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American Sniper - Clint Eastwood's latest movie (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter The General
- Start date
cstu
Footballguy
I had a positive view of him after seeing the movie but before reading the quotes from his book.
Bradley Cooper's Chris Kyle is a much better person than the real one.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
McGarnicle
Footballguy
Anyone who sees this movie and comes away thinking it is pro-war is either a complete idiot or was playing Words with Friends the whole time. Every single character is negatively impacted by the war in some way.
The General
Footballguy
This is what I got from book. Haven't seen the movie yet so was waiting to see how they did it. To me only a little kid or someone who is easily impressionable would come away thinking that it was some rah-rah story. My
Ditka Butkus
Footballguy
Nice movie. After talking with friends I was expecting more. I got more war vibes from Hurt Locker.
George Jefferson Airplane
Footballguy
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
OK, firing this up.
Mr. Retukes
Footballguy
The hype surrounding this movie reminds me of all the hype surrounding "The Passion Of The Christ". People are acting like there's some moral obligation to either see or not see a freaking movie.
Looking forward to South Park's take.
Looking forward to South Park's take.
rockaction
Footballguy
Notice how this only happens when, like I said, a piece of reasonably competent art comes from the "perceived" right-wing. Otherwise, if it's a traditional piece of agitprop from the left, we don't even debate it. It just flows like water. Would it were so for the right!
The politics within the arts are so stupid. It's revolting. People upthread are making wonderful points, and the reduction is simplistic and idiotic. This is like Tom Wolfe in literature. It's almost comical watching the leftist hysteria.
matuski
Footballguy
You know this movie was made in Hollywood and has an overarching anti war message right?Betting you haven't watched the movie.
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Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Saw it in Imax. The guns going off behind you is an experience.
Tom Servo
Nittany Beavers
Betting you didn't read my quoted comment above that it was both a pro- and anti-war movie.
Officer Pete Malloy
Footballguy
rockaction
Footballguy
I keep saying "perceived" and even put it in quotes. I'd read a bunch about it, and Eastwood doesn't strike me as a rah-rah war guy. He's more nuanced than that. I'm not sure where the confusion is. I have not seen the movie and don't really plan to. I honestly hadn't even heard the story about the guy, which I fully admit. I think my comments are specifically about the reaction more than the content.
Really, how many explicitly anti-war movies in the aughts and later generated this much political controversy?
None. One dynamite film that was prologued with a quote from noted leftist and friend of the director Chris Hedges (screw my alma mater) won an Academy Award for Best Picture, though I also wouldn't necessarily call that film anti-war.
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Officer Pete Malloy
Footballguy
Comment from reddit: "Mabye Eastwood blew his baby-budget filming 'Million Dollar Baby'..."If that fake baby from American Sniper doesn't get a Best Supporting Fake Baby nom, I will be outraged.
7:19 AM - 15 Jan 2015
Smack Tripper
Footballguy
I came into this with frankly low expectations. I think Eastwood may literally be the most overrated and overdecorated DIRECTOR in Hollywood history. I don't think his movies are very good and are generally poorly crafted and veer near schmaltz. And likewise, i'm not much of a Bradley Cooper fan, though he did grow on me in Silver Linings.
And with that said, I loved this movie. The best, most affecting one I've seen this year (but I still have to see Birdman, Whiplash, Theory and Imitation Game so jury is out for best pic). It was well paced, it does touch on the somewhat well worn ground of home front vs. battle field but does so in an effective manner. Cooper is fantastic and its simply some of the best combat geography in terms of action staging I've seen in any of the many Gulf conflict films. I think frankly its a hard landscape to shoot and this movie wonderfully breaks it down. Maybe it was the device of the snipers eye but even the home to home stuff was fantastic.
Most exciting to me was, there was fantastic action, but action motivated to and THROUGH the character... many moments of breathless tension and the action is a story device.
There are some ham fisted elements, and thats Clint, and frankly a function of a guy who's in his 80's and not doing a lot of takes or nuanced editing. So the stuff when he's hearing drills might be a touch overdone. But not to diminish the effect of the movie.
Had the same effect of the audience in my screening... The audience stayed seated in silence and walked out like a funeral. That means the movie is working.
I'm also gonna piggyback a bit of what I read, but I don't know who could possibly see this as being a pro-war movie... the anti-war aspect is driven home at virtually every single turn. Moore's comments, and I probably am centrist leaning liberal, sicken me, not because he said it but because he said his general sniper thoughts didn't apply to Kyle or this movie.
If anything, its a pro-Alpha movie but even then it shows the impact of that life and mindset. The movie was about not being a wolf or a lamb but a protector
And with that said, I loved this movie. The best, most affecting one I've seen this year (but I still have to see Birdman, Whiplash, Theory and Imitation Game so jury is out for best pic). It was well paced, it does touch on the somewhat well worn ground of home front vs. battle field but does so in an effective manner. Cooper is fantastic and its simply some of the best combat geography in terms of action staging I've seen in any of the many Gulf conflict films. I think frankly its a hard landscape to shoot and this movie wonderfully breaks it down. Maybe it was the device of the snipers eye but even the home to home stuff was fantastic.
Most exciting to me was, there was fantastic action, but action motivated to and THROUGH the character... many moments of breathless tension and the action is a story device.
There are some ham fisted elements, and thats Clint, and frankly a function of a guy who's in his 80's and not doing a lot of takes or nuanced editing. So the stuff when he's hearing drills might be a touch overdone. But not to diminish the effect of the movie.
Had the same effect of the audience in my screening... The audience stayed seated in silence and walked out like a funeral. That means the movie is working.
I'm also gonna piggyback a bit of what I read, but I don't know who could possibly see this as being a pro-war movie... the anti-war aspect is driven home at virtually every single turn. Moore's comments, and I probably am centrist leaning liberal, sicken me, not because he said it but because he said his general sniper thoughts didn't apply to Kyle or this movie.
If anything, its a pro-Alpha movie but even then it shows the impact of that life and mindset. The movie was about not being a wolf or a lamb but a protector
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cstu
Footballguy
Had forgotten about the fake baby, took me out of the scene. Clearly Eastwood is getting too old if he didn't think audiences would notice.Officer Pete Malloy said:Comment from reddit: "Mabye Eastwood blew his baby-budget filming 'Million Dollar Baby'..."If that fake baby from American Sniper doesn't get a Best Supporting Fake Baby nom, I will be outraged.
7:19 AM - 15 Jan 2015
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
After the Hurt Locker, is this movie completely redundant?
Smack Tripper
Footballguy
This is a better movie than Hurt Locker. Hurt Locker hasn't held up, I don't really get how that got swept into the best picture talk, maybe Avatar backlash.
rockaction
Footballguy
I still think Hurt Locker was a mind-blowing movie. Saw it in a theatre in NY in the clearly anti-war Lower East Side, and we all walked out jaw-dropped. Just a great movie at the time. There's a historical context there.
Note: I was not anti-war at the time. At all.
Gr00vus
Footballguy
This one's good, not great. I wouldn't call it a must see. It seemed like it leaned more toward the anti-war side to me, though it also leaned somewhat toward dehumanizing Iraqis. Thats' the only part that really seemed unsavory about the film to me. I figure the character on the screen is somewhat to very far removed from the real life person in most of these biopics, so it doesn't surprise me to learn about some ways the two are different in this case. I guess, just be aware that you're getting a somewhat skewed perspective on this character if you see this.
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Watched the moviend a couple of things bothered me while watch it. The cheerleading of Chris Kyle and how they had his symbol on the uniforms and vehicles. I know it is a movie, but you could make it realistic. When I was in the military, there was more trash talking, than the cheerleading.
However I loved the battle between Kyle and the sniper from Syira. And the action was very real, and how they showed the family aspect of how a strong military family is all based on the spouse.
However I loved the battle between Kyle and the sniper from Syira. And the action was very real, and how they showed the family aspect of how a strong military family is all based on the spouse.
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
They kind of skipped over the fact that this dude's a pretty major bull#### artist. Which is a strange aspect of his life, which makes it all the more odd that it wasn't touched on.
Maybe not, I guess.
Maybe not, I guess.
The General
Footballguy
Short Corner
Footballguy
bigbottom
Footballguy
Leftist hysteria? I'm not sure I follow. Seth Rogan makes an off hand post on Twitter and people go completely ape#### in response. Michael Moore makes a comment that, while crass and assinine, was completely devoid of hysteria. Not so the visceral response.rockaction said:
This guy has an interesting take on the subject: http://m.hitfix.com/motion-captured/why-were-allowed-to-hate-a-movie-about-the-military?hf_exp=social_title_off&title=Why+we%27re+allowed+to+hate+a+movie+about+the+military
bigbottom
Footballguy
I liked the movie quite a bit, as mentioned upthread. Was merely responding to an observation that I found sort of curious.
KCitons
Footballguy
I didn't go into it with any sort of agenda. I don't consider myself pro or anti war. But I am pro-pleasure.
BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
I havent seen it yet but many people i know have ...and everyone says this movie is amazing and or great...but they aren't professional movie critics like some in here
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Officer Pete Malloy
Footballguy
bigbottom
Footballguy
BustedKnuckles
Footballguy
flapgreen
Footballguy
Agree
Gr00vus
Footballguy
I don't know if he missed the point of American Sniper (I'm not sure what the point was exactly myself beyond being a biopic), but I think he does make some interesting points of his own.
bigbottom
Footballguy
If anything, he is Exhibit A in response to the assertion that no one could possibly view American Sniper as a pro-war movie.
Good Posting Judge
Footballguy
I always think "American Sniper!" to the tune of "American Woman."
Officer Pete Malloy
Footballguy
First thing that comes to mind for me is some crappy show on The History Channel. Some horsecrap sandwiched between Deadliest Catch and Ice Lumberjacks or whatever.
I envision it having a Toby Keith song as its theme.
pantherclub
Footballguy
bigbottom
Footballguy
Most of his criticisms appear to be based on the fact that he wanted to see a completely different movie than the one that Eastwood made.
Gr00vus
Footballguy
Yes, and I found his takes on the shortcomings of how the movies typically treat war interesting. He shouldn't have been expecting something different from what this movie was, and I don't really think he did. He just used it as an opportunity to get on his soap box. I don't have a problem with that, but as you say this article is mostly not a critique of this particular film on its own merits.
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rockaction
Footballguy
That was sort of my point.
This kind of article never would have happened with the Hurt Locker.
Oh well.
He did not make one decent point. Just a bunch of sour grapes who thinks every movie about Iraq has to be about what a miserible failure Bush was. Well we had four years of non-stop of hearing that message and it was refreshing to see a different viewpoint. So a few parts of it was unrealistic, every damn thing out of Hollywood has parts which are unbelievable. This one is more believable than most. Chris Kyle was not perfect in real life, but still had some amazing accomplishments which are a source of pride to many in the military.
Apple Jack
Footballguy
Not sure I get the connection. Or what about Zero Dark Thirty, which essentially made the case for torture?rockaction said:
Chase Stuart
Footballguy
Enjoyed the movie. Think it does make you respect the sacrifices of our military, but otherwise is mostly anti-war. Thought Cooper was great, as was Sienna Miller.
