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Reviews
Battle for Saipan (2022)
Zero stars, zero stars
Perhaps one of the worst war movies ever made. It's a complete waste of your time.
Deeply inauthentic in every way, it's an insult to the brave fighting men and women who gave their lives on Saipan.
To end it with some authentic footage only deepens the insult.
Terrible costuming? Check.
Ludicrous action? Check.
Japanese soldiers who attack seemingly without plan or the good sense not to run enmass into withering machine gun fire instead of chucking a couple grenades in the door and ending this mess? Check.
Ability to survive multiple debilitating wounds and keep on fighting? Check.
Thomson submachine guns with endless ammo? Check.
Gaping plot holes? Check.
Don't bother checking it out. It's garbage.
Edge of Darkness (1943)
A favorite, very modern in technique and tone, with a propulsive score
If you have Turner Classic Movies, one of my favorite WW2 films, "Edge of Darkness" is available on demand.
It's about the Norwegian resistance, and for 1943 definitely not so much PG.
Very bad things happen, there are many adult themes, and few if any punches are pulled, even if the strictures of the time keep the violence, of which there's plenty, more or less bloodless.
Very well filmed and directed by Lewis Milestone. It still seems very modern, despite the use of model work for some of the harbor scenes.
Women are very powerful characters in the film, equal if not superior in agency to the men.
It keeps you on the edge of your seat, and has this terrible sense of creeping dread. Something terrible is going to happen, and you aren't really sure who you can trust.
The score is a big factor too. Based on a Lutheran hymn, with familiar anthems mixed in, it helps drive the film forward.
Rocketman (2019)
Empty spectacle
Devoid of any real emotions except self-pity.
I was somewhat bored by the second half, but the first half was engaging.