Thursday Thirteen #37

Thirteen Things about Valtool Thirteen Favorite War Movies (in no specific order) 1. Glory - Matthew Broderick was a supporting character as the Colonel of the first all black regiment commissioned by the United States Army. Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, and Andre Braugher stole the film though. I'm told the historical innacuracy level was high, especially in the charge on the Confederate forrt at the end. 2. Gettysburg - In my mind, the best film focussing on the American Civil War. Ted Turner funded this project which had Martin Sheen as General Robert E. Lee, and a great supporting cast including Sam Elliott, Tom Berenger, Jeff Daniels and C. Thomas Howell. 3. Braveheart - A group of people determined to fight or die for the freedom to live their lives without the rule of a tyrant influencing their every breath. 4. Patton - If you like tanks.... George C. Scott in his defining role. 5. Saving Private Ryan - An examination of an intriguing question. How many lives should you risk in order to save one and in doing so assuage the grief of a mother. Another ensemble cast lead by Tom Hanks, and one of Steven Spielberg's best directoral works. 6. The Patriot - When I forst saw this, I considered it a sequel to Braveheart. Here's Mel Gibson leading rebels against England hundreds of years after the last time, but it grew on me. I especially liked his friend who later went on to play the angel Earl in TNT's Saving Grace. 7. Last of the Mohicans - one of my two favorite Daniel Day Lewis films. Beautifully filmed in the North Carolina mountains, with a wonderful score and a brilliant adaptation of the novel. 8. M*A*S*H - the anti-war war movie. Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Robert Duvall, Sally Kellerman, and Gary Burgough (the only cast member from the movie to appear in the TV series. 9. Kelly's Heroes - Another untypical story for a war movie. This was more of a heist movie during a war, with a comic element and yet another ensemble cast lead by Clint Eastwood, and featuring Donald Sutherland as a hippie tank commander (a hippie in WW II). 10. Red Dawn - It's not based on a real war, but if you liked action films in the 80's, this was a great one. Wolverines! 11. Cold Mountain - Here's a look at how a war affects those who are left behind while the men go off to fight. I don't care much for Jude Law, but I have to say Nicole Kidman is beautiful, and Renee Zellwegger was awesome as Ruby. 12. Rambo : First Blood Part 2 - Stallone was in his prime at a time when feel good about America kicking evil nation's asses was a primary theme for action films. John J. Rambo, you are NOT expendable. 13. Stripes - Okay, it's an army movie, no actual war, but it is hilarious. Men understand why Stripes is funny (or at least I read that once online). Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Jude Rheinhold, and Joh Laroquette.

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