MILITARY
PLATOON R
Chris Taylor is a young, naive American who gives up college and volunteers for combat in Vietnam. Upon arrival, he quickly discovers that his presence is quite nonessential, and is considered insignificant to the other soldiers, as he has not fought for as long as the rest of them and felt the effects of combat. Chris has two non-commissioned officers, the ill-tempered and indestructible Staff Sergeant Robert Barnes and the more pleasant and cooperative Sergeant Elias Grodin. A line is drawn between the two NCOs and a number of men in the platoon when an illegal killing occurs during a village raid. As the war continues, Chris himself draws towards psychological meltdown. And as he struggles for survival, he soon realizes he is fighting two battles, the conflict with the enemy and the conflict between the men within his platoon.
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Academy Award® winner* Clint Eastwood directs the untold story of Japanese soldiers defending their homeland against invading American forces during World War II. With little defense beyond sheer will and the terrain of Iwo Jima itself, the tactics of General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe of The Last Samurai) and his men transform what might have been swift defeat into nearly 40 days of heroic combat. Their sacrifices, struggles, courage and compassion live on in the taut, gripping film Rolling Stone calls “unique and unforgettable” and which won — among 4 Academy Award nominations* including Best Picture — the Oscar for Best Sound Editing (2006). MPAA Rating: R Rated “R” by the MPAA for graphic war violence.
THE GREAT SANTINI
Bull Meechum (Robert Duvall) is one of nature’s hard cases, an ace marine fighter pilot so adept at his lethal trade that they call him The Great Santini. But now it’s peacetime 1962. And more at home playing “top gun” in the cockpit than playing father in his own living room, he’s become that most useless of all figures: a warrior without a war. Based on Pat Conroy’s best-selling autobiographical novel, The Great Santini’s battleground is the family home, with Meechum’s objective to mold his oldest son in his own rigid image. Robert Duvall’s impressive career is studded with remarkable screen characterizations but none cuts deeper to the bone than his portrayal of the mercurial Meechum, described by Time’s Richard Corliss as “a one-man nuclear-family holocaust – who can do everything except express what he feels for the people he loves.” This memorable performance also garnered Duvall a 1980 Oscar® nomination for Best Actor.
RENAISSANCE MAN -PG13
A failed businessman is hired by the army to teach a group of underachieving recruits in order to help them pass basic training.
HURT LOCKER -R
During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.