Connect with us

Entertainment

‘All time great’ war film ‘unlike any before or since’ is streaming on Prime | Films | Entertainment

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


No film can truly encapsulate the raw experiences of those who have endured the horrors of war. However, the finest war movies manage to evoke feelings of discomfort, distress, shock and horror, reflecting the brutalities humans have inflicted on each other throughout our history.

Among the recent cinematic triumphs is the 2022 German masterpiece All Quiet on the Western Front, which poignantly portrays the harrowing journey of young soldiers in World War One. The annals of film history also celebrate timeless classics such as The Great Escape (1963) and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957).

The 1990s witnessed a surge of impactful movies that became emblematic of the genre, including Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan.

The 1970s were particularly prolific in producing some of the most acclaimed war films, with Deer Hunter (1978) and Apocalypse Now (1979) standing out as monumental works.

And the 1980s brought us Full Metal Jacket, hailed as an “all time great” and rightfully earning its spot among the greatest war films. Directed by the legendary Stanley Kubrick, the movie is split into two distinct segments, as reported by Surrey Live.

The first part delves into the lives of young men conscripted into the US Marine Corps, focusing on their gruelling training for the Vietnam War. It zooms in on Private Leonard ‘Pyle’ Lawrence, portrayed by Vincent d’Onofrio, and his interactions with Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, memorably played by the late R Lee Ermey.

The second half of the film unfolds in Vietnam’s war zones, focusing on Sergeant James ‘Joker’ Davis (portrayed by Matthew Modine), who survived training under Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. The movie delivered some of the most memorable quotes in cinematic history and was up for Best Screenplay at the 1988 Oscars.

Despite its setting amid the Vietnam conflict, a significant portion was shot in London’s very own Beckton Gas Works on the Isle of Dogs. Matthew Modine didn’t mince words, describing it as “besides Ground Zero during 9/11, the most toxic place I’ve ever had the displeasure of being”.

Kubrick transformed the industrial location into a convincing replica of Vietnam’s devastated battlefields. Regarding the hazardous conditions on set, Modine recalled: “We all knew we were crawling around in asbestos and we understood the dangers of that. But we had no understanding of the heinous chemicals that were in the soil. During tea breaks dust was always settling on the cakes and biscuits, floating on top of our tea. God knows how much we ingested and what effect it’s had on our bodies.”

Reflecting on the film’s legacy three decades after it first hit screens, Finlay Greig, writing for The i Paper, asserted: “Almost exactly 30 years since its UK release, Full Metal Jacket remains a more damning commentary on war than any film that came before, or has come since.”

Full Metal Jacket has received glowing tributes from critics, with Henry Sheehan remarking in the Chicago Reader: “The most horrifying moments of Full Metal Jacket are those in which the young Americans gladly assist in their own damnation.”

Meanwhile, Vulture placed the film at number 18 in its compilation of the top 50 greatest war films, describing it as: “Joker tries to hold on to the shreds of his humanity that he’s been able to preserve in the midst of the war, which Kubrick stages as a surreal swirl of violence and confusion in which nothing delicate and meaningful can survive”.

Matthew Modine, who launched his career with Full Metal Jacket, went on to become a prominent Hollywood actor with roles in hits like Stranger Things and Oppenheimer. Vincent d’Onofrio’s credits include standout performances in Daredevil and a decade in Law and Order, while R Lee Ermey featured in another major movie, Mississippi Burning, shortly after.

Full Metal Jacket is available for streaming—with a fee of £3.49—on platforms such as Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and YouTube.



Source link

Entertainment

Mick Jagger’s harsh verdict on The Beatles’ live performances | Music | Entertainment

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have long been linked as two of the defining bands of the 1960s. But while their legacies often intersect, their mutual admiration didn’t always extend to every aspect of each other’s work.

Mick Jagger, frontman of The Rolling Stones, had high praise for The Beatles’ influence on music, but didn’t think much of their live performance abilities.

In a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone, Jagger was asked whether The Beatles deserved their reputation as the greatest band of all time, and said: “They certainly were not a great live band. Maybe they were in the days of The Cavern, when they were coming up as a club band.”

“I’m sure they were hilariously funny and all that”, he added. “And they did have this really good onstage persona. But as far as the modern-day world, they were not a great performing band.”

Still, Jagger recognised the enormous impact The Beatles had on the music industry and popular culture. “Do they deserve the fantastic reputation?” he asked rhetorically. “They were The Beatles. They were this forerunning, breakthrough item, and that’s hard to overestimate.”

He went on to describe how their emergence changed the game for every British group that followed – including his own.

The Beatles’ 1962 debut single ‘Love Me Do’ had, Jagger said, a bluesy sound that felt uncomfortably close to the Stones’ own style.

“It upset me a bit,” he later admitted in a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame speech, “because we were supposed to be the R&B group.”

Despite any competitive tension, Jagger credited Lennon and McCartney with helping The Rolling Stones early in their career. The Beatles famously gave the Stones one of their early hits – ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’.

At the Beatles’ 1988 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Jagger reflected on the pre-Beatles era of British pop music, calling it “embarrassing”: “They wrote great songs, and they changed everything. They were the first to do so many things that people now take for granted.”

Jagger’s most personal comments, however, were reserved for John Lennon, whose passing he spoke with great emotion about: “I just felt very sad for the loss of someone that I loved very much”.



Source link

Continue Reading

Entertainment

The correct order to read the Narnia books, according to CS Lewis | Books | Entertainment

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


Starting the Chronicles of Narnia can be somewhat confusing, with fans of the series arguing about the correct order to read them. This is because the published order of the books and the chronological order of events are not quite the same. While the first published Narnia book was the ever-popular The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, if following Narnian chronology, you should actually start with The Magician’s Nephew, which was published five years later.

Recent editions of the books have been published in chronological order, with HarperCollins’s numbered editions placing The Magician’s Nephew as number one and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as number two in the series. However, there are still those who prefer to read in the published order.

However, in 1957, a fan wrote to C.S. Lewis after an argument with his mother about the correct reading order. He wanted to re-read the books chronologically, while his mum argued that they should stick to the publication order.

In reply to this, Lewis wrote: “I think I agree with your order for reading the books more than with your mother’s. The series was not planned beforehand as she thinks. When I wrote The Lion I did not know I was going to write any more.

“Then I wrote P. Caspian as a sequel and still didn’t think there would be any more, and when I had done The Voyage I felt quite sure it would be the last. But I found as I was wrong. So perhaps it does not matter very much in which order anyone read them.”

Similarly, Lewis’s stepson Douglas Gresham, who referred to his step-father as ‘Jack’, has told fans: “HarperCollins asked, ‘What order do you think we ought to do them in?’  

“And I said, ‘Well … I actually asked Jack himself what order he preferred and thought they should be read in.  And he said he thought they should be read in the order of Narnian chronology.’  So I said, ‘Why don’t you go with what Jack himself wanted?’  So, it’s my fault basically—the order of Narnian chronology.  And I’m not the least bit ashamed of it.”

Despite both Lewis’s and Gresham’s interventions, NarniaWeb notes that this hasn’t stopped the disagreements between fans of the books. And on the C. S. Lewis website, Dr. Charlie W. Starr wrote: “Lewis scholars almost universally agree that we should disagree with what Lewis said about the order of publication.”

Dr Starr further added: “The Magician’s Nephew doesn’t captivate new readers as well as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe does. I’ve heard stories of people reading Nephew and quitting the rest of the series! Wardrobe grabs readers more powerfully on a first reading.”

Publication order:

  1. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
  2. Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (1951)
  3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
  4. The Silver Chair (1953)
  5. The Horse and His Boy (1954)
  6. The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
  7. The Last Battle (1956)

Chronological order:

  1. The Magician’s Nephew
  2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  3. The Horse and His Boy
  4. Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia
  5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  6. The Silver Chair
  7. The Last Battle



Source link

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Fortnite Season 3 skins include Darth Jar Jar, Emperor Palpatine, Mace Windu and more | Gaming | Entertainment

CHANNEL TODAY BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Published

on


Fortnite fans have been treated to a boatload of new information about Chapter 6, Season 3.

As part of this weekend’s Star Wars Celebration LIVE event, Epic Games revealed a brand new trailer for the upcoming season. The trailer confirmed that the new season will have a Star Wars theme and a May 2 release date.

You can check out the Fortnite Chapter 6, Season 3 trailer below.

In addition to the Season 3 release date, the new trailer showcases some of the new skins launching as part of the Star Wars crossover.

The Battle Pass and Item Shop will welcome the likes of Darth Jar Jar Binks, Emperor Palpatine, Mace Windu and Poe Dameron.

That’s on top of Sith and Jedi variants of Evie, Wookie Team Leader, Captain Phasma and a customisable Mandalorian skin.

An email sent to Daily Express suggests that Wookiee Cuddle Team Leader and Emperor Palpatine will be included in the Battle Pass, while Mace Windu will be available from the Item Shop.

The upcoming season will also introduce new gameplay features, including the ability to pilot and co-pilot X-wings and TIE fighters.

Expect lightsabers to also make a return, alongside new Force Powers such as Lightning, and blasters from the various movies. 

Needless to say, various Star Wars locations and landmarks will feature in the Season 3 map.

However, one of the more exciting new features is the addition of regular events taking place throughout May and early June.

According to Epic Games, it all begins with the ‘Imperial Takeover’ theme from May 2. This will be followed by ‘The Pull of the Force’ from May 8, ‘Mandalorian Rising’ from May 22 and ‘Star Destroyer Bombardment’ from May 29.

The events continue into the following month with ‘Death Star Sabotage’ from June 7. Expect more details to be announced and leaked in the coming weeks.

According to Epic Games, it’s all part of an ongoing narrative event within the world of Fortnite.

“The five-part saga will lead up to an in-game narrative live event that will surely have players feeling like they’ve got the fate of the whole galaxy in their hands,” Epic explains.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending