Steven Helmer Publications

It's Memorial Day and with my annual trip to local cemeteries to pay respects to family members who served (including my dad and grandfather) already behind me, it likely will be a day when I end up watching some of the many war movies that are bound to be on TV. While I'm not a huge war movie fan, there are some that are must-watches whenever I come across them on one of my movie channels. Some of these are obvious choices, others might be a surprise, especially when compared to better-known films but they just speak to me. Below are my five favorites but, before watching, please be sure to take a moment to remember and thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Glory (1989) This movie, in my opinion is THE movie to watch if you want a Civil War film. It's one of Matthew Broderick 's best roles and he had a strong supporting cast that includes Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington . There are some great, realistic battle scenes and a solid story (though maybe not comp...

As much time as I spend watching old movies and nearly as old television series, I probably shouldn't be surprised when I receive ads for hearing aids and retirement homes. However, while most of those movies and shows were before my time, I will be the first to argue many are better than what you can see at theaters and on TV today. In fact, Hollywood seems to agree with me, both because of the numerous movie remakes and films based on classic television series. While the latter is a bit hit or miss, with some of those movies being not-so-great, there are a few that do work. Here are four I personally enjoyed. Just a note: The Simpsons Movie would have made this list too, if the show wasn't still on the air. Sgt. Bilko (1996) I haven't seen more than a few episodes of The Phil Silvers Show but did see enough to get the gist of that series, which ran from 1955-1959, and while there are those who disagree, this movie version of Silvers ' military character, Sgt. Ernest...