FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
CAROLINE: Well, I was lucky enough, depending on how you see it, to attend an advanced screening of the latest Clint Eastwood film, “Flags of our Fathers,” but without Ryan.
RYAN: I was not entitled to that experience. However, I don’t consider it unlucky because I don’t want to see this movie.
CAROLINE: We saw the trailer together and we were kind of rolling our eyes, like, “Oh, another WWII movie,” but then at the end, it flashes on the screen “Directed by Clint Eastwood” and he’s got a great reputation and you think, “Hmm, maybe I need to see this.”
RYAN: He’s an excellent director and we loved “Million Dollar Baby.” And if this film was as moving, I’d want to see it. However, I hear from you now that…
CAROLINE: It ain’t.
RYAN: Ok.
CAROLINE: The problem is that the movie is really historical, almost to the point where it feels like a documentary. And for anyone who cares, the movie is about the famous photograph of the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima during World War II, and frankly I feel like directors are scraping the bottom of the barrel just to make another WWII movie and I’m tired of it.
RYAN: Yes, it does seem that way. If you’ve seen “Saving Private Ryan” and other movies like this…
CAROLINE: “Band of Brothers” or whatever that was.
RYAN: And this was executive produced by Steven Spielberg, right?
CAROLINE: Correct.
RYAN: And it’s hard to follow, right? Like back and forth between the present and flashbacks.
CAROLINE: Yes, it takes place in three different time periods and it’s usually pretty clear which one you’re in, but I was annoyed by the choppiness. And this movie is less of a character study and more of a historical look at the war and what happened. And LBH, I was bored to tears.
RYAN: Yes, let’s be honest. So let me ask you the one and only important question: how’s Ryan Phillippe’s performance?
CAROLINE: He’s decent and you get to see a nice shot of his back, which is muscular and chiseled.
RYAN: Is it his back or his bass?
CAROLINE: His back. He’s pretty good, and he doesn’t have that weird speech affectation that he sometimes has. So I was ok with him in this, and it’s nice to see Mr. Reese Witherspoon getting some work.
RYAN: Exactly. Bottom line?
CAROLINE: If you’re a war buff, you might want to see this, but other than that, you’ve already seen this in the form of many other World War II movies.
RYAN: Snooze.
CAROLINE: Although I will say, the battle scenes are very dramatic and very well-shot.
RYAN: Snore.
CAROLINE: Exactly. It’s the same movie as “Saving Private Ryan.”