OT: Movies You Have Seen Lately

[Wardad]

Originally posted by Aloofi:
... They all degenerate into "anti-war" films with stupid Messages to make you fear war. ...

While true enough, war really is something to be feared.

When I was a kid I found a Picture History book of WWI. It was gruesome even in black and white. Bodies laying in trenches, or piled up like cord wood 100 foot from the enemies lines. Blisters from gas covering face and tongue. Starving children with vacant faces and empty stomaches begging for scraps.

I did not need hollywood films for an anti-war message.

[ February 24, 2003, 17:22: Message edited by: Wardad ]

[gregebowman]

Originally posted by Wardad:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Aloofi:
... They all degenerate into "anti-war" films with stupid Messages to make you fear war. ...

While true enough, war really is something to be feared.

When I was a kid I found a Picture History book of WWI. It was gruesome even in black and white. Bodies laying in trenches, or piled up like cord wood 100 foot from the enemies lines. Blisters from gas covering face and tongue. Starving children with vacant faces and empty stomaches begging for scraps.

I did not need hollywood films for an anti-war message.

---

All too true. Just looking at one picture of the Holocaust camps can make me feel the same way. And guess what? It's still happening. It may not be Jews this time, but it's still the same principal. Look over at what used to Yugoslavia. It's Serbs vs Muslims vs whoever else gets in the way. What used to be Russia is having similar problems. And don't forget Saddam Husseim gassing his own Kurds. But I think you're doing Hollywood some injustice. True, most of the crappy stuff that called "war" movies are inane anti-war stuff or something like it. But I have to disagree that Saving Private Ryan was that. I think you got the message that these soldiers fought, all too many died, for their beliefs. There wasn't any running off to Canada back in the 1940's. Even though there was a draft back then, once Pearl Harbor happened, most men volunteered to join the military. So don't discount all of HOllywood movies. As a matter of fact, if you want to see a non-American war movie that shows the horror of war, check out a movie called Stanlingrad. It's a German movie, and there's no wishy-washy Hollywood crap in it.

[Aloofi]

Originally posted by Wardad:

While true enough, war really is something to be feared.

When I was a kid I found a Picture History book of WWI. It was gruesome even in black and white. Bodies laying in trenches, or piled up like cord wood 100 foot from the enemies lines. Blisters from gas covering face and tongue. Starving children with vacant faces and empty stomaches begging for scraps.

I did not need hollywood films for an anti-war message.[/quote]

My dear, you are just another victim of anti-war propaganda. When I see the same pictures you saw, I don't feel "how bad war is" but "Look at what the enemy is doing to us".
There is a big diference in these two aproaches to a reality. And Hollywood is making a bunch of pussies out of us, while our enemies are raised in warrior societies chanting anti western slogans day and night.
War is not something good or bad, but I can't say the same of losing a war.
And technological superiority only go so far. They have found a way to shake our societies to the bottom, and that is targeting innocent civilians.

[Aloofi]

Originally posted by gregebowman:
But I have to disagree that Saving Private Ryan was that. I think you got the message that these soldiers fought, all too many died, for their beliefs. There wasn't any running off to Canada back in the 1940's

Oh, Saving Private Ryan was one pure anti war propaganda.
Lessons from the movie:
1- Soldiers lives are disposable to their commaders.
2- If you are brave you die
3- If you take point you die
4- If you obey your commaders orders you die
5- If you save civilians you die
6- If you help your squad mates you die
7- If you are a coward you survive
8- If you hide you survive
9- Don't ever go to war.

All of these are lies. But the worst thing is that these anti war feelings are so deep in your mind, as you have been exposed to this since you were born, that it all seem perfectly real.
I'm sure there are zillion more little details in this movie, but I haven't seen it in quite a while.

[Stone Mill]

Saving Private Ryan was about contradictions, and that is exactly why it is excellent.

The main question posed is "Does a humane act in a horribly heinous environment of war still have value?"

In the end- a wonderful contradiction... Ryan is "Saved" by one humane act (recovery mission)and returned to his family.

However, Capt Miller's other humane act (releasing the German Soldier) comes back to destroy him...

[gregebowman]

I think that why you feel Ryan was an anti-war movie was that it was too realistic. Too much blood and guts. I remember growing up and watching all those old war movies made in the 50's and 60's, and you didn't see any blood and guts. You saw a guy get shot and fall down. So I think we weren't too conditioned to seeing a realist war movie, at least as a society. Now, Hollywood has no problem showing the blood and guts, and IMO, that's why some people are thinking it's an anti-war movie. No, it's showing war as it more or less is: ugly, terrifying and not something to worship.

[Atrocities]

Dare Devil = B movie with B acting, and just play BAD movie. Don't waste your time or your money.

I think that now a days, the critics are being bought off. This movie is evidance of that.