Posted on 11/01/2005 11:10:17 AM PST by laney
Part coming-of-age story, part military-training horror show, part bawdy male-bonding romp, and part poetic meditation on the murderous impulses of men at war, director Sam Mendes' Jarhead (opening Nov. 4) doesn't offer much in the way of conventional, audience-pleasing payoffs.
It's about being worn down by fear in a combat zone where the war could start at any minute, but doesn't in fact commence for months after deployment. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a grunt who's molded into an expert sniper, then left with no chance to strut his stuff because the Gulf War is over in a flash. Peter Sarsgaard is his loyal, hard-nosed sniper-scout partner, but it's not a warm-fuzzy, buddy-buddy kind of relationship — no cute clips to push on that score — while Jamie Foxx (pictured with Gyllenhaal), the Oscar-winning star of Ray, takes a peppery supporting turn as a tough-love sergeant.
As journalists take in the film for the first time, Mendes is suddenly realizing that misperception could be an issue. ''I can feel people talking about the movie they expected to see,'' he says. ''They expected a much more specific political commentary about what's going on in Iraq right now. I think they were shocked that it was so comedic, and that it was so specifically about Desert Storm.'' The director, in turn, has been taken aback to see prerelease articles writing off Jarhead's impact sight unseen. ''I've read pieces about why this movie's already in danger of becoming irrelevant,'' he reports, looking incredulous. ''That the problem is, real-life events are going to overtake it. Huh? It's about Operation Desert Storm! How can events overtake it?''
You can go here Friday or Saturday and see what it's all about.
http://www.themoviespoiler.com/
Tell that to Al Gore! :)
One example is here in DC. DC is packed full of people involved with national defense, intelligence, military, etc. However, you find the MSM totally ignornant of what half the town does because they only associate with other liberal journalists.
I am betting this movie will be as good as Oliver Stone's movie about 911 - a real stinker.
Never seen Cider House Rules, but American Beauty is one of my favorite movies. I think Jarhead looks very interesting as well. Even though generally I don't like war movies. I have yet to see a Vietnam movie that I didn't think was incredibly over rated.
I think there's a better version of the film that is hiding somewhere between the original release and the bloated 'Redux' version.
I ordered that Movie the last Left Behind series World War 111 and I fell asleep on and off Louis Gossett plays the President and boy is he a major weakling, the movie is all about how USA looses all it's Military Power because most have been raptured.
"No I don't have any firearms, just these Action Bills."
Love your tagline.
The little known 'Go Tell The Spartans' has its articulate defenders.
Why?
BTW..."A Bright Shining Lie" w/ Bill Paxton is a good Vietnam movie IMO. You will certainly not find it overrated anyway because hardly anyone knows about it.
Gah if I hated anything more then AB its the way it was recieved as some sort of profound statement on the 'banality of it all'. It struck me as totally derivative and obvious from start to finish.
What book are you talking about? Is this movie taken from a book? Thanks.
Thanks for the info (and the 'welcome' :) )...
"The book is less about combat than it is about a young man trying to find himself, and this included the embellishments with it."
I agree with that assesment-- that's exactly how I saw it, too. But I felt like it was just one man's personal reflection of self as opposed to a reflection of his country as a whole.
Owen Wilson was in BHD?
So is it good or not?
You are now required to surrender your card.
worth seeing...
0)
The book is nothing but one big bash of Bush. Sr., Cheyney, etc. Big oil is the enemy, etc...
The "Jarhead" who wrote it has the IQ of a gnat...
Sorry I wasted by $8 on a paperback.
The book is nothing but one big bash of Bush. Sr., Cheyney, etc. Big oil is the enemy, etc...
The "Jarhead" who wrote it has the IQ of a gnat...
Sorry I wasted by $8 on a paperback.
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