RIFLE RANGE BOY

Their Finest (2016) Unlike movies like 'Dunkirk' and 'Darkest Hour' that looks at a macro level, at the decisions and moves made at a higher level, this British film looks at it from a somewhat different angle. It reveals two things, as I see it; how the war affects the little man in the streets of London and how the spin doctors bend the truth to give a more grandiose picture to suit their agendas. Somehow, in the name of nationalism and duality of nature of things, we always see ourselves as the aggrieved but the righteous one. Is it just me or do I see more and more flicks where the female, in many recently released movies, play a more dominant and composed role? Their male counterparts are made to appear weak and fickle.  Catherine Cole, a Welsh lady, starts work with Ministry of Information to make documentaries to boost the morale of the public during the trying times of World War 2 as the UK is under attack by the German forces. She hears about a...

The Darkest Hour (2017) Neville Chamberlain's faux pas with appeasement policy forced him to resign after Hitler ran over Belgium and France. Churchill was chosen as the replacement Prime Minister when Viscount Halifax declined the offer as he felt that he was not ready. Churchill was the only Conservative member who garnered the support of the Opposition and had been warning the House on the dangers of Hitler's military might even before Chamberlain's Norway debacle. The ghost of Gallipoli did not augur well for his military strategies as many were wary of his seemingly ambitious plans. King George VI, who later developed a cordial relationship with Churchill, had his reservations since his support of King Edward's liaison to Wallis Simpson and subsequent abdication of the throne. On the home ground, Churchill had a supportive hand in his wife, Clementine, but had to fight his inner demons, the black dog, depression. The indecisiveness on whether to broker peac...

Dunkirk (2017) Written and Directed: Christopher Nolan Credit: Cinemusefilms It is a grim reminder that not everything done by the great War Prime Minister and the British Empire's leaders was right. History has shown many of Churchill's faux pas. Besides Gallipoli Campaign where only 10% percent of soldiers of the four corners of the British Empire managed to go back home, the events at Dunkirk must also be one page in his annals of annus horribilis. The thought of 300, 000 soldiers of the Allied Forces trapped in the Dunkirk by the advancing German forces and non-arrival of evacuation naval ships due to low tides must not have been a pretty sight. Hollywood and the silver screen, being the maker of dreams, managed to change the whole situation into an event of hope conveyed in the 'We shall fight on the beaches' speech that Churchill read. The story of 'Dunkirk' is told from the respective of at least three people. It comes from the narration of a...