tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11492719.post113141128017004036..comments2018-12-21T17:38:56.482-09:00Comments on The Way Of The Shirey: Jarhead: Movie ReviewPSHIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05698752789271708513noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11492719.post-1135177988866118032005-12-21T06:13:00.000-09:002005-12-21T06:13:00.000-09:00Paul, Paul, Paul. I just saw this movie on bootle...Paul, Paul, Paul. I just saw this movie on bootleg Hajivision. It is a monumental turd. Here's some reasons why (I barely know where to start):<BR/><BR/>Swofford's disaffected politics infected nearly every scene in the film. Understandable, as his book did the same. Yet, the screenwriter for the film adaptation (reportedly a military vet as well) uses his character as a sort of "everyman" Marine to tell the story. Now, we've both known guys like Swofford in our careers, but they are an extreme minority. (Complete narcisists who think everything revolves around them and their misery). It is The Persian Gulf War as told by PFCs Eric Korotki and Chad Leascher. Virtually nothing is positive in this film that I can put my finger on. I take that back; Jamie Foxx's character and performance are spot-on. Actually reminded me of one of my old drill sergeants.<BR/><BR/>The filmmakers are clearly making a statement about the current war in Iraq in the retelling of the old war. They are subtle about it, but I noticed it nonetheless.<BR/>And you can bet it plays right into the hands of all the antiwar lefties who're just looking for excuses to believe this kind of horseshit about the military.<BR/><BR/>Examples off the top of my head: <BR/><BR/>-Oil being used constantly as a metaphor for all things wrong, bad, greedy, painful... come on. This No Blood For Oil crap has gotten way too much traction. Oil is just another natural resourse among many necessary ones in the world. Anyone who thinks a nation with a GDP in the trillions would deploy half a million troops and spend untold billions in order to secure a natural resource that is only bought primarily from the Middle East in the first place because it is slightly cheaper due to it's ease of extraction from the ground; well, let's just say those people aren't running on a full tank in the brains department.<BR/><BR/>-Soldiers discussing the politics of ANY war in a combat zone is rarer than hen's teeth. (You and I are NOT the norm on this).<BR/><BR/>-The tactics or maneuvers displayed throughout the film don't even pass the laugh test for realism, military wise. Anyone who thinks you can dodge mortar explosions like paintball near-misses is living in fantasyland. And Swofford just standing there pissing his pants? Come on, can the cliches get any worse?<BR/><BR/>-As always, the usual glut of Hollywood stereotypes about the military are on full display here:<BR/><BR/>-The psychotic bloodthirsty killers!<BR/>-The glory seeking officers!<BR/>-Soldiers freaking out or having nervous breakdowns every ten minutes!<BR/>-Total disregard for proper conduct and glaring lack of professionalism among nearly every character!<BR/>-Deep meditation and introspection on death/dead bodies/the mystical nature and morality of war and killing!<BR/>-Depicting soldiers as constantly on the verge of crapping their pants from fear!<BR/>-the tired Rambo canard of "soldiers trained to kill who now are expected to be able to turn it off at the drop of a hat"!<BR/>-Total lack of civility regarding personal behavior or conduct!<BR/>-The boredom of war driving men to near insanity!<BR/>-Pulling a loaded weapon on your buddy, yourself, ANYONE!<BR/>-Wild naked bonfires in the middle of the desert with NO SECURITY!<BR/>-An entire company of Marines firing all their weapons directly in the air for no reason whatsoever!<BR/><BR/>I could go on and on and on.<BR/><BR/>Am I saying none of these things go on, or have gone on before? No, you and I both could name similar examples of misconduct.<BR/>But in the real world there are always consequences for such behavior; in the film it's just shown as par for the course.<BR/><BR/>Come on, that loopy dude drags a dead Iraqi around with him in his poncho? No fucking way. Absolutely would not be tolerated. But now Joe Schmoe is sitting in the theater telling his skank-ass beeyatch, "See, I told you those military dudes are all crazy..."<BR/><BR/>Well fuck that. I'm sick and tired of being slandered at every single turn for being a professional and doing my MOTHERFUCKING JOB.<BR/><BR/>People can ridicule Black Hawk Down all they want for being too "rah rah" or overly "heroic" (it's sad to think there could actually be such a thing), but that is truly what the military is like. At least the one I've spent the last three years in. Are there fuckups around? Sure. There's fuckups in every walk of life. But the overwhelming majority of the people I've served with and continue to serve with would kick those pansy Hollywood Marines' asses all over the screen. I wouldn't want a single one of those shitbags in my squad today. They'd spend the entire rest of their deployment in the front leaning rest until they learned to suck it up and shut their goddamn suckholes. "It's my kill, sir, just let us have our kill..." waaah waaaah fucking waaaah. Honestly, shut up and do your damn job. If this is how civilians truly see us, then no wonder they're all against the war.<BR/><BR/>Basically, this comes down to nothing more than another dishonest Vietnam-styled movie recast in the Saudi desert.<BR/>It even manages to work in one last dig at Vietnam vets by showing some wacked-out vet still looking like a hippy war protestor circa 1968 jump on their homecoming bus to welcome them back. (Because all Nam vets came back screwed in the head, of course, and still wear their fatigues everywhere they go muttering to themselves. We can thank John Kerry for that load of shit). And just when you think we'd finally put that whopper to rest...<BR/><BR/>This film makes OVER THERE look like Saving Private Ryan. They should have called the whole damn movie WELCOME TO THE SUCK.<BR/><BR/>At least it didn't cost me anything. (Can you tell it pissed me off?)<BR/><BR/>I will give you one thing: it WAS shot well from what I could tell.BUCK SARGENThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14538503401888528555noreply@blogger.com