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Good evening fellow FReeps. I am doing a little history research and Google/Bing is not working out well. My grandmother, parents and I have been digging through some of my late grandfather's old commendation records and have learned some very interesting things about his history in WWII. He never would talk about it, but apparently he was part of the group that was depicted in the movie "The Great Raid" and was the second person to enter the recently liberated Manila right behind General Chase. He was the squad leader of the fifth Cav division. We never knew much about...

It wasn’t a particularly good year for conservative cinema. It rarely is. Yet alongside the cavalcade of ideology, mediocrity and stupidity that is Hollywood today, a few gems shone forth dazzlingly. What is a conservative film? Let’s start with what it isn’t. It’s not about men with bulging biceps and even bigger guns. It’s not cartoonish action heroes. It isn’t revenge tales masquerading as heroism. Conservative cinema does more than entertain; movies that do no more are visual candy. It instructs and inspires. Conservative films celebrate virtue. They tell timeless tales of individuals overcoming all manner of adversity to achieve...

"The Great Raid" was a very enjoyable, stirring, and patriotic movie about heroic Americans and Filipinos in WW II. It was the most successful raid of prisoners in our history. Some idiot at the end of the movie yelled out in the movie theatre -- "That's torture, Ted Kennedy; you shut the hell up!" Yes, that idiot would, of course, be yours truly. No wonder Mrs. DFU usually wants to avoid going to movie theatres with me and would rather rent them. I can't blame her. And during the last presidential campaign, she cringed when I demanded that the waitress...

VJ Day + 60 oday marks the 60th anniversary of the informal end of hostilities in World War II. As hid from the oppressive heat and thunderstorms of this mid-August day by watching TV, I was struck by the lack of coverage of anniversary. Outside of a few mentions on TV News, there was little coverage. The only relief came from the History Channel, which replayed a wonderful documentary "The Last Mission", a special live program from the USS Intrepid, a repeat of last weeks appalling documentary on Hiroshima, and, sadly, episode one of "Band of Brothers". The showing...

As you probably already know, I am not a movie-goer – only set foot in a theater maybe once or twice a year, if that -- for three reasons: (1) most of the ‘stuff’ that passes for cinematic excellence these days is no more visually or intellectually rewarding than staring at road kill, (2) I cringe at the thought of lining the pockets of the politically-activist Hollywood left, and (3) I’d rather be biking. :) With that disclaimer out of the way … Rick and I saw the just-released movie ‘The Great Raid’ last night. Knowing the shared love that...

"The Great Raid": The Year's GREAT Movie By Debbie Schlussel If you love America, "The Great Raid" is the movie for you. If you love freedom and appreciate the fight it takes to sustain it, you'll love this movie. But if you don't appreciate what it takes to protect our life as free Americans--the sacrifices our military men and women make every day, then you must see "The Great Raid." In theaters, today, "The Great Raid" is--hands down--the best movie of the year. It has drama, action, a love story, heroes and villains. And it makes you proud to be...

Movie Review: The Great Raid Here’s my review of The Great Raid for NewsMax. For a Miramax movie, I was surprised by how patriotic and pro-military the film was - and by how positively they depicted Christianity. Jason and I talked with director John Dahl and producer Marty Katz after the screening, and they both expressed tremendous respect for the veterans of the Great Raid on Cabanatuan, and a sincere desire to pay homage to them by depicting their story accurately. John Dahl also spoke emotionally about the fact that his father served in World War II in the Pacific,...

The Great Raid. Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Marton Csokas and Joseph Fiennes. Miramax. W- Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro. D-John Dahl. Opens 8/12/05. The title threw me. I thought it was a western, maybe something about Jesse James or George Custer. I don’t know why; no one makes westerns anymore. Well, it’s not a western. And it’s not a great title. What it is, however, is the best film I’ve seen so far this year. What’s more, it will be difficult to top. Quite simply, it is amazing. Director John Dahl recreates the gritty reality-based story of one of...