High Stakes in the Philippines: ‘The Village’

Some of the Navy folks talked about bringing out a veterinarian.

08 July 2009

(Filed from Afghanistan)

The fight in the southern Philippines varies in intensity and technique. Commanders in the AFP (Armed Forces Philippines) will say that the fight consists of about 80% carrot and 20% stick. The relationship between U.S. and AFP forces seems good but there are differences of opinion. Our folks fully understand the 80% part, but on the 20% we often know the whereabouts of the enemy and would like to see faster action. Nevertheless, my gut instinct after having a tour about the place is that progress is being made. A guerrilla commander told me that he had been fighting since 1976, but came out of the jungles with 34 fighters on 20 April this year. Publicly it’s called a “surrender,” but on the ground it seemed more like a mutual agreement to stop fighting and do something constructive. (more…)

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Tags: "no pants day”, Adrian Berghamer, Afghanistan, AFP (Armed Forces Philippines), Boodlefights
Posted Jul 9th 2009 at 12:53 pm in Michael Yon Dispatches, Military, Politics | 18002618 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/myon/2009/07/09/philippines/High+Stakes+in+the+Philippines%3A+%27The+Village%272009-07-09+19%3A53%3A27Michael+Yon

Review: Star Trek

J.J. Abrams reboot of the much beloved “Star Trek” franchise is reminiscent of the films that came before, but not the best of them. Like the other odd-numbered disappointments, this entry, number 11, works best when concentrating on character, but falls flat due to a dull villain with nothing to do other than act as a macguffin. After a splendid first hour expertly sets up and re-introduces the characters, the second half turns as derivative as a video game with superb special effects supporting poorly choreographed and frantically edited action sequences that carry no suspense because the outcome is obvious and the personal human drama missing.

“Trek” opens with what turns out to be its best scene and one of the best in the franchise; the circumstances around the birth of James Tiberius Kirk. Our hero is well-served here with an imaginative and exciting mythology that shows the filmmakers understand the unique importance of the character. This sequence is also effective in setting up our villain, the Romulan Nero (an almost unrecognizable Eric Bana), who’s leaping about in time hell-bent on the worst kind of revenge against the Federation for something yet to happen. (more…)

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Tags: Chekov, Chris Pine, franchise, JJ Abrams, Johnny Cho
Posted May 8th 2009 at 1:27 pm in Featured Story, Reviews | 1302104 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/05/08/review-star-trek/Review%3A+Star+Trek2009-05-08+20%3A27%3A53John+Nolte