I just saw the preview for it before Public Enemies which only just came out.
but damn did it look good.
but there is nothing wrong with being odd. i mean you arent inkast or adwhizz odd. - VABestBBW Binlahab is a bitch. I wouldn't trust okp, some of them don't even get any anymore since the Re's stopped - Anonymous OKP
9. "I liked it but I wish I didn't go in with such high expectations. " In response to Reply # 0
I kept waiting for something to really blow me away but I never got it. Renner & Mackie were gerat tho. And it was way better than Jarhead for whatever that's worth.
It's getting a little more hype than it really should, but that's to be expected on the internet. It's incredibly suspenseful with a really meaningful ending. I don't see it winning best picture, but it should at least be nominated.
12. "ugh. The Hurt Locker is wack as fuck (spoilers)" In response to Reply # 0 Sat Jul-25-09 03:42 PM by Jay Doz
(reposted from GD)
AKA, here's another movie that the Army has ruined for me. With all the great reviews this thing's been getting, I was pretty excited to see this shit. *sigh*...
Maybe it's the 15 months I spent patrolling in Baghdad talking, but fuck. I'm down with suspending disbelief every now and then, but for the whole two hours I was in "yeah the fuck right" mode, and I couldn't turn it off.
An EOD team driving all around Baghdad, by themselves with no escort? Yeah the fuck right. Driving all the fuck from VBC to the Green Zone (which is like an hour and a half to 2 hour drive) by themselves and shit. Why the fuck does nobody ever get behind the fucking .50 cal until they come into contact? Stay on the fucking gun. And then there's that sniper battle. Really yo? A bunch of non-infantry non-sniper qualified jackasses are suddenly sharpshooting dudes 6-700 meters away on a weapon system that they are obviously unfamiliar with? Why are y'all running around in random buildings by yourselves?
Nigga you said you spent 7 years as intel before joining EOD. Why the fuck are you do you have a Combat Infantry Badge? Why the fuck are any of y'all wearing any fucking pin-on badges in the first place? Why the fuck do none of y'all wear flags on y'all's ACUS? Why the fuck is the only nigga even wearing a flag got that shit on backwards. Why the fuck are y'all's sleeves rolled up? Why are your "US Army" and name tapes on the wrong sides? If it's 2004, why y'all even wearing ACUs in the first place? Playing Xbox 360 and shit. Fuck man.
So moral of the story...
Don't join the fucking Army.
And that shit looks just like fucking Baghdad, so kudos to the set designers.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
14. "yes, i thought it was awesome" In response to Reply # 13
I thought it was a pretty good reflection of how the guys interact with each other and how they perceive leadership. Plus I was in love with the attention to detail with the equipment and radio chatter and what not. Being Army, a couple of things grated on me (I guess what we call "dismounts", Marines call "foot mobiles"), but I thought the narrative was really well put together.
Strangely, I think it's a really good companion piece to something like Jarhead.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
15. "Thanks for this and for your time in the service." In response to Reply # 14
I always wonder how close movies like this come to reality. Hurt Locker was obviously kind of Lethal Weaponish in terms of the one man gang shit (and the sniper thing also seemed odd to me).
Honestly, don't let me discourage you from seeing you. It's just that my experiences completely destroyed my ability to enjoy the movie. It's kinda one of those ignorance is bliss type deals I guess.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
19. "i honestly haven't read it" In response to Reply # 16
Although I'd love to, along with the OG Starship Troopers. I don't think my perspective would add much to the discourse though. Those authors were from a different era and were involved in a different kind of military. I can only speak about The Hurt Locker because I was running patrols in Baghdad just a few months ago.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
i really appreciate when people can do this. tear down spectacle. i have not seen the movie, but will go with an "extra eye" thanks to your post.
as for generation kill, me and the ex bought it expecting a much more critical eye, being it was from the makers of the wire, but its just seemed jumbled and lacking direction, we didnt even finish the last two or three episodes. we even asked ourselves what would military heads say and well you like it, so who knows
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
37. "I KNOW" In response to Reply # 12 Sun Aug-09-09 05:50 PM by lfresh
So moral of the story...
Don't join the fucking Army. ... exactly it's fantastic frankly i don't WANT to know all of that if i really wanted to know I'd join and other folks who haven't, complaining about the lack of realism watch a documentary or join and stfu ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
38. "is the "stfu" really necessarily?" In response to Reply # 37
Does the Army bother you so much that the tongue and cheek barb I tossed in at the end is the only thing that stuck out in my reply?
More to the point, if Hollywood took extreme liberties with a group or organization you affiliated yourself with, you'd be bothered too.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
>Does the Army bother you so much that the tongue and cheek >barb I tossed in at the end is the only thing that stuck out >in my reply? > >More to the point, if Hollywood took extreme liberties with a >group or organization you affiliated yourself with, you'd be >bothered too.
hollywood takes extreme liberties with everything i live in NY, you don't really believe central park is 2 mins away from the statue of liberty do you? i'm black, you don't really believe we are all crackheaded thieves with hyper sexual drives? i'm also part colombian, of course i know drug cartels and farc members
there is no 'if' in that statement why would anyone who has not experienced extreme violence want it "realistically" portrayed by hollywood except for a morbidly voyeuristic pleasure
and note it's not the army that bothers me it's the people who want war movies to "be more real" and have never been in the military like i said you want reality? go join the military ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
40. "then why bother with the illusion of realism at all?" In response to Reply # 39
What's wrong with people wanting war movies to be more realistic? Realism doesn't take away from the film. If anything, it adds to it. Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers are testaments to that. All the made up stuff just muddles up the public's perception of how things occur in the real world.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
41. "the only thing that will clarify it" In response to Reply # 40
is a person going to war a 'real' war movie doesn't clarify war experience it's a movie it IS still an illusion
You really think folks are clearer upon seeing SPR and BoB? All they have to do is see those movies and now they have shared the experience? ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
42. "then once again, why bother with the illusion of realism?" In response to Reply # 41
Why bother spending billions on costume and set design? When you start making up stuff, you take away from the narrative IMO.
>You really think folks are clearer upon seeing SPR and BoB?
Yes, certainly moreso than a person whose experience with those kinds of films is limited to say, "Sands of Iwo Jima" or "The Green Berets".
>All they have to do is see those movies and now they have >shared the experience?
It's not about sharing the experience though, it's about understanding it. Nobody is ever going to get it 100% right, but at least make an attempt, or a least a better attempt than was portrayed in THL.
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
43. "because like you said" In response to Reply # 42
>Nobody is ever going to get it 100% right
because it's about entertainment and money that is a hollywood movie it is not about understanding it never is
i definitely don't agree that 'real' movies make for people who understand war better but it certainly gives them the illusion that they know about it and i'm not certainly not for more people going around thinking they know about war from a movie ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
21. "This was an intense fucking movie!!!" In response to Reply # 0
Kat Bigelow put her foot into this movie. The intensity is better than most action pics today. And it's good to see Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie play good guys for once. I swear Mackie is an underrated black actor.
It was kinda tough to watch though, because the friend I went to see it with ships out to Iraq in 6 months. After the movie he was acting pretty weird, and understandably so. I probably shouldn't have asked him to see it with me.
But back to the movie, I loved it. All the acting was top notch to me.
26. "we barely even leave the gate anymore. he/she'll be alright" In response to Reply # 25
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
He's an MP so he thinks he'll probably be teaching Iraqi cops how to do their job. Either that or guarding prisons. Do you have any knowledge of how dangerous those particular jobs are?
28. "that pretty much accurately describes an MP's job over there..." In response to Reply # 27
as of a year ago. With the transfer of authority, I doubt they'll leave the gate. Especially 6 months from now. Hell, halfway through your dude's deployment, combat operations will officially cease. From what I've been told by my boys over there right now, that's the de facto situation in most parts because Iraqi security forces (Iraqi Army, Iraqi National Police, etc.) aren't needing or wanting us to join them on patrols, an we can't leave the gate anymore without them being present. So...
------- "A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have." - TR
Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86672 posts
Sat Aug-01-09 04:23 PM
31. "First off, thanks to Jay Doz for the knowledge he's dropping in here." In response to Reply # 0
I thought this was a great exercise in tension, extremely suspenseful, and strong acting by the three main people. Some of the details really resonated with me afterward-- the fly crawling on Mackie's eyelid, in particular. The focus necessary amidst the chaos... it was a stern reminder of what it must be like over there for someone like me with no idea of what it's like aside from movies and documentaries.
There were parts of it clearly inspired by the action genre, especially the going-off-on-your-own sequence. I actually really didn't like when he went into the city on a revenge mission, thinking it reeeeeeally took away from the reality of how things work over there. Even a clueless guy like me could tell that was phony as a 3 dollar bill.
Still, it was a very effective film, and Jeremy Renner acted his tail off.
32. "It was a very well acted and suspenseful movie" In response to Reply # 0
and I saw it for what it was...very good entertainment for a couple of hours.
MAJOR SHOUT OUT to JayDoz and FrankLongo (i really DID think your name was Frank, lol!) for the interview they gave. It was very informative and I'm glad that Jay dropped some serious knowledge period.
I was bothered by the revenge mission part of the movie..that was WAY too problematic for me...though I *REALLY* enjoyed the wife's reaction when she went off on James...THAT was some good acting right there.
I know Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal are getting HELLA praise for the directing and screenwriting--and they should--but if Jeremy Renner's name *ISN'T* thrown about during the awards season, then that shit will be wack. He carried that movie, hands down.
Mackie, Geraghty (and really, both Mackie and Geraghty need to be in the running for supporting actor awards), Carmago and the cameos by Guy Pearce, David Morse, and Rafe Fiennes were all BRILLIANT and *VERY* unexpected (Rafe's was particularly intense and on point..and Bigelow gets props again for working with actors from her past movies)
but, good work...ANOTHER solid and good film from Kathryn Bigelow, arguably, one of the most underused and underrated directors working right now...(sorry, I gotta big up my Columbia University alums! )
36. "why isn't it wide release?" In response to Reply # 0
i liked it as far as war movies go i'd say i liked it the best ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
44. "RE: why isn't it wide release?" In response to Reply # 36
WOW.
Come on ya'll. The movie was pretty decent, but all of these hyperbolas accolades are just too much. It was NOT THAT damn good.
This is what turns some folks off to reviews, because some folks just take it waaayy over the top.
If u haven't seen it, go check it out, but don't expect some moving or spectacular film. It was a pretty good movie. Man, just tone all of this "classic" "best movie of the year" stuff down a bit. Geesh.
And boy, what a waste of Ralph Fiennes.
Princeguy reviews:
"No pretentiousness.
No pompous re-interpretations.
Sometimes, a movie is just a movie. You work hard for your money.
>WOW. > >Come on ya'll. The movie was pretty decent, but all of these >hyperbolas accolades are just too much. It was NOT THAT damn >good. > >This is what turns some folks off to reviews, because some >folks just take it waaayy over the top. > >If u haven't seen it, go check it out, but don't expect some >moving or spectacular film. It was a pretty good movie. Man, >just tone all of this "classic" "best movie of the year" stuff >down a bit. Geesh. > >And boy, what a waste of Ralph Fiennes.
you must have replied in the wrong spot ~~~~ When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries. ~~~~ You cannot hate people for their own good.
I really tried, honestly. I heard great things about it. I was intrigued and I gave it a fair shot. I tried to watch it 3 times the first 2 i got to to the first 30 minutes and tuned it out. then i decided to give it another chance but i struggled through. but while i admit its well made and the acting was great. it didn't appeal to me and that's alright i guess. everything ain't for everybody (c) jill scott
I'm assuming if you tried to watch it 3 times you watched it at home, or at least not in the theater. Maybe the tension didn't translate to the small screen? My wife and I were glad when it was over because we were so tired from the suspense.
Finally got a chance to see it in the theater and glad I did. I think alot would be lost in the translation to DVD. Very sharp writing, award worthy acting and excellent direction. The camera's POV was exciting, interesting and informative in almost every frame. Not easy to do. They put you directly inside the situation and created a rare tension. I was legitimately anxious throughout the movie. As mentioned the revenge mission was the one weak link but that was easily forgiven within the context of all the other good things this film had going for it. The short guest spots worked well too. Sometimes they can distracting but here they played very well and made the movie that much better.
TheMindFrame Member since Jan 17th 2003 4074 posts
Mon Aug-24-09 06:10 PM
49. "Finally saw it, too unrealistic but well made anyways n/m" In response to Reply # 0
Sua Sponte
Tuam Sequere Naturam
A story: A man fires a rifle for many years, and he goes to war. And afterward he turns the rifle in at the armory, and he believes he's finished with the rifle. But no matter what else he might do with his hands, love a
51. "I get peoples gripes about it, but I loved it." In response to Reply # 0
Excellent suspense, excellent acting, and the War Is A Drug theme was great...all around, I really dug it. That sniper scene and the opening scene = perfection.
AG had a much more cohesive story. A lot of fat, yes (the whole Russell Crowe angle, IMO), but a way less disjointed, patchwork narrative. The Hurt Locker was great, but was much less cohesive than AG.
A few things I loved about HL:
- Acting: Main dude killed it. Anthony Mackie killed it. Everyone was great. - Suspense: Awesome, gripping scenes with amazing cinematography to add to the suspense. - Theme: I REALLY loved the War Is A Drug theme. The more I think about it the more I dug it.
Now, AG on the other hand, is a much larger movie with a more cohesive, and in a lot of ways, much more interesting, story. Hard to say it's story is in any way inferior to the Hurt Locker.
58. "ehhhhh, not so much." In response to Reply # 57 Thu Dec-10-09 10:47 AM by 40thStreetBlack
AG tried to intersect the Ritchie Roberts storyline with Frank Lucas' crime saga into a cohesive narrative about two men facing off on different sides of the law and failed miserably*, turning a potentially compelling story into a forced mishmash of narratives that don't fit together particularly well and drags the movie down.
As for Hurt Locker, of course the narrative is somewhat disjointed seeing as it's following the chaos of the war in Iraq, which at the time the story is set in particular was a big disjointed mess. However the film still manages to be cohesive in the theme of Rennie's constant compulsion driving him to embrace danger and live on the edge as he does, as well as in the mood of suspense and constant tension that permeates througout the movie. That holds Hurt Locker together as a movie much better than the plodding turgid A-to-B narrative of AG does.
So yeah Hurt Locker is really more cohesive overall as a film than AG is with its bloated, misfiring dual storyline.
>Now, AG on the other hand, is a much larger movie with a more >cohesive, and in a lot of ways, much more interesting, story. >Hard to say it's story is in any way inferior to the Hurt >Locker.
Didn't say the story itself is inherently less interesting or inferior to Hurt Locker's. But its execution in the movie? Yeah, it is. By a longshot.
*Heat, on the other hand, did a superb job of this, which OE continually stays really mad about.
59. "American Gangster shouldn't even be in the discussion" In response to Reply # 58 Thu Dec-10-09 11:09 AM by SoulHonky
I get your argument about Hurt Locker but AG is a terrible comparison. That film was hardly "a series of cool scenes and nice shots"; it was a film with too much story. It's pretty much the complete opposite of Hurt Locker which had little story and focused on theme.
EDIT: The Heat comparison is better. Mann made a worse version of Heat whereas Bigelow directed a more cerebral, tense version of Point Break with less of a driving storyline and "War is a drug" replacing adrenaline junkies, bombs replacing bank robberies.
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