"Good Recent War Movie for the Christmas Please" Topic

I've mentioned in the past that its been a long family tradition to watch war movies during the festive season. As life has gone on and children began to appear I've noticed I'm watching less and less war movies (unless Barney's dvd when his "ears hang low" and he dresses as a "continental solider" qualifies) But I'm determined to fix that this Christmas time.

Since I really haven't seen any recent ones (last 5 yearsor so)can I have some recommandations! My particular interest is WW2 but any decent war movie would qualify. Idid buy a copy of Pathfinders (I beleive it was called) since it looked rather "Band of Brother" but I actually couldn't finish it! IMHO it was the greatest pile of £%^"$^" I had ever seen…and thats saying something…anyway want to avoid another Pathfinder moment…

I'm sure I can go backto some of my old reliables but I won't mind to see some new classics… if there are any!

Thanks for any recommandations

John

Not a movie but the HBO miniseries "The Pacific" is very good. Not for the kids to see though.

Probably a bit further out then 5 years ago but "Flags of our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" are good, I feel that Letters is the better of the two but both are worth watching.

"A Midnight Clear"

link

"Saints and Soldiers" is good and has lots of snow in it since it's about the Bulge.

Castle Keep was a good one.

link

The wildgeese is the Xmas war movie!

Otherwise Captain America the first avenger.

Merry Xmas!

Joyeux Noël

imdb.com/title/tt0424205

Specifically about the WWI Christmas Truce. Fictionalized and not a masterpiece, but still a decent movie.

See: link
This is a list from IMDB. Apart from the "usual suspects" there are also several non-American pictures worth seeing. For instance "Die Brücke" (1959), Talvisota (the Russian attack on Finland – the "Winter War"), "Das Boot", "Stalingrad", "Indigenes", "El Alamein" (the Italian side in North Africa). Modern: apart from "Black Hawk Down" of course,"The Hurt Locker", and documentary "Armadillo" (Danish soldiers in Afghanistan).

A couple of oldies, but they are entertaining…..

Passage to Marseille

Action in the North Atlantic

Mrs. Minniver

Since you want away.

Random Victory.

The Best years of our lives.

Waterloo Bridge.

There's one more but for the life of me I can't remember the name. It's a version of the Martin Guerre story, filmed just after the war about a Czech officer who masquarades as a British officer to escape the Germans in WWII in a prison camp. He carries on a long correspondance with the Dead man's wife, and eventually comes home to where he has to face the wife and admit he did it simply to prevent the Germans from figuring out who he really was.

Great Story.

Also

A Foreign Field

The best years of our lives.

"The Battle of Warsaw 1920" is the best war film I've seen in quite some time, and it's only been out a couple of years.

All the best,

John.

Sticking with the "Recent" request I would suggest:

Zero Dark Thirty – feel good ending.
World War Z – fun PG-13 zombie movie.
Age of Heroes – British commando action.

Vince

I second Joyeux Noel. More of Christmas story than a war film.

The recent Troy starring Brad Pitt as Achilles is a fine sword and sandals epic.

Not a recent one but the Finnish flick cuckoo is interesting.
A disgraced Finnish soldier and a lone Russian end up with a lone Lapp woman trying to work things out

My word guys thats great… I had no idea there were so many ones I hadn't seen, even older ones by the sounds of things…I did watch the Pacific and loved it but as mentioned not for the little ones but the intention was to be watched after thy're all in bed so that doesn't matter.

I really appreciate the info…I hope my local HMV has some of them.

Many thanks guys and I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas!

John

Generation Kill

When Trumpets Fade is still relatively new.

Full Metal Jacket is more of a New Years' movie (as opposed to Christmas movie) ;)

V/R,
Jack

I don't think anyone has mentioned Red Tails, it got some negative flack for not being enough about racism and of course for being too much about racism but personally I thought it had a good balance and the battle scenes are lots of fun.

Restrepo, excellent documentary film.

How about Enemy at the Gates. Not new but newish and an excellent movie. As an added bonus there is lots of snow since it is about snipers in Stalingrad.

Tropic Thunder is a great modern war comedy about making a war film about the Vietnam War, just remember "never go full retard!"

recent

Lone Survivor, set in Afghanistan not too bad.

Aussie film
Forbidden soldier ww1 film

If you want a neat movie that is off the beaten path, try My Way about a Korean soldier who by a long journey winds up in an Ost Battalion on D Day

The Duelists by Ridley Scott is one of my favourite movies ever

Breaker Morant is a good one too

Not a film, but a recent comedy series 'Bluestone 42' about the exploits of a bomb disposal sqaud in Afganistan (filed in South Africa) It's quite (very) blue, so not for the kiddies.

On a more normal, if not recent note, try 'The way Forward' with David Niven, or one of my recent acquisitions 'They Werer Not Divided', about the Guards Armoured Div made in 1950

Jarrovian wrote:

try 'The way Forward' with David Niven

"The Way Ahead", Shirely?

All the best,

John.

Not quite a "War Moviw" but Iraq War related:

"Taking Chance"

Sorry I should have said 'The Way Ahead', dyslexic memory!
and don't call me Shirley….

There's one I've seen recently, can't quite remember the title; about a German and British aircrew both shot down over Norway having to share a shelter.

Troy sucks in every conceivable way!

Duellists is fantastic!

This one is just outside your timeframe of last 5 years but was missed by many
Days of Glory
imdb.com/title/tt0444182

Thought provoking and may lead to some interesting discussions.

Another big thumbs-aloft for "A Midnight Clear". "Joyeux Noel" is my second fave from among this list.

Acts of Valor – contemporary, not WWII but I like it. Not a war movie in the traditional sense but more of a spec ops versus terrorism movie. One battle scene that truly rocks – won't give it away.

Sadly, very few 'war' movies have been made in recent years. Frankly, very few movies worth two minutes (let alone two hours) of your life have been made of late. Unless you like graphic novel nonsense translated to the big screen. And, no, they really don't do it for me.

The whole movie industry is either in transition or about to take a long ride down a narrow tube that starts at a porcelain bowl.

For Christmas …

A Midnight Clear … and or … Joyeux Noel.

PVT yeah Taking Chance really really awesome movie esp the truckers scene

"Dien Bien Phu" of pierre Schoenderffer.

Got to agree with Korvessa!

Spontoon, that would be "Into the White".