War movies have been a fixture of the cinema since its inception. Similarly, war itself has been a fixture of humanity’s existence since its dawn. Some films contemplate the pointlessness of war, attempting to use incredible levels of violence to suggest that war itself is a horror, something that could never be engaged in. Other …
‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’ is smart, funny, and does an adequate job projecting the illusion of substance.
With the recent cinematic release of the latest installment of The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay- Part 1, it seems to be the perfect time to look into some of the more predominant themes and allegorical references in this wildly popular franchise. Being that these films have been adapted from Suzanne Collin’s trilogy of bestselling …
Tangerines is the type of slow-builder that completely sneaks up on you. It’s like wandering through the fog of a spell until the magician snaps you back to reality. Director Zaza Urushadze has created a powerful anti-war statement without even raising his voice. War may be hell, but these characters call it home. Tangerines is an Oscar-nominated gem that showcases humanity at its horrifying worst and inspirational best.
Earth 2 #28 Written by Tom Taylor & Marguerite Bennett Art by Alisson Borges, Andy Smith, Trevor Scott, Javier Fernandez, Diogenes Neves, & Marc Deering Published by DC Comics This month’s issue of Earth 2 does something quite unexpected by focusing on the Furies of Apokolips. A major question that’s loomed over this series since …
Fury Written & Directed by David Ayer USA, 2014 Brad Pitt’s new tank drama, Fury, is an unrelentingly grim affair that strives for greatness and occasionally reaches it. What could have been reduced to ‘300 in a tank’ has been expanded to a gripping human drama that values the soul just as much as …
We’ve seen countless films depicting the monstrosity of World War II, but The Notebook gives us an unflinching look at the monsters it created. Both observant and nonjudgmental, director, János Szász, drops us into a war zone bereft of borders or buffers. Allegiances crumble and shift like the tattered landscape, where even familial ties yield to stark necessity. This is a challenging film that reaffirms the survival of the human spirit, not through acts of courage or bravery, but by harnessing our spitefulness and hatred to outlast the enemy. Whether the soul can endure such a coldhearted transformation is left for the audience to decide.
As visual animals, to a large extent, something doesn’t truly exist until we see it. What, then, do we make of memories, which may seem just as real as any image, but are subject to degradation and bias? They are the ethereal made real; flights of fancy, fact and practical necessity. Level Five, produced in 1997 and recently restored for a limited North American release, finds accomplished film essayist, Chris Marker, questioning the nature of memory in the new digital age. Though his big ideas and haunting visuals never quite coalesce, Marker still provides a fascinating peek into the darkest corners of humanity.
Graveyard of Empires Vol. 1 TP Story: Mark Sable Art: Paul Azaceta Colours: Matthew Wilson Letterer/Desginer: Thomas Mauer Publisher: Image Comics War has been a tough sell in Hollywood over the last decade, with a number of high profile films barely making a dent in the box-office. With the exception of Zero Dark Thirty, it seems …
“an adequate addition to the Iraq War films sub-genre, but unfortunately not a particularly memorable one” Green Zone Directed by Paul Greengrass The combat film has a tradition in American cinema almost as storied as the Western. Like many genres of the time, the war film transformed in the 1970’s to compensate for the negative …