Grounded by a bad head cold, I ushered out the final hours of 2012 by watching the movie "Memorial Day" on Netflix.
It featured a World War II vet begrudgingly talking about his wartime experiences with a curious and insistent grandson in the early 1990s. It tugged at me, because in the movie the veteran character actor James Cromwell resembled my father physically and in his speaking patterns.
Not to mention his reluctance to talk about his combat experiences in World War II. I certainly understood it from the standpoint of not wanting to think about or relive the terrors of combat, or have the memories of close friends killed in battle resurrected from the hazy mists of the past.
But, as Cromwell's character noted late in the movie, souvenirs of battle are valuable for the stories that come with them - stories that reflect who we are and how we handled the challenges we faced.
That chat about a few souvenirs on a solitary Memorial Day weekend afternoon was all Cromwell's character shared about his war-time experiences, and it reminded me that so many family members who had loved ones serve in combat never hear about what that experience was like.
Compared to so many of them, I and my family have an encyclopedia of information about where and how Dad fought in France and Germany late in the war. Oh, I wanted more details, and poked and prodded and pleaded with him over the years. He shared in bits and pieces, and on a couple of occasions ricocheted from beginning to end - taxing ordeals that left him exhausted. I wanted more, because I knew the more he shared the more people would appreciate the man he was late in life, how much he accomplished despite the high physical and emotional price he paid while defending and protecting freedom.
In the years since he died in 2006, I have found hand-written notes scrawled in book margins, on notebook paper, on Big Chief tablet sheets...all sorts of places. I'm trying to pull it together into a cohesive narrative, so future generations can be blessed with his stories of what he experienced in combat.
To understand my father, you have to understand what he went through in battle and how it changed him. He once told me he was glad he was in combat, that he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world - but that he also wouldn't want to go through it again for anything in the world.
What he went through was so intense, so difficult, that when he would talk about them to Gulf War veterans struggling with post traumatic stress disorder they wouldn't believe him. "It couldn't have been that bad," they said. But it was that bad, and worse still for countless other veterans.
The stories are vital, for they are vivid tapestries of the human experience and reflections of the human spirit responding to extraordinary circumstances.
Plus, they are reminders of what Confederate general Robert E. Lee meant when he said, "It is good that war is so terrible, or we would come to love it."
Stories of all kinds are vital pieces of family and community history, so I encourage you to share them whenever and however you can. Too often they die with loved ones, and valuable knowledge and inspiration is lost.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Twins
I just finished watching a Dutch film called "Twin Sisters," chronicaling the lives of twins separated at a young age after their father's death in Holland in the 1920s. One goes with relatives to Germany, the other to relatives in Holland.
As you can expect, they lived very different lives over the next several decades --- differences that wrenched them apart for most of their lives even after they had opportunities to reconnect. It was food for thought about the bonds of families - even of twins....something I'm conscious of, being a twin myself.
As a twin, you want to have your own identity...yet you are also aware that there's someone out there with whom you are closer - in ways that can be difficult to describe - than you are to almost anyone else.
Even if you're fraternal twins, such as I am with my brother.
I guess it comes down to striking a balance. Cherishing that connection while still living our own lives - thankfully in much less harrowing circumstances than these cinematic siblings.
As you can expect, they lived very different lives over the next several decades --- differences that wrenched them apart for most of their lives even after they had opportunities to reconnect. It was food for thought about the bonds of families - even of twins....something I'm conscious of, being a twin myself.
As a twin, you want to have your own identity...yet you are also aware that there's someone out there with whom you are closer - in ways that can be difficult to describe - than you are to almost anyone else.
Even if you're fraternal twins, such as I am with my brother.
I guess it comes down to striking a balance. Cherishing that connection while still living our own lives - thankfully in much less harrowing circumstances than these cinematic siblings.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The wrath for Khan ---- in many languages
I found myself watching "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan" this afternoon. It may be the best Star Trek movie of them all ---- and I say that even though I enjoyed the newest one quite a bit.
I chuckled when I saw this on Facebook, and wanted to share it with you:
I chuckled when I saw this on Facebook, and wanted to share it with you:
Monday, October 12, 2009
Not just another romantic comedy
I had low expectations when I agreed to go see "Love Happens." The reviews for the 'romantic comedy' starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart were lukewarm at best.
I found the movie to be better than I expected...because it wasn't what I expected. The plot focused on a man who lost his wife in a tragic accident and has used that experience to help others dealing with crippling grief.
Mind you, I brought a different perspective to the cinema, because I wrote about and co-authored a book with Robert Rogers, who miraculously survived a flash flood on the Kansas Turnpike that killed his wife and four children. I couldn't help but think of him as the movie unfolded.
I must say a rather pivotal plot point seemed rather shallow and obvious for a "pivotal moment," but otherwise it rang true in many ways.
I guess the reviewers were frustrated or disappointed because the film didn't follow the standard romantic comedy formula. But to me, that was a strength. There was no stereotypic happy ending, which I found to be a relief, not a disappointment.
It's not a movie that will join the pantheon of cinematic classics, but I'd still give it a solid thumbs up. Frankly, I suspect it had audience members reflecting on how they've dealt with losses in their own lives as they left the theater.
For some, that might be a real downer......but it may be something they need to do.
I found the movie to be better than I expected...because it wasn't what I expected. The plot focused on a man who lost his wife in a tragic accident and has used that experience to help others dealing with crippling grief.
Mind you, I brought a different perspective to the cinema, because I wrote about and co-authored a book with Robert Rogers, who miraculously survived a flash flood on the Kansas Turnpike that killed his wife and four children. I couldn't help but think of him as the movie unfolded.
I must say a rather pivotal plot point seemed rather shallow and obvious for a "pivotal moment," but otherwise it rang true in many ways.
I guess the reviewers were frustrated or disappointed because the film didn't follow the standard romantic comedy formula. But to me, that was a strength. There was no stereotypic happy ending, which I found to be a relief, not a disappointment.
It's not a movie that will join the pantheon of cinematic classics, but I'd still give it a solid thumbs up. Frankly, I suspect it had audience members reflecting on how they've dealt with losses in their own lives as they left the theater.
For some, that might be a real downer......but it may be something they need to do.
Monday, May 18, 2009
75 movies every man should see*
*Or so the June issue of Esquire claims.
I don't agree with every film on this list, but I'll share it anyway. Having not seen many movies lately, I expected only about one-third to be flicks I've watched. But I was wrong: I've seen two-thirds of them.
I'll have to add several to my Netflix list. Here they are, with an asterisk by the ones I've seen and an occasional comment:
1. In the Heat of the Night* Poitier and Steiger - movie magic
2. Slap Shot*
3. Iron Man
4. Jaws*
5. Save the Tiger*
6. Twelve Angry Men* Henry Fonda takes on a room full of bigotry, impatience and anger. Brilliant.
7. Fast Times at Ridgemont High* Eh. Not sure I buy this
8. Chinatown*
9. The Godfather* "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."
10. Fitzcarraldo
11. Ghostbusters*
12. Glory* Denzel Washington's first Oscar
13. Wall Street* "Greed is good"
14. Runaway Train
15. Rosemary's Baby
16. North by Northwest* Esquire calls this 'the first Bond movie' -- love that description
17. Lone Star
18. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly*
19. The Conversation
20. The Thin Blue Line
21. Johnny Dangerously
22. The French Connection*
23. Miller's Crossing
24. The Great Escape* Steve McQueen in the cooler with a ball and a glove
25. Dawn of the Dead
26. Shaun of the Dead
27. Hate
28. First Blood* Sly the Survivalist
29. Bottle Rocket
30. Bad Day at Black Rock* Spencer Tracy takes on racism - with one arm
31. Tootsie* Nope. Doesn't belong
32. Broadcast News*
33. The Terminator*
34. Shakes the Clown
35. Dirty Harry* "Do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"
36. Straw Dogs
37. Raging Bull* Robert DeNiro played Jake LaMotta better than Jake LaMotta
38. Citizen Kane* "Rosebud"
39. The Shining*
40. Fatal Attraction* A new take on rabbit stew
41. The Incredibles
42. Blade Runner* Darryl Hannah, without fins
43. Sling Blade* Depicted the ugliness of domestic violence so truthfully people walked out
44. Giant* Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean...giants
45. Glengarry Glen Ross* Depicted the ugliness of business so truthfully I nearly walked out
46. Serpico* A bad cop gone good - or is it the other way around?
47. Double Indemnity
48. Down by Law
49. The Searchers* John Wayne in one of his most heroic - and hate-filled - roles
50. Do the Right Thing
51. Gone Baby Gone* A journey from nightmare to hope and back again
52. The Big Kahuna
53. M*A*S*H * It spawned an even funnier, and now classic, television series
54. The Verdict* On any short list of Paul Newman's best performances
55. The Warriors
56. Alien* Sigourney Weaver, our hero
57. Stalag 17* I have yet to see a better POW (or prison) movie
58. The Bridge on the River Kwai* Classic theme song, compelling morality tale
59. The Misfits* The last movie for both Gable and Monroe
60. Reservoir Dogs
61. The Maltese Falcon* Bogart takes on the mob. Who do you think wins?
62. Dr. No* Bond. James Bond.
63. Cool Hand Luke* "What we have here is failure to communicate"
64. The Road Warrior
65. Patton* The role George C. Scott was born to play
66. True Romance
67. Run Silent, Run Deep* Classic submarine warfare - who's the bad guy?
68. All Quiet on the Western Front* One of the strongest anti-war movies ever made
69. Platoon* Vietnam, unplugged
70. Caddyshack* "Nnnnnnnnnooonan!"
71. Hud* Paul Newman spelled 'cool' with three letters
72. Blazing Saddles* Singlehandedly killed westerns for more than 20 years
73. Three Kings* Doesn't belong on this list
74. Paths of Glory* Another powerful indictment of the militant mentality
75. On the Waterfront* Most men, at some point, have said or thought, "I coulda been a contendah! I coulda been somebody!"
I can't argue with many of these choices, but I'd add "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Gallipoli" and subtract "Three Kings" and "Tootsie" --- and I say that despite the fact that I fall in love with Jessica Lange every time I stumble across it on cable. And I think I'd substitute "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" or "Risky Business" for "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
I welcome any nominations readers of my blog may offer, just to see what they are...
I don't agree with every film on this list, but I'll share it anyway. Having not seen many movies lately, I expected only about one-third to be flicks I've watched. But I was wrong: I've seen two-thirds of them.
I'll have to add several to my Netflix list. Here they are, with an asterisk by the ones I've seen and an occasional comment:
1. In the Heat of the Night* Poitier and Steiger - movie magic
2. Slap Shot*
3. Iron Man
4. Jaws*
5. Save the Tiger*
6. Twelve Angry Men* Henry Fonda takes on a room full of bigotry, impatience and anger. Brilliant.
7. Fast Times at Ridgemont High* Eh. Not sure I buy this
8. Chinatown*
9. The Godfather* "I'll make him an offer he can't refuse."
10. Fitzcarraldo
11. Ghostbusters*
12. Glory* Denzel Washington's first Oscar
13. Wall Street* "Greed is good"
14. Runaway Train
15. Rosemary's Baby
16. North by Northwest* Esquire calls this 'the first Bond movie' -- love that description
17. Lone Star
18. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly*
19. The Conversation
20. The Thin Blue Line
21. Johnny Dangerously
22. The French Connection*
23. Miller's Crossing
24. The Great Escape* Steve McQueen in the cooler with a ball and a glove
25. Dawn of the Dead
26. Shaun of the Dead
27. Hate
28. First Blood* Sly the Survivalist
29. Bottle Rocket
30. Bad Day at Black Rock* Spencer Tracy takes on racism - with one arm
31. Tootsie* Nope. Doesn't belong
32. Broadcast News*
33. The Terminator*
34. Shakes the Clown
35. Dirty Harry* "Do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"
36. Straw Dogs
37. Raging Bull* Robert DeNiro played Jake LaMotta better than Jake LaMotta
38. Citizen Kane* "Rosebud"
39. The Shining*
40. Fatal Attraction* A new take on rabbit stew
41. The Incredibles
42. Blade Runner* Darryl Hannah, without fins
43. Sling Blade* Depicted the ugliness of domestic violence so truthfully people walked out
44. Giant* Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean...giants
45. Glengarry Glen Ross* Depicted the ugliness of business so truthfully I nearly walked out
46. Serpico* A bad cop gone good - or is it the other way around?
47. Double Indemnity
48. Down by Law
49. The Searchers* John Wayne in one of his most heroic - and hate-filled - roles
50. Do the Right Thing
51. Gone Baby Gone* A journey from nightmare to hope and back again
52. The Big Kahuna
53. M*A*S*H * It spawned an even funnier, and now classic, television series
54. The Verdict* On any short list of Paul Newman's best performances
55. The Warriors
56. Alien* Sigourney Weaver, our hero
57. Stalag 17* I have yet to see a better POW (or prison) movie
58. The Bridge on the River Kwai* Classic theme song, compelling morality tale
59. The Misfits* The last movie for both Gable and Monroe
60. Reservoir Dogs
61. The Maltese Falcon* Bogart takes on the mob. Who do you think wins?
62. Dr. No* Bond. James Bond.
63. Cool Hand Luke* "What we have here is failure to communicate"
64. The Road Warrior
65. Patton* The role George C. Scott was born to play
66. True Romance
67. Run Silent, Run Deep* Classic submarine warfare - who's the bad guy?
68. All Quiet on the Western Front* One of the strongest anti-war movies ever made
69. Platoon* Vietnam, unplugged
70. Caddyshack* "Nnnnnnnnnooonan!"
71. Hud* Paul Newman spelled 'cool' with three letters
72. Blazing Saddles* Singlehandedly killed westerns for more than 20 years
73. Three Kings* Doesn't belong on this list
74. Paths of Glory* Another powerful indictment of the militant mentality
75. On the Waterfront* Most men, at some point, have said or thought, "I coulda been a contendah! I coulda been somebody!"
I can't argue with many of these choices, but I'd add "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Gallipoli" and subtract "Three Kings" and "Tootsie" --- and I say that despite the fact that I fall in love with Jessica Lange every time I stumble across it on cable. And I think I'd substitute "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" or "Risky Business" for "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."
I welcome any nominations readers of my blog may offer, just to see what they are...
Friday, February 13, 2009
Details, details, details
I just finished watching "Atonement," which was nominated for an Oscar as Best Picture in 2007.
It's a great movie, but there was a blunder of staggering proportions in it, and I'm amazed no one involved with the film caught it.
For those of you who haven't seen it (or don't remember), the movie opens in the summer of 1935. After a series of events lasting no more than a day or two, we're told four years have passed, and three British soldiers are holed up in the attic of a barn in France. The Germans are advancing, and the fall of France seems inevitable.
Small problem: World War II hadn't even started in the summer of 1939. France didn't fall until 1940. I guess the screenwriters flunked math in grade school. Oh, they got the time elapsed correct later in the film, but somehow missed the early reference.
Maybe it's because I'm a journalist, or maybe it's because I have a bit of a perfectionist streak in me, but stumbles like that in movies drive me bonkers.
I'm sure you have spotted howlers in movies, too.
Take the scoreboards in "Hoosiers." Please. (rimshot)
Mind you, I love that movie. I own it, and have lost track of how many times I've seen it. Along with "The Hunt for Red October" and "Major League" and a few other films, it's a movie I can't seem to turn off 'til the end no matter what stage of the flick I've stumbled across when channel-surfing.
But the first time I saw "Hoosiers" I noticed that in game footage they always seemed to have the scoreboard out of sequence. You'd see a play and the score would be 34-29. Later in the same game, the score would be 12-8. Huh??? Did nobody think of those details? Was there not a way to adjust the scoreboard somehow after the fact for the sake of consistency? It happened in more than one game, no less....
Movie moments like that, for me, are the equivalent of somebody dragging a record player needle across an album. Wha????
Imagine having the Allies storm the beaches in high heels. Such gaffes are jarringly out of place.
Another head-shaker in "Hoosiers" is depicting ready-to-harvest corn as the playoffs are unfolding. That would be in the spring, and every farm boy knows corn is harvested in the fall. I would suspect many a city-slicker knows that, too, because most crops are harvested in the fall.
Early in "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy walks along the fence to the pig pen -- and then falls in. When Bert Lahr picks her up, her dress is perfectly clean. Having grown up on a pig farm, I can tell ya --- nope. Huh-uh. Never could happen.
In "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," the .....whatever he was called, I don't remember.....punched his body through the windshield of the helicopter to get inside. In the next scene, the hole in the windshield is gone. I think I've noticed that in commercials featuring footage from the movie, too.
There are entire Web sites devoted to mistakes in movies, but I've never paid much attention to them. I try to enjoy the movies I see, watching to see how they tell the story and develop the characters (that's the writer in me, I'm sure). I understand "creative license," even if it sometimes makes me chafe.
But every once in a while there's a whopper of a blunder that I just can't ignore. As far as I'm concerned, "Atonement" could have walked away with the Oscar for Best Picture, and I'd have been perfectly fine with that.
Yet I'll also remember it as the movie that had France falling to the Germans before World War II ever started.
Wow.
It's a great movie, but there was a blunder of staggering proportions in it, and I'm amazed no one involved with the film caught it.
For those of you who haven't seen it (or don't remember), the movie opens in the summer of 1935. After a series of events lasting no more than a day or two, we're told four years have passed, and three British soldiers are holed up in the attic of a barn in France. The Germans are advancing, and the fall of France seems inevitable.
Small problem: World War II hadn't even started in the summer of 1939. France didn't fall until 1940. I guess the screenwriters flunked math in grade school. Oh, they got the time elapsed correct later in the film, but somehow missed the early reference.
Maybe it's because I'm a journalist, or maybe it's because I have a bit of a perfectionist streak in me, but stumbles like that in movies drive me bonkers.
I'm sure you have spotted howlers in movies, too.
Take the scoreboards in "Hoosiers." Please. (rimshot)
Mind you, I love that movie. I own it, and have lost track of how many times I've seen it. Along with "The Hunt for Red October" and "Major League" and a few other films, it's a movie I can't seem to turn off 'til the end no matter what stage of the flick I've stumbled across when channel-surfing.
But the first time I saw "Hoosiers" I noticed that in game footage they always seemed to have the scoreboard out of sequence. You'd see a play and the score would be 34-29. Later in the same game, the score would be 12-8. Huh??? Did nobody think of those details? Was there not a way to adjust the scoreboard somehow after the fact for the sake of consistency? It happened in more than one game, no less....
Movie moments like that, for me, are the equivalent of somebody dragging a record player needle across an album. Wha????
Imagine having the Allies storm the beaches in high heels. Such gaffes are jarringly out of place.
Another head-shaker in "Hoosiers" is depicting ready-to-harvest corn as the playoffs are unfolding. That would be in the spring, and every farm boy knows corn is harvested in the fall. I would suspect many a city-slicker knows that, too, because most crops are harvested in the fall.
Early in "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy walks along the fence to the pig pen -- and then falls in. When Bert Lahr picks her up, her dress is perfectly clean. Having grown up on a pig farm, I can tell ya --- nope. Huh-uh. Never could happen.
In "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," the .....whatever he was called, I don't remember.....punched his body through the windshield of the helicopter to get inside. In the next scene, the hole in the windshield is gone. I think I've noticed that in commercials featuring footage from the movie, too.
There are entire Web sites devoted to mistakes in movies, but I've never paid much attention to them. I try to enjoy the movies I see, watching to see how they tell the story and develop the characters (that's the writer in me, I'm sure). I understand "creative license," even if it sometimes makes me chafe.
But every once in a while there's a whopper of a blunder that I just can't ignore. As far as I'm concerned, "Atonement" could have walked away with the Oscar for Best Picture, and I'd have been perfectly fine with that.
Yet I'll also remember it as the movie that had France falling to the Germans before World War II ever started.
Wow.
Monday, February 2, 2009
"Groundhog Day"
I found myself reflecting on that Bill Murray comedy as the second day of the second month neared, wondering why I have such a fondness for it. Like the movie's charm itself, the answer crept up on me.
On the surface, it seems like another goofball Murray comedy - but it turns into much more than that.
At its heart, it's a tale of redemption; of second (and third and fourth and fifth and...) chances; and it allows the audience to ponder the tantalizing question, "If you had the chance to live a day over again, what would you change?"
Murray's character is a study in contrasts, veering down the path of selfishness in search of both his goals and his escape, and then he starts noticing all the little - yet vitally important - moments that unfold over the course of a single day.
And as he begins reaching out to those around him, seeing how he can help them instead of how they can help him, he is transformed. For all the trappings of....being trapped.....it's a story of hope.
Call me a sucker, but I like those.
Some day soon, I'll pull that movie down from the shelf and watch it again...and be reminded of why I enjoy it.
On the surface, it seems like another goofball Murray comedy - but it turns into much more than that.
At its heart, it's a tale of redemption; of second (and third and fourth and fifth and...) chances; and it allows the audience to ponder the tantalizing question, "If you had the chance to live a day over again, what would you change?"
Murray's character is a study in contrasts, veering down the path of selfishness in search of both his goals and his escape, and then he starts noticing all the little - yet vitally important - moments that unfold over the course of a single day.
And as he begins reaching out to those around him, seeing how he can help them instead of how they can help him, he is transformed. For all the trappings of....being trapped.....it's a story of hope.
Call me a sucker, but I like those.
Some day soon, I'll pull that movie down from the shelf and watch it again...and be reminded of why I enjoy it.
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