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wassup everyone i'm taking this blog over to bring you all the truth about whats hot and whats not in the movies. i watched this movie recently in honor of the anzacs and i gotta tell ya, its not worth seeing. i'll sum up the movie for you in just one sentence (this is something i'm gonna do for you with my reviews and it should help you lern about whats worth seeing and what aint)... kokoda is about some dudes just bushwalking for two hours. thats it. it starts off and theyre sitting around and chillin and your like, wheres the action already? and then some bullets come but you dont even get to see the asians and its hell boring.

some background: kokoda is a place in vietnam and its about when australia went to fight the asians in the vietnam war. we won this war of course, and vietnam had to apologise to our prime minister at the time (bob hawke) for starting the war. no one knows how it started so dont even ask. the war is famous because there was this tribe of rare asians called 'the woolies' and george lucas saw some pics of them just before he made Star Wars and he decided to bass the wookies on them. the woolies probably werent happy about this but what are they gonna do, they don't got no tv or nothing and george lucas is a stingey bastard and he wont give them any money TO THIS DAY.

trivia: many real life anzacs went and saw the movie kokoda when it came out and there was mass disappointment because of how unaccurate it was. not once do you see anyone play two up... the whole movie i was waiting for two blokes to get their coins out and then get in a mad blue like they do at the aussie arms in penrith but it didnt happen. also, no one even eats an anzac biscuit in the entire movie.

thats all i got to say about Kokoda for today, keep it real.

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Posted By: stu-kicks - Category: War

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Black Hawk Down

January 8th 2007 05:23

Another film about war. "Yay" you may say, in a sarcastic manner, and - depending on the film in question - I'd probably be fairly inclined to say "yay" in a sarcastic exclamation-free manner too. 'Black Hawk Down' sets itself apart from other recent war films (eg. 'We Were Soldiers') by making it's setting something more contemporary and lesser-known (on a worldwide scale, at least).

Based on a true story, 'Black Hawk Down' utilises this to almost completely eschew a plot. As it's focus is an American mission into Somalian warlord-held territory, it can focus on the conflict at hand without boring the audience (unlike the multitude of Vietnam war-films, who must do battle with a tide of viewer familiarity). Basically, the film follows 123 elite U.S. soldiers on an assumed routine mission that goes horribly wrong. The story follows various characters through the initial assault that ends up lasting for nearly 24 hours.

The film takes thirty minutes or so to set up the action, and from there on in it's a relentless, protracted shit-storm that lasts for the rest of movie. After a while it can wear a little thin, especially considering that director Ridley Scott has spread viewer-empathy over too many characters, making it hard to keep track of who is who. It's obvious that he has tried to overcome this problem by casting a multitude of familiar faces (a lot of them, oddly, from outside of the U.S.), but they are covered with grime, blood and helmets for most of the time, making it hard to tell the difference between each actor – especially when they’re all shouting. That brings me to another point, who was the main character? At first it seemed to set up Orlando Bloom as one of the leads the film would be following, but he is hardly seen again. I'm inclined to think that Hartnett's character is the one the film should be focusing on, but a lot of the time this is unclear… I guess Scott didn’t think it was all that important.

The film seems almost apolitical, even about the conflict itself... by the end, little point has been made, if any. In a way this is what the film wants to be about, taking it's 'angle' on war as 'soldiers fight for the man next to them' and that the troops should 'leave no man behind', and throwing everything else - moral, ethical, political, whatever - out of the window. Unfortunately, I don't think this message comes across completely - the camaraderie between the soldiers is undeveloped, and the aforementioned multitude of characters doesn't help this either.

Where 'Black Hawk Down' fails theme and character-wise, it succeeds hugely on a technical basis. The speed of the film used to shoot it is faster than usual for most movies, making the images of explosions and fire-fighting some of the highest-quality ever committed to film. The relentlessness of the battle is an achievement in itself too - building an intense atmosphere of fear and adrenalin throughout, a feel unmatched amongst most war films.

So, if you're looking for action - this is the best place to get it. Anyone hoping to follow their favourite actor in this will probably be disappointed though, as it is very much an ensemble piece, with little time spent on each character.

HIGHLIGHTS: The crashing of the Black Hawk helicopters and Eric Bana's character (Bana seems to be playing hardarses in everything he's in lately - Chopper, Black Hawk Down, The Hulk - you wouldn't think it after seeing 'Full Frontal'). It's also fun to hear Ewen Bremner (Spud in 'Trainspotting') attempt an American accent.

TRIVIA: Impressive castlist... Tom Sizemore, Ewen McGregor, Eric Bana, Josh Hartnett, Jason Isaacs, Orlando Bloom, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard and Jeremy Piven.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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Missing in Action

December 28th 2006 02:14

In other news I watched a Chuck Norris film the other day, it was called 'Missing in Action' and involved Chuck as a balls-to-the-wall vietcong hating ex-POW who runs riot in post-war Vietnam to retrieve POWs who are still missing in action.

Great moments included...
* Norris and his team shoot up the enemy, Norris nods at a pal, who gives him a thumbs up. Norris thumbs up him back. Gold.
* Norris, upon watching two vietcong soldiers bayoneting some of his mates, unpins two grenades and leaps down onto the vietcong whilst holding them... slow-motion fade out, enter caption "10 years later" ahahahahahah HE'S STILL ALIVE!
* Norris, upon returning to 'nam for a press conference where the Viet politicians denounce the existence of any more POWs, is accused of being a war criminal. He replies defiantly... "I was put in a camp for killing arseholes like you!"
* Norris breaks out of his hotel, sneaks into the head General's house, scares some information out of him regarding the whereabouts of the last POWs, kills the General, sneaks back into the hotel, and - upon hearing alarmed viet soldiers coming to bust him - quickly de-shirts an American ambassador chick and throws her into bed. Alibi now in place.
* Norris negotiates a good price for a boat off an old colleague whilst the colleague fights off angry Thai pimps.
* Norris triumphantly busts into a press conference with some POWs under his arms… cue freeze frame and a bad cheesy 80s ballad to signal the film's end.

After watching this film I can understand why the man has so many fans.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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The Battle of Britain

December 15th 2006 04:26

Battle of Britain (1969)

This is one of those films that you pick up almost anywhere fairly cheap these days thanks to the DVD boom. In regards to it's merits as a war film, this would have to go down as one of the staples of the genre, and is one of the better efforts to come out of Britain. It features an all-star cast and some truly stunning aerial sequences

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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Judgment at Nuremberg

December 13th 2006 06:12

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

Coming just over ten years after the real Nuremberg Trials that took place at the end of World War II (for perspective's sake, that's ten years wait from now for a film about the end of the current 'War' in Iraq), 'Judgment at Nuremberg' is a more-than-timely film that combines a fine cast and an expertly-constructed court-room setting with the increasingly relevant themes of complicity and the politics of war

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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The Train

November 3rd 2006 11:11

The Train (1964)

Dedicated to the 'gallant french' for all the lives they gave to save a bunch of paintings from the Nazis, this sharp, black and white war actioner is one of director John Frankenheimer's babies from a rising age of cinematic realism

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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The Pianist

September 13th 2006 07:43

OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: I know it's not an old film, but it's a good one, so deal with it.

The Pianist (2002)

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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Salvador

August 21st 2006 07:36

Salvador (1986)

'Salvador' is one of Oliver Stone’s earlier efforts… it hasn’t gained the recognition of ‘Platoon’, ‘JFK’ or ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ but I think this film is every bit as much ‘up there’ as those aforementioned Stone classics

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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The Deer Hunter

August 11th 2006 05:58

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Regarded as one of the best films of it's time (whether that means the 70s or the 20th century I can't really tell you), the Deer Hunter is an emotionally epic tale of three Pennsylvanian steel-workers who go to war in Vietnam. The film clocks in at nearly 3 hours, and takes place in three parts – before the war, during the war, and after the war

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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Catch 22

July 11th 2006 10:18

Catch 22 (1970)

Obviously, there was no way this film was ever going to reach the quality of the book it was based on, the oft-touted ‘greatest novel of the 20th century’ no less. But it might have at least been a bit less of a mess. ‘Catch 22’ reads as fairly unfilmable, but I can’t help but feel that if a film must have been made of it, the numerous plots could have been streamlined a little or something

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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Patton

July 6th 2006 09:05

Patton (1970)

If there was a biopic to ever be made of a General, in had to be American WW2 General George Patton. The film takes great delight in revelling in the quirks of such a great and interesting character, a man of contradictory ego and modesty who believed in the art of war and reincarnation, wrote poetry, and – on the whole – simply belonged to another time

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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The Tin Drum

June 19th 2006 10:01

Those crazy Germans! This controversial film still manages to shock today with it's visceral and taboo mixture of sex and abject disgust. There has been some division over exactly what the film is saying, but there is certainly no doubt that it says something (duh!). Interpretation is too often taken as gospel, and various takes are absolutely possible in a film as open-ended as this.

The Tin Drum (1979)

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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The Bridge on the River Kwai

June 15th 2006 08:00

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

David Lean's rousing WWII epic pretty much cleaned out the Oscars in 1957, with Alec Guinness winning the Best Actor award for his portrayal of British Officer Colonel Nicholson, who loses his way in a Japanese POW camp in Burma. The big budget film involved the construction and demolition of a life-size bridge, and was shot in Ceylon (now Sri-Lanka). American actor William Holden was brought onboard as a drawcard for the U.S. audience, and is the catalyst for the film's surprising, chaotic and ambiguous ending.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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Zulu

June 14th 2006 08:22

The film that proved the British could make an epic just as detailed, big-scale and stirring as anything that Hollywood pumped it's millions of dollars into. 'Zulu' also introduced most of the world to one Maurice Micklewhite, better known to audiences as Michael Caine. It also just happens to be quite a good movie as well.

Zulu (1963)

'Zulu' focuses on a real historical event that saw less than 300 British troops defend themselves against thousands of Zulu warriors. What makes the stand all the more frightening is that the same warriors had massacred over a thousand British troops at another outpost just prior to their attack. Anyone unfamiliar with this (fairly obscure to anyone outside of South Africa I dare suggest) slice of history will probably be as compelled as I was to see the doomed seige played out. In the face of all the hopelessness we are introduced to a great mix of colourful characters, ranging in nationality and disposition, and headed up by the three leads of the film

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Posted By: Luke - Category: War

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