World War II Movie Night

World War II Movie Night kicks off Spooky Movie Month with 1978's "The Boys from Brazil." Is it horror? Is it science fiction? Is it Nazi'sploitation? The question is debated to this day. What we do know is that it was nominated for Oscars and has Gregory Peck playing... a 1970s Josef Mengele! Join us for a record three (!) entries into the Trophy Case,  and more accents than you can keep track of!... Asides include Sharon Stone, Steve Guttenberg, "The Exorcist," the unknown history of Japan's  Unit 731, and which are the scariest dog breeds? 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

World War II Movie Night is shocked, shocked! to finally be doing our most famous movie ever, 1942's "Casablanca." When its creators made "Casablanca," they knew they had a good movie on their hands, but they didn't realize it would blow up into one of the most watched, remembered, quoted movies of all time. Tonight we examine: why is that? Why does this movie have the legacy it does? We also delve into why the plot is harder to remember than you think... asides include chess, gambling, and a Bob Dylan song. 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

Tonight we explore 2002's "The Pianist," a movie that can be attributed to multiple countries EXCEPT America, for a very specific reason. How good (or not) is this movie that won its maker a (controversial) Best Director and its titular star a Best Actor? The answer's pretty striking, as we explore probably the best movie you can watch about what happened in Poland during the war... Asides include... well, really just one, but it's a DOOZY! 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

Tonight we revisit the Royal Air Force for a special bombing mission: to destroy a German V-2 rocket factory. But that's easier said than done, given the details of the mission. Meanwhile, what will become of the Norwegian resistance-fighter helping the mission? Can gruff American Roy Grant separate his feelings about the mission from his feelings about the resistance-fighter's sister? Let's find out!... Asides include yet another "Sopranos" reference, the "Top Gun" sequel, the 1986 Challenger explosion, and the decades-long debate over whether tonight's movie or 1955's "The Dambusters" influenced the Death-Star scene in "Star Wars." 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

Tonight World War II Movie Night returns to non-English WWII movies that punch ya' in the gut with 1993's "Stalingrad"! A platoon of German soldiers is plucked from the Italian Riviera for a new mission at the Eastern Front: Stalingrad. Despite thinking they'll make short work of the Russians, what the soldiers go through is akin to a horror movie, with not only death, injury and starvation, but death of idealism and identity... asides include Ice Cube's ruminations on 1993, and a Sopranos reference ("Pine Barrens"!). 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

Tonight we return to form with a real meat-and-potatoes World War II movie. Hollywood player Samuel Fuller had written, directed or produced countless pulpy movies for decades. However, he decided to mine his own World War II experiences for "The Big Red One," which ended up being his greatest achievement. An old-fashioned, combat-heavy ensemble piece, TBRO features the ever-dependable Lee Marvin, and the fresh-off-dizzying-fame Mark Hamill as they trudge through the European theater (and Rommel's Africa)... Asides include a theory about "Saving Private Ryan," the use of the word 'retarded,' and the origin of the term 'five will get you ten,' and big butts.  

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

Tonight we consider a highlight of Italian cinema, and world cinema in general: 1945's "Rome, Open City." Roberto Rossellini wanted to make a movie reflecting his and others' experiences living in Occupied Italy. He may have succeeded too much, as although "Rome, Open City" would become an honored part of Italy's hertigae, it was initially cold-shouldered by Italian audiences, who didn't want to be reminded of the situation they had lived for so long... asides include the embarassment of being young and highbrow, Pope Francis, junkie liars, and Italians' weird fixation on faces. 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

World War II Movie Night covers one of the more compelling post-war events with 2018's "Operation Finale," which portrays the secret Mossad mission to kidnap Adolf Eichmann from Argentina and bring him back to Israel. Along the way we address just how and why Argentina became a haven for Nazis after the war. Oh, and did we mention Ben Kingsley plays Eichmann!?... Asides include the Onion, Bernie Sanders, why comedy isn't funny anymore, "American Pie," and D.B. Cooper. 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

World War II Movie Night does a listener request with the 1968 American movie, "Hell in the Pacific," about two men trapped on an island together, and one of them we never even hear what he's saying! Despite this sparse premise, director John Boorman turns in a surprisingly eventful character study... asides include a time I could've scored some WWII LIFE magazines, at least two times this premise has been done before and after, an acclaimed filmmaker who helmed a movie so bad it made people physically agressive, and the elephant in the room: my misadventures in pronunciation. 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X/Twitter at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight 

Tonight we're having a communist party (!) as we look at a part of the War not often explored, the Russian camps. Storied director Peter Weir ("Gallipoli") brought this true (?) story to the screen in 2010, starring Ed Harris and Colin Farrell. The result? An overlooked gem and a muscular statement against Stalinism... Asides include, there are too many movies, Boris Yeltsin's lost in the supermarket, Bill Cosby endorsed an '80s dessert item to great effect, and why was Ed Harris so pissed at the '99 Oscars? 

Drop us a line at [email protected]

Check out our X/Twitter at http://twitter.com/WWIIMovieNight