Escape to the Movies: Act of Valor

[Revnak_v1legacy]

Bob, you were right in all the wrong ways it seems. Apparently, your problems with this film didn't come through clearly enough. You need to be more controversial Bob, more aggressive! Except when you wind up making fun of something absolutely inconsequential, then you have gone too far! As long as you're making fun of people who are incredibly important and who are quite likely among the truest badasses in this world I'm totally cool, but the moment you say that the movies I like are aimed at a largely unintelligent demographic, it is time to start the rants! Fuck, if you don't make fun of people who would willingly die for individuals they hardly know, then I will go on a rant about just how stupid you are for not making fun of them!

 

[Strain42]

It's a three pronged attack. Liminal, subliminal and superliminal

HEY, YOU! JOIN THE NAVY!!!

 

[Wriggle Wyrm]

I think it?s a pretty sad state of affairs when a movie critic has to spend half of his review praising American soldiers, just so he can qualify his opinion that the movie it isn?t very good. Seriously, having to tiptoe around this ?do you support our troops?? bullshit is getting really old.

 

[Right Hook]

I hate how he spends half the movie apologizing for the fact that he only sorta liked it, any other movie would just be torn right into but not this, based on your beliefs you can support, not support or not really care either way about the military but some people are so afraid to say anything bad because there is this insanely built up sense of entitlement that they feel they must buy into in order to be a good person. They chose their field and the risks that go along with it and if I'm supposed to have freedom that these guys fought for, I should be able to feel however I want and express myself, not to tip-toe around the issue because I'm afraid the guys who are supposed to protect us are gonna go off like land-mines when I say I disagree on something.

Anyway my personal opinion about this movie is essentially just me rolling my eyes at it, whether Bob wants to believe it isn't a recruitment tool is besides the point, he's wrong. He is a mature adult with a good head on his shoulders, he's not a mountain dew swilling 17 year old who is gonna see this and instantly want to join the military, regardless of how it is portrayed, immaturity will gloss over the realism and this will be the piece of propaganda it was meant to be. I'm willing to bet the acting is just awful and the action is probably the farthest thing from realistic out there, oh sure they used some hand-signals but I wouldn't even bat an eye if one of the seals in this movie went Super Sayian in one scene to save a little kid from a terrorist or whatever the Navy's equivalent is to that.

 

[Darks63]

Wasn't there this big horror film this month about a guy trying to sell a haunted house? Because he mentioned it in is article but hasn't mentioned it in these videos.

That was The Woman In Black, and it's North American release was a couple weeks ago. It's pretty good if you want real old school creep factor horror and don't need blood guts and gore to make something "scary."

Are you sure they're not thinking about Silent House, which isn't scheduled to release until the 9th?

No, I don't know for sure. I just checked out the trailer for Silent House and it looks really good. It's tough to say which one was on the poster's mind, but both deal with haunted houses and more traditional horror type scares. I don't recall Bob mentioning Silent House anywhere, but I'm sure I could have missed it. Good catch though as I now want to see Silent House lol

Not sure if you guys are being sarcastic, but I'm sure he means Women in black.

 

[Falseprophet]

One thing I never understood about the Navy Seals was their name.

Is it seal as in "Seal of Approval" or seal as in the animal? Or other?

It's an acronym: SEALs = SEa, Air and Land Specialists.

 

[hermes]

One thing I never understood about the Navy Seals was their name.

Is it seal as in "Seal of Approval" or seal as in the animal? Or other?

Neither, its an acronym for Sea, Air, and Land Teams.

Whether it was chosen to coincide with the animal is beyond me...

 

[Dastardly]

Having served in the military (US Army) myself, I can tell you that the real job of the military is actually the complete opposite. The job of the military is actually to save lives, and to defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic ...first and foremost.

Yes the military does teach you to kill and most of my combat training centered around becoming more efficient at it, but the real goal of the military is always defense first, and to kill only as a last resort.

Growing up Marines, I wholeheartedly agree with what you're saying. Heck, my father spent 23 years in avionics, never saw combat.

That said, it's just the facts that while the purpose of it all is to save lives and protect, a lot of the activity is destructive. That's how war works. And that's what the public usually sees and understands.

What the military does is a very good thing. But war, at the most basic, is a "bad thing." So, in a simplistic sense (and the public is very simple), the military is associated with "bad things." That means everything already gets an automatic "negative spin" to a lot of people, who then act upon that negative bias at the polls.

So, with that in mind, I fully support the armed forces making promotional materials, including movies, that cast them in a very positive light. What they do is important, and they need to be able to show that to a public that doesn't have to deal with it (because the military does it for them).

As the saying goes, "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." People can cry about the horrors of war, and how awful all of it is, but it's easy for them to forget that the reason they're free to do so is because we've got men ready to bear that burden for us.

 

[DSQ]

This is the film you deside to hold back on your criticism on? I have a friend who saw it and they said it was really bad and I mean really bad.

That kind of bad where you are almost offended by how little the filmakers tried to make a cohisive plot.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Act of Valor

MovieBob aims his attention at the epic Navy recruiting film Act of Valor.

Watch Video

I think independence day had more problems because of Area 51, more than the alien coverup. Remember, in 1994 was the big Area 51 lawsuit, and the last thing the pentagon was wanting to do was to make any statements about the base, or the fact the place existed.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

OT: Moviebob seemed to be upset in the quick facts at the end because the US military doesn't rent out its stuff unless people make them out to be the good guys. I'm curious, do you think ANYBODY would contribute to a film that makes them look bad?

I'm more curious why it's ever more cost-effective to borrow the real thing than to just order authentic-looking replicas. Surely the military has better things to do with their equipment than loan it out to a bunch of yahoos with cameras.

The US army lends out advisor, personnel and equipment if they are shown in a good light in a movie. Public relations for the military IS important - and honestly, it's not like 100% of the US army is fighting in the middle east all the time.
So a moviemaker gets lots of support for no cost - why would you order replicas?

Don't really care about US propaganda, but just sayin'.

Its kinda funny how you say you don't like for U.S. propaganda, and yet your avatar is Pip-boy.

Granted it is fake american propaganda, but still....very funny.

 

[XDravond]

This felt like seriously WAY to apologetic...
Are Soldier heroes? Really, does this need an answer? Then go watch Yathzee on "People are shit"...
Soldier are doing their work as ordered from a government or high ranked officer thats it. If you think they are heroes blah blah, then all people doing their fracking work is heroes, and congrats now you removed the last pride in the word hero that existed. As punishment go find a new word to degrade to point of no more use or meaning...

And BTW most "modern" armies teach kill only as last resort, but be good at it if you have to.

For the movie seems interesting and I will probably watch it for the action. At least I wont laugh my but of for the enormously stupid "tactics" or weapon effects used in some movies...

 

[ElPatron]

Edit: Also, I don't doubt that real munitions were used during filming, but the truck explosion they keep repeating in the trailers still looks a little too flashy. Especially after seeing a demonstration of the actual hardware.

Or maybe I'm just seeing things.

First: no way they would use a real rocket in a movie instead of a controlled explosion.

Second: FPS Russia did not use a real rocket. Too bad, he lies to his viewers. But he was the same person that suggested the use of birdshot for home defense.

 

[guitarsniper]

I'm probably gonna go see this movie, because I happen to like military stuff. That being said, I think that, at least judging by the trailers, one of the things a film like this will do well is to dispel the notion that there is a "field of honor" in modern combat. No. Soldiers do, can, and should try to make any fight they go into as unfair as possible.

 

[bravetoaster]

Having served in the military (US Army) myself, I can tell you that the real job of the military is actually the complete opposite. The job of the military is actually to save lives, and to defend the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic ...first and foremost.

Yes the military does teach you to kill and most of my combat training centered around becoming more efficient at it, but the real goal of the military is always defense first, and to kill only as a last resort.

That's all well and good as a theory (well, kind of. Killing humans is wrong no matter what the circumstance, but at least killing as a final resort in the defense of oneself/others is understandable, if not forgivable), but has that ever actually been practiced by the US military? If so, when?

I'm genuinely not trying to be antagonistic or anything here, I just don't see how or when the US military has actually served as a defensive force (at least not in my lifetime, probably not my parents' or grandparents', either).

I was merely trying to convey to you how people in the military feel about their job. Unless you have served in the military I wouldn't expect you to see that or to understand it in the same way. You obviously feel a certain way about the military and from what I gather from your response you have strong views regarding wars past and present. With that said, I think it would be best for me not to give my opinion on the matter because really its all going to boil down to how you personally feel about all those conflicts and the subject matter as a whole.

Fair enough. I cannot view the military in the same light as someone who's been a part of it, but--at least within certain limits--I think I can understand (at least part of?) your viewpoint; I'd think that you (and most members of... probably any military) genuinely don't want to hurt or kill other people, but are willing (if needed/ordered) to fight (and, if necessary, kill) to protect your friends and colleagues in the military against [something/someone regarded as a threat to you/your colleagues/your nation]. I hope that's at least a reasonable approximation of your perspective (if not, I welcome any corrections). If it's just personal perspective we're talking, then, at least in practical terms, I'd be happy to know that most members of the military share a perspective similar to yours--it's at least indicative of you/them wanting to do something good and wanting to protect others.

My apologies if I came/come off as particularly aggressive or closed-minded about any of this--if you're up for or interested in discussion, I'd love to hear (and understand, even if I ultimately cannot agree with) your opinions. You're correct that I have strong (probably extreme) views about war and the military, but that's all rooted in... big picture idealism (for lack of a better phrase)--I want humans, as a species, to prosper and grow and expand and just be amazing. And I desperately hope we will do just that (even if I'm long dead before we take any major steps forward or begin to focus on the long term), but using humans as tools to kill other humans and spending time and money and effort on hurting other humans is just... heartbreaking and frustrating. Hopefully that at least gives you some idea of where I'm coming from on all of this stuff (and if you see the military/war as being compatible with or necessary for moving forward as a species--or just wholly disagree with me--I'd be excited to hear).

Regardless of whether or not you feel like discussing this further, best to you and yours.

 

[bravetoaster]

As the saying goes, "People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." People can cry about the horrors of war, and how awful all of it is, but it's easy for them to forget that the reason they're free to do so is because we've got men ready to bear that burden for us.

Elaborate, please, or provide a few examples? While the quote may be applicable in some places and/or circumstances, I fail to see the actual relevance to modern Americans (i.e., who/what would keep me from being able to sleep safe and sound at night [aside from local criminals, maybe] and who, outside of Washington DC, threatens or takes away American freedom?).

 

[kickyourass]

Sounds like it turned out more or less precisely as I thought it would (The action scenes would be ludicrously awesome while the dialogue was a tad stilted [you know, since they're trained soldiers not trained actors]). Will probably give it a look.
Really, glad to see it came off less propaganda-y then I predicted, but Bob you really didn't need to apologise that much, saying "I fully respect the actual military" (Or something to that effect) once probably would've been enough.

 

[Aureliano]

Glad to see you're reviewing another sort of movie, this time in the military action genre, Bob. Not that I'm particularly interested in that kind of film but it's good to see a broad range of genres represented on this show.

This being said, I kinda wish you had made/been able to make (I understand you might not have gotten an advance screening of it) some comment about Wanderlust. Just saw it, and I think my money and time might have been better spent staying at home. Paul Rudd's charm, while still considerable, is just not enough to carry this movie against Jennifer Aniston's 'be the most unbearably annoying person possible' routine. The hippies are all bigger liars and jerks than urbanites thing is tired, and Ken Marino isn't sympathetic enough for his biggest-dickweed-in-the-world schtick to actually be funny. And don't worry: for anybody who might have thought they had to see this movie to see her rack, Jennifer Aniston absolutely insisted that her topless scene be removed and it is nowhere to be found in the theatrical release. I hope this movie tanks.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

I was bracing for disaster before I opened this, but I was relatively surprised by this.

I think I'll check it out. I've heard good things about it, and it seems to be more along the lines of Black Hawk Down in how it isn't really spouting propaganda and Patriotism. I'm curious.

 

[ElPatron]

Okay, anyone watched the movie?

I liked Tears of The Sun. Say what you want - I admit it has a lot of flaws - but I just love every second of it. I once watched it 7 times in a week.

Would I liked Act of Valor? I don't want to feel disappointed.

I'm not a fan of the work of 90% of the military and the more "realistic" movies about real wars get, the more I see it as attempts to further justify often illegal military action.

Okay, since I was talking about Tears of The Sun, let's talk about illegal military action.

It is needed.

A few days, probably almost a week ago, people were rescued from Somalia by special forces. Obviously, there was no legal way to just send a "legal" operation to rescue them.

EDIT: It was a month ago.

Remember that special forces do not wear patches or any insignia on them. Most special forces in the western world use AR15 based weapons such as the M4 or the M16 for deniability reasons.

Therefore, if captured the enemy can just consider that they are not wearing a recognizable uniform and ignore the Geneva conventions. They are risking their necks for human lives.

Let's talk about the movie Tears of The Sun.

Basically, Nigeria is at war and they have to rescue a doctor that is a US citizen and has no way to leave the country. Situations like these call for illegal operations.

The Allies winning WWII required illegal military operations (back when the SAS and OSS were taking their first steps).

I'm not a fan of the work of 90% of the military

Yeah, that kinda pissed me off. Sure, I would be the first in line to criticize a lot of things we have seen in the last decade.

But let me tell you. My father was a on board mechanic in the Air Force, and flew in both fixed wing and rotor aircraft.

He participated in Search & Rescue missions, Medivacs/Casevacs, medical air drops, all that jazz.

He was there to save fishermen after their ship had sunken. To fly sick people in Africa to the nearest hospital. Damn, even dolphins trapped in lakes formed by the dry season, that had to be airlifted by helicopter.

Say what you want, but the Air Force does not consist on 10% of the military, but you probably wouldn't know about that until you or someone you know needs rescue.

Elaborate, please, or provide a few examples? While the quote may be applicable in some places and/or circumstances, I fail to see the actual relevance to modern Americans (i.e., who/what would keep me from being able to sleep safe and sound at night [aside from local criminals, maybe] and who, outside of Washington DC, threatens or takes away American freedom?).

Leaving the blind American patriotism aside, I can surely tell you you'll be thankful for the military if your city was struck by a natural disaster like Katrina.