Yahoo! Movies: New War DVD Releases

Braveheart

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:15 -0000

Mel Gibson directs and stars in this Academy Award-winning epic based on the life of legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero William Wallace. Returning to his homeland following the death of an heirless king, Wallace (Mel Gibson) finds the political landscape precarious. Edward the Longshanks, King of England (Patrick McGoohan), has captured Scotland's throne and threatens the freedom of all Scottish people, as tyrannical policies instituted by the English plague the Scots. Initially, Wallace is content to stand by the wayside, yearning for the simple life of building a home and raising a family. However, when the woman he loves (Catherine McCormack) suffers a cruel fate at the hands of English soldiers, Wallace takes a stand against the new rule. With his fierce patriotism and determination, he gathers an amateur but passionately rebellious army. Although this makeshift force may be outnumbered by the English troops, their desperation and love for their land surpass any military maneuvers, as evidenced in the film's breathtaking battle sequences. (2 hrs. 59 min.) Release date: May 5, 2009

V for Vendetta

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:14 -0000

In an alternate timeline where Germany won World War II and Great Britain is now a facist state, a masked vigilante known only as "V" conducts guerrilla warfare against the government. When he rescues a normal young woman (Portman), she joins his struggle against the forces of oppression. (2 hrs. 11 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Top Gun

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:13 -0000

A young recruit aspires to become the top fighter pilot in the prestigious naval training school he attends. (1 hr. 50 min.) Release date: May 5, 2009

Platoon

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:12 -0000

Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is a young, naive American who, upon his arrival in Vietnam, quickly discovers that he must do battle not only with the Viet Cong, but also with the gnawing fear, physical exhaustion and intense anger growing within him. While his two commanding officers (Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe) draw a fine line between the war they wage against the enemy and the one they fight with each other, the conflict, chaos and hatred permeate Taylor, suffocating his realities and numbing his feelings to man's highest value... life (2 hrs.) Release date: May 12, 2009

A Walk in the Clouds

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:11 -0000

A young soldier, returning to California's wine country following WWII, discovers he no longer loves his wife. He befriends a pregnant girl on a bus and fatefully agrees to pose as her husband to help her avoid her vineyard-owner father's wrath. A romantic fantasy from the director of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. (1 hr. 43 min.) Release date: May 26, 2009

Battle of Britain

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:10 -0000

A powerful and colorful portrayal of an understaffed, technically inferior royal air-crew who valiantly holds off the superior forces of the German Luftwaffe. This pivotal battle of World War II could have led to the Germans winning the war. The incredible cast includes Michael Caine, Robert Shaw, Curt Jurgens, and Laurence Olivier. Based on the actual events. (2 hrs. 12 min.) Release date: May 19, 2009

The Longest Day

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:09 -0000

An all-star cast enlists for this epic recreation of the Allied invasion of Normandy. Academy Award Nominations: 5, including Best Picture. Academy Awards: Best (Black-and-White) Cinematography. (3 hrs.) Release date: May 12, 2009

The Secret of Santa Vittoria

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:08 -0000

A small Italian village, led by an oft-drunk mayor, tries to hide a million bottles of wine from the Nazis in this picturesque adaptation of Robert Crichton's comic novel. Stanley Kramer (IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD) directs an impressive cast led by screen legend Anthony Quinn (LA STRADA) and Italian beauty Anna Magnani (OPEN CITY). (2 hrs. 20 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Flyboys

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:07 -0000

FLYBOYS is a good old-fashioned historical drama concerning the Lafayette Escadrille, a French regiment of American volunteer airmen serving the allied cause in WWI before the U.S. became officially involved. James Franco plays Blaine, a Texas rancher; he bunks with Eugene (Abdul Salis), an African American boxer whose been living in Paris as an ex-patriate to get away from American racism. Other fighters include a pampered New York scion (Tyler Labine) and a lanky, lazy Kansan (David Ellison). They all train under the patient hand of the French commander, succinctly embodied by the wondrous Jean Reno (THE PROFESSIONAL). Martin Henderson (TORQUE) is good and brusque as a jaded flier with a bunch of kills under his belt and an obsession with an ace German fighter; he wont let the new kids drink in the officer's club until they've shot down their first planes. It all unfolds in a no-nonsense linear narrative that reminds one of early films like THE DAWN PATROL (1930) and WINGS (1927); and there's a comfortingly familiar orchestral score that's heavy with the cloud-invoking wooden flute. But the CGI-enhanced aerial dogfight scenes are the crux of the biscuit here, and history fans should be frothing at the mouth with all the zeppelins, dogfights and enemy chivalry. There's plenty of well-researched period detail and even some ooh-la la romance in the form of a good girl gone semi-bad from a nearby brothel (the very charming Jennifer Decker). (2 hrs. 9 min.) Release date: May 19, 2009

The Thin Red Line

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:06 -0000

Terrence Malick returns to Hollywood after a two-decade hiatus with this adaptation of the classic WWII novel by James Jones. The story follows the efforts of an army platoon to capture the Japanese-controlled island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific Ocean, which will have a major effect on the outcome of the war. The members of C-for-Charlie Company are all fighting for different reasons: some to achieve glory, some to fight for democracy, and some simply to remain alive. They spend the quieter moments reflecting upon their existence, searching for meaning amid the senselessness of war.

Malick's reputation as one of cinema's most brilliant directors, based on his masterworks BADLANDS and DAYS OF HEAVEN, enabled him to pull together one of the largest ensemble all-star casts in Hollywood history. The result is a sprawling epic that carries itself like a poem read in a dream, a feeling that is greatly enhanced by John Toll's floating camerawork and Hans Zimmer's haunting score. Rather than concentrating solely on the violence and destruction of war, Malick uses the situation to address philosophical questions such as man versus nature, war versus peace, and good versus evil. THE THIN RED LINE proves that after a 20-year layoff, Malick hasn't lost a step. (2 hrs. 50 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

The Dogs of War

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:05 -0000

A mercenary soldier and his hired killers become involved in a scheme to remove a dictator in West Africa. From the Frederick Forsyth novel. (2 hrs. 2 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Cast a Giant Shadow

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:04 -0000

In this story of Israel's difficult struggle for statehood, Douglas plays the role of colonel David Marcus, an American military officer who defied orders and led a faction of the Israeli Army in defense of its newly formed borders. (2 hrs. 22 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Operation Amsterdam

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:03 -0000

This high adventure tale is an accurate dramatization of an event which actually occured in Amsterdam in 1940 just prior to the German invasion. Four heroic Dutch agents struggled to keep millions of dollars worth of diamonds from falling into Nazi hands. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Bat 21

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:02 -0000

Down behind enemy lines during the Vietnam War, an officer must rely on a scout pilot to risk his life and his military career to rescue him. Based on the book by William C. Anderson. (1 hr. 45 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Pork Chop Hill

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:01 -0000

Based on S.L.A. Marsall's account of his Korean War experience, the film stars Gregory Peck as Lt. Joe Clemons, the officer charged with taking the strategically meaningless Pork Chop Hill from the Chinese, while diplomats dither about the terms of peace in Panmunjon. Some of the men under his command, which include Fedderson (George Peppard), Marshall (Martin Landau), Forstman (Harry Guardino) and Velie (Robert Blake), are doubtful about the wisdom of this order, creating a tense atmosphere. (1 hr. 37 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

633 Squadron

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:23:00 -0000

Cliff Robertson portrays a combat-weary pilot whose R.A.F. squadron is ordered to destroy a Nazi rocket fuel plant tucked deep into a Norwegian fjord. Based on a true story. (1 hr. 41 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Rescue Dawn

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:59 -0000

Incomparable director Werner Herzog takes another strange turn in his eclectic career with RESCUE DAWN--a major studio picture starring Christian Bale (BATMAN BEGINS). The film is an adaptation of Herzog's 1997 documentary LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY, which focused on Dieter Dengler, a pilot who was imprisoned by enemy forces during the Vietnam war. Dengler escaped and his incredible reminisces about this period in his life spilled onto the screen in Herzog's documentary. Here, Bale plays Dengler, while Herzog constructs a dark masterpiece around him, inviting his audience to observe a dramatic reconstruction of the events that beset the unfortunate soldier. Bale's Dengler is aided by fellow captive Duane (Steve Zahn), and a capable cast of characters who variously play prisoners and sadistic guards. The film is split into two parts, with the harrowing experiences of prison life taking the bulk of Herzog's screen time, followed by a desperate bid for survival in the jungle.

Bale really gets a chance to demonstrate his acting chops as RESCUE DAWN unravels, with the actor heading on a rapid downward spiral as the film progresses. Herzog rarely allows the tension to drop throughout, and while most audiences may expect some relief as Dengler escapes his confines, things get much worse as he heads into the perilous Vietnamese jungle. Herzog presents plenty of raw emotion and a rough, at times barely watchable, portrayal of the human spirit, as Dengler's sanity is severely tested, and often only held together by his companionship with Duane. RESCUE DAWN requires a strong stomach, but it's a rewarding trip, and another wonderful addition to the Herzog canon. (2 hr.) Release date: May 19, 2009

Lions for Lambs

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:58 -0000

Robert Redford directs and stars in this provocative ode to political activism. Boasting a powerhouse cast that also includes Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise, the film features three storylines centered on the Iraq war. Cruise is Jasper Irving, a rising Republican senator who has summoned Janine Roth (Streep), the head journalist at a large news corporation, to sell her on the government's new military strategy. It's his hope that she in turn will sell the public on the idea. Meanwhile, a history professor (Redford) is trying to convince one of his more promising students to strive to make a difference in the world. Professor Malley believes Todd Hayes (Andrew Garfield) to be a bright young man, and he wants to know why Todd has become so apathetic about his schoolwork, and, after the two banter back and forth about the nature of activism, Malley tells him about two of his former students, Ernest and Arian (Michael Pena and Derek Luke), both of whom are currently serving in Iraq. Unbeknownst to Malley, at that very moment, Ernest and Arian are engaging in the exact military strategy that Senator Irving is discussing with Roth. Their mission has just gone terribly awry, and the men have fallen into enemy territory. So the senator and journalist argue, the professor and student debate, and all the while the wounded soldiers wait desperately for rescue. These disparate storylines slowly build and converge, culminating in a blaring statement about civic responsibility and social conscience.

Cruise and Streep are a delight to watch, and their battle of words gives the most heat to the film. As one might expect, it casts an extremely critical eye at the current state of American politics. However, it veers toward hope, and a call to action. Redford, himself a longtime activist, appears to be sending an open letter to America: turn off the celebrity coverage and get involved. (1 hr. 32 min.) Release date: May 19, 2009

The McKenzie Break

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:57 -0000

A British intelligence agent investigates an impending escape by a group of unruly German prisoners of war. (1 hr. 46 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Twelve O'Clock High

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:56 -0000

Dashing Gregory Peck stars as General Frank Savage, commander of the 8th Air Force during World War II. Loosely based on the true story of Major General Frank A. Armstrong, TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH begins with Savage appearing to be a fearless fighter with almost no compassion for his men. Told in flashback from the perspective of Major Harvey Stovall (Dean Jagger), the story unfolds as Savage takes over Stovall's Bomb Group in 1942. The company has suffered numerous losses, morale is at an all-time low, and the tired pilots and their crews are immediately antagonized by Savage's obsession with discipline, leaving Savage and Stovall with the onerous task of rebuilding the pride of a fighting force that despises its leader. Jagger received an Oscar for his efforts, but the real star is Peck, exhibiting a vast repertoire to portray a complicated character. Using actual combat footage from both American and German cameras, director Henry King creates an environment in which bravery and heroism count but war itself is anything but romantic. (2 hrs. 12 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Ashes and Diamonds

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:55 -0000

Andrzej Wajda's adaptation of Jerzy Andrzejewski classic novel comprises the third part of the director's World War II trilogy. Set in the immediate postwar era of 1945, the film stars Zbigniew Cybulski as Maciek Chelmicki, a gunman for the Polish underground. When he and another operative, Andrzej (Adam Pawlikowski), ambush a jeep in which the new Communist party secretary, Szczuka (Waclaw Zastrzezynski), is supposed to be arriving, they find that he was never in the jeep. Maciek's superiors in the underground order him to make another attempt on Szczuka's life, and both Maciek and his target end up checking into the same hotel. While waiting to take down his quarry, Maciek has a fling with a barmaid, Krystyna (Ewa Krzyzanowska), that makes him question his commitment to the cloak-and-dagger life of the underground. A party celebrating the liberation goes on in the ground floor convention room, ironic for Maciek, who knows that a new war is just beginning. At daybreak, he leaves the barmaid and goes to execute his orders. Widely regarded as the best of Wajda's early films, the powerful antiwar statement features extraordinary work by the short-lived Cybulski, often described as the Polish James Dean. (1 hr. 46 min.) Release date: Jun 16, 2009

The Tourist

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:54 -0000

Marcel Langenegger makes his feature-film directorial debut with the aptly titled DECEPTION, a film about secrets and lies. Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) feels that life is passing him by. He completes short-term audits for a large firm, but doesn't really feel any connection to his employer and finds it difficult to make friends at his assignments since he's never there for long. Jonathan's circumstances change overnight when charming lawyer Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman) befriends him. In an instant, the shy accountant is playing doubles tennis with his new friend and beautiful women and visiting upscale clubs. Just as mild-mannered Jonathan is getting used to his new lifestyle, Wyatt leaves town on business. When Jonathan finds himself mistakenly in possession of Wyatt's cell phone, he also discovers a whole new world of anonymous sex in elite Manhattan hotels with powerful women known simply as "The List." But soon Jonathan is in over his head: he's the prime suspect when a woman goes missing, and the threat of extortion looms.

This tale weaves an intricate web of lies and treachery. Jackman is both charming and chilling as Wyatt, a man utterly without conscience, while McGregor falls easily into character as the bespectacled Everyman, Jonathan. Nerdy but likable, Jonathan really just wants to connect with someone. Along the way, he learns that he is capable of more than he ever expected. Michelle Williams stars as Jonathan's love interest, looking far more glamorous than she did in BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Lisa Gay Hamilton, Maggie Q, Natasha Henstridge, and Charlotte Rampling also make brief appearances in the film, which is set primarily in New York City with a side trip to Madrid. (108 hr.) Release date: Jun 16, 2009

War Hunt

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:53 -0000

No one is a better soldier than Pvt. Raymond Endore (John Saxon), at least in his own mind. Stationed in Korea as the conflict between the United States and the Asian nation is coming to an end, Endore sleeps while his platoon works to gear up for his nightly patrols of the area. These patrols used to bring vital information, but now they have become a nightly ritual for Endore to slash the throats of suspected enemies tolerated by a Captain (Charles Aidman) who fears Endore's unstable nature. A Korean war orphan (Tommy Matsuda) befriends Endore as well as an idealistic soldier (Robert Redford) and these two soldiers must decide the fate of the child as the Cease-Fire is announced.

Madness in men during their tour of duty, a subject also at the heart of HELL IS FOR HEROES and ATTACK!, is the focus of this brutal 1961 war drama. Redford, in his film debut, offers a strong counterpart to John Saxon (who would go on to a career of character work in films like A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) who gives a stunning performance as a killer who only seems at peace after taking the life of another victim. (1 hr. 21 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

No Man's Land

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:52 -0000

Ciki and Nino, a Bosnian and a Serb, are soldiers stranded in a trench between enemy lines during the Bosnian war. They have no one to trust, no way to escape without getting shot and a fellow soldier is lying on the trench floor with a spring-loaded bomb set to explode beneath him if he moves. With the two men stuck in a bizarre predicament, a frustrated UN sergeant tries to help, despite orders to remain at his post. When a journalist waylays the sergeant while pushing for an exclusive scoop, she affects the unfolding of events and turns a news story into an international circus. With the world's press waiting for an outcome, no one willing to take action (lest they accept responsibility) and a soldier still stuck with a bomb beneath him, Ciki and Nino try to keep their humanity amidst the insanity of war. (1 hr. 37 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Krajobraz Po Bitwie

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:51 -0000

The American troops have just defeated the Nazi army and there is a frenzy of freedom as the concentration camps are releasing prisoners. Still, American troops are uncertain what action to take with in Poland, so the U.S. takes control of the Polish camps. Here, Tadeusz (Daniel Obrychski) has been avoiding the ruckus of the freeing of prisoners by burying himself in books and voraciously reading. He meets a young girl, Nina, who is visiting the camp, and develops feelings for her. Trying to help Tadeusz understand that the situation requires action, Nina loses her life in a lesson that is hard for Tadeusz to swallow. Andrzej Wajda's brutal post-war portrait features one of the Polish master's most revered sequences, the rapidly paced opening depicting the reactions to freedom for those long occupied in Nazi death camps. (1 hr. 51 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

Lioness

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:50 -0000

No description available (1 hr. 22 min.) Release date: Jun 30, 2009

Defiance

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:49 -0000

DEFIANCE is a different kind of World War II movie, one that looks at the Holocaust from a unique angle--telling the true story of a group of Jews in Eastern Europe who fought back. On the run from the Germans and the local police, the three Russian Bielski brothers--Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), and Asael (Jamie Bell)--hide out deep in the forest. Their numbers swell as more and more refugees join them, coming together to form a community while also patrolling with guns and shooting the enemy to stay alive. But Tuvia and Zus have a falling-out over what future direction to take: Tuvia thinks it best to remain in the forest despite the coming vicious winter, but Zus wants to join the Russian resistance, which is aggressively attacking the Nazis. Complicating the situation are the women in their lives, known as forest wives--Lilka (Alexa Davalos) shows interest in Tuvia, Bella (Iben Hjelje) grows close to Zus, and young Chaya (Mia Wasikowska) and Asael flirt with the tingles of first love. As food grows scarce, diseases increase, and the Nazis become determined to find and kill them, the Bielski Otriad struggles to survive, battling back when necessary, including taking up arms.

Directed by Edward Zwick (GLORY, BLOOD DIAMOND) and based on the nonfiction book by Dr. Nechama Tec, DEFIANCE is a powerful thriller filled with tense human emotion, a gripping story about brotherly love and the basic human instinct to survive against all odds. Craig (LAYER CAKE, CASINO ROYALE), Schreiber (EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED), and Bell (BILLY ELLIOTT) are terrific as the Bielski brothers, three very different individuals who simply refuse to just lie down and die. (2 hrs. 17 min.) Release date: Jun 2, 2009

The Sky Crawlers

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:48 -0000

No description available (121 hr.) Release date: May 26, 2009

Valkyrie

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:47 -0000

In a country in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched, in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. Based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg and the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known.

A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer who serves his country all the while hoping that someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing that time is running out, he decides that he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler's own emergency plan - known as Operation Valkyrie - these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside.

With everything in place, with the future of the world, the fate of millions and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, von Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to the one who must kill Hitler himself. (2 hrs.) Release date: May 19, 2009

Taking Chance

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:46 -0000

In this drama, Kevin Bacon stars as a high-ranking military officer who takes on a surprising mission: he escorts the body of a PFC home to his family. (1 hr. 18 min.) Release date: May 19, 2009

Time Limit!

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:45 -0000

No description available (1 hr. 36 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009

The Pride and the Passion

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:22:44 -0000

An intrepid band of resistance fighters battle for Spanish independence in 1810. In order to achieve their objective, they must first haul a six-ton cannon across the wide expanse of Spain's mountains. During their perilous journey, a dramatic love triangle emerges between a dashing resistance fighter (Frank Sinatra), his sultry mistress (Sophia Loren), and a British Navy captain (Cary Grant) recruited for the cause. (2 hrs. 12 min.) Release date: May 12, 2009