Deep dive on one film
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Review: House of Nitroglycerine
Part 2: Realism is suspended for semi-legitimate dramatic effect. << Review: A House of Dynamite But WHY did you do it? >> Hello again. This is Part 2 of my review of Netflix’s A House of Dynamite (HoD) which I… Continue reading
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Review: A House of Dynamite
Part 1: Kathryn Bigelow’s latest film promises fission but ends with a fizzle. << Double nuclear trouble Review: House of Nitroglycerine >> Hi there. This week, as a natural follow-on to last week’s discussion on nuclear-powered cruise missiles, I want… Continue reading
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Film review: Warfare
Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland bring urban warfare to a cinema near you << Indiscriminate killers? The importance of being alive >> This week I’m reviewing Warfare, the new film from Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland. I was excited to… Continue reading
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Reacher’s last chance (Part 2)
Season 3: Pedantic points and cargo cult screenwriting << Reacher’s last chance (Part 1) Easter greetings and a bit about me >> Hello again and welcome back. I hope you enjoyed last week’s analysis of the absolutely ridiculous fight scene between… Continue reading
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Reacher’s last chance (Part 1)
My review of Season Three << What do you do in the army? Reacher’s last chance (Part 2) >> Hello again and happy Thursday all. This week (and next, TBC) I’m reviewing Season Three of Reacher, Amazon Prime’s adaptation of… Continue reading
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Dr. Strangelove and Mutually Assured Destruction
A very MAD sort of logic << Military administration Flak Cannons and shotguns >> Hello again. I recently had the pleasure of seeing Steve Coogan in the stage version of Stanley Kubrick’s legendary Dr. Strangelove. Coogan plays the same characters… Continue reading
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Film review: Civil War
A very violent road trip. << Weapon critiques: Rocket fails TNT vs. dynamite >> This week I want to review Civil War, Alex Garland’s 2024 film which I only got around to watching a few weeks ago. I held off… Continue reading
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Science Fiction Weapons: Lightsabers
The limitations of melee weapons. << Book list: What’s life in the military actually like? Hurry up and wait >> Hello again! This week we are returning to the theme of science fiction weapons (check out Part 1 and Part 2,… Continue reading
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The Hurt Locker (Addendum)
The good, the bad, and the pedantic << EOD Critiques: The Hurt Locker Mil-itary precision >> Hello again to all my loyal subscribers and new movie realism enthusiasts. I hope you enjoyed last week’s EOD exposé of The Hurt Locker, because… Continue reading
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EOD critiques: The Hurt Locker
This is going to hurt. << Exploding cars (Part 2) The Hurt Locker (Addendum) >> This week I want to kick off a new series of posts focusing on movie and TV depictions of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), otherwise known as… Continue reading
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Will the real Jack Reacher please stand up?
An attempt to explain why Season Two was so bad. << Firearm fails: Pushing the envelope of pistol performance (Part 2: The limitations of biology and physics) More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 1) >> I’ve… Continue reading
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Just stepping out to the Andromeda Galaxy for a coffee
Distance, speed, and time get hopelessly mangled in space opera and science fiction. << “Over and out”, over and over again Firearm fails: Pushing the envelope of pistol performance (Part 1: Historical and tactical confusion.) >> I’m hoping you’ll forgive… Continue reading
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Lessons in artillery abuse
The biggest, baddest, and boldest movie ammunition fail in Hollywood history. << What does the “D” in “D-Day” stand for? What Hollywood gets wrong about military radio communications >> This week we’re going to look one scene from an action movie which… Continue reading
