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The Top Ten War Movies Of The 2000′s

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

War movies remind us of the bravery of our troops, the horrors of war, and what causes are truly worth fighting for. In the 2000s, there were hundreds of war movies made, but which ones are the best? Here are the top ten.

1. Inglourious Basterds (2009). Quentin Tarantino’s over-the-top revenge war film is action-filled and very funny.
2. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). A dark Spanish-language fantasy about a brutal soldier and his imaginative daughter.
3. The Hurt Locker (2008). Kathryn Bigelow’s hard-hitting drama about the Iraq War won the Best Picture Oscar that year.
4. The Pianist (2002). The survival story of a pianist who lived through the Holocaust.
5. Black Hawk Down (2001). The story of the United States’ journey to capture a Somali warlord.
6. Tropic Thunder (2008). A comedy about a group of actors who accidentally find themselves in a war zone.
7. The Last Samurai (2003). Tom Cruise drama about the westernization of Japan.
8. A Very Long Engagement (2004). A romantic drama about a woman searching for her lost soldier fiance.
9. Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). The story of the Iwo Jima battle from a Japanese viewpoint.
10. Black Book (2006). A Dutch film about a Jewish woman who becomes a World War II spy.

Our Favorite War Films to Watch For

admin — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Whether you’ve got Cable-TV.com channels or basic cable it’s that time of year again when patriotic war movies start dominating the lineups. Here are a few of our favorite classics we suggest keeping an eye open for when they rerun this year:
Saving Private Ryan: Has there ever been a better war film, truly? Ryan was one of Tom Hank’s greatest roles and Matt Damon shined, too, but the heart of this movie is the incredible plot and storyline and the actors who so valiantly played their roles.
Jarhead: There have been few other war films that so succinctly captured the mental anguish that is war. Jarhead is a fair representation of the marines and one of Jake Gyllenhal’s best roles to date. It’s not a movie to watch in mixed company, though, fair warning.
Forrest Gump: Speaking of Tom HanksActually, this film isn’t a war movie but it’s got some of our favorite war scenes of all time. It’s family friendly enough, too, that you can watch it with everyone. This one’s going to be a classic for centuries.

The Top Ten War Movies Of The 80′s

admin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The 1980′s brought many shockingly real accounts of WWI, WWII and the Vietnam War in cinematic form, especially near the end of the 80′s as the Vietnam War reached its 20 year mark. Below is a list of ten of the decade’s best, in no particular order.

-Das Boot (1981) – WWI Submarine missions gone frighteningly wrong.
-Hamburger Hill (1989) – Arguably one of the most accurate accounts of history and life as an Army soldier.
-Born on the 4th of July (1989) – One man’s real-life struggles with the traumatic aftermath of the Vietnam War.
-Apocalypse Now (1979) – Francis Ford Coppola’s most important and frightening classic War drama.
-Full Metal Jacket (1987) – Stanley Kubrik’s violent portrayal of the horrors inside military life and the Vietnam War.
-Platoon (1986) – Oliver Stone’s first-hand experiences of life as an American soldier.
-Ghandi (1981) – Although not a war film per se, still a very relevant commentary on the effects of war and social struggle.
-Good Morning Vietnam (1988) – Humor and realism make for a winning combination in this real-life Vietnam story.
-Eye of the Needle (1981) – WWII spy thriller shines with dark intensity.
-Purple Hearts (1984) – Love, honor, war and conflict expertly told against a Vietnam backdrop.

The Top Ten War Movies Of The 60′s

admin — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

There are many war movies made in the 60s. Unlike the movies made in the 50s, most of them were in color. They movies did not cover the Vietnam war. Very few even covered the Korean War. The Korean War, although it did not get many movies about it, is covered by a classic TV show. The TV show started with a movie. The reader probably knows the name of the movie and the show. MASH created a cultural phenomenon.

Patton and Battle of the Bulge are two war movies that came out of the 60s. Unlike many war movies, Patton does not contain much combat. It is a psychological portrait of an individual many people consider to be one of the greatest generals of the twentieth century. Other movies that came out at about the same time, although not necessarily in the 60s are Midway and Tora, Tora, Tora.

The top war movies of the sixties do not necessarily fit into a top ten list. The Battle of the Bulge, while entertaining, is not considered to be great cinema. The makers of the film realized that they could not portray the large scale of the battle accurately. There were simply few really good war movies that came out in the 60s to make a top ten list.

The War Era That Produced The Most War Movies

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The years between 1941 and 1945 probably produced the most movies about a single war. Hollywood, on the West Coast of the United States, finds this period fascinating. It is one of the last times where the sides were clear-cut between good and evil. Things were not as clear as they were in World War II, although the reasons are portrayed as crystal clear.

Because World War II was America’s greatest conflict, Hollywood likes to return to the problem. There are other eras that Hollywood has covered. Hollywood made a few movies about Vietnam in the 80s. The movies helped heal America’s bruised psyche. Rambo won the war in the jungle, even if Walter Kronkite lost it for the country in the real world.

The World War II movies that seem to be best however, with the exception of Saving Private Ryan, tend to be filmed in black and white. John Wayne’s the Longest Day was deliberately filmed in black in white to evoke the appropriate mood. Some films, strangely, are better in black and white. The Longest Day would not be the classic that it turned out to be if it were filmed in color, nor would it be the same if it were done in 3D.The information doesn’t stop now. Keep looking: ‘Red Tails’ Actors Laud Airmen

Top Costume Designers Of War Movies

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The great Hollywood costume designer, Edith Head, and her masterpieces in war movies were Academy Award worthy in the film, From Here to Eternity, 1953, starring Burt Lancaster and Debra Kerr.

Two years later came Brigadoon, and was a docu-war drama graced by the designs of Irene Sharaff, 1954.

War and Peace, with costume designer Marie De Matties, won the Academy Award in 1956.

The Diary of Anne Frank, which featured a first-hand accoung of Jews in hiding during Hitler’s regime in Germany was cause to award costume designers Charles LeMaire and Mary Wills the Academy Award in 1959.

Judgment at Nuremberg designs acknowledged costume designer Jean Louis in 1961

Bound for Glory rewarded William Ware Theiss with an award in 976.

Reds starring Warren Beatty earned Shirley Ann Russell the award for best costumes in 1982.

Schindler’s List, a landmark World War II film rewarded Anna B. Sheppard in 1993 for her costume design.

Braveheart starring and directed by Mel Gibson won awards for costumes during Rob Roy’s conflict against UK countries via Charles Knode in 1995.

The Last Samurai in post-Civil War glory decked out Tom Cruise by award winner Ngila Dickson in 2003.

Troy proves that even Brad Pitt must be dressed carefully, and Bob Ringwood won the award for 2004.