Category Archives: war

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Waltz with Bashir (2008)

Looking at the above image you might think Waltz with Bashir is an anime, but appearances can be deceiving as this actually is a documentary. Director Ari Folman was part of the Israel Defense Forces when they invaded Lebanon in 1982, starting the Lebanon War. Talking to an old friend he hears his nightmare and is surprised that he can not remember anything about it. He does dream about something which he can’t completely explain and decides to meet up with other who were in Beirut to find out if he can remember what he experienced. Continue reading →

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Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Another movie in the IMDB top 250 I’ve hadn’t watched yet and it was time I did. I’m now slowly getting to my goal of having seen 200 out of 250 movies by the end of the year (currently only 9 to go so I’m sure I’ll be able to make it).

Knowing this is a Stanley Kubrick movie I had high expectations of it, have seen several of his other ones (most of them I loved), so was looking forward to it. The only scene I had ever seen was the iconic opening scene where the drill instructor (R. Lee Ermey) is screaming against all the new recruits. It’s such an amazing scene to watch, especially knowing that a lot of it was improvised. When watching it you can’t help but laugh. Continue reading →

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God Grew Tired of Us (2006)

During the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983–2005) a lot of Sudanese boys lost their family and their homes. They had to leave everything behind and make long journeys on foot to find safety. Many did not make it, but those who did lived in refugee camps for many years. This group of over 20.000 boys is known as The Lost Boys. In 2001 the United States allowed 3800 of them to resettle. God Grew Tired of Us follows three of them, John Bul Dau, Daniel Pach and Panther Bior as they try to adapt to this whole different world. Continue reading →

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Life is Beautiful (1997)

There are some movies that have something magical. Something that keeps you glued to the screen and care a lot for its characters. La Vita e Bella (Life is Beautiful) is one of those movies that manages to enchant you. It initially is a very comedic and fun story, but slowly drama creeps into the movie and after watching it you will be heartbroken. Continue reading →

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Life in a Day (2011)

Just imagine that you would be able to experience everything which happens to people all around the world in a single day, what would be the impression you would get? Youtube answers this question together with Ridley Scott, Kevin MacDonald and Joe Walker. Last year they asked Youtube users to send in any video which was made on the 24th of July 2010. They received an overwhelming 4500 hours of footage and managed to cut this down to a one and a half hour film. Does Life in a Day manage to paint a stunning picture of humankind or is this movie comparable to Mr.Brainwash’s Life Remote Control in Exit Through the Gift Shop? Continue reading →

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Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Flags of Our Fathers showed the American side of the battle to conquer the island Iwo Jima, which was a very important island for strategic reasons as it would give the Americans a base to start their attack on Japan. Letters from Iwo Jima tells the other side of the story and focusses on how the Japanese prepared to protect their island. Continue reading →

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Flags of our Fathers (2006)

Images can be very powerful. The can change someones opinion or generate a specific feeling about a war. Lots of war have one iconic image which people will remember when you mention it. If you think about Vietnam, a lot of people will know the picture of a man being executed by the army. If you think about the war in Iraq, the video of Sadam’s statue being taken down jumps to mind. Countries use these images effectively to shape an opinion, even though the reality might be different.

Flags of Our Fathers focusses on the picture of American soldiers raising the flag on the island of Hiroshima. It was a picture which was used to give the American people hope, but it was also used as something to raise money to fund the war. Continue reading →

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Tron: Legacy (2010)

Tron: Legacy was a movie that had a lot of promotion. Disney had high expectations of the sequel to the 1982 original and threw a lot of money at marketing the film. It was almost impossible to not know the movie was coming. If you didn’t see the posters, you would see the toys, the games or other products. Even when I bought my Nokia N8 it had some clips of the movie installed on it. The phone also appeared in the film itself, so it’s logical, but it does show the reach Disney has to get you to notice this film. Luckily I don’t judge movies based on their marketing and promotion, because if I would have done that this movie would have surely received a 10. Of course the most important question is whether or not Tron: Legacy is a good movie. Continue reading →

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Gulliver’s Travels (2010)

Gulliver’s Travels (which was written in 1726) has been adapted for film many times. A quick look at Wikipedia shows this is the 17th film about the story, so there’s a very big chance that you already saw a version of this story about a man who ends up on the island of Lilliput inhabited by tiny people who are in a state of war with a rival island. Does Jack Black manage to give a fresh twist to this story with his humour? Continue reading →

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Skyline (2010)

After District 9 and Monsters, Skyline is the next movie that has been made for a relatively low-budget (about 11 million, most of it spent on the special effects) and has been made almost independently from a big studio by some special effects experts.

Is Skyline the next District 9 or does this movie disappoint, just like Monsters did? Continue reading →