Army Times' Top 10 military films

[finishthehat]

Everyone in the world hated it, but I liked "Revolution," the Al Pacino movie about the, umm, Revolution. Very hokey in parts (like a lot of war films), but a good job re-creating the time.

And I can't believe "Dirty Dozen" made the Army Times' list. What did that have to do with any authentic representation of WW2?

 

[alleyallen]

What about Victory? It was the great World War II POW-soccer movie made since, uhm...

 

[Buck]

Why hasn't anyone made a top-notch movie about the War for Independence or the War of 1812?

There have been many scripts shot down and deemed as too anti england. The thought is that many US citizens could not handle the idea that the Brits burned down the White House and it would bring prejudice against many Brits living here in America. GB has very strong anti defamation lobby groups.

How can portraying an actual occurrence be defamatory? That's what happened.
I haven't seen two movies mentioned in response to my post: 'The Buccaneer' and 'Revolution.'
Are either any good?
I'd love to try my hand at a screenplay one of these days. The War for Independence and the battle of Kinsale would top my list as far as subject matter.

 

[Fenian_Bastard]

Russell Crowe plays me, dammit.

 

[Brooklyn Bridge]

For a movie about the Revolution, why couldn't someone just adapt James McCullough's book 1776? Its a gripping read. Covers Washington taking Boston, losing New York, being chased all over New Jersey and ends with the suprise attack to take the Hessians at Trenton. You also have Nathanial Greene, a Quaker who becomes a general and backstabbing underlings who try to take Washington's job. The thing is the war lasted for another 6 (?) years after that. How do you fit that into a movie?

 

[Boom_70]

Why hasn't anyone made a top-notch movie about the War for Independence or the War of 1812?

There have been many scripts shot down and deemed as too anti england. The thought is that many US citizens could not handle the idea that the Brits burned down the White House and it would bring prejudice against many Brits living here in America. GB has very strong anti defamation lobby groups.

How can portraying an actual occurrence be defamatory? That's what happened.
I haven't seen two movies mentioned in response to my post: 'The Buccaneer' and 'Revolution.'
Are either any good?
I'd love to try my hand at a screenplay one of these days. The War for Independence and the battle of Kinsale would top my list as far as subject matter.

Mel Gibson asked the same questions on The Passion of Christ.

 

[heyabbott]

For a movie about the Revolution, why couldn't someone just adapt James McCullough's book 1776? Its a gripping read. Covers Washington taking Boston, losing New York, being chased all over New Jersey and ends with the suprise attack to take the Hessians at Trenton. You also have Nathanial Greene, a Quaker who becomes a general and backstabbing underlings who try to take Washington's job. The thing is the war lasted for another 6 (?) years after that. How do you fit that into a movie?

I've read 1776 and a number of other books on the Revolution, Angels in the Whirlwind is a better book because it is more comprehensive yet economical book. I love McCullough's work and would always recommend it, but to et a good overview of the War for Independence, check out the link below.
http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Whirlwind-Triumph-American-Revolution/dp/0140275002/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-8044251-1575940?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184072899&sr=8-1

 

[zagoshe]

What no Rambo? No Missing in Action? No Red Dawn? No Taps?

What kind of a list is this?

 

[Buck]

There was '1776' the musical based on the broadway musical, but that was about the lead-up to and signing of the Declaration of Independence. It wasn't really about the war.
According to IMDB, there's a movie called '1776' in development for 2009. I guess that could be based on the McCullough book.
As for the war being too long, plenty of movies cover long time frames. You just use the moments you need to tell your story.

 

[Pilot]

Relax on all the hate for Top Gun, my friends.

Sometimes a war movie doesn't have to be epic, deep or thoughtful. Sometimes it just has to kick serious ass, show some awesome flying scenes and have hilariously gay undertones.

I love Top Gun. I watched it every day when I was a kid and I still watch it every couple months. I don't care how bad some of the scenes are, it's fun, it's cool and I like it. And I didn't join the Navy, but man, I wanted to.

 

[Pilot]

As for other topics: Gettysburg has no place on a serious list like this, and I loved it, too. There were way WAY too many "fantastic" looking fake beards, and some of the worst lines I've ever heard. The battles somewhat made up for it, but wow, there was some God awful writing in there (by the screenwriters, not Shaara.)

Gods and Generals was even worse -- it was less of the great battle scenes and way, way more of the long, corny sermons.

 

[Birdscribe]

As for other topics: Gettysburg has no place on a serious list like this, and I loved it, too. There were way WAY too many "fantastic" looking fake beards, and some of the worst lines I've ever heard. The battles somewhat made up for it, but wow, there was some God awful writing in there (by the screenwriters, not Shaara.)

Gods and Generals was even worse -- it was less of the great battle scenes and way, way more of the long, corny sermons.

As much as I loved Gettysburg -- and it would be on my top-10 list -- multiply that by 100 and that's how much I hated Gods and Generals.

What a horrible movie: writing, pace, tone, etc. It was a wet kiss and reacharound to Stonewall "Rain Man" Jackson and the Old South. It was so bad that Mrs. Birdscribe, she of the Masters in history, bookshelf full of Civil War books and two ancestors who fought in the Civil War, refused to watch it all the way through, then gave away the DVD.