Tag Archives: Korean War.

That Should Be A Movie: The Real Heartbreak Ridge

It is a war drama

In the vein of Hamburger Hill

It is like Hacksaw Ridge meets 12 Strong

It follows brilliant maverick Col. James Y. Adams

And battle-loving veteran Maj. Virgil E. “Gene” Craven

As they fight for three hills atop Heartbreak Ridge

Problems arise when the well-dug-in Communists refuse to give ground and American commanders continue to send men to their deaths using the same ineffective tactics over and over.

Together, Adam and Craven’s love for their men and personal courage will create a strategy that captures the ridge line.

The idea came to me when I read Heartbreak Ridge by Arned L. Hinshaw to find out more information about the real battle mentioned in the Clint Eastwood movie of the same name.

My unique approach would be the brutality of battle contrasted with the bravery of the men fighting it and the courage of their officers who stand up for them at headquarters.

That Should Be A Movie: The Battle of Sabine Pass

Logline: When 46 hard-fighting Irish-Texan cannoneers face off against an invasion of 15,000, it will result in the only medals issued by the southern Confederacy.

Short Pitch

It is called The Battle of Sabine Pass

It is a war action movie.

In the vein of 300.

It is like Fury meets Glory.         

It follows ambitious, jovial Irish officer Dick Dowling

And young runaway drummer boy John Drummond

As they fight to free the Texas coast from Yankee invaders and prejudice against Irish and Catholic immigrants.

Problems arise when most of the Texas army is pulled from the coast and Dowling and his forty-six men find themselves the only ones to stop an invasion of 15,000.

Together their skill, training, dedication to each other and Gaelic love of fighting will result in one of the most lopsided victories of the war.

The idea came to me when I read a paragraph about the battle in The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts by Burke Davis and it grabbed hold of my Irish and Texan descendent soul. 

My unique approach is focusing on one unit of artillerymen called The Davis Guard and their struggles with military life, war and bigotry against Catholic Irish.

A set piece would be when Dick Dowling is standing on top of the mud pile called Fort Griffin. He has told the Davis Guard that their officers want them to retreat. “What say you,” says Dowling in a thick Gaelic accent. “No, no!,” reply his men. “Shall we fight,” he ask them. Fight, fight, fight,” they reply in unison. “It’s too hot to walk back to Sabine City,” one jokes. Just then a courier rides up. He carries a small Confederate flag. Dowling grabs the flag, crawling higher on the parapet and waves it toward the approaching gunboats. “Dick Dowling is a dead man before that flag shall come down!”

Target audiences would be men and women 20-70, teenagers, military buffs, action movie fans, history buffs, Civil War reenactors, naval buffs, Navy veterans, service members and their families, Catholics, Irish Americans, Irish people, and of course, Texans.

Audiences would want to see it for its epic stand of fighting Irish against overwhelming odds, its action, adventure, and themes of courage, brotherhood, honor and devotion to duty.

That Should Be A Movie: A Christmas Far From Home by Stanley Weintraub

A set piece would be when the 5th and 7th Marines, including 600 wounded walking with the help of ice-glazed tree limbs, march into Hagaru. They had fought their way there over fourteen miles for four days and three sleepless nights. Their comrades gather on the surrounding hills to greet the arrival of their comrades who were covered with ice and stubble. At 600 yards from the perimeter, the column stops. The wounded and frost bitten who could walk, crawled out of their trucks and fell in line with their comrades, their boots stomping the snow in perfect cadence.  In the snow. As the column enters the perimeter, some grunts join them, marching along side the column “From the Halls of Montezuma…”They began singing “…To the shores of Tripoli…” It is the Marines Hymn. “…We will fight our nation’s battles…” Rugged veterans were brought to tears. “Look at those bastards,” they say. “Those magnificent bastards.”

That Should Be A Movie: Single Handed: The Story of Tibor Rubin

It is called Single Handed
It is a Prison Camp Drama
In the vein of Unbroken.
It is like Son of Saul meets Hacksaw Ridge.
It follows courageous Holocaust survivor Tibor Rubin
And compassionate World War II veteran Randall Briere
As they fight North Korean and Chinese Communists and American antisemites.
Problems arise when Tibor and Randall are captured by the communists and Tibor is denied his medals by a bigoted officer.
Now together Tibor’s death camp experience and Randall’s determination will help them survive a POW camp and get Tibor his Medal of Honor.
My unique approach would be a movie in five acts. Tibor the Holocaust Survivor. Tibor the Immigrant. Tibor the Soldier. Tibor the Prisoner of War. Tibor the American Hero.
A set piece would be when North Korean guards call the American prisoners out of their huts and line them up, execution style. Some prisoners cry out for mercy. Others wet themselves. Some fall on their hands and knees. Tibor pulls them back up. He tells the group to pray and begins chanting in Hebrew. His fellow POWs join him. The guards raise their weapons to firing position. Then the Chinese officers show up and stop the North Koreans just in time.
Target audiences would be men and women (20 to 80), Jewish people, South Koreans, Hungarians, history buffs, military veterans, and teachers.
Audiences would want to watch Tibor’s story due to the themes of bravery, determination, excitement of battle, suspense of surviving in a POW camp, courage in the face of adversity and antisemitism, and the human-interest story of the only Holocaust survivor to receive the Medal of Honor.

That Should Be A Movie: Devotion by Adam Makos

The story recorded in Devotion showcases the best about humanity. Jesse and Tom were the finest America had to offer. Jesse’s determination to become a pilot is shining example of the determination that comes from following one’s dreams. Tom’s actions on December 4, 1951 are an example of the power of friendship. Hopefully, the film adaptation tells the story with the polish and finesse that it deserves. My prayers are with the production. May its success at the box office pave the way for more major films about the Korean War so that the veterans and fallen of “The Forgotten War” remain unforgotten.