Flags of Our Fathers
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Ryan Phillippe, Barry Pepper, Joseph Cross (Full Cast)
Studio: DreamWorks SKG

The Plot: A re-enactment of the Battle of Iwo Jima; a dramatization of the life stories of the six men who raised the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi; an interpretation of how the iconic photograph of that event -- Joe Rosenthal's "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" -- turned soldiers into instant heroes, and how the U.S. government used it to adjust public opinion of WWII.

User Rating:

THE BUZZ: Clint Eastwood directs a war film written by Paul Haggis ... okay, so we know the winners of two Oscar categories. Perhaps three. We're most interested in how the film resonates with the public, and how it's tied to the events of today. (Most tellingly, we're awaiting red-state feedback.) Stephanie Zacharek, publish your opinion already! P.S. After months of wondering whether Paramount/DreamWorks would release Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima in December, the Japanese-language companion film will hit American shores on February 9, 2007.