Kevin's Watch

Usivius wrote:"Rob Roy" is also a great movie of this type. (Much better than Braveheart...)

I'm a huge fan of both.

Vector wrote:However, though the openeing scenes were mind blowing, for some reason "Saving Private Ryan" never really did it for me - even though it is based on a true story, somehow it feels contrived to me, though I can't back that up with exactly why...

I agree. I think Tom Hanks killed it for me. If Captain Miller had been played by anyone else, I would have enjoyed it a great deal more.

Tom Hanks is a great actor, no argument there, but there is a distinctive look about him that I can never disassociate from the name 'Tom Hanks.' When I watch one of his movies, I don't see Jim Lovell (Apollo 13), Allen Bauer (Splash) or Scott Turner (Turner & Hooch)... I see the actor Tom Hanks. I think the only movie where I was able to ignore this was The Terminal, and that was probably because of the accent.

However, though the openeing scenes were mind blowing, for some reason "Saving Private Ryan" never really did it for me - even though it is based on a true story, somehow it feels contrived to me, though I can't back that up with exactly why...

Because, IMHO, it WAS contrived. It's based on the story told in the film "The Fighting Sullivans" (which, I believe, is alluded to in SPR's dialogue) - the mission is to prevent the same thing from happening to all of the Ryans (thus avoiding bad press and poor morale).

SPR's realism was fantastic; the problem was that there is no "there", "there", as they say. Spielberg wanted to play war, and forgot to come up with a decent story and characters. "The Big Red One: Special Edition" is out on DVD, and is a much better movie. "Band of Brothers" remains the best WWII film; I've seen it a few times, and it's better each time. The final episode is simply beautiful.

Since we are on the topic of intense war movies. What are your thoughts on Ridley Scott's "Blackhawk Down" ? I found this movie very intense, and really identified with the soldiers who were caught up in Mogadishu. I found it very realistic and really gave a gutrenching sense of the horror of urban combat.

And yet, I find it hard to recommend to due to the nonstop violence and action.

I like Blackhawk Down, but I find it a very "busy" movie - it's difficult for me to understand all of the dialogue (which is more like screaming) and I can't keep up with who's who. The main reason I like the movie is the accurate portrayal of the sacrifice made by Gary Gordon and Randall Shughart - the two snipers who guarded the downed helicopter and protected the wounded pilot until they themselves were fatally wounded. They were the only recipients of the Medal of Honor from Somalia.

And yet, I find it hard to recommend to due to the nonstop violence and action

I liked "Blackhawk Down"; highly recommend the book, as the movie compresses about half the actual events (the night battles).

I think the trend towards ultra-realistic violence in war films (of any era) is a mixed bag. "Private Ryan"'s weak story and characters (Tom Hanks, a Ranger? Please.) were overlooked because of the film's technical achievements. You don't need to watch a guy picking up his blown-off arm and putting it in his pocket to be taught about the horrors of war - Marlon Brando's monologue on horror in "Apocalypse Now", the looks on the faces of the Aussies as they're about to go over the top of their trench for the last time in "Gallipoli", even a hand reaching for a butterfly in the original B&W "All Quiet on The Western Front" make as powerful an impact, IMHO.

I really enjoyed "Blackhawk Down", but the book is much, much better.

Gallipoli is a masterpiece.

Cail wrote:Gallipoli is a masterpiece

Indeed it is, don't forget the brilliant old Shaka ZULU which was just reissued on DVD!

I can recommend five japanese movies,
Samurai I, II, and III starring Toshiro Mifune based on a true story, the books are even better..

and Owl's Castle, the real story of the ninja's in ancient Japan and of course Seven Samurai.................

I just saw one of my favorite historical movies and had to restart this thread.

Last of the Mohicans

I'd say with the plethura of movies about Native American life in the 1700's that one was probebly the best. (yup it's better than Dances with wolves AND Little big Man)

That last ten minutes where there is NO talking, just that errie celtic sounding music and half the charactors are killed...it's just great!

What a strange coincidence! My cable television just went out so I put Last of the Mohicans in the DVD player to watch. I then openend my laptop and jumped on the Watch only to see this old thread talking about....Last of the Mohicans.

And I agree with you Drew. 100%!

I watched it last week aswell, realy good.

Also, i saw The Last Samuria with Tom Cruise last night, good, if not great film.

The Longest Day. Saw it again recently and am in awe of the type of storytelling they tried. It is really good.

I haven't seen a good "sword & Sorcery" movie in a looooong time. In fact I don't think there actually has been a good one.
Ok, as I wrote that I thought of the first Conan movie and of course LotR trilogy...
my mistake.

Hated the LotR films.

Only seen Last of the... once when it came out, and hated that as well. I'm willing to give it another shot since it's Michael Mann.

Loved Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, Ben Hur, Highlander, Excalibur, Rob Roy, Braveheart, and Gods & Generals.

Usivius wrote: I haven't seen a good "sword & Sorcery" movie in a looooong time. In fact I don't think there actually has been a good one.
Ok, as I wrote that I thought of the first Conan movie and of course LotR trilogy...
my mistake.

there's this old B movie called The Sword and the Sorcerer. it's got Lee Horsley in it. i loved it years ago when i saw it at a midnight movie. i bought it last year when i found it on dvd. not many folks i know have seen it and even fewer actually liked it but i really liked it. great effects, script very funny in spots, and fun action. the sorcery aspect is really well done...the demon is cool. anyway...look for it. you might be in my small club of those who like it.

ps...loved Excalibur too!!

Excalibur is great!!! One of my faves! Patrick Stewart is in it, playing Gweneviere's Father I believe.

Kingdom of heaven was pretty good--typical--but pretty good.

I don't know if it counts in this category but I'll say Brotherhood of the Wolf to just about anything! (Excalibur kicks!)

Dang, 'Brotherhood of the WOlf' ... that was great too!
And, Lucy, I too saw 'Sword and the Swocerer' when it came out many years ago (dating myself again). I enjoyed it at the time, however looking back on it, ... it's pretty 'fromage'...

Personally, I didn't like "Brotherhood of the Wolf", if it is the one I'm thinking about (the Beast of Gevaudan?). I found the plot rather weird and several of the things they put inside made little sense to me.

Now, Excalibur is a classic for this kind of movies - I think it didn't just have Patrick Stewart, it also had other actors - it had Gabriel Byrne as Uther, Liam Neeson as Gawain... and it was one of the first movies of this kind I ever saw

I think I'm also one of the few people who liked "Krull", although the book is clearer on some parts, including the whole "fire ritual" thing Corwin and the princess go through as part of their marriage ceremony. But despite this, the movie did manage (at least as far as I'm concerned) to give the "feeling" of another world, much more than some other movies I've seen.