Posted on 12/07/2016 7:28:35 AM PST by Kaslin
This month, Mel Gibson nabbed a nomination for best director from the Broadcast Film Critics Association. The last we saw Gibson directing, a Mayan priest was tossing heads down the pyramid steps in Apocalypto. In the decade since, he has lost his own head a few times, suffering tequila-induced tirades and effectively achieving for himself excommunication from the Church of Hollywood. Such is perhaps for the best, as it provides for him the freedom to make films that rise above the swirling box office toilet bowl of superhero spandex, toy trolls, and incomprehensible Harry Potter spin-offs.
Gibson's latest, Hacksaw Ridge, garnered a mere $14 million in its opening weekend, despite being what Rex Reed has called "the best war film since Saving Private Ryan." Spielberg's 1998 epic was infamous for triggering shell shock among veteran viewers with its brutal depiction of the Normandy invasion. It was undoubtedly a powerful re-enactment, though by the time Matt Damon withered into the old man whose purpose was to provide the moral lesson at the end, the message likewise fizzled into something vague. The clarity of Hacksaw's message sets it apart as a classic of the genre and renews its subject's place as a hero in the annals of American warfare.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Mel Gibson = Our generation’s John Huston.
Hacksaw Ridge is doomed, like Doss himself, to be unpopular. The film's heart-wrenching violence is unpalatable, but even more off-putting is the tacit indictment offered by the quiet courage of men like Doss to a generation wringing its hands over pronouns, gluten, and microaggressions. Had he come of age today, his homespun background and obsession with the Bible would have secured for Doss a place at the bottom of the nation's "basket of deplorables." As the world darkens again with the gathering strength of barbaric enemies, we had better hope there will be enough faithful deplorables like Desmond Doss to save us.
It is one of the wonders of God, in His creation of mankind, that there are always a few who run to the sound of gunfire and not away. Just as there were men who went up the stairs on 9-11, there will be men who show up when we need them to fight off the barbarians.
They are only waiting for the call.
This was a well made movie, worth seeing as opposed to most of Hollywood’s trash. The fact that it was a true story made it even better. The clips of the actual Desmond Doss at the end are priceless. I can only thank God that such men exist.
Certainly there are some, the question is: Are there enough within the not so brave youth that will be called upon?
I believe it is more in the knowledge there are a LOT of people the fly over media and coastal elites never see and do not know about.
Those are the ones who always seem to show up when the country needs them.
I hope so, but I have my doubts.
And I predict it will clean up with DVD and streaming sales. I know I’m gonna buy it.
I suspect that’s the age old question...Asked no doubt by a lot of Greeks when the Persians parked just north of Thermopylae...And then, Leonidas and his Spartans showed up and gave ‘em what for...
The answer today may best be found in reading the MOH, Navy Cross, and Silver Star citations of our young warriors earned in places like Iraq and Afghanistan...
Nothing’s changed...They still walk among us...And as always, the question remains are their enough?
Desmond Doss was not concerned about being popular. What
he did was above and beyond human ability. He called upon
Almighty God for help. I’d read about Desmond; but haven’t
seen the movie. (We haven’t been to a movie in years. Have
rented a few and hope to rent “Hacksaw Ridge” to watch at
home.)
Have you seen “Arrival” yet?
Nah, I don’t go to theaters.
My very close personal experience with a combat medic in my company in an intense all day/night firefight that ended up with my company losing so many effectives that it was merged with another company. All I can say is true life Desmond Doss types were battlefield angels swooping from fallen to fallen, tracer fire following their every move. There has to be a special place in heaven for these true heros. I am alive only because of our companys combat medic.
See the real Desmond Doss:
If you want to see and hear the REAL hero I recommend this highly.
Keep your sports stars. Keep your Hollywood stars. Keep your empty celebrities. To say they pale in comparison to this simple Christian man is an immeasurable understatement.
God bless his memory.
Yes, are there enough. That was my question. The major positives is the equipment, the leadership, and the training. But timing and public sentiment play a big role as we found out in Vietnam.
We will go a year without going and then we will get on a kick and five movies in 3 weeks picking senior days and similar discounted showings.
The reason I asked is that we thought it was one of the better SF movies made. Not a simple movie, but very well done.
The movie is excellent. But they had to simplify the story to keep it into 2 hours and 20 minutes.
” 2 hours and 20 minutes.”
—
Man.that is a long movie.
.
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