tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post4427956484437556079..comments2024-03-05T21:05:36.848-05:00Comments on CommentaramaFilms: My Favorite Films: War FilmsAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-60355311208621130702014-06-02T18:26:22.321-04:002014-06-02T18:26:22.321-04:00In case anyone is still reading...
There's ev...In case anyone is still reading...<br /><br />There's even a new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/savethealamo" rel="nofollow">Facebook page</a> dedicated to saving the film now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-185510712635329412014-05-28T23:35:26.835-04:002014-05-28T23:35:26.835-04:00Scott, That stinks about The Alamo. It's not ...Scott, That stinks about <i>The Alamo</i>. It's not Wayne's best, but it's absolutely worth saving.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-14731630160368750462014-05-28T23:15:09.251-04:002014-05-28T23:15:09.251-04:00It's funny... whenever people say they don'...It's funny... whenever people say they don't want to give Hollywood any of their money, it's projects like this that often get the shaft.<br /><br />But yeah, MGM is cheap. I don't know why they won't license this to a third party - they have deals with Criterion, Kino, and Shout! Factory, and probably a couple other indie labels as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-7783790797804675162014-05-28T19:25:21.400-04:002014-05-28T19:25:21.400-04:00WOW! The crew at MGM sound like a pack of cheap ...WOW! The crew at MGM sound like a pack of cheap pricks. It's ok though. In the afterlife John Wayne and David Crockett will kick their asses.<br />GypsyTygerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-69003023610534878832014-05-28T16:36:25.756-04:002014-05-28T16:36:25.756-04:00Speaking of The Alamo...
Click here.Speaking of <i>The Alamo</i>...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/052814_1330" rel="nofollow">Click here.</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-50964125653186880582014-05-28T08:20:20.965-04:002014-05-28T08:20:20.965-04:00Good choice Dave,
Taking Chance made me cry, not...Good choice Dave, <br /><br />Taking Chance made me cry, not ashamed to say. That was the first Iraq/Afgan war movie that I can think of that didn't talk down to the audience or the soldiers themselves. Just and amazing story about the price paid by soldiers and those left behind.<br /><br />Scott.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-77728258672533250432014-05-28T00:00:12.784-04:002014-05-28T00:00:12.784-04:00It's not a "War Film" per se, but ye...It's not a "War Film" per se, but yesterday I watched <i>Taking Chance</i>. Or rather, I watched the last 20 minutes because I didn't see it listed until then, but I've seen it before. And just as when I read the <a href="http://www.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-050123strobl,0,738425,full.story" rel="nofollow">original story</a>, I found myself tearing up for a kid from Wyoming I never would have known about. <br /><br />Not all war films are about guns and explosions.Dave Olsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-91861990245902233952014-05-27T00:18:33.033-04:002014-05-27T00:18:33.033-04:00Jed, The film just doesn't work for me. It...Jed, The film just doesn't work for me. It's filmed in a drawn out, but disconnected style that I don't like.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-3911898330564550832014-05-26T19:47:54.370-04:002014-05-26T19:47:54.370-04:00I don't know that I can agree with you about P...I don't know that I can agree with you about Patton, though Andrew. I thought Scott captured him brilliantly, and the film did focus on the key aspects of his character. A fighter who couldn't deal adequately with the politics of the top of the military hierarchyTennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-8899855572450134022014-05-26T19:42:03.669-04:002014-05-26T19:42:03.669-04:00About Sharpe - the final episode in the original W...About Sharpe - the final episode in the original WAS the Battle of Waterloo. Good, but not able to capture the true scope of the battle. We need some good aerial CGI to do that. More recently, there were two newer Sharpe movies shot in 16x9 format in HD. They weren't released in blu-ray, but video quality much, much better.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-74245802190934797482014-05-26T16:00:00.115-04:002014-05-26T16:00:00.115-04:00GypsyTyger, That is an interesting test: how inte...GypsyTyger, That is an interesting test: how intently you watch films the second and third times through.<br /><br /><i>Firebase Gloria</i> was an interesting film. I don't know if I enjoyed it or not, but I found it compelling. Same with <i>The Boys In Company C</i>.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-48249894653225920942014-05-26T15:53:08.584-04:002014-05-26T15:53:08.584-04:00Scott, You don't remember the Alamo?
Sorry, s...Scott, You don't remember the Alamo?<br /><br />Sorry, someone had to say it. :)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-82653768452766877872014-05-26T15:08:51.210-04:002014-05-26T15:08:51.210-04:00Gypsy -
I'm not familiar enough with The Ala...Gypsy - <br /><br />I'm not familiar enough with <i>The Alamo</i>, except to say that <a href="http://in70mm.com/news/2009/the_alamo/index.htm" rel="nofollow">various parties have attempted</a> to fund a restoration of the film over the last few years, but nothing's happened since.<br /><br />There might be a light at the end of the tunnel. No one thought we'd ever get an extended cut of <i>It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World</i>, but then Criterion did it. They scoured the planet to find every last scrap of usable footage (and even some of it wasn't that usable).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-80495658842921353982014-05-26T12:08:10.935-04:002014-05-26T12:08:10.935-04:00Paths of Glory. A crossover war film and courtroom...Paths of Glory. A crossover war film and courtroom drama, a very powerful experience all the way around.<br />It's always great when a movie that you have fond memories of comes through.I was home by myself the other day,I'd cleaned the house and it was raining. I went looking through my dvd collection and I picked up Uncommon Valor,which I hadn't watched in years. I was very happy at how well it has held up.<br />Three Kings wasn't really a war film, it was a heist film set in a war but I wanted to throw it some love.<br />The 13th Warrior. Not a traditional war film but if you think about it, it's the story of the war between the Northmen and the Eaters of the Dead.Lo there do I see my father...<br />What I used to do every week on my first day off was watch the opening scene from Gladiator and the end of the Thirteenth Warrior.Try that sometime to set the tone for your day.<br />The Siege of Firebase Gloria.<br />The Patriot.<br />Blackhawk Down. Incredibly intense and hard to watch, but great.<br />The 2004 version of The Alamo. I've never seen the John Wayne version and sadly I guess I never will. I went to Amazon to buy it so I could compare the two but overwhelmingly the Amazon reviewers said that the dvd is chopped up and ruins the movie. Sad.<br />I give a thumbs up to Platoon.Stone is an ass and his intent was to tar the Americans in Vietnam but what I try to do is ignore that. A long time ago I was in a discussion at Big Hollywood and I said try to watch Platoon and pretend it's not about Vietnam. I know that sounds goofy at first, but pretend that they're exploring a new planet or that they've been sent to some unmapped <br />country to investigate reports of copper deposits or something. My point was that if you watch it as a Vietnam war movie it will piss you off. If you watch it as a character study of men under stress it is a fascinating film.<br />GypsyTyger`Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-38217616722646103362014-05-26T11:35:57.228-04:002014-05-26T11:35:57.228-04:00The Deer Hunter. On my personal list (I love lists...The Deer Hunter. On my personal list (I love lists) this is the third best movie ever made and DeNiro's is one of the nominees for best performance ever by an actor.One of the tests for a great film is does it keep you watching with the same level of intensity after you've seen it? I know how the russian roulette scene comes out and I still wince every time a hammer clicks on an empty chamber. Every thing else about it. The wedding. Robert Deniro's awkward homecoming with Meryl Streep where they start to get to know each other again. The scene where DeNiro has the deer in his sights and lets it go,screaming OKAAAAY to the sky. And the end. One of the greatest endings to a film ever,especially given the context of the time in which it was made. The seventies was a cynical era,at least as far as films went. The scene where they all sing God Bless America could have been done jingoistically or cynically,either of which would have ruined the film,but it wasn't. It was this battered little group of people,all of whom,combatants and homestayers had been so damaged by the war,startinf to pull themselves together again. Cimino shot the bolt with that one,but he was a legitimate genius.<br />GypsyTygerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-36310369304862239962014-05-26T00:13:04.210-04:002014-05-26T00:13:04.210-04:00Tohokari, It's worth finishing. It's wort...Tohokari, It's worth finishing. It's worth reading actually. It's a very good book.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-38388005644926815632014-05-26T00:12:30.371-04:002014-05-26T00:12:30.371-04:00Bev, Yep! :DBev, Yep! :DAndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-27124892053027294962014-05-26T00:11:34.802-04:002014-05-26T00:11:34.802-04:00John, Branagh. I thought his interpretation was a...John, Branagh. I thought his interpretation was amazing. Olivier feels very "by the book" to me.<br /><br />I'm not a fan of <i>Saving Private Ryan</i>. It's far too cynical. too defeatist and too manipulative for me.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-33710930123857927412014-05-25T20:40:38.065-04:002014-05-25T20:40:38.065-04:00Henry V - would that be Olivier (1944) or Branagh ...<i>Henry V</i> - would that be Olivier (1944) or Branagh (1989)?<br /><br /><i>Saving Private Ryan</i>. I also listed this one. I have only seen it twice, and would not rush to see it again. Yet almost every scene lingers vividly in my memory.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18105609617071999765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-73555219559982794902014-05-25T17:58:09.100-04:002014-05-25T17:58:09.100-04:00Okay, I have to say it...Gone With The Wind...yeah...Okay, I have to say it...Gone With The Wind...yeah, it's a war movie! And Mrs. Miniver , The Best Years Of Our Lives, League If Their Own, generally movies about what happened on the home front ...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-74296388058300147212014-05-25T17:48:44.503-04:002014-05-25T17:48:44.503-04:00All Quiet on the Western Front: Have yet to finish...All Quiet on the Western Front: Have yet to finish it, but from what I've seen, it's pretty dang good.<br />Saving Private Ryan: One of the two Tom Hanks movies with the word "Saving" in the title. My Dad got it on DVD, but can't watch it because he finds it that hard to sit through.<br />Downfall: Mentioned MANY times, so no summary required.<br />We Were Soldiers: a Vietnam War movie that DOESN'T vilify the American forces. It shows that, while it was traumatic, there was still honorable people on both sides.<br />Lone Survivor: More recent movie, but still enjoyable. Shaky cam shows up right when it should (gunfights are supposed to feel disorienting).<br /><br />I'm also looking into a Korean war movie called "Brotherhood of War".Tohokari-Steelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03857796647547410701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-20833565574680829572014-05-25T15:53:04.580-04:002014-05-25T15:53:04.580-04:00Scott, Excellent list! :DScott, Excellent list! :DAndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-83492703869522509322014-05-25T15:52:02.169-04:002014-05-25T15:52:02.169-04:00Outlaw, I'm on the fence about Pork Chop Hill....Outlaw, I'm on the fence about <i>Pork Chop Hill</i>. It's a good movie, but it's a troubling movie too.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-42868251677982690282014-05-25T15:50:41.849-04:002014-05-25T15:50:41.849-04:00Anon, War films is the official category or "...Anon, War films is the official category or "military films" I think they call them now.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7059293386881623259.post-35452627359415748172014-05-25T15:47:51.715-04:002014-05-25T15:47:51.715-04:00Floyd, Excellent additions! I particularly like He...Floyd, Excellent additions! I particularly like <i>Henry V</i>, <i>Paths of Glory</i> and <i>The Battle of Algiers</i>! Excellent choices!AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.com