The Freedom Of The World Rests On "Dunkirk"

Dunkirk (2017)

Rated PG-13

Starring Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh,

Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan

The Story:

Late May 1940, the Allies have been pushed out of Europe and now are desperately bunched up on the beaches of Dunkirk awaiting transportation back to England. Thankfully, Hitler decides to stop the advancement of tanks on their location and this gives the Allies the small window to charter boats (and lots of them!) to cross the channel and save the troops. They hope to get a small fraction out... they end up saving them all.

For those that failed to read up on their history, this is indeed based on the true story of a pivotal moment that saved Europe from completely falling under Hitler's relentless march.

Nolan's three-headed tale bounces between land, sea, and air to show different people trying to escape death or heading straight into it to save lives.

It's a good film, but I didn't find it nearly as great as much of the hype that followed it.

Best war movie ever? That's pretty lofty praise.

I would argue that it wasn't even the best war movie of last year. I'd give that title to yesterday's film that I reviewed, Darkest Hour. They even touch on the Dunkirk evacuation, and I felt in the brief moment of that mission, they almost conveyed it in a better scope than the entirety of this film.

But that's just me, feel free to judge for yourself.

Final Grade: B

When Art Students Go Mad..."The Rape Of Europa"

The Rape of Europa (2006)

Not Rated

Written and Directed by Richard Berge & Bonni Cohen

The Story:

The incredible true story of the Nazis who basically plundered or destroyed thousands of pieces of artwork throughout Europe before and during World War II.

After watching this documentary, it almost lays out the entire timeline of World War II as one big exercise by the Nazis to obtain or eradicate the largest art collection in the entire world. Hitler and Goering, among others, were art collectors who kept the very best pieces for their own personal collection, but the grand design was to open the greatest art museum the world had ever seen.

Well, we know how well that worked out, but it was still a costly battle to stop a museum from being built!

The countless pieces that have possibly been lost to time are sickening.

However, many pieces are still being discovered with each passing generation, many of whom don't even realize what treasures they have been hiding, either hanging on a wall or actually still in a hiding place.

The documentary naturally discusses the Monuments Men operation that was launched by the United States to try and save as much of the art as they could find, and that became the basis for the movie of the same name a few years ago.

Most impressive was the complete and total evacuation of the Louvre museum and their attempts to keep those treasures out of the hands of the advancing Germany army.

A really entertaining, yet somber, documentary.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: Solid B