FLYBOYS IN THEATERS SEPTEMBER 22, 2006

Starring: James Franco, Martin Henderson, Jean Reno, Jennifer Decker, David Ellison, Philip Winchester, Abdul Salis, & Tyler Labine

By Haleemon Woodard, Senior Editor, at HOT INDIE NEWS
Date Published: September 19, 2006

I'm no logician per se', but here's a little theoretical reasoning for all of you Hot Indie readers to contemplate: The average life expectancy of a WWI pilot in 1917 was 3-6 weeks. Flyboys, the new feature film directed by Tony Bill, is about a group of young American men who train to become pilots for the French (since the US had not yet joined the Allied Powers) and fight against the evil Germans. Based on the aforementioned life expectancy factoid, one can safely assume that someone is going to die (No, I didn't give part of the plot away. Come on, it's a war movie!). Therefore, if you don't mind holding a Kleenex for the latter half of a film, read on as you're in for a treat. However, if poignant, period flicks aren't your cup of tea, then go watch Beavis and Butthead or something, as you are obviously not interested in intelligent, heartfelt movies to begin with and we at Hot Indie News would hate to waste your precious time.

Flyboys is one of those universal movies that everyone can enjoy. For the men, it showcases intricate dogfighting executed in expertly recreated, open-air, combat planes of 1917 (lest we forget, the first plane was patented in 1906, a mere 11 years prior… pretty crazy when you think about it!) with courage, racism, and redemption prevailing as the intrinsic, recurring themes of the movie that is "inspired by a true story". F or the lassies, the progression and growth of the characters is inspiring not to mention the love story that is an underlying factor in the movie (everyone enjoys a good love story). And for the shallow viewers at heart, well, there's eye candy to be viewed by all: Martin Henderson (The Ring), James Franco (Spiderman), and new rising starlet, Jennifer Decker. Tantalizing indeed!

Though I must digress for a brief moment here and inquire, what is it with Tinseltown's inability to allow a barrage of assailants to accurately shoot (and hit) a moving target? Ever notice that? Example: Jack Bauer (we all know who he is, right?) is surrounded by a dozen men all firing unremittingly at him and, somehow, he strategically manages to evade every single one of the bullets? Unbelievable. Well, there is a touch of that in Flyboys as, in one particular scene, the French and Germans are shooting at each other, with their planes flying dead-on towards their adversaries like a game of aerial chicken and none of the bullets fired strike any of the planes for the entire first pass. Talk about poor aim! But, alas, it's Hollywood. That's only a minor observation and doesn't detract from the film's storyline, yet it always manages to catch my eye. It's rather distracting…

Flyboys manages to infuse comedy throughout the flick, though some of its comedic entertainment is relatively subtle so you'll need to ensure that you are truly paying attention to pick up on it. In one scene, Jean Reno's character motivates his trainees by saying, "If you do well, you can come back and get the Germans. Let's get the Germans!" In such a politically correct charged society, I found this statement quite humorous (hilarious, actually).

There is no mistaking the protagonists from the antagonists in Flyboys though I've noticed a trend in recent Hollywood blockbusters with regards to big name actors: No one is safe in movies these days (I won't expand on that, go see the movie and you'll know what I mean). Since ostensibly, everything is sort of 'been there, done that', new innovative ways to captivate the viewer with twists that just keep coming are surfacing and Flyboys is no exception especially when coupled with a momentous climax whereby justice is definitely served (don't you just love that!) and at this critical moment of revenge, had everyone in the audience applauding and hollering in approval, and not so surprising, I found myself amongst them. Flyboys will be in a theater near you on Friday, September 22, 2006

Got an opinion? Is it different than mine? If so, then go pound sand, I don't give a damn. Kidding. Kidding. Don't report me to the Thought Police. Tell us what you think: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or myspace.com/haleemon

MORE INFORMATION

Title: Flyboys (2006)
Produced By: Dean Devlin (The Patriot, Independence Day, Stargate) & Marc Frydman (Commander in Chief)
Genre: Drama/War
myspace.com/flyboysmovie
Runtime: 139 minutes