Casualties of War (1989) Review

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(More customer reviews)Casualties of War is a unique film. There are many films that depict wartime atrocities. This one stands above the rest because of it's character development. We get to know the guilty parties, and they are not purely evil, but are in many ways quite ordinary. They seem like regular US GI's at first, just trying to survive day by day.
Sean Penn's character (Sgt Meserve) leads them into an abyss, and only one of them (Eriksson, played by Micheal J Fox) refuses to enter. The others commit murder and rape, while Eriksson cringes. The separate perpetrators display trepidation, anxiousness, remorse and the lack thereof. Other characters exhibit cynicism and callousness. Their victim shows her fear alone.
This film is effective because it shows all but one of the soldiers as having different and human sides. Eriksson and Diaz (John Leguizamo) know that what is happening is wrong, but one fails to stop it, and the other participates. Meserve comes up with absurd lies to try to justify what they are doing, not only for Eriksson, but for the others, and it seems even for himself. Only one character in this film (Clark) is completely inhuman. His sadistic fervor and amoral smugness makes him appear as a monster, plain and simple.
This film is effective because it shows seemingly normal men in a descent into utter barbarism. Thuy Thu Le sets the mood for this by portraying the terror of their victim so well. Sympathy for the victim will surely make anyone cringe. But, it is by showing that the perpetrators, except Clark, are like most anyone that this film has its' strongest affect. How would we each fare if faced by such a situation? Who among us would stand against it? Who would succumb to it? This film strikes deeper than any horror film, with obviously inhuman monsters. It shows real people who become monsters, and is therefore vastly more effective- even more so because it all really happened.

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The U.S. vs. John Lennon Review

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(More customer reviews)THE US VS. JOHN LENNON is a riveting documentary that shows how the judicial and immigration system works in the United States. John Lennon was placed under the microscope by President Nixon and the US FBI during the early 1970s because he posed as a threat to Nixon's political campaign, and an intense influence on the youth of America as a result of his music and iconoclastic image. Bottom line, the film focuses on Lennon's activism as well as the controversial and gray aspects of the meaning of activism and dissent.
Director David Leaf interweaves Lennon's music within the documentary with a collage of images of the mop-top Beatle to the bearded-hippie shouting for world peace from an Amsterdam hotel room alongside the press and fellow peers. The core participants and leaders of the late 1960s and early 1970s are presented in the film, such as John Sinclair, Angela Davis, J. Edgar Hoover, President Richard M. Nixon, and various writers and journalists who reported about Lennon. The interesting aspect are the recent interviews of those political activists who attempted to make a mark on society. Within Leaf's documentary is the past, but the political atmosphere of the present appears to parallel or bear similarities to the past.
THE US VS. JOHN LENNON is entertaining. In light of serious events that occurred in Lennon's life, he tend to press on. There are funny moments in the film as well as serious ones. But the film also presents the chilling aspects of the system of government, and the powers that be. Lennon may have been one the last influential figures of the 1960s who spoke and sang a thousand words to a generation that just wanted to be listened and understood, and politics did not stop him from creating his love of music for all to hear.
This film is highly recommended for all Lennon fans as well as those who would like to understand the relationship between politics and music.

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The compelling and provocative story of John Lennon's evolution from beloved Beatle to outspoken artist and activist to iconic inspiration for peace, and how, in the midst of one of the most tumultuous times in American history, Lennon stood his ground, refused to be silenced and courageously won his battle with the U.S. Government.

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Rambo - The Complete Collector's Set (First Blood - Ultimate Edition / Rambo - First Blood Part II - Ultimate Edition / Rambo III - Ultimate Edition / John Rambo - Special Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)I won't waste time with critiques of all 4 Rambo films. Chances are that anyone visiting this page likes these movies enough to want to own them on DVD, so my opinion is inconsequential. But, since there have been two Rambo collection DVD sets over the years, whether or not to purchase this set can be somewhat of a dilemma for fans. Artisan originally released all 3 movies in a Rambo Trilogy Special Edition DVD Collection back in 2002. This was an incredible set put together as nothing short of a labor of love. Not only were the movies digitally re-mastered, but the set came with a plethora of special features including commentaries, documentaries, and trailers, most of which were included in a bonus 4th disc. Another great addition was the last on-screen interview with the late, great Richard Crenna discussing his years as Colonel Trautman for the documentaries.
In 2004, Artisan released the Rambo Trilogy Ultimate Edition DVD Collection after the Special Edition DVD set went out of print. The Ultimate set was mainly a waste of money for many Rambo fans, as most of the great Special Edition DVD features did not carry over. Instead, the 'Special Operations' interactive features were offered up as a poor substitute. The only notable inclusion to this set was found on the 'First Blood' DVD, which featured the alternate ending and a commentary track by Stallone. Then, there is the Lionsgate 2008 Complete Rambo Collection DVD set featuring all 4 movies. This set carries over most of the bonus features from both of the previous collections, although the advertised 'First Blood' commentary with author David Morrell from the Special Edition is erroneously missing. The individual movies are identical to the Ultimate Edition set but the bonus disc from the Special Edition set is also included, along with a few featurettes found only on the individual Special Edition movies. Here are the specs;
First Blood: Ultimate Edition
Audio commentary with Sylvester Stallone
Alternate Ending
Interactive Military Special Operations Features- Survival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap
Rambo First Blood Part II: Ultimate Edition
Audio commentary with director George P. Cosmatos
Interactive Military Special Operations Features- Survival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap

Rambo III: Ultimate Edition
Audio commentary with director Peter MacDonald
Deleted Scenes
Interactive Military Special Operations Features- Survival Mode, Early Warning System, MetaBrief, MetaScope, MetaSight, MetaPoint, MetaMap

Rambo: 2-Disc Special Edition
Audio commentary by Sylvester Stallone
Deleted Scenes
"Legacy of Despair: The Struggle in Burma" featurette
"It's a Long Road: Resurrection of an Icon" featurette
"A Score to Settle: The Music of Rambo" featurette
"The Art of War: Completing Rambo" featurette
"The Weaponry of Rambo" featurette
"A Hero's Welcome: Release & Reaction" featurette
Digital Copy of the feature film

Bonus Disc
"The Real Nam: Voices from Within" featurette
"Guts and Glory" featurette
"The Forging of Heroes: America's Green Berets" featurette
"Rambo-nomics" featurette
"Selling a Hero" featurette
"Suiting Up" featurette
"An American Hero's Journey: The Rambo Trilogy" featurette
"Drawing First Blood" featurette
"We Get to Win This Time" featurette
"Afghanistan: Land in Crisis" featurette
Theatrical Trailers for all 4 Films
To recap, this DVD set is probably best suited for those fans who don't own either of the previous DVD collections. Those who have the Special Edition DVD set are probably better off buying the individual release of the last Rambo film. Those who own the Ultimate Edition DVD set might want to consider upgrading if the features on the bonus disc sound appealing. Further compounding matters is the 2010 Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set [Blu Ray] edition, which reinstates the David Morrell 'First Blood' commentary but has many of the featurettes found on the DVD set's bonus disc inexplicably omitted. Whatever set one decides to purchase, the constant re-release of the Rambo movies, although frustrating to many, can also be seen as a testament to the enduring legacy of a pop cultural icon that refuses to die.

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For over 25 years, Sylvester Stallone's "mythic commando" Rambo (Variety) has thrilled audiences worldwide. From "ragged and flashy" First Blood (The New York Times) to the "shockingly entertaining" Rambo (The Seattle Times), the series chronicles a reluctant killing machine as he wages war against corrupt global forces – all while facing a battle within his own soul. Rambo: The Complete Collector's Set has everything the ultimate Rambo fan needs, including all 4 films together for the first time!

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We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition) (2002) Review

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(More customer reviews)I live with a Vietnam Vet who served in the late 1960s with 1st Cav. Medivac. During service he earned two Purple Hearts, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal. Since WE WERE SOLDIERS concerns the 1st Cav., Randy wanted to see it. I reluctantly agreed; I am not partial to war films and I dislike Mel Gibson, and Randy is very hard on Vietnam War films. He dismisses PLATOON as a Hollywood 8x10 glossy; says APOCALYPSE NOW is an interesting movie that captures the paranoia, but all the technical details are wrong; and describes DEER HUNTER as excellent in its depiction of the strangeness of coming home but so full of plot holes that he can hardly endure it. And about one and all he says: "It wasn't like that."
He was silent through the film, and when we left the theatre I asked what he thought. He said, "They finally got it. That's what it was like. All the details are right. The actors were just like the men I knew. They looked like that and they talked like that. And the army wives too, they really were like that, at least every one I ever knew." The he was silent for a long time. At last he said, "You remember the scene where the guy tries to pick up a burn victim by the legs and all the skin slides off? Something like that happened to me once. It was at a helicopter crash. I went to pick him up and all the skin just slid right off. It looked just like that, too. I've never told any one about it."
In most respects WE WERE SOLDIERS is a war movie plain and simple. There are several moments when the film relates the war to the politics and social movements that swirled about it, and the near destruction of the 1st. Cav.'s 7th Battalion at Ia Drang clearly arises from the top brass' foolish decision to send the 7th into an obvious ambush--but the film is not so much interested in what was going on at home or at the army's top as it is in what was actually occurring on the ground. And in this it is extremely meticulous, detailed, and often horrifically successful. Neither Randy nor I--nor any one in the theatre I could see--was bored by or dismissive of the film. It grabs you and it grabs you hard, and I can easily say that it is one of the finest war movies I have ever seen, far superior to the likes of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, which seems quite tame in comparison.
Perhaps the single most impressive thing about the film is that it never casts its characters in a heroic light; they are simply soldiers who have been sent to do a job, and they do it knowing the risks, and they do it well in spite of the odds. Mel Gibson, although I generally despise him as both an actor and a human being, is very, very good as commanding officer Hal Moore, and he is equaled by Sam Elliot, Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein, and every other actor on the battlefield. The supporting female cast, seen early in the film and in shorter scenes showing the home front as the battle rages, is also particularly fine, with Julie Moore able to convey in glance what most actresses could not communicate in five pages of dialogue. The script, direction, cinematography, and special effects are sharp, fast, and possess a "you are there" quality that is very powerful.
Randy did have a criticism. "I don't think there would be time for casualty telegrams to actually get home while the battle was going on," he said. "After all, it only lasted three days." I myself had a criticism; there were points in the film when I found the use of a very modernistic, new-agey piece of music to be intrusive and out of place. And we both felt that a scene near the end of the movie, when a Vietnamese commander comments on the battle, to be improbable and faintly absurd. But these are nit-picky quibbles. WE WERE SOLDIERS is a damn fine movie. I'll give Randy, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, the last word: "It may not be 'the' Vietnam movie. I don't think there could ever be 'the' Vietnam movie. But they get everything right. That's how it looked and sounded, and that's what I saw, and this is the best movie about Vietnam I've ever seen."

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