For Screen and Country

This week, the guys dive into an epic two-parter with Steven Soderbergh's Che: Part One. They discuss the near-involvement of Val Kilmer and Terrence Malick, they debate the thematic reasons for switching between black-and-white and colour filmmaking, the complicated portrayal of Che himself and much more. And even more next week!   Next week: it's the stirring conclusion with Che: Part Two! Quest...

Another week and another movie on the Paste Magazine list! This time, the fellas take a run at Mt. Suribachi in 1949's Sands of Iwo Jima! Still reeling from the time they watched The Conqueror, Brendan and Jason cautiously approach this John Wayne classic, discussing everything from the "abundance" of women in this war movie to Wayne's own terrible politics and awful opinions and much, much more!...

Continuing right along, the guys discuss the pre-Vietnam War film set in Laos... Rescue Dawn. Is this Werner Herzog's most straight-forward conventional film? What connection did he find between himself and the man being portrayed by Christian Bale in Dieter Dengler? Is the portrayal of Gene DeBruin really, really awful? What sort of rigorous torture did the cast put themselves through? All this a...

Back to the list this week with the guys discussing the WWII film Battleground. The guys talk about white guy face blindness and the difficulty of old ensemble movies, the chaplain's powerful anti-fascism speech, impersonating the enemy during wartime, ironic patriotism, the director's dark sense of humour and much more.   Next week: Christian Bale lost in the jungle! Questions? Comments? Suggesti...

After wrapping up our first 20 films on the list last week, we thought it would be a good idea to do something different: take a trip to the CINEMAAAAA! This week, the guys took in the new Ridley Scott epic - Napoleon. Does Jason have a spicy hot take on one of the main performances in this film? Was the movie trying to cover too much of Napoleon's life? Why does Ridley Scott love the colour blue...

We're back! And we've got awards to hand out! And movies to rank! Enjoy!   Next week: The guys head to the cinema to see Napoleon! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can always shoot us an e-mail at forscreenandcountry@gmail.com   Full List: https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/war-movies/the-100-greatest-war-movies-of-all-time Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forscreenandcountry Twitter: htt...

The guys preview what's to come in 2024... kinda. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can always shoot us an e-mail at forscreenandcountry@gmail.com   Full List: https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/war-movies/the-100-greatest-war-movies-of-all-time Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forscreenandcountry Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/fsacpod Our logo was designed by the wonderful Mariah Lirett...

Enjoy a visit from Southern Santa! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can always shoot us an e-mail at forscreenandcountry@gmail.com   Full List: https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/war-movies/the-100-greatest-war-movies-of-all-time Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forscreenandcountry Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/fsacpod Our logo was designed by the wonderful Mariah Lirette (https://inst...

It's the final film before the Christmas break as the hosts welcome Sharon Horwatt back to the podcast to discuss a film about the WWI Christmas Truce - Joyeux Noel. Is Diane Kruger playing a decent female character? Sharon is here to analyze! How emotionally devastating is that Christmas carols scene? How distracting is the singing? Is this a better Christmas or war film? All this and Jimmy Stewa...

The guys get festive this week with the ostensibly Christmas-themed movie about a Japanese prison camp - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. Does it give this movie a wholly different, unique perspective with a Japanese director behind the camera? Is this the most homoerotic film ever made to feature no gay sex? What's the story behind Beat Takeshi? All this and a very unfortunate new sponsor in this w...

No Falkand War representation on the list? What ever are we to do?! Watch an obscure TV movie starring Colin Firth, you say? Done! Does this movie make it impossible to empathize with our main character? Just how good are these TV movie battle scenes? What was up with the weird and horny Pete Postlethwaite appearance? Plus: they discuss the anti-climactic ending and how to make it better. Hire the...

Back to the list this week with Samuel Fuller's racially diverse and controversial Korean War tale The Steel Helmet. Did this movie inspire an infamous Steven Spielberg character? How did the government and military react to this film openly discussing Japanese internment camps? Is this movie sensitive to other religions? The answer might surprise you! You won't believe the discussion in response...

This week, the guys get all plumb grandiose and patriotic as they discuss Howard Hawks' war/Grapes of Wrath-esque epic - Sergeant York! Just how gosh-golly hokum can Gary Cooper get before Brendan's head explodes? And he won an Oscar for this?! How much did Hacksaw Ridge borrow from this film? Just how valuable is bottomland? All this and a bunch of extras getting wet for Walter Brennan in this we...

This week, the guys go to China for a very disturbing film about some terrifying real human tragedy - City of Life and Death. Did this movie nearly get banned for just portraying one Japanese character in a sympathetic light? Is this the most disturbing movie on the podcast thus far? What makes John Rabe such an interesting and conflicted character? All this and more in this week's episode. Trigge...

Back to the list with John Huston's would-be epic (but cut down to 64 minutes!) The Red Badge of Courage starring war veteran Audie Murphy. Does this old movie have a nuanced portrayal of military deserters? What the heck is hardtack and sowbelly? What were some of Murphy's struggles on the set? Did this movie influence Platoon? Find out inside!   Next week: a real dour one. Questions? Comments? S...

Continuing the trend of getting off-track, Jason presents this week's episode with a very catchy gameshow title: Is This a War Movie or is This War Movie Not a War Movie? to discuss the films intentionally left off the PASTE Magazine list for not being about WAR enough! This week's film is the Soviet post-Stalin production The Cranes Are Flying - will it be a war movie? Or will this movie not be a...

Taking a left turn away from our list, the guys dive into Alternate History! This week, they talk about Fatherland, the HBO made-for-TV movie about the world of the 1960s had Germany won WWII and buried its horrific secrets from the rest of the world. Why does Rutger Hauer have such great chemistry with child actors? Is the futuristic architecture in this movie accurate? Why does the Holocaust get...

This week, the guys check out the first Netflix Original film (back when they had more consistency in terms of quality), Beasts of No Nation. Why did Fukunaga choose to use a fictional (but realistic) war as the backdrop? What steps did Idris Elba take to become this monstrous evil character? What the heck is brown-brown? Plus: the ambiguous conclusion is debated!   Next week: off the list and som...

We take to the skies this week as the guys discuss the epic Gregory Peck wartime film - Twelve O'Clock High. They discuss Peck's personal views on the war, the positive and negative aspects of close relationships in the military, the use of real footage during the bombing scenes, Rian Johnson using this movie as a major influence and much more.   Next week: Idris! Questions? Comments? Suggestions?...

The guys embark on their second step in The Heydrich Files with Fritz Lang's Hangmen Also Die! After a whole lot of Tobey Maguire talk at the top of the show that will likely get this show removed from the Internet, the guys discuss the goofy, unhinged portrayal of Heydrich in this film, the idea of sacrificing many to save a movement, an uncharacteristic bleak ending for a propaganda film and muc...

Glory, glory, hallelujah! This week, the gents discuss the Civil War epic Glory, the movie that got Denzel his first Oscar! They debate the white saviour criticisms of the film, talk about the Denzel Washington moment that secured him the Oscar, Brendan reels from the terrifying battle style of the time, they discuss the historical accuracy of the film and much more.   Next week: we try to kill He...

Escape into the sewers this week with the bleak WWII film Kanal! The guys discuss the film's influence on modern cinema (including The Descent), the backlash to the film from the Polish government, Daisy's heroic character that may have inspired Ellen Ripley, the look and sound design of the sewer and much more.   Next week: Civil war! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can always shoot us an e...

There's dissension in the ranks! This week, the guys discuss the 1956 Robert Aldrich film Attack! which focuses on some real struggles within the ranks with a real bad officer. There is much to discuss including the performance contrast between Jack Palance and Lee Marvin, the lack of participation from the Department of Defense due to the plot details, the surprising amount of blood and much more...

Kiss the blarney stone! It's time for a trip to Ireland with the Ken Loach film, The Wind that Shakes the Barley! Hear the laddies talk all about Cillian Murphy's fantastic performance, the film's adept way to demonstrate how someone is radicalized, strong female characters and much more.   Next week: Time to get real macho! Questions? Comments? Suggestions? You can always shoot us an e-mail at fo...

It's time to discuss the great Verhoeven! The guys discuss Black Book, the first film that Paul Verhoeven made back in his homeland after 20 years of directing movies in the US. Many topics are discussed here such as moral ambiguity, Verhoeven's provocative filmmaker status that adds another layer, the unexpected dark humour moments, comparisons to The Night Porter and Inglourious Basterds and muc...