Y'know, I didn't actually watch the second part. I sort of forgot that it was on tonight (my memory definitely leaves something to be desired) and ended up watching 1) the repeat of Friday's Jonathan Ross (David Hasselhoff cracks me up), and 2) Dirty Pretty Things on some random Skyish movie channel. In which Audrey Tautou is too pretty for words, it has to be said. And I'm annoyed about it now because I'd completely forgotten that the second part of the 100 Greatest War Films thingie was on, and I wanted to watch.
Still, that having been said, I would've been annoyed by Saving Private Ryan being number one. I agree with you completely - it's a very well-made film, beautiful, even has decent actors... it's just a damn shame about the writing. The thing is, I like Saving Priavte Ryan. I have this rather useful ability to turn off and not really care about the screenwriting (unless it's truly awful), so I can sit there quite happily. Which is a good thing, because my brother LOVES that film and because of him, I must've seen it about twenty times. Even though it's my DVD and not his, though that's beside the point. But I'm not going to try to claim that it's the best war film ever made, because it's just NOT. Gah! It's an idealistic sort of film entirely from the point of view of the victors, very clear in its stereotyping, very Hollywood, filmed beautifully. Also a story of such an essentially sentimental nature (omg liek they TOTALLY all died!!1! We should liek, get the other one home for his mom so she won't, y'know, cry and stuff!1 Despite the fact that she knew they were all soldiers and it's always a possibility that soldiers are going to, well, die during wars) that could only come from Hollywood, I feel.
So, yes, I'm sort of glad I didn't watch. And I'm actually glad that you posted about it because otherwise I never would've known. D'oh.
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Still, that having been said, I would've been annoyed by Saving Private Ryan being number one. I agree with you completely - it's a very well-made film, beautiful, even has decent actors... it's just a damn shame about the writing. The thing is, I like Saving Priavte Ryan. I have this rather useful ability to turn off and not really care about the screenwriting (unless it's truly awful), so I can sit there quite happily. Which is a good thing, because my brother LOVES that film and because of him, I must've seen it about twenty times. Even though it's my DVD and not his, though that's beside the point. But I'm not going to try to claim that it's the best war film ever made, because it's just NOT. Gah! It's an idealistic sort of film entirely from the point of view of the victors, very clear in its stereotyping, very Hollywood, filmed beautifully. Also a story of such an essentially sentimental nature (omg liek they TOTALLY all died!!1! We should liek, get the other one home for his mom so she won't, y'know, cry and stuff!1 Despite the fact that she knew they were all soldiers and it's always a possibility that soldiers are going to, well, die during wars) that could only come from Hollywood, I feel.
So, yes, I'm sort of glad I didn't watch. And I'm actually glad that you posted about it because otherwise I never would've known. D'oh.