|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on May 14, 2009 9:19:53 GMT -5
STRIPES (1981)
New York City cab driver John Winger (Bill Murray) is having a really bad day. He loses his job, his car, his apartment and his girlfriend all in the same day. With his options limited he decides to join the army and convinces his reluctant best friend Russell (Harold Ramis) to sign up too. When they get to basic training, Winger immediately gets on the wrong side of their no-nonsense drill sergeant Hulka (Warren Oates).
Their platoon is made up mostly of losers, dopeheads, and one guy who is literally nicknamed Psycho, though we really never see him do anything psychotic. Winger becomes the platoon's unofficial leader and later has to lead a rescue mission to save the guys from hostile Russian troops in Czechoslovakia by using an urban assault vehicle that looks like an RV.
One of my favorite Bill Murray characters. He's just a master at that type of smart-ass, sarcastic, dry humor. He never acts like he's going for a joke, but he's consistently funny. (See also, GHOSTBUSTERS and GROUNDHOG DAY.) Ramis is really good as his buddy and the voice of reason, and John Candy as Ox, one of the other recruits, gets big laughs with not that much dialogue, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I got a slight weight problem."
The later part of the film isn't as funny as it becomes a little bit more of an action picture with the laughs thrown in more sporadically, but it's still pretty good.
The graduation scene is a classic. "That's the fact, Jack!!"
8/10
HAMBURGER HILL (1987)
An account of one of the most brutal and bloodiest battles in the Vietnam War, as American troops attempted to take a hill fortified by the North Vietnamese over a 10 day period. The hill was known as Hill 937 before the assault, but was later dubbed "Hamburger Hill" by American soldiers, because the heavy enemy fire turned the attacking soldiers into shredded hamburger meat. Gruesome.
The battle itself is well done, action-packed and really conveys the brutality, violence and gore of what it must've been like, as wave after wave of American soldiers are cut down by the Vietnamese who have the higher ground and therefore, the position of power.
The first half of the film is hit or miss with too many scenes of the soldiers arguing among themselves and visiting hookers. I realize there has to be this set-up so you get to know the soldiers before characters start getting killed off, it's just been done better in other films. Stand-out performance by Courtney B. Vance as the platoon's doctor. Also look for a young Don Cheadle, Dylan McDermott and Steven Weber among the ranks.
6.5/10
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on May 15, 2009 10:04:50 GMT -5
The Hunt for Red October-1990
I've never seen any of these Tom Clancy films, and I know there's a series based on Baldwin's character with Harrison Ford, so I don't really know much about them. That was mentioned to perhaps explain why I was so lost in this one, as I couldn't really understand what was going on through it. The Russian captain, who is following orders from his commander, hijacks a submarine that he was on anyway and goes to attack the US, while a US operative is on board is about all I got out of this one, as I was sitting there trying to figure out what was going on. The actual naval battles with the other submarines are fine if I've only seen better in other movies, but this was just too confusing for me to really get.
5/10, though if someone else who's seen these and knows them better would help me out here, I'd appreciate it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on May 15, 2009 11:07:42 GMT -5
Capt. Ramius (Sean Connery) was defecting to the U.S., not attacking them. The problem is that the U.S. government doesn't know that, they think he might be getting ready to attack. Jack Ryan (Alec Baldwin) is the only one who suspects that Ramius might be defecting, but has to prove it before they blow the Red October out of the water. Make sense?
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on May 16, 2009 10:17:21 GMT -5
Yeah, it does actually. That explains why he's there, why the subs attack each other, and fits all the pieces from the beginning together. Thanks man.
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on May 17, 2009 10:11:32 GMT -5
Tora! Tora! Tora!-1970
I initially had reservations about this one, as it's a little longer than what I'm comfortable with, but figured I'd break it down into two hour-and-a-half sittings, which is a much more manageable feat. As I did have some knowledge of what went down at Pearl Harbor through my high school ROTC class, seeing this one just turned into a history lesson with moving pictures, and it got a lot easier once it started because of that. Tons of stuff was blown up nice and good, which kept me interested in finishing this, and some of the attacks here look almost as good as actual footage of the event, they're that well-done. Should this have been trimmed down? Yeah, but it's still really good for what it is.
8/10
The Enemy Below-1958
Away from the documentary feel and into a more fictional account, though I'm not going to bet against something like this actually been played out during the war. It turned out quite nicely, as being built on a cat-and-mouse chase over a larger battleground than what normally occurs during the game. Usually, I hate those kinds of films as there's not much that happens, which occurs here until the final confrontation, but actually the teases here are not that bad and actually interesting, for once actually feeling like there was someone who had an IQ was involved with this and it makes a world of difference during those beginning parts. Of course, the ending is a lot of fun, but the big news is how much I enjoyed the lead-up without a lot of action beforehand.
7.5/10
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on May 17, 2009 10:48:50 GMT -5
The Enemy Below-1958 Away from the documentary feel and into a more fictional account, though I'm not going to bet against something like this actually been played out during the war. It turned out quite nicely, as being built on a cat-and-mouse chase over a larger battleground than what normally occurs during the game. Usually, I hate those kinds of films as there's not much that happens, which occurs here until the final confrontation, but actually the teases here are not that bad and actually interesting, for once actually feeling like there was someone who had an IQ was involved with this and it makes a world of difference during those beginning parts. Of course, the ending is a lot of fun, but the big news is how much I enjoyed the lead-up without a lot of action beforehand. 7.5/10 You know what's weird? I've never seen this flick, but after reading all that, other than the title and year of release, I still have no idea what the movie's about, when it takes place, who's in it, nothing.  |
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on May 18, 2009 10:08:29 GMT -5
Sorry.
Robert Mitchum is the captain of a US Destroyer sent out to stop Curt Jurgens, who's been on a path of terror in his U-Boat, and the two play cat-and-mouse games against each other in the Atlantic. I can't tell you if they're based on actual people, but I'm sure the situation happened at some point.
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on May 20, 2009 8:27:24 GMT -5
Sorry. Robert Mitchum is the captain of a US Destroyer sent out to stop Curt Jurgens, who's been on a path of terror in his U-Boat, and the two play cat-and-mouse games against each other in the Atlantic. I can't tell you if they're based on actual people, but I'm sure the situation happened at some point. Thank you.  TAPS (1981) Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn and Tom Cruise star as cadets at Bunker Hill Military Academy. When they find out that a deal has been made to tear down the 141 year old school and replace it with condos, a series of events leads to the cadets taking up arms, barricading themselves within the school grounds, and refusing entry to the authorities, including the police and then later the actual army, until their demands are met, ie: the saving of the school. Hadn't seen this one since the early 80's and it's kind of fun to see these guys in very early performances. All three are very good. George C. Scott also turns in a great performance as a general at the school, and also their mentor. Not a classic, but decent. 6/10 THE GREAT RAID (2005) Based on the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion, who were given the assignment of attempting to rescue 500 American soldiers from the notorious Cabanatuan Japanese POW camp in the Philippines in 1945 towards the end of WWII. The mission was lead by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Mucci (Benjamin Bratt)and Captain Robert Prince (James Franco). Joseph Fiennes plays one of the prisoners. Good production values, great battle scenes and an explosive climax. Pretty good for a film I'd never even heard of and seems to have disappeared from theaters pretty quickly. 6.5/10 |
|
|
|
Post by ZapRowsdower on May 20, 2009 23:34:46 GMT -5
Tears of the Sun (2003, Antoine Fuqua)
A very underrated war flick. I mean, it's no Saving Private Ryan, but it's very entertaining. I joked with one of my friends that it's like "Hotel Rwanda except with more guns and bigger explosions." Funny enough, that's not far off from what this movie is. I thought the cinematography was stunning, the action sequences were very good, and Bruce Willis was great. Didn't know Monica Bellucci was in it, I love her. It's a fun movie that kept me interested the whole way through. 8/10
Btw, school's out. I'm back!
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on May 21, 2009 10:07:43 GMT -5
Sgt. Bilko-1996
A film fondly from my youth, as I used to really like Steve Martin a lot back then (my parents exposed me to SNL back when it was still good and he was a frequent host) and along with a couple other films I'd seen of his at the time, he was one of my favorites then. Surprisingly, this has aged quite well since, offering up enough laughs that there's some fun times to be had. A lot of it is stupid, granted, but that's what makes me happy when watching these comedies, make me laugh any way you can, and this one does it well. Very enjoyable, I'd say.
8.5/10
Meet the Spartans-2007
Probably the best of all these spoof films, which to you guys doesn't mean much but this was just an all-out blast. Easily one of the funniest movies I've seen, there's just so many gags in here that I almost laughed my voice out. From the image of 'fey' warriors to confrontations with the enemy forces that turn into dance contests to Carmen Electra, there wasn't much in here I didn't like at all. It's too stupid for most of you, but I'd say if you can turn off your brain to the point of being nearly comatose, you might find a couple good gags in here. You won't rate it as high as I will, but it might still be quite good.
9/10
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on May 22, 2009 9:09:38 GMT -5
Btw, school's out. I'm back! Welcome back! Meet the Spartans-2007 Probably the best of all these spoof films 9/10 Sorry man, but I think I made it through about 15 minutes of this before I had to change the channel. Yuk! GLORY (1989) Based on the true story of the first group of African-Americans to serve in combat during the Civil War. Under the command of Col. Robert G. Shaw (Matthew Broderick), who reluctantly took the job, the soldiers had to face not only the prejudices of the enemy army, but of their own fellow white officers & soldiers. Amazing story with some topnotch acting across the board from all involved. Broderick is at his best here. Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher are both excellent of course, and Denzel Washington became an A-list movie star, and Oscar winner, due to this movie. The scene where he is flogged for deserting is probably one of the finest, and most powerful, bits of acting he's ever done and he doesn't speak one word of dialogue. The actual battle scenes are few, but they're all very realistic and well done. 9/10 VALKYRIE (2008) Director Bryan Singer leaves behind superheroes ( X-MEN, SUPERMAN RETURNS) to tell the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), who along with other German officers and politicians, set a plot in motion to assassinate Hitler and topple the Nazi regime. Once you get past the fact that none of the main cast are speaking German or even using a German accent, this is a pretty well-made film. Excellent production values and even knowing that the assassination plot is destined to fail, I still got caught up in the suspense of the situation. 7/10 |
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on May 25, 2009 7:22:39 GMT -5
COMING HOME (1978)
The wife (Jane Fonda) of a U.S. Army Captain (Bruce Dern) who is off in Vietnam, decides to volunteer at a veteran's hospital. While working there, she meets a paralyzed Vietnam veteran (Jon Voight) and begins to fall for him.
I thought Voight was really good, especially his speech at the end of the film, but overall I found the movie kind of slow and wasn't blown away.
6/10
APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
During the Vietnam War, a U.S. Army Captain (Martin Sheen) is sent down the Nyung River on a top secret mission into the jungles of Cambodia to assassinate a renegade Green Beret Colonel (Marlon Brando). The colonel has been leading his men, and a local tribe who worship him as a god, on illegal guerrilla missions and the Army believes he has gone insane.
The Captain and the small crew of the U.S. Navy patrol boat that is taking him down the river have several misadventures along the way, including a USO show by Playboy Playmates that goes wrong, and an encounter with a helicopter cavalry group led by a Lt-Colonel (Robert Duvall) obsessed with surfing.
Great performances all around, especially Duvall as Colonel Kilgore ("I love the smell of napalm in the morning!") and even the unprepared Brando (didn't read the script and showed up overweight) is impressive in what amounts to a small, but pivotal role. Dennis Hopper even shows up as a trippy photojournalist.
Epic, surreal, funny, scary, and Francis Ford Coppola's third best film after THE GODFATHER, Parts I and II .
9/10
THE PATRIOT (2000)
French and Indian War veteran Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) prefers life on the farm with his children to fighting the British in the American Revolution, but the murder of one of his sons and burning of his home by the sadistic Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs), pushes him into action.
Martin leads a militia of farmers, peasants, slaves, etc. on hit and run attacks against the Redcoats.
Good cast, including Heath Ledger as Martin's oldest son.
If you're looking for a lesson in American history, look elsewhere cause this ain't it, but if you want a pretty good action-adventure, good versus evil story, with lots of battles and bloodshed in a historical setting, this isn't bad at all. Martin is almost Rambo-like in his war-prowess and fighting skills.
7.5/10
|
|
|
|
Post by slayrrr666 on May 26, 2009 10:11:54 GMT -5
The Blue Max-1966
An (obviously loosly) based account a pilot in the German Air Force from WWI who tries to overtake the record set by fellow German pilot the Red Baron, Baron Hugo von Richtovfren, though I can't type the Red Baron's name accurately given the lack of German ennunciation tools and I can't remember the name officially as I never wrote it down, but that's as close as I'm gonna get here. More of a life-story kind of film than one with a lot of aerial fighting, which is what I wanted/expected here, considering the story, and with it's really long running time devoted to more of that, I wasn't entirely entertained here, but the combat scenes are incredibly well-done and look rather cool, so it does here some points here. Not bad if you want a story with your movie, but those looking for action and aerial combat should look elsewhere.
5.5/10
Midway-1976
Much more my style, as it was closer to what I was wanting with these kinds of films, lots of fighting, lots of action, lots of things blowing up nice and good, and frankly got somewhat engrossed in it. Sure, a three-hour running time on commercial-laced TV wasn't a bright move, and it lent itself some downtime here and there, but I got what I wanted out of it so I can't really complain too much about it.
7.5/10
|
|
|
|
Post by Heineken Skywalker on May 28, 2009 20:44:48 GMT -5
KELLY'S HEROES (1970)
Light-hearted WWII romp about a group of American soldiers who sneak behind enemy lines to steal $16,000,000 in gold from the Nazis.
Lots of action, and except for the scene in the minefield, doesn't take things too seriously. The a-list cast (Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Don Rickles, etc.) keeps things moving.
Also, there's a great scene that spoofs Clint's Spaghetti Westerns, which he was most famous for at the time.
7/10
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
Unlike KELLY'S HEROES, Steven Spielberg's take on WWII is deadly serious.
After the invasion of Normandy, one of the best war sequences ever filmed, a platoon of soldiers are assigned the mission of retrieving a paratrooper whose three brothers have been killed in action.
Features some amazing war footage, some horrific scenes of the true nature of war and interspersed with good scenes of the camaraderie between the soldiers.
Tom Hanks is great as Capt. Miller, leader of the group. And the rest of the guys, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, etc., are well cast also.
A classic of the genre.
9/10
THE BIG RED ONE (1980)
Follows a squad of young soldiers in WWII lead by a veteran sergeant and how they keep surviving combat in many locales, Africa, Sicily, D-Day at Omaha Beach, etc., and culminating at a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia.
Stars Lee Marvin as the tough-as-nails sergeant and the squad includes Robert Carradine as an up and coming writer, and Mark Hamill as a semi-pacifist.
Pretty good, but definitely on the "too long" side of things, with too many non-combat scenes, or just general sitting around talking. Granted there are lots of scenes of soldiers talking in PRIVATE RYAN as well, but I guess it was just more entertaining there.
6/10
|
|
|
|
Post by ZapRowsdower on Jun 1, 2009 3:25:13 GMT -5
Before you switch genres, I did get to watch...
Three Kings (1999, David O. Russell)
I loved this a lot more than I expected I would. It's funny that this film would be released a good five years (give or take) before it would become relevant. But it's definitely worth a look. Excellent storytelling on the part of David O. Russell, and wonderful performances all around. The action was simply amazing - I love how they found a way to insert the action into a war that's notorious for having none. One of the best war movies I've ever seen. Definitely the best one that takes place in the Persian Gulf, anyway. 10/10
|
|
