Archive
Archive for the ‘War’ Category
Drama, Thriller, WarJanuary 25th, 2010
Description:
Inglourious Basterds is a 2009 war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Mélanie Laurent. It tells the story of two plots to assassinate Nazi Germany’s political leadership, one planned by a young French Jewish cinema proprietress, played by Laurent, and the other by a team of Jewish Allied soldiers led by Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by Pitt.
In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the “Basterds”, a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl’s plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.
Cast:Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Krüger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent
Inglourious Basterds
Action, Adventure, Animation, Biography, Cartoon, Children, Comedy, Crime, Documentary, Drama, Family, Fantasy, History, Horror, Music, Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sports, Suspense, Teen, Thriller, Tragicomedy, War, WesternJanuary 24th, 2010
Drama, Thriller, WarDecember 22nd, 2009
Description:
Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) are siblings. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters, Isabelle and Maggie (Bailee Madison, Taylor Grace Geare). The film opens with Tommy being released from jail for armed robbery, not long before Sam departs for Afghanistan.
Soon news comes that Sam’s helicopter has crashed over the water, leaving him presumed dead. In reality, he and a hometown friend, Private Joe Willis (Patrick Flueger), have been taken prisoner in a mountain village. With Sam “gone”, Tommy attempts to redeem himself in the eyes of his family by wrangling old friends to help with kitchen repairs for Grace and the kids. Grace slowly sheds her previous resentment towards her brother-in-law. As months pass, Grace and Tommy bond over their mutual mourning, culminating in a passionate fireside kiss. They regret it afterward, and do not take this attraction any further, though Tommy continues to win the favor of his nieces.
Cast:Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Sam Shepard
Drama, Romance, WarDecember 20th, 2009
Description:
The Messenger is a 2009 drama film starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Jena Malone, and Samantha Morton. It is the directorial debut of Oren Moverman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Alessandro Camon. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was in competition at Berlin International Film Festival 2009 where it won a Silver Bear ‘09 – Best Screenplay and Berlinale Peace Film Award ‘09. The movie got the first prize for the 2009 Deauville American Film Festival.
Will Montgomery (Ben Foster), a U.S. Army Staff Sergeant who has returned home from Iraq, is assigned to the Army’s Casualty Notification service. Montgomery is partnered with Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), to give notice to the families of fallen soldiers. The Sergeant is drawn to Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), to whom he has delivered news of her husband’s death.
Cast:Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone
Action, Romance, WarDecember 19th, 2009
Description:
The film opens in Tennesse, 1923, two boys Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker are pretending to be fighting the Germans, until Danny’s father tells him to come home, and starts beating him because Rafe flew his fathers plane without permission. Rafe defends Danny by calling his father a “Dirty German”, Danny’s father countering by explaining that he fought the Germans in World War I.
Now in the United States Army Air Corps and now First Lieutenants Rafe McCawley (Affleck) and Danny Walker (Hartnett) are experienced, reckless, but talented pilots under the command of Major Jimmy Doolittle (Baldwin). McCawley volunteers to serve with the Royal Air Force’s Eagle Squadrons. He meets Evelyn Johnson (Beckinsale), a Navy nurse, before leaving for England; Johnson and Walker are transferred to Pearl Harbor. In Japan meanwhile, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto plans an attack on Pearl Harbor after the U.S. freezes its trade.
Cast:Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight, Josh Hartnett
Biography, Drama, History, WarDecember 17th, 2009
Description:
Into the Storm or Churchill at War (alt. title) is a 2009 biographical film about Winston Churchill and his days in office during World War II. The movie is directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan and stars Brendan Gleeson, who plays the British Prime Minister. Into the Storm is a sequel to the 2002 TV movie The Gathering Storm, which details on the life of Churchill in the years just prior the war. Into the Storm had its first public premiere on HBO and HBO Canada on May 31, 2009.The Second World War has recently ended in Europe, and the people of the United Kingdom are awaiting the results of the 1945 general election. During this time, Winston Churchill goes to France for a holiday with his wife Clemmie. Through a series of flashbacks, Churchill recalls some of his most glorious moments during the war, and the effect it had on their deteriorating marriage.
Cast:Brendan Gleeson, Janet McTeer,James D’Arcy, Patrick Malahide
Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, WarDecember 17th, 2009
Description:
The foreword, spoken by Galadriel, shows the Dark Lord Sauron forging the One Ring in order to conquer the lands of Middle-earth. A Last Alliance of Elves and Men is formed to counter Sauron’s forces at the foot of Mount Doom, but Sauron kills Elendil, the High King of Men. His son, Prince Isildur grabs Elendil’s broken sword Narsil, and slashes at Sauron’s hand, separating him from the Ring and vanquishing his army. However, because Sauron’s “life force” is bound to the Ring, he is not completely defeated until the Ring itself is destroyed. Isildur takes the Ring and succumbs to its temptation, refusing to destroy it. He is later ambushed and killed by orcs, and the Ring is lost in a river. The Ring is found by the creature Sméagol thousands of years later, who takes it underground for five centuries, giving him “unnaturally long life” and transforming him into the creature Gollum. Since the Ring is bound to Sauron, it has a will of its own and wants to be found. Therefore, the Ring consciously leaves Gollum in its quest to be reunited with Sauron. However, it is instead found by the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, much to the despair of Gollum. Bilbo returns to his home in the Shire with the Ring, and the story jumps forward in time sixty years.
Cast:Hugo Weaving, John Rhys-Davies, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic Monaghan
Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, WarDecember 17th, 2009
Description:
The film begins with a flashback to the first film, with Gandalf battling the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Gandalf and the Balrog fall down into the immense chasm spanned by the bridge, fighting while in free-fall. Still wrestling, the duo reach some forgotten lake down in the depths of the Earth and there the flashback ends. Frodo awakens from this dream and continues his journey with his loyal friend, Sam. They are then attacked by the Ring-obsessed Gollum wishing to retrieve “his precious” from the ones who he thinks stole it from him. The Hobbits overcome him, binding him with Sam’s Elven rope. Sam distrusts Gollum and wishes to abandon him, but Frodo understands the burden of the creature and takes pity on him. Realizing they are lost in the Emyn Muil and in need of a guide, Frodo persuades Gollum to lead them to the Black Gate of Mordor
Cast:John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Joel Tobeck, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban
Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, WarDecember 17th, 2009
Description:
The film begins with a flashback of how Sméagol recovered the One Ring, before forwarding to him as Gollum, taking Frodo and Sam to Minas Morgul. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Théoden and Éomer meet up with Merry, Pippin and Treebeard at Isengard, now under the Ents’ control, where Gandalf concludes Saruman will pose no further threat. They also recover the palantír from the ruins. The group return to Edoras, where Theoden holds a feast in celebration of the victory at Helm’s Deep. Pippin’s curiosity gets the better of him at Edoras, and he looks into the palantír, where he sees a vision of a white tree burning, as well as being seen and mentally interrogated by Sauron, though Pippin tells him nothing regarding Frodo and the Ring. From this, Gandalf deduces Sauron is planning to attack Minas Tirith, and he rides off there with Pippin. In the meantime, Arwen, on her way to the Undying Lands, has a vision of her son by Aragorn and convinces Elrond to reforge the sword Narsil that cut the Ring from Sauron’s finger long ago. Sam also overhears Gollum’s treacherous plans to murder them and take the Ring for himself, but Frodo disbelieves him. Gollum plays on this, trying to turn Frodo and Sam against each another.
Cast:Elijah Wood,Ian McKellen,Liv Tyler,Viggo Mortensen,Sean Astin,Cate Blanchett,John Rhys-Davies
Action, Drama, WarDecember 17th, 2009
Description:
Through Dilios’ narration, the life of young Leonidas is depicted, chronicling his journey from a boy to a man through the Spartan doctrine of Agoge. The climax of this is when the young Leonidas kills a giant wolf using an improvised spear, after which he returns to Sparta and is crowned king. Years later, Persian messengers arrive at the gates of Sparta demanding its submission to King Xerxes. Offended by their threats and behavior, Leonidas and his guards kick the messengers down a well. Knowing that these actions will precipitate a Persian attack, Leonidas visits the Ephors, ancient, leprosy-ridden priests whose blessing he needs to convince the Spartan council to authorize going to war. He proposes a strategy to repel the numerically superior Persians by using the terrain of Thermopylae (the Hot Gates); his plan involves funneling the Persians into a narrow pass between the rocks and the sea. The Ephors consult the Oracle Pythia, who decrees that Sparta must not go to war. After Leonidas departs a messenger from Xerxes appears, rewarding the Ephors for their covert support and revealing that they have been corrupted by Xerxes.
Cast:Gerard Butler,Lena Headey,David Wenham,Dominic West
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