Posts Tagged ‘wwii’

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The (2005)

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008
Genres: Action | Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy
Countries: USA
Actors: Henley, Georgie | Keynes, Skandar | Moseley, William | Popplewell, Anna | Swinton, Tilda | McAvoy, James | Broadbent, Jim | Shah, Kiran | Cosmo, James | McIntosh, Judy | Hawthorne, Elizabeth | Kake, Patrick | Rangi, Shane | Cook, Brandon | Cook, Cassie
Directors: Adamson, Andrew
Download: DivX iPod 

Based on the classic novel by ‘CS Lewis’ (qv). Four London children are sent to a professor’s country home in order for protection during World War II. There they find a magic wardrobe which leads to a mystical land called Narnia, which is being ruled by an evil witch. To defeat the witch, they must join forces with Aslan, the lion God of Narnia.

Cabaret (1972)

Friday, May 23rd, 2008
Genres: Drama | Musical
Countries: USA
Actors: Minnelli, Liza | York, Michael | Griem, Helmut | Joel Grey | Wepper, Fritz | Berenson, Marisa | Neumann-Viertel, Elisabeth | Vita, Helen | von Richthofen, Sigrid | Vespermann, Gerd | Wolter, Ralf | Hartmann, Georg | Renée, Ricky | Nachama, Estrongo | Doby, Kathryn
Directors: Fosse, Bob
Download: DivX iPod 

Sally Bowles, an American singer in 1930s Berlin, fall in love with bi-sexual Brian. They are both then seduced by Max, a rich playboy. Sally becomes pregnant, and Brian offers to marry her… All the characters are linked by the Kit-Kat club, a nightspot where Sally sings.

Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, The (2007)

Monday, May 5th, 2008
Genres: Adventure | Family | Fantasy
Countries: USA
Actors: Chaplin, Ben | Cox, Brian | Etel, Alex | Hall, Craig | Kaczorowski, Mathew | KB, Forbes | Morrissey, David | Napier, Marshall | Shand, Erroll | Smith, Adam | Tobeck, Joel | Brophy, Geraldine | Kaczorowski, Jessica | Watson, Emily | Xi, Priyanka
Directors: Russell, Jay
Download: DivX iPod 

Based on a novel by Dick King-Smith, author of The Sheep Pig (from which Babe was adapted), the touching and often spectacular The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep ingeniously presumes to explain the truth behind “Nessie,” i.e., the Loch Ness Monster. The story, told in present day to a couple of American tourists by a kindly gentleman (Brian Cox) in a pub, begins with a lonely boy, Angus (Alex Etel), pining for his father, who is serving in the Royal Navy during World War II. Angus, along with his sister (Priyanka Xi) and mother (Emily Watson), live on an estate that has been billeted by soldiers in the Scottish Highlands, near Loch Ness. The troop’s commander (David Morissey) has an eye for mom, suspicions about a mysterious handyman, Lewis (Ben Chaplin), who is also a war hero, and an absurd contention that the Highlands are the real frontline in the war against Germany.

Into this intriguing drama comes a completely different element, a fantastical creature of Celtic mythology that befriends Angus and is, in fact, the sea-beast who will eventually be known as the Loch Ness Monster. Trying to hide the dinosaur-like fellow, nicknamed Crusoe, Angus enlists Lewis to transfer it to the lake, where boy and serpent have extraordinary adventures together until human stupidity threatens Crusoe’s existence. A true family film, there is a lot for adults to like about the grownup story in The Water Horse. Meanwhile, the wistful relationship between Angus and Crusoe—each of whom helps the other move past obstacles toward their individual destinies—will leave children feeling both happy and melancholy in the best possible sense. Directed by Jay Russell (My Dog Skip), The Water Horse is the best of a mini-genre of films about or inspired by old Nessie.

Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

Thursday, April 24th, 2008
Genres: Adventure | Biography | Drama
Countries: USA
Actors: Pitt, Brad | Thewlis, David | Wong, B. D. | Mako | Denzongpa, Danny | Wong, Victor | Dapkunaite, Ingeborga | Wangchuk, Jamyang Jamtsho | Tsamchoe, Lhakpa | Pema, Jetsun | Dongtse, Ama Ashe
Directors: Annaud, Jean-Jacques
Download: DivX iPod 

Heinrich Harrer runs from trouble at home in WWII Austria to climb Mt. Nanga Parbat. After meeting unforseen obstacles, he comes into contact with the forbidden city of Lhasa.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008
Genres: Action | Drama | War
Countries: USA
Actors: Hanks, Tom | Sizemore, Tom | Burns, Edward | Pepper, Barry | Goldberg, Adam | Diesel, Vin | Ribisi, Giovanni | Davies, Jeremy | Damon, Matt | Danson, Ted | Giamatti, Paul | Farina, Dennis | Stadler, Joerg | Martini, Steven | Bruno, Dylan
Directors: Spielberg, Steven
Download: DivX iPod 

Opening with the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944, members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Cpt. Miller fight ashore to secure a beachhead. Amidst the fighting, two brothers are killed in action. Earlier in New Guinea, a third brother is KIA. Their mother, Mrs. Ryan, is to receive all three of the grave telegrams on the same day. The United States Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, is given an opportunity to alleviate some of her grief when he learns of a fourth brother, Private James Ryan, and decides to send out 8 men (Cpt. Miller and select members from 2nd Rangers) to find him and bring him back home to his mother…

Sophie’s Choice (1982)

Monday, April 21st, 2008
Genres: Drama | Romance
Countries: USA
Actors: Streep, Meryl | MacNicol, Peter | Karin, Rita | Newman, Stephen D. | Turken, Greta | Mostel, Josh | Rosenblatt, Marcell | Rosenfeld, Moishe | Bartlett, Robin | Lipinski, Eugene | Rothman, John | Leon, Joseph | Wohl, David | Polan, Nina
Directors: Pakula, Alan J.
Download: DivX iPod 

Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live in Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust. They befriend Stingo, the movie’s narrator, a young American writer new to New York City. But the happiness of Sophie and Nathan is endangered by her ghosts and his obsessions.

Great Escape, The (1963)

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
Genres: Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller | War
Countries: USA
Actors: McQueen, Steve | Garner, James | Attenborough, Richard | Donald, James | Bronson, Charles | Pleasence, Donald | Coburn, James | Messemer, Hannes | McCallum, David | Jackson, Gordon | Leyton, John | Lennie, Angus | Stock, Nigel | Graf, Robert | Taylor, Jud
Directors: Sturges, John
Download: DivX iPod 

Based on a true story, “The Great Escape” deals with the largest Allied escape attempt from a German POW camp during the Second World War. The first part of the film focuses on the escape efforts within the camp and the process of secretly digging an escape tunnel. The second half of the film deals with the massive effort by the German Gestapo to track down the over 70 escaped prisoners who are at this point throughout the Third Reich attempting to make their way to England and various neutral countries.

Notebook, The (2004)

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008
Genres: Drama | Romance
Countries: USA
Actors: Ivey, Tim | Rowlands, Gena | DuPois, Starletta | Garner, James | Thomas, Anthony-Michael Q. | Grady, Ed | Amber, Renée | Echols, Jennifer | Knight, Geoffrey | Connolly, Kevin | Gosling, Ryan | Wahlquist, Heather | McAdams, Rachel | Schaff, Andrew | Shelly, Matt
Directors: Cassavetes, Nick
Download: DivX iPod 

An old man in a nursing home reads a story to an old woman each day. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun. They met one evening at a carnival many years ago. Allie’s parents separate Noah and Allie. They disapprove of Noah’s lack of wealth, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and becomes engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. In a local newspaper, Noah’s picture catches Allie’s eye. He is standing in front of a fully restored, 200 year old home. The article is filled with praise for his accomplishments. Allie’s heart nearly bursts. The last time she saw this house it was a rotted decaying shamble. She stood enfolded in Noah’s arms in the great entryway and listened to his plans to buy and restore this house. Just the way she wanted it. With her love for Noah still alive, the picture pulls at her heart. She has to go back, see if Noah is okay, and tell him about her marriage. They both think the echo deep in their hearts, the one that has lasted all these years, is not shared by the other. The cry they could not stifle. It wasn’t over for me.

Others, The (2001)

Monday, March 17th, 2008
Genres: Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller
Countries: France | Spain | USA
Actors: Kidman, Nicole | Flanagan, Fionnula | Eccleston, Christopher | Alakina Mann | Bentley, James | Sykes, Eric | Elaine Cassidy | Asherson, Renée | Reid, Gordon | Allen, Keith | Fairley, Michelle | Vince, Alexander | López, Ricardo | Grilo, Aldo
Directors: Alejandro Amenábar
Download: DivX iPod 

A woman named Grace (Kidman) is living with her two children Anne and Nicholas (Mann and Bentley) on an almost empty island in their huge mansion. Grace’s husband is a soldier in WWII and Grace has given her husband up for dead. Everything seems peaceful for her, but when three mysterious servants are given jobs at the house, terrifying secrets are unlocked that even Grace cannot handle.

To Hell and Back (1955)

Friday, March 14th, 2008
Genres: Action | Biography | Drama | War
Countries: USA
Actors: Murphy, Audie | Thompson, Marshall | Drake, Charles | Kelly, Jack | Palmer, Gregg | Picerni, Paul | Janssen, David | Castle, Richard | Cowling, Bruce | Langton, Paul | Aragon, Art | Noriego, Felix | Pyle, Denver | Halsey, Brett | Kohner, Susan
Directors: Hibbs, Jesse
Download: DivX iPod 

True-life account of the military career of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in WWII. Native of Texas, he was placed in charge of his many younger siblings on the death of his mother and decided to join the military at the age of 18 to provide for them. His many acts of bravery and heroism during the US military advance through Italy, France and into Germany earn him increasing rank and responsibility as well as the respect of his comrades in arms. Eventually he receives two dozen of the highest medals the US and France can bestow, culminating in the awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor.