Gardens of Stone

60.000

I think rendering the war as a disturbing, spectacular, messed up, confusing haze confronts the subject matter far better (and with a far more striking antiwar angle) than stating why you should be antiwar and coating it all in a comforting sentimentality (the former being Apocalypse Now, the latter being Gardens of Stone). Largely unremarkable with a dreadful performance from D.B. Sweeney. Jackie's wish to go to Vietnam perplexed me and I'd have valued more insight into why he wanted to go.

A bit heavy on the anti-war sentiment, but this stands as the one movie with the most real-to-life military Honor Guard depiction caught on film. I'm partial to this, since I was in the Air Force Honor Guard. Worth a watch at least to see this part of military life, depicted in a pretty realistic manner.

Coppola's son died during production of this movie; considering that it's supposed to be about grief and loss, it's remarkable that it isn't better. It also steals the "asexual reproduction" joke that had been used in _WarGames_ just a few years before, which earns this movie especial dishonorable mention

It may just be a colorized "Mr. Roberts", but that's certainly a high mark to reach.

A war movie that doesn't focus on the war, but on the lives of the people fighting them instead and in doing so becomes a true anti-war movie. It's funny, sad, romantic... so like life itself. That the movie is extremely watchable is for a large part due to amazing rapport James Caan and James Earl Jones have together. A very solid slice-of-life drama.

60.000

60.000