My War Movie Collection... In A Nutshell

War is hell, even in the movies. The depictions of large-scale human conflict in film have been around since the dawn of the medium, and even the ancient silent pictures were grim and unpleasant. Most, if not all, war movies are made with a message in mind. There is often an anti-war sentiment in such productions, and that wasn't always a popular viewpoint, so controversy surrounded certain outspoken directors and their work.

War is rarely portrayed as glamorous, and my personal favourite movies of the genre are pretty dark and bleak, the exceptions being the more escapist James Bond flicks that centre around Cold War activities.

Martin Sheen goes for a dip in Apocalypse Now

I've never been a big fan of the war movie genre, but there are some very notable films on the subject that have impressed me. A well made war film makes you think, something most of us would rather not do when it comes to such an unhappy topic. But this is where the art form informs us and asks us (or forces us) to look at the reality of it... and that at least broadens our awareness. Better than being ignorant of issues so important and potentially devastating to the world and the future of humankind. 

On the flip-side, movies can be highly entertaining, and that's why we watch and re-watch the best ones. Since I'm not a big fan of the genre, I don't own that many war films in my movie collection. But I do have a handful of favourites, plus some spy stories that take place during war-time or during the Cold War. And being a fan of spy stuff, I have, of course, delved at least a bit into historical events in both literature and film. So I'm not completely oblivious.

Here are the war movies on the shelves of my collection, in no particular order (just alphabetical):

Apocalypse Now - dark, moody & surreal, my favourite Vietnam story & a fave movie - period
Army of Shadows - excellent taut thriller based around the French Resistance of WWII
Casablanca - classic, timeless WWII romance drama set in Morocco, North Africa
Das Boot - sweaty and tense WWII German submarine story... a masterpiece of cinema
Dr. Strangelove - a political satire black comedy about the Cold War, by director Stanley Kubrick
The Desert Rats - a cool cast pumps up this story of a WWII military campaign in North Africa
Full Metal Jacket - another Kubrick gem, this time it's Vietnam, more visceral and graphic
The Guns of Navarone - a fun, star-studded WWII actioner... Allied commandos on a mission!
Lawrence of Arabia - sweeping epic about real-life WWI Brit who aided the Arabs against the Turks
The Lives of Others - tense drama about 1984 East German secret police spying on residents
Paths of Glory - an early Kubrick anti-war classic that tells of a controversial WWI situation
Run Silent, Run Deep - a gripping WWII submarine adventure in the Pacific
The Small Back Room - fascinating character study of a WWII bomb disposal expert 
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - perhaps the most famous Cold War story of all... read the book, see the movie
The Third Man - atmospheric film set in post-WWII Vienna, focusing on a mysterious death

and...

almost all of the James Bond movies, especially those made during the 1960's, 70's, and early 80's, the era of the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear warfare loomed greatest. Bond is definitely more escapist fare, often exaggerated and stretched into the realm of fantasy, yet there are always elements of fact as the basis for the stories. 

An especially gripping scene in From Russia With Love

(that's Mr. Bond on the left, in case you didn't know)

My Top 20 Movies

Everyone has a handful of favourite movies, ones that they've watched many times and love to quote to anyone who will listen. Casual movie viewers might be able to rhyme off a Top Five or Ten faves if they are pressured, but more invested film fans like me could easily list a Top 100 or more. And who else would actually take the time to make such a list? It's actually more of a curse than a blessing to have so many movies under your belt, and to have so many favourites. This makes it really tough - first to even think of the best of the many you've seen, and then to rank them.

Somehow, Scarlett Johansson appears in a couple of my favourite movies

of all time. Not a great actress, she does a fine job in just the right kind of role,

which she did in Lost in Translation

As you will see, I've got tastes that cross the genres and eras, from old-timey horror to artsy-fartsy films, and from action/sci-fi romps to goofy comedies. Have fun dissecting this strange assortment of all-time picks.

To make this a bit easier on myself, I won't rank all of these in order. It will be enough of a struggle to sort out my Top Twenty, so what I will do here is rank the Top Twenty in order, as best I can, then a bunch of honorable mentions will appear in no particular order (or as close as I can get them for now). This won't be easy, but here goes... enjoy!

1 - Lost in Translation (something about this really hits home... Bill and Scarlett... the chemistry)

2 - Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (do I need to explain this one?)

3 - The Wolf Man (my fave horror movie of all time... it set the standard for werewolvery flicks)

4 - From Russia With Love (for me, the best of the Bond movies - fun action and spy-craft)

5 - Three Colours: Red (director Kieslowski captured magic in a bottle; a quiet, moody art film)

6 - Double Life of Veronique (another Kieslowski picture, possibly interchangeable with Red)

7 - Casablanca (classic Bogart/Bergman, great cast, music and story... hard not to make this #1)

8 - Black Swan (a modern gem, dark, creepy, and surreal... and Natalie Portman excels)

9 - Prometheus (higher than Alien, you ask? Flawed, yet the vision here appeals to me)

10 - The Howling (yet another werewolf story, more graphic and intense and darkly funny)

11 - The Terminator (more of a horror film, if you think about it... and yes, I like it more than T2)

12 - Terminator 2 (a fun and wild ride, perhaps the best action movie of all time)

13 - Alien (hooowheee... the greatest alien picture of all time... the greatest alien, for sure)

14 - The Thing (otherworldly menace and tension you could cut with a knife. Stunning visuals)

15 - Apocalypse Now (moody and gripping, terrific performances, locations, and music... wow!)

16 - A Clockwork Orange (my fave Kubrick film - everything is perfection, especially the music)

17 - Eyes Wide Shut (another Kubrick masterpiece, a close second to Clockwork Orange)

18 - The Wizard of Oz (you have to ask?)

19 - Creature From the Black Lagoon (a fave Universal horror classic; super cool monster!)

20 - The Empire Strikes Back (more Star Wars magic... best sequel ever made?)

Irene Jacob in Three Colours: Red, a mesmerizing

art film from Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

The Before Trilogy, by Richard Linklater (I can't separate these three films, and they should have a place here):

Before Sunrise

Before Sunset

Before Midnight

Under the Skin (a modern sci-fi classic, weird, creepy, unique... and Scarlett)

Ip Man

Pee Wee's Big Adventure

Return of the Jedi
Let the Right One In

Ex Machina

The Witch

Planet of the Apes (1968)

North By Northwest

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Logan's Run

Jason and the Argonauts

Jurassic Park
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Thing From Another World

Help!

Them!

Up in Smoke

The Third Man

Rock Star

The Punisher (2004)

Wayne's World (1 & 2, a tie, if that's allowed)

Rear Window

American Werewolf in London

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

September "New" Used Additions to the Record Shelf

I don't normally give much time to browsing the records in thrift stores and charity shops, since they are always loaded with the same old stuff, like Mantovani, Anne Murray, Neil Diamond, Roberta Flack, and Herb Alpert. Not that I don't like a bit of that, but I don't want to build my vinyl collection on the likes of that sort of thing.

But this morning, I found myself with some time to kill waiting for an appointment, so I wandered over to a nearby Salvation Army store, where I knew they had some bins of old vinyl. All I can say is that this was the most productive digging I've ever done in such a place. Today, I kept stumbling upon albums I was actually really keen on. When I came across two Partridge Family records, I noted that I already owned them, but that these looked to be in better condition. Given the already low price, plus the 50% sale discount, I was looking at peanuts for these LPs. So I set those two aside... The Partridge Family Album (their 1970 debut), and Sound Magazine (1971). As a kid, I loved tuning in to the Partridge TV show after school, and my enjoyment of their melodic pop hasn't waned one bit today.

Then as I did some further flipping, I was astonished to see a couple of Cheap Trick albums, Dream Police (which was on my wish list) from 1979 and Cheap Trick at Budokan (with a rather worn outer sleeve, but clean-looking LP), also from '79. Yup, those went into my personal stack. I was a serious Trick fan back when, as a young teen, I began collecting music. Nice to have these back in the collection. Cool to see that the previous owner even included the original inner lyric sleeves and the Budokan booklet.

Then the Cornerstone album (1979), by Styx, caught my eye with its distinctive cover art. I'd been knocking around the idea of getting something by Styx, but hadn't decided on what yet... but at this low, low price (a buck fifty), I figured it was safe to take the chance. As I write this very sentence, the Cornerstone record on my turntable just came to its conclusion, and I'd say it was a very good purchase. Some cool music on there that I'd never heard before - along with the huge hit Babe (memories of high school as that one played). I had never bought a Styx studio album before... just their greatest hits compilation... so this was a first. A solid choice.

Then another familiar album cover appeared as I riffed through the bins of dusty oldies... Freeways, by good ol' Bachman Turner Overdrive. Back in my youth, when I was building my first music collection, I had BTO's Greatest Hits (So Far) from 1976 on vinyl, and I played that thing like crazy. When it was time to "upgrade" (downgrade, really) I grabbed it  on cassette tape, then later on CD, plus their BTO's Greatest (hits) from '86. Just to cover all the bases. But Freeways was a studio album that I vaguely knew of, so I snapped it up. I know at least a few rockin' tunes on there, including the title track, Can We All Come Together, and Down Down. Classic Canadian music. The record jacket needs some repair, but it's nothing a little glue can't fix.

Lastly, as I dug down through a stack (these folks have no idea how to arrange records; stacking can warp them) of mostly classical box sets, my eyes settled on the snazzy album cover of the Amadeus movie soundtrack. Loaded with music by none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, this double album was not exactly something I thought I'd listen to much. I mean... I already have the CD set of this and I haven't even touched that in years. But if anything could prompt me to get back to it, it would be a nice vinyl version. And the gatefold presentation is really sharp, with photos inside plus a few pages of text about the music. And the records look to be in very nice condition - and no warp. Again, super cheap. 

So - quite the haul today, and all for less than ten bucks. I'm really happy with my new records, at least so far. I'll need to give them all a test listen to make sure they're up to my standards. Already three records in, all sounds nice and clean. I did give everything a thorough swabbing before committing them to the turntable. The house is rockin'....

My Favourite Albums: Destroyer, by Kiss

Even as I got started on this series of posts discussing my favourite albums of all time, there was never any doubt in my mind that Destroyer, by KISS, would make the cut. Ever since I first heard the album back in the 70's, I've been of the mind that it's the best thing KISS ever recorded.

Destroyer sold like wildfire when it was released in 1976; it went gold (sales of 500,000 units) in just one month, and platinum (one million) within the year. Pretty darned impressive. The KISS Army grew and supported its "gods of thunder".

Sure, the album is the product of slick production and pretty much the whole kitchen sink thrown into the music. Piano, choir, orchestral strings, sound effects, and more. This draws criticism from some quarters, but it works for me. I do like the stripped down, raw sound of the earlier KISS albums - that's part of the appeal, yet this fourth studio release shows more painstaking work in the performance and in the studio post-production. We could say the band was maturing in its approach, or we could just put it down to a bigger budget and self-indulgence. Maybe all of the above. Bloated... or epic? You decide. I know how I feel about it.

For many years, I simply enjoyed the hell out of Destroyer, with no knowledge of, or care in the world about, the behind-the-scenes story of the album. KISS was one of my top bands as a teenager. I'd already worked my way through the more innocent pop/rock of The Monkees and Beatles, and the face-painted quartet were my first exposure to modern heavy rock. The first KISS album - the first by the band I ever saw, bought, and owned - presented me with that startling and enticing cover art showing the black and white kabuki-style face make-up. And the music had a dark, lean feel that carried over to the next two albums.

And take a look at the album cover of Destroyer... isn't that the coolest cover art ever? I've been having a tough time finding Destroyer on vinyl record in good condition - just for listening purposes, but I'd also like an extra copy to frame and display. It really looks that good. Fantasy artist Ken Kelly was hired to develop the now-famous painting of the band stomping (or dancing?) on the rubble of a destroyed city. I'd say he nailed it... this is by far one of my favourite album covers of all time. It's colourful - in a dark way, has a sense of movement that's exciting, and perfectly portrays the larger-than-life members of KISS.

Now on to the music: Destroyer has a bigger sound than what came before... guitars are sleek and massive, Paul Stanley's reverb-soaked vocals sound otherworldly, and the energetic drums are crisp and thundering.

Producer Bob Ezrin (who also worked with major acts like Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, and Deep Purple) had big ideas for Destroyer, and to increase its quality, he actually gave the musically-untrained KISS members lessons in basic music theory, and he really cracked the whip when the band was in the studio.

As for the songs themselves, well, we must give thanks to the musicians and songwriters outside of the band who contributed... this was the first time KISS enlisted talent outside the ranks. When I read a biography of this beloved group, I was crestfallen to learn that Ace Frehley was not responsible for all of the guitar parts on Destroyer. Ace was troubled with alcohol issues and either didn't show up for recording sessions or just wasn't up to the task sometimes. But I've come to terms with that, and the outside musicians, and can still enjoy the album as an exceptional piece of KISS history. The music is excellent no matter how you slice it.

Strangely, the first three singles off Destroyer - Flaming Youth, Shout it out Loud, and Detroit Rock City (my three faves on the album) - failed to push album sales further. What it took was the B-side ballad called Beth, which also gave KISS their first Top Ten song, to give the album a bump. It's one of their best-known songs, alongside Rock and Roll All Nite.

From the crushing guitars of first track Detroit Rock City to the tribally rhythmic drums of final song Do You Love Me, the album packs a punch. And little things, like piano on songs like Shout It Out Loud and calliope on Flaming Youth, add nice melodic and tonal accents and expand the palette of sound. Not to mention the use of orchestral strings on many of the songs.

Killer lead track Detroit Rock City riffs and screams with intent, then segues via a police siren (or a guitar simulation?) into King of the Night Time World, a seriously rockin' song that features a trademark melodic KISS guitar solo.

God of Thunder is an ominous track with Gene Simmons spewing his hellish vocals over a clawing drum and guitar rhythm. Chaotic and bizarre children's voices appear here and there, sort of adding to the creepiness.

Great Expectations is maybe the one tune on here that I'm not too crazy about; it is bogged down by the strings and choir, and feels like a weird hybrid of opera and light rock. And Gene's vocals... well, I think Paul might have been a better choice for that one.

Flaming Youth may be my favourite KISS song of all, from any album. Its message of youth rebellion really resonated with me when I was a teen, and those roaring guitars and marching drums seemed to signal a call to arms for KISS fans everywhere. I was on board. And that circus-like calliope (for a long time I thought it was an organ or something) serves as an effective contrast to the roaring electric guitars. Plus I really like the processed guitar sound on that ripping solo.

The spidery guitar intro to Sweet Pain repeats within the sing-along chorus. I love the bounding drum part that kicks in early in the guitar solo (not Ace, sadly). Not a great tune, but still fun and easy to enjoy.

Shout It Out Loud is right up there with Flaming Youth as fave KISS song. It's a timeless rock anthem, a classic of the era, of the genre, of music - period. The piano accompaniment is almost buried in the mix, but it does add depth to the recording. Love those vocals, too, with Paul hollering against the backing harmonies and ol' Gene growling here and there.

Beth is a guilty pleasure. Yeah, it's shmaltzy in its pretensions, but hell, it's a fine example of super-light pop of the 70's. Classic piano and string melodies combine to form something that endures even today... karaoke wouldn't be the same without it, right? Not that I do that thing.

Final track Do You Love Me is a catchy rock song that just begs for a sing-along on choruses. The bridge section is interesting with its compressed vocals (which sound like they're coming from a little AM radio) and chiming bells. The loud drums drive the tune toward its strange spacey conclusion.

So... maybe just one low point in there, but overall, Destroyer is a winner. I still get amped up listening to this album, all these years after I, as a teenager, first bought it on glorious hi-fi 8-track tape. I upgraded to CD long ago and that's where it stays until I can score this on LP record. This was an album meant for the vinyl medium. Some day.

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For a little more on my history with KISS, read on here.