MOVIE: The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024)

by benmweilertNo Comments
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly WarfareYear: 2024Rating: RLength: 122 minutes / 2.03 hours It feels like I've been waiting for a Guy Ritchie film that is a return to form. I loved his earlier works, but have found his latest projects mostly disappointing. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) Feels like one of those early Ritchie films, which I truly appreciated. However, despite being based on actual events, it felt a bit like a watered down Inglorious Basterds (2009). The cast and action were great, but the stakes somehow felt shallow and forgettable. I truly enjoyed the parts of the film that held onto Ritchie's original style. The ridiculous action sequences and the machismo of the main cast (Henry Cavill, especially) are the kinds of things that I enjoyed in Ritchie's earlier works. That any of this was even close to what really happened makes it an impressive event that should inspire people to learn more about the history. Including the brief reference...
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MOVIE: Little Boy (2015)

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Little Boy Year: 2015 Rating: PG-13 Length: 106 minutes / 1.77 hours When it comes to movies with strong Christian messages, often the resulting movie is weak for a variety of other reasons. This might be because of poorly written characters, plot holes, or an overall lack of cinematic quality in the movie itself. This is why I absolutely adore Little Boy (2015). There are many great Christian values presented here, including faith and accepting others. However, the little twists put in the plot of this World War II story make it just that much better than a generic Christian film. If only more Christian movies were made like this, then maybe the (valid) stigma against Christian media might be reduced. Perhaps the one aspect of Little Boy that strikes me as the most unique is the xenophobia against Hashimoto (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). There have been plenty of movies about World War II, but you don’t see many of them addressing the racism against the Japanese...
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MOVIE: To Be or Not To Be (1942)

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To Be or Not To Be Year: 1942 Rating: Passed Length: 99 minutes / 1.65 hours I don't know about you, but I've found that World War II movies were released closer to the end of the war have a certain amount of emphasis that has seemed to fade with time. In fact, I'd almost wager that the comedies produced during the war are some of the most poignant films I've ever seen on the subject. Sure, making fun of Nazis is easy when you're not affected by them—but when the threat is still real, there's an amount of satire that can both entertain and thrill. Much like Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator (1940) that came before it, To Be or Not To Be (1942) works off a bit of mistaken identity and farse to make the jokes that much funnier. The comedy in this film is expertly carried by a young Jack Benny—who manages to gnaw on every piece of scenery in every shot...
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MOVIE: Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

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Hacksaw Ridge Year: 2016 Rating: R Length: 139 minutes / 2.32 hours For many years, Mel Gibson has been at the center of controversies and other unwelcome attention-grabbing incidents. While this normally kills any actor's chances of reviving their careers, Gibson has instead managed to remain somewhat unscathed by retreating into his other skill: directing. As we've seen from some of his other directorial efforts, he is skilled behind the lens, even if many themes remain the same. From Braveheart (1995) to The Passion of the Christ (2004), Gibson has a tendency to be pretty brutal in the imagery he brings to the screen. Granted, this is partly due to the semi-factual source material. In his latest work after a long hiatus, Gibson brings us the brutality that is World War II. Hacksaw Ridge takes some time to get to its emotional center, but the unfortunate side effect of this is a series of characters that feel almost comical in their exaggerations. From Andrew Garfield's goofily...
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