FROM THE ARCHIVES

Tag: war

Entertainment

We Were Soldiers Review (2002)

Gary Smith

The Memorial Day countdown reaches its last new review at #3. We Were Soldiers covers the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965 with the respect and emotional weight it deserves. Mel Gibson, Sam Elliott, and the entire cast are extraordinary. Full review.

CONTINUE READING →
Platoon Review
Entertainment

Platoon Review (1986)

Gary Smith

The Memorial Day countdown reaches #4. Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and spent ten years trying to get Platoon made. That urgency is in every frame. Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, and Charlie Sheen are all exceptional. Full review.

CONTINUE READING →
Hacksaw Ridge Review
Entertainment

Hacksaw Ridge Review (2016)

Gary Smith

The Memorial Day countdown continues with #5. Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss, the unarmed medic who saved 75 men at Okinawa. Mel Gibson directs it with ferocity. Andrew Garfield is extraordinary. Full review.

CONTINUE READING →
Entertainment

Full Metal Jacket Review (1987)

Gary Smith

The Memorial Day countdown rolls on with #6. Full Metal Jacket is two movies in one. The Parris Island half is Kubrick at his absolute peak. The Vietnam half is excellent on its own terms. Both together are essential viewing.

CONTINUE READING →
The Longest Day Review 1962
Entertainment

The Longest Day Review (1962)

Gary Smith

Our Memorial Day countdown continues with a review of The Longest Day. This beast covers D-Day from every angle with one of the greatest casts ever assembled. It's three hours of old Hollywood ambition that still holds up.

CONTINUE READING →
Midway Review
Entertainment

Midway Review (2019)

Gary Smith

Midway got written off by critics in 2019 and that was mostly unfair. Roland Emmerich's Pacific War epic is flawed but worth your time, especially around this Memorial Day weekend and the lead up to it.

CONTINUE READING →
Inglourious Basterds
Entertainment

Inglourious Basterds Review

William McPherson

This story takes place in Nazi occupied Paris, where a young and beautiful blonde cinema owner has been tasked with hosting a big event for the entire Third Reich. At the same time, a Dirty Dozen like crew of Allied Nazi Hunters lead by Brad Pitt are looking for a way to end the way, and think they might just have it with this coming movie spectacle. Before Quentin Tarantino turned the horrors of slavery into a fun filled spaghetti western, he took the second World War and the holocaust and made…

CONTINUE READING →
American Sniper Review
Entertainment

American Sniper Review

William McPherson4 Comments

Clint Eastwood's American Sniper follows Chris Kyle across four tours of duty and the toll it takes on the man behind the legend. Bradley Cooper is outstanding. Full review.

CONTINUE READING →
Saving Private Ryan Review
Entertainment

Saving Private Ryan Review

Gary Smith2 Comments

Saving Private Ryan is the kind of film you can watch dozens of times and still find something new. Here is a full review of Spielberg's masterpiece ahead of Memorial Day.

CONTINUE READING →
Entertainment

Black Hawk Down Review

Gary Smith1 Comment

Black Hawk Down might be the most realistic war film ever made. Ridley Scott's account of the Battle of Mogadishu puts you in the streets and never lets you breathe. Full review.

CONTINUE READING →