I didn't see a thread on this yet. It's directed by Clint Eastwood and has a primarily Japanese cast. It's already getting great reviews but I believe it only comes out in limited release on 12/20/06. Anyone know when it will be in theaters around here?

12/13/2006 7:33:51 PM

It's got a lot of buzz, and I'm sure it will be a good movie, but somehow I can't see a movie about WWII from the Japanese's perspective doing very well in the box office.

12/14/2006 1:52:14 PM

IIRC, it got better reviews than Flags of Our Fathers

12/14/2006 1:53:22 PM

It's basically Flags of Our Fathers from the Japanese point of view...

Can't wait.

12/14/2006 2:55:01 PM

No, Thorsten, it's not basically anything.

Intresting point of view though, I'm interested to see the reaction, if any.

12/15/2006 11:47:52 PM

definatly want to see it

12/16/2006 9:37:26 PM

out in limited release now. anyone see it yet?

12/27/2006 10:55:07 PM

Yeah I saw Flags at the Witherspoon Sneak Preview, I enjoyed the movie, look forward to seeing this one soon.

12/27/2006 11:33:15 PM

bttt. it's out in theaters now

1/21/2007 6:33:05 PM

saw this tonight. i never saw flags of our fathers, so i wasn't really sure what to expect. i found it was too artsy to be a good war film and too flashy for a good artsy film. i was hoping for more politcal backstory or at least some facts and figures, ie important events that led up to Iwo Jima. instead the story focuses on the japan's preparation for battle on the island, and then of course the ensuing battle itself. it does so all while trying to portray the unspoken emotional battles the soldiers fought within themselves. about 20 minutes into i was like "ok, i get it, the japanese value honor and duty to their country more than their own lives, lets move on". but for the next 2 hours its just seems just a lot of the same over and over. the washed out color was distracting too.

i'm going to have to go with a B- on this one.

1/21/2007 10:53:17 PM

Saw it tonight.

Fucking brilliant.

No, its not a typical war movie. Its probably the strongest anti-war movie that I have ever seen. I loved Flags of Our Fathers and was expecting something similar, but I walked out very surprised.

Flags focused more on the battle and the aftermath, primarily the government's use of the flag raising photo on Suribachi as a tool to raise money. Letters gave a much more graphic depiction of the battle and conveyed the futility of the Japanese effort, if not war in general. While part of the film was "the japanese value honor and duty to their country more than their own lives," an even larger part was the conscripted soldiers who had no desire to die and would have much rather surrendered had it not been such a disgrace.

My biggest problem with Flags, especially after having read the book, was the lack of character development aside from the 3 soldiers who made it back to go on the bond tour. Letters introduced a much larger central cast, and most of them met a very grim fate.

10/10

[Edited on February 12, 2007 at 2:26 AM. Reason : .]

2/12/2007 2:25:44 AM

Flags of our Fathers was disappointing for me. The should have labeled it a documentary or kept it as a book. I like non-fiction history but it wasn't what I was looking for out of a movie.

2/12/2007 2:26:01 PM