The Way of the Gun (2000) - **1/2
A decent, but not great, kidnapping movie. The script is a bit too unbelievable and they try to keep you guessing. It's held together by some decent star power...James Caan, Benicio Del Toro, Juliette Lewis. I did have a bit of a problem believing Taye Diggs and Nicky Katt as two hardcore professional bodyguards. Ryan Phillippe played his part well, but it was still a little hard to picture him as a badass. There's an extreme amount of violence and not for the faint of heart. If you can take it, it's not a bad diversion on for a Sunday evening.
We Were Soldiers (2002) - ***1/2
This is an excellent, realistic depiction of the first major U.S. battle in Vietnam. Though it's more than that. This movie had two big things that I hadn't seen in a movie in about the Vietnam war before. First was the deep loyalty of the American soldiers for each other, and secondly, what the wives of these soldiers went through back home. These are both things common in WWII movies, but this is the first time I've really seen it in a Vietnam war movie. During this battle, it also was sure to show the Vietnam point of view as well. It showed how the battle played out like a chess game, colonels on both sides predicted each others moves. Mel Gibson's portrayal of Lt Colonel Hal Moore and Sam Elliot as Sergeant Major Plumley were both excellent. I think this was probably Greg Kinnear's finest performance ever as Major Crandall, the lead helicopter pilot. Madeleine Stowe as Julie Moore back home was very touching. And all of the supporting cast really turned in great performances, making for a very realistic movie. The battle scenes were incredible, but gut-wrenching to watch. I would call this movie anti-war, but pro-soldier.
Rank: #7 in 2002
What's Cooking? (2000) - ***
Experience Thanksgiving with four different families (Jewish, Vietnamese, Hispanic, African American) in a Los Angeles neighborhood. It has a lot of the typical holiday family issues and few not so typical. I think basically it's showing that even though the cultures are very different, the way people react to the holidays is pretty universal. It has a nice blend of humor mixed with the stress of holiday and makes for enjoyable feast. As a side note, it has a reference to my alma mater, UCSB...which, to set the record straight, does not have a business school.
Rank: #3 Thanksgiving Movie
White Line Fever (1975) - **1/2
I hadn't seen this movie in about 20 years before catching it on the Action Network yesterday. While it's not a great movie, I am glad to see it again as I had forgotten much of the movie over the years. The movie is really violent and a little unrealistic in parts, but it's good 70's action where the good guy doesn't put up with the corrupt company and takes matters into his own hands. And this movie remains a strong addition to the Trucker genre.
Rank: #5 Trucker Movie
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