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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

JCC Act of Valor is a great movie

Discussion in 'Community' started by Souderwan, Feb 24, 2012.

  1. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    I didn't see a thread for this, so if there is one, sorry. But I took my son to see Act of Valor tonight and it was so much fun! Definitely one long promotional film of the Navy SEALs and the acting is probably a bit sub-par (the actors are mostly real, active duty Navy SEALs), but it was a fun, action-packed extravaganza of awesome from start to finish. It's kind of hard not to be impressed with these guys.

    And the best part is that all the politics of war aren't in this movie. It's just a team of guys executing their missions with cool professionalism and determination.

    Oh! The movie is actually better than the trailer!

     
  2. Evil Incarnate

    Evil Incarnate Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 18, 2003
    Sweet, I'll have to check it out sometime.

    Evil.
     
  3. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    Isn't it still against the TOS to post knowingly false material?

    To be fair, I haven't seen the movie. But the trailer makes the quality look about on par with that serious take on Little Red Riding Hood that they tried to premiere.
     
  4. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Take that back!














    Little Red Riding Hood might be okay.
     
  5. DarthMane2

    DarthMane2 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2003
    Really no desire to see it. Clearly it's one big recruitment video. Not that that's a bad thing or the first time it's been attempted.

    The movie pretty much shows how the upper brass in the Military and Pentagon want to be seen, rather than what they really are. In other words, hero's who love their country, follow orders unquestionably, and get the job done.
     
  6. MarcusP2

    MarcusP2 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 10, 2004
    LRRH came out ages ago. Are you thinking of serious Snow White starring Bella Swan?
     
  7. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    Tell us how it really is, brah. Drop some wisdom on the rest of us.
     
  8. Vengance1003

    Vengance1003 Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2006
    I hope there is a sufficient number of flips in this movie. Also kindof interested if its gonna be a Top Gun-esque zeitgeist film.
     
  9. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    That whole genre just sort of blurs together for me.

    This film, incidentally, is proving to be worth it if only for the exasperated anger in the comments on Rotten Tomatoes. One choice cut:
    Incidentally, Roger Ebert gave it a 2.5/4. I can only imagine the delicious rage if he'd given it a 2 or 1.
     
  10. Shepherd492

    Shepherd492 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2011
    This movie sounds unintentionally hilarious, like a film adaptation of Call of Duty and/or America's Army, only without as many over the top moments and more unconvincing "character development." Recruitment/propaganda pieces have always interested me because its fascinating to see how we try to trick young people into getting blown apart for little to no reason. The fact that this movie seems to be completely terrible is yet another bonus. I plan on buying/renting it on DVD, should be fun.
     
  11. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    It really is a lot like watching CoD (great game, btw) in a lot of cases. I think it's probably a bit much to say anyone's being tricked into anything, but you're entitled to your opinion.

    I find it rather sad that we love spewing the "support our troops" tripe in public, but yet a film like this gets flack for unabashedly celebrating their heroism. Oh well. I loved the movie. Then again, I also love a lot of those old WWII movies, too.
     
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  12. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Have you considered the possibility that those two groups of people have very little overlap?
     
  13. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    I was referring to my unabashedly liberal friends who wear their anti-military attitudes on their sleeves but try to temper it with "support our troops" rhetoric. But yes, I suppose at their core, the overlap is pretty nonexistent. Hence the hypocrisy.
     
  14. Shepherd492

    Shepherd492 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2011
    I didn't mean this movie in particular is tricking anyone into joining the military, I meant that propaganda in general is designed to trick people into joining the military or supporting questionable causes. This movie is a part of that effort, but by no means will this one movie make recruitment numbers increase or improve public opinion of our stupid wars.

    As for supporting our troops, there are more tangible and actually helpful ways to support them then making movies, singing the national anthem, and mindlessly supporting all our government's misadventures. PTSD/suicide are major problems, 1/3rd of all homeless are veterans, and the treatment of disabled/wounded/returning soldiers and their benefits/care is truly shameful. If we as a country spent half as much energy on donating and coming up with solutions including benefit reform as we do "unabashedly celebrating their heroism" with stupid events and the like, most of these problems could be put to bed.
     
  15. Cushing's Admirer

    Cushing's Admirer Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jun 8, 2006
    Well said, Shepherd! =D=

    My Dad is such a disabled Vet and most of his mental services were *cut* last year. He *needs* them, as do millions of others. The toll of war is horrific and should *not* be celebrated as "honorable" which it is often is, especially by Hollywood. What's sad, is that our most vulnerable gave the greatest sacrifice and are *still* paying for doing what the government forced them to. That's disgusting! [face_frustrated]:mad:

    I believe my dad is mentally ill due to his military service and that infuriates and breaks my heart! I will never support war! Everyone is entitled to their own views but war is often presented as honorable on the home front and the "enemy" is *horrible* which is very hypocritical because *both* sides resort to any means to get what they want!
     
  16. VadersLaMent

    VadersLaMent Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Apr 3, 2002
    Real SEALS without cgi, all live fire. My curiosity is there but I was not in the mood for a film this weekend. Still, I thought the trailer looked ok.
     
  17. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    This movie doesn't support any war, unless you're talking about the nebulous "war on terror". The closets thing to politics in this movie is the presentation of the terrorists' positions. I found it interesting that the characters react very little to the political statements. There was no "those terrorist bastards!" moments in the film. I think they went out of their way to focus on a team of soldiers who fight valiantly to protect their nation and each other to the best of their ability. It's about the brotherhood that is felt among warriors and an ethos that keeps us grounded in the most trying of circumstances so that we can come home to our families.

    I agree with everything you said here. But it's not a zero-sum game. Many people, yourself included I would wager, have little idea what we in the armed services do on a fairly continual basis. This movie gives you a snapshot of one thread of one deployment for a SEAL team (it takes place over several months). You could make a movie like this for any number of military units that help the SEALs do their thing. It's challenging and dangerous work. We're away from our families for months at a time (About 4 or 5 out of the last 10 yrs, I've spent away from my family). And while it's better to prioritize funding for veteran care and the like, what makes it worthwhile is when someone turns to a service member and says "thank you for your service". I can't tell you how many times that's happened in my life and every time it still takes me aback. It is my honor to serve, after all. I am no SEAL. I'm just a guy who occasionally gets the honor of transporting them into harm's way. Sure, I have my own sets of challenges, but those guys are genuine heroes. Many of them have lost their lives or been permanently injured in the quest to protect us all. Surely they deserve to be called heroes more than football players do, no?

    It's true that our politicians often send our troops into impossible situations with nebulous goals to fight unnecessary and oftentimes immoral wars (it's worth noting that Ron Paul has more active duty military support than any candidate). But that has no bearing on whether their efforts are heroic and worthy of being retold.

    Finally, I figure that if we can have unabashedly stupid movies celebrating CGI machines with wrecking balls for testicles (3 of them!), I think it's ok to have one or two that tell the story of our real warriors and heroes without having to get into a political discussion about it.




    [b]Dooku[/b], I'm sorry about your dad. I understand where you're coming from and I respect your opinion. If you don't mind too much, next time you see him, please pass on my appreciation for his service.
     
    Sarge likes this.
  18. Shepherd492

    Shepherd492 Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 2, 2011

    For the record, I know quite a bit about what the everyday veteran went through in WW2 (I have family that fought for Russia and other family that fought for USA), Vietnam, and WW1 but not so much the more recent wars. I do care though and it's really important to chronicle the stories of even the most "ordinary" soldier. And, maybe this is just me, but I feel that veterans from both sides in a conflict are worthy of honoring. A German veteran of WW2 isn't inherently worth less than an American veteran (obviously they are scum if they were willing participants in the holocaust or general war criminals, but that is far from every German soldier.) Both served their country for one reason or another, were shaped by their experiences, and returned to normal life after the war.

    I agree with what you are saying about how it's important to honor our veterans and show appreciation, especially in contrast to all the junk entertainment out there now days, and it is by no means a zero-sum game, but often it is treated as such. People act patriotic a couple of days of the year, thank the soldiers, and do nothing tangible for them. Obviously not everyone is in a position to do something, but veteran's care should be a bigger issue than contraception and abortion in this country. They don't even bring it up during the debates unless they are talking about cutting it or making it even worse in some other way.

    So I guess what the issue is for me is- "Is the movie a realistic look at the lives of a group of SEALS, or is it a shameless piece of propaganda that mindlessly chants USA USA and makes fun of stupid brown people?" If its the former, and its something that could (atleast partially) bring a greater, truer appreciation of the troops into the mainstream, then I have no problem with what it is doing. If its the latter (and I've seen some reviews state that, if nothing else, it is extremely one sided), and just a cheap recruitment piece with some fake sentimentality, then it is doing everyone a disservice.

    Either way, I do appreciate your service, and the contribution of all servicemen, no matter how "minor." I don't really know what it takes to do what pretty much anybody in the armed forces has to go through, but I'm pretty sure that I couldn't do it.
     
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  19. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    Thanks. I appreciate the sentiment. And I absolutely agree with you that it's worth telling the story from every side of a conflict.

    In my opinion, it is far more the former than the latter. Is it essentially one big Navy SEAL promo? I'd be lying if I said it didn't paint the SEALs in the best possible light and it does showcase them doing the cool stuff in the job and ignores the more mundane things. But I found it interesting that there wasn't a single Arab terrorist in the film (or if there was, it wasn't obvious to me). There were Russians, Serbs, Filipinos and a few Mexicans with only a few of them actually being genuine terrorists (an argument can be made that there was really only one). There was also none of the standard derogatory talk among the uniformed guys about the enemy that you usually see in movie caricatures. (Side story: I once saw a SEAL Senior Chief crap all over a 3rd class for using the term "rag head"--the only time I actually heard anyone actually use the term in my personal experience). The point is that the movie is more about them executing a mission of actual importance with real stakes and virtually no politics.

    But that's my opinion. I know that many reviewers feel like it's the latter. I'm certainly bringing my personal biases into the viewing. I suspect the reviewers are bringing their own. I'd encourage you to watch the movie for yourself and make up your own mind. I promise you it will be no worse an experience than watching Bayformers or Spider-Man 3.
     
    Sarge likes this.
  20. Rogue_Ten

    Rogue_Ten Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 18, 2002
    are we talking triumph of the will great or just birth of a nation great?
     
  21. Alpha-Red

    Alpha-Red Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 25, 2004
    I watched the trailer for this....seemed kinda cheesy. Maybe I'll watch it when it comes out on Redbox.
     
  22. JoinTheSchwarz

    JoinTheSchwarz Former Head Admin star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2002
    Needs more aliens.
     
  23. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    Run Silent, Run Deep or Bridge on the River Kwai great.
     
  24. JoinTheSchwarz

    JoinTheSchwarz Former Head Admin star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 21, 2002
    I liked this review:

    [...] So that?s Act of Valor. It was like watching the formation of a pearl in reverse: a genuinely pure and respectable original intention that gathered muck and dirt around it and grew into a big ugly ball of clumsily-inserted political agenda, borderline racism, a fantastically boring story, and extremely forgettable characters.
     
  25. Souderwan

    Souderwan Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2005
    That's actually pretty funny. I disagree, of course. But that's creative writing right there.