Stalingrad

Russia's first 3-D outing may be the most attended film in their cinematic history.  It boasts the highest price tag so far and the cinematography and CG effects have raised the bar substantially.
Two very different love stories unfold amid one of the bloodiest, longest and most expensive battles of WWII.  Epic in scope but anchored by emotionally nuanced examinations of human frailty, I found this film exceptionally entertaining.  Its 2 hours and 11 minutes flew by as the ashes of war floated down around me.

Siberia Again

My second movie this weekend set in Siberia at a gulag during WWII. This one is based a true story of a group of prisoners who walk out of the gulag into the Siberian wilderness to Mongolia, then China, Tibet and finally India. Only 3 of the original 8[?] make it. Peter Weir assembled an international cast including Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Saorise Ronan and Jim Sturgess. Survival meant avoiding civilization, as there was a standing bounty on the heads of escapees. They must cross hostile territory, deserts and finally the Himalayas. The camera backs off to display vast expanses of forests, sand dunes, rocky deserts and mountains then zoom in on the tiny figures moving through the landscape. We learn a bit about each as they come to rely on and trust one another. It’s an amazing tale of heroics and determination by a true master.