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Mayhawke (97 KP) rated Windtalkers (2002) in Movies
Feb 7, 2018
Not the film it was pitched as
I bought this when it first came out on video (yes, that long ago) excepecting a good action film centered around an interesting historical fact. If that is what you are hoping for, don't bother.
The trailers and the blurb made a great deal about the American use of the Navajo language as an unbreakable 'code' during WW2,and gave the impression that this was the central theme of the film. It is not. In fact that aspect of the story is almost completely incidental. Instead the film focuses on the character of Joe Enders (Nicholas Cage), in a thin and worn out story of the 'Only-Man-To-Survive-Out-Of-his-Unit-and-Now-he's-racked-with-Guilt' genre.
Trouble is, it's not even a good example of it's kind, and rapidly degenerates into the worst kind of John Wayne-esq war film, where one good/troubled/hard-arse American Marine manages to defeat the entire force of the Japanese/Germans/whoever.
It's a real shame, because the opportunity was there to do something really interesting and informative but - it seems - once again Hollywood has been blinded by the myopic belief that Testosterone, lots of big bangs and screaming characters makes for better entertainment.
The trailers and the blurb made a great deal about the American use of the Navajo language as an unbreakable 'code' during WW2,and gave the impression that this was the central theme of the film. It is not. In fact that aspect of the story is almost completely incidental. Instead the film focuses on the character of Joe Enders (Nicholas Cage), in a thin and worn out story of the 'Only-Man-To-Survive-Out-Of-his-Unit-and-Now-he's-racked-with-Guilt' genre.
Trouble is, it's not even a good example of it's kind, and rapidly degenerates into the worst kind of John Wayne-esq war film, where one good/troubled/hard-arse American Marine manages to defeat the entire force of the Japanese/Germans/whoever.
It's a real shame, because the opportunity was there to do something really interesting and informative but - it seems - once again Hollywood has been blinded by the myopic belief that Testosterone, lots of big bangs and screaming characters makes for better entertainment.
Flamingo Boy
Book
A stunning new classic from master storyteller Michael Morpurgo for readers of 9+, in the vein of...
When Football Was Football: A Nostalgic Look at a Century of Football: 2015
Book
Pre the 1960s and the first GBP100 a week footballer (Johnny Haynes - now there's a coincidence!)...
This Lovely City
10.0
Rate It
Book
An atmospheric and utterly compelling debut novel about a Jamaican immigrant living in postwar...
Historical Fiction Post WW2 London Windrush Generation
Rodney Barnes (472 KP) rated Kong: Skull Island (2017) in Movies
Mar 17, 2019
Finally Kong is Alive
Contains spoilers, click to show
Let me begin by saying that I love Kong, Godzilla and the like...so for me to hate this movie it would have to be really bad. As it stands I love this movie. It's not only a break from the traditional tragic Kong ending but it's part of the monsterverse with Kong and Godzilla heading for a battle. This movie had great character support. Everyone played their parts well. You would eventually hate Jackson's character and Hiddleston and Larson's characters. As well as the other supporting cast. Kong looked amazing and it showed his level of devastation on an intelligent level. When he wiped out all of the choppers that invaded the island, it left the group in a hopeless situation. Kong was The least of their worries as The island had many more monstrous threats that killed more of the explorerers. The group would come across a WW2 vet named Marlow (John C Riley). With a lot of smarts and ingenuity, the survivors along with Kong battling the dangerous Skull Crawlers, they make it off the island. The ending however would Conrad (Hiddleston) and Weaver (Larson) "prisoners" in a room only to learn their are more creatures like Kong in the world.....I recommend watching this movie
ClareR (5721 KP) rated Those Who Are Loved in Books
May 30, 2019
An emotional look at modern Greek history.
This book is about the lives of the Koralis family, and particularly Themis, from 1930 to 2016. We follow them through some of the most disruptive times in Greek history - I hadn’t actually realised how deeply traumatic recent Greek history was.
Themis is a partisan fighter during WW2, trying to get the Germans out of Greece, and then fighting the right-wing government who had supported the invading Germans. She ends up a prisoner and endures terrible living conditions and violence at the hands of her prison guards. She returns home, marries and has a family, but her past is always with her. Greece doesn’t allow her to forget, as it continues to be led by a military government under martial law.
I loved following Themis and her siblings lives in the earlier chapters of the book, the history I’d never known about before (that Victoria Hislop describes so well), and her children and their lives in the latter half of the book.
Themis is a quietly formidable woman, who always stands by her beliefs and her family, and there are some really very emotional parts to this book.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book - I’ll definitely be buying some copies as birthday presents this year, that’s for sure.
Themis is a partisan fighter during WW2, trying to get the Germans out of Greece, and then fighting the right-wing government who had supported the invading Germans. She ends up a prisoner and endures terrible living conditions and violence at the hands of her prison guards. She returns home, marries and has a family, but her past is always with her. Greece doesn’t allow her to forget, as it continues to be led by a military government under martial law.
I loved following Themis and her siblings lives in the earlier chapters of the book, the history I’d never known about before (that Victoria Hislop describes so well), and her children and their lives in the latter half of the book.
Themis is a quietly formidable woman, who always stands by her beliefs and her family, and there are some really very emotional parts to this book.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book - I’ll definitely be buying some copies as birthday presents this year, that’s for sure.
TT
The Twisted Florin: Evasion from France, Escape from Italy Squadron Leader John Mott MBE
Book
A very personal and evocative tale of one man's journey to war, and his work - first as a bomber...
Popular Mechanics Man Crafts: Leather Tooling, Fly Tying, Ax Whittling and Other Cool Things to Do
The Editors Of Popular Mechanics
Book
This is a series of ten pamphlets given to the US army on their return from WW2, reprinted in a...
David McK (3425 KP) rated Hearts of Stone in Books
Feb 9, 2022
Not quite what the blurb makes out
Whilst I do associate Simon Scarrow with the genre of historical fiction, these tend to be set further back in history: mainly around the time of the Roman Empire; there or thereabouts.
Until recently, I've tended to avoid his few works that are more contemporary in nature, only recently (towards the end of last year) reading Blackout as I felt they were 'too close' (if that makes sense) for comfort for me in that there are still people alive who lived through the setting.
I must admit, I did quite enjoy Blackout so thought I would also give this a go, due to the roughly the same (WW2) setting.
This novel flits back and forth between then and 'now' (of 2013), as the descendants of the main 1940s settings character start to discover more about their ancestors - in particular, as history teacher Anna uncovers the story of her maternal grandmother Eleni, who participated in the Greek resistance on the island of Lefkas during 1943.
The whole had-a-German-friend in 1939 thing almost seems incidental to the story (he's not), until roughly about the final third.
And yes, I did pick up on the arguments in favour of teaching history (a subject I did, mostly, enjoy in school) passages.
Until recently, I've tended to avoid his few works that are more contemporary in nature, only recently (towards the end of last year) reading Blackout as I felt they were 'too close' (if that makes sense) for comfort for me in that there are still people alive who lived through the setting.
I must admit, I did quite enjoy Blackout so thought I would also give this a go, due to the roughly the same (WW2) setting.
This novel flits back and forth between then and 'now' (of 2013), as the descendants of the main 1940s settings character start to discover more about their ancestors - in particular, as history teacher Anna uncovers the story of her maternal grandmother Eleni, who participated in the Greek resistance on the island of Lefkas during 1943.
The whole had-a-German-friend in 1939 thing almost seems incidental to the story (he's not), until roughly about the final third.
And yes, I did pick up on the arguments in favour of teaching history (a subject I did, mostly, enjoy in school) passages.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Call Of Duty: United Front in Video Games
Jun 19, 2019
The third of four DLC packs for Call of Duty: WW2 has arrived for PC and Xbox One. United Front brings three new multiplay maps, a new War map, and a brand new chapter in the Zombie saga for players to enjoy.
The content first released on the PS4 which gives that platform a 30 day advanced released window over the other platforms.
The three maps are as follows…
Market Garden
Set during Operation Market Garden in The Netherlands, players must fight in and around Allied Headquarters which leads to several close-quarter battles. The kitchen is a very dangerous area and there are multiple places for enemies to hide in the shadows and strike.
If you like a run and gun style of play, this is the map for you.
Stalingrad
The snow-covered map is set in the factory district and provides raised areas, long range attacks, tunnels, and solid action. The detail level is good and using train cars to hide behind before launching an attack makes the map a great mix of gameplay styles.
Monte Cassino
This map set in Italy has players battle in a village and has some great tactical variation. From courtyards to rooftops, players can alternate between run and gun and distanced attacks. There is some great fun in shooting enemies from the roof and then jumping down to finish them off point blank.
Operation Supercharge
Set in Tunisia during the second battle of El Alamein players must build and defend bridges as they look to assault and defend a key train bridge. Anyone who has played the War mode knows what to expect as teamwork is the key for this mode and different play styles are well-supported.
The final part of the pack is the new Zombie chapter and it is very difficult even for experienced players.
The Tortured Path
Players make a last-ditch stand to fight the evil hordes but the ideal village where the game takes place offers few places to hide and narrow passages which makes players develop hit and run tactics as standing your ground does not work well.
I have played all of the Zombie modes to date and this one is very challenging. I have asked other players if I am wrong about this and they have all agreed that the map offers a very high challenge as not only are the enemies tougher and abundant; the weapons do not seem to do as must damage.
United Front is a nice selection of content which will increase the options for fans of Call of Duty: WW2. However some fans may find it is a mix of good but not great content that does not change greatly from what is already offered. The new maps are fun but they do not have a unique or quirky quality to them like some maps have.
http://sknr.net/2018/07/31/call-of-duty-united-front/
The content first released on the PS4 which gives that platform a 30 day advanced released window over the other platforms.
The three maps are as follows…
Market Garden
Set during Operation Market Garden in The Netherlands, players must fight in and around Allied Headquarters which leads to several close-quarter battles. The kitchen is a very dangerous area and there are multiple places for enemies to hide in the shadows and strike.
If you like a run and gun style of play, this is the map for you.
Stalingrad
The snow-covered map is set in the factory district and provides raised areas, long range attacks, tunnels, and solid action. The detail level is good and using train cars to hide behind before launching an attack makes the map a great mix of gameplay styles.
Monte Cassino
This map set in Italy has players battle in a village and has some great tactical variation. From courtyards to rooftops, players can alternate between run and gun and distanced attacks. There is some great fun in shooting enemies from the roof and then jumping down to finish them off point blank.
Operation Supercharge
Set in Tunisia during the second battle of El Alamein players must build and defend bridges as they look to assault and defend a key train bridge. Anyone who has played the War mode knows what to expect as teamwork is the key for this mode and different play styles are well-supported.
The final part of the pack is the new Zombie chapter and it is very difficult even for experienced players.
The Tortured Path
Players make a last-ditch stand to fight the evil hordes but the ideal village where the game takes place offers few places to hide and narrow passages which makes players develop hit and run tactics as standing your ground does not work well.
I have played all of the Zombie modes to date and this one is very challenging. I have asked other players if I am wrong about this and they have all agreed that the map offers a very high challenge as not only are the enemies tougher and abundant; the weapons do not seem to do as must damage.
United Front is a nice selection of content which will increase the options for fans of Call of Duty: WW2. However some fans may find it is a mix of good but not great content that does not change greatly from what is already offered. The new maps are fun but they do not have a unique or quirky quality to them like some maps have.
http://sknr.net/2018/07/31/call-of-duty-united-front/