Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Battle of the Battles



For reasons that are a mystery to me, a lot of movies are either about war, or set in a war torn environment. And war is nothing short of terrible. No argument. But what were the best war movies at you can watch at LikeTelevision? Well here the list. The Battle of the Battles.

10) The Battle of San Pietro Written, directed and narrated by John Huston, which means, yes - this is a good film.

9) The Battle of Midway This battle was the turning point for dominance on the sea in World War II. Admiral Bull Halsey, interesting fellow.

8) The Battle of Britain Starring Winston Churchill and our brave friends the Brits.

7) Forbidden Games - This is the story of some orphaned children in WWII France. Very powerful movie. also known as Jeux Interdits, the French title.

6) Battleship Potemkin - Sergei Eisenstein's landmark film set during the Russian revolution.

5) Throne of Blood Imagine a film that combines Japanese master Akira Kurosawa and Shakespeare's Macbeth. The final fight scene in the end is required viewing. The soldiers decide to kill their leader in lieu of facing the battle w/ the fast approaching enemy. About a thousand arrows are fired from everywhere to finish the job. One of the greatest pieces of film ever.

4) Samurai II Duel At Ichijoji Temple Hiroshi Inagaki 's epic trilogy of Musashi Miyamoto, Japan's greatest Samurai warrior. In part 2, everyone wants to knock him off the top, so they challenge him, and lose. The best scene is in a rice paddy field, where he defeats about 100 people who are trying to get him. And because of the difficult footing in the rice paddys, the battle is totally believable.

3) La Grande Illusion Jean Renoir's amazing film about the futility of war.

2) The Battle of Algiers I think this film is fascinating, and hard to watch. It provides a frightening insight on today's war on terror and how war is seldom an answer for fighting hate and terror.

1) Seven Samurai Akira Kurosawa 's 3 1/2 story about a group of Samurai and Ronin (Samurai who have no master or Lord) that join up with some frightened villagers to defend their turf against bandits. Lots of exciting battles, and the final battle is something you just have to experience after watching the whole movie. Totally worth your time.