airlee Reviews

Tears of the Sun (2003)

Excellent movie for this time in history!

[9/10 · 8 March 2003]

This movie ends with a quote by Edmund Burke:

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

"Tears of the Sun" stars Bruce Willis as the leader of a Seal Team which is inserted into Nigeria to extract four American citizens, a female doctor, a priest, and two nuns. The reason for the extraction is that the Royal family has all been assassinated and rebels are running amuck killing everyone.

Willis plays a very stoic leader of the team who seems to perform his mission without any emotion. The female doctor will not leave the mission without taking with her all of the inhabitants who can travel. They have to get to a landing zone where the helicopters can land and extract the doctor. Obviously there is not enough room on board the helicopters for all of the locals and Willis has to force the doctor on board because she will not leave her people willingly. He also makes it clear to the good doctor that his mission is to extract her and no one else. However once airborne emotion creeps into Willis's psyche and he has to acknowledge that if he leaves all of the people there they surely will all be killed. So he has the helicopters turn back and the rest of the movie is about the Seals and their mission to get the locals to a safe haven.

This is a very strong movie. It seems to me to be a statement movie regarding the situation in Iraq right now. Unless we do something Saddam Hussein will be allowed to continue to torture and murder people in Iraq. The time has come for us to act.

This movie is an extremely emotional movie at times and I had a headache from shedding so many tears. My son called me a "Wuzz" but then acknowledged that he only cried five or six times.

If you want to see a movie which will make you feel glad to be an American patriot this is the one.

U-571 (2000)

Great Submarine Movie

[30 August 2002]

Although this film has been out for some time I just saw it. I had just recently seen "K-19: The Widowmaker" and I liked it well enough to want to see another submarine movie. It is hard to really make an accurate comparison of the two movies because I saw K-19 on the big screen and I watched U-571 on my laptop computer. I honestly believe the only way to really appreciate a film is on the big screen. However, with that said, I would recommend this movie to people who like military movies. Women might not particularly like it because there is no romance in this movie. This is not a chick flick; It is a man's movie.

My review is this: the movie is a fictional movie based on real events which took place prior to and during WWII. Many of us who have watched the History Channel or Discovery know that the Enigma coding machines used by the Germans during WWII were very difficult to decipher. Messages intercepted often took many days to decode. It was absolutely imperative that the Allies get hold of an Enigma machine so as to help give us an extra advantage in the war. This movie is about that endeavor. Of course, getting the machine had historic value but that, by itself, would not have made a really exciting movie. So this movie has lots of action and elevates normal men to the status of heroes. We all like that.

Beyond that we see the transformation of a young Naval Officer, Matthew McConaughey from a graduate of the Naval Academy to a leader of men.

As an ex-military man I would recommend this movie to any person who likes movies with a military theme.

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

Great Movie!

[11 August 2002]

This is the only movie I have seen this summer and it is a fantastic movie. It might appeal more to those who followed the Cold War history of the 60's and 70's before the fall of the Soviet Union but I think anyone who likes drama will enjoy this movie. There are times you will be sitting on the edge of your seat and your stomach will tighten up.

As a former Air Force Intelligence Specialist it brought back memories of the Cold War to me when sometimes we stood toe to toe with the Russians on the brink of a nuclear holocaust. However, we see this movie from the Russian side and the Americans are only a sidelight to the movie.

The comraderie of men in uniform, dedication to duty, a willingness to die for one's country, etc. and, in this case, engaged in a life and death true experience makes it one hell of a movie. I do not think you will be disappointed.

Shout (1991)

Great Music!

[28 June 2002]

I purchased this video at Wal-Mart in a two for ten bucks basket. For anyone who may have grown up in the 50's and loved the old time rock and roll this movie is absolutely great!

James Walters plays a rebellious teenager who ends up in a home for boys. John Travolta is a music teacher who comes looking for a job which the boys' home needs. His job is to teach them music but he has been introduced to a black rhythm and blues radio station out of Memphis, which is playing some new music which seems to upset the establishment. That music is the birth of rock and roll.

Travolta introduces the boys to this new music by first playing some 45RPM records and then telling them to get a radio and listen to the Midnight Rider. From then on the boys are hooked.

Heather Graham is the daughter of the man who runs this boys' school and is the romantic interest of Jamie Walters. She looks wonderful. Walters is a junior James Dean with a rock and roll soul.

Ultimately the music is bound to clash with the locals and that is what really brings this movie to an outstanding conclusion. Two songs really kept me going back and watching parts of the movie over and over. "Alimony" by a black couple by the names of Womack & Womack is a fantastic piece of music and the final song by Walters called, "Rockin' the Pad" is produced by Dave Edmunds. The guitar playing could very well be that of Edmunds.

Having started high school in 1955 and graduating in 1959 this movie is a real piece of nostalgia.