Movies Quick Draw From A 2 Z Write Off
Jun 02 '05
The Bottom Line My list of 27 solid movies!
Movie that come to mind when I go from A 2 Z are as follows;
8 Seconds
Another contemporary western about the rodeo life that I really enjoyed! I must say that I am a little biased though, I have always enjoyed rodeos as a fan and a participant. My grandfather was a bull rider during the late 50’s and early 60’s. Like so many other rodeo cowboys his back was broken before he was 30. His injury ended his career in rodeo. Up until the last twenty years there was not much money in the sport anyway. When I was a kid, the first place bull rider in a big rodeo like The Pendleton Round up in Pendleton Oregon would get a $500.00 check. Now winning first place in a rodeo of that caliber will bring you a $10,000 check and a new pick up. I also rode a few bulls but decided to join the paratroopers instead, it’s safer! I have always liked the rodeo so I like this film and the man it was about. Lane Frost was a true champion and I enjoyed this film about his life.
13th Warrior
Ibn (Antonio Banderas) is a poet that has been exiled from Baghdad for seeking pleasures of the flesh with the wrong women. During his travels north, he runs across a band of Viking explorers / invaders. Ebn is perplexed and intrigued by these Viking barbarians. Their ways religion and daily routines are very different from anything that he has ever known. After spending a few days with the Vikings another Viking ship arrives from their homeland. This ship has sent word that one of their fellow Norwegian villages has come under attack by an ancient evil. This evil is so frightening to the Vikings that it’s very name must not be spoken out loud.
Andersonville
Andersonville may the most inhuman prisoner of war camp to ever existed. Even Sobibor and Auschwitz gave P.O.W.'s drinking water and a shack to stay in. Andersonville tells the daunting true story of a Confederate prisoner of war camp during the American Civil War. You couldn't call it a camp really, it was simply a ringed log wall with guard towers and a small nasty creek running through the edge of it. This creek was their, drinking water, bathing water and sewer system. There was upwards of thirty thousand Union soldiers living in this HELL HOLE, of a world. They would dig a hole in the ground and try and cover it with old shirts, pants, anything they could get their hands on. On top of all this they were starving to death. The odds of getting out of this place alive were slim to none. The prison was built for 8,000 prisoners, before the war's end it would see over 30,000 men stuffed in this place. During the last couple of years nearly 13,000 men died in Andersonville.
Band Of Brothers
Band Of Brothers is one of the best films about war that I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of them. One of the areas where this film excels is that we really get to know these guys. We meet them in 1942 when they are formed and over the years and battles we get to know these men. When one is killed, you feel their sorrow. The character development is this ten hour film is extraordinary. I felt like I knew these guys. The dialog was intelligent, witty, morbid and very realistic. Stephen Ambrose wrote the story of the men of the 506th and conducted many interviews with these men. Ambrose is a very accomplished historian and author, the book the dialog and the movie all reflect his superior work and abilities
Crimson Tide
Crimson Tide was a great movie to watch. It would be hard to go wrong with this team. Gene Hackman (Enemy of the State) plays Captain Ramsey, Commander of the U.S.S Alabama. A U.S. Nuclear submarine equipped with twenty-five nuclear warheads. Danzel Washington plays Lt. Commander Hunter, second in command of the U.S.S. Alabama and (XO) Executive Officer. Directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun).
Dances With Wolves
Dances With Wolves is one of the best westerns ever made. Everything about the movie was done well. If there was anything at all to snivel about, it would be the fact that it was a one sided movie. It shows the white man invading the American west from the view of the Lakota Sioux . The movie portrays the US Cavalry as ignorant, ruthless, unjust and unprovoked war mongers. There are two sides to every story and this film shows one. I enjoy the movie Dances With Wolves every time I watch it. I have the new DVD in my personal collection. I would recommend this movie to anyone! Even folks who do not generally like westerns seem to enjoy Dances With Wolves. Winning nearly ten Academy awards, Costner surely did something right.
Enemy At The Gates
Enemy at The Gates is the best sniper film that I have seen. It also shows the viewer the conditions which the Russian soldier had to endure during WWII. For a in depth review that reflects my opinion on this film have a look at Bruguru‘s review of this film.
Full Metal Jacket
The morality of war...? The meaningless loss of life in war... and so on and so fourth. It's definitely not a movie that the Marine Corps would hand out to potential recruits. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who has been in the military or enjoys military type flicks.
Gettysburg
A very powerful and passionate movie! This movie will introduce you to what the war was really about (very steadfast & passionate beliefs). It will show you how passionate both sides were. It let's you know why these men fought and died for their beliefs. When I browsed through this chapter in college It really left no big impression on me. I had no feelings about the war one way or the other. President Lincoln freed the slaves and on to the reconstruction period. What the movie does well is this. It gives you a perspective of the war from several Confederate and Union officers. I found myself so caught up in this movie, I was very sympathetic for both sides. So in the end I was happy for the Union. While at the same time, very sad for the honorable southern Gentlemen, general's and their men.
Hamburger Hill
Hamburger Hill is an excellent film about the Vietnam war from one perspective anyway. For a great in-depth review of the film have a look at George Cabot‘s review of this film.
Ike
IKE - The Countdown To D-Day is an in-depth look into the nuts and bolts of Operation Overlord. I have seen several films that show this operation from the soldiers perspective, films such as Saving Private Ryan and Band Of Brothers. This is the first film that I have ever seen, that gives the viewer a look into what, how, when and why the high command dealt with every little detail of the largest amphibious assault in the history of the world. This film shows us details and concerns of the operation that I was not aware of. General Eisenhower was a solid tactician, strategist, General, leader and politician. His ability to successfully deal with such a variety of people may have been his best asset. He was able to deal with the likes of fanatics such as General Patton, Egos such as General Montgomery and utter morons like the French General DeGaulle. Not to mention his superiors like General Marshall, President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.
John Wayne and the Cowboys
The Cowboys is with out a doubt, one of the best westerns ever made. The film is very likable to most viewers. The reason is the superb character development and acting. You get to know and grow to like these courageous young boys that are doing a mans work. The young boys all do an outstanding job of acting in the film. Then, there is John Wayne. For fans of western films, It just don’t get any better than John Wayne. I like all of John Wayne’s films and this is among his best. He is a natural in this movie. He plays an excellent father figure to the boys. The only film where he may have performed better was in his last film in 1976, The Shootist. The acting by the entire cast was splendid! The character development was just excellent!
Knights Tale
The Knights Tale is a one of a kind film. I have never seen anything quite like it. It’s a unique blend of Medieval jousting and Knights, mixed with a bushel of humor! Most of the Medieval films that I have seen are very serious and usually deadly. On top of that we get to listen to a good mixture of Rock & Roll during the film. Some of the music includes Queens; We will Rock You. The film contains friendship, love, plenty of action and jousting, good music, excellent dialog, a lot of humor and a nasty bad guy. The character development was well done. We get to know all of the characters in just the right amounts. This helps with the pace of the film. The films lasts just over two hours and I never even noticed it’s extra long length. The story is intelligent and very enjoyable
Lost Battalion
The Lost Battalion is one of the best war films that I had ever seen. The thousands of men that needlessly died in the Argonne Forest have finally had their story told. They will not be forgotten! Over six hundred courageous soldiers charged the German lines in the Argonne forest in October of 1918. Six days later, less than 200 soldiers walked out. Almost all of the survivors suffered from some kind of a wound. Five soldiers earned the Congressional Medal Of Honor for their actions during this six day battle. The hand to hand combat and the fierce fighting took it‘s toll on everyone involved. Consequently, Major Whittlesey who had been a successful attorney before the war, killed himself just three years after the war ended. He was also one of the soldiers that earned the Congressional Medal Of Honor.
Men of Honor
If Men Of Honor were not inspired by a true story it would have been a decent film. The fact that a man lived through these many obstacles is remarkable to me. With the right mind set a person can over come many things, Carl Brashear is living proof. The story is inspiring. The acting by Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert De Niro was top notch. Gooding's part had to be a difficult piece to play, he played the part very well. De Niro was superb! He is right up there with R. Lee Ermey (Drill Instructor in Full Metal Jacket) when it comes to playing ornery instructors. The cast was great. The Cinematography was also well done. The many underwater scenes were realistic and well shot.
North and the South
The North and The South is a film about the American Civil War in its entirety. This film is a collection of several episodes. This movie stars Patrick Swayze and is 12 hours if I am remembering correctly.
Open Range
I really enjoyed the acting. Duvall is great as always and excels in his part as boss Spearman. I can’t find a movie with Duvall in it that I don’t enjoy, the man is an outstanding actor. Costner also did a good job playing his part as Charlie Waite. I did not care for the character though. He was as fast as lightning with a gun and a very genuine guy but a bit thick headed. I think it might have been better if the character was a bit more intelligent. Some of his lines made him sound like a bonehead. Then there was Annette Bening who I think is a splendid actress. She is easy to watch and plays her part as Sue, well.
Passion of the Christ
There are a lot of mixed feelings about the film. Some people believe that the film was entirely too graphic, while others feel that the film is a masterpiece. Although I do not think that the film is a masterpiece, I think the film was very good. I think Gibson did just what he was trying to do. He wanted to make the most realistic film about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and he did just that. He intended on making a film that was just like the day Christ was crucified. He wanted every lash of the whip, every punch from a Roman fist, every betrayal of his followers, and every judge of his life to be noted in his film, and they were.
Quigley Down Under
An extremely underrated movie! This flick was directed by Simon Wincer, director of Lonesome Dove. I enjoy watching this movie time and time again. Quigley (Tom Selleck) answered an ad he had seen, Expert Sharpshooter Wanted. This American cowboy was deadly with his 50 caliber rifle at unheard of ranges. He got the job and headed for Australia. Until he arrived in Australia, he wasn't exactly sure what the details of the job were. After a week of riding in the back of a buck board wagon he finally arrives at the ranch. He goes off the deep end when the owner tells him that he'll be shooting the aborigines who seemed to stay out of range of their shooting men and their rifles.
Rob Roy
The directing and cinematography were well done. The film had a nice even flow to it. There is just enough action scenes during the movie, not too many. The scenery was awesome! The Scottish highlands are really stunning and beautiful. I'd sure like to go have a look at them in person someday. The performances of Liam Neeson as well as Jessica Lange were also praiseworthy. Acting and directing of this caliber are far and few between. I would recommend Rob Roy to nearly anyone who enjoys movies. It’s a very intelligent movie and not over done with too many action scenes. The film has a good mixture of romance drama, action and spectacular scenery. Rob Roy is a welcome addition to my collection.
Saving Private Ryan
This is by far the best and most graphic war film to date. The movie opens with the invasion of Normandy, June 6th, 1944. The landing craft hits the beach and THE TROOP DOOR FALLS OPEN! The landing craft was directly in front of a German fortification manned by German machine gunners. The German fortifications open up with everything they have! The next ten minutes of the movie were so horrific & graphic that I sat there with a numb, sick feeling as people left the theater. If you've ever wanted to have some vague idea of what a war is like for a soldier, don't miss this movie. If you've ever wanted to have some vague idea of what Soldiers, sailors and airmen paid for our Freedom, don't miss this movie.
Troy
TROY is an epic and spectacular piece of film making. Wolfgang Petersen continues to crank out quality films! TROY is based on Homers book, lliad. The film was a lot better than I was expecting. After reading several reviews of the movie, I was expecting a mediocre movie. I was pleasantly surprised and found the movie to be very good! I have always enjoyed Wolfgang Petersons’ films; Das Boot, Enemy Mine and The Perfect Storm is just some of the quality films that Peterson has directed, that I really enjoy watching. Petersen’s directing is as solid as it gets in Troy.
U 571
For a great in-depth review of the film have a look at Aliventiasylum review of this film.
Vanilla Sky
I honestly enjoyed this one! I must admit that it will not appeal to some people but to me it did. Vanilla Sky had some of the characteristics of The Sixth Sense, the Matrix and the Twilight Zone! After you watch it the first time I recommend watching it again. You will see a lot more the second time around.
We Were Soldiers
We Were Soldiers is about this battle and the men that fought there. It was documented by a young journalist by the name of Joe Galloway. The film starts out by showing the viewer a few training scenes. It is just enough to develop a couple of the main characters and their wives. The film wastes little time stateside, in Fort Benning Georgia. As the film progresses into the battle, it comes back to Fort Benning, Georgia. This is so we can see what the wives and their families are going through as the battle rages overseas. The film and its flow works quite well. We Were Soldiers stars Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott.
X Men
For a great in-depth review of the film have a look at Dragonfire88 review of this film.
Y I drew a blank on Y man…
Zulu is a real good film starring Michael Caine. It’s a film about the British Army getting a brutal spanking at the hands of the an under estimated African Zulu tribe. For a great review of this film have a look at George Chabots review (just click on any link for a full review of the films).
Thanks to romasuave for hosting this interesting write off. For more information on the A to Z W/O just click here → (O)
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Thanks for the read,
Joe McMaster
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