Nerd in the 'Noke

Dunkirk (2017), PG-13, 1h 46min - Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors and I particularly enjoy war films, especially when they are based upon actual events.  So when trailers for this film first hit the internet I knew it was one that I was definitely going to see (it was even number five on my Most Anticipated Films of 2017 list earlier this year).  Dunkirk provides a look at World War II from a different point of view (i.e. not American), through Nolan's unique, non-linear presentation. For those like myself, who are not well versed in the specifics of such historical events, here is a little context: the events shown in this film took place in 1940 after France had been invaded by Nazi Germany.  The Germans had pushed Allied forces to the point where retreating to the beaches of Dunkirk was their only option.  In doing so, the Allied troops became trapped between their shrinking perimeter and the ocean, leaving themselves open to attack from th...

Bridge of Spies (2015), PG-13, 141 minutes - I'm a sucker for historical dramas so this film, a Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks collaboration, was a must see in my mind.  Unfortunately, I didn't get around to seeing it as quickly as I would have liked.  Fortunately though, it enjoyed a fairly decent theatrical run, allowing me to finally check it out a couple of weeks ago. Bridge of Spies is based upon events that occurred in the 1960's: the Cold War prisoner exchange of suspected spies between the United States and Russia, and the unexpected catalyst of the exchange negotiations: an insurance settlement lawyer named James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks).  Donovan is first asked to act as defense lawyer for suspected Russian spy Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance).  It is of no concern to anyone that Donovan has limited defense experience as Abel only needs representation so that the court can go through the motions of 'due process'.  At a time when the threat of nuclear war was ...