By Jared Curtis jared@dmcityview.com

‘None Less Than Heroes – The Honor Flight Story’

Directed by Ken Heckmann

Not rated, 42 minutes

The Central and Western Iowa Honor Flight chapter helps hundreds of Iowa’s WWII veterans visit the National World War II Memorial. “None Less Than Heroes – The Honor Flight Story,” is a 42-minute documentary focusing on that amazing journey as Iowa war heroes experience the memorial for the first time. Although the trip is an extremely enjoyable part of the film, listening to veterans speak about their time overseas is heroic and heartwarming and will leave audiences yearning for more. If you had relatives in the war or are just a history buff, “None Less Than Heroes” will bring a tear to the toughest man’s eyes. Purchase the film for $9.95 (all proceeds support future Honor Flights) at participating HyVee and Casey’s General Stores or by visiting http://www.honorflightfilm.org. CV

‘Saving Private Ryan’

Directed by Steven Spielberg

1998, Rated R, 169 minutes

Known as one of the most realistic World War II films, “Saving Private Ryan” draws an array of emotions from audiences experiencing it, especially during the Omaha landing battle scenes. The story follows Capt. John Miller (stoically played by Tom Hanks), who takes a small group of soldiers (including Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Berry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel and Jeremy Davies) on a mission to find Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), whose three other brothers have all died within days of each other. Their goal is to get Private Ryan out alive. When they find him, he refuses to leave, as his duty is to defend a bridge. Although it’s not their mission and they are extremely outnumbered, Capt. Miller decides to defend the bridge with Private Ryan. Brilliant and bloody, “Saving Private Ryan” is full of outstanding moments, but it’s Hanks who rises above, carrying this heroic film on his shoulders. CV