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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
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DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War
Movies
Posted July 11, 2008 | 03:36 PM (EST)
Read More: Batman , Brendan Fraser, Channing Tatum, Dvds, Iraq War , Joseph Gordon-
Levitt , Kimberly Pierce, Movies, Ryan Phillippe , Sheryl Crow, The X-Files , TV Shows ,
Entertainment News
Why are movies about the Iraq War so difficult to
make? That's easy -- all war movies are difficult
to make, especially when the war is on-going andthe support for the war is murky at best. WorldWar II was easy -- movies like Mrs. Miniver were
meant to rouse people and stir up patriotism. Getto Vietnam and an awful movie like JohnWayne's The Green Berets was hopelessly
outdated the moment it was released, capturingneither the reality of the war nor the spirit at
home. You can barely call a minor skirmish like Grenada a "war," so when Clint Eastwood tried tobuild Heartbreak Ridge around it you couldn't help giggling.
And now the Iraq War. Documentaries have proven extremely effective and well-received because a
point-of-view is a strength. But mainstream commercial films are afraid to seem partisan which
means they fail to be realistic. And so to Stop-Loss ($34.99; Paramount), Director Kimberly
Pierce's follow-up to her brilliant Boys Don't Cry squanders a fine cast on a timid story about
soldiers upset over being forcibly re-enlisted via a backdoor draft after fulfilling their duty (the"stop-loss" of the title) but eventually showing up for duty anyway. Instead of the careful ethnicmix of a WWII movie, Stop-Loss features a careful balance of flaws: Channing Tatum is violent and
unable to control himself in civilian life, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a terrific actor wasted in a smallrole) is a drunk who hates following orders and Ryan Phillippe (who is consistently better than youthink he's gonna be) is a guy who refuses to accept being dragooned back into Iraq when hebelieves he kept his side of the bargain. Phillippe is the most stable of the lot, which makes hisgoing AWOL all the harder to swallow. Could the smartest guy in his group really think a USSenator would go up against the Defense Department during wartime and help a soldier goneAWOL to avoid service? That's the hard-to-swallow engine driving this movie. Combine that with arespect for the soldiers and their families that keeps the movie from specifically talking about THIS
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]war (the conflict could be darn near any conflict, for all it matters) and the result is a hard to buy
premise vaguely connected to the current conflict rescued somewhat by a fine cast.
What's your favorite war movie? I have a fondness for the Korean War flick Pork Chop Hill
because it was boldly pessimistic and my local TV station showed it over and over again late at
night when I was growing up.
Also out this week:
Chop Shop ($26.98; Koch Lorber) -- Director Ramin Bahrani's superior followup to Man Push
Cart delicately captures the struggles of two orphans in Queens, New York who claw out an
existence around the junkyards near Shea Stadium. If he keeps improving like this, Bahrani's next
film is definitely one to watch.
Superhero Movie ($29.95; Genius) -- If I told you this Airplane -like parody of superhero movies
was dumb, would you think that was a compliment? If so, snap this up. At some point, actor Drake
Bell is gonna be a superstar. I just can't figure out whether it's going to be via acting or his terrific
music.
Batman Mania -- The Dark Knight is getting terrific reviews from the trades, so to pump up
anticipation even more they're re-releasing Batman Begins in a Limited Edition Giftset ($49.99;
Warner Bros.), which includes a flashdrive with Batman artwork, postcards and the such. But
doesn't everyone who would pay extra for a giftset already own it? More useful is the 5th and final
season of The Batman ($19.98; Warner Bros.), the recent animated series that began in 2004
which is fine, but not as good as the highwater mark of Batman , the animated version from the
90s. Finally, I'm split on Batman Gotham Knight ($29.98; Warner Bros.), the first PG-13
animated Batman movie. I know the movies are increasingly dark and really for adults and have no
problem with the superior quality of this release. But somehow the fact that they're pushing the
envelope content-wise with even the animated Batman just doesn't sit well with me. I know, it's
not meant for kids just because it's animated. But still....
Mummy Mania -- Brendan Fraser's return to the square-jawed hero of The Mummy in the new
movie The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor has spawned the usual reissues. There's The
Mummy ($19.98; Universal), the surprisingly fun 1999 movie; The Mummy Returns ($19.98;
Universal), the 2001 sequel which couldn't live up to even modest expectations, the original Boris
Karloff The Mummy ($26.98; Universal) in a special edition that can't hide the fact that the
original is pretty dull; Van Helsing ($19.98; Universal), which is a stretch but they need to make
their money back on that one still, don't they; and even Journey To The Center Of The Earth($19.95; Genius), a TV movie from earlier this year starring Ricky Schroeder that beat BrendanFraser's other summer movie, at least to the little screen.
Shhhhh! "The X-Files" Is Coming Out -- For some reason, the summer movie The X-Files: I
Want To Believe appears to be the buzz-less movie of the year. A once wildly popular TV show,
The X-Files stayed on the air far too long (like virtually every hit show ever made) and wore out its
welcome. But when I watch the trailer for the movie, that haunting score immediately gets megoing again. Maybe this stand-alone adventure can be sold as a straight horror movie of sorts, withfans slowly realizing they missed the show after all. All it will need is some good reviews and adecent first weekend could turn into "legs," where the movie plays and plays and the fun of theshow is reignited. One good way to get excited: dipping into The X-Files Revelations ($22.97; Fox),which brings together eight of the best stand-along episodes from the show including the pilot, theone with the sewer monster, the one with Peter Boyle as a psychic and more. No surprise: all eightepisodes come from the first six seasons. Watch these and you'll be sure to line up for the movie onopening night come July 25.
Finally: the Canadian gem Mon Oncle Antoine ($39.95; Criterion); Sheryl Crow Live ($19.99;
Koch), with the rocker celebrating her enduring career in this fine 90 minute show; Dog Whisperer
Third Season ($39.98; Screen Media), with Cesar Millan working with problem dogs (and as often
as not, problem owners as well) in this reality show; Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns ($34.98;
LionsGate), Perry's latest romantic drama, this time with Angela Bassett and the always hilariousJenifer Lewis in a special edition that includes a free digital download (an increasingly commonfeature on DVDs) for portable or computer viewing; 305 ($29.99; Allumination), the YouTube
spoof of 300 turned to full-length DVD movie, proving that being the first YouTube to feature film
doesn't necessarily mean you're the best, but at least you've got bragging rights; Stealth ($29.95;
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]
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Vie For Mortgage...WaterBearer), a well-reviewed queer comedy about identity and love; Down The River ($29.95;
WaterBearer), a pretty but shapeless Thai film about awkward teen gay love that is so typical of
current Thai cinema in its disregard for niceties like character development that you have to
wonder what the Thais have against plots; Soul Food ($49.98; Paramount), the fifth and final
season of the Showtime series; and Down The Barrel ($19.95; Genius), a too-short ESPN
documentary following Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Joel Parkinson and Kalani Robb as they surf insome of the most gorgeous spots in the world. No reason not to stuff this with extra footage of
their surfing but the 93 minutes here look beautiful.
So tell me, what's your favorite war movie of all time?
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wayoutleft See Profile I'm a Fan of wayoutleft permalink
my favorite war movie is "monte carlo". george hamilton and joan collins play spies in monte carlo and
are nearly killed when the british and americans strafe a lawn party. in one of the boldest risksundertaken in modern cinema- joan collins sings; but george hamilton forgives her. most of the footageis believed to be on location. they had to take the yachts out of the harbor and replace them withsmaller boats, so they'd look like warships. the dvd is european PAL format.joan is taking pictures of the ships in the harbor ( yes, it is a vintage leica) when she is discovered bygeorge hamilton, a cynical debonaire roue. george keeps it light as he begins his pursuit of joan,
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Batman , Brendan Fraser, Channing Tatum,
Dvds , Iraq War , Joseph Gordon-Levitt ,
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]
amiably complementing her spying sideline by keeping the champagne chilled. (priceless gascon
bartender). meanwhile a broke englishman (not to be redundant) is trying to make a buck smuggling
jewish scientists. initially entirely mercenary, he dies for the cause. in a suspenseful and excitingclimax. joan and george escape the nazis in possibly a bugatti cinquantasette cabrio. one was in use in
La Clayette at the time of filming.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
Talk about obscure. It looks like Monte Carlo was a TV miniseries and runs five hours long. Is
it campily fun or an underappreciated gem? I'm gonna assume the former but I'll keep an eyeout for it. With hundreds of TV channels, someone's bound to rerun it some day.
wayoutleft See Profile I'm a Fan of wayoutleft permalink
it's camp, mike. i appreciate your serious estimation of the serious films discussed. i
always try to blow up military or war-oriented threads. [like a few months ago a
blogger wrote a piece on jim webb and the scots-irish "cult of the warrior". i wrote
this comment presuming "cult of the warrior" referred an old SEGA videogame title.]
i do this because i believe that as long as war is thought of differently than as a
social pathology, we will inevitably get more of it. i feel taking on the nobility stuffhead on is absolutely neccessary to achieving a more peaceful world. i.e., warmythology must be deconstructed to make warfare as unaccepable as epidemicdisease. i'm a little more of a louche monegasque than i am an airborne ranger,though. a little more "tiens!" than "ten-hut!"...
RickO See Profile I'm a Fan of RickO permalink
There's usually a wide gulf between the good and bad war movies. Green Berets was really god-awful.We Were Soldiers would have been much better without Mel Gibson (he's the same character as hewas in Braveheart and The Patriot) The Band of Brothers series is excellent, especially the Bastogneepisode. The D-day sequence in Private Ryan is absolutely wrenching and realistic and if the cemetaryscene doesn't get to you, nothing will. One that I think got missed was Letters from Iwo Jima, That wasquite good. As far as the Iraq movies, they've all basically sucked so far, as though they needed to be"cleared" first. I am watching that new series Generation Kill and the first episode is promising,although the overacting is a bit annoying. Let's hope it delivers.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
Thanks for the comments. Do you mean the cemetary scenes that bookend Private Ryan?I'm afraid I have to disagree. Like many people, find the bookends thoroughly unnecessaryand (SPOILER ALERTSPOILER ALERT) the "cheat" of making us think Tom Hanks is the oldman a the cemetary when it's actualy Matt Damon and Hanks is dead is a cheap trick andundermines what for most of the movie is a classic, traditonal war movie. I'm tapingGeneration Kill but haven't watched it yet - I hope it's good too.
Guitarsandmore See Profile I'm a Fan of Guitarsandmore permalink
Best war movies:
"The Kingdom of Heaven" - because in the end it shows that a city is just another piece of stone and
the real precious treasure is the children, women, friends, and relatives, that you love and need toprotect. The humility from the queen and the knight as they give up their roles and find each other inlove seems real and much more important. Good special effects.
"We were soldiers" - with Mel Gibson because it showed the beginning of the path of folly in Vietnam
that would only get worse. Colonel Moore was an exceptional soldier but even he did not realize what
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]
the United States was walking into and the price paid for our ignorance would be enormous. The final
comment from the North Vietnamese leader is an eerily ominous prediction for the United States.
"Saving Private Ryan" - War is not glamorous and should be avoided if possible. Good acting. Good
character development throughout the movie. Carnage.
"Black Hawk Down" because it looked so real it was scary and gave me nightmares, chest pain.
another case of the United States under estimating the enemy and over estimating its own capabilities.
"Gallipoli" - Mel Gibson because once again it showed the absolute and complete waste of humanity
that is war.
"Troy" - Brad Pitt - interesting version of the classic tale from Homer. "Apocalypse Now" " confusion and uncertainty of everyone involved in the Vietnam War. Poetic acting
from Marlon Brando.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
Gallipoli is one of my all-time favorites too. I haven't watched We Were Soldiers yet so I'llhave to check that out. And afraid I'll have to NOT chime in on Troy, though there's certainlyno satisfying version of that war that's better than it. But too stiff for my taste. Thanks forreading.
Jude2004 See Profile I'm a Fan of Jude2004 permalink
My favorite war movies? Twelve O'Clock High for World War II (or, if I'm in a *really* schmalzy mood,The Glenn Miller Story) and from all time? Letters from Iwo Jima.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
I'd never thought of The Glenn Miller Story as a war story per se, but of course you're right(and right about the schmaltz). Twelve O'Clock High is very good and Letters is certainly
superior to Flags of Our Fathers.
jvarga See Profile I'm a Fan of jvarga permalink
Speaking of X-files, I've been killing myself trying to get through the entire series before the movie
comes out. I still have 2.5 seasons left (SIGH). I'm pretty happy to hear it's more or less stand alone,because watching 4 episodes a day was driving me crazy. In other news, the complete series box setfrom amazon was a good purchase at 50% off.
The war movie question is a good one. For whatever reason I'm really fond of Enemy at the Gates. I
like Glory and Full Metal Jacket a lot, too. I guess Starship Troopers doesn't count, but if it did it wouldbe my favorite.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
How are you enjoying the show? Is it your frst time watching The X-Files? I understandwanting to be complete, but really seasons 1-6 are by far the good ones compared to 7-9,which are better forgotten (especially when Duchovny is gone). You're certainly more thanprepared for the movie. Enemy at the gates isn't bad, Glory is good, Full metal Jacket is great(and looks better and better with the passage of time, like most Kubrick films) and StarshipTroopers IS a war movie, darn it, and a very funny pointed one.
jvarga See Profile I'm a Fan of jvarga permalink
When x-files came out I was in high school and my parents didn't have cable (letalone a satellite) so I had to try and watch it on a crappy uhf station that usuallydidn't come in at our house. Then I went to college and started drinking on fridaynights, so I never saw many episodes of it.
I'm enjoying it quite a bit, but there are a few times when I've just kind of shaken my
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
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head in dismay like when Mulder says things like "Scully this is a classic case of
demonic rape and abortion". One of the things I didn't recall from my limited
exposure to the show was the humor that he displayed ("I'm OK, my ass broke thefall".) I am fearing what it will be like when I make it to the episodes without him,
seems like there won't be much of a purpose to the show?
One thing I don't get is how did people keep track of the major storylines in the
show when it was new. I mean, I'm watching the episodes in quick succession and Ican go to wikipedia if I get confused, but when the show came out that wasn't anoption and sometimes you'd have to go a month or two between thematically relatedepisodes. I guess the internet has made me lazy.
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DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War
Movies
Posted July 11, 2008 | 03:36 PM (EST)
Read More: Batman , Brendan Fraser, Channing Tatum, Dvds, Iraq War , Joseph Gordon-
Levitt , Kimberly Pierce, Movies, Ryan Phillippe , Sheryl Crow, The X-Files , TV Shows ,
Entertainment News
Why are movies about the Iraq War so difficult to
make? That's easy -- all war movies are difficult
to make, especially when the war is on-going andthe support for the war is murky at best. WorldWar II was easy -- movies like Mrs. Miniver were
meant to rouse people and stir up patriotism. Getto Vietnam and an awful movie like JohnWayne's The Green Berets was hopelessly
outdated the moment it was released, capturingneither the reality of the war nor the spirit at
home. You can barely call a minor skirmish like Grenada a "war," so when Clint Eastwood tried tobuild Heartbreak Ridge around it you couldn't help giggling.
And now the Iraq War. Documentaries have proven extremely effective and well-received because a
point-of-view is a strength. But mainstream commercial films are afraid to seem partisan which
means they fail to be realistic. And so to Stop-Loss ($34.99; Paramount), Director Kimberly
Pierce's follow-up to her brilliant Boys Don't Cry squanders a fine cast on a timid story about
soldiers upset over being forcibly re-enlisted via a backdoor draft after fulfilling their duty (the"stop-loss" of the title) but eventually showing up for duty anyway. Instead of the careful ethnicmix of a WWII movie, Stop-Loss features a careful balance of flaws: Channing Tatum is violent and
unable to control himself in civilian life, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (a terrific actor wasted in a smallrole) is a drunk who hates following orders and Ryan Phillippe (who is consistently better than youthink he's gonna be) is a guy who refuses to accept being dragooned back into Iraq when hebelieves he kept his side of the bargain. Phillippe is the most stable of the lot, which makes hisgoing AWOL all the harder to swallow. Could the smartest guy in his group really think a USSenator would go up against the Defense Department during wartime and help a soldier goneAWOL to avoid service? That's the hard-to-swallow engine driving this movie. Combine that with arespect for the soldiers and their families that keeps the movie from specifically talking about THIS
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]war (the conflict could be darn near any conflict, for all it matters) and the result is a hard to buy
premise vaguely connected to the current conflict rescued somewhat by a fine cast.
What's your favorite war movie? I have a fondness for the Korean War flick Pork Chop Hill
because it was boldly pessimistic and my local TV station showed it over and over again late at
night when I was growing up.
Also out this week:
Chop Shop ($26.98; Koch Lorber) -- Director Ramin Bahrani's superior followup to Man Push
Cart delicately captures the struggles of two orphans in Queens, New York who claw out an
existence around the junkyards near Shea Stadium. If he keeps improving like this, Bahrani's next
film is definitely one to watch.
Superhero Movie ($29.95; Genius) -- If I told you this Airplane -like parody of superhero movies
was dumb, would you think that was a compliment? If so, snap this up. At some point, actor Drake
Bell is gonna be a superstar. I just can't figure out whether it's going to be via acting or his terrific
music.
Batman Mania -- The Dark Knight is getting terrific reviews from the trades, so to pump up
anticipation even more they're re-releasing Batman Begins in a Limited Edition Giftset ($49.99;
Warner Bros.), which includes a flashdrive with Batman artwork, postcards and the such. But
doesn't everyone who would pay extra for a giftset already own it? More useful is the 5th and final
season of The Batman ($19.98; Warner Bros.), the recent animated series that began in 2004
which is fine, but not as good as the highwater mark of Batman , the animated version from the
90s. Finally, I'm split on Batman Gotham Knight ($29.98; Warner Bros.), the first PG-13
animated Batman movie. I know the movies are increasingly dark and really for adults and have no
problem with the superior quality of this release. But somehow the fact that they're pushing the
envelope content-wise with even the animated Batman just doesn't sit well with me. I know, it's
not meant for kids just because it's animated. But still....
Mummy Mania -- Brendan Fraser's return to the square-jawed hero of The Mummy in the new
movie The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor has spawned the usual reissues. There's The
Mummy ($19.98; Universal), the surprisingly fun 1999 movie; The Mummy Returns ($19.98;
Universal), the 2001 sequel which couldn't live up to even modest expectations, the original Boris
Karloff The Mummy ($26.98; Universal) in a special edition that can't hide the fact that the
original is pretty dull; Van Helsing ($19.98; Universal), which is a stretch but they need to make
their money back on that one still, don't they; and even Journey To The Center Of The Earth($19.95; Genius), a TV movie from earlier this year starring Ricky Schroeder that beat BrendanFraser's other summer movie, at least to the little screen.
Shhhhh! "The X-Files" Is Coming Out -- For some reason, the summer movie The X-Files: I
Want To Believe appears to be the buzz-less movie of the year. A once wildly popular TV show,
The X-Files stayed on the air far too long (like virtually every hit show ever made) and wore out its
welcome. But when I watch the trailer for the movie, that haunting score immediately gets megoing again. Maybe this stand-alone adventure can be sold as a straight horror movie of sorts, withfans slowly realizing they missed the show after all. All it will need is some good reviews and adecent first weekend could turn into "legs," where the movie plays and plays and the fun of theshow is reignited. One good way to get excited: dipping into The X-Files Revelations ($22.97; Fox),which brings together eight of the best stand-along episodes from the show including the pilot, theone with the sewer monster, the one with Peter Boyle as a psychic and more. No surprise: all eightepisodes come from the first six seasons. Watch these and you'll be sure to line up for the movie onopening night come July 25.
Finally: the Canadian gem Mon Oncle Antoine ($39.95; Criterion); Sheryl Crow Live ($19.99;
Koch), with the rocker celebrating her enduring career in this fine 90 minute show; Dog Whisperer
Third Season ($39.98; Screen Media), with Cesar Millan working with problem dogs (and as often
as not, problem owners as well) in this reality show; Tyler Perry's Meet The Browns ($34.98;
LionsGate), Perry's latest romantic drama, this time with Angela Bassett and the always hilariousJenifer Lewis in a special edition that includes a free digital download (an increasingly commonfeature on DVDs) for portable or computer viewing; 305 ($29.99; Allumination), the YouTube
spoof of 300 turned to full-length DVD movie, proving that being the first YouTube to feature film
doesn't necessarily mean you're the best, but at least you've got bragging rights; Stealth ($29.95;
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]
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Vie For Mortgage...WaterBearer), a well-reviewed queer comedy about identity and love; Down The River ($29.95;
WaterBearer), a pretty but shapeless Thai film about awkward teen gay love that is so typical of
current Thai cinema in its disregard for niceties like character development that you have to
wonder what the Thais have against plots; Soul Food ($49.98; Paramount), the fifth and final
season of the Showtime series; and Down The Barrel ($19.95; Genius), a too-short ESPN
documentary following Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Joel Parkinson and Kalani Robb as they surf insome of the most gorgeous spots in the world. No reason not to stuff this with extra footage of
their surfing but the 93 minutes here look beautiful.
So tell me, what's your favorite war movie of all time?
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wayoutleft See Profile I'm a Fan of wayoutleft permalink
my favorite war movie is "monte carlo". george hamilton and joan collins play spies in monte carlo and
are nearly killed when the british and americans strafe a lawn party. in one of the boldest risksundertaken in modern cinema- joan collins sings; but george hamilton forgives her. most of the footageis believed to be on location. they had to take the yachts out of the harbor and replace them withsmaller boats, so they'd look like warships. the dvd is european PAL format.joan is taking pictures of the ships in the harbor ( yes, it is a vintage leica) when she is discovered bygeorge hamilton, a cynical debonaire roue. george keeps it light as he begins his pursuit of joan,
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]
amiably complementing her spying sideline by keeping the champagne chilled. (priceless gascon
bartender). meanwhile a broke englishman (not to be redundant) is trying to make a buck smuggling
jewish scientists. initially entirely mercenary, he dies for the cause. in a suspenseful and excitingclimax. joan and george escape the nazis in possibly a bugatti cinquantasette cabrio. one was in use in
La Clayette at the time of filming.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
Talk about obscure. It looks like Monte Carlo was a TV miniseries and runs five hours long. Is
it campily fun or an underappreciated gem? I'm gonna assume the former but I'll keep an eyeout for it. With hundreds of TV channels, someone's bound to rerun it some day.
wayoutleft See Profile I'm a Fan of wayoutleft permalink
it's camp, mike. i appreciate your serious estimation of the serious films discussed. i
always try to blow up military or war-oriented threads. [like a few months ago a
blogger wrote a piece on jim webb and the scots-irish "cult of the warrior". i wrote
this comment presuming "cult of the warrior" referred an old SEGA videogame title.]
i do this because i believe that as long as war is thought of differently than as a
social pathology, we will inevitably get more of it. i feel taking on the nobility stuffhead on is absolutely neccessary to achieving a more peaceful world. i.e., warmythology must be deconstructed to make warfare as unaccepable as epidemicdisease. i'm a little more of a louche monegasque than i am an airborne ranger,though. a little more "tiens!" than "ten-hut!"...
RickO See Profile I'm a Fan of RickO permalink
There's usually a wide gulf between the good and bad war movies. Green Berets was really god-awful.We Were Soldiers would have been much better without Mel Gibson (he's the same character as hewas in Braveheart and The Patriot) The Band of Brothers series is excellent, especially the Bastogneepisode. The D-day sequence in Private Ryan is absolutely wrenching and realistic and if the cemetaryscene doesn't get to you, nothing will. One that I think got missed was Letters from Iwo Jima, That wasquite good. As far as the Iraq movies, they've all basically sucked so far, as though they needed to be"cleared" first. I am watching that new series Generation Kill and the first episode is promising,although the overacting is a bit annoying. Let's hope it delivers.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
Thanks for the comments. Do you mean the cemetary scenes that bookend Private Ryan?I'm afraid I have to disagree. Like many people, find the bookends thoroughly unnecessaryand (SPOILER ALERTSPOILER ALERT) the "cheat" of making us think Tom Hanks is the oldman a the cemetary when it's actualy Matt Damon and Hanks is dead is a cheap trick andundermines what for most of the movie is a classic, traditonal war movie. I'm tapingGeneration Kill but haven't watched it yet - I hope it's good too.
Guitarsandmore See Profile I'm a Fan of Guitarsandmore permalink
Best war movies:
"The Kingdom of Heaven" - because in the end it shows that a city is just another piece of stone and
the real precious treasure is the children, women, friends, and relatives, that you love and need toprotect. The humility from the queen and the knight as they give up their roles and find each other inlove seems real and much more important. Good special effects.
"We were soldiers" - with Mel Gibson because it showed the beginning of the path of folly in Vietnam
that would only get worse. Colonel Moore was an exceptional soldier but even he did not realize what
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]
the United States was walking into and the price paid for our ignorance would be enormous. The final
comment from the North Vietnamese leader is an eerily ominous prediction for the United States.
"Saving Private Ryan" - War is not glamorous and should be avoided if possible. Good acting. Good
character development throughout the movie. Carnage.
"Black Hawk Down" because it looked so real it was scary and gave me nightmares, chest pain.
another case of the United States under estimating the enemy and over estimating its own capabilities.
"Gallipoli" - Mel Gibson because once again it showed the absolute and complete waste of humanity
that is war.
"Troy" - Brad Pitt - interesting version of the classic tale from Homer. "Apocalypse Now" " confusion and uncertainty of everyone involved in the Vietnam War. Poetic acting
from Marlon Brando.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
Gallipoli is one of my all-time favorites too. I haven't watched We Were Soldiers yet so I'llhave to check that out. And afraid I'll have to NOT chime in on Troy, though there's certainlyno satisfying version of that war that's better than it. But too stiff for my taste. Thanks forreading.
Jude2004 See Profile I'm a Fan of Jude2004 permalink
My favorite war movies? Twelve O'Clock High for World War II (or, if I'm in a *really* schmalzy mood,The Glenn Miller Story) and from all time? Letters from Iwo Jima.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
I'd never thought of The Glenn Miller Story as a war story per se, but of course you're right(and right about the schmaltz). Twelve O'Clock High is very good and Letters is certainly
superior to Flags of Our Fathers.
jvarga See Profile I'm a Fan of jvarga permalink
Speaking of X-files, I've been killing myself trying to get through the entire series before the movie
comes out. I still have 2.5 seasons left (SIGH). I'm pretty happy to hear it's more or less stand alone,because watching 4 episodes a day was driving me crazy. In other news, the complete series box setfrom amazon was a good purchase at 50% off.
The war movie question is a good one. For whatever reason I'm really fond of Enemy at the Gates. I
like Glory and Full Metal Jacket a lot, too. I guess Starship Troopers doesn't count, but if it did it wouldbe my favorite.
Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink
How are you enjoying the show? Is it your frst time watching The X-Files? I understandwanting to be complete, but really seasons 1-6 are by far the good ones compared to 7-9,which are better forgotten (especially when Duchovny is gone). You're certainly more thanprepared for the movie. Enemy at the gates isn't bad, Glory is good, Full metal Jacket is great(and looks better and better with the passage of time, like most Kubrick films) and StarshipTroopers IS a war movie, darn it, and a very funny pointed one.
jvarga See Profile I'm a Fan of jvarga permalink
When x-files came out I was in high school and my parents didn't have cable (letalone a satellite) so I had to try and watch it on a crappy uhf station that usuallydidn't come in at our house. Then I went to college and started drinking on fridaynights, so I never saw many episodes of it.
I'm enjoying it quite a bit, but there are a few times when I've just kind of shaken my
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Michael Giltz: DVDs: A Stop-Loss on Iraq War Movies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-a-emstop-lossem-on-i_b_112221.html [4/5/2009 2:03:31 PM]
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head in dismay like when Mulder says things like "Scully this is a classic case of
demonic rape and abortion". One of the things I didn't recall from my limited
exposure to the show was the humor that he displayed ("I'm OK, my ass broke thefall".) I am fearing what it will be like when I make it to the episodes without him,
seems like there won't be much of a purpose to the show?
One thing I don't get is how did people keep track of the major storylines in the
show when it was new. I mean, I'm watching the episodes in quick succession and Ican go to wikipedia if I get confused, but when the show came out that wasn't anoption and sometimes you'd have to go a month or two between thematically relatedepisodes. I guess the internet has made me lazy.
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