What are what you would consider movies that define what the 00's and our current 2010's feel like. Films like the breakfast club that can be pointed to as 80's culture in our own current time.
i'm currently putting a massive play list together in rough chronological order starting with Noah's Ark and ending at Dune with Blade runner/Aliens/ shared universe sort of standing in as a future setting after our current post modern one.
i'll dump the current list as it stands below. it varies in consistency, utilizing some fantastical elements which are played off in other movies as symbolism (its kept rather vague across the movies selected except for some impractical exceptions). A common theme is the encroachment of technology, borrowing heavily from Tolkien's themes, the later end of the list dealing with the eventual rise of AI. I've written some vague descriptions for most of the movies, occasionally trying to explicitly tie them together but haven't fleshed it out entirely. If your as autistic as i am you might enjoy it.
I decided to use Tolkien's mythos as a stand in for a pre historic society i felt Tolkiens primitivist themes fit well with the later part of the playlist
Creation Myth Eru Illuvatar, the god mind or prime mover creates the universe. Along with Arda (later called Earth by post deluge humans), the creator brings to life the Demiurge caretaker Manwe to rule the host of spirits known as the valar and serve as protector to Arda. Eventually humanity and other humanoid races evolve (which millennia later is attributed t the Engineer Space Jockey Race) and come to prominence. Melkor, jealous of the godheads ability to create, became rebellious and began to corrupt Eru’s creation, introducing avarice and vice to the world and turning kidnapped men and elves into physical embodiments of these concepts such as orcs and trolls. A war in heaven eventually resulted, concluding in the casting out of melkor (now known as Morgoth) and the surrender of his secondary commander Sauron. Sauron, imprisoned by the Numenoreans (Atlantis) gradually gained the trust of the Numenorean kings, becoming their advisor. Under Saurons sway, he convinced tem to practice openly in their society what would be viewed today as Satanism (through worship of morgoth and living in vice an violence). Sauron convinced them that humanity could achieve the immortality they had been denied by Eru by striking the Valars seat of power on Arda (Earth). Eru Himself intervenes slaughtering the numenoreans and imprisoning their king in the ground for eternity. As a counter measure to prevent man from ever reaching divinity again Eru makes the Earth Round to prevent them from leaving their bounds (humanity led by Sauron/Lucifer the light bringer/Baal/ in another time tried to circumvent this with the tower of babel leading to another divine intervention)
That's not a Napoleon quote. It mostly gets credited to Voltaire.
Jose Hughes
Sauron, having escaped Numonor following its destruction gathered armies of Orcs and foul men in the East to set about conquering Arda from the demiurge and the Valar and instead fuel the fires of industry and technological progress over the static vision of the valar (sauron is analogous to Prometheus, he may have well been the god that gave man his first technology of fire, the “fire” could of also been symbolic, implying light or in other terms “enlightenment” of good and evil). Sauron’s use of technology in the guise of gifts in order to subjugate life is a theme that is continued throughout the later parts of this list (in particular cybernetics, the root word being the greek Kybernetes which means “to control or steer”). Mortal man rebelled when it was found he intended to use his diplomatic gifts of rings of power to control the kingdoms of man and other sentient races through his one ring to rule them all (this particular aspect draws from the temptation of christ’s implications that kings in order to gain and maintain power make “deals with the devil” for that power, in this case by bartering for rings of power, and is why a desire for power is corrupting).
A coalition of free kingdoms and races pool together to defeat Sauron, his physical body being shattered by the last Numenorean king.
>The Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (several thousand years pre deluge)
After several hundred years of peace following Saurons overthrow, his One Ring, taken as a trophy by man, is lost and refound many times over. Sauron has returned but in a semi corporal form, he is constricted to a tower in mordor and his body is a single fiery Eye which is worshipped by men of the East and orcs. Having Finally built up enough military force to return to prominence, Sauron sets out to find the One Ring and begin his reign anew. Eru and the Valar, tired of taking such extreme measures in the past, instead send 5 advisors to inspire and teach rather then outright lead, the Maier
>The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers
As the fellowship of men elf, dwarf and hobbits led by one of the Valars servant’s (akin to a lesser angel) splits up, Sauron and his new proxy Saruman (who has the same affinity for technology as Sauron does) begin their offensive on the free kingdoms of Middle Earth. Saruman uses his newly bred Uruk- Hai army to tie up Rohan in the North while pirates and Orc armies harass Gondorian outlying cities and towns in the south
>The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
With the help of Aragorn, Rohan defeats the Uruk Hai army and routs Saarumans forces, allowing them to lead assistance south in Gondor. Sauron, in response send the Haradrim and Easterling armies to crush Gondor. Aragorn becomes King of a united West (allowing the Eastern peoples who fought under Sauron amnesty and cordial relations) and an era of peace ensues
Napoleon Dynamite is just so 2000s. Honestly one of the comfiest movies ever.
Chase Turner
>Noah (Pre historic)
The legacy of Morgoth and Sauron lingered in mans hearts, as did their propensity for technological growth, following the death of Aragorn in the reign of his son Eldarion, Morgoth cults begin to emerge as peace causes men to degenerate (this was covered in Tolkien’s planned sequel The New Shadow). Over the course of thousands of years the natural resources of the planet are consumed to build thousands of cities and nation states powered by minerals mined from the earth. As the resources dwindle, tenions rise and eventually wars begin, resulting in man being the only sentient race left. With farmable land dwindling and the minerals needed to power their technologically advanced society (a clue as to their advancement and passage of time: tubal cain uses a gun in one scene to kill a nephilium but by this time guns are extremely rare, indicating that the society depicted is a post-apocalyptic one) disappearing, the vast majority of humans turn to greed and violence like the numenoreans once did. The cities, abandoned and humanity entering a dark age of desperate cannibalism and violence, living nomadically, only noah remains the noble man. A gnostic retelling of the abrahamic tale, Noah’s main themes which set the scene for the movies after it are the silence of an apathetic god provoking the misdeeds and anger of humans (particularly tubulcain who serves as both the antagonist and champion of humanity. Of particular note is Noahs retelling of genesis which combines the theory of evolution with the biblical tale. The shot of Cain killing Abel and the accompanying silhouettes of various soldiers through history foreshadows the rest of the series.
>Conan The Barbarian (Unknown number of years post Deluge)
Depicts a time before the Bronze Age collapse and the beginning of western European history. Followers or ancestors of Ham have taken to worshiping the snake from the Garden of Eden and pillage all around them.
A recreation of the illiad, this movie retells the sack of troy by the united greek forces led by Agamemnon and pits the honorable Hector against the spectacular Achilles to secure Helen of Troy as The Spartan king Menelaus’ wife
>300 (480BC)
The Empire of Persia seeks to control Europe after conquering much of Asia, the current king of Sparta, Leonidas, a much wiser man then his ancient predecessor Menelaus, seeks to defend greece from the combned might of the middle East, Asia and India with only his personal retinue of 300 men by funneling them into the greek hot gates where the quality of greek troops outdoes the persian’s quantity
>Alexander (331 BC)
Nearly a century and a half after Xerxes and the Persians are ejected from Europe after the battle of Marathon a young Macedonian unites the greek city states decisively conquers Persia and makes Babylon the capital of his empire as he crusades into Asia, intent on conquering the known world
>Spartacus (71BC)
This movie introduces the concepts of slavery and liberty and the animating will to fight for freedom. After the death of Alexander and the collapse of the greek empire, the descendants of the Trojans have risen to take the ashes, creating the vast roman empire in the middle of Europe. By this time the Romans control much of Germania, Greece, Judea, Gaul, North Africa (primarily through Egypt which is run by the descendants of Ptolemy, Alexander’s Nephew) and use these regions for slaves to build their great empire. One of these slaves, Spartacus is forced into gladiatorial combat, where he refuses to kill his fellow slaves and instead fights a rebellion to free all slaves.
>Cleopatra 1963 (30BC) An important period in roman history. This movie covers the Ides of March and the after math and struggle for power between Augustus and Mark Antony after Caesar’s death as seen through the eyes of Cleopatra, pharaoh of Egypt and descendant of Alexander the Great
>Passion of the Christ (33 AD) The indifference of god continues as his own son is mutilated for being a threat to the jews. Corruption is also an introduced concept.
>After Christ and Dark Ages This period expands on the ideas introduced in the previous, with men fighting over their interpretations of the lessons learned in the previous period
>Caligula (37- 41AD) A couple of years after the execution of Jesus Christ, the decadant emperor of Jesus’ time, Tiberius is killed by his nephew Caligula. Caligula then takes control through a reign of debauchery
>Pompeii (62-79AD) Depicts the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
>Centurion (117AD) The Ninth Legion of Rome is sent into modern day Scotland to pacify the picts of the north. In order to facilitate the navigation of the ninth the british governor provides them with a briganate guide who knows the terrain. The Briganate woman leads the 9th into an ambush and the legion is slaughtered as the few survivors are forced to trek back to the then under construction, Hadrians wall
>The Eagle (140AD) Following the construction of Hadrians wall and 20 years after the disappearance of the 9th, a son of one of the commanders is tasked with locating and returning the eagle standard the 9th were carrying with them.
>Gladiator (180AD) Corruption leading to murder and the fight against a tyrant highlight this picture, along wth the theme of self sacrifice established in the previous movie
prehaps unsurprisingly, there aern't a lot of movies in the 700's era covering the Islamic invasion of Europe so it seems to skip several hundred years from the fall of the Roman empire into the Crusades
>Red Cliff (208AD) Tells the Chinese story of the Romance of the Three kingdoms of Wu, Wei and Shu.
>King Arthur (467AD) The roman legions withdrawing from Britannia and the beginning of the dark ages
>Valhalla Rising (1000 AD) The Roman Empire, an important figure head in the previous movies, largely standing as an overly extravagant and corrupt empire true to the ideals of the descendants of Cain has collapsed and a near post apocalyptic landscape has taken its place. The pagans of the last few movies have been driven underground and the followers of the story of Christ are rising to prominence. This movie centers on a group of crusaders questing for the holy land. When they fall astray (to somewhere which may indeed be hell) they regress to animalistic states, driven mad by a god who will not speak to them.
>Polansky’s Macbeth (1040-1059) Set in an equally dark british isles to the previous movie, this centers on tyrants and their lust for and rise to power and how power and paranoia corrupt them. England has since become less tribalistic and is featured in this movie with a standing army as do the Scotts however the quality of life and technology are just barely above what we see in Valhalla Rising.
>Arn the Templer (1177)
>Kingdom of Heaven (Crusades, 1184) Frances introduction into the series. A second lot of crusades some time after the previous is taking place. The main character, driven to bring redemption to his wife quests to the holy land only to find a god that does not care for his troubles and a nation of greedy corrupt backstabbers. England is established at the end as a major power
>Braveheart (1280s-90s) England is exerting its dominance. The spirit of Spartacus takes this film as the scottsman fight for their independence, foreshadowing the eventual United Kingdom.
>Black Death (1348)
>Henry V (1415) Chronicales the lead up to and battle of Agincourt between the English forces led by the titular Henry the Fifth and the French during the 100 years war (establishing a rivalry which will last for much of the playlist). Themes covered by this shakesperian classic include nationalism and the use of it to legitimize warfare
>The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1428) Following the chronicles of Joan of Arc, this movie depicts the what could be considered the direct sequal too the battle of agincoart while also showing the dirty realist French perspective of the aftermath of the English victory contrasting with the previous romanticized English perspective. Marking a distinct difference from the previous line of thought on God, Joan claims that she hears God speaking to her, contradicting all the evidence of gods silence built of by the previous movies. A major part of the movie is man questioning her and whether she actually does commune with God, possibly the first Hand of God
>A Man For All Seasons (1529-1535) Sir Thomas More was the 16th-century Lord Chancellor of England who refused to sign a letter asking Pope Clement VII to annul King Henry VIII of England's marriage to Catherine of Aragon and resigned rather than take an Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church of England. Both the play and the film portray More as a tragic hero, motivated by his devout Roman Catholic faith and envied by rivals, such as Thomas Cromwell. He is also deeply loved by his family and respected by the common people. The film's story is set between 1529 and 1535, at the high point of the reign of Henry VIII of England. In this masterful telling of the true story of one man who stood up to the State, merely by refusing to change his mind, there are numerous timely elements. The quick transformation by the English king of a former ally (in this case the Roman Catholic Church) into an enemy, with harsh punishment for any who do not adopt the new party line with sufficient speed. The denial of the right of Habeas Corpus so as to persecute someone who has not broken any laws. The abuse of religion to serve the purposes of the State. But the most disturbing aspect is well summarized in the words of Randolph Bourne, "The State is a jealous God and will brook no rivals." More must be eliminated not because he is leading a rebellion against the State, indeed he does not even speak out against those things he disagrees with. It is merely his refusal to enthusiastically assent to the actions of the State that brings wrath down on him. A jealous God indeed. This film deservedly swept the 1967 oscars winning Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
>Apocalypto (mid 16th century) The arrival of European man in the new world sparking the conflict between native and invader which would mark the next period.
>Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1560) Set a few decades after Apocalypto where europeons from the Spanish empire have begun their occupation of south america. Aquirre leads a party of conquistadors in search of El Dorado, the city of gold, inspiring the later movie, apocalypse now, Aguirre is a metaphorical picture of society with each character standing in for a specific aspect. Aguirre himself stands in for the psychopathic nature of rulers and usurpers while Gaspar the priest and his speeches represent organized religion “being always on the side of the strong” the raft the party are on for the film represents the flimsy illusion of safety society offers.
>Elizabeth: The Golden Age (1588) Follows the conflict between Spain and England covering the Babington plot and the Spanish Armada
>Ran (1607, Warring States period, Japan) (based off Shakespeares King Lear) Depicts the fall of a Japanese lord as his sons usurp him with flattery while his only loyal son is exiled due to perceived disrespect despite him attempting to be brutally honest.
>Cromwell (1642-1651) King Charles, an Anglican just like Elizabeth, is beset by the protestant puritan members of parliament after several unpopular policies. The parliament demands reforms which would create a constitutional monarchy but Charles is committed to the divine right of kings. The English Civil War begins when Charles attempts to arrest 5 members of parliament. Eventually Cromwell rises through the ranks of the Parliamentarian forces creating the New Model Army and fighting a coup of his own to oust parliament and become a dictator
>The Crucible (1692) Follows the Salem Witch Trails
>Barry Lyndon (1750’s) A movie beginning this quarter of the series with impeccable class but occasionally cracking to show reality. War is a highly ordered structure and even criminals speak politely. England and France, both growing too great engage each other in the 7 years war
>Last of the Mohicans (1750’s) Shows the fate of the various natives from apocolypto, now turned into an auxillary force. The 7 years war rages on in the American theatre of the war (French Indian war). Seeds of dissent against the authoritarian English who pick and choose when and where to uphold his majesties law take root.
>The Patriot (1776) Nearly 20 years after the 7 years war, veterans of the conflict, seeing England’s tyranny first hand decide to fight for independence, France seeing an opportunity to advance its own developing ideals of liberty also join.
>Marie Antoinette2006 (1780s) Follows the titular character during the French revolution inspired by the American revolution in the previous movie
>Pride and Prejudice (1797)
>Master and Commander (1801) While initially fighting for independence and freedom in the previous movie, France has fallen ill to a dictator hell bent on conquering Europe, Napoleon, unseen in this movie but marking the beginning of his influence. The film centers around defeating napoleons attempt to strangle English supply lines off the coast of Brazil
>Battle of Waterloo (1815) The climax to England and Frances rivalry. The French dictator, Napoleon returns to Europe to take reigns of his empire. England, and familiar ally from “barry Lyndon” Prussia join forces to defeat him and bring a decisive end to this period
>The Revenant (1823) Decades after the French Indian War and the relationship between the European settlers and the Natives has only worsened. American explorers regularly lead isolated expeditions into uncivilized land to claim hunt for pelts in competition with French hunters from the North who use the Natives as a proxy force to kill off their American Competitors.
>12 Years a Slave (1841-1853) As the American economy requires more manpower, more and more slaves are used, often even free black men are looked down upon as less then human. One such man having been imprisoned and enslaved despite being free born.
>Django Unchained (1858) As the Rhetoric between Northern and Southern United States over the use of slaves begins to heat up some anti slavery advocates take matters into their own hands such as the bounty hunter who frees the slave Django. Together the former German Dentist and Django pose as slavers on a southern plantation looking to buy slaves in order to rescue Djangos wife.
>Gangs of New York (1862) Introduction of the city of New York which serves as a central location for many of the later movies and often holds a character of its own. The American Civil War also begins with a major conflict with one of the gangs being the importing of migrants who are immediately conscripted to be used on the Union side. Tensions between the Irish immigrants and the Anglo Saxon majority lead to both battles and political intrigue.
>The Good The Bad and The Ugly (1862) During the New Mexico campaign of the civil war, A bandit and two mercernaries set out to find a hidden cache of gold hidden by the confederates.
>Glory (1863) The Union Trail an all Black unit of freed slaves as infantry sent to fight the confederates led by a sympathetic officer. They face discrimination from the other Union officers and are expected to perform poorly due to other black units being largely undisciplined and unruly.
>Dances With Wolves (1863) After accidently defeating a confederate unit in a suicide attempt a Union officer is assigned to the frontier which due to the circumstance of the awaiting Union unit deserting he is afforded complete isolation at his new fort. The officer having been cut off from the rest of the army begins fraternizing with the relatively friendly Sioux Indians, even aiding them in a war against the hostile Pawnee.
>Cold Mountain (1864) The story of a wounded confederate deserter close to the end of the civil war who is on his way to return to the love of his life
>Lincoln (1865) Abraham Lincoln believes the American Civil War will end within a month and begins measures to apply the 13th amendment to the constitution preventing freed slaves from being re-enslaved again. The movie follows the last four months of Lincolns life up until his death from John Wilkes Booth
>The Last Samurai (1867) With the war over, an American Union officer finds work as an advisor to the Japanese Imperial Army in order to westernize the Army and defeat the rebelling Samurai in the Satsuma Rebellion. The Union Officer is captured and he slowly defects to the Samurai side.
>The Hateful 8 (1875) Several years following the war a Union Major has taken to bounty hunting and happens across another bounty hunter and a former Confederate militiaman, the trio are forced to stop at a stage coach inn where their prejudices from the war are put to the test amongst a conspiracy to free a prisoner.
>Zulu (1879) While America has been fighting itself, Britain has been expanding into Africa, the Redcoats coming into contact with the Armies of Shaka Zulu.
>The Man Who Would Be King (1885) 2 Redcoats retire from service in India and purchase enough Martini Henry rifles to outfit a small platoon of riflemen. They intend to train one of the local less developed warlords in Afghanistan and his men in modern small unit tactics in order to completely defeat all the other primitive tribes in the area still using bows and arrows. Due to their knowledge of freemasonry which coaligns with a temple dedicated to Alexander the Great, one of the Redcoats is taken to be a diety by the freemason tribals
>The Time Machine 1960 version (1900 starting date – 802701AD) Invention of time travel by HG Wells. The invention goes on to be discovered by government agents creating a time paradox. It also ends up in the hands of criminals to dispose of bodies as well as rogue AI in the future.
>Breaker Morant (1901) In this movie, set in the Boer war of 1899-1902 in South Africa, the moral nightmare of the modern imperialist war is explored. The film deals with the trial of three Australian soldiers who are accused of killing enemy prisoners of war and a German missionary. The British Empire is concerned that the killing of the missionary, in particular, may draw the Germans into the war on the Boer side. So they would like to see these soldiers take the fall, and quick. The soldiers plead guilty with an explanation. Namely, they were acting under orders and, in fact, they were following standard procedure for this "gloves off" fight with an unorthodox enemy. "War changes men's natures. The barbarities of war are seldom committed by abnormal men. The tragedy of war is that these horrors are committed by normal men in abnormal situations."
>The Wind and the Lion (1904) Tells the story of the last barbar pirate during Teddy Roosevelt’s reign
>A Dangerous Method (1904-1911) Departing from the large scale epics shown so far in the series, a dangerous method follows the personal story of the relationship between Carl Gustav Jung and Sigmund Freud and development of psychology and depicts to a larger extent a transition to a more materialist empirical world best symbolized by feuds unwavering rationalism in opposition to Jungs optimistic mysticism. This movie also foreshadows the coming Great War through Jungs final dream in the epilogue related to his student. On top of this Jung displays subtle psyker development which would gradually evolve over the series from this point.
>Titanic (1912) >All Quiet on the Western Front (1914) >Gallipoli (1915) >Paths of Glory (1916) >Lawrence of Arabia (1917) >Beneath hill 60 (1917) >Doctor Zhivago (October 1917) >The Water Diviner (1919) Follow up of gallipoli >A Very Long Engagement (1920) >Cinderella Man (1930s)
>Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom (1935) Beginning in the Republic of China, Indiana Jones finds himself in India facing off against Thugee Kali death cultists.
>Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1936) The Introduction of the Nazis before the actual outbreak of World War 2. It pits Indiana Jones against a detachment of German Gestapo and SS soldiers who are searching for the Ark of the Covenant which Adolf Hitler believes will make his Army invincible.
>Ip Man (1937) Follows the tale of Bruce Lee’s teacher, Ip Man in Foshan and the outbreak of World War 2 in the Asian Theater with the Japanese Invasion of China. The Imperial Japanese Army sweeps aside the Chinese Army rather easily and then begins to subjugate the Chinese civilians forcing them to fight for rice.
>The Flowers of War (1937) Depicts the rape of Nanking
>Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade (1938) A Year before the beginning of WW2 in Europe, Adolf Hitler after having his team of soldiers looking for esoteric and occult weapons wiped out by the Ark of the Covenant begins searching for the Holy Grail. This is the First film in the series to depict Hitler in person with Indiana Jones bumping into him at a book burning rally in Berlin
>The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (1939) After Conquering Poland, the Nazis begin their extermination of undesirables. Bruno, the child of the SS commander at a concentration camp in the country side befriends a young Jewish prisoner
>Kokoda (1942) Imperial Japan, having conquered most of China and South East Asia pushes south through Papua New Guina in order to attack Australia. With most of the professional Australian Soldiers deployed to Europe, the Australians deploy mostly conscripts and reservists against the professional and hardened Imperial Army of Japan, intent on preventing them from Reaching Port Moresby resulting in the famous Kokoda Trail campaign.
>Enemy at The Gates (1942) Follows a platoon of German Soldiers on the Eastern Front with Germany having begun its invasion of Eastern Europe in 1941 with Operation Barbarossa has pushed the Red Army back all the way to Stalingrad. What results is the largest most brutal battle in recorded history. Enemy at The Gates follows a sniper battle between Vasily Zaytsev and Erwin Konig amongst the ruins of Stalingrad.
>Stalingrad[1993] (1942) The second feature for the battle of Stalingrad, the German 6th army continues its assault amid dwindling supplies and bitter Cold. This movie depicts a squad of German soldiers reassigned from Africa as the German Army becomes surrounded in Stalingrad to eventually be completely defeated.
>The Great Escape (1943) Having Expended enormous resources on recapturing escaped allied prisoners of war, the Germans move the most determined (most of them being British Commonwealth troops) to a new high security prison camp. The POWs plans one of the greatest escapes attempted with tunnels for breaking out 250 prisoners to the point that as many troops and resources as possible will be wasted instead of being used on the front line
>Come and See (1943) Taking place in the SSR of Belorussia, come and see depicts the German occupation and massacres as the peasants in the countryside attempt to form a resistance. It follows a young boy soldier fighting for the Belorussian resistance and a female camp follower who both stuggle to survive in the wilderness and hide from the German Einsatzkommando units wiping out the civilian population.
>Letters from Iwo Jima (1944) Taken from the Japanese perspective of the battle, the American Marines push through the pacific towards Japan.
>Saving Private Ryan (1944) The Americans begin their Invasion of Normandy in order to create two fronts with Germany and divide their forces, the American arrival inspiring more Resistance in Western Europe and aiding the Russians as they push the German Army back in the East.
>Valkyrie (1944) As the German Army is beatan back across Europe and the Americans begin the campaigns to defeat Italy and progress towards Germany, the German military leadership plots to kill Hitler and offer conditional Surrender to the allies. The film depicts the July 20 plot by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg to assassinate Adolf Hitler and use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country.
>Downfall (1945) The Red Army begins its assault on Berlin as Hitler lives his last 10 days
>A Woman in Berlin (1945) The last remnants of German resistance, mostly children, are swept away by the Russians as the Battle of Berlin comes to a close, Hitler having killed himself. The Red Army then begins the rape and pillage of the German people left defenseless
>The Godfather (1946) >Ip Man 2 (1949) >Ikiru: To Live (1952) >Shutter Island (1954) >Lolita (1955) >Ip Man 3 (1958) >Dr Stangelove (late 50’s) A film satirizing the cold war paranoia of its day, this movie makes light of the potential for either of the major super powers to destroy the world on a whim and demonstrates this by depicting an accidental nuclear exchange between the US and the USSR caused by one general who perceived his impotence as part of communist conspiracy. This also introduces in the canon of the series that a non historical limited nuclear exchange occurred with only military targets being hit being the beginning of a hot war with the US fighting against the USSR’s allies in Asia.
>In the Mood For Love (1962) A film about frustrated mistimed love
>We Were Soldiers (1965) Shows the withdrawal of the French Colonial forces after WW2 after the battle of Dien Bein Phu. The scene then skips forward to the beginning of the Vietnam war
>Full Metal Jacket (1967-1968) A film exploring the programming of young men into soldiers. Set in universe during the Indochina wars after the nuclear bombings, this depicts the breaking down of people into an infant state by belittlement and abuse to be in the movies own words “born again” as a killer. The second half shows the reality of this training put into practice. Full metal jacket is notable in that in contrast to most Vietnam movies it depicts mostly urban combat.
>Apocolypse Now (1970) A follow up to full metal jacket that seems even more bleak then kubricks already heavy tones in FMJ. A single MAC V SOG operative is dispatched to kill the rogue colonel Kurtz who has gone AWOL in Cambodia commanding a village of natives as its god. The reality of the war is on display here as madness gradually escalates as the boat goes up river. Drug use in the military is also a heavy theme which plays a central part in the next movie. The most important theme however is the contrast between dishonest humanitarianism (epitomized in the scene of killgore insisting on giving a dying viet cong soldier water then abandoning the venture when seeing a surfing legend he likes) and honest totalitarian brutality.
>American Gangster (late 68-1973) Depicts the rise and fall of a gangster from Harlem who decides to cut out the middleman and transport herion and poppies directly from Cambodia and Thailand using the military to do it. Besides depicting corruption in the military its made clear that almost the entire police force barring a handful are corrupt. Dialogue by Russel Crowes character also seems to pin down the main arc of the movie: the government doesn’t want to protect you, if it actually did its job all the customs officials soldiers, DEA officials and cops would be out of a job. This movie also shows indirectly the last few segments of the war in Vietnam and eventually the end showing the paris peace accords in news clippings and the refugee crises.
>The Killing Fields (1973-1979) As the NATO forces withdraw from Vietnam and the NVA and Vietcong take Saigon, communist rebels begin appearing in Cambodia as the khmer rougue. This movie shows the fall of Vietnam’s neighbours to communism as NATO forces do their best to stop the domino effect. Also notable is the second half which depicts life under the victorious communists as a dystopian hell where being smart can get you killed and all personal property is forbidden leaving the citizens (which are more like prisoners) at the mercy and whim of their rulers.
>Taxi Driver (late 70’s) A US Marine Veteran from Vietnam starts driving cabs to make extra money and scrape a living being largely outcast by society. Throughout the film he grows a escalating resentment of the corruption of New York which was already established in American Gangster. Drugs are rampant due to Frankies drug smuggling from Laos and Cambodia and the streets are filth. Initially you are led to believe that Travis, the taxi drive is crazy but as his surroundings become more and more chaotic it becomes apparent that he is the only sane person left, trying to do genuine good by rescuing a child from prostitution.
