Hamburger Hill.

Review #1591: Hamburger Hill.

Cast: 
Dylan McDermott (Sgt. Adam Frantz), Steven Weber (Sfc. Dennis Worcester), Courtney B. Vance (Spc. Abraham 'Doc' Johnson), Don Cheadle (Pvt. Johnny Washburn), Michael Boatman (Pvt. Ray Motown), Anthony Barrile (Pvt. Vincent 'Alphabet' Languilli), Michael Dolan (Pvt. Harry Murphy), Don James (Pvt. Elliott 'Mac' McDaniel), Michael A. Nickles (Pvt. Paul Galvan), Harry O'Reilly (Pvt. Michael Duffy), Daniel O'Shea (Pvt. Frank Gaigin), Tim Quill (Pvt. Joe Beletsky), Tommy Swerdlow (Pvt. Martin Bienstock), Tegan West (Lt. Terry Eden), and Kieu Chinh (Mama San) Directed by John Irvin.

Review:
"If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may not have always. Take what they have left and what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind." - Major Michael Davis O'Donnell

My father shaped my experiences in watching film by the rows of films that were on the shelf collected by him while I grew up as a child. There was a small but significant portion of films that dealt with war in some way, which likely made sense with his service in Vietnam (he did not talk about it much, but the point remains). One of those films that stood firm was Hamburger Hill (1987). Time and time again one needs to look on a war film to see what seems familiar and what seems different from a depiction of a war, whether that means films made during the war itself (like The Green Berets (1968)) or ones made about the war years later (with or without a filmmaker with some war experience involved somewhere). Hamburger Hill came out in the run of the 1980s that depicted the war (with root from real life events or experiences) that ranged from Platoon (1986) to Casualties of War (1989). This was the sixth feature film from John Irvin, who apart from starting his work in television (with his most famous production being the miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) had done work in Vietnam in documentary filmmaking. The film was written by James Carabatsos (who also served as a co-producer), with this being the third of his six theatrical film efforts revolving around the war (the other two being Heroes (1977) and Heartbreak Ridge (1986)), as he had served in the 1st Air Cavalry Division in 1968; he did years of research in interviews with people of the conflict that took place over "Hill 937" from May 10-20 that is generally referred to as the Battle of Hamburger Hill.

As is the case with a number of war films, this one (produced by RKO Pictures) utilizes an ensemble cast, comprised of fresh faces that would include a few faces later to become familiar for subsequent works (whether involving film, television, or stage). Throughout the 110 minute run-time is a build to its title focus with a little bit of development before making its jump(s) to the battlefield, which generally turn out fine. As a chronicle of combat, it generally will rank well, mostly because it is a satisfactory film with unflinching perspective for the plight that comes with war that make it effective for what is needed. In other words, it's a good movie, sprinkling itself with a few interesting presences that we follow with as they try keep themselves from tearing oneself apart. The head among the cast (which has been listed both alphabetically or rank) falls to McDermott, making his feature debut. He does pretty well here, leading in steel weariness, young but still worthy in presence to lead folks on without being trapped in cliché. Vance (who had starred in the original 1987 Broadway production of Fences before making his film debut) also provides interest as the sense of soul for this group of folks to follow, hardened but still fascinating to view. Others do well in moments apart from warfare, such as with Weber, Boatman, or with Barrile, since one is dealing with a war of keeping one's will intact in a war of attrition and social unrest. By the the time the film makes its move on the hill (which took place over several assaults), the film is generally on its toes about where it wants to go in showing a group of people in a certain view without needless mythmaking or too much statement-making (although a scene jawing at reporters on the hill is certainly...interesting to think about). As a whole, it can certainly prove a harrowing pick for those who find interest in war films, whether for the experiences that come from it or something deeper inside.

Happy Veterans Day, folks.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

Space Cowboys.

Review #1252: Space Cowboys.

Cast: 
Clint Eastwood (Frank Corvin), Tommy Lee Jones (William "Hawk" Hawkins), Donald Sutherland (Jerry O'Neill), James Garner ("Tank" Sullivan), Marcia Gay Harden (Sara Holland), William Devane (Flight Director Eugene "Gene" Davis), Loren Dean (Ethan Glance), Courtney B. Vance (Roger Hines), James Cromwell (Bob Gerson), Rade Šerbedžija (General Vostov), and Barbara Babcock (Barbara Corvin) Directed by Clint Eastwood.

Review: 
This is one of those films that exists to deliver adventure for a certain kind of audience that surely is interested in seeing some entertainment without any rough challenges and a few visual winners. It runs at 130 minutes, but it sure seems to want to be familiar with predictable leanings that its main core four actors are up to making seem fun to sit with. After all, if John Glenn (fighter/test pilot turned astronaut turned U.S Senator) could be sent into outer space at the ripe age of 77, why not send four old pilots (with Garner being the oldest at 72 on release) into space to fix a secret satellite? Even the challenge of getting these folks up to speed with training (in 30 days, no less - for which publicity for this mission only comes in two weeks before launch) doesn't really seem to faze anybody in the film, especially not the audience. It does fall in the lines of a popcorn movie in that if you really wanted to poke a few jabs in its logic (the idea of sending an astronaut with terminal cancer comes to mind), you could, but I was at least entertained enough with what I saw to make this a winner by the margins, primarily because of its cast and effects. At least one cannot fault Eastwood for taking the script from Ken Kaufman-Howard Klausner and rolling with giving the film a bit of light charm in its journey without too many roaring bumps, essentially being the kind of film you could probably watch with your dad or mom and have a good time with (I remember my dad having interest in plenty of Eastwood films, nearly all of which in the bunch qualified as adventures like this), with even a Jay Leno cameo fitting the bill for what one could expect. It has a yearning for what was that certainly has aged a bit (particularly with the end of the Space Shuttle program) but will linger just fine with those who seek it. The effects-work from Industrial Light & Magic is well done as one could expect, capturing the essence of space and the moments that require some wonder and delivers pretty well, where one isn't taken out of the film and its shots of the shuttle or satellite in space because something seems too off-putting or ridiculous. As one would hope, it is the interactions between the core four that drive the film as forward as it wants, particularly when it is between Eastwood and Jones. Eastwood certainly is wiry enough to headline a last hurrah routine with a degree of persistence that only could come out in a mild adventure driven by Eastwood on both sides of the camera. Jones is just as wiry with plenty of rough charm that certainly gets its chance to come out plenty, whether when old wounds open up about who ruined whose shot at going to space or when doing some stunt piloting for an eager birthday man. Sutherland and Garner are both warm and engaging as the other useful cogs in this fairly oiled machine, fitting with what is needed just as one can hope. Harden, Devane, and Cromwell fill the other piece of the pie just fine, doing what needs to be done to further the film (whether it be exposition or occasional character moments with the main four) without bumps on the way. Dean and Vance are okay, but they feel a bit sidetracked when it comes to making any sort of comparison of the old guard (Air Force pilots) and the new type of astronauts, which might have been a bit interesting to go with. In the long run, what we have here is a film that aims for a tolerable standard blend of reality and movie-magic that will certainly feel par for the course in its execution but at least please its crowd just well enough to make things worth it, where the time goes by without too much waste to speak of.

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Terminator Genisys.

Review #834: Terminator Genisys.

Cast
Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Guardian), Jason Clarke (John Connor), Emilia Clarke (Sarah Connor), Jai Courtney (Kyle Reese), J.K. Simmons (O'Brien), Dayo Okeniyi (Danny Dyson), Matt Smith (Alex), Courtney B. Vance (Miles Dyson), Lee Byung-hun (Cop / T-1000), Michael Gladis (Lt. Matias), and Sandrine Holt (Detective Cheung) Directed by Alan Taylor (#827 - Thor: The Dark World)

Review
The Terminator franchise (#001 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day, #063 - The Terminator, #089 - Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and #090 - Terminator Salvation) is a strange one in terms of where the story goes in these films...and also the quality of the movies. The first two films are great movies, both being hallmarks in the sci-fi genre because of the high quality writing and entertaining action. The third movie was a mixed bag that felt unneeded. The fourth one was flat out uninteresting to watch. As for this film...it's certainly a strange one. It's clear the people behind this film saw Star Trek (#009) and tried to make their own version...and it could have worked. The idea of a Guardian Terminator protecting and raising Sarah might've have worked as its own thing, instead of shoehorning Kyle Reese into the dynamic. One of the biggest problems is that Courtney and E. Clarke don't have real chemistry together, and while no duo could really compare to the chemistry that Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn had in the first film, there is never a moment where they click together. He just doesn't give much to care about, resembling one of those blank slates in a fan-fic. Ultimately, this is a movie that is at best moderately entertaining but at worst just a bland retread, with a sequence mimicking the first film, and even a T-1000 (that is promptly beaten in less than 20 minutes) that is a bit laughable, for all the wrong reasons. It just feels weird seeing another film where they think they will destroy Skynet by doing X. I appreciate the idea of a retcon, but there really isn't anything presented here to demonstrate the need to have another film. There's no real style to the movie, nothing that you can really identify as memorable. Another problem is that there are no real stakes, with everything feeling predictable (in a way like the third film) and somewhat tedious. Schwarzenegger is as entertaining as ever, having better chemistry with E. Clarke than Courtney does. J. Clarke is pretty decent for what he's given to work with. The action scenes are pretty decent, though sometimes it comes off as a bit dull with regards to the colors. There really isn't much to the supporting cast, with Smith having barely any time to register a presence beyond occasional dialogue. It's a movie that works when it's about the action, but not so much when it's about the characters or story. Honestly, just stick to the first two films.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.