Nell Minow has been reviewing movies online as The Movie Mom since 1995, with over 3000 published reviews. Her books include 101 Must-See Movie Moments and The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies, and she appears on radio stations each week to talk about new releases in theaters and on DVD/Blu-Ray/streaming. Mastodon NOTE: Purchases from my links to Amazon pay me a small fee, usually well under one dollar.
Free for Veterans Day: The Only Oral History of Black Soldiers in the Korean War
Korea is “the forgotten war.” But to those who fought in it, it was the “unforgettable war.” If the names of all those killed were put on a wall, it would be larger than the Vietnam Wall. And Korea lasted only three years, Vietnam about ten. The agony of the winter of 1950-51 is an epic to compare with Valley Forge and the Bulge. Holway writes:
Korea was also our last segregated war. This is the story of the black 24th Infantry Regiment, told in the words of the men themselves. Like all black troops since the Civil War, they were reviled by whites and their own commander for “bugging out” – running before the enemy. The charge can still be read in the Army’s own official histories. Yet the 24th left more blood on the field than their white comrades – if they did bug out, they must have been running the wrong way.
It’s a good thing we weren’t with Custer,” one black GI muttered – “they’d have blamed the whole thing on us.”
The 24th won the first battle of the war, won its division’s first Medal of Honor, and guarded the shortest and most vulnerable road to Pusan. If the port had fallen, the war would have been lost, leaving a red dagger pointed at Japan. It did not fall.
That winter, after the Chinese attacked, the entire American army bugged out in perhaps the worst military disaster in American history. “That,” said another black veteran, “was when I learned that whites could run as fast as blacks.”
This is the story of those unsung heroes, who helped turn the Communist tide for the first time. The men bring that forgotten war and their own unsung bravery to life in their own sometimes funny, often heart-breaking, and always exciting words.
Frankel-y Speaking About WWII in the South Pacific Stanley Frankel didn’t want to be a soldier. But the draft board had different plans. The leader of college protests against the US entering WWII found himself in the 37th Infantry Division, shipped to the Pacific Theater. While in the army, he wrote journal entries, letters to his dear Irene, and articles that slipped past the censor to be published in newspapers and magazines in the US while the war was raging. Frankel served from 1941 to 1946, and was then ordered to stay on after the war as part of a team tasked with writing the historical account of his division. After that he became a successful advertising executive, award-winning professor, political speechwriter for national candidates, and beloved husband, father, and grandfather.In this memoir, Frankel tells his story interspersed with in-the-moment journals, letters, and articles he wrote while stationed in the Pacific. Take a journey through time with this raw first-hand account, and experience what it was like to be in the jungles and battles of an intense and brutal part of World War II.
Copyright 2008 Miniver Press
The Deadly Skies: The Air War in Europe 1940-1945 The history of air combat in Europe during WWII is grippingly described by a man who was there and who has had decades of experience and research to put his experiences in perspective. Focusing on the Royal Air Force, the U.S. Army Eighth Air Force and the Luftwaffe, the book covers how the WW II air campaign in Western Europe unfolded, how it ended, and its cost in terms of human life – not only for the aircrews in those unfriendly skies, but the innumerable innocents who suffered through the carnage in European cities caused by bombing. The aircraft and equipment, the battles, the strategy, and the people are all described by Bernard Nolan with the insight of an insider and the expertise of a scholar, and with detailed illustrations from aviation artist Matt Holness. From Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain to D-Day, B-17s, B-24s, P-47s, P-51s, and Spitfires, this book takes the reader inside the air battles that played a decisive role in WWII. Chapters sections include: The Bomber Will Always Get Through, The Schneider Trophy , The Messerschmitt Bf 109, Dunkirk, Unternehmen Seeloeven (Operation Sea Lion), Adlerangriff (Eagle Offensive), Chain Home Radar System, Adlertag (Eagle Day), Bombs Fall On London, Goering Blinks, The Hardest Day, Blitzkrieg, Hitler “Postpones” The Invasion The Battle Of Britain Ends, RAF Bomber Command, The Butt Study, The Casablanca Conference, Happy Valley, The Dam Busters, The Battle Of Berlin, Dresden, The Norden Bombsight, Superchargers, The B-24, The Fw 190, Regensburg-Schweinfurt
This holiday started as a day to reflect upon the heroism of those who died in our country’s service and was originally called Armistice Day. It fell on Nov. 11 because that is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. However, in 1954, the holiday was changed to “Veterans Day” in order to account for all veterans in all wars.
We celebrate and honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.
Some movies for families to watch about real-life US military:
WWI
They Shall Not Grow Old On the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, Peter Jackson used 21st century technology to make archival footage and audio feel contemporary, to make the experience of these men seem as though it happened to people we know.
1917 Two young soldiers are sent on a very dangerous mission to deliver a vital message. Remarkably, this film seems like it was all one continuous shot, a breathtaking achievement.
WWII
Band of Brothers Historian Stephen Ambrose’s book was made into a stirring miniseries about “Easy” Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division, from jump training in the United States through its participation in major actions in Europe, up until the end of the war.
Midway is the story. of a brutal battle that was a turning point for the Allies.
Korean War
M*A*S*H is a dark anti-war comedy based on the real-life experiences of an Army surgeon. It inspired the long-running television series.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War The documentary from Ken Burns and Lynn Novick tells the story.
Persian Gulf War/Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Jarhead Jamie Foxx and Jake Gyllenhaal star in Sam Mendes’ film based on the memoir of Anthony Swofford about his experiences as a Marine Sniper in Gulf War I.
Restrepo is a documentary about U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, serving in a remote 15-man outpost, “Restrepo,” named after a platoon medic who was killed in action.
American Sniper Bradley Cooper stars as the late Chris Kyle, a top sniper who served four tours of duty in Iraq, and then was killed by a veteran he was trying to help after he got home.
The Outpost, based on the book by Jake Tapper, is the story of an attack on Combat Outpost Keating, located in Afghanistan, just 14 miles from the Pakistani border. are war stories that are about strategy and courage and triumph over evil that let us channel the heroism of the characters on screen. And then there are war stories that are all of that but also engage in the most visceral terms with questions of purpose and meaning that touch us all. “The Outpost” is an intimate, immersive drama from director Rod Lurie, a West Point graduate and Army veteran who knows this world inside out and brings us from the outside in.
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including some racism, violence, some strong language, brief sexuality and smoking
Profanity:
Some strong and racist language
Alcohol/ Drugs:
Drinking and smoking
Violence/ Scariness:
Extended wartime violence with bombing, characters injured and killed
Diversity Issues:
A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:
November 8, 2024
Copyright 2024 Apple
“Blitz” is set in the chaotic wartime bombing of London, when the Nazis attacked the city from the sky for more than 8 months, and many families sent their children to stay with strangers in the countryside to keep them safe. Writer/director Steve McQueen immerses us in the terrifying assault, the bombs seeming pointed directly at us, no way of knowing where they will land or what kind of destruction they will cause.
Fire and rubble are everywhere, and the water pressure in the firehose is so powerful that it jumps out of the hands of the people trying to help. The overwhelming attacks are met with determination and resilience. But within it is the recognition that they are terrified. When the security guards try to keep people fleeing the bombs out of the underground Tube stations, people push through. A live radio broadcast intended to boost morale features musical performances by weapons manufacturing workers, the British version of Rosie the Riveter. It is interrupted with protests about inadequate safety. Recognizing that nowhere is safe, London parents prepare to send their children away. One of those children is George (Elliot Heffernan), the nine-year-old bi-racial son of Rita (Saoirse Ronan), who works in the munitions factory.
They live with Rita’s father, Gerald (Paul Weller) and they are a close and devoted family. Gerald is a piano player in a bar in the evening. Rita has a lovely singing voice and is featured in that radio broadcast. Music plays a key role throughout the film, from two different nightclub scenes featuring Black performers to people camping out in bomb shelters singing songs to keep their spirits up.
Rita brings George to the train, loaded with children, each tagged like a piece of luggage. There is very little supervision and no kindness or sympathy. George, frightened and angry, barks “I hate you!” at Rita, who is already devastated at sending him away. As the train chugs into the countryside, some boys on the train try to bully George. He feels so much regret about the way he left his mother that he decides to go back home. He jumps from the train with no idea of where he is or how far he is from London. His journey is a Dickensian odyssey. Heffernan is the heart of the film, and he gives a thoughtful, soulful performance.
Nine is an age right at the cusp between the magical thinking of a child and the beginning of a deepening understanding of the world of adults. McQueen, so good at conveying the chaos of the Blitz, is even better at conveying that liminal moment. Through the havoc, George seems to travel in a protective aura of innocence. He is smart and brave, but we see through his eyes and understand the dire risks George is facing far better than he does.
George meets a lot of people along the way, including three young brothers who refused to be placed in different homes, Ife, a kind-hearted African-born security officer (Benjamin Clémentine), and a cruel group of scavengers who steal from dead bodies and destroyed buildings. They capture George because he is small enough and expendable enough to send into places they cannot reach. The lost boy themes echo Great Expectations and David Copperfield, giving George’s story a connection to heroic myth. Along the way, we get flashbacks showing us the racism experienced by George and his now-absent father. The bombs keep falling.
There is a optimism in the film that seems inaccurate for the era, including a Capra-esque speech chastising those in a shelter who do not want to interact with people of color and a very idealized character in Ife. Even within the context of George’s naive perspective and the “carry on” imperatives of the era, it is out of place, the present speaking through the past. Maybe we still need it to hear it.
Parents should know that this movie is a wartime story with intensive bombing attacks, characters are injured and killed and there are graphic and disturbing images. It also includes cruel and criminal behavior and racism. A child is in danger through much of the story. People having sex are overheard by others, including a child.
Family discussion: How did Ife change George’s mind about himself? What did the scene in the subway with characters from earlier in the film mean? What does music mean to the characters?
If you like this, try: “Hope and Glory” and “Au Revoir, Les Enfants,” other WWII stories from a child’s perspective
After you vote, take a break from red and blue maps to enjoy some movies about politics and portrayals of real US Presidents on screen.
Fictional movies about elections include The Best Man, with Henry Fonda and Cliff Robertson as rivals perhaps inspired by Adlai Stevenson, JFK, and Richard Nixon. There is an unforgettable scene with stand-up comic Shelly Berman as someone accusing a candidate of then-career-ending homosexuality. The screenplay is by Gore Vidal, who knew something about being gay in a homophobic world and something about politics as the author of books about history and as a relative of Jackie Kennedy. Vidal appears briefly in the film as a delegate.
Wag the Dog is a satire with Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro. Ryan Gosling is an idealistic campaign staffer in Ides of March.
The War Room (Clinton) and Primary (JFK) are two of the best Presidential campaign documentaries. Primary Colors has John Travolta and Emma Thompson as characters inspired by the Clintons. Game Change has Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin, VP candidate selected by John McCain.
Daniel Day-Lewis won an Oscar for Lincoln. I’ve already written about some of the many other movie versions of Lincoln’s life. “Wilson” stars Oscar nominee Alexander Knox in a dignified tribute to the 29th President. Gary Sinese gave a powerful performance in the HBO movie, Truman. Rough Riders has Tom Berenger as Theodore Roosevelt, leading Cuban rebels against Spain.
Perhaps the most fanciful portrayal of a real US President is “The Remarkable Andrew,” with William Holden as an honorable accountant who discovers a discrepancy in the town books and is visited by the ghost of his favorite President, Andrew Jackson (Brian Donlevy), who provides guidance and support.
President Kennedy’s WWII experience was the subject of PT 109, starring Cliff Robertson. He was also the subject of 13 Days, about the Cuban missile crisis. Oliver Stone has directed movies about Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins (who also played a memorably cagy John Quincy Adams in “Amistad”), and George W. Bush, played by Josh Brolin. President Nixon has been portrayed in a number of other films, from the acclaimed Frost/Nixon to the humorous but touching Elvis and Nixon and the wild satire Dick. And of course he is the subject of the Oscar-winning Best Picture All the President’s Men, though he is only glimpsed in archival footage.
The Butler is based on the true story of a man who worked in the White House for eight Presidents, and we see everyone from Eisenhower to Reagan portrayed in the film. Of course Reagan himself was an actor before he went into politics. His best films include “King’s Row” (his own favorite), “Hellcats of the Navy” (co-starring with Nancy Reagan), and, yes, “Bedtime for Bonzo.”
There are some great President movies made for television: Gary Sinese gave a superb performance in Truman and Bryan Cranston was outstanding in the role he originated on Broadway, Lyndon Johnson in All the Way.
President and Mrs. Obama were portrayed in a film about their first date, Southside With You. (For the real story of what happened that night, see this adorable column by my dad, who was there.)
