DVD Collectors Online

Lions for Lambs, a review by Silence_of_Lambs

Summary:
Three stories told simultaneous in ninety minutes of real time: a Republican Senator (Tom Cruise) gives an hour-long interview to a skeptical television reporter (Meryl Streep), detailing a strategy for victory in Afghanistan; two special forces and Derek Luke) ambushed on an Afghani ridge await rescue as Taliban forces close in; a political-sciences professor (Robert Redford) at a California college invites a promising student (Andrew Garfield) to re-engage. Decisions press upon the reporter, the student, and the soldiers.

My Thoughts:
This is a movie about decisions and their consequences. From the small everyday decisions of individuals to the "big" decisions of whole nations.

Redford did a great job with this movie which sadly isn't as well known as it would have deserved.
The great combination of three (seemingly) independent plot strings works extremely well. The Cast is doing a hell of a job.

It's a slow movie that tells it's story in the pace needed and it makes it's point clear. It is a movie with a mission, but not with an agenda, which is good.
It leaves a bunch of lose ends, but it wouldn't work if they were all solved.
This is one of those very rare movies that need (and easily get) your full attention, and since it's a movie about decisions it leaves the decision to you what you want to take out of this movie.

I simply love it.

My Rating: (out of possible 5)

(From Michael's random reviews on January 2nd, 2011)

Taking Chance, a review by Rich

Title: Taking Chance

Runtime:78
Certificate:TV-PG
Year:2009
Genres:Drama, War

Plot:The remarkable true story of one soldier's death in battle, another soldier's journey of discovery and a nation's reverence and gratitude toward its war dead. After hearing of the heroic death of a young Marine in Iraq, veteran officer Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) volunteers to escort the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps back to his hometown, where he embarks on an unexpected emotional journey.
In this drama, Kevin Bacon stars as a high-ranking military officer who takes on a surprising mission: he escorts the body of a PFC home to his family.

My Review:
Very short film, which is basically a sentimental and moving tribute of how the services escort home and honour their fallen heroes, from battlefield death to the funeral service. This was written by the serviceman who volunteered to escort home a soldier who was KIA in Iraq, and the extras on the disc cover this. It has political undertones, but is deliberately non-controversial and the focus is mainly on the dead serviceman, and the office based marine who goes through a myriad of guilt feelings as he escorts the soldier back to his family.
From a non-US citizen, it always amazes me that a country that can honour it's dead, with such compassion and dignity, and displays such huge respect and unity with its armed services, can have such social problems with guns, drugs, violence and murder? Is that contradiction what they call an oxymoron??


(From DCO third annual November Alphabet Marathon - discussion/review/banter thread on November 11th, 2009)

Doctor Who Marathon, a review by Tom

Doctor Who
Series 1.05 World War Three
Writer: Russell T Davies (Writer)
Director: Keith Boak
Cast: Christopher Eccleston (Doctor Who), Billie Piper (Rose Tyler), David Verrey (Joseph Green), Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler), Penelope Wilton (Harriet Jones), Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith), Rupert Vansittart (General Asquith), Morgan Hopkins (Sergeant Price), Andrew Marr (Himself), Annette Badland (Margaret Blaine), Steve Speirs (Strickland), Jack Tarlton (Reporter), Lachele Carl (Reporter), Corey Doabe (Spray Painter), , Elizabeth Fost (Slitheen), Paul Kasey (Slitheen), Alan Ruscoe (Slitheen)

I liked this conclusion to the two-parter episode (Aliens of London being the first). What is strange though is that Mickey turns out to be a computer expert. This episode seems to be the turning point for him. He is more couragous here. But not yet courageous enough to travel with the doctor.




(From Doctor Who Marathon on January 11th, 2014)