Beyond All Boundaries

Tom Hanks 42-minute WWII epic Beyond All Boundaries premiered at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans this weekend. The first reviews of this 4D cinematic experience are very positive, and we look forward to hearing more reactions.

A National Socialist Fred & Ginger

Sometimes we forget the Nazis had movies, too. This musical clip, taken from a 1944 German musical Frau meiner Träume (The Woman Of My Dreams) shows the escapist fare the Germans watched. The film, which stars Hungarian actress Marika Rökk, appears no worse - nor better - than similar Hollywood films of the era.

The Rat Patrol

This 1966-1968 ABC-TV series was set in North Africa. The Rat Patrol were Allied soldiers who tracked and sabotaged Rommels Afrika Korps and Nazi war aims. Rat Patrol as inspired by the British Commonwealth's Long Range Desert Group made up of troops from New Zealand, the UK, and Rhodesia.

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Tom Hanks on His New WWII Project

Hanks, executive producer of Beyond All Boundaries, on his new WWII project. Sounds awesome. More here. And here.

Stars Enlist For National WWII Museum Epic

Wow. From the NY Post today -- The National World War II Museum in New Orleans and Tom Hanks have announced the roster for voicing their new WWII epic Beyond All Boundaries premiering at The Museum on November 6. It seems like Hanks must have drafted the help of half of Hollywood as the cast list reads like a who's who of A-Listers including Hanks, its narrator and executive producer, joined by Kevin Bacon, Corbin Bleu, Patricia Clarkson, Kevin Connolly, James Cromwell, Blythe Danner, Viola Davis, Jessie Eisenberg, John Goodman, Neil Patrick Harris, Kevin Jonas, Justin Long, Tobey Maguire, Daran Norris, Wendell Pierce, Chris Pine, Brad Pitt, Bill Sadler, Gary Sinise and Elijah Wood, among others. Are there more? Keep coming back to Hollywood at War for more information about this special cinematic experience opening in New Orleans.

To Be or Not To Be

On the 70th anniversary of the Nazi's invasion of Poland here is the opening gag of the 1942 comedy To Be or Not to Be directed by Ernst Lubitsch. This clip shows you the lunacy that runs through the film that stars Jack Benny and Carole Lombard as a husband-wife team of actors in Warsaw at the start of WWII. This was the last movie Lombard made before her death in a plane crash in January 1942 selling war bonds. The film was remade in 1983 by Mel Brooks as a vehicle for his wife the late Anne Bancroft.

Is "Inglorious" Glorious? The Critics Respond

Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds is hitting theaters this weekend and the reviews are rolling in. A play on the many cinematic conventions that WWII movies have taken in the past, the movie starring Brad Pitt is both controversial and shoot-em-up entertainment. We're not taking sides, but we are providing links to thoughtful reviews both pro and con.

Wall Street Journal
LA Times
The New York Times
The Washington Post
The New Yorker
Time Out: New York
Boston Phoenix
Orlando Sentinel