downfall

The Lives of Others
$14.94
I watched this movie when it came out and it's one movie I had to own. I recommend it to all my friends all the time.

Downfall: The End of the Imperial Japanese Empire
$19.00
I found this book often brilliant in terms of research yet at times somewhat frustrating in terms of polemic. I say that despite sharing Frank's conclusion (and premise of the book) that dropping the atomic bombs was inevitable, necessary, and demonstrably saved millions of lives.

In particular, I found the book at times lapsing into polemic or argument, framing almost every fact unearthed by Frank's extensive research to fit his argument rather than letting the reader come to her own conclusions. This is most evident when Frank recounts the Japanese negotiating tactics near the end of the war, both with the Allies generally and with the Soviets specifically. It seems at times as if Frank has never negotiated something himself, as he takes every public boast by the Japanese at face value, and discounts every veiled or implied effort by elements within the military leadership as well as the Emperor to negotiate an end to the war.

At the same time, he is willing to find deep complexity and subtlety in the way the Allies dictated terms, particularly at Potsdam, so that the Japanese could hold out hope of an "unconditional surrender" that was more lenient than that extended to the Germans. I would have liked to see Frank read more into the mixed and vague signals being sent by the Japanese than he seems willing to do.

That said, there is no question an invasion of mainland Japan would have been an horrific event to the Allies, and to the Japanese, in that many more Japanese would have died in that invasion than in the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Whether that could have been avoided based on this historical record is not as clear as Frank argues, though the weight of the evidence certainly suggests there was no alternative but to proceed with the deployment of atomic weapons.

Dead Space: Downfall [Blu-ray] + Digital Copy
$34.98
If you liked the game, get the movie. Pretty good job on the animation. Looks great on bluray. Even if you haven't played the game, it's fairly easy to follow.

Das Boot - The Director's Cut
$14.94
I hadn't heard of this film until recently, I guess it doesn't have the same popularity in the States as abroad. Compared to the average Hollywood crap like U571 and Windtalkers, it's on an entirely different level. You really notice how the suspense and realism in this film make it an excellent portrayal of U-boat warfare. The characters are memorable as well, and the sound and visual effects are top-notch for a 1980's film (pre-CGI). It is a long, slow-paced film but definitely worth a watch.