We all know that war is hell. Perhaps that is why we are drawn to the films that dramatize or even lighten the burden wars place on our society. We want to see someone make sense of it all. Here are the five best war movies ever made, now playing on satellite TV.

5. M*A*S*H*. While trying to concoct the perfect martini and pulling off elaborate practical jokes, you'd be surprised the doctors in M*A*S*H* were involved a war at all. Treating the whole thing like an absurd conspiracy pulled off by invisible powers, Robert Altman makes as bold a statement as any "serious" war film. You'll laugh your head off and start thinking, later. This groundbreaking film is a staple on the Independent Film Channel in high definition.

4. From Here to Eternity. The film that launched Frank Sinatra's Hollywood comeback, From Here To Eternity is a tense exercise in army politics set on pre-WWII Pearl Harbor just before the Japanese attack. The viewer is treated to brilliant performances from Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster and of course, Sinatra, who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Maggio. For a behind-the-scenes look, find Turner Classic Movies on your satellite TV program guide and watch host Robert Osborne introduce the finest from Hollywood's Golden Age.

3. The Great Escape. Probably the best representation of the word "blockbuster," this film combines an all-star macho cast (Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson) with a script that follows their attempts to escape from a Nazi POW camp during WWII. McQueen's presence is electrifying, especially during his wild escape attempt on a motorcycle. Director John Sturges somehow managed to pull off this behemoth of a war film.

2. Platoon. Director Oliver Stone served in Vietnam and used his experiences to compose the finest script of his accomplished career. Following the tour of infantryman Chris (Charlie Sheen) as he sees the dark side of war, Platoon is a harrowing, brutal look at the way war can turn a soldier into a bloodthirsty animal. Not for the faint of heart, this film is a regular on satellite TV's premium movie channels, viewer discretion advised.

1. Apocalypse Now. The film that announced the arrival of a new type of war film, Coppola's Apocalypse Now has an epic scope while maintaining its tight focus on one man: Willard (Martin Sheen), an army captain sent to find and kill Kurtz (Marlon Brando), a rogue army man himself. We follow Willard in his journey down-river in Vietnam, slowly losing his mind as he proceeds. A gigantic film with some of the best explosions ever, Apocalypse sets a stunning visual and psychological tone and is the best of the war genre. Satellite TV is now featuring the director's cut.


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To think of Humphrey Bogart is in many ways to think of classic film itself. He is that tough, cynical presence who is noble to the end. His character in Casablanca probably crystallizes that persona more than any other film, but it's just one stop along a tour of Bogart's brilliant career. Here are his five top films other than Casablanca now playing on satellite TV.

5. To Have and Have Not. The film that started the Bogart-Bacall highlight reel (and love affair), you'd be hard-pressed to find a more incendiary screen debut than Bacall's in this film. "You know how to whistle, Steve, don't you? You just put your lips together and blow." Bacall sizzles, but Bogart drives the action, reprising that noble loner persona from Casablanca with aplomb. Any Bogart birthday celebration on satellite TV's Turner Classic Movies is bound to showcase this Howard Hawks film.

4. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Directed by the legendary John Huston, a frequent collaborator of Bogart's, this film features a petty and ruthless Bogart not often seen in his star days. A tribute to Bogart's disdain for celebrity, his performance keys a movie all about desperation and greed. Watch it in HD for the stunning cinematography of the American Southwest.

3. The Maltese Falcon. The film that really got Bogart rolling, Huston's first film is a film noir classic and as crisp a film as you will ever see. Propelled by Bogart's fast-talking, face-slapping detective Sam Spade, the story follows a group of international scoundrels as they scratch and claw in pursuit of an elusive (and priceless) black statuette. Perhaps a little static in its camera movement, Huston nonetheless elicits terrific performances from Bogart and supporting actors Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet (in his debut). The Falcon is the "stuff dreams are made of," based on the Dashiell Hammett novel, and there is a high body count to back up the claim.

2. In A Lonely Place. Perhaps the least-known of Bogart's best movies, In A Lonely Place showcases the intelligence and acting skill of our favorite leading man. Directed by Nicholas Ray (who later made Rebel Without a Cause), the film follows the life of Dix, a troubled Hollywood screenwriter whose violent temper leads him to being suspected of murder. Gloria Grahame, Ray's wife at the time, delivers her best performance as well in this chilling classic, a must-see in HD on TCM.

1. The Big Sleep. Re-uniting Bogart, Bacall and director Hawks, The Big Sleep is the film that features Bogart at his all-around best. Tough as nails, charming, insolent and fearless, Bogart's portrayal of private detective Philip Marlowe is a landmark in film noir as well as an example of Hollywood production at its very best. The epitome of the word classic, this movie is in heavy rotation on satellite TV networks like TCM.



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The 1990s now seem like a simpler time, when presidential affairs were the country's primary concern, no one texted anyone and Anthony Hopkins was a good actor for quaint British dramas. While we live in a totally different era, having turned the page on the twentieth century, the 1990s really weren't that long ago. Here are the five greatest films to come out of the decade, all to be found on satellite TV.

5. Reservoir Dogs. Quentin Tarantino's debut sent tidal waves through the industry, as the arrival of "a new Scorsese" was being heralded. Regardless of the hype, Reservoir Dogs is remarkable for its crisp direction, sparkling script and terrific ensemble cast. Whether you're rooting for Mr. Pink or hoping Mr. Orange will make it out alive, you'll find a wildly entertaining film which owes as much to Hong Kong cinema as to Scorsese and has been a part of pop culture ever since.

4. Unforgiven. Witness the return of the Western in a big way with Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. Featuring Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman at their best, Eastwood managed to keep the genre relevant and take home a slew of awards in the process. See the way he uses modern technology to shoot night scenes, an impossibility in old Westerns but one of the trademarks of this film in HD.

3. Goodfellas. Talk about leaving your heart on film -- Scorsese seems to exhaust his limitless resources with this piece of virtuoso filmmaking. De Niro is as great as ever, but Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci really seem liberated and drive this thrilling work to its inevitable conclusion. Check your satellite TV program guide and gear up for multiple hours of comedy, violence and social commentary from one of America's finest directors.

2. JFK. For all of his daring and controversial films, Oliver Stone really caused a stir with this one. To say it re-ignited the JFK assassination debate is an absurd understatement, as it put many living public figures back on the hot seat. Besides its claims and explorations, JFK is a work of extraordinary technique and features the best editing you will ever see. Kevin Costner stars, along with Joe Pesci, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Bacon, Sissy Spacek and more, an avalanche of a film featured in HD on the Independent Film Channel.

1. The Silence of the Lambs. Propelled by one of the best performances of the '90s, Silence of the Lambs is a film that sticks in the mind of every viewer that has ever seen it. Taut direction by Jonathan Demme, convincing work by Jodie Foster and an acting clinic by Anthony Hopkins make this one of the best American films of the century and definitely the best of the decade. Check Showtime's HD networks for programming.



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