Tag: War

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – World Cinema – P – Insyriated (2017) Movie Review

This is under P because of the director Philippe Van Leeuw

Director: Philippe Van Leeuw

Writer: Philippe Van Leeuw (Screenplay)

Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bou Abboud, Juliette Navis, Mohsen Abbas, Moustapha Al Kar, Alissar Kaghadou

Plot: A mother attempts to keep her family safe as war rages and a sniper lies in wait outside her home. This nerve-wracking study of life in Damascus won an Audience Award at Berlinale.

Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Intense Drama

Story: Insyriated starts as we meet Oum Yazan (Abbass) who is living with her family in a warzone, the streets are kept empty because of a ruthless sniper, with her children, Delhani (Navis) Yara (Kaghadou), Aliya (Halabi), they are joined by a neighbour Halima (Abboud) and grandpa.

The group keep themselves quiet and safe during any of the attacks being felt on the streets, showing they will do whatever is necessary to make sure they stay in the home and safe from all the dangers of war.

Thoughts on Insyriated

Characters – Oum Yazan is the mother and daughter, home owner that doesn’t want to see her own family killed with the war outside their door, she wants to keep them all safe with strict rules that can make this happen, she sees the horrors outside the door and must turn away from helping anyone else. Halima has just had a baby, with her husband out for resources, find himself shot, only for Halima not to know this, she is planning on leaving once he returns, only here she is trapped for the horrendous ordeal of unwanted visitors. Delhani is one of the elder children, she witnesses the shot and does help around the house more than the rest of the children. We do have the rest of the family that work and need protecting from the outside world.

Performances – When it comes to the performances Hiam Abbass and Diamand Bou Abboud are the stars of the show, going through the most intense scenes, dealing with the biggest traumas of war, while needing to remain strong for the rest of the family.

Story – The story here shows a family living in the middle of a war-torn city that haven’t left because it is their home, we see how they must look to survive the terrors outside their door. The story shows how much fear can be held within one family, how they have little option but to stay together through the ordeals. We see how they get through bombing nights, needing to hide out from visitors all in an attempt to survive the world they have become trapped in. we are kept on the edge of our seats as we like family members know the fate of Halima’s husband, as she waits for his return and we are stuck waiting to see if they family can make it through the horrors of war.

War – The war side of this film shows us just how dangerous living in the middle of a warzone would be, how risky it would be to stay and how people will do anything to stay safe.

Settings – The film keeps us in one single apartment, it shows how close the family are, how they must look to be together through the horror filled night battles, showing how trapped they have become.


Scene of the Movie – Hardest scene it the visitors, the scene you will remember the most for the pure shock in it.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing.

Final Thoughts – This is a powerful look at how war does affect everyone trapped in the middle, no matter the age and how it is always going to be hard to walk away from their home.

Overall: Powerful.

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Movie Review

Enemy Lines (2020) Movie Review

Director: Anders Banke

Writer: Michael Wright (Screenplay) Tom George (Story)

Starring: Ed Westwick, John Hannah, Corey Johnson, Tom Wisdom, Pawel Delag, Ekaterina Vladimirova

Plot: In the frozen, war torn landscape of occupied Poland during World War II, a crack team of allied commandos are sent on a deadly mission behind enemy lines to extract a rocket scientist from the hands of the Nazis.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: War 101

Story: Enemy Lines starts when American General McCloud (Johnson) turns to British Colonel Preston (Hannah) to use his men to help Major Kaminski (Westwick) looks to extract a rocket scientist Dr Fabien (Delag) from Poland under the guard of the Germans, to bring back to the American’s.

Once the team has Fabien, the next challenge is getting home, with Kaminski needing to use his connections in Poland to elude the Germans that are now hunting down the people that have their scientist.

Thoughts on Enemy Lines

Characters – Kaminski is the American Major that is leading the mission, his connection to Poland is key to the mission with him being fluent in Polish and knows how important this mission will be, he shows the leadership, while making the tough decisions along the way. Colonel Preston is the British Colonel that must select a unit to support Kaminski, he picks his best and gives them everything they can to achieve the mission working with the General. General McCloud arranges the mission, he watches over the potential outcome with Preston, with them always planning their ideas to survive the situation. We do get to meet the unit, the resistance soldiers that are helping in the extraction, as well as the rocket scientist that is being extracted, who has become conflicted with the potential weapon he could create.

Performances – Ed Westwick in the leading role is the strongest part of the mission, with John Hannah and Corey Johnson doing everything right from the war room scenes. Elsewhere we don’t have the strongest acting, but most of the characters are meant to just be part of a military unit.

Story – The story here follows a mission which sees British and American soldiers going behind enemy lines in Poland to extract a scientist who could help swing the victory of war and we follow the mission unfolding. This story does show the mission happening, it is a behind enemy lines mission, only it doesn’t feel as intense as it could do, we get to see how both sides are looking to capture the scientist. The story plays out like most stories in this genre, where we see how what could be a routine mission, does require something else to happen to make it a success, which should give the leader of the mission a dilemma about what to do if a problem arises.

War – The film is set in World War II, with the mission being targeted in Poland, the war sequences being routine military positions with bullets flying.

Settings – The settings are used for military positioning for the battles trying to get their hands on the scientist.


Scene of the Movie – The extraction.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not enough John Hannah.

Final Thoughts – This is a war movie that doesn’t become as intense as the mission implies, though it does like to look at the bigger decision of what the scientist could bring to the war.

Overall: Routine War Film.

Signature Entertainment presents Enemy Lines on DVD & Digital HD from May 4th

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Movie Review

Wings (1927) Movie Review

Director: William A Wellman

Writer: Hope Loring, Louis D Lighton (Screenplay) John Monk Saunders (Story)

Starring: Clara Bow, Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen, Jobyna Ralston, El Brendel, Richard Tucker, Gary Cooper

Plot: Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.


Tagline – An Epic of the Air

Runtime: 2 Hours 24 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Beautiful Portray of Love & War

Story: Wings starts as two young men Jack Powell (Rogers) and David Armstrong (Arlen) both sign up to become fighter pilots in the First World War, they are from different backgrounds, with Jack working with his hands, which has seen him get the attention of Mary Preston (Bow) and David being rich, with the pair both seeking the attention of Sylvia Lewis (Ralston).

What starts out in rivalry soon becomes friendship between the two men as through their training, they learn they need to be on the same side and want the same thing from their time in the service. They are followed by Mary who has taken up a job where she delivers medical supplies to troops, all while her love for Jack continues to grow.

Thoughts on Wings

Characters – Mary Preston has worked with Jack Powell for years, they work on cars and her love for Jack is clear, she doesn’t get the attention she desires of him though, with the men at war, she uses her driving skills to deliver medical supplies, hoping to find Jack too, which sees her needing to find a way to act more lady like for the era. Jack Powell is from the working class bracket of people, he has always been great with cars and mechanics, which sees him sign up for the air force during world war 1, he will do what he can get impress the rich Sylvia to whom he loves and after years of rivalry with David, they will become friends. David Armstrong has come from a rich family, he is set to be marrying Sylvia one day if the families have their say, he sees Jack as a rival, until they fight side by side in the skies. Sylvia is the woman that both men are fighting for the attention of, they both see her as the perfect woman and will go to lengths to impress her.

Performances – This being a silent movie, all the work from the actors in the film comes from face expressions and movements, which they are all fantastic with, Clara Bow shows the pain of being in love with somebody who doesn’t want you, while Charles Rogers and Richard Arlen show the rivalry men can have when it comes to women.

Story – The story here follows two men from different backgrounds, one rich one working class, that are both fighting for the same woman, who join the air force to impress, where they become friends and learn the horrors of war. This is a story that is one that shows that love can be something people will always do crazy things for, it shows how the war bought enemies together and for a movie made in 1927, showed us a strong female character willing to go into war, unlike many films for years to come. Being a silent movie, we do get the expression and action doing a lot of the storytelling around the dialogue which is interesting because it keeps away a lot of unnecessary dialogue certain war films turn too.

Romance/War – The romance in this film shows how people will do strange things for love, you might not always see it right under your nose either, with the war being the main location that our characters all go to impress, the dog fight scenes are brilliant to watch, with the use of music making a big impact on the quality too.

Settings – The film uses the settings you would expect to see the war fought at, while we see the ground shots, it is when we are in the sky watching the dog fights that we get to feel the peril the characters are going through.


Scene of the Movie – Any of the dog fights.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It does play into stereotypes of other nationalities.

Final Thoughts – This is a genius war movie that rightly deserved to win the first Oscar, it brings us a story that shows how much people would have risked for war and just how far they would go for love.

Overall: Brilliant.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Catch-Up 2019 – # – Squadron 303 (2018) Movie Review

Director: Denis Delic

Writer: Chris Burdza, Thomsz Kepski, Jacek Samojolwicz (Screenplay) Arkady Fiedler (Book)

Starring: Piotr Adamczyk, Kirk Barker, Gabriela Calun, Maciej Cymorek, Nik Goldman, Antoni Krolikowski, Cara Theobold, Maciej Zakoscielny

Plot: This is the story of the highly regarded fighter squadron, in which served mainly airmen from Poland, in the history of aerial combat and their heroic defence of England during WW2, Battle of Britain against Nazi attacks. The 303 Squadron shot three times more Luftwaffe planes than any other allied squadrons.

Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Weak War Movie

Story: Squadron 303 starts at the beginning of World War II, the Polish air force have joined forces with the British, Witold Urbanowicz (Adamczyk) leads the small squadron, while the higher ups in England don’t want to rely on outside help.

As the Polish pilots prove themselves to be deadly in the air, their reputations start to grow, with a once famous actress Victoria Brown (Theobold) is being used to learn about the skills of the Polish. The longer the Polish stay in England the bigger their part in the war defence, which will one day make them heroes.

Thoughts on Squadron 303

Characters – Witold Urbanoqicz is the Polish general that is sent to try and control the pilots that are starting to get out of hand, not getting involved in their behaviour, but answering to the superiors who know what they must risk. Donald is the flashiest pilot, he will often go against orders, knowing he has the skills to get the job done in the skies. Victoria Brown is an actress that is bought into show some photo for the papers, while getting assigned to help the British watch the Polish pilots, slowly falling in love with one of them. We get to meet other Polish pilots, who are close and cockier than the English, while the English are more stuck up and determined to not be out flashed.

Performances – When it comes to the performances, most of the actors do struggle to make an impact, because the story decisions just make things more difficult for anybody to reach their potential.

Story – The story here follows the Polish pilots that join forces with the British Air Force during World War II, where they must first overcome the discrimination towards them, and secondly get involved with the new heroism that is thrust upon them. This should be a story about the incredible fight the Polish pilots showed during World War II, only it just seems to dwindle into a bit of one upmanship and weird uncomfortable love angle. By the end of the film, you won’t feel anything, the random time jumps, showing why the man are fighting, only leaves us trying to keep up, though it could have show us a lot more from what it had to work with.

War – The war side of the film does show us dog fights, which don’t look as intense as they could be, which also leaves us disappointed.

Settings – The film uses the basic world war settings, showing how the people could have been in a new environment, waiting for the time that conflict comes their way.


Scene of the Movie – The first dog fight.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Bad time jumps.

Final Thoughts – This is a disappoint war film that just doesn’t get going into the reality of war, making it feel like a small holiday with the way everything is shot.

Overall: Disappointing.

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Movie Review

1917 (2019) Movie Review

Director: Sam Mendes

Writer: Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Screenplay)

Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays, Colin Firth, pip Carter, Andy Apollo, Paul Tinto

Plot: Two young British soldiers during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldiers’ brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.


Tagline – Time is the enemy.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Sensational

Story: 1917 starts as Lance Corporal Blake (Chapman) is assigned to pick one man, Lance Corporal Schofield (MacKay) to get a new mission from General Erinmore (Firth), their mission is to travel across enemy lines to deliver a message to stop a battalion of soldiers walking into a trap set by the Germans.

The two must travel at speed, with time against them, walking into the unknown, knowing they need to get to the battalion to hopeful save the soldiers including Blake’s own brother.

Thoughts on 1917

Characters – We do only focus on two main soldiers, Lance Corporal Blake whose brother is in one of the battalions the two are trying to stop attacking, he is more of a talking, can’t wait to get home, very close to his family, while Lance Corporal Schofield has been in the war longer, seen more horrors, keeps his horrors to himself and isn’t as excited about return home, for his own reason, which we learn through the journey. The two must work together to try and get to the battalions, each step is taking them to the unknown, needing to prepared for anything. We do meet other military people, whose job is to help the two continue their journey if they cross paths.

Performances – George MacKay is brilliant, proving yet again this guy is one of the best rising stars in the industry today, while Dean-Charles Chapman is excellent too, they two do have chemistry that shows off both their strengths in the characters they are playing.

Story – The story follows two soldiers that must travel into no man’s land in an attempt to try and stop an attack, which would see thousands of soldiers walking into an ambush. The story is kept very simple, it is showing as if we are following the two’s every step, seeing each obstacle they must face along the way, which shows the different horrors of war. We don’t get overly close to the two soldiers, while learning a little bit, not having a cheery conversation like other war films. This is one story that is easy to follow, we get the music which prepares us for anything that happens, as well as having a chance to keep us guessing about if, or how they get to their destination.

War – When it comes to the war side of the film, we get to see the environment the men would have been living between the fights, the surroundings that would have been left in the aftermath of the battles.

Settings – The film shows the war effects on the land, we see the destroyed town, the claustrophobic trenches, the fear of no man’s land, it is beautiful and haunting to see the settings.


Scene of the Movie – The line run.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – Sometimes the camerawork can leave us losing our position in the scenes.

Final Thoughts – This is one of the best war films you will ever see, it is shot like one take, which makes us follow their journey, adding the tension to every single moment of the film.

Overall: Simply Breath Taking.

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Movie Review

Beyond the Line (2019)

Director: Jason Mills

Writer: Jason Mills (Screenplay)

Starring: Chris Walters, Jackson Berlin, Darren Andrichuk, Stephen Kloppenburg, Robert Allen Hughes

 

Plot: It’s the close of World War II. Unwilling to surrender, rogue German forces shoot down a returning British squadron leaving Sydney Baker wounded and lost with the enemy closing in. He’s saved by American soldier and the duo must face their fears, both internal and external, to defeat the enemy and make it back to friendly territory alive.


Tagline – Never Give Up

Runtime: 1 Hour 18 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Survivors Story

 

Story: Beyond the Line starts with the German’s surrendering in World War II, only certain forces of the German’s aren’t going down without a fight, as they shoot down a British squadron with the lone survivor Sydney Baker (Walters) finding himself trapped behind enemy lines, rescued by American William Summers (Berlin) the two team up to try and get to safety against the large number of German soldiers still in the woods.

As the number of German bodies piles up, the more German soldiers go in search for the enemy taking out their own, with the two-man army needing to face impossible odds to survive.

 

Thoughts on Beyond the Line

 

Characters – Sydney Baker is a nervous soldier that is on his final mission, he is involved in a plane crash after being shot down, being the lone survivor, needing to find his way through enemy lines woodland area. He must learn to be a soldier that will fight if he has any chance to survive with the help of William Summers. William Summers is an American soldier that is out for revenge against the Germans that took out his whole unit, he will kill anybody that gets his way and even pushes Sydney to become stronger in the field.

Performances – We only have two actors who get any real screen time, Chris Walters is our British solider that shows us how many soldiers weren’t ready to be in war, while Jackson Berlin does show how prepared a soldier would be to fight for the right thing. Both actors don’t put a foot wrong through the film which is nice to see, even if they don’t get challenged as much as they could be.

Story – The story here follows to soldiers that are trapped behind enemy lines, where they must fight to survive against the Germans looking to hunt down any remaining soldiers left in their land. This is a very simple story when it comes to a war story, we get the basics of surviving done without feeling like we are facing threat that you feel will put them in danger, even though they are in extreme danger. The story is told in the form of a flashback which does give us heavy vibes about how Saving Private Ryan did everything, even if it goes in its own direction. It does show us how two different people will need to work together to make it through the tough situation they find themselves in too.

War – When it comes to the war genre, one of the major factors we see a lot, is just how difficult the situation the soldiers found themselves in and how many odds they needed to overcome as well as how not everybody was in the right condition to be fighting in the first place, this give us all of that.

Settings – The film is set within woodland area, this shows us the struggles the soldiers are facing, while giving them enough cover to make it out of the situation, if they play it correctly.


Scene of the Movie – The barn.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The lack of feeling of peril.

Final Thoughts – This is a strong look at how the war did make things difficult for the soldiers fighting, how they must overcome the odds if they want to survive.

 

Overall: A strong war survival story.

Rating

 

 

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Movie Review

Robert the Bruce (2019)

Director: Richard Gray

Writer: Eric Belgau, Angus Macfadyen (Screenplay)

Starring: Angus Macfadyen, Anna Hutchison, Zach McGowan, Diarmaid Murtagh, Gabriel Bateman, Talitha Bateman, Emma Kenney, Daniel Portman, Patrick Fugit, Merlora Walters, Shane Coffey, Brandon Lessard, Kevin McNailly, Jared Harris

 

Plot: The story of nobleman-turned-outlaw hero who was crowned king of Scots in the 14th century.


Tagline – He Empowered a People, He Fought for Freedom, To Defy An Empire.

Runtime: 2 Hours 4 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Scottish History Without the Battles

 

Story: Robert the Bruce starts after William Wallace is defeated, Robert the Bruce (Macfadyen) and John Comyn (Harris) are fighting for control of Scotland, with John coming up the winner, Robert isn’t willing to take this defeat laying down, with his loyal soldiers James Douglas (Murtagh) planning to take Scotland back.

With Robert injured, Morag (Hutchison) and her family discover him, nursing him back to health despite being in a heavily Comyn control area, with Brandubh (McGowan) hunting down anyone who supporting Robert the Bruce, he must regain his strength to take his rightful place on the throne of Scotland.

 

Thoughts on Robert the Bruce

 

Characters – Robert the Bruce is the man that was crowned king of Scotland after the English were defeated, he wasn’t everybody’s first choice, which sees him needing to fight for his place on the throne, which sees him being left for dead, while his opposition takes control of the land, eliminating anybody who supports him. John Comyn is the other man that believes he could be king of Scotland, he has taken control in the battle against Robert, which sees him continuing to use the connections with English, much to anger of the Scots. Morag is the single mother that saw her husband killed fighting for Robert, she must raise her children believing John is the rightful ruler, either if her stories tell of Robert’s bravery.  Brandubh is related to Morag, he is willing to kill anybody that doesn’t fight for his own country, which sees him trying to hunt down Robert the Bruce.

Performances – Angus Macfadyen reprises his former role of Robert the Bruce, one he played in Braveheart, he brings us a wise leader performance through the film. Jared Harris might have a supporting role, but after this year, you want to pause and watch any scene this man is in. Anna Hutchison does bring us a stronger performance than you would expect from her, with her getting to show that she can handle a serious role. Zach McGowan does a lot of the heavy lifting in this film, he is the one that gets to handle the most action through the film, with him being the villain for large parts of the film which otherwise would involve less action.

Story – The story here follows Robert the Bruce who became of the King of Scotland in the aftermath of the William Wallace battles against the English. Now this is set up to be some what of a sequel to Braveheart, which it is only in continuing a story, not in film story. we do play into the idea of how Scotland was left in the unknown after the battle, with two people fighting for the leadership, with the people left divided and calm required to make the land complete once again. The pacing of the story does come off slow in places which doesn’t help because, it is mostly a mother trying to prove to her children who should be king, and who they should tell people they respect more to remain safe. If you know your history the end of the film isn’t going to be a mystery to you and it does feel like there could have been a bigger impact with certain things that happen in this story.

History – This is a history lesson to the people that wanted to know more historic accuracy behind Scotland’s independence from England, unlike what Braveheart did.

Settings – The film does make us feel like we are in part of Scotland, we get to see how the condition made the events of the film difficult for the men fighting for the rightful cause.


Scene of the Movie – The crown.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – It is about 30 minutes too long for everything that is told in this story.

Final Thoughts – This is an interesting look at the history of Robert the Bruce and his rise to become king of Scotland, seeing how he overcame odds to take his place on the throne. Everything is acted well, never looking out of place.

 

Overall: History lesson.

Rating