Letters from Iwo Jima

I'm shocked Spiffae didn't comment on this trailer - I mean, it's right up his alley: Ken Watanabe (the shifty guy from The Last Samurai, remote, dormant-volcanic islands, and World War II. The war which Spiffae dubs, "The Greatest Years for Picking Up Middle Eastern Women of My Remarkable Life." Alas, Clint Eastwood's trailer for the second installment of the Iwo Jima saga is phenomenal. The trailer is crisp and shot in an almost amber filter, adding to the dry horror about to befall these men, and the music is like elevator music on your trip down to hell.

There is something inherent in Japanese culture which I think is undeniable - their sense of honor and grace - it's the culture of the Samurai and the Geisha, who both perform their tasks like ballerinas or a not-drunk me. They're amazing. Yet this movie, like Flags of Our Fathers, portrays the true nature of all men in the heat of battle - we're all remarkably similar and we're all deeply scared to our last breath.

The trailer, from the moment the young soldier gets conscripted, focuses on the realization that each and every one of these men will probably die. When you're confronted with your own mortality how do you react? Do you fight it or do you thank your country for sending you on a death mission? Almost all of the Japanese soldiers served their country in an insane battle (It was the first time in the history of warfare that the Americans sent acapella groups to the front lines of an assault, they annoyed everyone on the opposition side greatly).

Even though the United States denies it and returned control of the island back to the Japanese in 1968, many think they have nuclear arms sitting on the un-populated island. As soon as I push "publish" on this post, I'm traveling by hovercraft to Iwo Jima. I am taking a shovel, a copy of El Topo and my computer (with wireless capabilities). I will find those nukes. I get it, Mr. Eastwood, we will find those nukes and set them free. God, you're a visionary.