My take on recent films about folks who are trapped -- whales in an ice ridge, a man on a ledge, and a group of prostitutes in a cathedral during the Rape of Nanking.

Big Miracle

It's funny the things that bring warring parties together. In October 1988, it was a family of three whales—a dad, mom, and baby—who found themselves trapped off the coast of Barrow, Alaska, by the early arrival of ice around the Arctic Circle. The trio, who became known as Fred, Wilma, and Bamm-Bamm, was separated from the ocean by too many miles of unbroken ice—not enough to let these giant mammals breathe along the way to freedom. Read more . . .

Man on a Ledge

There's an early scene in Man on a Ledge where the main character does something strange: He easily opens a New York City hotel window. Okay, yes, he also climbs through said window to assume the title role. Also strange. But anyone who's ever been to a high-rise hotel in a big city will tell you that the windows are sealed tighter than a Hollywood starlet in a pair of Spanx.

Why is this important? I'll get to that in a minute. Read more . . .

The Flowers of War

How do you tell the story of war? These real-life epic tales can span years and continents, involving grand conquests and tiny tragedies. They change the shape of entire societies, countries' borders, and personal relationships. Any slice of the whole you choose will leave something out—and will inevitably say as much about the storyteller as it does about the war.

The Flowers of War takes us to the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 on the outskirts of Nanking.  Read more . . .