Category: War Movies

Movies To Watch On The 35th Anniversary Of Operation Desert Storm – Memorial Dedication Ceremony October 24 In Washington D.C.

In 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Within 24 hours, Iraq’s military occupied its southern neighbor and controlled nearly 30% of the world’s oil supply. Iraq’s brutal dictator then set his eyes on Saudi Arabia. President George H.W. Bush recognized Saudi Arabia’s important role in the region and launched Operation Desert Shield. As the deployment of American combat forces in Saudi Arabia grew, President Bush issued a mandate to Hussein stating that all Iraqi troops must leave Kuwait by January 15, 1991. The deadline passed with Kuwait still occupied by Iraqi forces. On January 17, 1991, the United States led an international coalition against Iraqi forces, a campaign known as Operation Desert Storm. President Bush declared a ceasefire on February 28, 1991, and proclaimed the successful liberation of Kuwait.. 

Roughly 600,000 American troops were deployed in support of both Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm; 375 died. 

Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm were remarkable examples of American leadership, values, and sacrifice in the pursuit of freedom and at long last a National Desert Storm Memorial is being built to honor our military heroes.

https://www.ndswm.org

The Memorial will fall within the shadow of both the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, abutting the National Mall. The Memorial’s site is at the southwest corner of Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street Northwest, Washington, D.C.

The National Desert Storm Memorial Association’s Dedication Ceremony will be open to the public and the ceremony will be Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. EDT.

Nighttime rendering showing how the memorial will appear when illuminated at night. Courtesy: The National Desert Storm Memorial Association

Artist working under the direction of sculptor Emily Bedard. In the image, he is working on one of more than 50 panels that make up the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial. The panel visible represents only a small portion of the overall work. The completed memorial will include depictions of ships, aircraft, tanks, and other vehicles. As with all commemorative works, this is an artistic representation rather than a literal, uniform-by-uniform depiction. Women military service members will also be represented on the memorial. Courtesy: The National Desert Storm Memorial Association

Scott C. Stump, President/CEO of the National Desert Storm Memorial Association, said, “It has now been more than 15 years since I first conceptualized and began the work of making the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial a reality. As we enter the homestretch in 2026, I am deeply gratified to know that this vision will soon be realized on the National Mall. I am profoundly thankful to those who embraced and supported this initiative through the years, and who stood with us throughout this arduous journey.” 

Saturday marks the 35th anniversary, January 17, 1991, and to honor these heroes’ sacrifice, here’s a list of movies dedicated to their bravery.

Courtesy: The National Desert Storm Memorial Association

THE HEROES OF DESERT STORM

The Heroes of Desert Storm is a 1991 American television docudrama that chronicles the events of the Persian Gulf War’s Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The film focuses on the human stories of servicemen and women. The movie features an ensemble cast portraying real soldiers and personnel, including Angela Bassett as Lieutenant Phoebe Jeter and Daniel Baldwin as Sergeant Ben Pennington. The cast also includes Michael Champion, Ken Foree, Gary Hershberger, Laura Leigh Hughes, and Kris Kamm portraying other real individuals involved in the conflict.

THANKS OF A GRATEFUL NATION

Explores the medical aftermath and long-term effects of the war on service members. The film dramatizes the plight of several soldiers, including Chris Small (Matt Keeslar) and Jared Gallimore (Steven Weber), who experience debilitating health issues after returning home. They face skepticism and denial from the U.S. government regarding the cause of their illnesses. The story follows Jim Tuite (Ted Danson), a retired Secret Service agent and Vietnam veteran, who teams up with Senator Donald Riegle (Brian Dennehy) to lead an official investigation into the mysterious health problems and potential cover-ups by the Department of Defense.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Directed by Paul Greengrass, the 1996 film The One That Got Away, starring Paul McGann, is set during Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield, specifically depicting the mission of an SAS patrol behind enemy lines in January 1991, just as the conflict began.

COURAGE UNDER FIRE

A soldier discovers how elusive the truth can be in this first major film about America’s role in the Gulf War. Lt. Col. Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) was the commander of a unit during Operation Desert Storm who mistakenly ordered the destruction of what he believed to be an enemy tank, only to discover that it actually held U.S. soldiers, including a close friend. Since then, Serling has been an emotional wreck, drinking heavily and allowing his marriage to teeter on the brink of collapse. As a means of redeeming himself, Serling is given a new assignment by his superior, Gen. Hershberg (Michael Moriarty). Capt. Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) was a helicopter pilot who died in battle during the Iraqi conflict, and the White House has proposed that Walden be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Serling is asked to investigate Walden’s actions on the field of battle, but he quickly discovers that no two stories about her are quite the same; Ilario (Matt Damon) says Walden acted heroically and sacrificed herself to save the others in her company, while Monfriez (Lou Diamond Phillps) claims she was a coward who was attempting to surrender to enemy troops. Meanwhile, reporter Tony Gartner (Scott Glenn) is hounding Serling, trying to get the inside story on Walden and on Serling’s own difficulties. 

JARHEAD

Directed by Sam Mendes, JARHEAD is set during the Gulf War, specifically covering the period of Operation Desert Shield (when Marines were deployed to Saudi Arabia) and the beginning of Operation Desert Storm, focusing on a U.S. Marine sniper’s experiences with boredom, training, and anticipation of combat, rather than extensive fighting, as depicted in Anthony Swofford’s memoir. 

Oscar winner Jamie Foxx stars with Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal in this unconventional war story that follows a soldier from boot camp to active duty in the deserts of the Middle East.

THE FINEST HOUR

While training to become elite Navy soldiers, Lawrence Hammer (Rob Lowe) and Dean Mazzoli (Gale Hansen) form a close friendship. When Hammer starts dating the beautiful Barbara (Tracy Griffith), Mazzoli also has a connection with her, but doesn’t act on it. Hammer ends up marrying Barbara, and Mazzoli gets stationed far away from the couple. However, Mazzoli still cares for Barbara, and he gets to see her again before he joins Hammer on a dangerous mission to Iraq, renewing their attraction.

BRAVO TWO ZERO

Bravo Two Zero’ is set during the 1991 Gulf War, specifically during the Operation Desert Storm phase, as the British SAS patrol was inserted into Iraq in January 1991 to find and destroy Scud missiles just as the air campaign began to neutralize Saddam Hussein’s threats. An eight-man SAS team was deployed deep behind Iraqi lines to locate and destroy mobile Scud launchers threatening coalition forces.

ZERO DARK THIRTY – The Review

Although many film makers and studios have benefited from using real-life events as movie source material, often reality has tripped up directors and screenwriters. Such is the case with ZERO DARK THIRTY. And we moviegoers are much richer for it. Director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal were preparing a follow-up to their 2008 Oscar winner THE HURT LOCKER. They were going to tell the story of the 2001 Battle of Tora Bora, the hiding place of 9/11 plotter Osama Bin Laden. Much of the story would have involved the effort to track him down. Then May 1, 2011 happened. US forces killed Bin Laden. The Tora Bora project was scrapped, but much of Boal’s extensive reasearch would be applied to this new film concerning one determined CIA agent’s efforts in this long mission (with its conclusion). Few films have succeeded in capturing the drama of such a recent event. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN springs to mind back in 1976 (but much of those facts had been unearthed by the two reporters). The true tales of 9/11 have been given screen treatment before in films such as WORLD TRADE CENTER and FLIGHT 93, but none have approached the immediacy that Bigelow and Boal have delivered here. Perhaps this is cinematic lightning in a bottle.

The film opens with a black screen, underscored by actual telephone recordings of people trapped in the twin towers on that 2001 morning. Two years later we’re taken to a black site in the Mideast where interrogator Dan (Jason Clarke) uses “enhanced” methods to extract information from a prisoner. With Dan is CIA operative Maya (Jessica Chastain). For the next several years we follow this single-minded agent’s quest to locate Bin Laden. She clashes with superiors while pursuing leads that sometimes are dead ends. While the beurocrats stumble and hesitate, the terror attacks continue. But Maya forges ahead, clear in her goal. Then finally a break. A courier is tracked down in Pakistan. Could this be where Bin Laden is hiding? After much intelligence gathering and persuasion the order is finally given. The finale ends with Navy Seal Team Six flying in on stealth helicopters to storm a fortified compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan during a dark night nineteen months ago.

As far as the acting goes, THIRTY’s impact rests on the very capable shoulders of Chastain as the doggedly determined, hopefully future role model, Maya. We never see her blowing away the baddies, but she’s just as intimidating as the Black Widow (of MARVEL’S AVENGERS) or any countless heroines based on video game characters. Nothing and no one makes her back down. We see her passion and her frustration when it seems that nobody has her back. We feel her pain as the enemy insurgents strike those close to her. But there’s no phone calls or letters dashed off to the family back in the states (no distracting romances, either). She’s there to finish the job. Chastain seemed to explode on screen (after several years on stage and television) out of nowhere in 2011 with THE DEBT, THE TREE OF LIFE, TAKE SHELTER, and THE HELP (which gave her an Oscar nomination). THIRTY firmly establishes her one of our most compelling, gifted film actresses.

But she’s not the only actor doing terrific work here. There’s Chastain’s LAWLESS co-star Clarke as the brutal, but conflicted Dan. The “interrogations” cause him internal pain as he’s dishing out the external hurt on the prisoners. He’s got to get out before he loses his humanity. Dan’s scary, but he’s really a wounded bear who wants to do what’s right. Jennifer Ehle is memorable as Jessica, the other woman in the CIA’s inner circle. She’s irked at first by the brash Maya, but soon they form a bond of mutual respect. Also great are Maya’s supervisors played by Kyle Chandler (also in ARGO) and Mark Strong. Oh, and James Gandolfini shines in a few brief scenes as the CIA director (presumably Leon Penneta). The film’s gripping final act belongs to the seal team anchored bt Joel Edgerton (WARRIOR) and Chris Pratt (TV’s “Parks and Recreation”). No flashy actor tricks on display here. All are a great cast united to make this piece of history come alive.

As great as the cast is, they’d flounder about without the expertly investigated script by Boal and the lean, taut direction by Bigelow. There’s been quite a lot of talk in the news media lately about Boal’s access and authenticity. Yes, there are horrific scenes of  “enhanced interrogation techniques” (along with news video of our prez saying that we do not torture), but we also get to see the way info can be extracted almost casually. How the turn of a phrase, or vague wording can be more effective than the ropes and cages. The amount of military and Mideast jargon thrown at the viewer during the opening sequences can be confusing, but soon we’re accustomed to the rhythms of conversation in the many meetings and rushing-down-the-hallway conversations (some get close to the energy of a Howard Hawks directed rat-a-tat verbal exchange). And Bigelow knows exactly how to make this complex story work. There’s tension in the quiet scenes of Maya staring at her computer screen during the lonely wee hours (and when she must don a wig or native dress to head into the dusty streets). These are the hushed moments between some truly nail-biting sequences. There’s the arrest near a fountain in broad daylight. An uneasy meeting with a possible informant at a US military camp followed by CIA agents weaving through crowded, dangerous traffic in Pakistan as they try to get a bead on a single cell phone single. But as they say, the best is saved for last. The film’s final act is those nearly silent copters gliding through the mountains into Abbottabad. Sure, we know what went down, but you might just be digging your fingers into the theatre armrests, it’s that gripping. Bigelow’s made a name for herself over the years as an expert action film maker, and she does not disappoint here. The movie clocks in at nearly three hours, but thanks to her skills, it never lags, never wanders. ZERO DARK THIRTY is a masterful recreation of recent history. You know the outcome, and thanks to this film we get to know more about those involved, especially one fearless, intelligent woman. This is a docudrama that’s an exceptional, thought-provoking classic thriller. Most of the country’s getting THIRTY now, but it’s my choice for the best film of 2012.

5 Out of 5 Stars

RED DAWN – The Review

If you’re anything like me, the first thought in your head when you heard about the remake of the 1984 classic RED DAWN was to shrug it off thinking “whatever.” Then, as the film is completed and nearing release, we hear that instead of being invaded by the Russians like the original — which is entirely understandable — or, as a way to update the story, invaded by the Chinese, which was the original plan, it turns out we’re being invaded by North Korea. Exactly. My first thought was… [scoff] “Yeah, right. How does that work?”

[Biting my tongue…] As it turns out, it works rather well. Surprised? I am. RED DAWN (2012) is, structurally, more or less loosely the same film as the 1984 original. I mean, when it comes down to brass tacks, both films are about the U.S. being caught off guard by a surprise invasion from a Communist enemy, occupied, then ultimately saved by a band of unlikely heroes. The difference is in the details. Instead of the Soviet Union, we’re invaded by North Korea… but, with some help from a couple of all-too-familiar [and previously mentioned] forces with a common goal. Nonetheless, the U.S. initially gets its ass handed to them, making the struggle to fight back all the more exciting.

Dan Bradley directs this modern retelling of the Cold War classic. Bradley is a stunt man with an extensive resume, stepping behind the camera as director for the first time. Its my theory that his time spent throwing punches, dodging bullets and taking falls are a significant factor in establishing the kind of realistic, modestly-paced action we get in RED DAWN. The film opens on a local high school football game, featuring the hometown Wolverines — from which the soon-to-be-realized American rebels get their name — and sets up the character profile for one of our two main heroes.

Josh Peck (THE WACKNESS) plays the star high school quarterback with an attitude, Matt Eckert, who must overcome his own selfishness and realize that in order to survive — ironically — he must learn to be a team player. Chris Hemsworth (THOR, THE AVENGERS) plays Matt’s older brother Jed, the more responsible of the two and a Marine on leave. Isabel Lucas (IMMORTALS) plays Erica, Matt’s sweetheart who is both the driving force for Matt’s fight against the invaders and the potential undoing of their small band of freedom fighters.

RED DAWN spends just enough time introducing characters and setting up back story, then throws the viewer head first into the invasion. The title of the film is no random choice, as the Communist, or “Red” invaders parachute from a legion of bombers into the Pacific Northwest. In our case, we witness what unfolds in Spokane, Washington as Matt and Jed wake to find North Korean soldiers have quickly taken control of their town, complete with fully armed soldiers, military vehicles and a barrage of exploding houses throughout the neighborhood. What little CGI is visibly present in this film, appears during the initial takeover, but is done so with a sense of holding back, not to exceed any suspension of disbelief, but actually causes a noticeable sense of dread and patriotism in the viewer.

As the viewer becomes attached to certain characters and distrustful of others, the film leads us through this devastating turn of events without ever sensationalizing them. RED DAWN is a violent, sometimes graphic film, but is never gratuitous. The characters are written in a way that we care about them, we want to see them succeed, even the ones who clearly have their priorities skewed. Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson, and Connor Cruise round out the primary cast, forming the core of the rebel Fighters known as the Wolverines. Jeffrey Dean Morgan makes a welcome casting addition as Col. Andy Tanner, a Marine pulled out of retirement in the latter half of the film.

At one point, RED DAWN actually pokes fun at itself, but does so innocently by allowing Matt to reveal how ignorant he is to the current state of world affairs. Despite the opening title sequence revealing a well-crafted and much appreciated montage of world news broadcasts and the like, Matt fails to grasp the scope of events leading up to the North Korean invasion when he asks “How is that possible?” This all becomes clear, not only for Matt, but for an otherwise potentially skeptical audience. In fact, the premise of this remake is perhaps even more realistic and terrifying than that of the 1984 original.

Unlike so many films that shove a sort of uber-patriotism down our throats, RED DAWN delivers an easily digestible dose of patriotic storytelling that pleases the pallet, while still succeeding and it’s primary goal of entertaining the audience. RED DAWN offers a strong story, but one that’s not overly complicated; a satisfying portion of realistic action that never goes over-the-top; and a decent helping of relationship side story to please the female perspective without overwhelming the rest of the film.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

RED DAWN opens nationwide in theaters on Wednesday, November 21st, 2012.

ACT OF VALOR – The Review


There are times I feel the need to walk on eggshells when discussing a film. ACT OF VALOR is one of those instances where I have two conflicting but equally valid opinions on the film’s perceived purpose and success thereof. For a film that has been relatively well marketed for what seems like a fairly good stretch of time, I imagine most who have seen the trailers and TV spots are well aware that the film is an action story based upon real tactics and missions, most likely a hybrid of several pieced together, as not to reveal any specifically sensitive information. Considering this, how does the film grade?

ACT OF VALOR is co-directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh. The film is cast with real, active-duty Navy SEALs, which on its own merit, is a really cool concept, a concept that equally fails and succeeds, depending on which aspect of the film we are discussing. What do I mean? Let me put it this way… Anytime you cast a film with untrained, non-professional actors — or amateurs, in short – you run the risk of poor performance destroying a film, despite the quality of its many parts in whole. That is not the case with ACT OF VALOR, well… not entirely. The greater portion of the blame during certain scenes goes to a low level of dramatic writing and bad dialogue, but there is some blame to be put on throwing inexperienced actors into these types of roles. Hence, one key hurdle for the modern rise of indie film that often must be overcome.

What are these key scenes? I’ll step back for a moment and discuss what does work, which is roughly 75% of the film. This majority of the film takes place in the military mindset of a mission, prep leading into a mission, or official correspondence and interaction on a military level. On this level, the primary cast works wonderfully, not because of some ingrained acting ability, but because that’s what these SEALs do, this is their job, their lives even. It’s not acting for them, so in that sense it comes off entirely authentic. Combine this with the successfully executed use of dynamic cinematography to capture the intense and often chaotic moments of a mission, and this saves an otherwise doomed concept that could have failed miserably if it had been cast entirely with non-military trained actors. Bravo for the bold move.

However, the remaining 25% of the film deals with civilian life, family and the drama that occurs when not in uniform or on a mission. This is where ACT OF VALOR breaks down. The dialogue is bad, the delivery is forced and in many cases, overly melodramatic. In these scenes, the film takes on a decidedly disappointing made-for-TV daytime drama personality. Fortunately, this is limited enough so that it does not ruin the experience, but add to this an underlying narration from one of the SEALs that delivers a bit of poetic, but unnecessary back story and it becomes just slightly harder to swallow, that is of course until the big guns begin to fire.

Yes, ACT OF VALOR has big guns. There’s more to the film than this, specifically the welcome and positive tribute the film serves as to honor the special ops soldiers, both living and deceased. On the other hand, when it comes to making a financially successful, entertaining movie, it never hurts to have big guns and explosions, which occur on a frequent but not overblown scale. One scene in particular that had me giggling maniacally like a demented 13-year old boy was an action-packed, tension-filled scene depicting the extraction of the team from the jungle that involves… well, big guns and explosions. Yeah, mini-gun’s rule!

The villains, namely two bad guys in collaboration on one nasty scheme against the Unites States, are played rather well by actors Alex Veadoz and Dimiter Marinov. That’s right, they did not cast “actual” terrorists and bad guys in these roles, but in this case, we’re better off. These two men offer a great deal of dramatic punch where the SEALs are unable to deliver on a level we’re used to seeing in big, Hollywood films. There is also an unexpected but welcome and fitting cameo by Emilio Rivera, which will surely delight any fans of the FX series SONS OF ANARCHY.

In the end, the action and intense combat choreography, intense realism in tactics and the somewhat unconventional camera work keeps ACT OF VALOR afloat despite the relatively miniscule acting faux pa while in the civilian moments. On a note regarding the camera work, gamers will find some of the action reminiscent of so many first-person combat games, but the directors were smart and integrated this sparingly when useful, rather than focusing heavily on this for combat scenes. If you enjoy these types of movies, ACT OF VALOR is worth a look, so long as you are willing to bite your tongue and look past the non-military scenes, but more importantly, appreciate the active duty military men and women who are the focus of this film, presented in part as a tribute.

Soldier Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Civilian Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

WAR HORSE – The Review

Few living things on this planet are more majestic than a horse. Creatures of graceful beauty and tremendous strength, almost as closely bonded with mankind as the dog, yet as a civilized species we’ve put the horse through so much over our centuries old relationship with the gentle giants.

WAR HORSE, directed by Steven Spielberg, offers a glimpse into the life of just one of these fine creatures. The story is told from the perspective of one horse named Joey, raised from a freshly born colt by an Irish farm boy named Albert (played by Jeremy Irvine) who immediately forms a strong friendship, only to be devastated when World War I hits home and the horse is sold into the cavalry by Albert’s father Ted (played by Peter Mullan).

What follows is the emotional journey of Joey through the trials and tribulations of war. Joey trades hands multiple times, his possession transferred from the British cavalry to German soldiers and to a frail young country girl and her pacifist grandfather. The film’s journey has no central human character, but several roles filling a segmented timeline. This creates a sort of anthology effect, allowing the viewer to more easily experience how this one horse could bring people together as it does.

WAR HORSE has two specific strong points; the performance – if you will allow me the liberty to call it such – of the horse playing Joey, and the gorgeous cinematography from Janusz Kaminski, a regular collaborator of Spielberg’s. The soft, glowing warmth of the scenes away from war and the colder, gray tinged scenes during and surrounding the war, compliment each other, but also often coincide and crossover to meld the two realities into one inseparable truth of the time and place of the film.

No one performance truly stands out amongst the human actors, except maybe that of Neils Arestrup’s as the frail girl Emilie’s Grandfather, the most endearing and convincingly unique performance. Otherwise, the entire cast performed wonderfully in their respective roles, never reaching beyond the scope of their purpose. The cast of many youthful and a few veteran names include Emily Watson as Albert’s mother, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis and Eddie Marsan.

The original score for WAR HORSE is composed by the legendary John Williams – you know… the guy who helped immortalize Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones and Superman in our collective aural memory. Surprisingly, the music in this film does not display that characteristically dominating presence of Williams’ most recognizable work, instead slipping into the background to near subliminal effect. I personally didn’t even realize I was listening to John Williams until reaching the end credits, when for the first time, his music became vividly apparent.

WAR HORSE is just as much about the tough times as it is about the horse’s journey. One thing I relished in observing during this film was the attention given to details and lesser known facts about World War I. There is one very powerful scene in the third act that takes place in no man’s land between the British and German trenches. The grounds are obliterated, bodies mangled and tossed about the tangled chaos of the barbed wire. This is not a violent scene, but rather an incredibly poignant and uplifting scene depicting an example of occurrences that actually took place during the war. While WWI and WWII may share very similar names and scopes of conflict, they were in fact two very different wars with two very different pairs of warring sides.

In the end, WAR HORSE delivers on the type of ending most audiences will expect and want, which is fine because it’s warranted in this film. Expect a journey that lasts just barely more than two hours, but doesn’t feel exceedingly long, a journey that will touch the animal lover within and remind us that wars are waged by governments, but fought be regular Joes, and Joeys.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

WINTER IN WARTIME – The Review

Most adults would concur with the old adage that war is hell. However for many children caught up in these conflicts, war is…fun. Or at the very least a thrilling, magical playground. This view concerning World War II has been explored in films such as John Boorman’s HOPE AND GLORY and Steven Spielberg’s EMPIRE OF THE SUN. While these films showed the war’s impact on children in England and China, Martin Koolhoven’s WINTER IN WARTIME looks at that conflict through the eyes of the children of Holland. Many films have portrayed Nazi occupation in central Europe and France. In this new film we see how the Axis troops take over a small Dutch village in 1945.

Michiel lives in that small Dutch village with his father ( the mayor ) and his older sister and mother who work at the town hospital. He’s fascinated by all aspects of the military and his bedroom is decorated with bits of discarded weaponry and uniforms. Late one night he sees a flaming British fighter plane pass over the house toward a wooded area. A German officer on patrol comes across the wreckage and it’s occupant. Before he can alert others he’s shot and killed by the pilot ( whose parachute has him dangling from a tree top ). Soon Michiel and his best buddy pedal over to the downed aircraft, and get past the barricades. The German guards spy them picking through the wreckage and chase them into the town. Michiel is grabbed and taken to the office of the Nazi command. His father pleads with the officer and takes Michiel home. Dad tells him to not make any trouble. They pass a merchant who is collaborating with the Germans while others attempt an organized resistance. An older neighbor gives Michiel an envelope to give the bicycle repair man in case the neighbor is arrested. Sure enough the neighbor is taken in and Michiel rushes into town for the delivery. Unfortunately the recipient is gunned down by soldiers as Michiel watches in horror. He then opens the envelope that has directions to an area in the woods outside town. There he comes across a hidden underground shelter and the wounded British pilot. Michiel tends to his wound and brings food and drink to him. Can he keep the soldier hidden until he can be smuggled out of the country? Should he reveal his secret to others? Maybe his visiting Uncle Ben who has ties to the underground resistance can help. There’s a lot resting on Michiel’s young shoulders.

Koolhoven gives us a compelling look at this quaint little town that’s been torn apart by the invading forces. The rebels and appeasers are constantly at each others’ throats. This is all witnessed by Michiel. Martijn Lakemeier gives a powerful performance as a boy forced to grow up quickly and handle adult responsibilities. Jamie Campbell Bower ( from the Twilight and Harry Potter films ) gives a great English language performance as the war weary pilot that’s not much older than Michiel. The movie’s heartbreaking and suspenseful while still showing the warmth and humor of this close knit family. This is a fresh approach to the impact of World War II on families and especially on young people whose fantasies of noble battle are quickly shattered.

Overall Rating: Four out of Five Stars

Review: THE ZOOKEEPER

In an unnamed Eastern European country ravaged by civil war, zookeeper Ludovic (Sam Neill) along with a veterinarian (Om Puri) cares for the animals in a small zoo: a couple of tigers, lions, a panther, several primates (including a pregnant monkey), a couple of elephants and various zebras, llamas, goats, sheep and birds. The city is being bombed, and they’re hoping for a break in the fighting so that relief agencies can airlift the animals to safety.

As Ludovic trudges to and from his dreary job (light years away from the prestigious government job he had before the war), Neill gives an excellent browbeaten performance, his sullen demeanor conveying the shell-shocked, anguished, lowly zoo employee. All the other employees have fled so he is left with the enormous and emotional responsibility of taking care of the animals in the deserted zoo.

The sanctuary of the zoo doesn’t last long as a group of soldiers called The Young Lions, suspicious of the vet’s ethnicity, take him and brutally murder him, leaving Ludovic completely alone. Just as you think he’s about to sink into despair (and vodka), a young boy named Zioig (Javor Loznica) and his mother Ankica (Gina McKee) show up seeking protection from the war outside. Survival becomes desperate as the war inches closer and closer to the zoo.

Sam Neill is a consistently good actor, and he doesn’t disappoint here. Ludovic is the heart of the film – he is the caretaker of the last glimmer of humanity in an awful situation, and Sam Neill’s restrained performance is a perfect fit. All three characters see hope in the zoo – as long as the animals are okay they will be too. The boy becomes attached to a mama wolf that has just had a litter of pups; the mother adopts the pregnant monkey; Ludovic struggles to save an elephant that isn’t getting enough to eat. But the reality of war can’t be stopped, and all that is left is a few precious moments and the need to survive. Relief workers eventually show up, but for some it is too late.

THE ZOOKEEPER is well directed, poignant and emotional. However it is also very depressing and at times difficult to watch. The scenes of animals suffering are a few too many, including one that dragged on so long I had to skip past it, and while I get the importance of such scenes to the movie, it’s ultimately too much. And in the end, that could be why this never saw a theatrical release and is now on DVD.

**** out of 5 stars

**Official Selection of the Toronto International Film Festival**
**Official Selection of the Santa Barbara Film Festival**
**Official Selection of the Seattle International Film Festival**
**Best Film and Best Actor(Sam Neill) Fort Launderdale Film Festival**
**Best Film Pensacola Bay Film Festival**
**Best Film Taos Talking Picture**

SLIFF 2010 Review: A MARINE STORY

A MARINE STORY takes a story as old as movies itself and gives it  a fresh new spin. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES  through IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH have explored the theme of  soldiers returning home. This time the focus is a female soldier and a military policy that has been much in the news in the last few years.

Alexandra Everett (Dreya Weber) is a career marine who return to her rural, dusty California hometown after a log hitch in the Middle East. After getting off the train with no one to welcome her back , she walks through the streets and sees all the boarded up businesses. Stopping at a convenience store she forcibly detains a young man shoplifting while his girlfriend who was distracting the clerk takes off. The local sheriff  chastises Alex for getting involved, although they are severely understaffed and can’t handle the new scourge of small towns: meth addicts. On the way to the family home, Alex buys an old convertible in need of restoration. The old homestead is empty and up for sale as her Dad has moved to Florida. The next day Alex is visited by the sheriff and the young female accomplice from the convenience store. He explains that Saffron (Paris Pickard) will face a long stretch in jail unless she is accepted into the military. Alex reluctantly agrees to get her ready to visit the recruiter. That night Alex meets an old high school boyfriend, Leo (Anthony Michael Jones) at a local bar. After a few drinks, a brawl erupts between Alex and some of Leo’s buddies who challenge her. In between training Saffron, Alex visits her old high school girlfriend Holly (Christine Mourad) and reveals that the real reason for her homecoming is that she was ousted for being a lesbian. Later that night Alex meets up with one of Holly’s girlfriends and are secretly photographed by someone from Alex’s hometown. What will happen when these photos are spread over town? How will it affect the vulnerable Saffron?

A MARINE STORY  is anchored by the strong performance of Weber in the lead. She has a strong physical presence in the big action scenes (the training, the barroom brawl, and at a paintball field). She has a great rapport with all the actors particularly Pickard as the emotionally damaged Saffron. Director Ned Farr keeps the film moving and captures the feel of a sleepy, dying little town. The movie’s not preachy but really shows the devastating impact the “don’t ask, don’t tell”  policy has had.A well done thought provoking  intimate of a modern woman in the military.

A MARINE STORY will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis Film Festival on Saturday, November 13th at 7:15 pm and Monday, November 15th at 5:00 pm at the Tivoli Theatre.

Kick Ass ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Posters

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Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ has come and gone, and it has kicked ass in theaters all over America.   Today, we thought it would be   nice to show you some of the posters the film inspired.

The one you see there at the top comes to us courtesy of Poster Wire and is designed by illustrator James Goodbridge.   It’s actually a completed piece of artwork that was unused for the film, and, as beautiful as it is, I can’t imagine why it was passed over for the posters actually used.   Luckily, as indicated by the interview on Poster Wire’s site, Goodbridge is still holding out hope that his illustration will be used somewhere down the road.

Next up are three poster designs brought to us by the fine people at Mondo Tees.

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Fortunately, the three posters you see here are on sale over at Mondo Tees’ website.   Unfortunately, these things flew out the door like frisbees.   Currently, they are completely sold out, but keep checking back.   They might come up with a few more.

The first one up was from Print Mafia.   The last two were designed by famed illustrator Tyler Stout.   Each one has a different feel, but they are all equally cool.

Now, if we can only get Drew Struzan to come out of retirement long enough to design a HUGO STIGLITZ! poster, the world would be a better place.

Special thanks to the boys over at Gordon and the Whale for giving us the heads up on all these badass designs.

Review: ‘Inglourious Basterds’

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“We ain’t in the prisoner taking business. We‘re in the Nazi killing business. And cousin, business is a booming”

As soon as this line comes out of Brad Pitt’s mouth you sink into your chair and say “damn, this is going to be a great ride”. I told you guys when Brad Pitt was first cast in this film that Tarantino would make him a bigger badass than he has ever been before…and I was right.

Quentin Tarantino takes a WWII to an entirely different level that may or may not match what history has show us but   ‘Inglourious Basterds’ is still a triumph that begs to be seen more than once. After you watch this you are going to jump back in line to see the next showing, because this movie is that fun.

When I heard that he was going to be remaking ‘Inglorious Bastards’ my first thought was “How is this going to fit into the Tarantino body of work?”. This film can easily stand with ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Kill Bill’ and that isnt being overly generous with my feelings just because its a Tarantino film.

The movie is split into 5 chapters, the first chapter features Nazi officer Hans Landa, AKA “Jew Hunter” played by   Christoph Waltz. His main duty is to seek out and find homes that are hiding Jewish families and the opening scene is delves into one such endeavor. This scene, even though it features none of the “basterds”, is absolutely amazing and really sets the tone for the film. Almost entirely dialogue driven, Tarantino creates a slow mounting tension that is almost unbearable at times.

From there the movie delves into each additional chapter, the next which features all of the Basterds and how they became the merry band of Nazi hunters that they are. Led by the twang filled back woods LT Aldo Raine, Brad Pitt, their only goal is to find Nazi soldiers, attempt to get information from them and then eventually “scalp” them. The first scalping scene is pretty graphic but super badass at the same time. Every once in a while when a Nazi soldier helps them, they let him go, but fearing that he will take his uniform off they always want to be able to recognize him so they cut a swastika into their foreheads.

Hitler is made to look both ridiculous and entertaining at the same time, played by Martin Wuttke who does a pretty convincing job as the former dictator. As soon as he comes onto the screen you immediately hate him and cant wait to see what exactly the fate is that Tarantino will give him by the end of the film. I will tell you that the fate he does meet, doesn’t stand to historical facts but I would have preferred this ending to the real one.

I was completely blown away by Eli Roth who plays Sgt. Donny Donowitz AKA the “Bear Jew”. His specialty is killing the Nazi soldiers with his bat, again pretty graphic the first time you see him take one out. He doesnt talk much but when he does its pretty entertaining. Even without much dialogue you cant help but love his facial expressions, especially those during the theater scenes.

The entire cast is absolutely impeccable. Diane Kruger   does an incredible job as Bridget von Hammersmark, the world famous actress who is moon lighting as a double agent.   I could easily see Christoph Waltz getting nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I honestly cant say enough about this damn film. Almost everything is brilliant and perfect…except Mike Myers in the movie but we wont go there