination Gobi, House of Bamboo, A Farewell to Arms, and Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison....

AMC looks to have theirs already going, with Defiance already underway, Spy Game, U-571... followed the rest of the weekend by: Tora! Tora! Tora!, We Were Soldiers, and Apocalypse Now Redux on Friday.  Keep in mind AMC edits for content and screen, and has commercials.

TNT will once again not be doing the Saving Private Ryan thing.  Shame.  One night a year, is that really too much to ask?  Sure its 13 years old already, but throw that uninterrupted unedited tribute out there once and a while!

The History Channel gets its act together, and has the yet-to-be released on disc Vietnam in HD.  For once I actually wish I still had satellite!!

And of course, Turner Classic turns it out again this year, but only on Friday.  Too many to list them all, but here's a few highlights:  A Walk in the Sun, Never So Few, God is my Co-Pilot, the Fighting 69th.

...and HBO looks to be running The Pacific on HBO2 and Signature....

If I missed anything, please be sure to leave corrections and additions in the comments!

What war movies will you be watching this weekend?

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The short version: City of Life and Death is a condensation of the 1937 "Rape of Nanking" in which Japanese troops occupied the city and engaged in an orgy of violence that really has no comparison.  The story then follows German diplomat John Rabe's secretary Tang and his family as they try to survive, and escape the desperate situation.

From the beginning, you know you're in for a different experience.  The initial combat sequence is one of the best in recent memory.  From the tangible fear and tension, to the under-produced yet blisteringly real sound and gritty no-nonsense direction....  There's no lead-in apart from some brief narrative on postcards, it just happens.  It is what it is, and that's part of what makes this such an incredible picture.  Events unfold without warning, seemingly without purpose, leaving us (and them) to wonder "what is next?!"

The black and white presentation of the entire movie only adds to the overall feel.  Not only that, but, for me at least, it tempers the graphic violence and inhumanity throughout, and really solidifies the message behind it.  What message?  "China will live on."  This movie is about emotion, not about "how graphic can we make it."

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

After the initial battle scene, the Japanese execute hundreds (more?) of prisoners outright.  Among them is a young boy, Xiaodouji.  He winds up in the "safe zone" for foreigners and embassy workers, along with Mr. Tang and his family, and another survivor (the name eludes me, bloody language barrier)....  From this point we watch as Tang and Rabe attempt to keep these people safe, while Tang also tries to make arrangements to keep his family safe, and eventually leave.  Then the Japanese make headway into the zone, and infamously "recruit" (read enslave) women for their "comfort stations"....

Then there is the tale of Japanese soldier Kadokawa.  He is (as is often the case) a young, impressionable, inexperienced man thrown into the war on the other side, and caught up wholeheartedly in the Japanese nationalist doctrine.  He's forced to contend with trying to survive and deal with what he's seen, and done, and his story is almost as compelling as the Tang family's.  I wouldn't call it sympathetic by any means, but it serves as a valuable counterpoint.

Let me get back to my original statement.  Yes, I feel that this movie is everything that Schindler's List should have been.  Quite frankly it makes Schindler's List look like a bad TV movie.  I've never been a big fan of "List,"  I thought it was forced and pretentious.  I make this comparison for two reasons.  One, the black and white presentation absolutely screams for it.  And two, both films exist to expose and decry the atrocities committed by the other side.   In both these arenas, "City" far surpasses "List", without becoming overly "preachy" or attempting to shove the message down your throat.

Honestly, I can't recall the last time I was affected by a movie like I was in this case.  It was absolutely painful, tear and squirm-inducing, and difficult to watch overall, but at the same time, it was a beautiful, beautiful film, with some sincere moments of joy to be found.

Just so there are no surprises, the film is shot (quite stunningly) in black and white, and is entirely in Mandarin and Japanese, with a few bits of English and German as it pertains to the embassy staff.

I don't turn out many 9/10 ratings.  I'm even going so far as to give City of Life and Death a 9.5.  Yeah, it is that good of a movie, despite being incredibly painful and difficult to watch.  It even made a hardened war-movie-veteran like me choke up on several occasions, and that doesn't happen too often.  If this review seems a bit wandering, jumbled, and disconnected, its because I found it difficult to put down in words the experience.

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City of Life and Death: 2 Disc Special Edition [Blu-ray] List Price: $39.95 Sale Price: $20.01 You save: $19.94 (50%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

DVD Information

Binding: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Brand:
Manufacturer: KINO INTERNATIONAL
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Hideo Nakaizumi
• Ye Liu
• Yuanyuan Gao

Reviews

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....EW has confirmed that Gerard Butler, Matthew McConaughey, and Sam Worthington have all signed on to star in an entirely CG, 3-D adaptation of Pulitzer Prize winner David Zucchino’s novel Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad. Robert Port and Black Hawk Down scribe Ken Nolan co-wrote the script, with Simon West attached to direct.

 

“The idea is that we’re trying to create an event movie,” producer Brian Presley of Freedom Films tells EW. “We wanted to do something that was new, that was fresh, so we’re shooting it in a CG world where we do motion capture and facial capture. The reason we wanted to do it this way — just a pure, straight action film — is to also appeal to that Call of Duty: Black Ops world. It’s not going to have a video game look, it will have a photorealistic look, but the style in which we’re doing it with the 3-D RPGs flying over your head, and tanks coming out across the audience, and explosions… it’s going to be incredible.”

 

The film will recreate the three-day capture of Baghdad by American forces that jump-started the Iraq War in 2003. This has been an ongoing passion project for West and Presley, who have been working on the concept for five years. ”One thing we’re really focused on is making sure we keep all of the authenticity of the military aspect; really being true to the story and to what actually happened, and representing the military in the right way,” Presley said.

link: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/10/27/thunder-run-gerard-butler-matthew-mcconaughey-sam-worthington/

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This is a pretty undefinable little film.  It departs significantly at times from the usual documentary format.  In fact, at times you will (at least I did) wonder if some of the shots aren't staged.  There are a lot of these moments.  So many in fact that it somewhat takes away from the entire experience.

Fortunately, though, none of these moments occur when the camera is out in the field with these guys.  Which is where the shit really hits the fan.  The final scene where the platoon gets split with a squad of Taliban stuck in a ditch between them....  It doesn't get much more harrowing than that.  And brutal.  Scenes like this show just what its like.  Without any sugar coating.  Apart from that it reminded me more of a TV reality show.  Mainly because of the camera/production work that they dressed it up in during the soldiers' down time.  Then the almost "fabricated" soap opera surrounding that ambush which never goes anywhere....

This review is pretty short, I will admit.  It's basically because there isn't a lot to say.  The basic premise is this:  1) Film a bit of the guys before they leave, 2) film them "over there" as various things happen to them, 3) film a bit as they return home.

All that said, I'm going to give this a solid 7/10.  I would have gone less, but the actual "in the field" stuff really does make the "other stuff" not quite so important or distracting overall.  I know this was a pretty acclaimed movie, but I couldn't bring myself to get all excited about it.

One thing I did notice, and I wondered why it wasn't included, because you know at one point one of them said it.  None of them really wondered out loud on camera, "just WTF are we Danes doing here, anyway?"  Especially as their guys get killed and wounded.  I know I'd be thinking it.  Don't get me wrong, the contribution they make to the overall effort over there is invaluable, and greatly appreciated.  I'm speaking on a personal level, from their point of view....

Obviously, all of the dialog is in Danish and subtitled.  Not a problem for me, just need to point this out.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640680/

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Armadillo List Price: $29.95 Sale Price: $14.00 You save: $15.95 (53%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand:
Manufacturer: Lorber Films
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Janus Metz Pedersen

Reviews

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...and it does a fine job.  An excellent job, even.  This is quite the examination of history during that time period.  A lot of things I never knew about, or realized, or put the pieces together with.  From the Versailles treaty all the way to Pearl Harbor, you'll be surprised just how many events transpired which, now that we look at it, brought about the inevitability of the second war.

I think a great part of this is the credibility involved here.  Made in the 70's (a short 30 years after WWII), you've got commentary from people who either were *directly* involved in these events, such as host and journalist Eric Sevareid, to a myriad of professors and other figures.

Additionally, you'll get some Hearst Newsreels on each disc, which give a short summary and different perspective of either events that were talked about, or weren't....  Either way, the inclusion of these in this set works to its benefit (versus the earlier WWII in the Pacific set, where the European-theater-centric newsreels didn't make sense.)  I'm not sure of the source of these newsreels, the production and voice-over seem to indicate a much later production date, rather than contemporary pieces.  (Which I'd still like to see a good "movietone news" or similar DVD set from the war!)

The series is presented from a US-centric viewpoint.  Meaning that the events described take place starting from the US' short but pivotal role in WWI, up until Pearl Harbor.  But, it does examine all the other happenings between those two events, including the war in Europe, and Japan's expansion in Asia.  This is key, as a lot of these sort of documentaries merely jump in with both feet at Pearl Harbor, as if nothing at all had happened until then.

If you're a military history buff, then this is a must-have.  The films themselves appear to have been rescued, but not restored.  I only mention this because they do appear rather rough at times, and I wouldn't want anyone thinking you're getting anything different.  I don't have a problem with this at all.  This is about preservation mostly, and I'm glad that Readers' Digest and Questar have put this series to disc for the archives, instead of letting the film or tape turn to dust in some closet somewhere.

The Road to World War II officially releases October 18, with a sticker price of $49.99, although Amazon (and likely others) has it for less.

Here's a summary of the episode titles, which should give you an idea of the series comprehensive look....

Disc 1: 1. Versailles: The Lost Peace 2. Return to Isolationism 3. The First Salt Talks

Disc 2: 1. Radio, Racism and Foreign Policy 2. The Great Depression and Foreign Affairs

Disc 3: 1. FDR and Hitler: The Rise to Power 2. FDR and Hitler: The Dynamics of Power

Disc 4: 1. America in the Pacific 2. The Recognition of Russia 3. Latin America

Disc 5: 1. The Italian-Ethiopian War 2. The Spanish Civil War 3. The Phony War

Disc 6: 1. FDR and Churchill 2. Japan Invades China 3. War Comes to Pearl Harbor

Bonus Features: Exclusive Heart Newsreels showcase the era leading up to WW II

The entire series is also available to "rent" on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fh11LMYSrk&list=SL&feature=sh_e_se

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Road to World War II List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $29.99 You save: $20.00 (40%)   Eligible for free shipping! Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Description

This classic documentary series, The Road to WWII, follows the events that inevitably sparked World War II, capturing the drama, the excitement and the juxtapositions of these crucial years between the end of World War I and Pearl Harbor. Former CBS News correspondent and commentator, Eric Sevareid, one of the world's most respected  figures in journalism, presents this extraordinary series which features  stunning original newsreels, soundtracks, and rare archival footage. It was the era of Lucky Lindy, bootleg, Babe Ruth, Valentino and assembly-line Fords. It was also the time of market collapse, Klan meetings, demagogues abroad, red scares at home and bread lines. The best of times, the worst of times, and the times in which the United States reluctantly moved center stage.  The Road to WWII is an innovative 16-part series that examines this crucial time as it progressed from the Armistice in 1918 to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. You will see the people who made history, hear their voices, and revisit the sites of events where consequence occurred. From the election of Roosevelt, to the rise of Hitler in Germany, it's all here. Disc 1: 1. Versailles: The Lost Peace 2. Return to Isolationism 3. The First Salt Talks Disc 2: 1. Radio, Racism and Foreign Policy 2. The Great Depression and Foreign Affairs Disc 3: 1. FDR and Hitler: The Rise to Power 2. FDR and Hitler: The Dynamics of Power Disc 4: 1. America in the Pacific 2. The Recognition of Russia 3. Latin America Disc 5: 1. The Italian-Ethiopian War 2. The Spanish Civil War 3. The Phony War Disc 6: 1. FDR and Churchill 2. Japan Invades China 3. War Comes to Pearl Harbor Bonus Features: Exclusive Heart Newsreels showcase the era leading up to WW II

DVD Information

Binding: DVD
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Brand:
Manufacturer: Questar
Original Release Date:
Actors:

• Eric Sevareid

Reviews

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Rome Sweet Rome is apparently an internet "snowball" that looks at what could happen in a battle between a modern Marine battalion and the entire Roman Empire....  and it looks as if WB might actually pick this up for production!

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118044449

Here's one way to make it as a screenwriter: apply online.

 

Warner Bros. has preemptively purchased the high-concept pitch "Rome, Sweet Rome" from first-time scribe James Erwin, an author and two-time "Jeopardy!" champion from Des Moines, Iowa.

 

Erwin's pitch sale came about as a result of several postings on the website Reddit.com, an online community and social news aggregator where users vote to determine which posts land on the site's home page.

 

Erwin set out to answer the question: "What if a unit of current U.S. Marines are suddenly transported back to ancient Rome and forced to do battle with the Roman legions?" Pic will follow the Marines as they're flung into the past where they encounter one of the world's most legendary villains and disrupt history. To return home, they have to set history back on the track they altered.

 

Madhouse Entertainment's Adam Kolbrenner spotted Erwin's "Rome, Sweet Rome" posts once they reached the top of Reddit and moved quickly to contact the writer and begin working with him to develop the concept. When it came time to find a home for the project, Kolbrenner brought it to WB's Chris Gary, a young exec who encouraged the studio to move aggressively to acquire it.

 

Kolbrenner will produce with Gianni Nunnari ("Immortals") of Hollywood Gang, where John Ridley will oversee the project for the company. Madhouse's Robyn Meisinger will exec produce and Gary will shepherd the project for Warners.

 

Erwin's next book, due in 2012, chronicles the history of U.S. military actions. He's repped by Madhouse Entertainment and attorney Bruce Gellman.

We'll see....  here's a "fan mockup" trailer for your viewing pleasure, I suppose....

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