Description
We talk about the movie and book Unbroken. We might be a little mean. But that’s got nothing to do with Louis Zamperini.
Welcome to Rosie the Reviewer, a Dutch-Canadian female-led WW2 media podcast. A new episode airs every Friday!
Rosie the Reviewer is a passion project, built episode by episode. If you’d like to support what we do, you can help keep us on the air or pick up some Rosie merch. We’re working on more ways for you to get involved in the future.
We talk about the movie and book Unbroken. We might be a little mean. But that’s got nothing to do with Louis Zamperini.

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we welcome an extraordinary guest: Bruce McKenna, co-executive producer, creator, and principal writer of The Pacific, and writer of the Bastogne episode of Band of Brothers. We talk about the moral stakes of war, what made it into the episodes and what didn’t, and why everything is about narrative and theme.
We explore Bruce’s creative process and the kind of stories he likes to tell. This one may change how you look at WWII media.

This week, we dive into Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), based on a book by the same name. Sam has read it, so you don’t have to. Maartje gets more excited about a Canadian character in this than Sam, so the world is definitely upside down.

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we head to the South Pacific to explore Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic World War II musical. Maartje and Sam discuss whether war is a suitable backdrop for a musical, and dive into the show’s complicated relationship with racism — from its progressive anthem “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” to its undeniably stereotypical portrayals. Plus, a detour into the CB’s (Maartje’s obsessed!) and cultural memory.

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we tackle Midway twice. We compare the 1976 classic with the 2019 CGI-heavy remake and take you through the events of The Battle of Midway. Get to know the key players and learn with us as we break down one of the most decisive naval battles of the Second World War.

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we unpack The Narrow Road to the Deep North, the harrowing new WWII series starring Jacob Elordi as Australian surgeon Dorrigo Evans. Based on Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel, the show follows Dorrigo’s life before, during, and after his time as a POW forced to build the Burma Railway. We talk symbolism, adaptation choices, and why every character in this show feels trapped—by war, by love, by legacy. Plus, we ask, once again, why is it so f*cking dark?
Rosie the Reviewer is a passion project, built episode by episode. If you’d like to support what we do, you can help keep us on the air or pick up some Rosie merch. We’re working on more ways for you to get involved in the future.