From: BorkedBorg@gmail.com   
      
   On Tue, 06 Mar 2007 07:17:31 GMT, Gary  wrote:   
      
      
   >   
   >   1.  13 Days ­ A movie set in the sixties about the Cuban crisis.   
      
   A movie that deserved much better!  I must have been one of the three   
   people who saw it in the theatre when it came out.  I have seen a few   
   good documentaries since that support the premise of the the movie--no   
   one seems to know just how close we were to WW III.  Thank God the   
   Kennedy's kept such a tight leash on the military!   
      
   If anyone likes alternative history novels, try Resurrection Day by   
   Brendan DuBois.  Set in the days after a limited Nuclear war started by   
   the Cuban Missile Crisis, it's a standard thriller plot, but the setting   
   is very believable.  I almost didn't buy it, based on the blurb on the   
   jacket, but it was a good read and friends I have lent it to agree.   
      
   Dad had been posted to Germany when the Cuban Missile Crisis started. We   
   were supposed to leave in September but, because of the political   
   situation, it kept getting postponed until December.  We drove across   
   North America in the dead of Winter.  Spent a miserable Christmas in a   
   slum hotel in Trenton because, missile crisis be damned, the Air Force   
   wasn't going to change their routine so the Yukon Lodge closed down over   
   Christmas.  Because of bad weather, our flight was diverted (apparently   
   the first flight to be diverted ever!) to an American airbase in France   
   that was totally unprepared for a planeload of soldiers and families. US   
   GI's formed a sort of "bucket brigade" to move a bunch of old, stored   
   mattresses and bedding into a long-empty, dusty barracks where the men   
   were put into one dorm and the families in another.   The only open   
   cafeteria, manned by snotty Frenchmen, refused to take anything other   
   than the American dollar which, luckily, a couple of the single guys   
   had, so they kept the kids fed that night.  Then the powers that be   
   announced that our departure would be at 2 a.m. the next morning.  By   
   the time some of the mothers got through with them, they agreed that 6   
   a.m. would be more acceptable.  :)   Flew in to Dusseldorf and were   
   bussed to Soest on New Year's Eve in the middle of one of the worst   
   Winters in years.   
      
   >    2. Tora Tora Tora   
      
   Another great movie I saw in the theatre when it came out.  A joint,   
   US-Japanese production that attempted to tell the truth about the   
   attack.   
      
   >    3. Forest Gump   
      
   Boring with great soundtrack!   
      
   >    4. Heaven Can Wait - a football love story   
      
   I guess that's why I never saw it!   
      
   >    5. Midway   
      
   Good enough, but full of American B.S.   
      
   >    6. Saving Private Ryan   
      
   Good, realistic but over-rated.  More American B.S.  I don't know why   
   everyone raves over Tom Hanks--anyone could have walked through his role   
   in the movie.   
      
   >    7. Jerry Maguire   
      
   Never saw it.  Never appealed to me but I'm willing to be   
   convinced......   
      
      
      
   Since we're dealing with mostly war movies here...   
      
   Lawrence of Arabia   
   Zulu   
   Patton (Oscar winning performance by George C. Scott saves the movie)   
      
   First movie I ever bought:  The Lion in Winter.  Classic!!   
      
   Newer:   
   The Pianist   
   Conspiracy   
      
   Downfall, a German made, sub-titled effort taking place in Hitler's   
   bunker during the final days of WW II.  Based on the memoirs of Hitler's   
   secretary.  I watched it so many times, I bought the DVD.   
      
   It's hard to suddenly come up with a list of movies on your own.  I,   
   like you, like movies.  I like a wide range of movies, especially some   
   of the classics from the 40's & 50's.  I even (gasp!) like some that   
   could be classed as "chick flicks".  I'm not so hot on animations,   
   sports oriented movies, slashers, zombies (unless humour is   
   involved--Shawn of the Dead) or most modern American comedies--they are   
   SO stupid!!  I like disaster, or end-of-the world movies.  Watched Reign   
   of Fire again the other night.  Cheesy, but I like it!   
      
   The Lord of the Rings trilogy, extended editions.  Will go on a marathon   
   and watch all three of them in a row.   
      
   Narnia:  Beautiful and Boring.  Instantly forgettable.   
      
   Last movie I saw in the theatre:  The Queen.  Helen Mirren's performance   
   was awesome (as usual!).  The movie itself less so--the writers presumed   
   to know things they could not possibly know, but I have to agree that   
   things "could" have unfolded that way.   
      
   Before that:  Blood Diamonds.  Excellent movie.  No involvement by   
   Hollywood except for Leonardo di Caprio and he was excellent.   
      
   I'll stop for now.  This subject could open a real can of worms, and I'd   
   like to see what others have to say.  :)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)