Category Archives: War

Duck, You Sucker! (1971) – The False Facades of Heroism and Revolution

“When I was young I believed in three things: Marxism, the redemptive power of cinema and dynamite. Now I just believe in dynamite.” – Sergio Leone The great Italian director Sergio Leone was and remains one of the titans of international cinema. Despite such a meager output of only seven films (eight if one were […]

Duck, You Sucker! (1971) – The False Facades of Heroism and Revolution

“The Forgotten Battle”

“The Forgotten Battle” is about a postscript to Operation Market Garden, that late World War II gamble by the Allies to free Arnhem, liberate the Netherlands and shorten the war. That’s not “forgotten.” There was a movie about that debacle, “A Bridge Too Far,” that still turns up on grandpa’s favorite cable movie channels. This […]

Netflixable? Dutch, Germans, Brits and Canadians live through “The Forgotten Battle”

Jojo Rabbit (2019) Review – F*ck Off, Hitler!

Ever since I’ve seen the first trailer for Jojo Rabbit, I knew that this will be a film like no other. I had faith, as Taika Waititi has proven himself several times now (from What We Do in the Shadows (2014), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) to somewhat underseen and underappreciated Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) which if […]

Jojo Rabbit (2019) Review – F*ck Off, Hitler!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

In 1946, a London writer, Juliet (Lily James) exchanges letters with a Guernsey farmer, Dawsey (Michiel Huisman) and she begins to learn about what the islanders endured during World War II under German occupation. I read the book on which this film is based a while ago. I’m also (as of August 2020) a resident […]

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)

Friday Film Club: Jojo Rabbit (2019) & Better Days (2019)

Hi folks and welcome to the The Friday Film Club where both myself and Elwood will be highlighting a film which we feel is worth checking out. At the same time we would love to hear your own selections whether you’re choosing to just name them in the comments section or join us in arguing […]

Friday Film Club: Jojo Rabbit (2019) & Better Days (2019)

Spotlight: Names on the Wall

Director: Koura Linda Cast: Brendan Healy, Doan Nguyen Review Author: Tony Synopsis: Two soldiers from opposing sides of the Vietnam war are locked in combat. Both are reduced to fighting with their bare hands and distracted by their scuffle they fall unaware into a deep ditch. Exhausted and realizing that they can’t climb out of the pit, […]

Spotlight: Names on the Wall

Film Review – The Painted Bird (2019)

Title – The Painted Bird (2019) Director – Václav Marhoul (Tobruk) Cast – Petr Kotlár, Udo Kier, Barry Pepper, Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands Plot – On a solo journey through Eastern Europe during World War 2, young Jewish boy Joska (Kotlar) comes across a range of characters all dealing with their own trials […]

Film Review – The Painted Bird (2019)

The Painted Bird (2019) Review – War Is Hell, European Version

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Do you (somehow, in this day and time) feel happy, joyful and just wish to be down? Have you ever wondered how it would feel like to experience the war through child’s eyes, and to see many horrors, some of which, you didn’t want, or didn’t even think of seeing, happening to said child? Well, […]

The Painted Bird (2019) Review – War Is Hell, European Version

First Glance: “Dara of Jasenovac”

No faithful movie about the Holocaust is going to be an easy watch. But they have long served as powerful reminders of unbridled human evil and they have testified to the resilience and bravery of many who suffered and died as a result of the atrocities. The upcoming Serbian historical drama “Dara of Jasenovac” tells […]

First Glance: “Dara of Jasenovac”

REVIEW: “No Man’s Land” (2021)

Brothers Conor and Jake Allyn grew up Dallas, Texas and made frequent trips across the southern border into Mexico with their father. The many visits opened their eyes to a much different side of Mexico and ultimately helped inspire their new film “No Man’s Land”. This modern-day western uses a reverse migration story of sorts […]

REVIEW: “No Man’s Land” (2021)

SİYAD, BOYALI KUŞ’u “2020’nin EN İYİ YABANCI Filmi”

Sinema Yazarları Derneği (SİYAD) üyeleri tarafından geçen yıl Türkiye’de sinemalarda vizyona giren tüm yabancı filmler arasında yapılan oylama sonucunda en yüksek oyu toplayan Boyalı Kuş’un ithalatçısına ödülü, Mart ayında düzenlenecek 53. SİYAD Ödül Töreni’nde verilecek. SİYAD üyelerinin oylaması sonucu ilk 20 sırada yer alan filmler şunlar: 1) Boyalı Kuş 2) Sefiller 3) Bal Ülkesi 4) […]

SİYAD, BOYALI KUŞ’u “2020’nin EN İYİ YABANCI Filmi” Seçti!

The Weather Underground

The Weather Underground is a documentary about the radical group of that name, and the times that gave rise to it. In addition to archival footage, it includes retrospective interviews with multiple Weather Underground members themselves and other figures from that era. It’s quite well-done and thought-provoking. By the late ’60s, Robert Kennedy and Martin […]

The Weather Underground