American Sniper.
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wow I like his writing
but that was an extremely shitty review. First off Apocalypse Now was the defining Vietnam movie followed by a mile by Platoon, with even John Wayne's Green Berets at the bottom of the list which is still more relevant than Forrest Gump to the war. Forrest Gump was a historical review of the time and culture of the late 60's in America sharpened by the stake that was Viet Nam. The longest recorded hit was well over a mile by a Brit sniper. I have met a lot of shooters and looters, I will not watch the movie or read the book. I have never met Kyle nor do I have any interest in seeing the movie but if it a standard Eastwood production it is designed to have a simple message, an ordinary man doing extraordinary things for love or country. That is the usual content of his excellent films. No more no less. Seems like a lot of political woo went into that review. Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 59 years. meep |
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That's Taibbi in a nutshell. :-)
Yeah, using Forrest Gump as a cudgel is pretty low. There's another review at RS that is much shorter, but much more impressed with the film. Cheers, Scott. |
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Not a review, an editorial.
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Political woo?
I read it as more a moral/ehtical/sanity condemnation of the gullible Murican public, evidenced by their support of such monsters as Cheney, Wolfowitz, KRISTOL! and bat-shit Neoconmen on up to the Top: the Daddy-besotted foil for Cheney's (self-selected) Veep-in-title/but master agitprop originator and exploiter, working from his very-own office-sector in the Pentagon. What Eastwood (is here said to have done--I haven't seen it nor would I) is veritably a sop to jingoists of every stripe, saying implicitly: forget the historical facts of the entire illegal/gamed-invasion; let's just wallow again in some mindless destruction (we'll pay $Ts to rebuild the infrastructure destroyed, natch) and portrayal of vicarious killings: for a high game score, in the competitive mind of the Hero-perp. Screw all the facts: what is this creation but War-porno aping Rambo, John Wayne and playing to modern Birchers? There's the 'political' framing, just as with the post-Vietnam, similar apologias. Agree then, that Taibbi doesn't "properly review" this Movie X: on its cinematography, acting, puppy-dog sentimentality Rating and such. He lambasts it for being a transparent propaganda pitch to re-Frame the whole, ongoing [where's that marlowe cartoon when we need it!?] Quagmire... Should be retitled, American Jingoist, Sub-titled, An evening of red-meat eviscerations to go with your post Big-Game popcorn. (At least, in the '60s enough citizens Marched in opposition to LBJ's deranged escalations of civilian massacres.. quite Enough of us to torpedo his re-election. Thus, via the RFK assassination to clear the way for Tricky Dick's ascension. Win the big One/Lose the ongoing War against sanity. Oh. Well. Shit happens. The only thing 'United' in these dis-USA 'States' is the common thread of violence for fun and profit--Muricans' most popular gun-fotainment--voyeurs of the processes of creating heaped dead burned bodies. Watch from your sofa. Good 'review' Taibbi, but it won't fix pathology this deeply ingrained, nor probably: prevent similar whitewashes of the perpetual War on Error ... over the next decade? |
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"7 heinous lies “American Sniper” is telling America"
http://www.salon.com/2015/01/23/7_enormous_lies_american_sniper_is_telling_america_partner/ Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous. - - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897 |
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Contrast with Hathcock in "Marine Sniper"
It's been years since I read it, but I don't recall him ever addressing how he felt about it. It was all technical: This is what I did and how I did it. He was a close to a "killing machine" as I've ever read about. -- Drew |
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I have an in-built knee-jerk negative reaction...
...to anything titled "American $THING". What the shit is that all about? Is it just an attempt to tap into the deep-seated and endemic jingoism of the vast unwashed between the left and right coasts? |
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Brevity Award, with three Belladonna-leaf Clusters
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It was the title of his autobiography.
Probably someone in a cubicle at Cheers, Scott. |
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I know. That doesn't change anything.
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