The Rosie the Reviewer Podcast

Welcome to Rosie the Reviewer, a Dutch-Canadian female-led WW2 media podcast. A new episode airs every Friday!

Tag: Pacific Theater

Find everything about a specific topic.
Nurses

Ep 100 – So Proudly We Hail – US Army Nurses on Bataan and Corregidor

It’s our 100th episode and also Women’s History Month! So it’s only fitting that in this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we discuss So Proudly We Hail (1943), a World War II film about American Army nurses during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941–1942. The story follows a group of nurses working in increasingly desperate conditions as the war closes in, from jungle hospitals on Bataan to the evacuation from Corregidor.
We also explore how the film reflects 1940s attitudes toward women, including Hollywood stereotypes, and obviously wartime propaganda. Along the way, we look at the real stories of the nurses on Bataan and Corregidor. These women kicked ass!

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13/03/2026 No Comments
code talkers

Ep 94 – Windtalkers – A look at the Navajo Code Talkers 

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we discuss Windtalkers (2002), a World War II film inspired by the real Navajo Code Talkers who served in the Pacific theatre. Set primarily during the Battle of Saipan, the film follows Navajo Marines using their language as an unbreakable military code. Unfortunately, the main character is white. Why?

Still, we’re happy to talk about Code Talkers.

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30/01/2026 No Comments
Beast of War

Ep 89 – Beast of War – Shipwreck, Mateship, and One Musical Shark

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we continue our accidental monster-movie streak with Beast of War (2025), written and directed by Kiah Roache-Turner. Loosely inspired by the real sinking of the Australian ship HMAS Armidale in the Timor Sea on 1 December 1942, the film follows a group of soldiers stranded on a rapidly failing raft, hunted by a great white shark.

Joined by our favourite returning, usually SAS Rogue Heroes, but now creature-feature correspondent George, we talk about why this is not just a horror movie, but a survival story with real themes: isolation, fear, trauma, and the brittle veneer of civilisation when the ocean is doing its absolute worst. Merry Christmas, see you in 2026.

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26/12/2025 No Comments
Godzilla Minus One

Ep 88 – Godzilla Minus One – PTSD, Guilt, and a Very Angry Lizard

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we talk about Godzilla Minus One (2023), written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. We can hear you thinking… What? Set in the immediate aftermath of WWII, the film follows a former kamikaze pilot grappling with survivor’s guilt, PTSD, and the struggle to rebuild a life in a shattered Japan – while Godzilla looms as both a literal threat and a powerful metaphor.

We discuss why this film works even if you think you don’t like monster movies (cough Maartje cough), how it uses Godzilla to explore nuclear trauma and post-war grief, and why the human story at its centre is surprisingly moving. We’re joined by our friend Julie, resident Godzilla enthusiast, because this movie deserves her commentary.

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18/12/2025 No Comments
Band of Brothers

Ep 86 – Bruce McKenna on The Pacific, Band of Brothers, and the stories he’d like to tell.

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.

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05/12/2025 1 Comment
Rosie the reviewer the pacific episode 77
eugene sledge

Ep 77 – The Pacific – Closing Out the Best War Show of All Time (Part Three)

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we wrap up our three-part discussion of The Pacific (2010) with episodes 7-10. Brace yourself for the brutal fighting on Peleliu and Okinawa to John and Lena Basilone, his final chapter and the long road home for Eugene Sledge and Robert Leckie. Alongside our returning guest George, we talk about leadership, disillusionment, the role of civilians, and the way grief and memory follow these men long after the war ends.

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03/10/2025 No Comments
Rosie episode the pacific part two
eugene sledge

Ep 76 – The Pacific – Episodes 4-6 the Battle of Peleliu and More (Part Two)

Joining us to discuss episodes 4-6 of The Pacific (2010) is our friend Merc. We get into the meaty middle part of the show, saying hello to some new favourites (and clinging to them before they have to leave us again) while watching others go home. Its’ Peleliu time, which means everyone is having a terrible time. And Pavuvu, which is apparently not much better.

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26/09/2025 No Comments
Grave of the Fireflies
Animated movie

Ep 71 – Grave of the Fireflies – Studio Ghibli’s Animated WWII Film You Should Only Watch Once

In this episode of Rosie the Reviewer, we discuss Grave of the Fireflies (1988), the harrowing Studio Ghibli animation that left us emotionally wrecked. We follow the story of Seita and Setsuko, two siblings trying to survive in Kobe, Japan during the final months of World War II. We discuss the film’s gut-wrenching portrayal of innocence lost and being forgotten, and why this is possibly the greatest movie you’ll never want to watch again.

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22/08/2025 No Comments
Pacific Theater

Ep 59 – The Narrow Road to the Deep North – Australian POWs and the Burma Railway

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?

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30/05/2025 No Comments
Pacific Theater

Ep 51 – South Pacific: A Musical About WWII? A Deep Dive into Rodgers & Hammerstein’s WWII Classic

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.

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04/04/2025 No Comments