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When describing his hopes for the film "Full Metal Jacket," (based on his war novel "The Short-Timers"), author and Vietnam War veteran Gustav Hasford said, "I didn't want to make another film that veterans are just going to go see and go, 'Oh wow, we've been ripped off again.'" That description fits "We Were Soldiers" to a T. The film has no flexibility, or even a purpose to it. One long cliche full of time killing action and glory speeches. Mel Gibson's cheezy accent will make you chuckle, though. This film takes an utterly true story and cliches the life out of it. A script compiled of every worn out battle trick ever. "We Were Soldiers" almost unintentionally brings disrespect to war veterans. You can definitely afford to miss this screen garbage.

"John Q" was probably the worst career move Denzel Washington could ever make. Good thing he got it over with. This "film" is about a man so desperate for health insurance to pay for his son's operation that he takes the emergency room hostage until his demands are met. Though this is how far many of us would go, this film is nothing but a long letter-to-the-editor, in which the writer (James Kearns) just wants to get his opinion out there. It is obvious that "John Q" was fuelled by the writer's beef with the healthcare system, so he threw together a feverish movie so he could trick people into agreeing with him. Definitely a bring-down purpose of any movie. If you want people to hear your opinion, write your congressman, don't waste a fine cast or use up your screenwriting talent.

"The Thin Red Line" is one of my least favorite war films (though there are only a handful I found to be worthwhile). But there is one good quality, which unfortunately is part of its downfall; and that quality is its ensemble of characters. The men here are guys you could get to know, and vividly portrayed. However, the film makes a critical mistake when going too deep into the personalities of these characters--they all seem to have a unanimous attitude towards war, and a similar emotional disfigurement because of it. The fact is, it is impossible to determine a general reaction (dare I use a made-up word "aftershock feeling") among a group of soldiers in war. You just can't guess, "Here, you all felt this way, right?", because it's usually wrong, not to mention naive. War affects each man and woman involved in a different way and, though two feelings about it may seem in the same vein, no two experiences are the same, whether you've served in the same platoon, squad, or not. I can't be sure if "The Thin Red Line" attempts to generalize a personal feeling intentionally or unintentionally, but whatever the situation, the film fails to bring any realism to its subject.