Your comment about Black Hawk Down was excellent. It was NOT a gritty affirmation of sacrifice and bravery - even despite the soul-stirring demand of the two sharp shooters to return so they can help the downed pilot. NO! The book was much better. The ending scene of the dazed, "What's it all about" American soldier (that blank-looking actor whatshisname) with the special ops guy who's prepping to go back out into danger instead of staying at the base (safe). The Special Ops says something to the effect, "It's just soldiers watching out for each other - that's all it is." Ker-THUD!!! NO it's NOT. Richard Grenier some years ago made a similar complaint about that WWII revisting movie - Saving Private Ryan - all about retreiving one man. Grenier hated it, calling it typical Hollywood Left reducing war to the little personal angst, ignoring the totalitarian fascist gorilla in the global room. It's been a long time since anyone crafted a movie that didn't wring its fussy hands over hardship and setting the self aside for the greater good. As for being clear-eyed and unwussy - well, Mel Gibson did a pretty good job with Apocalypso. Good and decent was confronted by evil and rotten - and the audience had no doubt as to whose side they wanted to be on.
A further condemnation of Hollywood is that they do not know how to recruit believable actors any more. Black Hawk Down was loaded with Brits and Commonwealth actors to play Americans. Think it has something to do with the Hollywood aristocracy - the second generation bland wannabes get the roles, thanks to their family connections - more talented newcomers have a harder time landing parts.
Gonna try anyway.
Your comment about Black Hawk Down was excellent. It was NOT a gritty affirmation of sacrifice and bravery - even despite the soul-stirring demand of the two sharp shooters to return so they can help the downed pilot. NO! The book was much better. The ending scene of the dazed, "What's it all about" American soldier (that blank-looking actor whatshisname) with the special ops guy who's prepping to go back out into danger instead of staying at the base (safe). The Special Ops says something to the effect, "It's just soldiers watching out for each other - that's all it is." Ker-THUD!!! NO it's NOT. Richard Grenier some years ago made a similar complaint about that WWII revisting movie - Saving Private Ryan - all about retreiving one man. Grenier hated it, calling it typical Hollywood Left reducing war to the little personal angst, ignoring the totalitarian fascist gorilla in the global room. It's been a long time since anyone crafted a movie that didn't wring its fussy hands over hardship and setting the self aside for the greater good. As for being clear-eyed and unwussy - well, Mel Gibson did a pretty good job with Apocalypso. Good and decent was confronted by evil and rotten - and the audience had no doubt as to whose side they wanted to be on.
A further condemnation of Hollywood is that they do not know how to recruit believable actors any more. Black Hawk Down was loaded with Brits and Commonwealth actors to play Americans. Think it has something to do with the Hollywood aristocracy - the second generation bland wannabes get the roles, thanks to their family connections - more talented newcomers have a harder time landing parts.