Tag: Soviets

New in Theaters: ‘Stalingrad’

On By chrisbarsantiIn Film - New, Film-ForeignLeave a comment
'Stalingrad'
‘Stalingrad’: Nazis on the march

Decades ago, Sergio Leone (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) planned to make an epic film about the battle of Stalingrad. Audiences today are instead treated to the dubious pleasures of Stalingrad, a 3D IMAX flag-waver that was unsurprisingly a huge hit over in Russia.

Stalingrad will be playing briefly in America for all those who prefer their war films as slo-mo 300-esque spectacle. My review is at Film Journal International:

One would expect Stalingrad to turn into some stouthearted celebration of Motherland pride that would befit a 3D IMAX spectacle released in time for the 70th anniversary of the battle’s grim conclusion. All of that is certainly there, from “Burn in hell, scum” dialogue to scene after scene of the scrappy and outnumbered Russians making mincemeat of their arrogant enemies…

Here’s the trailer:

Now Playing: ‘Generation War’

On By chrisbarsantiIn Film - NewLeave a comment
Generation-War1
‘Generation War’: A Drink, For Tomorrow We May Die

generationwar-posterFive friends meet for one last night together before three of them head off to war. It’s not the newest of premises but what gives the nearly five-hour epic Generation War more of a kick is that it’s about five German youths who will be hurled into the morally-devastating crucible of World War II.

It’s playing now in limited release and should hit DVD soon. My review is at Film Racket:

Controversial but also hugely popular in Germany, where it aired as a TV miniseries, this dynamic story about five friends sucked into the bloody maw of the Second World War is in line with earlier efforts to fit big-screen ideas and scope into a small-screen format. Much like those Herman Wouk adaptation epics of decades past, Generation War uses carefully pigeonholed and typecast characters as chess pieces to be moved about the broad, years-spanning story to cover as many points of interest and historical drama as possible. This produces a somewhat mechanical narrative, something that the hardworking cast resists as best they can, continually hitting high strumming notes of melodrama amidst the exploding shells…

The trailer is here: