Movie Review: Thank You For Your Service (2017) *When the War Follows You Home*

We’ve now been at war overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan for 13 and 16 years, respectively.  When soldiers came back from Vietnam, an entire generation of veterans didn’t receive the care they needed or deserved.  One would think we’d have learned from the past, but we haven’t.  Soldiers come back from persistent trauma with both physical and mental injuries that the VA and our country aren’t treating with the speed and devotion these men and women deserve.  You don’t have to agree with the wars to know that those fighting them are doing so voluntarily for our benefit, and David Finkel’s Thank You For Your Service was a stark examination of exactly how little benefit they are receiving in return.  The movie adaptation fails to create a narrative that is as compelling as Finkel’s, but it’s still a movie people should see to remind them there are people all around us in pain as a result of decision to provide service to their country.

In Theaters This Week (10/27/2017): Jigsaw, Thank You For Your Service, Suburbicon

Each Thursday we look at what is going to be coming out in theaters this weekend, show you the trailers for the big releases, predict the box office winner and just generally give you enough of a carrot to pull you through the rest of the work week.  Halloween weekend brings back one of the most obnoxious franchises in recent memory, the Coen Brothers, and the adaptation of a critically-acclaimed non-fiction best seller.

Movie Review: Only the Brave (2017) *Fitting Tribute to the Granite Mountain Hotshots*

With wildfires continuing to rage in Northern California and across the Western United States, Only the Brave is a timely reminder of those who stand on the front lines of battling those blazes.  The film is a primer on the life of a hotshot (a specialist in literally fighting fire with fire by setting controlled burns to rob wildfires of fuel) and a tribute to the Granite Mountain Hotshots.  Based on the GQ article “No Exit”, the film is an excellent look at the life of the men who made up the unit, their families, and the circumstances that culminated in the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire disaster.  If you don’t know anything about those events, the film is absolutely worth checking out and stop reading here if you don’t want to know more about what happened.

Only The Brave Trailer #3 (2017) “The True Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots”

All men are created equal… then, a few become firefighters. Only the Brave, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of one unit of local firefighters that through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the country. As most of us run from danger, they run toward it – they watch over our lives, our homes, everything we hold dear, as they forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus with one fateful fire.

Only The Brave Trailer #2 (2017) “It’s Not What Stands In Front of You; It’s Who Stands Beside You”

I’ve been a fan of Joseph Kosinkski’s since Tron: Legacy (still mad Disney killed the third film), and he’s got an amazing ensemble cast to tell an incredible true story here.  The trailer is definitely near-Michael Bay levels of testosterone but when you have a cast with Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller, James Badge Dale, Andie MacDowell, and Taylor Kitsch, you have everything you need to do justice to a group of incredible men and women.  Check out the official summary below.  Only the Brave opens October 20, 2017.

All men are created equal… then, a few become firefighters. Only the Brave, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of one unit of local firefighters that through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the country. As most of us run from danger, they run toward it – they watch over our lives, our homes, everything we hold dear, as they forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus with one fateful fire.