Movie Review: CHURCHILL (2017) B

I view this movie as a totally unrealistic depiction of Winston Churchill in the days leading up to D-Day . . . June 6, 1944, when allied forces stormed the beaches in Normandy, France during WWII.  It is well known that Churchill wanted to continue to attack on more sites on the Mediterranean but was overruled by the United States who felt the attack through France was the quickest way to get to Germany and end the war.

Churchill was fully in charge of allied military operations prior to the United States entering the war in December 1941.  He was obviously frustrated because he had lost the power to dictate military operations. But the movie shows that this loss totally devastated him.

The movie shows Churchill almost catatonic because he felt that our attack was the wrong strategy . . . even though British forces were fully involved. The movie attempts to show that he was also was fearful of repeating his deadly mistakes during World War I, in the Battle of Gallipoli, he was exhausted by years of war, plagued by depression and obsessed with his historical destiny.

From Other Reviews:  In the annals of historical biopics, Jonathan Teplitzsky’s “Churchill” stands out as a uniquely awful and tedious caricature of a fascinating subject. The film, which imagines British prime minister Winston S. Churchill as wracked with misgivings and opposing the Allied Forces’ D-Day invasion until the very last minute, strikes this reviewer as a load of utter rubbish from first frame to last. Certainly, movies have the right to varying degrees of creative license and to interpret the characters and actions of historical figures. But the screenwriter of “Churchill,” Alex von Tunzelmann, a historian herself, has taken liberties that completely misrepresent the historical record.
“Churchill” is mostly a monotonous succession of scenes in which Churchill raves, waves his arms and shouts at anyone in his vicinity that D-Day mustn’t go forward. He has other ideas for an invasion. The Aegean! Norway! Eventually Montgomery gets fed up and blasts him for his “doubts, dithering and … treachery.” The latter word would be justified, if any of this were actually true.Andrew Roberts, a prominent Churchill historian, wrote, “The only problem with the movie … is that it gets absolutely everything wrong. Never in the course of movie-making have so many specious errors been made in so long a movie by so few writers.”
It really is that bad.

Movie Review: HACKSAW RIDGE (2016) A

Unfortunately I was familiar with the story line of the movie before I saw it in the theater. So it didn't get into the feelings (and pain) of the men involved because I was familiar with the plot.

Netflix had a special documentary film that went into the details of the Japanese defenses using three ridges and special tunnels built into the ridges on Okinawa. Watching the frontal attack by the Americans on the ridge seemed like foolish strategy considering the defenses the Japanese set up on other ridges as well.  It seems that we could have taken Okinawa without the loss of tens of thousands of men.  And our plans to attack the Japanese Islands in November of 1945 seems insane. It would have cost millions of lives on both sides. (But that is a different story altogether).
From Rotten Tomatoes: HACKSAW RIDGE is the extraordinary true story of Desmond Doss [Andrew Garfield] who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon, as he believed that while the war was justified, killing was nevertheless wrong. As an army medic, he single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. Doss was the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Documentary: WIDOWMAKER (2015) C

I gave this documentary a C because the presentation of a technical subject regarding a conspiracy of cardiologists to withhold a simple X ray type test to possibly detect future heart problems in patients was very confusing and sounded implausible.  It tries to show prominent cardiologists discussing the disturbing prevalence of heart disease in the United States, and the secret, 30-year medical-industry battle that may be hindering proper care for heart-attack victims.

The medical history is pretty interesting, beginning with the story of the stent, a breakthrough in the treatment of clogged arteries when it was developed in the 1980s. At roughly the same time, strides were being made on a scan that could show calcium in the arteries, a possible sign of heart trouble. But the scan, the film says, could not gain acceptance because surgeons and hospitals were more interested in the big money they could make from the more expensive stent operation. But the most confusing aspect of the film didn't deal with the issue that the scan is used to DETECT the clogged arteries and the STENT is used to unclog the arteries. So where is the conspiracy? If the scan detects then you stent the person or use bypass techniques.

Suggestion: If you are really interested speak to your doctor about this subject when you have a chance.

TV Series: 24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY (2014) A+

Starts off a little slow but then builds up to one of the classic 24 Series.  Jack Bauer whispers a lot but we get all the action and adventure that were part of his earlier series that ran some years ago.  Series will end next week.

From Wikipedia:

Four years after the events of the eighth season, Jack Bauer remains a federal fugitive, and has evaded capture with the aid of Chloe O'Brian. Meanwhile, amid growing concerns over the use of U.S. military drones in combat, President James Heller pays an historic visit toLondon to negotiate a treaty to continue their basing on British soil. Having heard rumors of an imminent attack against Heller, Bauer resurfaces in the city, where he is apprehended by the CIA and forcibly recruited into joining their investigation, with the promise of amnesty in return for his co-operation. As forces within the White House conspire against him, Bauer realizes that the complexity of the plot extends beyond a presidential assassination, and that the consequences of a successful attack will alter the course of history. With the help of a disgraced CIA agent and a hacker collective preaching free information, he must confront an unseen enemy whose personal vendetta threatens to push the world to the brink of war.

British TV Series: OUR WORLD WAR 3 EPISODES (2014) C

This very short series is a rehash of all the horrible stuff we know about the men who fought in WWI.   In this short series, British troops face the horrors of the Battle of Mons in 1914, internal strife in 1916 and innovative tank warfare in 1918.

This is an edited  review from IMDb:  BBC shouldn't be making programs like this. The idea was to instill a bit of pride as well as remembrance in what our British forefathers faced and dealt with. It didn't work

The British army (circa 1914) was not an army designed to fight large scale continental battles, it was designed to police a VAST Empire where individual field craft and ability played a far larger role than the blunderbuss approach of the continental system (mass conscription).

The army was meant as an auxiliary, almost, to the MUCH larger French Army on it's right flank. Like in 1940, the rapid collapse of the French inevitably put the much smaller Brits in a precarious position. The Germans swamped the British position at Mons.
Thanks to the stand at Mons, the French were able to consolidate their withdrawal (after the French 5th Army randomly decided to rout) which allowed for the counter attack at the battle of the Marne.

FAIR GAME (2010) B+

This film is about Valerie Plame, a CIA agent whose status was leaked to the public by the White House . . . and her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who exposed the lies told by the Bush administration during the run-up to our attack on Iraq.
In the end Scooter Libby, who worked for Chaney, was convicted in Federal Court of "outing" Plame. His sentence was subsequently reduced by Bush.

The very depressing overriding message of this movie is that the American governing process (which may be the best in the world) has deep, deep flaws. Although talk in the media goes on and on about American exceptionalism and the "greatest generation", (by breast beating patriots), we as a country will continue on this "war" path until we realize that our human instincts may not be up to the needs of global well being.

To make this story more than a documentary, the director introduces us to the personal lives of the Wilson family. In the process the director also uses garbled words, jittery camera shots and incomplete scenes in foreign countries that unfortunately pull the audience away from the narrative. That's why I did not rate the movie A.

Movie Review: LONE SURVIVOR (2014) B+

LONE SURVIVOR is a predicable but exciting war movie.  It stars Mark Wahlberg and tells the story of four Navy SEALS on an ill-fated secret mission trying to gather information on the location of an important Taliban leader. Their task is to helicopter to rugged mountains, observe the goings-on in a nearby Taliban dominated village, and then report back to their superiors (who could plan a major attack).   

Lots of things go wrong. The four men lose their communications and are discovered by a goat herder and his two young sons who inform the enemy.  Soon they are attacked by a large group of Taliban fighters. (Still not clear to me where the Taliban get their weapons.)

This is an intense film. You get a sense of the brotherhood between the men and also the hopelessness of their situation. You’ll also feel their pain as they desperately attempt to flee by jumping off mountain cliffs onto to rocks and ground below. 

The film also deals with a moral issue. When the four SEALs are discovered by the goat herder and his sons, there is a debate about what to do. Do they follow the Rules of Engagement and let them go on the basis that they are innocent civilians . . . or should they kill the civilians to eliminate the risk that they’ll return home and alert the Taliban leaders . . . . which the goat herder ultimately did.

All in all, the film is a worthwhile watch, especially if you are a war movie buff. 

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009) D

Very, very bad movie.

So-called storyline of this movie is about  justice dispensed against the Nazi's by, 1) a women who's family was killed by the Nazi's and, 2) by a gung-ho group of American Jewish soldiers led by a hillbilly lieutenant.

Many dollars have been spent on promoting this sideshow. The promotion idea is that if you create phony positive buzz about the film . . . by spending millions, many lemmings will to go see it because they "heard " that its good. This strategy is a variation of the Madoff Ponzi scheme . . . also designed for lowbrows (could be PhD's) who can't think for themselves.

The main failure of this movie is that it attempts to be a spoof of Nazi atrocities and OSS counter actions during WWII, and at the same time trying to be a movie that depicts the real atrocities and brutality of war. I'm sure the screenplay was written on the fly . . . and when the producers ran out of money, they sent the film to the editors.

Spoofing or satirising Hitler is something Charlie Chaplin did in "The Great Dictator" in 1940 . . . a time when it was appropriate. Satire is usually meant to be funny. But the purpose of satire is not primarily humor. It is designed to attack something the author strongly disapproves . . . using the weapon of wit. Sixty-five years after the end of WWII, satirising Hitler and the Nazi's is inane.

If you want to see some good stupid brutality, this is a movie for you.

THE ATTACK (2013) B

Foreign, Israeli, Hebrew and Arabic

If you've been on Mars for your lifetime and  haven't been aware of the Israeli - Palestinian conflict over the past 50 years, you may learn something from this movie.  It just restates the conflict, guilt, pain, hate, etc., etc. that continues to go on and on and on and on.  

In this sequel to a zillion other stories, a Arab doctor, practicing in Israeli  marries a women who . . . then unbeknowst to him . . . becomes a suicide bomber.

We never really get to know any of the deep seated motives of the women bomber and the movie plods along with the husband looking for answers to why she did what she did.  As my MOTHER would tell me years ago, "Go find the answer on page Gimmel of the dictionary".

If you want to be depressed and are ready to take Paxil, this movie is for you.

THE CROSSING (2000) A

Years ago, while driving on vacation, Sandy and I listened to a CD of a book called the Crossing by Howard Fast. It was interesting, exciting and wonderfully written. This A&E movie, based on the book, was just as good. Very well acted and excellent special effects. 

The Crossing is about George Washington's surprise attack on the British Army's German mercenaries at Trenton during the American Revolution. (Remember the picture of Washington crossing the Delaware). Backtracking 6 months, In July 1776 the British landed in Brooklyn from an armada of more than 200 ships, and ran Washington's forces all the way back across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. With only 2000 bedraggled soldiers left, Washington finally won this battle, his first win. This critical event gave his forces new strength to go on with the Revolutionary War.

Should be seen by all Junior High students

ZERO DARK THIRTY (2012) C

Poorly produced movie. Primarily because the actors used "in-talk" or mumbling (which is my short hand for people taking very fast about a subject THEY are very familiar with, and that general public is not familiar with). 

Example: A rapid presentation by a neurologist to doctors about the results of new developments in the use of DNA information.This approach to dialogue is sometimes used by screenwriters who cant write complete sentences or directors who just want to create emotional impressions . . . but it always hinders your suspension of disbelief. 

Secondly, we never get to know any of the characters and the strategy employed to do their spying, mainly because of the use of "in-talk". We just get a jumble of scenes in various countries. 

The movie was in two parts: A team of CIA and military operatives, working in secret across the globe, devote themselves to a single goal: to find and eliminate Osama bin Laden. The scenes here are filled with water boarding and use of other torturous methods to extract information. The second part, which did not require speaking, was the Seal Team attack on the bin Laden compound in Pakistan.

SERGIO (2007) A

HBO, Documentary

From Netflix: Touching documentary tells the inspiring story of dedicated humanitarian Sérgio Vieira de Mello, his final mission as United Nations ambassador to Iraq and the deadly bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad on August 19, 2003. 

Through first-person testimony, chilling film footage and gripping reenactments, the film chronicles the day of the terrorist attack and the attempts to save Vieira de Mello.

Movie Review: AMOUR (2013) D

Foreign; French

This film was highly rated by Rotten Tomatoes; 93% for critics, 82% for lay people.  Obviously the ratings were biased because the people who see this type of movie are the one's who LOVE  SLOW AND BORING FOREIGN FILMS.  Anything you show them of this venue they will drool over.

Sandy and I  gave up after about 20 minutes of this painful story about old decrepit people getting sick and dieing.

The promotional blurb: Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple's bond of love is severely tested.   

THE WAR WITHIN (2005) C+

A Pakistani joins the ranks of a New York-based terrorist cell that's planning an attack. Somewhat depressing because no one smiles during the movie. Could be used a a "war on terror" propaganda piece.