Saturday Evening Movie Thread 05-26-2018 [Hosted By: TheJamesMadison]

Memorial Day

So, it's Memorial Day weekend, so let's take some time to talk about some appropriate movies for the holiday.

The Patriot

Roland Emmerich is not a particularly gifted filmmaker, but he did manage to settle himself down and make a solid Revolutionary War movie. It sits at the top of the pack in terms of movies of that era from the last thirty years because it's one of the only Revolutionary War movies made in that time. I understand some reticence of Hollywood to make movies about it, mostly because the battles aren't really built for cinema (armies marching towards each other and firing is rather flat visually), but at the same time it feels like the era is so rich with character, personality, and events that it should be a gold mine of narrative potential. The AMC series TURN did a reasonable job of showing an alternative side to the conflict, but there's still so much room for more.

Anyway, that out of the way, The Patriot is the third movie staring Mel Gibson about how the English are evil bastards (Gallipoli and Braveheart being the first two). It takes a somewhat rose-colored glasses view of the South at the time (I don't think one black person is identified as an actual slave in the whole movie), but the world feels very lived in and real. Of course, it helps when they actually filmed in Charleston.

I live in Charleston, and I can recognize lots from the movie around town. I was walking up Meeting Street one day, showing my father around, when we ended up walking alongside a horse carriage tour. The guide pointed to a house on the other side of the street and said, "That's Aunt Charlotte's house in Charleston from the movie The Patriot." I looked up and immediately saw that the guy was telling the truth.

Gibson's character feels like he takes a very understandable and believable path from war skeptic to full-blown patriot by the end. At the start, he's haunted by the things he did during the French and Indian War. It's that he felt like he lost his sense of humanity in the face of brutality and went too far. He knows that's a part of him, and he doesn't want to let it out. As he gets involved, he does let it out, of course, and it's not anything to be proud of, but through the sacrifices of two of his sons, he begins to "hold the course" and find that he can fight for a just cause but also retain his humanity at the same time.

Black Hawk Down

Customary Notice: I am a Ridley Scott fanboy.

This film is mostly about sharing in a harrowing experience that most viewers will never take part in themselves. That event, set in Mogadishu, Somalia, was one of the less proud moments in American foreign policy of the 90s, but that does nothing to diminish the heroism and tenacity of the young men who took part.

I've read people who call the movie jingoistic (which makes no sense) and racist (we don't get to know any of the brown people), but the arguments make little sense since the movie isn't about policy or even America and it is about the experiences of the men who lived the event.

So, with that said, it's hard to judge the film based on any typical narrative formulae. It's structure is built around how the battle actually played out. The characters do get the kind of attention they need to carry a film, but it can be hard to tell one from another. The themes are about the brotherhood forged through battle. I've always loved Eric Bana's final speech:

“When I get home people will ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do you do it man? Why? You some war junkie?" You know what I'll say? I won't say a god damn word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.”

Also, because the movie was directed by Ridley Scott, that means that it's gorgeous to look at, is extremely well edited, and has solid performances all around. Seriously, the man has chops.

Saving Private Ryan

The first twenty minutes of this movie are some of the best filmmaking Steven Spielberg has ever done.

It's terrifying, completely convincing, and incredibly engrossing from beginning to end. The fact that Tom Hanks is our anchor into the scene as opposed to a more typical action movie star type really helps because he does look very much like an everyman. He looks like how most of the men who actually stormed those beaches actually looked. He looks like he could be a schoolteacher.

The rest of the movie is less impressive, but I still love it for the more conventional war movie it becomes. (I remember reading a post from someone who had read the scripts for both this and The Thin Red Line before their releases who thought that The Thin Red Line's script was more conventional.) The world of battle torn Europe is completely convincing in all of its destructiveness. The terror of the soldiers, the hoplessness of the civilians, and the moral confusion of certain choices makes the whole movie feel very real to me. It's not my favorite World War II movie (not even from that year), but, as a whole, it's still near the top of Spielberg's filmography.

Back to You

Do you have a traditional Memorial Day feature? Was it made by Michael Bay?

Movies of Today

Opening in Theaters:
Solo: A Star Wars Story
In Darkness

Next in my Netflix Queue:
La Promesse

Movies I Saw This Week:
A Royal Affair (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) Poster blurb: "The romance is great. The politics are okay. It really needed a director with a greater sense of irony at the proto-tyrant its main character was becoming by the end." [HBO]
The Great Wall (Netflix Rating 2/5 | Quality Rating 1/4) "Seriously, one of the single dumbest movies I've ever seen. Best of the Worst material, for sure." [HBO]
Danton (Netflix Rating 5/5 | Quality Rating 4/4) "Incredibly compelling portrait of the adaptability and corruptibility of power." [Netflix DVD]
Escape from Alcatraz (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "Terse, spare, and involving. The escape itself is fantastic." [Netflix DVD]
Loving Vincent (Netflix Rating 3/5 | Quality Rating 2/4) "The movie looks gorgeous from beginning to end, but the actual story is stilted and a bit of a mess." [HULU]
The Bad News Bears (Netflix Rating 4/5 | Quality Rating 3/4) "Quite funny, but I might have watched it too late in life to ever truly love it." [Amazon Prime]
Solo: A Star Wars Story (Netflix Rating 2/5 | Quality Rating 1.5/4) "Just bad. No build up to anything." [Theater]

Contact

Email any suggestions or questions to thejamesmadison.aos at symbol gmail dot com.

I've also archived all the old posts here, by request. I'll add new posts a week after they originally post at the HQ.

And, please, visit my website.

My second collection of short stories goes on sale now June 1.

Posted by: OregonMuse at 07:17 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Oh thank goodness.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:08 PM (qJtVm)

2 Ya beat me, Eris.

Posted by: RI Red at May 26, 2018 07:09 PM (8z1xZ)

3 Saw The Patriot in England, in the theater. Half full when it started; about six people left at the end.

Posted by: Muggings Gone Wrong, Inc. at May 26, 2018 07:10 PM (92RO1)

4 . . . but first you will blow me.

Posted by: Mad Mel at May 26, 2018 07:11 PM (bjCNA)

5 Yes, the Patriot is so Hollywood its not funny

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:11 PM (aC6Sd)

6 The Patriot is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Posted by: What's a Seawolf? at May 26, 2018 07:12 PM (KCgrJ)

7 Mentioned last night in the Memorial Day thread:

War Horse

A very fine movie about the life of a horse in WWI.

A great flick.

I dare you to watch it dry eyed. Can't be done.

Posted by: navybrat at May 26, 2018 07:12 PM (w7KSn)

8 Just watched 1994's "The Puppet Masters" about space slugs that attach to the spine and control humans, as they are wont to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yOz2w5IymM

Not a bad little B movie, although I gather the film is nowhere near as good as the original Heinlein story (is it ever?).

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:12 PM (qJtVm)

9 When I saw the 2nd (?) Potter movie, I spend the first half trying to remember where I saw the actor playing Malfoy, Sr. I was convinced it had to be as a German officer.

Posted by: George LeS at May 26, 2018 07:12 PM (59GGI)

10 Hiya

Posted by: JT at May 26, 2018 07:13 PM (ojwL9)

11 Ya beat me, Eris.
---
OregonMuse graciously announced the thread without planting the FOIST! flag himself.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:13 PM (qJtVm)

12 But Black Hawk Down is very realistic from what I have read, actually if anything a Mogadishu vet said there isn't enough RPGs flying around.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:14 PM (aC6Sd)

13 Love Black Hawk Down but that scene you're talking about? Eric Bana chews the same spoonful of rice or whatever that is for almost a minute.

You will never be able to un-see that now. You're welcome.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:14 PM (fZuhk)

14 I've read people who call the movie jingoistic (which makes no sense)
and racist (we don't get to know any of the brown people), but the
arguments make little sense since the movie isn't about policy or even
America and it is about the experiences of the men who lived the event.

---

At least three of the men should've been gay and one a woman. No, three gay, one gay guy a crossdresser, and one gay guy a woman. Wait, no, three men should've been gay, one a crossdresser, one a nutcase who demands everyone calls him a woman, and one a woman.

You know, to better represent the actual percentages of the population.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - I choose to live my life as a black woman at May 26, 2018 07:14 PM (VgKNm)

15 11 Ya beat me, Eris.
---
OregonMuse graciously announced the thread without planting the FOIST! flag himself.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:13 PM (qJtVm)

======

He never goes for first rights, but sometimes I write something that he must respond to so he plants a paragraph or two in the first comment.

It's literally the only way he responds to the content. He lets me write what I want, and for that I thank him.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:14 PM (u8L+n)

16 >The first twenty minutes of this movie are some of the best filmmaking Steven Spielberg has ever done.

One D-Day vet said the only thing they missed was the smell.

Posted by: golfman at May 26, 2018 07:15 PM (If3tB)

17 Memorial Day movies., The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan and the Passion, because it ain't just about Easter.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:15 PM (SOMFK)

18 Seabiscuit is as much a war movie as War Horse.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:17 PM (SOMFK)

19 Not a bad little B movie, although I gather the film is nowhere near as good as the original Heinlein story (is it ever?)."

Futurama's Brain Slugs, which attached to people and lived off their mental energy. Fry is able to break free of their influence, because the one that attached to his brain starved to death.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:17 PM (V2Yro)

20 My morning bike ride went by the Tavern Movie theater and out in front there were around 5 guys in full storm trooper gear.
The Tavern Movie theater is a place you go get a full meal w/ waitresses and tables and watch the movie playing. Never went there yet. We could have seen Dunkirk but I didn't want distractions.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:17 PM (aC6Sd)

21 Currently watching "The Green Berets" on AMC. It's memorial Day weekend and John Wayne's birthday. Happy birthday, Duke!

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:18 PM (ANIFC)

22 "Wake Island".

Made in 1942, just months after the actual battle. The pre-war scenes mesh well with the actual battle story.

The Marines trying to skate and shirk work/inspections when they can is funny too....some things never change.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 07:18 PM (EoRCO)

23 I'm in for a movie that depicts Dresden.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:19 PM (SOMFK)

24 23 I'm in for a movie that depicts Dresden.
Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:19 PM (SOMFK)

======

I'm thinking a song and dance affair.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:20 PM (u8L+n)

25 Can't speak to Memorial Day movies--sorry--but my favourite war movie is probably Gallipoli.

Posted by: Northernlurker but call me Teem. at May 26, 2018 07:20 PM (nBr1j)

26 Netflix dropped "The Longest Day" so now I have to go buy a copy

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:20 PM (ANIFC)

27 And no spoilers because I know some people are still actually watching the Star Wars movies, but I heard the latest one jumped the shark pretty badly. Like "non-superhero midget beating the sh*t out of dozens of grown men who have worked for years as professional killers" level of shark.

NO SPOILERS

Posted by: Moron Robbie - I choose to live my life as a black woman at May 26, 2018 07:21 PM (VgKNm)

28 Saving Private Ryan is three short movies in one.

The first is better than the second, the second is better than the third.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:21 PM (pV/54)

29 I really enjoyed Escape From Alcatraz. I don't have any goto movies for Memorial Day, however I enjoyed all but the Patriot but, that's because I've seen it.

Posted by: thathalfrican - OG LoG - Broke Minds Think Alike at May 26, 2018 07:21 PM (IYHxL)

30 #23 Does my sock link count, Ben?

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 07:21 PM (Evws/)

31 Seriously, the man has chops.

mmmm, chops

Posted by: Homer at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (EzdLW)

32 I thought The Patriot, Black Hawk Down, and Saving Private Ryan were all great movies. The only thing with The patriot was that Mel isn't moved to fight until something personal happens to him - just as with Braveheart. But that was a minor flaw. Once he starts killing, it's on.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (RPXrN)

33 I'm very happy that Amazon picked up "The Expanse" for Season 4. Apparently Space Dr. No is a big fan of the novels.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (qJtVm)

34 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk)

35 Horse Soldiers (book) and 12 Strong (movie) is what came to mind for this weekend.

1776 the movie musical is always appropriate. They knew what they were getting themselves into.

From pet thread earlier about war animals, there was some really interesting and touching story of a small horse in Korea (?) who achieved marine or army honors. Now I have to go look her up.

Posted by: mustbequantum at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (MIKMs)

36 TJMP- Actually what happens when you decide to kill your enemy.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (SOMFK)

37 32 I thought The Patriot, Black Hawk Down, and Saving Private Ryan were all great movies. The only thing with The patriot was that Mel isn't moved to fight until something personal happens to him - just as with Braveheart. But that was a minor flaw. Once he starts killing, it's on.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (RPXrN)

=====

He starts fighting out of selfish reasons, but comes around to fighting for the cause itself.

It's a good arc.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:23 PM (u8L+n)

38 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk)

Hamburger Hill.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:23 PM (RPXrN)

39 Enjoyed all of them except Black Hawk Down. That hit too close to some bad memories.

God bless us all.

Posted by: Drewbicle at May 26, 2018 07:23 PM (orVkZ)

40 The Longest Day until the very end is pretty much a historical account, its said the idea of blowing up the road block was used just to end it, but SPR end of the beach landing is more realistic with small and large groups working their way inward.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:23 PM (aC6Sd)

41 Hamburger Hill.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:23 PM (RPXrN)

Vietnam.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (fZuhk)

42 Ridley Scott gets back on my Good List for producing The Terror.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (qJtVm)

43 I watched "We Were Soldiers" when I was in the hospital with a guy who was there. He said it was pretty realistic.

Posted by: tu3031 at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (O5Q3r)

44 I understand some reticence of Hollywood to make movies about it, mostly because the battles aren't really built for cinema (armies marching towards each other and firing is rather flat visually),

--------

Have to disagree with you there. I think pre-Industrial Age battles would look great on film. You have colorful uniforms, cavalry charges, hand-to-hand combat. And battles of that era were conducted on a smaller stage, so one could take in the whole scope on screen. Modern battles are large and long, and a filmmaker can only focus on a small group of men, and lose the big picture (which was an oft-heard complaint about 'Dunkirk').

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (ANIFC)

45 41 Hamburger Hill.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:23 PM (RPXrN)

Vietnam.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (fZuhk)

======

MASH

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (u8L+n)

46 Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk)

Operation Chromite is on Netflix. I enjoyed it even though it's not expressly an American movie.

Posted by: thathalfrican - OG LoG - Broke Minds Think Alike at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (IYHxL)

47 Vietnam.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (fZuhk)

My mistake.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:25 PM (RPXrN)

48 There are lots of Korean war movies.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:25 PM (aC6Sd)

49 45 41 Hamburger Hill.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:23 PM (RPXrN)

Vietnam.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (fZuhk)

======

MASH
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (u8L+n)
---

Still Vietnam, kinda.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (qJtVm)

50 Can't speak to Memorial Day movies--sorry--but my favourite war movie is probably Gallipoli.
Posted by: Northernlurker but call me Teem. at May 26, 2018 07:20 PM (nBr1j)

Outstanding film.

As always, I have to use the caveat that this is not a movie per se, but Band of Brothers is the best war story ever filmed.

As for "actual" movies, Band of Brothers and Lone Survivor.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (Mkuv2)

51 The Patriot is Braveheart II.

The Brit colonel is a good villain, but can't compare to McGoohan's Longshanks.

And it's unfair that the one has Sophie Marceau, AND Catherine McCormack as an appetizer.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (pV/54)

52 Operation Chromite is on Netflix. I enjoyed it even though it's not expressly an American movie.
Posted by: thathalfrican - OG LoG - Broke Minds Think Alike at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (IYHxL)

Foreign is fine by me, Koreans know how to movie good. I'll put it on the list, thanks.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (fZuhk)

53 Die Lengste Tag. The casting in that movie is truly excellent, I didn't appreciate it until I had seen it several times. And the writing was spot on because of the advisers he used. Almost every character is based on someone who actually existed, even Werner Pluskat, the German officer in the bunker.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (V2Yro)

54 44 Have to disagree with you there. I think pre-Industrial Age battles would look great on film. You have colorful uniforms, cavalry charges, hand-to-hand combat. And battles of that era were conducted on a smaller stage, so one could take in the whole scope on screen. Modern battles are large and long, and a filmmaker can only focus on a small group of men, and lose the big picture (which was an oft-heard complaint about 'Dunkirk').
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (ANIFC)

=====

It's not just pre industrial age, but that narrow window when guns were in mass use but tactics were still not really changing because bullets were so inaccurate.

People don't understand why the lines remain once the firing starts.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (u8L+n)

55 I love Sergeant York. I was given it on VHS as a gift when I was having major back surgery at age 18. It really stuck with me.

But the family is currently watching The Alamo (the John Wayne version) kids seem to like it-even without all the modern cgi magic.

Posted by: TheMissusInTX at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (hN2IB)

56 BHD is probably in my top 10 war movies

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (aC6Sd)

57 49
MASH
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (u8L+n)
---

Still Vietnam, kinda.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (qJtVm)

=====

Only sorta.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (u8L+n)

58 I will binge watch "Band of Brothers" on Sunday.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (SOMFK)

59 "I don't think one black person is identified as an actual slave in the whole movie),"

Huh? Did you actually watch the movie?

Jay Arlen Jones character "Occam" is clearly identified as a slave. In fact his owner signs him over and Mel Gibson's character asks "Occam" if it's of his own admonition. Later I. The film during battle Donal Logues character, Dan Scott, who was earlier hassling "ocean" about being a slave tells him he's "free".

But yeah, "rose colored glasses" about the South or something. And by the way there is also an acknowledgment pictorially that about 25% of the patriots at The Battle of Yorktown, were African American.

Now don't even get me started about "Blackhawk Down". I have friends who participated in Gothic Serpent that laugh at the inaccuracies in that movie...

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (SeyTv)

60 34 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk)

Porkchop Hill. And several others, most of them sort of weird IMHO. I'll try to find the titles.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (AMIL/)

61 Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (fZuhk)

They really do, their spy movies are excellent IMO. Plus their martial arts flicks - which is my favorite genre - are really up there with anything the East puts out.

Posted by: thathalfrican - OG LoG - Broke Minds Think Alike at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (IYHxL)

62 MASH
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (u8L+n)

Is that a feature-length version of the TV show, or a legit war movie in its own right? I've never seen it (and I could never get into the show).

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:28 PM (fZuhk)

63 Manchurian Candidate for Korea.

A war no one wanted to remember.

We still want to remember Vietnam, for different reasons.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:28 PM (pV/54)

64 Have to disagree with you there. I think pre-Industrial Age battles would look great on film. You have colorful uniforms, cavalry charges, hand-to-hand combat. And battles of that era were conducted on a smaller stage, so one could take in the whole scope on screen."

Sharpe's Rifles did a great job with their Napoleonic War battles, and they only had a fraction of the budget that the big moviemakers have.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:28 PM (V2Yro)

65

Wonder Woman is on.
Debra Winger is little Wonder Woman girl in this episode.

Posted by: Soothsayer -- Fake Commenter at May 26, 2018 07:28 PM (e5LQi)

66 Love the Patriot. Jason Isaacs turned the evil to eleven. He's also my favorite Captain Hook.

Posted by: Gem at May 26, 2018 07:28 PM (XoAz8)

67 I blame the demon liquor, but what I meant to type is Black Hawk Down and Lone Survivor.

Old Elk is hella good bourbon.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (Mkuv2)

68 59 "I don't think one black person is identified as an actual slave in the whole movie),"

Huh? Did you actually watch the movie?

Jay Arlen Jones character "Occam" is clearly identified as a slave. In fact his owner signs him over and Mel Gibson's character asks "Occam" if it's of his own admonition. Later I. The film during battle Donal Logues character, Dan Scott, who was earlier hassling "ocean" about being a slave tells him he's "free".

But yeah, "rose colored glasses" about the South or something. And by the way there is also an acknowledgment pictorially that about 25% of the patriots at The Battle of Yorktown, were African American.

Now don't even get me started about "Blackhawk Down". I have friends who participated in Gothic Serpent that laugh at the inaccuracies in that movie...

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (SeyTv)

======

You're right. The main black guy is indeed a slave.

But not another. Mel's farm goes it of its way to identify as worked by freemen.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (u8L+n)

69 The Great Wall

Just read the synopsis for it at IMDb. All I can think is FFS. And here are the top 5 plot keywords:
great wall of china
female general
monster
mercenary
gunpowder

Appears to have bombed domestically, but made a sh*t ton of money overseas, though.

Posted by: Homer at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (EzdLW)

70
People don't understand why the lines remain once the firing starts.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:26 PM (u8L+n)

I don't understand why they didn't use any sort of protection. Light suits of armor or light shields to protect the lines, at least somewhat. Something.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (RPXrN)

71 d'oh ! off sock

Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (EzdLW)

72 Inchon was a movie about Korea, but I never saw it. Said to suck

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (pV/54)

73 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk)

"Pork Chop Hill".

Bayonet charge too.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (EoRCO)

74 It's too late for saving Ryan's privates. We confiscated them and gave them to the Democrats.

Posted by: chamber of commerce at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (/qEW2)

75
The Steel Helmet
Pork Chop Hill
The Bridges at Toko Ri

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at May 26, 2018 07:30 PM (IqV8l)

76 38 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk)

Hamburger Hill.

~~~~

I believe you are thinking Of Pork Chop Hill.

Posted by: fluffy at May 26, 2018 07:30 PM (cHbmY)

77 Porkchop Hill. And several others, most of them sort of weird IMHO. I'll try to find the titles.
Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (AMIL/)

I wonder if that was the one TPOP was thinking of maybe?

They really do, their spy movies are excellent IMO. Plus their martial arts flicks - which is my favorite genre - are really up there with anything the East puts out.
Posted by: thathalfrican - OG LoG - Broke Minds Think Alike at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (IYHxL)

One of my favorite horror flicks is R-Point, a sort of lost patrol K-horror set during Vietnam. Really good movie if you liked the feel of Jacob's Ladder or Silent Hill on PlayStation.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:30 PM (fZuhk)

78 I think there's a movie about the Inchon landing.

:hurries to IMDB:

Yup. "Inchon." 1981.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:30 PM (ANIFC)

79 Watched Infinity War today.
What do you call killing half of everyone - bicimation?

Also seen, on Netflix:

Anon - decent SF movie
Evil Genius - documentary about evil crazy perps and FBI fail

Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 07:31 PM (hMwEB)

80 Porkchop Hill.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (AMIL/)

That's the one I was thinking of!

Hamburger ... Porkchop ... close enough.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:31 PM (RPXrN)

81 "Bad News Bears" is one of my favorite movies and I happen to be watching right now.

Walter Mathau was a national treasure.

Posted by: Eustace Haverkamp at May 26, 2018 07:31 PM (C1NyB)

82 72 Inchon was a movie about Korea, but I never saw it. Said to suck
Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (pV/54)
---
A bunch of us saw it when I was in the Navy because some people we knew were extras (one of my instructors).

Not "bad", but kind of stilted and leaden.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:31 PM (qJtVm)

83 Korea War movies: One off the top of my head, not a weird one: The Bridges at Toko Ri. Naval aviation, not ground combat.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 07:31 PM (AMIL/)

84 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.
Posted by: hogmartin

Pork Chop Hill with Gregory Peck and very young Rip Torn. Also, there's an officer that just happens to be Japanese, but they didn't make a big deal about it. Just showed him as a soldier doing impossible duty. Good flick.

Also, I rewatched Midway today and I can't for the life of me understand why Hollywood has not given this battle a better treatment. So important and the events are almost unbelievable. I'd like to see it.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (+Tibp)

85 Is BoB on a tv channel Sunday? I mostly love the first few to Night of Nights and Bastogne

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (aC6Sd)

86 Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:30 PM (fZuhk)

I'll check that out. I enjoyed Train to Busan which was a zombie flick but I thought they did a good job keeping the tension up.

Posted by: thathalfrican - OG LoG - Broke Minds Think Alike at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (IYHxL)

87 Hamburger Hill and We Were Soldiers were the only Vietnam movies that did not suck serious balls.

The Parris Island portion of Full Metal Jacket was good, the second half was less so.

Apocalypse Now is kind of a separate entity, IMO.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (Mkuv2)

88 MASH is a Vietnam movie set in Korea because the studio didn't want to make a Vietnam movie. But the filmmakers did everything they could to tell you it was really Vietnam, including putting all the extras in coolie hats.

Posted by: Rusty Nail at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (S8YVh)

89 Speaking of Wonder Woman, I discovered that the queen lady of MILF Island was the MILF (literally, that was probably what she was named in the credits) of one of Max's classmates in Rushmore. She's the gorgeous blonde in the convertible. You know the one.

I'd probably choose her over Wonder Woman, but I have a thing for beautiful older women.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - I choose to live my life as a black woman at May 26, 2018 07:33 PM (VgKNm)

90 The first twenty minutes of this movie are some of the best filmmaking Steven Spielberg has ever done.

Felt the same way about Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds." The first 20 minutes (at the French farmhouse) had me on the edge of my seat.

Then the rest of the movie was just uninteresting revenge pr0n. What a disappointment.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at May 26, 2018 07:34 PM (ITfBP)

91 A list of Korean War movies...a lot more than I thought!

https://preview.tinyurl.com/yck4gol2

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 07:34 PM (AMIL/)

92 I just read an article about how Richard Hooker (pen name...forgot his real one) absolutely hated what Alan Alda and the TV series did to his books (really, memoirs, since he was a surgeon in a MASH unit).

Posted by: Gem at May 26, 2018 07:34 PM (XoAz8)

93 s BoB on a tv channel Sunday? I mostly love the first few to Night of Nights and Bastogne
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (aC6Sd)

BoB is (was?) on Amazon Prime, along with The Pacific and stacks of other HBO stuff.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:34 PM (fZuhk)

94 I don't understand why they didn't use any sort of protection. Light suits of armor or light shields to protect the lines, at least somewhat. Something."

The guns being carried were at least .50 caliber, and the famous "Brown Bess" muzzleloader was a .75 caliber. Terribly inaccurate, but when it *did* hit they packed a hell of a punch, and would tear through any wearable armor. So there was no point in weighing a man down with it.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:34 PM (V2Yro)

95 For R. Lee Ermey:

https://terminallance.com/2018/04/17/terminal-lance-legends-never-die/

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:34 PM (qJtVm)

96 Sharpe's Rifles did a great job with their Napoleonic War battles, and they only had a fraction of the budget that the big moviemakers have.
Posted by: Tom Servo

I like Master and Commander, too.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (+Tibp)

97 andycanuk, I'm not ignoring you but there are some things I just can't open.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (SOMFK)

98 80 Porkchop Hill.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 07:27 PM (AMIL/)

That's the one I was thinking of!

Hamburger ... Porkchop ... close enough.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:31 PM (RPXrN)

Boned Rolled Pig Institutional Meat Food Hill

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (ANIFC)

99 And he got shafted in the pay area, too, IIRC. Maybe $500 an episode.

Posted by: Gem at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (XoAz8)

100 Wouldn't "Bounty" count as an English are assholes movie?

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at May 26, 2018 07:36 PM (bdx0K)

101 Boned Rolled Pig Institutional Meat Food Hill
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (ANIFC)
---

If this isn't an actual anime title, it's a baseball team out of Hokkaido.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:37 PM (qJtVm)

102 Felt the same way about Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds." The first 20 minutes (at the French farmhouse) had me on the edge of my seat.

Then the rest of the movie was just uninteresting revenge pr0n. What a disappointment.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at May 26, 2018 07:34 PM (ITfBP)

I'm in pretty much total agreement, here. I liked a little more of the beginning than just 20 minutes but the movie fell apart pretty quickly. That's normal for Tarantino crap.

And I hate the stupid narration he likes to do for his movies. It's just friggin annoying as all get-out. That and the ridiculous "chapters". What a load.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:37 PM (RPXrN)

103 Movie for Memorial Day?

Taking Chance is very very good. The Best Years of Our Lives is excellent too.

Posted by: Puddleglum at May 26, 2018 07:37 PM (pY+s4)

104 Best horse and musket battle scenes... "Barry Lyndon" (and the manoeuvres parade in England) although they weren't perfectly accurate either.

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 07:37 PM (Evws/)

105 100 Wouldn't "Bounty" count as an English are assholes movie?
Posted by: Jeff Weimer at May 26, 2018 07:36 PM (bdx0K)

======

Wasn't Mel's character also British?

I think that takes off at least half a point.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:37 PM (u8L+n)

106 Felt the same way about Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds." The first 20 minutes (at the French farmhouse) had me on the edge of my seat.

Christophe Woltz I think played the villain who is one of the most memorable to me. He and Clarence Bodikker from RoboCop. I really hated those guys.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:37 PM (+Tibp)

107 A good Vietnam War flick is "Platoon Leader".

Some hokey scenes, but the battle of will with the VC/PAVN is pretty good.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (EoRCO)

108 I'm in for a movie that depicts Dresden.
Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:19 PM (SOMFK)

I've never seen it, but I see on wikipedia that there was a Slaughterhouse 5 film adaptation in '72.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (/qEW2)

109 Where do we get such men?

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (QLvwG)

110 "Just watched 1994's "The Puppet Masters" about space slugs that attach to the spine and control humans, as they are wont to do"

How absurd. Who comes up with these weird ideas?

Posted by: HRC at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (UdKB7)

111 I can't bring myself to watch Black Hawk Down. Knowing the circumstances I would be in a towering rage at the political cluster fuck that led to their needless deaths.

If I watch a Memorial Day movie, it will probably be The Longest Day. Second choice would be Ike: Countdown to D-Day with Tom Selleck.

Posted by: JTB at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (V+03K)

112 88 MASH is a Vietnam movie set in Korea because the studio didn't want to make a Vietnam movie. But the filmmakers did everything they could to tell you it was really Vietnam, including putting all the extras in coolie hats.
Posted by: Rusty Nail at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (S8YVh)

You mean they don't wear coolie hats in Korea? Next you're going to tell me that Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese and not the Nazis or that the Television wasn't invented until 1947.

Posted by: Joey Bidet at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (vW8Mk)

113 I have read only 1 of the Sharpe series books, should get into them as its my prime interest, maybe because in Napoleonic land warfare I read historical accounts.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (aC6Sd)

114 "But not another. Mel's farm goes it of its way to identify as worked by freemen."

The story of African Americans in the Revolution is another movie. That wasn't the story they were telling. Otherwise you would be starting at The Boston Massacre with Crispus Attucks, moving along to patriots like Salem Poor or Peter Salem and talking about the 9,000 African Americans who served in the Revolution.

Conversely you may talk about how the British were encouraging African Americans to join them to gain freedom.

Again, that's another complex Story.

We'll have to disagree. I see no evidence they went "out of their way". It was historically accurate for a film.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (SeyTv)

115 Appears to have bombed domestically, but made a sh*t ton of money overseas, though.
Posted by: Homer at May 26, 2018 07:29 PM (EzdLW)

Saw it. Utter crap.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:39 PM (U7voe)

116 I don't understand why they didn't use any sort of protection. Light suits of armor or light shields to protect the lines, at least somewhat. Something."

------

Firearms were developed during the age of armor. Firearms won that argument. Though there were elite cavalry units that wore armored helmets & chestplates called "currassiers." The armor was mainly ornamental, though it could protect against the sabers & lances of other horsemen

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:39 PM (ANIFC)

117 I've never seen it, but I see on wikipedia that there was a Slaughterhouse 5 film adaptation in '72.
Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear

Yep, it's true.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:39 PM (+Tibp)

118 My niece commented that everyone was silent at the end of "Avengers: Infinity War."

I replied "So, you never saw 'Saving Private Ryan' in a theater?"

No.

Posted by: JAS at May 26, 2018 07:40 PM (ii30j)

119 William Bligh made admiral

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:41 PM (aC6Sd)

120 Historical Korean War factoid.

The Chinese had spies on the docks in Japan and inventoried what was getting shipped to the front. They did a psychological profile of MacArthur, and his grandiosity. Put it together and warned Fat Boy's grandpa that the UN would do an amphibious attack at Inchon, which he dismissed as crazy talk.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:41 PM (pV/54)

121 Would all of Star Wars count as "English are Assholes" movies?

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:41 PM (V2Yro)

122 I can't bring myself to watch Black Hawk Down.
Knowing the circumstances I would be in a towering rage at the political
cluster fuck that led to their needless deaths.

If I watch a Memorial Day movie, it will probably be The Longest
Day. Second choice would be Ike: Countdown to D-Day with Tom Selleck.

Posted by: JTB at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (V+03K)

A word of advice then, don't watch 13 Hours either.

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 07:41 PM (QLvwG)

123 Family movie time -

My dad, wwii vet, was a big fan of A Midnight Clear on this weekend . Might be in a Turner station rotation now.

re Scott fanboism -

I was there until Prometheus. That movie was some sort of whack revenge against fans or something. AvP was better, and nearly identical stories.

Posted by: Gooshy at May 26, 2018 07:42 PM (D0SjQ)

124 Taking Chance, highly recommended.

Posted by: navybrat at May 26, 2018 07:42 PM (w7KSn)

125 117 I've never seen it, but I see on wikipedia that there was a Slaughterhouse 5 film adaptation in '72.
Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear

Yep, it's true."

I've seen it. It was... odd.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:42 PM (V2Yro)

126 23 I'm in for a movie that depicts Dresden.
Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:19 PM (SOMFK)

Slaughterhouse-Five.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 07:42 PM (sdi6R)

127 Boned Rolled Pig Institutional Meat Food Hill
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (ANIFC)

Mechanically Separated Chicken Hill

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:42 PM (U7voe)

128 You mean they don't wear coolie hats in Korea? Next you're going to tell me that Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese and not the Nazis or that the Television wasn't invented until 1947.
Posted by: Joey Bidet at May 26, 2018 07:38 PM (vW8Mk)

I'm pretty sure the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

Posted by: Senator John Blutarsky at May 26, 2018 07:43 PM (ANIFC)

129 I've seen it. It was... odd.
Posted by: Tom Servo

Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:43 PM (+Tibp)

130 #97 That's okay, Ben, it was a news story from two days ago about a bunch of apartments etc. being evacuated in Dresden due to an unexploded bomb being uncovered.

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 07:43 PM (Evws/)

131 Speaking of Blackhawl Down, I stood 2 feet away from the rotor recovered from Super 61 just yesterday at the Special Ops and Airborne museum down by Bragg.

Posted by: Oedipus at May 26, 2018 07:43 PM (4C/Be)

132 Processed Cheese Food Product Hill

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 07:43 PM (QLvwG)

133 28 Saving Private Ryan is three short movies in one.

The first is better than the second, the second is better than the third.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:21 PM (pV/54)

>> Thanks for this, Ignoramus. I never thought of it this way, but it perfectly describes my take on it, now that you put this concept into words. I enjoy watching the first two parts but can't watch the last one anymore. Can't describe why. Too sad is part of it.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 07:43 PM (AMIL/)

134 103

I agree Taking Chance was very well done.

Posted by: Hrothgar at May 26, 2018 07:44 PM (n9EOP)

135 I saw Kimchi Hill

It stunk

Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 07:44 PM (EzdLW)

136 I watch 13 Hours about once a month . My hate knows no bounds.

Posted by: Ben Had at May 26, 2018 07:44 PM (SOMFK)

137 127 Boned Rolled Pig Institutional Meat Food Hill
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (ANIFC)

Mechanically Separated Chicken Hill
Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:42 PM (U7voe)

Lean Finely Textured Beef Hill

Posted by: Surfperch at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (vW8Mk)

138 Is "The Patriot" about Gibson portraying Francis Marion, the Swamp ox?

Posted by: Farmer at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (yJ1e6)

139 I replied "So, you never saw 'Saving Private Ryan' in a theater?"

No.

Posted by: JAS at May 26, 2018 07:40 PM (ii30j)

I watched it in a theater. As it ended, you could hear a pin drop. I went outside, sat down on the edge of a storm detention basin and bawled. I had never experienced anything like it.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (Mkuv2)

140 I will not see another movie in the Alien franchise, and I was a yuge fangirl. Covenant didn't kill the series -- Prometheus did that -- but it did dig up the body, reanimate the corpse, and kill it again.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (qJtVm)

141 Now hear this:

Svengoolie is showing Tanantulas: The Deadly Cargo

That is all.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (+Tibp)

142 122 ... Count, Thanks for the warning abut 13 Hours. These may be brilliant films but I can't get past the recent circumstances.

Posted by: JTB at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (V+03K)

143 12 o'clock High

Probably one of the best war films ever. We still use it for leadership training.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (SeyTv)

144 Porkchop Hill,

MASH

Posted by: JAS at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (ii30j)

145 62 MASH
Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:24 PM (u8L+n)

Is that a feature-length version of the TV show, or a legit war movie in its own right? I've never seen it (and I could never get into the show).

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:28 PM (fZuhk)

++++

First was the book, then the movie, then the TV series.

The movie was top-drawer. Robert Altman directed. Recommend.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (pvjTE)

146 I couldn't watch BHD until after I read the book by the Blackhawk pilot who was captured .

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (aC6Sd)

147 Scrolling up and addressing some things.

MASH was a feature movie before there was a TV show. Sally Kellerman got naked, Loretta Swit did not.

I am a complete Tarantino fanboi, I loved Inglorious Basterds.

(He has gone downhill since his longtime editor Sally Menke died. There's no more restraining influence on him.)

The scene in Basterds where they fight in a basement is brilliant. The whole movie is 20 minutes of talking leading up to 1 minute of horrific violence. The violence is a punctuation.

Michael Fassbener's accent was off. I was paying attention very closely to see if it slipped at any point, what was the giveaway? And it didn't, it stayed off to just the same degree. And then it turns out it was the way he held three fingers up. I thought that was brilliant.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 07:46 PM (fuK7c)

148 137 127 Boned Rolled Pig Institutional Meat Food Hill
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:35 PM (ANIFC)

Mechanically Separated Chicken Hill
Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:42 PM (U7voe)

Lean Finely Textured Beef Hill
Posted by: Surfperch at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (vW8Mk)

Extruded Pork Analog Hill

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:46 PM (qJtVm)

149 Bubba Clinton when President - Blackhawk Down
Hillary Clinton as SOS - 13 Hours

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 07:46 PM (QLvwG)

150 Slaughterhouse 5, the movie - comparing it to movies of that time period, let just say that Zardoz was a movie that was far more rational, reasonable, and easy to follow.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:46 PM (V2Yro)

151 85 Is BoB on a tv channel Sunday? I mostly love the first few to Night of Nights and Bastogne
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:32 PM (aC6Sd)

BoB is just all-around fantastic. I've watched it at least four times from beginning to end. Music is great, too.

Just looked up the composer, Michael Kamen, dec'd. Also did Brazil, Three Musketeers, Highlander, Die Hard, The Iron Giant, Frequency, and From Earth to the Moon.

Posted by: Gem at May 26, 2018 07:46 PM (XoAz8)

152 Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.
The book I've read, haven't seen the movie.
The book vaguely relates Mr. Vonnegut's own experience during WWII European Theater, via a fictitious third person.
It was a difficult read for me, because it made huge chronological jumps.

Posted by: navybrat at May 26, 2018 07:47 PM (w7KSn)

153 12 o'clock High

Probably one of the best war films ever. We still use it for leadership training.
Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (SeyTv)

Seconded. Well, I don't know about the leadership training, but it's a good movie.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:47 PM (U7voe)

154 Korean War? Watch The Bridges at Tokyo Ri.

Yeah, some of that 50's romance stuff. But the storyline is good.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:47 PM (SeyTv)

155 I watched the 20 minute clip of Saving Private Ryan. That's the first time I've seen it since I saw the movie in the theater.

For those who don't know, you can watch YouTube videos in HD and full screen.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 07:47 PM (sdi6R)

156 Last week talked about DANTON, I saw it shortly after it came out but Sunday watched it again, well worth it.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:47 PM (aC6Sd)

157 134 103

I agree Taking Chance was very well done.
Posted by: Hrothgar at May 26, 2018 07:44 PM (n9EOP)

Good call. Taking Chance is the perfect Memorial Day movie. Kevin Bacon was a good casting choice.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 07:47 PM (Mkuv2)

158 The Last of the Mohicans was a good war movie. Pre Revolutionary War.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 07:48 PM (pvjTE)

159 What always pissed me off about Blackhawk Down was that Les Aspin, Defence Sec at the time, should have been hung, drawn, and quartered for setting up that entire fiasco. At least he had the good grace to die a few months later, on his own.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:48 PM (V2Yro)

160 Has there been a Revolutionary War movie about Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys? He seems like a character well-suited for dramatic portrayal (Full disclosure, I may or may not be a distant relative.)

Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 07:48 PM (EzdLW)

161 Patriot - I liked Jasoon Isaacs in it a lot

Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 07:48 PM (hMwEB)

162 "Mechanically Separated Chicken Hill"

This is getting too close to home.

Posted by: Hybrid Human Chicken Nugget at May 26, 2018 07:48 PM (UdKB7)

163 147.

(He has gone downhill since his longtime editor Sally Menke died. There's no more restraining influence on him.)

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 07:46 PM (fuK7c)

=======

His movies have begin to feel more like short novels in film form, and I love that.

The Hateful Eight has so much room to breathe life into its characters. I love to revel in that.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:48 PM (u8L+n)

164 119 William Bligh made admiral
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 07:41 PM (aC6Sd)

And found himself the center of another mutiny, The Rum Rebellion of 1808. Bligh was appointed governor of New South Wales (now Australia), and soon after conflict developed between he & the colonists. 400 soldiers of the NSW army mutinied & overthrew Bligh & declared a republic, which lasted for two years before the British came back to restore Crown rule.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:49 PM (ANIFC)

165 Has there been a Revolutionary War movie about Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys?

I seem to recall a movie with Burt Lancaster. Maybe from the 1940's?

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:49 PM (+Tibp)

166 I may not make any friends saying this here, but Tarantino (IMO) has become a jerkoff who's in love with the sound of his own voice.

I'm also waiting for the SJW crowd to realize he says "ni**er" eighty thousand times in every movie he makes and Unperson him.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:49 PM (U7voe)

167 Kurt Vonnegut was very pleased with the film adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 07:49 PM (sdi6R)

168 Covenant didn't kill the series -- Prometheus did that
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (qJtVm)

Never saw Covenant, but I would wade through a mile of Prometheus swamp if I could listen to that score while doing so. That was the best part of the whole thing.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (fZuhk)

169 161 Patriot - I liked Jasoon Isaacs in it a lot
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 07:48 PM (hMwEB)

======

This makes me wonder about your taste in men...

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (u8L+n)

170 I hope Mel Gibsons next movie in the evil Brit series is about the Reptilian queen

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (/VB9J)

171 "What always pissed me off about Blackhawk Down was that Les Aspin, Defence Sec at the time, should have been hung, drawn, and quartered for setting up that entire fiasco. At least he had the good grace to die a few months later, on his own."

Clinton is the person who should have been hung. We requested armor and more overwatch. He refused for the sake of appearances.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (SeyTv)

172 Okay, not a war movie about any of the wars mentioned, but I love Zulu. You have screw ups that come through when they need to. You have comrades in arms. You have respect for a foe that puts up a good fight. It's just a good movie.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (Lqy/e)

173 Kurt Vonnegut was very pleased with the film adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five."

Of course he was - the movie was insane in exactly the same way he was.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (V2Yro)

174 "Michael Fassbener's accent was off."

Fassbender's father is German, and his mother Irish. He grew up in County Kerry, but spent lots of time in Germany and learned the language.

I'm sure he (or his agent) made a point of this when he went for the role.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (pV/54)

175 Is "The Patriot" about Gibson portraying Francis Marion, the Swamp ox?

Posted by: Farmer at May 26, 2018 07:45 PM (yJ1e6)

I think he was supposed to be, in large part, Daniel Morgan, too.

Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (RPXrN)

176 What's BoB?

Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (hMwEB)

177 Posted by: Notsothoreau at May 26, 2018 07:50 PM (Lqy/e)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSEU5zHgcTc

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (U7voe)

178 What's BoB?
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (hMwEB)

Band of Brothers.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (fZuhk)

179 The royals are worthless leaches maybe Mel can feature that aspect of their uselessness

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (/VB9J)

180 Agree on Zulu.

Posted by: Eromero at May 26, 2018 07:52 PM (zLDYs)

181 Emulsied Pork Sausage Hill

Posted by: Surfperch at May 26, 2018 07:52 PM (vW8Mk)

182 g'early evenin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at May 26, 2018 07:52 PM (KCxzN)

183 " but I love Zulu. "

So do I. Michael Caine's first role. A cockney plays an upper crust Brit. That's acting

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 07:52 PM (pV/54)

184 I finally saw Last Jedi last night. Boy, am I glad I didn't pay to see it in a theater. The whole thing was utterly derivative, unengrossing, and a general snoozefest. Daisy Ridley is cute, in a Keira Knightly way, but doesn't have the presence to carry a movie. The only thing I got from Mark Hamill was a reminder that he isn't a very good actor. Kylo Ren is just a pretty boy, who happens to not be pretty, but rather is just odd looking.

Mostly, though, the problem was that the plot and dialog stank on ice on stilts. I was looking at my watch 30 minutes in.

Maybe it's me, because I'm older and look for something more, but I don't think so. There is virtually nothing put out by Hollywood that interests me, or holds my attention. I think it's that they can no longer write movies for adults. It's all formula, and a bad one at that.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 07:52 PM (LAe3v)

185 I may not make any friends saying this here, but Tarantino (IMO) has
become a jerkoff who's in love with the sound of his own voice.

---

I stopped caring after whatever was after Pulp Fiction. A couple of movies after that I realized he hadn't really grown any as a filmmaker and was instead relying on all the same things that made Reservoir Dogs cool. Which is fine, because young kids will watch Reservoir Dogs IX and get the same feeling I got when I thought Reservoir Dogs was edgy and cool, but jeez, man. You've got blank checks to make good movies. Show us what else you've got.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - I choose to live my life as a black woman at May 26, 2018 07:52 PM (VgKNm)

186 I love Shaving Ryan's Privates!

Posted by: Shep! at May 26, 2018 07:53 PM (ANIFC)

187 From Here to Eternity coming up on TCM

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:53 PM (+Tibp)

188 HBO The Pacific. My Dad, & coupla uncles were WWII marines. They wouldnt talk about those days. Except for one who served with Jonathon Winters, apparently combat did not make him less funny.

Posted by: BluesFish at May 26, 2018 07:53 PM (5iPef)

189 Fassbender's father is German, and his mother Irish. He grew up in County Kerry, but spent lots of time in Germany and learned the language.

Yes. He's apparently reticent about using it in real life. I read an interview with him in which the German interviewer prodded him to speak German and he refused.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 07:53 PM (fuK7c)

190 176 What's BoB?
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (hMwEB)

Band of Brothers. The singular best thing ever to come from HBO. Read the book as well. Written by the late Stephen Ambrose. The story of E Co. 2nd Bn, 506th, 101st Airborne.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 07:54 PM (Mkuv2)

191 Imitation Pork Patty made of Soy Hill.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 07:54 PM (EoRCO)

192 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk)

I am going to guess that the Korean war movies made by Koreans are incredibly dark, grim, and every main character either dies or will clearly die in the scene just after the credits.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 26, 2018 07:54 PM (2K6fY)

193 Mel to any of the royals:
But first... wait, wtf am I saying??

GTFOOH

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:54 PM (/VB9J)

194 166 I may not make any friends saying this here, but Tarantino (IMO) has become a jerkoff who's in love with the sound of his own voice.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:49 PM (U7voe)

Yeah, I saw one or two of his early movies, then lost interest. "Violence porn" seems to be an apt description from what I've seen.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 07:54 PM (sdi6R)

195 The royals are worthless leaches maybe Mel can feature that aspect of their uselessness
Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:51 PM (/VB9J)

It'll be called First Do No Harm. It'll star Mel trying to rescue his dual citizen grandson from an NHS hospital.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:55 PM (U7voe)

196 Clinton is the person who should have been hung. We requested armor and more overwatch. He refused for the sake of appearances."

We see things the same way - how I understand the way it went down was that Clinton was concerned with matters here in the States and really wasn't paying any attention to, and didn't really want to have anything to do with, what was happening overseas. He just figured it would all be good, and it fell to Les Aspin to make all the operational decisions, including the order denying armor to the troops there.

Les Aspin had been a military hating shit for his entire career, and then Clinton made him Defense Secretary. Okay, they both should have been hung right there.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:55 PM (V2Yro)

197 Swamp Ox, Swamp Ox, horns on his hat... nobody knows where the Swamp Ox at...

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 07:55 PM (Evws/)

198 85 Is BoB on a tv channel Sunday?

amc about 4AM pacific

Posted by: Anachronda at May 26, 2018 07:56 PM (6kSmr)

199 Skip

William Bligh was in command for 4, yes FOUR! mutinies. His command of HMS Bounty was too lax, and he had no marines attached.

He was Cook's Navigator, and a highly skilled one. He excelled with little hope.

I think no other officer could have brought a launch and 13 men to safety, traveling 4,000 miles over the Pacific ocean. 1 was killed by natives, and 5 others died from malnutrition after reaching Timor.

7 inches of freeboard. *Shiver*

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 26, 2018 07:56 PM (hyuyC)

200 A few good WWI silents:

Wings
The Big Parade

I haven't seen the Lost Battalion but it sounds interesting.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at May 26, 2018 07:56 PM (Lqy/e)

201 Meesa still most admired performer in Star Wars.

Posted by: Jar Jar Binks at May 26, 2018 07:56 PM (DMUuz)

202 Yeah, I saw one or two of his early movies, then lost interest. "Violence porn" seems to be an apt description from what I've seen."

Last movie of his that I liked was the original "From Dusk to Dawn" - and yeah, that movie literally is Violence Porn.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 07:57 PM (V2Yro)

203 187 - they really sanitized the action from the book on which it was based. The 50s

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:57 PM (/VB9J)

204 And my old Pappy Eromero told me that Saving Private Ryan was pretty damn close to what it was really like.
PVT. W.A. Eromero29th Inf Div 6JUN1044

Posted by: Eromero at May 26, 2018 07:57 PM (zLDYs)

205
From Here to Eternity is on. The movie is much tamer than the first-edition novel, which is much tamer than the original version Jones wrote.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 07:57 PM (3ZK+G)

206 Monty Clift was SO miscast in Eternity

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:58 PM (/VB9J)

207 201 Meesa still most admired performer in Star Wars.
Posted by: Jar Jar Binks at May 26, 2018 07:56 PM (DMUuz)

More admired than anyone in Soylo, for sure.

Posted by: Surfperch at May 26, 2018 07:58 PM (vW8Mk)

208 The movie is much tamer than the first-edition novel, which is much tamer than the original version Jones wrote.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh

More nookie talk?

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 07:58 PM (+Tibp)

209 Dirty Dozen
Where Eagles Dare
Midway
Father Goose
Operation Petticoat
The Korean War movie where the guys get seperated from the main company, find a tank then are able to contact headquarters who then proceed to shell the hell out of the dirty Chink commies.

Posted by: MAGA at May 26, 2018 07:58 PM (LnOh3)

210 "Okay, they both should have been hung right there."

Completely agree. But the GO's tried to bring it up with Clinton in a briefing. He's made the call to go with Assholes decision. Than after our men were killed he pulled us back.

He should never be forgiven for that. He was probably the worst CinC ever.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:59 PM (SeyTv)

211 205 I dont know which version I read but it was pretty raw

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:59 PM (/VB9J)

212 198 85 Is BoB on a tv channel Sunday?

amc about 4AM pacific
Posted by: Anachronda at May 26, 2018 07:56 PM (6kSmr)

No, AMC is doing a Jaws marathon on Sunday.

Posted by: Shep! at May 26, 2018 07:59 PM (ANIFC)

213
More nookie talk?

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0

More Shep! talk.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 08:00 PM (3ZK+G)

214 "I'm also waiting for the SJW crowd to realize he says "ni**er" eighty thousand times in every movie he makes and Unperson him."

Before Hateful Eight came out, Tarantino bought an indulgence from BLM for his profligate use of the N word by agreeing to appear at a NYC rally. Then two NYPD got assassinated the week before.

Awkward.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 08:00 PM (pV/54)

215 Than after our men were killed he pulled us back.

He should never be forgiven for that. He was probably the worst CinC ever.
Posted by: Marcus T

Bin Laden used Clinton's cowardice as proof of America's paper Tiger status. When the going gets tough we pull out.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:00 PM (+Tibp)

216 Watching the Patriot, I couldn't believe they allowed them to make an honest movie. It was refreshing.

Posted by: gNewt at May 26, 2018 08:00 PM (qB3GS)

217 Greetings:

One of the things I was grateful for during my all-expense-paid tour of somewhat sunny Southeast Asia was all those post-WW II and post-Korean War films I watched during the '50s and '60s. And I don't mean the blockbusters, but the smaller, BW ones like "A Walk in the Sun" or "Breakthrough". Those films prepared me for the range of behaviors I might likely find myself involved with were I to go to war.

I often wonder if today's soldiers have been so benefited.

Posted by: 11B40 at May 26, 2018 08:00 PM (evgyj)

218
Leslie Nielsen was the Swamp Fox

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at May 26, 2018 08:00 PM (IqV8l)

219 Mel Gibson was the ersatz Francis Marion. Jason Issac was the ersatz Banastre Tarleton.

Posted by: BourbonChicken at May 26, 2018 08:01 PM (rnAwa)

220 I did like Death Proof and Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike.

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 08:01 PM (QLvwG)

221 No, AMC is doing a Jaws marathon on Sunday."

What, Portnoy's complaint, Fiddler on the Roof, and a bunch of Woody Allen movies?

Oh wait, you said JAWS. Never mind.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:01 PM (V2Yro)

222 Off flaming news sock

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:01 PM (ANIFC)

223 Saw "Solo" last night. Wasn't as bad as some people were claiming. "Solo" and "Rogue 1" were better than "Force Awakens" and "Last Jedi". None of these movies would have a chance if the Star Wars universe hadn't already been developed back in the 80's.

Posted by: Lemmiwinks at May 26, 2018 08:02 PM (h1jJh)

224 I hope Soylo does badly.

Posted by: Max Power at May 26, 2018 08:02 PM (QCc6B)

225 "Okay, they both should have been hung right there."

Completely agree. But the GO's tried to bring it up with Clinton in a
briefing. He's made the call to go with Assholes decision. Than after
our men were killed he pulled us back.

He should never be forgiven for that. He was probably the worst CinC ever.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 07:59 PM (SeyTv)

Whew! Not Number One!

Posted by: Jimmah Carter, Operation Eagle Claw at May 26, 2018 08:03 PM (QLvwG)

226 I dont remember boogery in FHTE the novel

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:03 PM (/VB9J)

227 224 I hope Soylo does badly.
Posted by: Max Power at May 26, 2018 08:02 PM (QCc6B)

Truthfully, I'd rather see a film based around Jar Jar Binks than Soylo.

Posted by: Surfperch at May 26, 2018 08:04 PM (vW8Mk)

228 205 I dont know which version I read but it was pretty raw
Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 07:59 PM (/VB9J)

Yup....lots of gambling, suicide, erotic homosexuals, prostitutes, more gambling, KP duty and a stay in the brig, infantry company politics, more homo stuff and more prostitutes plus lots of drinking then the Japs attack which puts an end to all the fun.

Not much has change in Hawaii over the years.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 08:04 PM (EoRCO)

229 Zulu should be watched after Zulu Dawn

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:04 PM (aC6Sd)

230 I thought that Bligh was found not guilty in the court martial, but was NEVER given command again.

That's what my mom said. But then, she would make up a story every now and then. Like how I am one-eighth Indian.

Posted by: JAS at May 26, 2018 08:04 PM (ii30j)

231 The rest of the movie sucked, but the actual attack on Pearl Harbor in "Pearl Harbor" was good.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:04 PM (ANIFC)

232 I hope it rains its so humid here

Posted by: kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:05 PM (/VB9J)

233 #199 There was a reality-TV recreation of Bligh's journey to Timor (six parts as I recall) that has it's problems but has some good moments too. See the sock link. I don't know if any are on YouTube to watch.

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:05 PM (Evws/)

234 Probably already been mentioned but Taking Chance will make you cry, don't care who you are.

Posted by: John Marston at May 26, 2018 08:05 PM (SkuXa)

235 Whew! Not Number One!
Posted by: Jimmah Carter, Operation Eagle Claw at May 26, 2018 08:03 PM (QLvwG)

High five, bro!

Posted by: Zombie James Buchanan at May 26, 2018 08:05 PM (U7voe)

236 Watching "From here to Eternity" in TCM.

Posted by: JAS at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (ii30j)

237 I hope Soylo does badly.

Posted by: Max Power at May 26, 2018 08:02 PM (QCc6B)

--

IIRC Disney came out and made a big deal announcement about a future standalone Barbara Fett movie on opening weekend to distract from opening weekend.

Because that's normal.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - I choose to live my life as a black woman at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (VgKNm)

238 A Walk in the Sun is one of my all time faves.

Posted by: JT at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (ojwL9)

239 Banastre Tarleton carried 4 captured Revolutionary Army Battle Flags back to England with him, where he hung them in his manor at Hampshire. Americans tried to get them returned, since there are only about 30 confirmed Revolutionary War flags still in existence, but his descendants had always refused. Finally, in 2005, his descendant finally agreed to sell them back to the Americans - for several million dollars, of course.

Assholes right up to the end.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (V2Yro)

240 Firearms were developed during the age of armor. Firearms won that argument. Though there were elite cavalry units that wore armored helmets & chestplates called "currassiers." The armor was mainly ornamental, though it could protect against the sabers & lances of other horsemen
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 07:39 PM (ANIFC)

Not quite true. Plate was capable of protecting a man from early firearms; the English used to shoot a chest piece and then circle the dent to show that it could withstand a round. However, fulling outfitting entire armies was difficult and expensive, and part of the value of firearms was the ability to rapidly train massive numbers of recruits. Plus, for a long time warfare involved less open combat and more maneuvering for an advantageous position and siegecraft. Why waste time on armor if everything was going to be decided in a single battle, or a ten-month siege?

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (Tnhbr)

241 The one thing I didn't like about "The Patriot" was the scene where the British burned a church with the people locked inside. Was there a documented instance of that happening during the American Revolution? If so, I'm unaware of it. I'm inclined to call BS.

On the other hand, the Muslims in Nigeria call that "Sunday".

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (sdi6R)

242 Mel Gibson: faithful husband, loving father. But put pointy instruments in his hands and he becomes a whirling dervish of death.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (yQpMk)

243 My problem with the Patriot was Mel was supposed to be a planter, then he is supposed to be the Deerslayer. The two don't mix in Charleston. A Swamp Fox character would have been a more believable model to go with.

Posted by: Puddin Head at May 26, 2018 08:07 PM (vV/gB)

244 TCM ran a John Ford propoganda piece about Pearl Harbor. Do any of you historians know if there was ever an investigation into spying and sabotage by the local Japanese population? If so, what happened?

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:07 PM (+Tibp)

245 231 The rest of the movie sucked, but the actual attack on Pearl Harbor in "Pearl Harbor" was good.
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:04 PM (ANIFC)

I agree. But I must add that all the nurses in that movie were so beautiful. Kate Beckinsale, whoosh!

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 08:07 PM (Mkuv2)

246 "Bin Laden used Clinton's cowardice as proof of America's paper Tiger status. When the going gets tough we pull out.
Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:00 PM (+"

We were debating this earlier today under the banner of WTF was he thinking?

UBL had been exposed to us enough to know that at the dawn of the 21st century we would not back down. We partially concluded another thing he got wrong was the Vietnam analogy. That he could draw us into a protracted fight and civilian pressure would eventually get us to pull back. Partially right with PBO. But he underestimated the effect continually attacking or populace would have.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 08:08 PM (SeyTv)

247 No. 1 Son saw Solo today and loved it. (He loves everything the first time he sees it, it takes repeat viewings for him to have any perspective).

It's strictly for fans, though, he tells me. You have to care about the origin of a bet between Han and Lando. I don't.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 08:08 PM (fuK7c)

248 Greetings:

A couple of evenings back I watched a RoKorea film entitled "Steel Rain" over the internet. It included, among other things, NORK assassin sent south, NORK military coup, tough-guy RoK President, pacifist RoK President-elect,
Trump-esque American President, and a chubby RoK analyst who befriends the assassin. Pretty darn good,

Worst bit was when the blonde CIA biddy went off the reservation (if that makes any sense these days) and into a progressive gun control elucidation.

Posted by: 11B40 at May 26, 2018 08:08 PM (evgyj)

249 its problems
Darn tablet.

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:08 PM (Evws/)

250 hope it rains its so humid here

Posted by: kallisto

Where you ?

Posted by: JT at May 26, 2018 08:08 PM (ojwL9)

251
Yup....lots of gambling, suicide, erotic homosexuals, prostitutes, more gambling, KP duty and a stay in the brig, infantry company politics, more homo stuff and more prostitutes plus lots of drinking then the Japs attack which puts an end to all the fun.

You forgot the murder. The stockade episode is brutal.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 08:09 PM (3ZK+G)

252 I'm also waiting for the SJW crowd to realize he says "ni**er" eighty thousand times in every movie he makes and Unperson him.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 07:49 PM (U7voe)

++++

To go after Tarantino for that, they'd also have to get Samuel L. Jackson in the process, since he's the guy whose actually saying the word somewhere around 90% of the time. The Black community is not going to smear Samuel L. Jackson. Or even Jamie Foxx.

Tarantino gets a pass as long as he has prominent black actors in his movies.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 08:09 PM (pvjTE)

253 231 The rest of the movie sucked, but the actual attack on Pearl Harbor in "Pearl Harbor" was good."

The only Pearl Harbor movie worth watching is "Tora, Tora, Tora!" the later Pearl Harbor movie plagiarized "Tora Tora Tora" but also decided "hey lets throw in a boatload of crap that has nothing at all to do with the battle and which means nothing at all, I'll bet people will love that!!!"

Tora, Tora, Tora is on my top 10 list of war movies. Easily.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:09 PM (V2Yro)

254 I'm amazed that no one has done a series centered on the Thirty-Years War. Multiple factions, religious conflict, betrayal, battles mixing medieval combat with the rise of early-modern weapons and theories of warfare...

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:10 PM (Tnhbr)

255 Nothing to do with Memorial Day except for the miltary connection, but I've been enjoying the Sharpe's series with Sean Bean. I like his portrayal and the rest of his company. And the weapons are correct, a rare thing in films.

I read somewhere that Cornwell wasn't pleased at Bean being cast since he didn't look like the books description. But he became such a fan during the series he modified Sharpe's description in later books. Haven't read them all yet so I can't confirm that.

Posted by: JTB at May 26, 2018 08:10 PM (V+03K)

256 UBL had been exposed to us enough to know that at the dawn of the 21st century we would not back down.

He thought that our reaction would force the Ummah to take sides and rally radical Islam to victory over the West.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:10 PM (yQpMk)

257 "Gardens of Stone". It's set in the Old Guard, the oldest U.S Army Infantry unit and the army's official ceremonial unit. They do all the burials at Arlington and guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. James Earl Jones is the CSM and James Caan is an SFC. Kind 1980's corny but a good look, if I recall, of the real Army.

Posted by: Javems at May 26, 2018 08:11 PM (vBx1s)

258 Now I'm remembering that there really needs to be a good movie made about the 6-day War in 1967. Lots of incredibly good material, and the title is obvious - "Torah, Torah, Torah!"

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:11 PM (V2Yro)

259 it's hard to judge the film based on any typical narrative formulae.

-
I had a girl tell me that the movie has no plot but, of course, that's not true. I guess she meant there was no two guys forced by war to cooperate despite fighting over a chick plot.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 08:11 PM (+y/Ru)

260 Whoever made that Pearl Harbor movie with the effeminate douche Affleck should be put up against a wall and shot.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 08:12 PM (SeyTv)

261 War movies that need more attention
When the Trumpets fade

Operation Chromite, I enjoyed it because it shoes the Commies hanging people who didn't conform.

Posted by: Patrick from Ohio at May 26, 2018 08:12 PM (dKiJG)

262 Tora, Tora, Tora is on my top 10 list of war movies. Easily.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:09 PM (V2Yro)

It should be on everyone's IMO.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PfdQod8HTw

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:12 PM (fZuhk)

263 >> I will binge watch "Band of Brothers" on Sunday.

That is so good!
Never saw The Pacific War, though (or whatever it was called).

Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (W+vEI)

264 so how do you trim the 30 years war down to 90 minutes? The most concise book is the one written by Cicely Wedgwood and that one was 2" think in the trade edition.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (2K6fY)

265 "The Puppet Masters" about space slugs that attach to the spine and control humans, as they are wont t

-
Does explain the Democrats.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (+y/Ru)

266 I'm amazed that no one has done a series centered on the Thirty-Years War. Multiple factions, religious conflict, betrayal, battles mixing medieval combat with the rise of early-modern weapons and theories of warfare...
Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:10 PM (Tnhbr)

With a lot of those European wars, you'd need to give out flowcharts with the DVD set so everyone could follow the factions and who's who's great grand nephew twice removed and who's only *once* removed (Looking at you, War of Spanish Succession).

Posted by: Zombie James Buchanan at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (U7voe)

267 You forgot the murder. The stockade episode is brutal.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 08:09 PM (3ZK+G)

Yup...sorry about that, murder too.

The book was long, boring and kinda drab. The movie played fast and loose with the crappy book and was far more entertaining, which is not usually the case.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (EoRCO)

268 260 Whoever made that Pearl Harbor movie with the effeminate douche Affleck should be put up against a wall and shot.
Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 08:12 PM (SeyTv)

=====

Michael Bay.

Shot for Pearl Harbor and then celebrated for 13 Hours?

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (u8L+n)

269 254
I'm amazed that no one has done a series centered on the Thirty-Years War.
I suspect there are some smaller movies about it out there, but regardless, it's a really depressing time in history with nobody that anyone now knows or cares about. The reasons for the war are incomprehensible to most people. Guaranteed box office poison.

Now, put a Kate Upton in there, and you might have something.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (LAe3v)

270 >>Whoever made that Pearl Harbor movie with the effeminate douche Affleck should be put up against a wall and shot.

Nah, he redeemed himself with "13 Hours."

Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (W+vEI)

271 254 I'm amazed that no one has done a series centered on the Thirty-Years War. Multiple factions, religious conflict, betrayal, battles mixing medieval combat with the rise of early-modern weapons and theories of warfare...
-------------------------
You're describing AOS.

Posted by: Puddin Head at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (vV/gB)

272 No. 1 Son saw Solo today and loved it. (He loves
everything the first time he sees it, it takes repeat viewings for him
to have any perspective).

It's strictly for fans, though, he tells me. You have to care about the origin of a bet between Han and Lando. I don't.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 08:08 PM (fuK7c)

---

If I'm honest, one of the biggest things that pisses me off is that Disney decided to make a bunch of movies for kids that kids shouldn't go see.

Pansexual black dudes that will f*ck anything and that Disney's movie explicitly addresses?

Yeah, let me explain that to my kids.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - I choose to live my life as a black woman at May 26, 2018 08:14 PM (VgKNm)

273 I have mixed feelings about Saving Private Ryan. Its a great movie in parts, a bleh movie in parts, and obnoxiously manipulative in parts. It feels incomplete, or at least, in pieces. There are some nice sequences, but there's not enough tying it together into a single story. The last act feels very contrived for the last scene, rather than reasonable behavior or events. You have so little sense of the size and scope of the German forces, so there is no real sense of the challenge they face. Everything in the German army seems to be coming down a couple of streets, and the rest of the entire city utterly deserted, which seems implausible, to say the least.

I can't like it, but I can't really dislike it, either. There weren't any truly sympathetic, likable characters. Nobody had to be a standout hero but you never really got to know anyone like you did in even one episode of Band of Brothers, for example.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:14 PM (39g3+)

274 While they are technically not movies, I thought that Band of Brothers and The Pacific were both good. Hanks and Spielberg wet their beaks with Saving Matt Damon, but the scripts were better. We can just pretend they were a couple of really long movies.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (9BLnV)

275 13 Hours. Meh. The book was better. M

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (SeyTv)

276 264 so how do you trim the 30 years war down to 90 minutes? The most concise book is the one written by Cicely Wedgwood and that one was 2" think in the trade edition.
Posted by: Kindltot at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (2K6fY)

======

The mistake would be to try and do the whole thing.

Picking out individual interesting stories to tell is the way to go.

No one makes movies that encompass all of WWII.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (u8L+n)

277 250 - philly burbs

Posted by: Kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (/VB9J)

278 "The Odd Angry Shot" is a good Aussie Vietnam War movie. Sock link about it.

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (Evws/)

279 Watching The Green Berets on TV right now. I spent most of my childhood watching John Wayne win wars, conquer Africa and put out oil well fires. They do not make movies - or stars - like that any more. (And dammit, GET OFF MY LAWN!)

Posted by: Rosasharn at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (PzBTm)

280 so how do you trim the 30 years war down to 90 minutes? The most concise book is the one written by Cicely Wedgwood and that one was 2" think in the trade edition.
Posted by: Kindltot at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (2K6fY)

Don't. Do a series on Netflix or HBO. Focus on a few characters, even if fictional, and focus on the goal of surviving in a world that has gone insane.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:16 PM (Tnhbr)

281 Maybe some specific characters from the pike and shot era, or before. Gotz of the Iron Hand needs his origin story told, I think:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6tz_von_Berlichingen

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:16 PM (U7voe)

282 "The Odd Angry Shot" is a good Aussie Vietnam War movie. Sock link about it.
Posted by: andycanuck

That's it! I was trying to remember the title. Thank

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:16 PM (+Tibp)

283 The Patriot was just not a very good movie to me. Mel Gibson's character is well done but the rest is just a mess. The British commander is pointlessly psychotic, the kind of guy who'd never make it far in his position. The battle scenes feel less like they're part of a sequence of events than the director's efforts to state a bitchen battle scene. All of the characters are pretty flat cardboard cutouts who behave exactly as you'd expect them to, and no more.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:16 PM (39g3+)

284 philly burbs

Same here.

You're right, its humid, but a nice breeze comes up once in awhile.

Posted by: JT at May 26, 2018 08:16 PM (ojwL9)

285 253
Tora, Tora, Tora is on my top 10 list of war movies. Easily.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:09 PM (V2Yro)

Seconded.

"Pearl Harbor" had some moments. The aftermath where they were trying to free the men trapped in the capsized battleship was a good scene.

Also Kate Beckinsale rocked a 1941 swimsuit.

But the CGI dogfights were awful. They would have been fine for videogames, but not for a movie about an historical event.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:16 PM (sdi6R)

286 For my money, Kelly's Heros is the one.

Posted by: Puddin Head at May 26, 2018 08:17 PM (vV/gB)

287 255 Nothing to do with Memorial Day except for the miltary connection, but I've been enjoying the Sharpe's series with Sean Bean. I like his portrayal and the rest of his company. And the weapons are correct, a rare thing in films.

Posted by: JTB at May 26, 2018 08:10 PM"

I've watched that through, and I've read that the producers took great pains to get the uniforms of all of the different units correct in every army, to the point that Sharpe's Rifles is considered to be one of the most accurately costumed historical war dramas ever filmed. (Barry Lyndon also took great pains at accuracy)

You may have got to the episode where Sharpe interacts with a very daft and idiotic Prince Regent. (later to become George IV) Accounts written at the time seem to agree that this was a pretty accurate portrayal of the Prince Regent - but what is fun is the actor who portrays him, noted writer and director Julian Fellows. He's marvelous in the role!

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:17 PM (V2Yro)

288 267 yes the stockade brutality stuck in my brain, I was young and unaware that Americans would treat fellow citizens that way

Posted by: Kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:18 PM (/VB9J)

289 it's a really depressing time in history with nobody that anyone now knows or cares about. The reasons for the war are incomprehensible to most people.

I'd actually play that up: focus on the idea that people caught in the middle and trying to survive have only the vaguest idea about why all this crap is happening.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:18 PM (Tnhbr)

290 That is so good!
Never saw The Pacific War, though (or whatever it was called).
Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (W+vEI)

It's got a very different feel, probably because of the source material. It basically follows two Marines and peripherally some of the guys in their orbit rather than being a comprehensive story about an entire company like BoB.

I happen to prefer BoB, but that's purely subjective.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:18 PM (fZuhk)

291 It's strictly for fans, though, he tells me. You have to care about the origin of a bet between Han and Lando. I don't.

When I heard about the film the first time I knew it was going to be nothing more than a bunch of set pieces showing all of Han Solo's distinctives. Kind of like the intro to Last Crusade showed us everything about Indy (where he got his name, where he got the hat, where he learned how to use a whip, where he got the scar on his chin etc) all in one 10 minute sequence, but Solo is just "how did he get his vest? Why is he called Solo? How did he meet Chebacca and get the Falcon?" Instead of a story or a plot, its just Q&A with video game sequences.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:18 PM (39g3+)

292
"The Odd Angry Shot" is a good Aussie Vietnam War movie. Sock link about it.
Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM

You just reminded me of a war movie I liked, called Attack Force Z.

Early 80s. Mel Gibson, Sam Neill, John Phillip Law. WWII, iirc a squad of Aussie commandos on a mission on Jap held island to rescue someone.

Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 08:18 PM (EzdLW)

293 JT I did not know u were a phillyburbian.

Posted by: Kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:19 PM (/VB9J)

294 Also, I rewatched Midway today and I can't for the life of me understand why Hollywood has not given this battle a better treatment. So important and the events are almost unbelievable. I'd like to see it.

-
Whoteywood likes fake drama more than real drama.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 08:19 PM (+y/Ru)

295 Bligh's ship HMSGlatton, did a good job at the battle of Copenhagen under VADM Nelson.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 26, 2018 08:19 PM (hyuyC)

296 Never saw The Pacific War, though (or whatever it was called).
Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (W+vEI)

"The Pacific' was dark, very dark. But it drew faithfully from memoirs written by E.B. Sledge and Robert Leckie, et al. But, in many ways, fighting the Japanese Empire was a far different animal. Which is why it feels so much different than Band of Brothers. Medics and Corpsmen shed their red crosses, picked up weapons.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 08:19 PM (Mkuv2)

297 I have always like Murphy's War. Peter O'Toole never gives up, never surrenders and gets vengeance for his shipmates.

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 08:19 PM (QLvwG)

298 283
The Patriot was just not a very good movie to me. Mel Gibson's
character is well done but the rest is just a mess. The British
commander is pointlessly psychotic, the kind of guy who'd never make it
far in his position. The battle scenes feel less like they're part of a
sequence of events than the director's efforts to state a bitchen
battle scene. All of the characters are pretty flat cardboard cutouts
who behave exactly as you'd expect them to, and no more.
Disagree. I thought Jason Isaacs as Tarleton was quite good and Tom Wilkinson as Cornwallis was splendid.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:20 PM (LAe3v)

299 Also Kate Beckinsale rocked a 1941 swimsuit.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:16 PM (sdi6R)

I think her specialty is, "Great looking woman in otherwise terrible movie". See: Pearl Harbor, Van Helsing, the Underworld series.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:20 PM (U7voe)

300 Has buzzsaw90 been around? He lives nearby

Posted by: Kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:20 PM (/VB9J)

301 297 I have always like Murphy's War. Peter O'Toole never gives up, never surrenders and gets vengeance for his shipmates.
-----------------
Yeah, remember that one. Probably the best war movie was Lawrence of Arabia. Amazing movie.

Posted by: Puddin Head at May 26, 2018 08:20 PM (vV/gB)

302 JT I did not know u were a phillyburbian.

Yep.

Posted by: JT at May 26, 2018 08:21 PM (ojwL9)

303 248 Greetings:

A couple of evenings back I watched a RoKorea film entitled "Steel Rain" over the internet. It included, among other things, NORK assassin sent south, NORK military coup, tough-guy RoK President, pacifist RoK President-elect,
Trump-esque American President, and a chubby RoK analyst who befriends the assassin. Pretty darn good,

Worst bit was when the blonde CIA biddy went off the reservation (if that makes any sense these days) and into a progressive gun control elucidation.
Posted by: 11B40 at May 26, 2018 08:08 PM (evgyj)

On Netflix.

Northern Limit Line is another ok movie, about the North being asses during the World Cup and everyone thought they would pull the same shit during the Olympics

Posted by: Patrick from Ohio at May 26, 2018 08:21 PM (dKiJG)

304 Another one that would be interesting is Italy during the 14th Century. Follow John Hawkwood and the White Company. Again, you have warfare, politics, intrigue, etc.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:21 PM (Tnhbr)

305 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk

M*A*S*H

Posted by: Rosasharn at May 26, 2018 08:21 PM (PzBTm)

306 "The Odd Angry Shot" is a good Aussie Vietnam War movie. Sock link about it.
Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (Evws/)

Thanks Andy! I am gonna check it out.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 08:21 PM (EoRCO)

307 veterans of d-day praised the invasion scenes.

veterans of wwII said about the rest: no one cried.

this veteran of movies walked out (i.e. changed the channel) from the over-saturation of maudlin sentimentality. the entire premise was preposterous and just an excuse for spielberg to emote.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 08:22 PM (Pg+x7)

308 I was just out to bring stuff in, thought its nice out

283 - I agree, its not favorite of mine

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:22 PM (aC6Sd)

309 Tom Wilkinson was a good Cornwallis. Then he came back in John Adams and played Ben Franklin!

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:22 PM (U7voe)

310 Gotz of the Iron Hand needs his origin story told, I think:

The man who made famous the phrase "They can Lick my Ass!!!" deserves homage from us all!!!

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:22 PM (V2Yro)

311 ... IN MY OPINION.

(sheeesh)

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 08:23 PM (Pg+x7)

312 I'm amazed that no one has done a series centered on the Thirty-Years War. Multiple factions, religious conflict, betrayal, battles mixing medieval combat with the rise of early-modern weapons and theories of warfare...

-
The Last Valley is more set during the Thirty Years War than about it, but there's one movie.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 08:23 PM (+y/Ru)

313 If you want a read a grisly war novel, I can suggest The Five Fingers. German vets serving in French Foreign Legion in Vietnam (Indochina). My Recon Marines loved that book.

Posted by: Puddin Head at May 26, 2018 08:23 PM (vV/gB)

314 I'd actually play that up: focus on the idea that
people caught in the middle and trying to survive have only the vaguest
idea about why all this crap is happening.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile[/i
Oh, I'd watch it for sure. However, I think we can all agree that the AoSHQ cohort is a bit.....atypical.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:23 PM (LAe3v)

315 American imprisoned by Venezuela for 2 years is free

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:23 PM (aC6Sd)

316 Nothing to do with Memorial Day except for the military connection, but I've been enjoying the Sharpe's series with Sean Bean.

They did okay with incredibly limited resources (like the BBC Narnia series). I'd love to see it redone with enough money and time to do the stories accurately and properly. Who you'd cast though, I don't know because Sean is perfect for the role.

Band of Brothers was a masterpiece but Pacific was just... not. If it had come out first, maybe it would have been less of a crushing disappointment to me, but it just was a failure. I mean they took 2 1/2 episodes to tell the Battle of the Buldge in BoB, but they took less than 1 episode to do Guadalcanal? Really?? It moved too fast, there wasn't anyone to really like or identify with, and there's a worse problem.

The breakdown of the marines on Gudalcanal makes sense... if you understand how long, hard, and painful it was with such limited resources. But the single episode dealing with the battles there didn't show it. If you know all that, it kinda holds up, but if you don't it just looks like marines are p*ssies who break down in a few firefights.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:24 PM (39g3+)

317 The only thing concerning me about the movies is this;

How bad will Solo suck?
How much will it disappoint?

Posted by: San Franpsycho at May 26, 2018 08:24 PM (EZebt)

318 But the CGI dogfights were awful.

That's something that took me a while to appreciate. In the sixties-ish the war was only twenty years old and there was still lots of surplus kit so they could make movies with real planes and tanks and whatnot.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 08:24 PM (fuK7c)

319 . I thought Jason Isaacs as Tarleton was quite good and Tom Wilkinson as Cornwallis was splendid.
Posted by: pep

The character Tavington was loosely based on Banastre Tarleton who massacred surrendering troops at the battle of Waxhaws. Upon returning to England he was promoted and elected MP from Liverpool.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:24 PM (f3MDZ)

320 I like to rewatch The Longest Day every couple of years. Every man who was somebody in Hollywood at the time is in it.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:24 PM (yQpMk)

321 305 Are there any movies set during the Korean war? Obviously there must be some, but nothing immediately comes to mind.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 07:22 PM (fZuhk
-------------------
The Bridge at Toko Ri. I do not recommend it. Hard to believe Mickey Rooney as a combat vet.

Posted by: Puddin Head at May 26, 2018 08:25 PM (vV/gB)

322 Let's throw Puddin' Head from a Prague window!!!

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:25 PM (Evws/)

323 309
Tom Wilkinson was a good Cornwallis. Then he came back in John Adams and played Ben Franklin!

Posted by: Vanya
My favorite lines: "Damn him. Damn that man!", and "you dream, general".

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:25 PM (LAe3v)

324 no one cried.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 08:25 PM (Pg+x7)

325 Are there any movies set during the Korean war?

Pork Chop Hill, about a pointless brutal fight during the peace talks, Gregory Peck stars. Pretty good flick.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:25 PM (39g3+)

326 From Here to Eternity is on. The movie is much tamer than the first-edition novel, which is much tamer than the original version Jones wrote.
----
They're at Hotel Street right now. I'd forgotten how seedy and sad some bits of the movie are.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:26 PM (qJtVm)

327 I hope Soylo does badly.
Posted by: Max Power at May 26, 2018 08:02 PM (QCc6B)

========

I don't think you have anything to worry about. From boxoffice mojo for opening days:

Rogue One: 71m
Force Awakens: 119m
Last Jedi: 104m

Solo: (est) 35m

They take a franchise that even a nutless monkey could produce profitably, and the SJWs fuck it up. Maybe Disney will shake up its Star Wars division as they did with Marvel comics and ESPN.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 08:26 PM (/qEW2)

328 They're at Hotel Street right now. I'd forgotten how seedy and sad some bits of the movie are.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes

Montgomery Clift is hitting on George Baily's wife.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:27 PM (+Tibp)

329 My favorite lines: "Damn him. Damn that man!", and "you dream, general".

Posted by: pep
I forgot "how did it come to this". So simple, but masterfully delivered.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:27 PM (LAe3v)

330 The one thing I didn't like about "The Patriot" was the scene where the British burned a church with the people locked inside. Was there a documented instance of that happening during the American Revolution? If so, I'm unaware of it. I'm inclined to call BS.

On the other hand, the Muslims in Nigeria call that "Sunday".
Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:06 PM (sdi6R)

Its called artistic license. If you know your history, you know that Braveheart was just for popular consumption. The names of the battles are correct. Well, almost. It was the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Didn't see a bridge, did you? Very little else is accurate, though. But, hey if real life was as exciting as movies, we probably wouldn't go, would we? Except for the overpriced popcorn and candy. And to sit next to little Susie in the dark.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at May 26, 2018 08:27 PM (9BLnV)

331 266 I'm amazed that no one has done a series centered on the Thirty-Years War. Multiple factions, religious conflict, betrayal, battles mixing medieval combat with the rise of early-modern weapons and theories of warfare...
Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:10 PM (Tnhbr)

With a lot of those European wars, you'd need to give out flowcharts with the DVD set so everyone could follow the factions and who's who's great grand nephew twice removed and who's only *once* removed (Looking at you, War of Spanish Succession).

----

The War of Spanish Succession is easy to understand compared to the Thirty Years War. I'd like to find a book on the prior All-Europe killfest, the War of The Grand Alliance, aka War of The League of Augsburg.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:27 PM (ANIFC)

332 Hence: Part Three is in the final stages and should go live soon.
Paying attention to continuity sucks.
Exit right to Funway.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at May 26, 2018 08:28 PM (l9m7l)

333 The breakdown of the marines on Gudalcanal makes sense... if you understand how long, hard, and painful it was with such limited resources. But the single episode dealing with the battles there didn't show it. If you know all that, it kinda holds up, but if you don't it just looks like marines are p*ssies who break down in a few firefights.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:24 PM (39g3+)

BoB had one training episode and the rest of the series covered about ten months of time. I haven't finished The Pacific, but if it ends on Okinawa that's three years from Henderson Field and Iron Bottom Sound. They tried to put too much stuff into too short of a space and the storytelling suffers.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:28 PM (U7voe)

334 320 I like to rewatch The Longest Day every couple of years. Every man who was somebody in Hollywood at the time is in it."

John Wayne didn't want to do it, because he was pissed at Zanuck at the time. Zanuck begged him to do it, and Wayne said he would only do it for a million dollars, which was an order of magnitude more than anyone else was paid, and a ridiculous amount for the size of his part. Wayne was stunned when Zanuck agreed, and so he just said, okay, I'm in, if you really want me that bad.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:29 PM (V2Yro)

335 Someone needs to make Sir Nigel and The White Company as films but in today's film climate it would never happen. Too much unabashed heroism, honor, masculinity, commitment to duty, and raw goodness on display.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:29 PM (39g3+)

336 Speaking of period pieces, I enjoyed Rob Roy. I think it is one of Liam Neeson's best jobs.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at May 26, 2018 08:29 PM (9BLnV)

337 From Here to Eternity is on. The movie is much tamer than the first-edition novel, which is much tamer than the original version Jones wrote.
----

How do you find the original Jones version ?

Posted by: JT at May 26, 2018 08:29 PM (ojwL9)

338 If you haven't ever read Cornelius Ryan's The Longest Day, its the source of the movie.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:29 PM (aC6Sd)

339 If you want LULZ at Soylo's expense, I give you Razorfist's breakdown of opening weekend:
https://youtu.be/jo1gfiitKrM

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (f3MDZ)

340 >>I think her specialty is, "Great looking woman in otherwise terrible movie". See: Pearl Harbor, Van Helsing, the Underworld series.

"I saw something nasty in the woodshed!"

No, wait, Beckinsale was a delight in "Cold Comfort Farm."

Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (W+vEI)

341 327
They take a franchise that even a nutless monkey could produce profitably, and the SJWs fuck it up. Maybe Disney will shake up its Star Wars division as they did with Marvel comics and ESPN.
Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 08:26 PM (/qEW2)

=======

Fire Kathleen Kennedy.

Hire me.

Fixed.

Call me, Disney.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (u8L+n)

342 Is Kingdom of Heaven a war movie?

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (yQpMk)

343 Beckinsale was terrific in "Love and Friendship", flicks.one of the better Austin

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:31 PM (qJtVm)

344 342 Is Kingdom of Heaven a war movie?
Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (yQpMk)

======

I would classify it so.

Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 08:31 PM (u8L+n)

345 Posted by: TheJamesMadison's Phone at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (u8L+n)

Please tell me you'll declare TFA and Last Jedi non-canon and tell them to film Heir to the Empire.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:31 PM (U7voe)

346 Except for the overpriced popcorn and candy. And to sit next to little Susie in the dark.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male
*******************************

Little Susie and I quit going to the movies. We would drive out into the woods and park.

Posted by: gNewt at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (Xgp3y)

347 If you want a read a grisly war novel, I can suggest The Five Fingers. German vets serving in French Foreign Legion in Vietnam (Indochina). My Recon Marines loved that book.
Posted by: Puddin Head at May 26, 2018 08:23 PM (vV/gB)

Not about the MRE entree, then?

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (fZuhk)

348 As far as stars today, I think Mark Wahlberg is about the best in that he plays great roles like Perfect Storm, Lone Survivor, Deep-water Horizon and the movie about the Boston Marathon bombing.

I don't know if he's left or right, but he keeps his mouth shut. And that's all I ask for.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (+Tibp)

349 Ha, the Four Fingers of Death. Worse than the chicken bar?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (qJtVm)

350 Long day.

Nite all.

Posted by: JT at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (ojwL9)

351 318 But the CGI dogfights were awful.

That's something that took me a while to appreciate. In the sixties-ish the war was only twenty years old and there was still lots of surplus kit so they could make movies with real planes and tanks and whatnot.
Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 08:24 PM (fuK7c)

It's a trade-off. The 60s WWII movies used real tanks & planes, but they were largely inaccurate, sometimes laughably so. But contemporary movies can get the details right with CG, but CG still looks like CG.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (ANIFC)

352 No, wait, Beckinsale was a delight in "Cold Comfort Farm."
Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:30

There's always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm....

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (jeQxb)

353 Beckinsale was also lovely in the enjoyable "Much Ado About Nothing." Keanu, though....was an interesting choice.

Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (W+vEI)

354 I don't know if he's left or right, but he keeps his mouth shut. And that's all I ask for.
Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (+Tibp)

"I can't spare this man, he acts"

- Shit Lincoln said, probably

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (fZuhk)

355 I think the final swordfight scene in Rob Roy makes the whole film. Its a classic confrontation between someone incredibly superior to the other showing desperation and determination winning out over arrogance.

At this point I think the only way to fix the Star Wars franchise is to take a few years off then do something different, like one of the game plots or some of the books. A film based on the Knights of the Old Republic, for example.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (39g3+)

356 Is Kingdom of Heaven a war movie?
Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (yQpMk)

It's a heavy handed message about racism and tolerance with a story glued onto it.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (U7voe)

357 here's a mash-up of "the patriot" and "saving private ryan":

i knew someone who was a concientious objector in ww II. he was an actual pacifist. he volunteered for civil service which included medical experiments on high altitude effects - they put him in a pressure chamber and raised and lowered the air pressure. he didn't have to do it and did so willingly.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (Pg+x7)

358 Puddin Head @ 313- The Five Fingers. Read that one years ago. Still around here somewheres and a real good read.

Posted by: Eromero at May 26, 2018 08:34 PM (zLDYs)

359 348 - Wahlberg is a conservative Catholic who attends daily mass

Posted by: Kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:34 PM (/VB9J)

360 I watch the Patriot quite often. My dog likes to watch horses and dogs on TV, and the Patriot has those in spades!

As far as the movie itself... quite good overall.

Savings Private Ryan is ok until Tom Hank's character gets shot. It seems over-the-top at that point.

As far as what I am watching this weekend... just finished watching Shrek. :-P

Posted by: Ann at May 26, 2018 08:34 PM (e59uY)

361 Is Last of the Mohicans a war movie?

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:34 PM (yQpMk)

362 Please tell me you'll declare TFA and Last Jedi non-canon and tell them to film Heir to the Empire.
Posted by: Vanya

Who'd be Thrawn? You'd have to cast outside of the Hollywood mainstream. All of the actors with a high enough T-level would be too old at this point.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:34 PM (f3MDZ)

363 I like Mark Walberg in movies.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:34 PM (aC6Sd)

364 No, wait, Beckinsale was a delight in "Cold Comfort Farm."
Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:30 PM (W+vEI)

THERE IS NO BUTTER IN HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (U7voe)

365 Just thinking about the Thirty Years War makes my brain hurt.

I think somebody wrote a massive book about it recently which I haven't read.

I don't think even a miniseries would be enough.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (sdi6R)

366 Someone mentioned a recently-found Spanish treasure-ship wreck lost in 1701 and I looked it up and the BBC and Ntl Geo did a crap job of describing the War of Spanish Succession that I used as an example of Gel-Mann amnesia in action.

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (Evws/)

367 I don't know if he's left or right, but he keeps his mouth shut. And that's all I ask for.

Both Wahlbergs are pretty right leaning but yeah they aren't mouthy about it.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (39g3+)

368 Ha, the Four Fingers of Death. Worse than the chicken bar?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (qJtVm)

The worst thing about the chicken bar is waking up the next morning and realizing you went to the chicken bar.

Wait, what were we talking about?

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (fZuhk)

369 Little Susie and I quit going to the movies. We would drive out into the woods and park.
Posted by: gNewt at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (Xgp3y)

You mean Susie didn't get any popcorn or candy first? Man, you're cheap. And my hero!

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (9BLnV)

370 The problem with war movies is that if you make them realistic they aren't very fun to watch but if you make them fun to watch they won't be real.

War sucks, even for the winners. The wrong people live, and the good people die. Heroes come home, some crippled physically, some crippled psychologically, all of them changed. Innocence is the first casualty.

I served in peacetime so I never saw combat, and I am glad for that. But I know what the military is like. I served with a lot of Vietnam veterans as my NCO's and officers. None of them wanted to talk about it much.

The guys who fought knew they could never explain what it was like to the people who stayed home. So they learned to answer questions in a monotone. "I was in the XX Division stationed at YY."

But every so often those memories come back like it was just yesterday.

Posted by: Jaqen H'ghar at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (5fSr7)

371 HA! Bubba Ho-Tep is on the MGM Channel. Love that movie!!!

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:36 PM (V2Yro)

372 There was a Korean War film about a horndog surgeon in a MASH unit chasing nurses. Not MASH, a not too good drama starring Humphrey Bogart entitled Battle Circus.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 08:36 PM (+y/Ru)

373 I enjoyed The Patriot. And Gettysburg. Always watch that over the 4th of July.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at May 26, 2018 08:36 PM (jeQxb)

374 293 JT I did not know u were a phillyburbian.
Posted by: Kallisto at May 26, 2018 08:19 PM (/VB9J)

We should have a Philly MoMe.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:36 PM (ANIFC)

375 Mark Wahlberg is about the best in that he plays great roles like Perfect Storm, Lone Survivor, Deep-water Horizon and the movie about the Boston Marathon bombing.

I don't know if he's left or right, but he keeps his mouth shut. And that's all I ask for.
Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:32 PM (+Tibp)

I recall Wahlberg talking about meeting Marcus Luttrell and saying later, something along the lines of not feeling like he could make it work, if for no other reason, than Luttrell being about a foot taller.

In short, Wahlberg was honored to try and fill the role. I think he's good people.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 08:36 PM (Mkuv2)

376 205
From Here to Eternity is on. The movie is much tamer than the first-edition novel, which is much tamer than the original version Jones wrote.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 07:57 PM (3ZK+G)

++++

Are you talking about the gay stuff his daughter claimed was originally in the book?

The original manuscript of From Here to Eternity went into "great detail" about the kinds of sexual favours soldiers like Private Angelo Maggio, played in the film by Frank Sinatra, would provide to rich gay men for money, Kaylie Jones revealed in an article written for US news website the Daily Beast.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/nov
/13/censored-gay-sex-scenes-here-eternity

She came up with this stuff in 2009. Her father was long dead, so he couldn't complain. And, it gave her an excuse to release a new version of the book with the "original" passages restored, and make some money.

I call bullshit.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 08:36 PM (pvjTE)

377 Awesome news about the American released from Chez Chavez.

The fact that it embarrasses The Donald's predecessors is just gravy.

Oh, and Black Hawk Down is the best war/combat movie made since 2000.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 08:37 PM (e7oj4)

378 I take back what I wrote, Garry Oldman could pull off Adm. Thrawn really well.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:37 PM (f3MDZ)

379 Please tell me you'll declare TFA and Last Jedi non-canon and tell them to film Heir to the Empire.
Posted by: Vanya

It moved.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:37 PM (ANIFC)

380 Yes, Last of the Mohicans is a war move, French and Indian war. To me one of the most beautiful movies filmed

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:38 PM (aC6Sd)

381 The battle of Agincourt in the movie adaptation of Henry V by Kenneth Brannaugh was great, at least I think it was.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:39 PM (nBr1j)

382 Give me time and I'll atone for the wrong my man did your father.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:39 PM (yQpMk)

383 I recall one case of sabotage. IIRC some pilot crash landed on one of the islands and some Jap Hawaiian helped him out somehow.

Also read of Japanese agetns trying to get Japs in CA to work for their side, not sure they had any success, but that wa why FDR did the concentration camps, for fear of that, and there was evidence they tried.

Posted by: Farmer at May 26, 2018 08:39 PM (yJ1e6)

384 378
I take back what I wrote, Garry Oldman could pull off Adm. Thrawn really well.

phrasing?

Posted by: Anachronda at May 26, 2018 08:39 PM (2//jc)

385 Yes, Last of the Mohicans is a war move, French and Indian war. To me one of the most beautiful movies filmed
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:38 PM (aC6Sd)

Certainly one of the better musical scores.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:40 PM (fZuhk)

386 death becomes her is good and deserves its cult status

Posted by: Boulder t'hobo at May 26, 2018 08:40 PM (D0Hw0)

387 Yes, Last of the Mohicans is a war move, French and Indian war. To me one of the most beautiful movies filmed

I think it's a love story, or perhaps an adventure story, set in a war. The movie isn't about the war per se.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:40 PM (yQpMk)

388 365 Just thinking about the Thirty Years War makes my brain hurt. "

It started off as "Lets all of us Catholic Kingdoms kick the Protestants butts once and for all" and they did, for a while, but then Catholic France figured out that the Catholic Hapsburgs were gonna get way too strong, so they switched sides, and then there was a huge mercenary army that switched sides, and then when it looked bad for the protestants the Swedes, who no one had paid attention to, said "hey we've just built a new army that's better than all of yours, so we're jumping into this game!!! and After That, everyone switched sides a couple more times, and finally they all got sick of it.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:40 PM (V2Yro)

389 Hey TJM! Another great weekend movie thread. Thanks!

Hogmartin, Anon and others, thanks for all the mac chess tips in the previous thread! I will especially check out Stockfish.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:41 PM (eMKNe)

390 365 Just thinking about the Thirty Years War makes my brain hurt.

I think somebody wrote a massive book about it recently which I haven't read.

I don't think even a miniseries would be enough.
Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:35 PM (sdi6R)

Peter H. Wilson, "The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy." I read it a few years ago, it's pretty good and readable, as far as the 30 Years War goes. But yeah, the paperback clocks in at a 1,000 pages.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:41 PM (ANIFC)

391 Monty Clift has got to be one of the most overrated actors of all time.

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 08:42 PM (Ymy4N)

392 Lots of war movies are really love stories taking place during wars

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:42 PM (aC6Sd)

393 Re The Patriot, I always had the impression it was basically Braveheart, with the story simply re-superimposed on one individual during the American Revolution.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:42 PM (eMKNe)

394 Yes, Last of the Mohicans is a war move, French and Indian war. To me one of the most beautiful movies filmed
Posted by: Skip

I mentioned upthread two memorable villains for me, Hans Landa (Inglorious Bastards) and Clarence Bodikker (Robocop). Last of the Mohicans has another in Magua. I really hated that guy.

Also, the actor Wes Studi who played Magua is Cherokee and spoke only Cherokee until he was age 6. Not kin to Elizabeth Warren at all.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:42 PM (+Tibp)

395 Peter H. Wilson, "The Thirty Years War: Europe's
Tragedy." I read it a few years ago, it's pretty good and readable, as
far as the 30 Years War goes. But yeah, the paperback clocks in at a
1,000 pages.

Posted by: josephistan[/i
You know, for those with short attention spans.

Posted by: Shelby Foote at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (LAe3v)

396 Most important thing that came out of the 30 years war was the Treaty of Westphalia, which established for the first time the doctrine and concept of nationalism; the idea that individual nations had the right to do whatever they wished within their own borders, and no one had a right to do anything about it. That national borders were sacred and proper to be protected, and that individual cultures and nations were independent and sovereign.

This created the world we now enjoy, and the left largely ignorant of the consequences, is trying to destroy this peace and this system.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (39g3+)

397

Posted by: Shelby Foote at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (LAe3v)

398 376
And, it gave her an excuse to release a new version
of the book with the "original" passages restored, and make some money.

my friend the philosophy professor used to claim that Heller had discovered there was a market for lost chapters of Catch-22, so every now and then he would write one.

Posted by: Anachronda at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (2//jc)

399 Peter H. Wilson, "The Thirty Years War: Europe's Tragedy." I read it a few years ago, it's pretty good and readable, as far as the 30 Years War goes. But yeah, the paperback clocks in at a 1,000 pages.
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:41 PM (ANIFC)

That's the book I've read. It's fascinating stuff. Everyone basically looked at the fighting and thought, "here's a chance to gain an advantage for myself" and promptly pissed away anything that they gained.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (Tnhbr)

400 380 Yes, Last of the Mohicans is a war move, French and Indian war. To me one of the most beautiful movies filmed
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:38 PM (aC6Sd)

--Any movie with Madeleine Stowe in it is beautiful.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (e7oj4)

401
Monty Clift has got to be one of the most overrated actors of all time.
Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 08:42 PM

Phew, takes the pressure off me

Posted by: Tom Cruise at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (EzdLW)

402 We don't see how the massacre ends in LotM but Gen Montcalm stops it.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (aC6Sd)

403 I've watched and enjoyed "The Longest Day", but it's really just an Old Hollywood version of D-Day. It's a showcase for every top actor at the time.

I feel the same way about "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World". The idea seemed to be, "This will be the funniest movie ever made, because it is chock full of great comedians." There are some great bits, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:44 PM (sdi6R)

404 JFK and Elvis are tracking down the Mummy.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:44 PM (V2Yro)

405 One war movie I like quite a bit is A Bridge Too Far (another one of those 'cast everyone who is a star today' films nobody could afford to make now). Its great at showing how confusing, chaotic, and even ridiculous the entire affair was. So promising and such a hopeful beginning and it all goes horribly wrong.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:44 PM (39g3+)

406 I think it's a love story, or perhaps an adventure story, set in a war. The movie isn't about the war per se.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:40 PM (yQpMk)

++++

True enough. The same could be said about From Here To Eternity.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 08:44 PM (pvjTE)

407 So what would folks here say is the all-time best WW1 movie?

Of course, I'm partial to Mr. Kubrick's Paths Of Glory.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:44 PM (eMKNe)

408 Also read of Japanese agetns trying to get Japs in CA to work for their side, not sure they had any success, but that wa why FDR did the concentration camps, for fear of that, and there was evidence they tried.
Posted by: Farmer

They also interned Germans and Italians*. That doesn't get mentioned a lot because white people mistreating white people doesn't advance cultural marxism, but there was a camp outside of my hometown and there weren't many Japanese people living in Iowa in the 40s.

*Not many Italians because the government had an "understanding" with Lucky Luciano that Italian spies wound up at the bottom of the Hudson River in exchange for looking the other way during the duration of the war.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:44 PM (f3MDZ)

409 The battle of Agincourt in the movie adaptation of Henry V by Kenneth Brannaugh was great, at least I think it was.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:39 PM (nBr1j)

I really like Brannaugh's version.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 08:45 PM (T71PA)

410 Has there ever been a serious movie about the Battle of Marathon?

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:45 PM (nBr1j)

411 After That, everyone switched sides a couple more times, and finally they all got sick of it.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:40 PM (V2Yro)

--Hell, even Mannheim switched faiths in the middle of it.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 08:45 PM (e7oj4)

412 401

Monty Clift has got to be one of the most overrated actors of all time.

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 08:42 PM

Phew, takes the pressure off me

Posted by: Tom Cruise
**stares into space, says nothing**

Posted by: Hayden Christensen at May 26, 2018 08:46 PM (LAe3v)

413 It would be cool if they did a film about the Battle off Samar. Make it a three-hour ensemble piece like The Longest Day. Get serious Hollywood and Japanese actors and do it right.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:46 PM (Tnhbr)

414 Wes Studi who played Magua is Cherokee and spoke only Cherokee until he was age 6. Not kin to Elizabeth Warren at all.
Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:42 PM (+Tibp)

I really like Wes Studi. Very compelling screen presence. But he was The Sphynx in Mystery Men, which means he also has a sense of humor.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast at May 26, 2018 08:46 PM (Mkuv2)

415 Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (39g3+)

Did someone say Westphalia?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-WO73Dh7rY

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 08:46 PM (U7voe)

416 "I'm also waiting for the SJW crowd to realize he says "ni**er" eighty thousand times in every movie he makes and Unperson him."

-
Tarantino: Says n*gger.

Samuel L. Jackson: Says motherfvcker

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 08:46 PM (+y/Ru)

417 395
You know, for those with short attention spans.
Posted by: Shelby Foote at May 26, 2018 08:43 PM (LAe3v)

Well played.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 08:46 PM (sdi6R)

418 Of course, I'm partial to Mr. Kubrick's Paths Of Glory.
Posted by: qdpsteve

Ditto! Watch it every time it's on.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:46 PM (+Tibp)

419 See you later. Gotta recharge the tablet.

Posted by: andycanuck at May 26, 2018 08:47 PM (Evws/)

420 358 Puddin Head @ 313- The Five Fingers. Read that one years ago. Still around here somewheres and a real good read.

Posted by: Eromero at May 26, 2018 08:34 PM (zLDYs)

>> Concur. Another Vietnam novel I enjoy is "A Reckoning for Kings." A fictional account of Tet '68, told from both sides.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 08:47 PM (AMIL/)

421 409 The battle of Agincourt in the movie adaptation of Henry V by Kenneth Brannaugh was great, at least I think it was.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:39 PM (nBr1j)

I really like Brannaugh's version.
Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 08:45 PM (T71PA)

I love the "Non nobis" sung at the end of the battle.

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:47 PM (ANIFC)

422 Has there ever been a serious movie about the Battle of Marathon?
Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing

In the long run, it's always been sweaty work trying to jog that kind of subject matter past the Hollywood finish line.

;-)

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:47 PM (eMKNe)

423 Hogmartin, Anon and others, thanks for all the mac chess tips in the previous thread! I will especially check out Stockfish.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:41 PM (eMKNe)

++++

No prob. Also, Stockfish is the name of an open source chess engine. Many programs make use of it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockfish_%28chess%29

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM (pvjTE)

424
Gibson can tell an engrossing story via film, and I love him for that.
None of us can actually know how we will respond until we are personally there. but his are at least within the range of our likely responses. Of our better selves.

I'm glad he's off the Whorywood blackball list.

Posted by: GnuBreed at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM (0ogQG)

425 JFK and Elvis are tracking down the Mummy.
Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:44 PM

Pharaoh sucks donkey goobers. And Cleopatra does the nasty!

Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM (EzdLW)

426 So what would folks here say is the all-time best WW1 movie?
---
I'm partial to The BLue Max just for the aerial combat photography with real airplanes.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM (qJtVm)

427 The fairly recent attempts by movies to show Ancient Greek warfare are disappointing inaccurate

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM (aC6Sd)

428 Lots of war movies are really love stories taking place during wars
Posted by: Skip

I remember Rush telling the story of asking his WW2 vet father which WW2 movie was most accurate and the response was "Hell Is For Heroes because it doesn't have a damn love story in it."

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:49 PM (f3MDZ)

429 Has there ever been a serious movie about the Battle of Marathon?

The battle itself was pretty short. The heavy Greek infantry hit the Persians as they were landing, attacked at the doubletime to get under the Persian archers and the Persians panicked. I guess you could work some intrigue into it.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 08:49 PM (yQpMk)

430 All Hail Eris, wow!

I know that aerial combat was more or less literally invented during WW1.

I believe the very first Oscar winner for Best Picture, Wings, also covered it.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:49 PM (eMKNe)

431 22 Has there ever been a serious movie about the Battle of Marathon?
Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing

In the long run, it's always been sweaty work trying to jog that kind of subject matter past the Hollywood finish line.

;-)
Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:47 PM (eMKNe)

I see what you did there.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:49 PM (nBr1j)

432 They also interned Germans and Italians*. That doesn't get mentioned a lot because white people mistreating white people doesn't advance cultural marxism, but there was a camp outside of my hometown and there weren't many Japanese people living in Iowa in the 40s.

It wasn't as bad, but that was due to a variety of factors, including that the German-heritage areas were away from the coasts, fewer first and second generation immigrants and, IIRC, German-Americans got treated like shit during WWI, when a lot of German culture was suppressed and never recovered.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (Tnhbr)

433 I believe the following are also all WW1 movies:

- Gallipoli
- All Quiet On The Western Front
- Doctor Zhivago

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (eMKNe)

434 I really like Wes Studi. Very compelling screen presence. But he was The Sphynx in Mystery Men, which means he also has a sense of humor.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, Old Elk Enthusiast

He who questions training, only trains himself in asking questions. - Sphinx

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (+Tibp)

435 Not sure who cast "From here to Eternity ". Very uneven

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (Ymy4N)

436 And Cleopatra does the nasty!
Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM

I hear she did take it in the asp.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (jeQxb)

437 The fairly recent attempts by movies to show Ancient Greek warfare are disappointing inaccurate

That 300 sequel was horrendous. At least the first tried to stay sort of close to actual events, even if immensely stylized.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:51 PM (39g3+)

438

Posted by: tu3031 at May 26, 2018 08:51 PM (O5Q3r)

439 427 The fairly recent attempts by movies to show Ancient Greek warfare are disappointing inaccurate
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM (aC6Sd)
---
They're not naked!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:51 PM (qJtVm)

440 A good WW1 movie is Flyboys. Don't let the fact that it has James Franco in it scare you.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:51 PM (f3MDZ)

441 The battle scenes in Ran were gorgeously filmed, which is weird but they were beautiful. At least parts of the Battle were beautiful.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:52 PM (nBr1j)

442 Northernlurker, :-)

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:52 PM (eMKNe)

443 I believe the following are also all WW1 movies:

- Gallipoli
- All Quiet On The Western Front
- Doctor Zhivago
Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (eMKNe)

The Lord of the Rings.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:52 PM (fZuhk)

444 435 Not sure who cast "From here to Eternity ". Very uneven
Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (Ymy4N)
---
I liked hearing Ernest Borgnine call Frankie a Wop. They musta laffed at that one.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:52 PM (qJtVm)

445 hogmartin, really??

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:52 PM (eMKNe)

446 427
The fairly recent attempts by movies to show Ancient Greek warfare are disappointing inaccurate

Posted by: Skip
Are you suggesting that Eva Green's boobs aren't magnificent?

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:52 PM (LAe3v)

447 >>"I'm also waiting for the SJW crowd to realize he says "ni**er" eighty thousand times in every movie he makes and Unperson him."

He got taken down with the #MeToo stuff - for enabling Weinstein, and then Uma Thurman kicked it a notch by airing details about the injuries she got during the filming of Kill Bill Vol. II (he had her crash the car without proper protection, broke some bones IIRC, and has had back problems ever since).

Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:53 PM (W+vEI)

448 Monty Clift has got to be one of the most overrated actors of all time.
He died young. Always a good career move.

Posted by: tu3031 at May 26, 2018 08:53 PM (O5Q3r)

449 There have been a bunch of WWI flying movies, daring pilots in rickety cloth planes, being all dashing and honorable. Some of the oldest movies are the best of them, I think.

German-Americans got treated like shit during WWI, when a lot of German culture was suppressed and never recovered.

It was actually illegal to teach German as a language for a few years. They got pretty jobbed over for a while yeah. WWI was a triumph of bigotry and propaganda, one of the ugliest periods in US history. Thank Wilson for that bit.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:53 PM (39g3+)

450 hogmartin, really??
Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 08:52 PM (eMKNe)

Dead serious.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 08:53 PM (fZuhk)

451 One of the best WW1 movies is "The Grand Illusion".

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:53 PM (V2Yro)

452 396: mr. taylor:

i did not know that.

you're comments on the debate thread earlier were also sharp. well done.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (Pg+x7)

453
Monty Clift has got to be one of the most overrated actors of all time.
Posted by: REDACTED

That's my opinion about James Dean.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (IqV8l)

454 McHale's Navy was pretty good.

Posted by: Weasel at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (MVjcR)

455 Take a look at The Best Years of Our Lives - 1946, directed by William Wyler, another man who directed some outstanding pictures. I also like Gibson in We Were Soldiers - 2002, about the late Hal Moore and the first large engagement in Vietnam.

Posted by: Locke Common at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (+v1++)

456 Clapper looks like a Bizarro World Mike Ehrmentraut.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (e7oj4)

457 I'm partial to The BLue Max just for the aerial combat photography with real airplanes.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM

What a bunch of poofs!

Posted by: Squadron Commander The Lord Flasheart at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (jeQxb)

458 Uma Thurman kicked it a notch by airing details about the injuries she got during the filming of Kill Bill Vol. II (he had her crash the car without proper protection, broke some bones IIRC, and has had back problems ever since).
Posted by: Lizzy

I very selflessly volunteer to give Ms. Thurman massages for her back pain. Happy ending no extra charge.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:55 PM (f3MDZ)

459 Yeah James Dean... so much respect and admiration for so little actual accomplishment. That kid in Rebel Without a Cause needed a ten minute ass kicking.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 08:55 PM (39g3+)

460 Monty Clift has got to be one of the most overrated actors of all time.

Posted by: REDACTED

That's my opinion about James Dean.

See #448

Posted by: tu3031 at May 26, 2018 08:55 PM (O5Q3r)

461 WWI was a triumph of bigotry and propaganda, one of the ugliest periods in US history.
---
One reason Eisenhower insisted on filming the concentration camps is that nobody would believe it after all the Hun propaganda from WWI.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (qJtVm)

462 Monty Clift has got to be one of the most overrated actors of all time.

Posted by: REDACTED

That's my opinion about James Dean.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr.
Okay, if we're talking about actors who are generally held in high regard, I put Jimmy Stewart at the top of that list. Yes, he was heroic during the war, when he could easily have stayed home, but I find his acting entirely unconvincing and irritating.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (LAe3v)

463 My recommendation is 1940's Northwest Passage, filmed in glorious Technicolor. Maybe the only movie ever set during the French and Indian War, it stars Spencer Tracy as Maj. Robert Rogers of Rogers Ranger fame. The other featured players are Robert Young as Langdon Towne (his best role) and Walter Brennan as Hunk Marriner.
While the plot concerns a raid to wipe out Indians who've been terrorizing upstate New York, the most memorable elements are the rangers' battles against the elements: carrying longboats over hills, forming a human chain to cross a raging river, mucking their way through a swamp and, ultimately, facing death from starvation. If you have a chance to see it on TCM, don't miss it.
See you at sundown, Harvard.

Posted by: Outside Adjitator at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (pXthv)

464 I said the Battle of Marathon, I was thinking of the Battle of Thermopylae.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (nBr1j)

465

German-Americans got treated like shit during WWI, when a lot of German culture was suppressed and never recovered.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (Tnhbr)

Germans and Italians were also bigger voting blocs.

Know where Japanese-Americans were left unmolested? Hawaii.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (3ZK+G)

466 It was actually illegal to teach German as a language for a few years.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor

Texas has a large German community that has developed its own language called Texas German. Kind of a patois of English and German.

Anyhoo, my Grandfather spoke it. He would use German POWs in WWII to help with the farm and would often eat lunch with them and converse. The neighbors accused him of being a member of the Bund.

Also, my dad, his son, did not speak a word of German. Probably for that reason.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (+Tibp)

467 456 Clapper looks like a Bizarro World Mike Ehrmentraut.
Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (e7oj4)
---
He looks like Ehrmentraut with a slow air leak.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (qJtVm)

468 I know what you mean, HogMartin. There's certainly an element in there. The Dead Marshes are carved out of Tolkien's memories of the Somme, for example.

Frodo never really recovered from his wounds, even though he was on the winning side - the victory was for others, not for him personally. Just as Tolkien never truly recovered his health after being gassed. He wrote from what he knew.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (V2Yro)

469 It's a trade-off. The 60s WWII movies used real tanks & planes, but they were largely inaccurate, sometimes laughably so. But contemporary movies can get the details right with CG, but CG still looks like CG.
Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 08:33 PM (ANIFC)

========

CGI still looks fakey fakey. It's one of the things that negatively impacts the experience of the Marvel movies for me. They're not that bad on the political correctness scale, but too cartoony. More interesting to see Sean Connery zipping around in a mini-helicopter.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (/qEW2)

470 And one more, Puddin Head and all, before I hit the rack. 'Sand In The Wind' about Marines from boot camp to VN. Forget who wrote it, but it would make a great movie if whoryweird didn't fvck it up.

Posted by: Eromero at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (zLDYs)

471 >>Gibson can tell an engrossing story via film, and I love him for that.
None of us can actually know how we will respond until we are personally there. but his are at least within the range of our likely responses. Of our better selves.

We recently watch "Blood Father" - Gibson is always watchable.

Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (W+vEI)

472 I have the "trilogy" by Jim Jones. "From Here to Eternity", "The Thin Red Line" and "Whistle".

Of the three, "Whistle" is the best and should be made into a movie.

And yes, lots of homo stuff in the first, little in the second and none in the third.

But lots of sex, oral especially, in "Whistle". Jim liked it a lot I guess.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (EoRCO)

473 My paternal grandmother came from a German family, whole bunch up near Bay City MI. I asked her one time why she didn't still speak German, as she still had prayer books in German. She told me that when she started school her parents decided that they would speak English at home, as they were Americans. Thing is, she started school in 1914, and had older brothers. I suspect the timing of this decision was important....

Posted by: Lirio100 at May 26, 2018 08:58 PM (JK7Jw)

474 WWI Favs:
Dawn Patrol
The Fighting 69th
Sgt York

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 08:59 PM (QLvwG)

475 I loves Saving Private Ryan, but Spielberg ruins it for me with the Oppum garbage at the end. The first half hour is brilliant, but I can never get past the ending.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 08:59 PM (Agn5J)

476 That's my opinion about James Dean.
Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at May 26, 2018 08:54 PM (IqV8l)

Agreed

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 08:59 PM (Ymy4N)

477 They also interned Germans and Italians*. That doesn't get mentioned a lot because white people mistreating white people doesn't advance cultural marxism, but there was a camp outside of my hometown and there weren't many Japanese people living in Iowa in the 40s.
Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:44
True dat, good point PL. Doesn't advance the right narrative. And Wilson imprisoned Mennonites during WW I for objecting to the war.

Posted by: Farmer at May 26, 2018 08:59 PM (yJ1e6)

478 I had german ancestors who at the time were living in a large city near Toronto, Ontario, named Berlin, mostly a german speaking community.

After WW1 broke out, it was renamed Kitchener, which is what it is still called today.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:59 PM (V2Yro)

479 After WW1, my great-grandfather would never admit to being of German ancestry. Surviving a gas attack left him pretty bitter towards the Vaterland.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:59 PM (f3MDZ)

480 Great WWII films, IMO: Patton, the German version of Stalingrad, and the fairly recent Fury, with Brad Pitt.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:00 PM (Agn5J)

481 Yes, he was heroic during the war, when he could easily have stayed home, but I find his acting entirely unconvincing and irritating.
Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (LAe3v)
---
Like doddering grampa playing young Charles Lindburgh?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 09:00 PM (qJtVm)

482 Dunno if it counts as a war movie or a drama, but: Downfall.

Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 09:00 PM (U7voe)

483 I loves Saving Private Ryan, but Spielberg ruins it for me with the Oppum garbage at the end.

That someone could literally freeze up with fear?

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:01 PM (yQpMk)

484 Not sure who cast "From here to Eternity ". Very uneven
Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 08:50 PM (Ymy4N)

Godfather Vito Corleone. He made sure Frank Sinatra was in it. All it took was a little head in bed.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at May 26, 2018 09:01 PM (9BLnV)

485 >>>482 Dunno if it counts as a war movie or a drama, but: Downfall.

It's known more for the memes, but the film itself is very well done.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:01 PM (Agn5J)

486 Godfather Vito Corleone. He made sure Frank Sinatra was in it. All it took was a little head in bed.
Posted by: Anonymous White Male

An offer he couldn't refuse.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (+Tibp)

487 Yeah, Fury. I liked that movie. The clash with the Tiger was terrifying.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (yQpMk)

488 I very selflessly volunteer to give Ms. Thurman massages for her back pain. Happy ending no extra charge.
Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 08:55 PM (f3MDZ)

========

Back massages only - keep your hands off her feet.

Posted by: Quentin Tarantino at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (/qEW2)

489 Watched Guns of Navarone last night. But that was just to see Gia Scala.

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (SeyTv)

490 McHale's Navy was pretty good.

No, seriously it was pretty hilarious. Surprising because it was one of those "oh criminy another movie made from a boomer youth TV show" but... it was actually pretty good.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (39g3+)

491 480
Great WWII films, IMO: Patton, the German version of Stalingrad, and the fairly recent Fury, with Brad Pitt.
I agree with all of those. Good list.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (LAe3v)

492 Almost 500 in ... and no mention of Kelly's Heroes ?

I give up. Who are you people ?

Posted by: ScoggDog at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (ftdxp)

493 >>>That someone could literally freeze up with fear?

No, just his entire attitude during the film. The last scene was just the last straw. Simply an annoying, unnecessary character, in my opinion. Matt. Damon. Freezes with fear at the end, but it doesn't ruin it for me. Oppum is different.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (Agn5J)

494 469 That to me is why I put Battle of Britain so highly, they found at least aircraft that looked WWII but were often updated for 20 years, but it would take experts to know that.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:02 PM (aC6Sd)

495 I was thinking of the Battle of Thermopylae.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (nBr1j)

>>> The 300 Spartans, 1962, Richard Egan as Leonidas.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 09:03 PM (AMIL/)

496 >>>487 Yeah, Fury. I liked that movie. The clash with the Tiger was terrifying.

The only working Tiger left on Earth. It's at the Bovington Tank Museum in England

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:03 PM (Agn5J)

497 500 comments and no one brings up Breaker Morant? Just as good as Paths of Glory, IMO

Posted by: Grad School Fool at May 26, 2018 09:04 PM (swEzU)

498 Almost 500 in ... and no mention of Kelly's Heroes ?

I give up. Who are you people ?
Posted by: ScoggDog

Donald Sutherland as a protohippie driving a Tiger tank. What's not to like?

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:04 PM (f3MDZ)

499

"The Foreign Minister of Germany once said to me 'your country does not dare do anything against Germany, because we have in your country five hundred thousand Germans reservists [emigrants] who will rise in arms against your government if you dare to make a move against Germany.' Well, I told him that that might be so, but that we had five hundred thousand - and one - lamp posts in this country, and that that was where the reservists would be hanging the day after they tried to rise." - James W. Gerard, US Ambassador to Germany, 1913-1917

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 09:04 PM (3ZK+G)

500 I also liked All Quiet on The Western Front. All the romanticism speeches about going to war at the beginning vs the stark horror of war as it plays out.

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 09:04 PM (QLvwG)

501
Almost 500 in ... and no mention of Kelly's Heroes ?

I give up. Who are you people ?
Posted by: ScoggDog

#286

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (IqV8l)

502 It's not a critically great film, but I really like Enemy at the Gates, as well. Jude Law as Soviet sniper Vasily Zaitsev. Good stuff.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (Agn5J)

503 overrated actor - Tom Hanks
actually I don't know if he's overrated or just annoying

Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (hMwEB)

504 My favorite war movie is "12 O'Clock high" with Gregory Peck. Well, favorite realistic story any way. My favorite is 'Kelly's Heroes" which had it's own kind of realism (real Tiger Tanks and real Shermans, woot).

Posted by: Kristian Holvoet at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (qsDMQ)

505 #286

Shh. He's rolling.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (yQpMk)

506 492 Almost 500 in ... and no mention of Kelly's Heroes ?

Negative waves.

Posted by: Adobe Juan Calhoon Kenobe at May 26, 2018 09:06 PM (Pikr/)

507 Enemy at the Gates was a pretty good WW2 film, from the Russian/German perspective without any Yanks or Brits in it. Awful misery everywhere and a very interesting series of cat and mouse hunts with snipers.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:06 PM (39g3+)

508 486 Godfather Vito Corleone. He made sure Frank Sinatra was in it. All it took was a little head in bed.
Posted by: Anonymous White Male

Sure you're not talking about Monty ??

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:06 PM (Ymy4N)

509 I'll throw in Das Boot, also. Good war flick.

Posted by: Squadron Commander The Lord Flasheart at May 26, 2018 09:06 PM (jeQxb)

510 It's not a critically great film, but I really like Enemy at the Gates, as well.

I like anything with Rachel Weisz in it. Literally anything.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:07 PM (yQpMk)

511 I also thought Valkyrie was good, ever with Tom Foos.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:07 PM (Agn5J)

512 One of the reasons I like Bubba Ho-Tep so much is after spending most of the movie glorying in wackie B-movie tropes and a hilarious script, suddenly in the last 15 minutes they sneak in a very touching and powerful message about the value of lives that everyone else has forgotten about, and what it means to exit this world with pride.

And that message holds independently of what you think about any of the other things going on.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 09:07 PM (V2Yro)

513 I'll throw in Das Boot, also. Good war flick.

Posted by: Squadron Commander The Lord Flasheart at May 26, 2018 09:06 PM (jeQxb)

Good catch. That is a great movie.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 09:07 PM (T71PA)

514 >>>I like anything with Rachel Weisz in it. Literally anything.

Crazy stupid hot.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:07 PM (Agn5J)

515 426 So what would folks here say is the all-time best WW1 movie?
---
I'm partial to The BLue Max just for the aerial combat photography with real airplanes.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 08:48 PM (qJtVm)

I saw that ages ago and liked it.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:08 PM (sdi6R)

516 I was sort of underwhelmed with The Battle of Britain when I watched it the first time. It was okay, but kind of dated and not very effective until... the last sequence where the film just became silent except for music and the aerial combat. And suddenly it was transformed into a masterpiece. I couldn't take my eyes away.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:08 PM (39g3+)

517 overrated actor - Tom Hanks
actually I don't know if he's overrated or just annoying
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (hMwEB)

Merle Streep

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:08 PM (nBr1j)

518 Shit. Off, sock. Woof!

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at May 26, 2018 09:08 PM (jeQxb)

519 Best war movies of all time:

Charge of the Light Grenade

They Were Expectable

From Here to America

The Battle of the Beluga

The Bridge Over the River Why

Posted by: Joe Biden, Female Hair Inspector at May 26, 2018 09:08 PM (e7oj4)

520 I said the Battle of Marathon, I was thinking of the Battle of Thermopylae.
Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing

*tries to think of thermal underwear puns*

I got nuthin'.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:09 PM (eMKNe)

521 497 500 comments and no one brings up Breaker Morant? Just as good as Paths of Glory, IMO

Posted by: Grad School Fool at May 26, 2018 09:04 PM (swEzU)

++++

Yes, but Memorial Day. Americans. Aussies, though valued allies, don't qualify.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 09:09 PM (pvjTE)

522 I know what you mean, HogMartin. There's certainly an element in there. The Dead Marshes are carved out of Tolkien's memories of the Somme, for example.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 26, 2018 08:57 PM (V2Yro)

Yes, that's one of the most clear examples - a vast landscape, transformed by combat, with the dead from both sides floating everywhere. The whole of Mordor is pretty much the Western front, scorched, shattered, desolate, choked with smoke and death. But like you said, the whole story is what you get when you send a classical language and literature scholar to WWI. The war is everywhere in his writing.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:09 PM (fZuhk)

523 My usual Memorial Day movie is Bataan with Robert Taylor, Robert Walker, Lloyd Nolan, and Thomas Mitchell.

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living at May 26, 2018 09:09 PM (3DZIZ)

524 504 My favorite war movie is "12 O'Clock high" with Gregory Peck. Well, favorite realistic story any way. My favorite is 'Kelly's Heroes" which had it's own kind of realism (real Tiger Tanks and real Shermans, woot).
Posted by: Kristian Holvoet at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (qsDMQ)

I like the movie too but I can help thinking about how left Gregory Peck was. Besties with Jane, for all the left reasons

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:09 PM (Ymy4N)

525 #286

Shh. He's rolling.
Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (yQpMk)

Heh ... at least SOMEBODY still remembers the classics !!!

For a serious war movie though ... I'll echo Chris Taylor - A Bridge Too Far. Outstanding.

Posted by: ScoggDog at May 26, 2018 09:09 PM (ftdxp)

526 How bad does Solo suck??

Well, apparently his last name isn't Solo????
WTF!!!!!!
Disney SUCKKKKKKKSSSSS!!!!

Posted by: Kreplach at May 26, 2018 09:10 PM (UfMVm)

527 Rachel Weisz in The Mummy was so adorable I just wanted to take a bite like she was cake. That's such a great film.

And yeah, another thumb up for Valkyrie. Fine movie, and Tom Cruise was actually quite effective in it. Good vehicle for him.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:10 PM (39g3+)

528 As I understand it, WW1 was the first war to feature in any kind of major way:

- Aerial warfare
- chemical warfare
- use of submarines for reconnaissance/attack

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:10 PM (eMKNe)

529 300 Spartans with Richard Egan.
Themistocles.
(and we are Greeks too -a Thespian )

One of my favorites.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at May 26, 2018 09:10 PM (CuFV9)

530 504 My favorite is 'Kelly's Heroes" which had it's own kind of realism (real Tiger Tanks and real Shermans, woot).

Posted by: Kristian Holvoet at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (qsDMQ)

>>>> Sorry, but those were not real Tiger I's. Good simulations. Check the road wheels against a real Tiger I

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (AMIL/)

531 I loves Saving Private Ryan, but Spielberg ruins it for me with the Oppum garbage at the end. The first half hour is brilliant, but I can never get past the ending.

Which bit, where Upham cowards out or when he shoots the prisoner?

It's important to know that when he has the five prisoners at gunpoint the one he'd passed on the stairs says "I know this man, he's a coward".

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (fuK7c)

532 I also liked All Quiet on The Western Front.

Oof. Nichts Neues im Westen, I believe. Bleak. Really, really gets its point across.

Posted by: t-bird at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (y3sT9)

533 517 overrated actor - Tom Hanks
actually I don't know if he's overrated or just annoying
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (hMwEB)

He was well cast in BP, after that BS. Can't stand him

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (Ymy4N)

534
How bad does Solo suck??

Well, apparently his last name isn't Solo????
WTF!!!!!!
Disney SUCKKKKKKKSSSSS!!!!
Posted by: Kreplach at May 26, 2018 09:10 PM

Lando will suck anything

Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (EzdLW)

535 Also, I'm shocked no one has by now made a great flick about Matthew Brady and his team of cameramen who covered the Civil War, and in the process more or less invented photojournalism.

I even have a great title for the flick: "The Brady Bunch." ;-)

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (eMKNe)

536 Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018

LOTR really is a great war story. The book more so than the movie.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at May 26, 2018 09:12 PM (jeQxb)

537 Christopher - I really liked the first Mummy film. Second? Not so much. As for Valkyrie, there were a few great performances, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, even Eddie Izzard

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:12 PM (Agn5J)

538 Tom Hanks to me is in that category with John Wayne and Arnold Schwarzenegger where they really aren't actors, they're entertainers who take a role. Its still always just them in the part, but they're so interesting and effective at it, you don't really care. Tom has done some terrific work in the past, and some pretty pedestrian and boring work. But he's always just.... Tom Hanks.

Jimmy Stewart had range. He wasn't always given a chance because he was so good at playing that one guy but he really could act, if given a good role to sink his teeth into. I keep bringing this up but the second Thin Man movie demonstrates his skill really well.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:12 PM (39g3+)

539 And yeah, another thumb up for Valkyrie. Fine movie, and Tom Cruise was actually quite effective in it. Good vehicle for him.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor

Agreed. And I also like that Eddie Izzard got to show off his acting chops rather than just being "the comedian that cross-dresses". He's got some skill.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:13 PM (f3MDZ)

540

... the last sequence where the film just became silent except for music and the aerial combat. And suddenly it was transformed into a masterpiece. I couldn't take my eyes away.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:08 PM (39g3+)

The music for that sequence was by Sir William Walton. Most of the rest was by Ron Goodwin.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at May 26, 2018 09:13 PM (gNwZ2)

541 Tom Servo, thanks for that comment re Tolkien. Now I get it about him, LOTR and WW1. Sounds like JRR used it as kind of a template for the story.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:13 PM (eMKNe)

542 >>>> Sorry, but those were not real Tiger I's. Good simulations. Check the road wheels against a real Tiger I
Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (AMIL/)

Still beats the hell out of Midway where they put in war camera footage of anything they could get their hands on like Corsairs.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 09:13 PM (T71PA)

543 One of my Memorial Weekend recommendations is Hell is for Heros with Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin and Bob Newhart

Posted by: DirtySanchez at May 26, 2018 09:13 PM (Id8wU)

544 I'm a huge fan of The Great Escape.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:13 PM (nBr1j)

545 Oooooo, Sara Carter

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:14 PM (e7oj4)

546 overrated actor - Tom Hanks
actually I don't know if he's overrated or just annoying
Posted by: votermom pimping NEW Moron-authored books! at May 26, 2018 09:05 PM (hMwEB)

If you watch Apollo 13 with the Jim Lovell commentary, you do get an appreciation of how Hanks captured his little tics and mannerisms when you hear Jim and Marilyn speaking. It's subtle, but I was impressed.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:14 PM (fZuhk)

547 >>>It's important to know that when he has the five prisoners at gunpoint the one he'd passed on the stairs says "I know this man, he's a coward".

Really? Never noticed that. Nice.

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:14 PM (Agn5J)

548 Parkland students are getting an invitation to intern for Democrats this summer session. Watch out for the cornhole kids!

Posted by: Concerned People's Front at May 26, 2018 09:14 PM (rdl6o)

549 Monty says he's a middleweight. The only time he saw 155 was when he stuffed with 20 lbs of sausage

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:15 PM (Ymy4N)

550 Whatever elxe you can say about him, Tom Cruise picks good scripts.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:15 PM (yQpMk)

551 I'm a huge fan of The Great Escape.

Read the book, its so much more. Incredible story, but they couldn't possibly film it all.

Really? Never noticed that. Nice.

He says it in German, no subtitles. In front of the one guy in the squad who speaks German and finally grows a pair.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:15 PM (39g3+)

552 Jimmy Stewart had range.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:12 PM (39g3+)

Truly groundbreaking work as The Cuck Who Lived in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Posted by: ScoggDog at May 26, 2018 09:15 PM (ftdxp)

553 Okay, if we're talking about actors who are generally held in high regard, I put Jimmy Stewart at the top of that list. Yes, he was heroic during the war, when he could easily have stayed home, but I find his acting entirely unconvincing and irritating.
Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (LAe3v)

========

The quavery voice thing he's got going, you either like it or it's grating.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 09:16 PM (/qEW2)

554 If you watch Apollo 13 with the Jim Lovell commentary, you do get an appreciation of how Hanks captured his little tics and mannerisms when you hear Jim and Marilyn speaking. It's subtle, but I was impressed.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:14 PM (fZuhk)

Prolly voiced over about 100 times

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:16 PM (Ymy4N)

555 Tom Hanks was great in The Burbs. The entire cast was superb. Even the garbagemen, who were in it for about 45 seconds, shone.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:17 PM (f3MDZ)

556 Hey Chris T, seems I can say that same thing for all the big stars ie they were just in a part, like McQueen, Pacino, Deniro, et al. After a while I just see the star as opposed to the character. IMO

Posted by: DirtySanchez at May 26, 2018 09:17 PM (Id8wU)

557 Really? Never noticed that. Nice.
Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:14 PM (Agn5J)

SPR has a few Easter eggs like that. The surrendering 'Germans' in the trench on the cliff at the beginning are trying to say that they didn't kill anyone and that they're Czech.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:17 PM (fZuhk)

558 Did a search for "Battle of Britain."

One of the first thing that turns up is Roger Ebert's 1969 ONE-star review.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:17 PM (eMKNe)

559 "Has there ever been a serious movie about the Battle of Marathon?"

Our reenactment was a smashing success!

Posted by: Batley Townswomans Guild at May 26, 2018 09:17 PM (UdKB7)

560 [528 As I understand it, WW1 was the first war to feature in any kind of major way:

- Aerial warfare
- chemical warfare
- use of submarines for reconnaissance/attack
Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:10 PM (eMKNe)

Yes, it started out with the ancient combination of infantry/cavalry/artillery, but the stalemate forced all kinds of technological innovations.

At the start of the war, airplanes were envisioned as scouts to observe enemy troop movements on the ground (balloons were used for that in the American Civil War), but within a couple of months the aircrews were shooting at each other with pistols and rifles.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:18 PM (sdi6R)

561 550 Whatever elxe you can say about him, Tom Cruise picks good scripts.
Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:15 PM (yQpMk)

His movies make a lot of money

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:18 PM (Ymy4N)

562 Cruise's secretary in Valkyrie has fabulous elbows, by the way. Halina Reijn. https://bit.ly/2L07Eqe

Posted by: Wyatt at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (gA69l)

563 Whatever elxe you can say about him, Tom Cruise picks good scripts.

Tom Cruise does what Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood does. They make movies to make money, and collect scripts they like, then they make the movies from those scripts with their cash and banking on their popularity and power in Hollywood to get the film made, even when it otherwise wouldn't have. That's how movies like Open Range and Unforgiven get made in a Hollywood culture that hates westerns and what they have to say about men and life.

Without Tom Cruise, those Jack Reacher movies wouldn't get made, he's a huge fan. They don't always hit a home run (The Postman, Trouble With the Curve, etc) but they are getting stuff made that wouldn't otherwise and I really like them for it.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (39g3+)

564
One D-Day vet said the only thing they missed was the smell.

The thing that struck me about Saving Private Ryan was how the audience reacted after the movie. Normally, when you leave after a show, there's chatter. People talking about cool things about the movie, 'what do we do next', 'i want ice cream', etc.

After Saving Private Ryan? Dead silence.

Posted by: rosignol at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (sjCQ+)

565 OT. WTH! American Digest lost its verification. I really like that site! Hope they get it back soon.

Posted by: t-dubya-d at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (RZWC0)

566 Thin red line was horrible

Posted by: Karl at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (fvf8x)

567 Num nums time

Posted by: Irritated Peoples of Lower Slobovia at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (Id8wU)

568 534
How bad does Solo suck??

Well, apparently his last name isn't Solo????
WTF!!!!!!
Disney SUCKKKKKKKSSSSS!!!!
Posted by: Kreplach at May 26, 2018 09:10 PM

Lando will suck anything
Posted by: Hands at May 26, 2018 09:11 PM (EzdLW)

Played by Dong Lover, as EVS says it

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (ANIFC)

569 I'm in for a movie that depicts Dresden.

-
Not a movie nor about Dresden but if Brit fire bombing of German cities interests you, check out books by Martin Middlebrook. I might suggest The Nuremburg Raid about a Brit heavy bomber raid that went wrong and led to the loss of 94 heavy bombers. He also has books on the Hamburg Raids, the Berlin Raids, the Peenemunde Raid etc.

For fiction, check out Len Deighton's Bomber about a Ruhr raid that goes wrong. It is one of my all time favorite novels.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 09:20 PM (+y/Ru)

570 If you watch Apollo 13 with the Jim Lovell commentary, you do get an appreciation of how Hanks captured his little tics and mannerisms when you hear Jim and Marilyn speaking.

I watched a CSPAN thing today about Apollo 8, with all of the crew members still alive and onstage.

One of the cute little sidebars was that Lovell called a small mountain near the Sea of Tranquility "Mount Marilyn". NASA took it up and everybody who followed called it that, but the body that officially names things snooted at it and said we don't do that.

Well, they changed their minds two years ago and now it's officially Mount Marilyn.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 09:20 PM (fuK7c)

571 OT. WTH! American Digest lost its verification. I really like that site! Hope they get it back soon.
Posted by: t-dubya-d at May 26, 2018 09:19 PM (RZWC0)

It'll be back. That happened a couple of months ago too. Gerard will get it back.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 09:21 PM (T71PA)

572 HOU up 36-22

Posted by: Boulder t'hobo at May 26, 2018 09:21 PM (X/A4v)

573 That's the test for me in an actor: when I forget who's playing the part and just see them in the role. Very few who can do that. Most of the "really great" actors you see THEM playing the part rather than them disappearing and the part taking over.

One of the first thing that turns up is Roger Ebert's 1969 ONE-star review.

Shows what he knows. Fat idiot.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:21 PM (39g3+)

574 Yes, it started out with the ancient combination of infantry/cavalry/artillery, but the stalemate forced all kinds of technological innovations.
Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:18 PM (sdi6R)

It was also the beginning of modern field guns, since artillery recoil systems had evolved to the point where you could shoot twice and expect to hit roughly the same place, so it became worthwhile to start looking into gun laying as a science instead of just an art. Before that, the state of the art was basically Napoleonic cannon.

Consequently, you get hideous trench warfare, the reintroduction of helmets, and so on.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:21 PM (fZuhk)

575 I know it's a British movie but has anyone sent the Dambusters movie?

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:21 PM (nBr1j)

576 Tom Hanks was great in The Burbs. The entire cast was superb. Even the garbagemen, who were in it for about 45 seconds, shone.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:17 PM (f3MDZ)

Great movie.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at May 26, 2018 09:22 PM (9Om/r)

577 Parkland students are getting an invitation to intern for Democrats this summer session. Watch out for the cornhole kids!
Posted by: Concerned People's Front at May 26, 2018 09:14 PM (rdl6o)

========

Saw that too. The Democrats are encouraging kids to become lying loudmouthed brats who don't think critically about what it is they're espousing. They're corrupting the youth, like the Soviets when they turned kids into heroes for turning in their "subversive" parents.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (/qEW2)

578 My favorite war movie is "Caddyshack"

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (Ymy4N)

579 One of my Memorial Weekend recommendations is Hell is for Heros with Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin and Bob Newhart

-
And Fess Parker who died a few days ago.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (+y/Ru)

580 Lando will suck anything

Yeah but, here's the thing I don't get.

He's not human. He's from another galaxy entirely. From "long, long ago" no less. He LOOKS human but whatever he does sexually is just whatever that species does. The fixation with making them fit some leftist special identity niche is just tiring. Think more like Arcturians in Aliens.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (39g3+)

581 Wow, the Demotards roll out the shittiest of their shit turds for the talk shows on memorial Day Weekend.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (e7oj4)

582 I know it's a British movie but has anyone sent the Dambusters movie?
Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:21 PM (nBr1j)

Dambusters is damngood.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (T71PA)

583 Kinda cool https://youtu.be/ehVxkDiNKIw

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 09:24 PM (+Tibp)

584 Lee Marvin was a one off

Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:24 PM (Ymy4N)

585 Don't mention the war!

Posted by: Basil Fawlty at May 26, 2018 09:24 PM (ANIFC)

586 logprof, all the better for Tucker Carlson to eviscerate.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:24 PM (eMKNe)

587 Think more like Arcturians in Aliens.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (39g3+)

What, like more than I'm thinking about them already?

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:24 PM (fZuhk)

588 Dan'l Boone est mort?

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 09:25 PM (fuK7c)

589 Consequently, you get hideous trench warfare, the reintroduction of helmets, and so on.
Posted by: hogmartin

There was trench warfare in the Civil War. Fredericksburg and Richmond I think. But the European powers refused to study American battles because they viewed the American military and lowbrow militias.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:25 PM (f3MDZ)

590 If we're talking realism ... nothing comes close to The Last Starfighter.

Posted by: ScoggDog at May 26, 2018 09:25 PM (ftdxp)

591
I know it's a British movie but has anyone sent the Dambusters movie?

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:21 PM (nBr1j)

Yes. I enjoyed it.

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 09:26 PM (QLvwG)

592 Still beats the hell out of Midway where they put in war camera footage of anything they could get their hands on like Corsairs.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 09:13 PM (T71PA)

>>> Agreed. That's what makes Tora Tora Tora stand out - the money and effort spent to fashion flying replicas of Japanese aircraft.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 09:26 PM (AMIL/)

593
There was trench warfare in the Civil War. Fredericksburg and Richmond I think.
Petersburg.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 09:26 PM (LAe3v)

594 586 logprof, all the better for Tucker Carlson to eviscerate.
Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:24 PM (eMKNe)

--Sara Carter and Judge Jugs already ripped him.

Tucker won't have much of a carcass to feast on.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:26 PM (e7oj4)

595 I wanted since last week to put together my top 10 war movies but didn't, so on the fly but not in order
12 O'clock High
Master and Commander
Black Hawk Down
Paths of Glory
Last of the Mohicans
Das Boot
Need 4 more

Tring to decide if Cain Mutiny is a war movie

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:26 PM (aC6Sd)

596 Thin Red Line was awful

Posted by: Tinkers Toys made Peter Pan smile at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (Id8wU)

597 The civil war scenes in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were memorable.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (nBr1j)

598 The Fighting Seabees

Posted by: gNewt at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (Uysai)

599 some day they will do a space opera from Alastair Reynolds' books

Posted by: Boulder t'hobo at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (X/A4v)

600 Another innovation from WWI: Parachutes.

Yes, Leonardo da Vinci invented the concept in a 15th century drawing, and there had been experiments and tests in the years leading up to WWI, but they became a reality during the war.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (sdi6R)

601 Well, they changed their minds two years ago and now it's officially Mount Marilyn.
Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 09:20 PM (fuK7c)

Not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, yeah, it's nice when things like that happen. On the other, if we just bent the rules every time, Uranus would still be named George.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (fZuhk)

602 589 Consequently, you get hideous trench warfare, the reintroduction of helmets, and so on.
Posted by: hogmartin

There was trench warfare in the Civil War. Fredericksburg and Richmond I think. But the European powers refused to study American battles because they viewed the American military and lowbrow militias.
Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:25 PM (f3MDZ)

And in the Crimean War before that, and the Russo-Japanese War, just before WWI. But none of the decision makers were paying attention.

Posted by: Basil Fawlty at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (ANIFC)

603 I know it's a British movie but has anyone sent the Dambusters movie?

-
Trivia: What was Guy Gibson's dog's name?

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (+y/Ru)

604 Need 4 more

Tring to decide if Cain Mutiny is a war movie

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:26 PM (aC6Sd)

Sink the Bismark
The Enemy Below

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 09:28 PM (QLvwG)

605 Northernlurker lighter less filing

Yes, the Dambusters about 617 Sqdn was quite well done.

There is a Star Wars link using dialog from the other movie. Some call it a homage. I call it plagiarism.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 26, 2018 09:28 PM (hyuyC)

606 Hah! Good to hear Dr. WTF. That is on my weekend reading list.

Posted by: t-dubya-d at May 26, 2018 09:28 PM (RZWC0)

607 Fess Parker gone?

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:28 PM (aC6Sd)

608 603 I know it's a British movie but has anyone sent the Dambusters movie?

-
Trivia: What was Guy Gibson's dog's name?
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (+y/Ru

I know.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:28 PM (nBr1j)

609 But the European powers refused to study American battles because they viewed the American military and lowbrow militias.

The Euros had observers at our Civil War battles, and they had observers at the 1905 Russo-Nippo war. They should have known what industrial war looked like but they chose to act as if it were Napoleonic.

WWI makes me mad because it's the stupidest war ever fought the most stupid ways for the most stupid reasons that ended up killing everyone.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 09:28 PM (fuK7c)

610 The civil war scenes in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were memorable.

They felt really strange though, out of place. Like he'd filmed the sequences earlier and just wanted to use them. At no point in the film did you feel like the movie was set within 1000 miles of the Civil War, then they stumble across a battlefield? And spend a half hour as soldiers, for no real plot reason?

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (39g3+)

611 As long as we're straying from movies....the UK arrested, tried, and sentenced Tommy Robinson in a matter of hours and put a gag order on the proceeding. Someone wants Robinson dead, eh? WTF, Britain?

Posted by: Lizzy at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (W+vEI)

612 Heaven Can Wait is coming out on Criterion.

But... it's the 1943 Ernst Lubitsch version, not the 1978 Warren Beatty flick.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (eMKNe)

613 Also, To Hell and Back

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (QLvwG)

614 There was trench warfare in the Civil War. Fredericksburg and Richmond I think. But the European powers refused to study American battles because they viewed the American military and lowbrow militias.
Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:25 PM (f3MDZ)

--Read about Cold Harbor and Battle of the Crater.

The first, a sneak peek into the Great War.

The second, one of the biggest clusterfucks in Amrican military history.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (e7oj4)

615 Guy Gibson's dog's name? The N word sounded out.

Alas for Guy Gibson, killed in WWII after writing his book Enemy Coasts Ahead.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (hyuyC)

616 Battle of Britain
Probably A Bridge too Far

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (aC6Sd)

617 They felt really strange though, out of place. Like he'd filmed the sequences earlier and just wanted to use them. At no point in the film did you feel like the movie was set within 1000 miles of the Civil War, then they stumble across a battlefield? And spend a half hour as soldiers, for no real plot reason?
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (39g3+)

They did seem kind of out of place.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:30 PM (nBr1j)

618 To Have and to Have Not

Posted by: gNewt at May 26, 2018 09:30 PM (Uysai)

619 There was trench warfare in the Civil War. Fredericksburg and Richmond I think. But the European powers refused to study American battles because they viewed the American military and lowbrow militias.
Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:25 PM (f3MDZ)

And the Russo-Japanese war, same lessons unlearned, but neither really compared to the stupidly overwhelming scale of WWI. I don't know if there was anything that could have been learned, even if everyone was paying attention.

Tring to decide if Cain Mutiny is a war movie
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:26 PM (aC6Sd)

Gonna go with no, personally. It's a brilliant military absurdity movie and just a really good story, but it feels more like it happens to be set during a war.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:30 PM (fZuhk)

620 Dan'l Boone est mort?

-
Wiki says he died in 2010 but I'm sure I read only a few days ago that he died.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 09:30 PM (+y/Ru)

621 off sock

Posted by: josephistan at May 26, 2018 09:31 PM (ANIFC)

622 Trivia: What was Guy Gibson's dog's name?

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (+y/Ru)

Don't say it!

Posted by: Samuel L Jackson at May 26, 2018 09:31 PM (QLvwG)

623 They felt really strange though, out of place. Like he'd filmed the sequences earlier and just wanted to use them. At no point in the film did you feel like the movie was set within 1000 miles of the Civil War, then they stumble across a battlefield? And spend a half hour as soldiers, for no real plot reason?
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (39g3+)

--The film was shot during the Vietnam War.

"Message," and all that.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:31 PM (e7oj4)

624 "Battle of Britain" was the first move I ever saw in a theater, with my dad, when it first came out.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:31 PM (sdi6R)

625 Great Raid with James Franco. Based on "Ghost Soldiers" book. Bought the movie in 2005.

Also I think it was made for HBO, but "The Gathering Storm" about Churchill and Britain leading up to WW2. Interesting character in that was a guy in the Foreign Office who was secretly feeding info on German rearmament to Churchill in his bid to bring Britain up to speed on Hitler's Germany. Ralph Wigram was his name. His wife is played by the lovely Lena Headey.

Posted by: Rex B at May 26, 2018 09:31 PM (h7GHl)

626 Lizzy,

What they did to Tommy Robinson was vacate a previous sentence under a pretext. Still very bad optics, silencing patriotic Britons over invading barbarians. Very sad situation.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 26, 2018 09:32 PM (hyuyC)

627 I will catch Private Ryan on TV and that first 15 mins still blows my mind 20 years later.

Posted by: #neverskankles at May 26, 2018 09:32 PM (pJWZ4)

628 Fess Parker long gone, but I think his wine is still around thats why I thought he was.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:32 PM (aC6Sd)

629 WWI makes me mad because it's the stupidest war ever fought the most stupid ways for the most stupid reasons that ended up killing everyone.

I agree. It was a stupid, pointless movie that murdered millions of people and ruined an entire continent. We're paying the price for the madness of those years still to this day. The very landscape of Europe was scarred permanently.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:32 PM (39g3+)

630 If we're talking realism ... nothing comes close to The Last Starfighter.
Posted by: ScoggDog at May 26, 2018 09:25 PM (ftdxp)

The Death Blossom scene is an excellent portrayal of Iraqi combat tactics.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 09:32 PM (Tnhbr)

631 Bandersnatch, as I've written here before, it seems that WW1 was basically a drunken barroom brawl writ large over Europe.

And Christopher, I generally agree. GBU isn't really a Civil War flick, at all.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:32 PM (eMKNe)

632 Christopher, we're also still dealing with the fallout from the Civil War.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:33 PM (eMKNe)

633 Gee whiz, it's almost like all of the European powers in WW1 were lead by inbred assclowns who had no idea what they were doing and needlessly threw away millions of lives.
Good thing that can't happen today.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:33 PM (f3MDZ)

634 Hamburger Hill

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:33 PM (aC6Sd)

635 Fess Parker long gone, but I think his wine is still around thats why I thought he was.
Posted by: Skip

I swear I saw a bottle this afternoon at the "package" store. Never knew he was vintner.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 09:34 PM (+Tibp)

636 Britain lost two generations of men In WWI and WWII. The impact was staggering.

Posted by: Northernlurker lighter less filing at May 26, 2018 09:34 PM (nBr1j)

637 "a bridge too far" - even at the time i thought it was simply defeatism - it was really about viet nam.

they took monty's preposterous scheme (and what happens after they take the last bridge - you'd have to move a million men in a month or two to exploit it - which no one was prepared to do) and ike's mistake in allowing it - and conflated it with a post-viet nam malaise - "oh, war is all pointless and a failure" thing.

redford at his most philosophical.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:35 PM (Pg+x7)

638 I agree. It was a stupid, pointless movie that murdered millions of people and ruined an entire continent. We're paying the price for the madness of those years still to this day. The very landscape of Europe was scarred permanently.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:32 PM (39g3+)

--Book Thread tie-in:

Chapter 9 of my incubating novel.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:35 PM (e7oj4)

639 Okay, if we're talking about actors who are generally held in high regard, I put Jimmy Stewart at the top of that list. Yes, he was heroic during the war, when he could easily have stayed home, but I find his acting entirely unconvincing and irritating.

Posted by: pep at May 26, 2018 08:56 PM (LAe3v)

++++

I'll give you that he could really be irritating at times, but I think he has done some fine work. Firecreek and Anatomy of a Murder, to name two of my favorites.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 09:35 PM (pvjTE)

640 "WWI makes me mad because it's the stupidest war ever fought"

And WWII was the second half, after a 20 year halftime.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 09:35 PM (pV/54)

641 Prince Ludwig the Deplorable

Only Grand Fenwick can save the EU now.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at May 26, 2018 09:36 PM (hyuyC)

642 WWI makes me mad because it's the stupidest war ever fought the most stupid ways for the most stupid reasons that ended up killing everyone.

And the "peace" lead directly to WWII.

We joke about the French, but they gave a lot in WWI. They almost collapsed.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 09:36 PM (+Tibp)

643 Speaking of Bizarro World: Lindy Graham is making fucking sense right now.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:36 PM (e7oj4)

644 Except for air warfare WWI is just mass slaughter with hardly any interest for me.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:36 PM (aC6Sd)

645 Bandersnatch, as I've written here before, it seems that WW1 was basically a drunken barroom brawl writ large over Europe.

Then this is obligatory. If WWI were a barfight.

https://bit.ly/1hYdt3Z

Posted by: Bandersnatch at May 26, 2018 09:37 PM (fuK7c)

646 I see a car smashed at night
Cut the applause and dim the light
Monty's face is broken on a wheel
Is he alive? Can he still feel?

[Chorus]
And everybody say, "Is he all right?"
And everybody say, "Shine the light!"
Everybody say, "It's not funny"
That's Montgomery Clift, honey!

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 09:37 PM (pV/54)

647 wurs da luv?

Posted by: Platoon at May 26, 2018 09:37 PM (Ymy4N)

648 The USA had absolutely no business being in WWI and neither did anyone in Europe, for that matter. It was basically a wang measuring match between Germany and Britain, who had the best toys and was the most important nation. At the cost of the manhood of an entire generation. For what?

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:37 PM (39g3+)

649 Holy M1 Grarand! No mention of Battleground in over 600 posts about war movies? For shame!

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 09:37 PM (AMIL/)

650 Speaking of Bizarro World: Lindy Graham is making fucking sense right now.
Posted by: logprof

No, no. I assure just yesterday he said a spy is not an informant.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 09:38 PM (+Tibp)

651 MarkusT if you are around. What apart from the usual movie crap was different for the guy so the ground in Somalia? Just curious.
Also The Patriot was utter shite.

Posted by: NZFrank with a M2 at May 26, 2018 09:38 PM (5h9Yn)

652 Guy Gibson's dog? LOL. I have joked with Brits that that word is only acceptable amongst blacks yoday. But that if Blacks now continue to call each other "dog", then perhaps in the Damvudter movie it is acceptable to have a dog named (achooo!)

Posted by: Rex B at May 26, 2018 09:38 PM (h7GHl)

653 648: huh?

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:38 PM (Pg+x7)

654 > "Tom Wilkinson was a good Cornwallis."
>> "My favorite lines: "Damn him. Damn that man!", and "you dream, general"."

My favorite lines are the ones that followed that as Cornwallis surveyed the battlefield at Yorktown and knew the vaunted British army was beaten:

"How could it come to this ... an army of rabble ... *peasants*. Everything will change now."

Then a moment of realization: "Everything *has* changed,"

Posted by: Anonymous 7 at May 26, 2018 09:39 PM (kZZPS)

655 And Battleground, love that movie

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:39 PM (aC6Sd)

656 sigh

Posted by: Zombie Archduke Ferdinand at May 26, 2018 09:39 PM (Tyii7)

657 644 Except for air warfare WWI is just mass slaughter with hardly any interest for me.
Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:36 PM (aC6Sd)

Bugger off!!

Posted by: Field Marshal Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck at May 26, 2018 09:39 PM (e7oj4)

658 Except for air warfare WWI is just mass slaughter with hardly any interest for me.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:36 PM

The East African Front is pretty interesting and a very different sort of warfare.

Posted by: otho at May 26, 2018 09:40 PM (7xR2D)

659 @629
It helps to view that past and why it was so violent through the prism of alcohol.

Pretty much everyone, including kids drank alcohol, morning till night.
So when you come across something that doesn't make any sense, it's a good bet alcohol was involved.

Posted by: Kreplach at May 26, 2018 09:41 PM (UfMVm)

660 No, no. I assure just yesterday he said a spy is not an informant.
Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at May 26, 2018 09:38 PM (+Tibp)

--Wasn't that a Demodouche?

Posted by: Field Marshal Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck at May 26, 2018 09:41 PM (e7oj4)

661 Another good John Wayne war movie: In Harm's Way.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at May 26, 2018 09:41 PM (+y/Ru)

662 610 The civil war scenes in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were memorable.

They felt really strange though, out of place. Like he'd filmed the sequences earlier and just wanted to use them. At no point in the film did you feel like the movie was set within 1000 miles of the Civil War, then they stumble across a battlefield? And spend a half hour as soldiers, for no real plot reason?

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:29 PM (39g3+)

++++

It was necessary to the plot because Leone wanted to say the Vietnam War was bad.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 09:41 PM (pvjTE)

663 Kelly's heroes is a caper movie that just takes place like lots of love stories during a war.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:41 PM (aC6Sd)

664 /sorry, Herr Lettow-Vorbeck

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:42 PM (e7oj4)

665 He's not human. He's from another galaxy entirely. From "long, long ago" no less. He LOOKS human but whatever he does sexually is just whatever that species does. The fixation with making them fit some leftist special identity niche is just tiring. Think more like Arcturians in Aliens.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:23 PM (39g3+)

Huh? Where'd you get that?

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lando_Calrissian

Lando Calrissian was a human male smuggler, gambler, and card player who became Baron Administrator of Cloud City and, later, a general in the Rebel Alliance.

Why are you engaging in apologetics for the SJW people at Disney crapping all over the franchise?

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 09:42 PM (/qEW2)

666 "We have to push on to Berlin. If we don't show the Germans they're beaten, we'll be fighting his war again in 20 years"
-shit John J. Pershing said

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:42 PM (f3MDZ)

667 654 > "Tom Wilkinson was a good Cornwallis."

An actor that would of fit in any decade

Posted by: Platoon at May 26, 2018 09:42 PM (Ymy4N)

668 There are a few movies that use east Africa during WWI, Africa Queen, Shout at the Devil to name two.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:43 PM (aC6Sd)

669 foch famously predicted that the armistice was a mistake - that you had to march on berlin and utterly defeat germany - and that germany would be back on the march in 20 years. he was right almost to the day.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:44 PM (Pg+x7)

670 WWI started off as basically the Germans vs. the French. The British were allies of the French and got involved. And that eventually drew us in.

I really don't see why there would have been a problem if Germany had rolled over France and conquered them.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:44 PM (sdi6R)

671 The East African Front is pretty interesting and a very different sort of warfare.
Posted by: otho at May 26, 2018 09:40 PM (7xR2D)

See: The African Queen.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 09:45 PM (T71PA)

672 Why are you engaging in apologetics for the SJW people at Disney crapping all over the franchise?

Because people in another damned galaxy aren't human. They claim it in the writeups and stuff but seriously? They aren't just from another planet, they aren't just from another star system, they're from an entirely different planet. The need for leftists to inject sexual politics into ALIENS is retarded.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:45 PM (39g3+)

673 The East African Front is pretty interesting and a very different sort of warfare.
Posted by: otho at May 26, 2018 09:40 PM (7xR2D)

And the Eastern Front. And the Atlantic. The only part that really lives up to the meatgrinder of static trench warfare and cloudy with a chance of shells is the Western front, and even then you could make an argument that it's only really places like the Somme and Passchendaele/Ypres and Verdun and so on. There was more maneuver than people often realize.

Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:45 PM (fZuhk)

674 ... he said unless you defeated germany they would never accept that they lost. he was right.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:45 PM (Pg+x7)

675 I really don't see why there would have been a problem if Germany had rolled over France and conquered them.
Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:44 PM (sdi6R)

--Agreed.

Like in 1871, they would not have stayed put in Paris and just picked off Morocco and some other useless colonies and that would be that.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:46 PM (e7oj4)

676 I really don't see why there would have been a problem if Germany had rolled over France and conquered them.
Posted by: rickl

If America hadn't gotten involved, all of those Germans leaving the Eastern front probably would've rolled the French and the Brits would've sued for peace. France was on the verge of collapse and their army was having uprisings.

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:47 PM (f3MDZ)

677 If Band of Brothers was a movie, it would be among the top 20 of all time.

Posted by: Mega at May 26, 2018 09:47 PM (rv0Fo)

678 666: shit pershing said - i think it was foch.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:47 PM (Pg+x7)

679 And the Eastern Front. And the Atlantic. The only part that really lives up to the meatgrinder of static trench warfare and cloudy with a chance of shells is the Western front, and even then you could make an argument that it's only really places like the Somme and Passchendaele/Ypres and Verdun and so on. There was more maneuver than people often realize.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:45 PM (fZuhk)

The early stages of the war were maneuver. The problem was that once the Germans were halted everything settled into a stalemate and commanders had few options.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 09:47 PM (Tnhbr)

680 if the humanoids in star wars aren't actually human there are no stakes.

Posted by: Boulder t'hobo at May 26, 2018 09:47 PM (X/A4v)

681 Dunno if it counts as a war movie or a drama, but: Downfall.
Posted by: Vanya at May 26, 2018 09:00 PM

Steiner will come.

Posted by: You know who at May 26, 2018 09:48 PM (DMUuz)

682 A film I've not seen mentioned is a very good one with Clint Eastwood: Heartbreak Ridge.

I've also got a soft spot for the fictionalized post Pearl Harbor movie "In Harm's Way". Patricia Neal steals the show.

Now, I know it's about the Commonwealth air war in WWII, but the movie with the most beautiful airplane ever made, the DH98 Mosquito (with the possible exception of the CF-105 Avro Arrow) is 633 Squadron. It's also possibly at least partially responsible for the X-Wing fighter sequence in Star Wars IV. There's a wonderful send up of this on Youtube, e.g.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OZq-tlJTrU

Posted by: MichiCanuck at May 26, 2018 09:49 PM (KguO5)

683 666 "We have to push on to Berlin. If we don't show the Germans they're beaten, we'll be fighting his war again in 20 years"
-shit John J. Pershing said

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:42 PM (f3MDZ)

Military writer James F. Dunnigan claims that you only really win a war when your infantry occupy all of your enemy's homeland cities.

Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 09:49 PM (AMIL/)

684 I agree if BoB was a Movie it would go into my top 10.

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:49 PM (aC6Sd)

685 musical jolly chimp, yup.

In 1945 we kinda/sorta got the next best thing: Germany sliced literally in half, the long way. Kind of an Inspector Clouseau-style resolution...

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:49 PM (eMKNe)

686 if the humanoids in star wars aren't actually human there are no stakes.

That's silly. Good writing and good filmmaking can make you care about anything, human or not. I mean people care what happens to Spock and he's Vulcan. People care about what happens to the animals in Watership Down, the hobbits in Lord of the Rings.

Being human is not necessary to making a film matter or for there to be stakes involved. Chewbacca is a walking rug, but people care about what happens to him.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:49 PM (39g3+)

687 Military writer James F. Dunnigan claims that you only really win a war when your infantry occupy all of your enemy's homeland cities.
Posted by: Gref

Well shit!

Posted by: James K Polk at May 26, 2018 09:50 PM (f3MDZ)

688 Was America in any kind of depression/recession just prior to WW1, a la 1941 and the sequel WW2?

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:51 PM (eMKNe)

689 ww I started of as the germans (and austrians) against the russians. that triggered france's entry as an ally of russia from treaty obligations. britain entered technically because of the violation of belgian neutrality.,, i think.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:51 PM (Pg+x7)

690 Black Hawk Down WAS a giant clusterfuck. But, despite all that was fucked up about that day, it was an overwhelming American victory. However, it should have been an even greater victory.

Posted by: Bill R. at May 26, 2018 09:51 PM (IuYIh)

691 And the ONT is go!

Posted by: James K Polk at May 26, 2018 09:52 PM (f3MDZ)

692 May I mention one of the greatest war movies that I have ever been a part of...?

Posted by: Rear Adm. Jar-Jar Binks (ret.) at May 26, 2018 09:52 PM (c/EDo)

693 Bandersnatch, your link is exactly why I describe WW1 as a barroom brawl. ;-)

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 09:52 PM (eMKNe)

694 ww I started of as the germans (and austrians) against the russians. that triggered france's entry as an ally of russia from treaty obligations. britain entered technically because of the violation of belgian neutrality.,, i think.
Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:51 PM (Pg+x7)

The Brits were long defenders of Belgium. Part of the reason for the Maginot line was to force the Germans to go through Belgium, both to concentrate French defenses across a smaller area, as well as to draw in the Brits.

Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at May 26, 2018 09:53 PM (Tnhbr)

695 Not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, yeah, it's nice when things like that happen. On the other, if we just bent the rules every time, Uranus would still be named George.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (fZuhk)
---
I just that read today in a book on our solar system. George III, no less.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 09:53 PM (qJtVm)

696 WWI makes me mad because it's the stupidest war ever fought the most stupid ways for the most stupid reasons that ended up killing everyone.

I agree. It was a stupid, pointless movie that murdered millions of people and ruined an entire continent. We're paying the price for the madness of those years still to this day. The very landscape of Europe was scarred permanently.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor

The stupid was already there before the war.
The wars were interruptions of the stupid.

Posted by: gNewt at May 26, 2018 09:53 PM (Uysai)

697 I like both A Bridge too Far and The Great Escape if only because I got to meet both Col. Jerry Sage ( a part inspiration for Steve McQueen's character) and Moffat Burris, who led the crossing of the Nijmegen bridge (portrayed by Robert Redford).

Burris was so impressed by the ability of Army engineers to construct bridges from prefab components during Market Garden that he later started a very successful construction company based on what he had seen.

Remarkable men; both gave many talks at schools, and I think inspired more than a few who had the privilege or hearing and meeting them.

Posted by: Miklos Molnar at May 26, 2018 09:53 PM (zCyNd)

698 That was close, didn't realize we were into the 600's

Posted by: Skip at May 26, 2018 09:54 PM (aC6Sd)

699 I keep bringing this up but the second Thin Man movie demonstrates his skill really well.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018
------------Interesting, that is my take on JS also, his last scene in the Thin Man 2 was so moving, I almost sympathize with Stewart even though he is the bad guy.
-------------------
I'll give you that he could really be irritating at times, but I think he has done some fine work. Firecreek and Anatomy of a Murder, to name two of my favorites.
Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at May 26, 2018 09:35 PM (pvjTE)
---------------------------
Agreed, depends on the script & director, Stewart was a decent actor but was really good when he was casted correctly & had good direction. Otto Preminger directing & musical score for AofaM makes that one a real treat. I even enjoyed Stewart in comedies like The Philadelphia Story & the Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation series.

Posted by: BebeDahl at May 26, 2018 09:54 PM (yNyJy)

700 695 Not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, yeah, it's nice when things like that happen. On the other, if we just bent the rules every time, Uranus would still be named George.
Posted by: hogmartin at May 26, 2018 09:27 PM (fZuhk)
---
I just that read today in a book on our solar system. George III, no less.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 26, 2018 09:53 PM (qJtVm)

To be fair, it was the first time in human history that a new planet was discovered, so there was no existing protocol about what to name it.

Posted by: rickl at May 26, 2018 09:56 PM (sdi6R)

701 ww I started of as the germans (and austrians) against the russians. that triggered france's entry as an ally of russia from treaty obligations. britain entered technically because of the violation of belgian neutrality.,, i think.
Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 09:51 PM (Pg+x7)

--(Metropolitan) Germany was >95% ethnic German, but was some how more oppressive than Russia, which was ~55% ethnically Russian.

Posted by: logprof at May 26, 2018 09:56 PM (e7oj4)

702 --Read about Cold Harbor and Battle of the Crater.

I think that the second assault at Cold Harbor was the one mistake that Grant admitted to.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at May 26, 2018 09:58 PM (yQpMk)

703 Nood.

Posted by: DR.WTF? at May 26, 2018 09:59 PM (T71PA)

704 For those interested in a war movie with likely the most massive non-CGI battle scenes EVAH, check out the epic (> 7hr long!) Soviet version of War and Peace.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063794/

The Battle of Borodino had about 100,000 extras!

The whole movie is visually stunning and puts to shame the Fonda and Hepburn version.

Posted by: MichiCanuck at May 26, 2018 10:00 PM (KguO5)

705 you know I

youse to hate this guy

but he was persistent.

love ..love ....love

AOSHQ

Posted by: withheld at May 26, 2018 10:01 PM (NLRMV)

706 Although they had had prior successes together, Hitchcock blamed Jimmy Stewart for the box office failure of Vertigo.

I thought he was good in it, although too old for Kim Novak, and in It's a Wonderful Life, for playing a normal guy on the edge of insanity.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 10:02 PM (pV/54)

707 Ignoramus, I LOVE Vertigo.

Great flick for anyone, especially guys who've been fcuked over by women.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 10:03 PM (eMKNe)

708 ... i blame ww I on germany. it wasn't so much a wang contest between germany and britain (taylor op cit) as a wang contest between germany and the world. germany was playing catch up to centuries of english and french national imperial dominance during which germamy was a bunch of city-states. they really though of themselves as superior, as the force for the future, for the modern, for the new order in europe.

hitler did, too.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 10:03 PM (Pg+x7)

709 ... in a sense, ww I & II were another 300 years war of german struggle for dominance in europe as a nation state. very costly.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 10:05 PM (Pg+x7)

710 30 year war, not 300 year war [although that might happen].

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 10:06 PM (Pg+x7)

711 ... yeah, i blame germany for the whole damn thing.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 10:06 PM (Pg+x7)

712 As I understand it, Germany had a chip on its shoulder for quite a long time in Europe, and WW1 was when someone else finally got fed up enough to knock it off.

Posted by: qdpsteve at May 26, 2018 10:08 PM (eMKNe)

713 Vertigo is in my top ten. Great insight into sexual obsession. Some truly magical scenes.

I see it in a meta way, and don't get caught up in low level plot issues.

British Film Institute's Sight & Sound now ranks it #1 ever.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 10:08 PM (pV/54)

714
With a lot of those European wars, you'd need to give out flowcharts with the DVD set so everyone could follow the factions and who's who's great grand nephew twice removed and who's only *once* removed (Looking at you, War of Spanish Succession).
Posted by: Zombie James Buchanan at May 26, 2018 08:13 PM (U7voe)

Hell, look at the Balkan Wars, just before WWI. The Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro) get together with the goal of kicking the Ottomans out of Europe. Presumably for the crime of producing stupid furniture. But I digress.

First Balkan War, 1912-1913: The League defeats the Ottomans in a few months of fighting, and kicks them out of virtually all of their European territory.

Second Balkan War, 1913: About a week after the First Balkan War ends, Serbia and Greece decide to keep more captured territory than was allowed for in their pre-war agreement with their allies. Because fuck those guys. Bulgaria gets pissed off and attacks their formerly allied Serbia and Greek forces. They haven't even finished burying the dead from the last war.

Romania, who had been sitting on the sidelines, figures this is a good time to jump in and steal some land from Bulgaria, so they attack. The Ottomans decide to attack as well, and take back a big chunk of the land they'd lost only a few weeks before.

Basically, it's a total cluster-fuck for about a month, until Bulgaria decides they've had enough of getting their asses kicked.

Serbia (who pretty much instigated both wars, and has been a bunch of troublemaking assholes for decades) is quite pleased with how things turned out and decides to look to Austria-Hungary. And in an attempt to become the biggest assholes on the planet, about a year later their intel service plots the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.....

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at May 26, 2018 10:09 PM (eXA4G)

715 714 ill-tempered cur:

i did not know that. wow.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at May 26, 2018 10:13 PM (Pg+x7)

716 I've gotten older, and so now have opinions I wouldn't have thought of years ago,

Germany is a fucked up nation. Every generation (or at most two) they create a World crisis. And they have sick porn.

A lot of good Germans left and became great Americans. It's nothing genetic, just a European culture rotten at its court.

Am I wrong

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 10:13 PM (pV/54)

717 Because people in another damned galaxy aren't human. They claim it in the writeups and stuff but seriously? They aren't just from another planet, they aren't just from another star system, they're from an entirely different planet. The need for leftists to inject sexual politics into ALIENS is retarded.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at May 26, 2018 09:45 PM (39g3+)

Gah... I completely misread your point. That's a bad habit of mine. My apologies.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at May 26, 2018 10:13 PM (/qEW2)

718 I watched Dunkirk and thought it was very good. Reviews I read complained about a lack of characters. To me that was a plus. It was anonymous soldiers going through hell. I didnt need to know their back stories.and it had no comedic parts either, another thing I thought was a huve plus.

Posted by: #neverskankles at May 26, 2018 10:17 PM (pJWZ4)

719 In Harms Way, Destination Tokyo, The Enemy Below, Run Silent, Run Deep, Time Limit The Rack

Posted by: Locke Common at May 26, 2018 10:27 PM (+v1++)

720 yeah.. late to the party once again..
I do like Saving Private Ryan.. really one of my favorites.. and those first 20 minutes,, ye gods!
Covering the same portion of WWII.. is the HBO Band of Brothers series.. I have the boxed set and break it our every few years or so..
It was also on Netflix streaming for a while..
very well done.. and one could say Spielberg and Hanks and DREAMWORKS weren't done with Saving Private Ryan and Winter's book provided the perfect vehicle to expand on that period.. All the battles SPR could not cover are there.. and I relished each episode.

Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at May 26, 2018 10:35 PM (5tSKk)

721 Don't watch anything in particular for Memorial Day, but Himself and I watch Gettysburg every year on the 4th of July. We used to watch 1776 first, but we haven't done that for the past several years.

This may sound silly, but I think Kelly's Heroes is an excellent WW II movie. It demonstrated just exactly what the average GI was up against in Europe -- the Nazis, the terrain, some of their own officers, and the difficulty of fighting house to house. It also portrayed the inventiveness and determination of the average American soldier. Of course, I have also read every Bill Mauldin cartoon from the war, too. So many of the scenes in Kelly's Heroes seemed to have come right out of a Mauldin cartoon.

Posted by: Deplorable Lady with Only Two Deplorable Cats at May 26, 2018 10:36 PM (eNyDO)

722 There's a lot of Kelly's Heroes in Three Kings, which is set in the First Gulf War.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 10:40 PM (pV/54)

723 722
So your saying Hollywood remade something....shocka

Posted by: A dude in MI at May 26, 2018 10:46 PM (CDETr)

724 Godfather Vito Corleone. He made sure Frank Sinatra was in it. All it took was a little head in bed.
Posted by: Anonymous White Male

Sure you're not talking about Monty ??
Posted by: REDACTED at May 26, 2018 09:06 PM (Ymy4N)

You may be aware of the story. If not, Mario Puzo created the character of Johnny Fontaine, an Italian crooner whose voice wasn't what it used to be. He came to Corleone and begged him to intervene in this Hollywood movie that he'd be perfect in and get him out of his slump. Supposedly, this was based on true incidents in Sinatra's life. His voice was not in the same league as it used to be in, he was in trouble because of his affair with Ava Gardner, and he wasn't able to find work like he had in his heyday. He miraculously got the part of Maggio, for which he won an Oscar, and he was back on top. Sinatra was furious with Puzo for letting the cat out of the bag. Let's be honest: Sinatra was rather homely. His voice, was not the best. He did work with the best musicians, songwriters and music producers and his product was solid. But, there were many singers with voices better than Sinatra. And many people have said that his success came from his mob connections. When some one compliments Siinatra's singing, they usually throw in comments about his phrasing, not the quality of his voice.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at May 26, 2018 10:49 PM (9BLnV)

725 Not a remake. It takes the plot of Kelly's Heroes and then says what if this happened in April Glaspie's War.

Posted by: Ignoramus at May 26, 2018 10:51 PM (pV/54)

726 They Were Expendable.

Posted by: Headless Body of Agnew at May 26, 2018 11:05 PM (Zskvw)

727 275
13 Hours. Meh. The book was better. M

Posted by: Marcus T at May 26, 2018 08:15 PM (SeyTv)

=============

The book is almost always better, but this movie was as true to the book as any I've seen and tremendously realistic and well-done.

Posted by: ShainS at May 26, 2018 11:08 PM (BiLU+)

728 Glad to see someone mention the Manchurian Candidate...really weird dialogue, bizarre romantic subplots, and one of the great ick moments in film. Still, a classic.

I just watched Bad News Bears on MLB...it's actually kind of dark, reflecting the evolution of the culture in the 70s from fun Little League to free agent Little League. "Hey, Yankees...you can take your apology, and take your trophy, and shove it up your asses!"

Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at May 27, 2018 12:04 AM (tBZZb)

729 244 TCM ran a John Ford propoganda piece about Pearl Harbor. Do any of you historians know if there was ever an investigation into spying and sabotage by the local Japanese population? If so, what happened?

I've not read the book in a while, but in "Pearl Harbor" by Prange et al, there was mention of at least one Japanese spy who was keeping Japan up-to-date on the current numbers and types of ships in Pearl Harbor, but that's all I ever remember seeing. I remember searching once, and never came across a documented case of active sabotage.

So, spying - yes, sabotage-no.

Posted by: CantankerousProgrammer at May 27, 2018 01:30 AM (3t7n1)

730 Enemy Below is my go-to movie.

Curt Jurgens committed Grand Theft Movie. Yep, it was a Mitchum Flick, but Jurgens came in and pretty much owned it.

Possibly the best war movie I've ever seen when it comes to showing that the two poor schmucks in the front line frequently have a lot more in common than they do with the commanders that sent them to fight.

Also, Saving Private Ryan. My Father-in-Law tried to get me to go see it in the theater with him. I refused and was glad I did. When I finally rented it at home, it took me probably 4 hours just to get through the landing sequence. I couldn't have done it in public.

Posted by: CantankerousProgrammer at May 27, 2018 01:35 AM (3t7n1)

731 683 666 "We have to push on to Berlin. If we don't show the Germans they're beaten, we'll be fighting his war again in 20 years"
-shit John J. Pershing said

Posted by: Prince Ludwig the Deplorable at May 26, 2018 09:42 PM (f3MDZ)

Military writer James F. Dunnigan claims that you only really win a war when your infantry occupy all of your enemy's homeland cities.
Posted by: Gref at May 26, 2018 09:49 PM (AMIL/)

=============================

In Late February 1991, I was sitting 100 miles south of Baghdad talking to my First Sergeant. We'd initially gotten a warning order to attack north, and that our objective would be Baghdad. Then they called it off.

I distinctly remember saying that, if we didn't do it now, we were going to have to come back in 10 years and do it again. I was off by 2 years, but I was right overall.

And I'm still ashamed when I see an Iraqi vet now. I feel like, if I'd done my job, he wouldn't have had to do his.

Posted by: CantankerousProgrammer at May 27, 2018 01:44 AM (3t7n1)

732 Late to the party as usual, but my favorite Korean War movie would be Tae Guk Gi, even if there is barely a hint of the Americans in it. It came out fifteen years ago and is simply amazing.

I liked The Patriot, all the way until the moment we dissected it in my Historical Methods class, and destroyed it for its historical inaccuracies. It's an entertaining movie, but nothing more.

Posted by: CatchThirtyThr33 at May 27, 2018 02:12 AM (kcQyA)

733 An outstanding example of a battle scene from the Napoleonic Wars is that of the 1812 Battle of Borodino in Sergei Bondarchuk's version of Tolstoy's "War and Peace (1966-7).

Posted by: Brett at May 27, 2018 08:17 AM (DFLnx)

734 The first 20+ minutes of SPR are incredible. After that it does not hold a candle to Lewis Milestone's A Walk in the Sun.

Posted by: Xknight66 at May 27, 2018 11:50 AM (EuHAx)

735 Last!

I don't have any film reserved for memorial weekend. But if I did it would be the Woo-Woo Kid.

Posted by: 13times at May 27, 2018 03:44 PM (K3B2k)

736 "Saving Private Ryan"-- watching the movie, you get the impression that THAT was what World War II was all about. I hated that aspect of it.
They just irised in on this one absurdly trivial (in this apocalyptic context) TRIVIAL mission, as if it stood for The Whole War. Outrageous.
Band of Brothers is way better. But for blistering realism, about the Pacific war, read E. B. Sledge's "With The Old Breed," his account of the battles for Peleliu and Okinawa. The Japs were way worse to fight than the Germans: for one thing, they routinely cut off dead Marines' penises and testicles; and for living Marines, if they caught you, they would drag you into their foxhole and carve the meat off you while you were alive -- and screaming. They shot the corpsmen who were trying to get the wounded off the field. They kept killing, and killing, and killing even when it was clear their position was hopeless.
Beyond savage.
The shelling, Sledge says, was the worst: under an artillery barrage, the violence was so shocking and the din so terrific that it could unman you, just cut all your strings.

That, and the rotting corpses all over the battlefield as they slugged it out for days, weeks, with the Japs, who never ever quit. Brutal.

Posted by: Beverly at May 28, 2018 12:59 AM (qw0T9)

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