Number 24

1/4/2025

I have indirectly been touched by war through my mother. She would seldom talk about her eldest brother but when she did, her obvious love, was always tinged with pain of recalling his loss, at a young age, during war. I'm glad "Number 24" was made.Its bridges the emotional divide between those who have known the pain of loss, of hope, of life and freedom imposed by war and those who have known only peace. I think its a timely message too. As we are seeing, once again, the spectre of global war is slowly raising its hideous head with the loss of personal freedoms, particularly free speech, that accompanies its approach. We all need to understand what war means to appreciate how sacrosanct peace and freedom, really are. Never listen to those who tell you "safety" is a substitute

3/6/2025

Resistance in the face of tyranny is one of those topics that can make for truly great filmmaking, especially when the subject is timely (as many would contend it is currently). And the latest offering from director John Andreas Andersen serves up an inspiring and engaging tale in that vein. The film follows the experience of Norwegian resistance fighter Gunnar Sønsteby (1918-2012) (Sjur Vatne Brean) in his courageous efforts to take on Nazi invaders who took over his homeland during World War II. Working under the code name Number 24 with a band of longtime friends under the direction of British special forces and the Norwegian government in exile in the UK, Sønsteby coordinated and led an array of raids on German assets in Norway, often at great risk and tremendous personal cost. He also