Being an extreme arena, war brings out the best and worst in people -- noble sacrifice right next to murderous evil, venial cowards next to the courageous. Movies cannot show it in its complexity, and that means that Hollywood's gonna Hollywood.

(January 10, 2015 at 9:18 am)Rhythm Wrote: Must make for shitty and depressing documentaries. I have plenty of funny anecdotes...you'll rarely hear me tell a "war story". Maybe, just maybe...soldiers use humor to cope with pain? Not sure how you could say that this doesn't have to do with winning or losing - as all of those countries you mentioned lost - alot...even the ones on the "winning" side.

I was speaking to a soldier (years ago) who fought in the Falklands.
He told the story of one of his fellow soldiers who was caught in an artillary blast who screamed
"I've lost my arm".
Only to be answered by his mate a few meters away.
"No you haven't....it's over here" waving the bloody arm.

Sigh, neither of us brought up banning guns, so maybe you should put yours back in the holster until someone points that weapon at you? I'm -for- regulation.....all of it. So much so that I have little time for folks who dream up ridiculous suggestions rather than stating the obvious until we do something about it. That "military style" routine, btw....... those guns -are- toys. I'm not a fan, but at least I understand enough about them to realize that it's the paintjob that makes them "military style" as opposed to, I suppose.. "civilian style" which is precisely what those weapons are, beneath the body kit.

Fools the dolts. A significant portion of the value of a jet black 22 with a handgrip is your(the royal you..mind you) constant whining about them. You both seem to have swallowed the ad copy whole with regards to what they are and what they can do (and even what their reduction or removal might do..despite the DOJs publicly stated and well-reasoned, documented, and demonstrated indifference on the matter). That you hate them and they think they get to pretend to be GI Joe is icing on the cake. Like I said, all the way to the bank, thanks for doing your part?

This thread's taken a predictable turn for the douche, from the extreme of warmongering propaganda to uneducated demonization. At least the former had merit and might lead to an interesting conversation. The latter is a soapbox.

(January 10, 2015 at 2:01 pm)Parkers Tan Wrote: Being an extreme arena, war brings out the best and worst in people -- noble sacrifice right next to murderous evil, venial cowards next to the courageous. Movies cannot show it in its complexity, and that means that Hollywood's gonna Hollywood.

Sounds nice but everyone thinks they are noble. I hate the words "honor" and "loyalty" because those are to a tribe and not to the species. The only altruism I see viable for humans is the acceptance is that we all bitch and at the same time want the same things.

Fuck utopias. We all die, and as long as any group thinks the world is centered around them, the more divided we become. The more we accept this is the only dot we have, the more we can improve our species existence while allowing for our differences.

I think Threads is a film that should be required watching for anybody who glorifies war, or thinks that it should ever be anything other than an absolute last resort. Especially those crucial idiots who have ever seriously called for the use of nuclear weapons to defeat an enemy.

(January 10, 2015 at 6:36 pm)Ryantology (╯°◊°)╯︵ ══╬ Wrote: I think Threads is a film that should be required watching for anybody who glorifies war, or thinks that it should ever be anything other than an absolute last resort. Especially those crucial idiots who have ever seriously called for the use of nuclear weapons to defeat an enemy.

Never heard of threads. Have to look it up on IMDB. But from the tope of my head I would say All Quiet on the Western Front is pretty good as well as The Day After. One from 1930 or 31, the other one from the Reagan aera of all times. Both certainly don't sugarcoat the issue. Also Tora, Tora, Tora at least doesn't present the Japanese as faceless monsters.

(January 10, 2015 at 6:41 pm)abaris Wrote: Never heard of threads. Have to look it up on IMDB. But from the tope of my head I would say All Quiet on the Western Front is pretty good as well as The Day After. One from 1930 or 31, the other one from the Reagan aera of all times. Both certainly don't sugarcoat the issue. Also Tora, Tora, Tora at least doesn't present the Japanese as faceless monsters.

Threads is the darker, bleaker, and more horrifying English take on The Day After's subject matter.

For some reason, it's not on Youtube anymore, and it's never been on Netflix, et. al. But, it is still available to stream here.

(January 10, 2015 at 6:11 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Sounds nice but everyone thinks they are noble. I hate the words "honor" and "loyalty" because those are to a tribe and not to the species.

Says who? I've been shouting "go team us"....well, forever. Maybe -you- are toiling under an incomplete concept of both honor and loyalty?

Quote:Fuck utopias. We all die, and as long as any group thinks the world is centered around them, the more divided we become. The more we accept this is the only dot we have, the more we can improve our species existence while allowing for our differences.

In the case of some differences, no allowances can be made or even entertained - Hence war, go team us.

(January 10, 2015 at 6:41 pm)abaris Wrote: from the tope of my head I would say All Quiet on the Western Front is pretty good as well as The Day After. One from 1930 or 31, the other one from the Reagan aera of all times.

There is one scene which I remember. I think it was from The Day After which I saw way back when. I found it exceedingly subtle and chilling. There was a simple shot of a North Dakota countryside full of wheat under a bright blue sky. The sights that made it so terrifying were half a dozen smoke trails from Minuteman IIIs or whatever had launched. No launch was shown and the scene was idyllic other than when you knew that the missiles were gone and there were very likely others in transit on the opposing trajectory.

It may have been this-

Which I picked off of youtube as being from The Day After though it is not quite as I remembered it.

(January 10, 2015 at 8:28 pm)JuliaL Wrote: No launch was shown and the scene was idyllic other than when you knew that the missiles were gone and there were very likely others in transit on the opposing trajectory.

I haven't seen it since it came out, in 1983 I think. But if memory serves, I think, you see the silos opening and the missiles launching. Although I also remember the scene you describe.