Movie Reviews: War films (for Porridge and anyone else)
Jun 15, 2017 21:33:25 GMT -5
Porridge{QAW} and tonofclay{QAW} like this
Post by Sgt. AWOLaLot on Jun 15, 2017 21:33:25 GMT -5
Starting in about January of this year, I got inspired to write film reviews on the movies I've been watching (both old and new). Part of this inspiration came from a YouTuber named Chris Stuckmann, who's reviews I enjoy a lot. Due to Porridge's urging, I'm going to upload the ones I've done so far in groups of 2 or 3 per thread and they will fall under a similar category. For this one, it'll be war films. I will put them up as written or I'd take forever wanting to revise them lol. Enjoy! And important side note: I pretty much always avoid major spoilers, even for older films. While it might not matter as much for movies like The Godfather or Saving Private Ryan, I still consider it a courteous thing to do.
Written March 5th, 2017: The Thin Red Line
"The Thin Red Line is directed by Terrence Malick, who is known for having a more experimental and methodical approach to directing. It takes place in the Pacific on Guadalcanal. It came out in 1998: the same year as Saving Private Ryan. It's for that reason that I think it has been overshadowed, because as good as Saving Private Ryan is, there are some elements of The Thin Red Line that are even better.
First off, the visuals and directing in this film are absolutely beautiful. Malick gets very introspective with this film, doing so through narration and a lot of imagery. The narration brings up a lot of challenging or intriguing thoughts, and are definitely the kinds of thoughts soldiers would have. Here's an example of Pvt. Witt's narration (the main character), "We were a family. How'd it break up and come apart, so that now we're turned against each other? Each standing in the other's light. How'd we lose that good that was given us? Let it slip away. Scattered it, careless. What's keepin' us from reaching out, touching the glory?"
There's also another scene that shows a baby bird covered in dirt struggling to stand up. Or a scene where a soldier is talking to a dying Japanese prisoner that serves no real purpose to the plot. One might ask why scenes like this exist. Well, it's simply because this isn't a very traditional film. Malick is challenging us, even though it's a war film, to slow down and contemplate and think about our nature. Think about the paradox that we can create beauty and love and at the same time cause pain and feel hate. There isn't really a step by step plot or set narrative flow. Many scenes carry on longer than an average movie. And while I see many people not liking these elements, I really like it. There's a certain beauty in it that not a lot of films have, and The Revenant is the only recent film I've seen that does similar things.
Besides that the acting is quite good, especially Nick Nolte. And the battle scenes are intense and well done. But there's something that should be brought up. There's nothing glamorous or campy about this film. The main battle objective is just to take a hill that the Japanese are using to call artillery strikes. No famous battles like Omaha Beach, just some army guys tasked with taking a ridge.
So ultimately if you're willing to slow down and see a different kind of war film, this is a very good one. Again, Malick's directing style will be a challenge for some; heck, a lot of people would probably find it either extremely boring or think it's just art house trash. And it's very long at a hefty 2 hours 54 minutes (the original cut was over 5 hours). But I truly believe this is one of the best war films ever made. It's introspective, almost spiritual approach is something that no other war film I've seen really has. And I love it for that."
Written May 19th, 2017: Apocalypse Now
"Well time to give my opinion on another film, the classic war film Apocalypse Now.
Apocalypse Now was released in 1979. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather trilogy) and stars Martin Sheen (Charlie's father), Marlon Brando, and Robert Duvall. In this film, Martin Sheen's character (Captain Willard) is tasked with finding and killing Marlon Brando's character, Colonel Kurtz. Kurtz is a highly decorated military hero and was well respected, though his methods for fighting in Vietnam became increasingly violent and unorthodox. He eventually breaks from the American military and settles in Cambodia, where he is worshiped as a god by the natives. The story then focuses on Willard's journey with other soldiers on a Navy patrol boat as he makes his way down a river closer to Kurtz's location.
I really liked this film. I think this is the first Vietnam War film I've seen all the way through, partly because I just prefer World War II as a setting for war films. But I can understand why this one is considered a classic.
I think the main purpose of the film was to display the madness and insanity that can occur during a war. In many ways this film reminded me of The Things They Carried because it didn't focus on large scale battle scenes, at least for very long. It's main focus was on the smaller things that would happen to the men on the patrol boat, and as they got closer and closer to Kurtz, they seemed to become more and more detached from rational thought and reality. This movie is actually rather tragic and melancholy, some parts even bordering on disturbing. But it also felt like a very honest representation of what would happen to men in such an environment. There is strangeness and madness that is present throughout the whole film, and it gets more interesting as Willard goes farther down the river.
I must comment on Coppola's directing though. It is absolutely gorgeous. A lot of scene transitions are done with a technique where the current scene will be taken over as the next one slowly fades in. And it's used quite a bit, but to me it isn't overused. It also gives the film a dreamlike quality at times that's actually mesmerizing to watch. There are also a lot of scenes where the shots had a yellow tint that adds to the dreamlike quality. It is also likely a form of symbolism, perhaps referencing the napalm and bombs that caused so much destruction in Vietnam.
Some of the best scenes where towards the end when Willard does meet Kurtz. One is when he first meets him. Kurtz is talking to him but his face is covered by a shadow, building up the tension and mystery. There is also the scene below, where I'm pretty sure Marlon Brando just ad-libbed this monologue. There are a lot of themes present in this film. And one of them becomes present from Martin Sheen's narration. The more he read and learned about Kurtz, the more he respected and admired him, even after he had been labeled a madman. It sounded like Kurtz was going to extremes to achieve victory. But despite these extremes, the fact he was getting results couldn't be ignored. There's also a scene where Willard is talking to some Frenchman (who had long before given up their war in Vietnam) and they beg him to take lessons from the French. To be wary of the Viet Cong and of the shortcomings of Western Imperialism.
I can definitely see why Apocalypse Now is hailed as a classic. It's a melancholy, strange, and dark film that deals with the struggles of the soul that soldiers can have in a war. It's definitely not a feel good film, but if you want to see a beautifully shot, thought provoking war film, and if you like the smell of napalm in the morning, this is certainly worth it.
And one last thing. Apocalypse Now and The Thin Red Line have made me realize how "safe" that Saving Private Ryan actually is. Other than the Omaha Beach scene and its other brilliant combat scenes, I would say it's more accessible than the previous two. Which isn't a bad thing, because it's good to have a more artsy one like The Thin Red Line and a more conventional one like Saving Private Ryan. And I love that film. But as far as it's potential for creating interesting thoughts or debates, Saving Private Ryan falls short of the other two in my opinion."
Written June 6th, 2017: Saving Private Ryan
"
Today was the 73rd anniversary of D-Day, so of course I had to watch Saving Private Ryan as a way of remembrance. A lot of good things have already been said about this film (including by myself) but I'm going to write a review anyway. And this will be a long one.
Saving Private Ryan is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Adam Goldberg, Edward Burns, and Matt Damon. It follows the story of a squad lead by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) to find and rescue Private John Ryan (Matt Damon) after his three brothers are killed.
The film opens with a beautiful and patriotic French horn solo, after which we are shown an American flag blowing the wind. But it's transparent, hinting at the moral dilemmas and questions that would arise later in the film. From the very first shot, Spielberg gives us a subtle but meaningful scene and is a sign of how well directed this movie really is.
After the scene in the Normandy cemetery, Spielberg takes us back to 1944 to Dog Green sector, Omaha Beach. I've already talked this scene to death, but it's brilliance is something that can't be overstated. The things I'm about to mention are all set up in this scene and apply to the rest of the film. As I said before, Spielberg did not use storyboards to prepare for filming. This means all of his camera placements were spontaneous and meant to get the viewer into the action. It takes great directing vision to pull that off well. The battle scenes then feel that much more intense and investing. The special effects also hold up very well. The explosions look crisp and frightening and usually aren't too Hollywood (as in little or no flames). They used actual tanks for the Ramelle battle scene and the bullet impacts are mostly on point. The set pieces are also excellent, and I'm very sure this movie didn't use any green screen/blue screen effects. All of the sets are real, giving the movie a very organic look that naturally adds to the realism. And lastly, the sound design and sound effects are absolutely brilliant. The sound team recorded the firing sounds of the weapons and applied them to the film. And man do they sound good on a big set of speakers. The pop of an M1911, the bark of an M1 Garand, the rapid fire of an MG42, and the deafening explosions from artillery and grenades all sound excellent.
Also related to sound is John Williams' very restrained, soft score. Spielberg made the decision to minimize the use of music in the film, with having no music in the battle scenes (which was a great decision). That being said, Williams' soundtrack is very calming to me and I love its restrained patriotism. It has beautiful french horn solos, militaristic and soft trumpet duets, and lovely support from the strings. And the track played over the end credits, Hymn to the Fallen, is a wonderful ode to those who have died in war. One of my favorite pieces from Williams.
Besides the technical aspects though, I also need to mention Spielberg's directing (besides the unplanned camera placements). He and his cinematographer Janusz Kaminski got the idea to remove a protective coating from the camera lenses, creating a more "filmy" look so it looked kind of like a news reel from the 1940s. It's an interesting idea and pays off well. I also like that Spielberg takes some time in between his shots, especially in the battle scenes. As I've gotten more into movies, one of the most annoying things I've discovered (especially in Marvel movies) is when the camera does a lot of cuts in the action sequences. Seriously, watch Civil War, Ironman 3, or any standard blockbuster action movie and count how many times the camera cuts to a different shot and you'll feel like you've got a hyperactive disorder. I'm sorry in advance if I ruin those scenes for you. It makes me appreciate when scenes take just a few more seconds to let what's happening sink in.
Lastly, I'll talk about the acting and characters in the film. The acting is top notch, and Captain Miller is up there as one of my favorite Tom Hanks characters. Dale Dye, the military adviser for this film, actually put the actors through a week long boot camp for the film (and later did the same for Band of Brothers) and it shows. The actors seem to have a natural bond and come across as legitimate soldiers, at least from my perspective. Some of the best character driven scenes are the scene where they are walking through the countryside talking about griping, the church scene, and Wade's death and the debate on whether to kill Steamboat Willie (a German soldier) or let him go. They are well written and each have their job and traits to set them apart. Jackson is a Bible preaching sniper (which makes him cooler in my opinion), Mellish is a tough Jewish soldier likely wanting payback, Sgt. Horvath is the guy who can take a bullet and keep running, and Reiben is the BAR carrying loudmouth who brings up and questions the mission due to its ridiculousness (risking 8 lives for 1). This is a theme that is present throughout the film and even has a sense of irony, since Miller comments in the church, "When you lose a man, you tell yourself it happened to save the lives of 10, or 50, or even 100 other men." I also like that Spielberg has a lot of shots where either most or all of Miller's squad are included in the shot to emphasize that they are going through this experience together.
I could say more about this movie, but this is plenty. Saving Private Ryan is often regarded as the greatest war film ever made, and with good reason. It's expertly made and you can tell that everyone involved gave their all, and that they wanted to capture the spirit of what those men did for us back then. While I believe that The Thin Red Line is more thought provoking and Hacksaw Ridge is a great Pacific War film about an amazing man, Saving Private Ryan still ranks as my favorite World War Two film and favorite war film as a whole."
Written March 5th, 2017: The Thin Red Line
"The Thin Red Line is directed by Terrence Malick, who is known for having a more experimental and methodical approach to directing. It takes place in the Pacific on Guadalcanal. It came out in 1998: the same year as Saving Private Ryan. It's for that reason that I think it has been overshadowed, because as good as Saving Private Ryan is, there are some elements of The Thin Red Line that are even better.
First off, the visuals and directing in this film are absolutely beautiful. Malick gets very introspective with this film, doing so through narration and a lot of imagery. The narration brings up a lot of challenging or intriguing thoughts, and are definitely the kinds of thoughts soldiers would have. Here's an example of Pvt. Witt's narration (the main character), "We were a family. How'd it break up and come apart, so that now we're turned against each other? Each standing in the other's light. How'd we lose that good that was given us? Let it slip away. Scattered it, careless. What's keepin' us from reaching out, touching the glory?"
There's also another scene that shows a baby bird covered in dirt struggling to stand up. Or a scene where a soldier is talking to a dying Japanese prisoner that serves no real purpose to the plot. One might ask why scenes like this exist. Well, it's simply because this isn't a very traditional film. Malick is challenging us, even though it's a war film, to slow down and contemplate and think about our nature. Think about the paradox that we can create beauty and love and at the same time cause pain and feel hate. There isn't really a step by step plot or set narrative flow. Many scenes carry on longer than an average movie. And while I see many people not liking these elements, I really like it. There's a certain beauty in it that not a lot of films have, and The Revenant is the only recent film I've seen that does similar things.
Besides that the acting is quite good, especially Nick Nolte. And the battle scenes are intense and well done. But there's something that should be brought up. There's nothing glamorous or campy about this film. The main battle objective is just to take a hill that the Japanese are using to call artillery strikes. No famous battles like Omaha Beach, just some army guys tasked with taking a ridge.
So ultimately if you're willing to slow down and see a different kind of war film, this is a very good one. Again, Malick's directing style will be a challenge for some; heck, a lot of people would probably find it either extremely boring or think it's just art house trash. And it's very long at a hefty 2 hours 54 minutes (the original cut was over 5 hours). But I truly believe this is one of the best war films ever made. It's introspective, almost spiritual approach is something that no other war film I've seen really has. And I love it for that."
Written May 19th, 2017: Apocalypse Now
"Well time to give my opinion on another film, the classic war film Apocalypse Now.
Apocalypse Now was released in 1979. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather trilogy) and stars Martin Sheen (Charlie's father), Marlon Brando, and Robert Duvall. In this film, Martin Sheen's character (Captain Willard) is tasked with finding and killing Marlon Brando's character, Colonel Kurtz. Kurtz is a highly decorated military hero and was well respected, though his methods for fighting in Vietnam became increasingly violent and unorthodox. He eventually breaks from the American military and settles in Cambodia, where he is worshiped as a god by the natives. The story then focuses on Willard's journey with other soldiers on a Navy patrol boat as he makes his way down a river closer to Kurtz's location.
I really liked this film. I think this is the first Vietnam War film I've seen all the way through, partly because I just prefer World War II as a setting for war films. But I can understand why this one is considered a classic.
I think the main purpose of the film was to display the madness and insanity that can occur during a war. In many ways this film reminded me of The Things They Carried because it didn't focus on large scale battle scenes, at least for very long. It's main focus was on the smaller things that would happen to the men on the patrol boat, and as they got closer and closer to Kurtz, they seemed to become more and more detached from rational thought and reality. This movie is actually rather tragic and melancholy, some parts even bordering on disturbing. But it also felt like a very honest representation of what would happen to men in such an environment. There is strangeness and madness that is present throughout the whole film, and it gets more interesting as Willard goes farther down the river.
I must comment on Coppola's directing though. It is absolutely gorgeous. A lot of scene transitions are done with a technique where the current scene will be taken over as the next one slowly fades in. And it's used quite a bit, but to me it isn't overused. It also gives the film a dreamlike quality at times that's actually mesmerizing to watch. There are also a lot of scenes where the shots had a yellow tint that adds to the dreamlike quality. It is also likely a form of symbolism, perhaps referencing the napalm and bombs that caused so much destruction in Vietnam.
Some of the best scenes where towards the end when Willard does meet Kurtz. One is when he first meets him. Kurtz is talking to him but his face is covered by a shadow, building up the tension and mystery. There is also the scene below, where I'm pretty sure Marlon Brando just ad-libbed this monologue. There are a lot of themes present in this film. And one of them becomes present from Martin Sheen's narration. The more he read and learned about Kurtz, the more he respected and admired him, even after he had been labeled a madman. It sounded like Kurtz was going to extremes to achieve victory. But despite these extremes, the fact he was getting results couldn't be ignored. There's also a scene where Willard is talking to some Frenchman (who had long before given up their war in Vietnam) and they beg him to take lessons from the French. To be wary of the Viet Cong and of the shortcomings of Western Imperialism.
I can definitely see why Apocalypse Now is hailed as a classic. It's a melancholy, strange, and dark film that deals with the struggles of the soul that soldiers can have in a war. It's definitely not a feel good film, but if you want to see a beautifully shot, thought provoking war film, and if you like the smell of napalm in the morning, this is certainly worth it.
And one last thing. Apocalypse Now and The Thin Red Line have made me realize how "safe" that Saving Private Ryan actually is. Other than the Omaha Beach scene and its other brilliant combat scenes, I would say it's more accessible than the previous two. Which isn't a bad thing, because it's good to have a more artsy one like The Thin Red Line and a more conventional one like Saving Private Ryan. And I love that film. But as far as it's potential for creating interesting thoughts or debates, Saving Private Ryan falls short of the other two in my opinion."
Written June 6th, 2017: Saving Private Ryan
"
Today was the 73rd anniversary of D-Day, so of course I had to watch Saving Private Ryan as a way of remembrance. A lot of good things have already been said about this film (including by myself) but I'm going to write a review anyway. And this will be a long one.
Saving Private Ryan is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, Adam Goldberg, Edward Burns, and Matt Damon. It follows the story of a squad lead by Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) to find and rescue Private John Ryan (Matt Damon) after his three brothers are killed.
The film opens with a beautiful and patriotic French horn solo, after which we are shown an American flag blowing the wind. But it's transparent, hinting at the moral dilemmas and questions that would arise later in the film. From the very first shot, Spielberg gives us a subtle but meaningful scene and is a sign of how well directed this movie really is.
After the scene in the Normandy cemetery, Spielberg takes us back to 1944 to Dog Green sector, Omaha Beach. I've already talked this scene to death, but it's brilliance is something that can't be overstated. The things I'm about to mention are all set up in this scene and apply to the rest of the film. As I said before, Spielberg did not use storyboards to prepare for filming. This means all of his camera placements were spontaneous and meant to get the viewer into the action. It takes great directing vision to pull that off well. The battle scenes then feel that much more intense and investing. The special effects also hold up very well. The explosions look crisp and frightening and usually aren't too Hollywood (as in little or no flames). They used actual tanks for the Ramelle battle scene and the bullet impacts are mostly on point. The set pieces are also excellent, and I'm very sure this movie didn't use any green screen/blue screen effects. All of the sets are real, giving the movie a very organic look that naturally adds to the realism. And lastly, the sound design and sound effects are absolutely brilliant. The sound team recorded the firing sounds of the weapons and applied them to the film. And man do they sound good on a big set of speakers. The pop of an M1911, the bark of an M1 Garand, the rapid fire of an MG42, and the deafening explosions from artillery and grenades all sound excellent.
Also related to sound is John Williams' very restrained, soft score. Spielberg made the decision to minimize the use of music in the film, with having no music in the battle scenes (which was a great decision). That being said, Williams' soundtrack is very calming to me and I love its restrained patriotism. It has beautiful french horn solos, militaristic and soft trumpet duets, and lovely support from the strings. And the track played over the end credits, Hymn to the Fallen, is a wonderful ode to those who have died in war. One of my favorite pieces from Williams.
Besides the technical aspects though, I also need to mention Spielberg's directing (besides the unplanned camera placements). He and his cinematographer Janusz Kaminski got the idea to remove a protective coating from the camera lenses, creating a more "filmy" look so it looked kind of like a news reel from the 1940s. It's an interesting idea and pays off well. I also like that Spielberg takes some time in between his shots, especially in the battle scenes. As I've gotten more into movies, one of the most annoying things I've discovered (especially in Marvel movies) is when the camera does a lot of cuts in the action sequences. Seriously, watch Civil War, Ironman 3, or any standard blockbuster action movie and count how many times the camera cuts to a different shot and you'll feel like you've got a hyperactive disorder. I'm sorry in advance if I ruin those scenes for you. It makes me appreciate when scenes take just a few more seconds to let what's happening sink in.
Lastly, I'll talk about the acting and characters in the film. The acting is top notch, and Captain Miller is up there as one of my favorite Tom Hanks characters. Dale Dye, the military adviser for this film, actually put the actors through a week long boot camp for the film (and later did the same for Band of Brothers) and it shows. The actors seem to have a natural bond and come across as legitimate soldiers, at least from my perspective. Some of the best character driven scenes are the scene where they are walking through the countryside talking about griping, the church scene, and Wade's death and the debate on whether to kill Steamboat Willie (a German soldier) or let him go. They are well written and each have their job and traits to set them apart. Jackson is a Bible preaching sniper (which makes him cooler in my opinion), Mellish is a tough Jewish soldier likely wanting payback, Sgt. Horvath is the guy who can take a bullet and keep running, and Reiben is the BAR carrying loudmouth who brings up and questions the mission due to its ridiculousness (risking 8 lives for 1). This is a theme that is present throughout the film and even has a sense of irony, since Miller comments in the church, "When you lose a man, you tell yourself it happened to save the lives of 10, or 50, or even 100 other men." I also like that Spielberg has a lot of shots where either most or all of Miller's squad are included in the shot to emphasize that they are going through this experience together.
I could say more about this movie, but this is plenty. Saving Private Ryan is often regarded as the greatest war film ever made, and with good reason. It's expertly made and you can tell that everyone involved gave their all, and that they wanted to capture the spirit of what those men did for us back then. While I believe that The Thin Red Line is more thought provoking and Hacksaw Ridge is a great Pacific War film about an amazing man, Saving Private Ryan still ranks as my favorite World War Two film and favorite war film as a whole."