‘The Hurt Locker’: Hollywood’s Idea of ‘Not Political’

I jumped at the opportunity to join “The Hurt Locker” press junket. The film’s director, Kathryn Bigelow (”Point Break,” “Strange Days,” “Blue Steel”), has been a favorite of mine since catching a 3 a.m. Cinemax screening of “Near Dark” some twenty-five years ago. No director — not the Scott brothers, not Michael Bay or even Clint Eastwood understand or are able to get inside the skin of driven men of action like Bigelow. This makes even her rare misstep like “K:19 The Widowmaker” much more watchable than it deserves to be (actually, I watch it all the time).

The junkets are simple. You sit in a hotel room with other writers and one by one the film’s participants stop by for a few minutes. So, in no particular order, as a group we had the chance to interview Bigelow, screenwriter Mark Boal (”In the Valley of Elah”), who researched the film in Iraq, and actors Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty.

All were charming and personable to be sure, but whenever politics or previous Iraq War films came up, things would get a little tense and surreal as each responded by assuring us they weren’t worried because “Hurt Locker” wasn’t at all political. Again and again, the film was described as a straight-forward war picture that just happened to be set in Iraq. (more…)

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Tags: Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, David Morse, Iraq, Jeremy Renner
Posted Jun 12th 2009 at 5:03 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 159446One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/06/12/%e2%80%98the-hurt-locker-hollywoods-idea-of-%e2%80%98not-political/%E2%80%98The+Hurt+Locker%27%3A+Hollywood%27s+Idea+of+%E2%80%98Not+Political%272009-06-13+00%3A03%3A20John+Nolte

Summer Movie Season: The Good, the Bad and the Maybe — Part III: Could Go Either Way

With “Wolverine” opening this Friday, summer finally, finally arrives.

We’ve celebrated the good.  We’ve dreaded the bad.

Now on to the maybes; those that could fall either way, or just do the minimum by delivering a couple hours of forgettable entertainment. I’ll take that and truth be told, when the lights dim, they’re all “maybes” to me because when the lights dim I’m twelve again. But the lights aren’t dimming now and in the cool light of day I’m on the fence over these.

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May 22nd: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - The first one was a splendid concept brought down by a cookie-cooker plot involving a dad having to redeem himself. The hope is that the sequel is looser and less constrained by boilerplate convention. I’m a little ticked The Mighty Mickey Rooney wasn’t brought back, but it’s still a great concept and one helluva cast. (more…)

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Tags: Drag Me To Hell, Night at the Museum, The Hurt Locker, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Posted Apr 28th 2009 at 6:43 am in Reviews | 118514No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/04/28/summer-movie-season-the-good-the-bad-and-the-maybe-%e2%80%94-part-iii-could-go-either-way/Summer+Movie+Season%3A+The+Good%2C+the+Bad+and+the+Maybe+%E2%80%94+Part+III%3A+Could+Go+Either+Way+2009-04-28+13%3A43%3A19John+Nolte

Memo to Hollywood: There’s Money Sitting On the Table

That the SEALs solved the pirate problem with three shots/three kills last weekend was no surprise; what was should have been really interesting to those of you in the Industry was the American public’s reaction.  The public was thrilled.  The good guys won, the bad guys lost – decisively.  There is a lesson there for you.

Here’s another lesson.  During an unpopular war, a popular star risked everything to bring a bestselling book to the screen about American fighting men battling a cruel and vicious enemy.  In 1968, you might think an unabashedly pro-war movie where the Americans were the heroes and the enemy the villains would have been soundly rejected, and it was – by the liberal elite. 

Roger Ebert, who never saw a film trashing the American fighting man he didn’t praise, still lists John Wayne’s “The Green Berets” as one of his most hated films forty years later.  But the public welcomed it, a film that could tell good from evil, and turned it into a hit.  It even spawned a hit song.  Where is the next war movie that outrages Roger Ebert while lining audiences up around the block? (more…)

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Tags: box office, john wayne, Military, Roger Ebert, The Green Berets
Posted Apr 17th 2009 at 12:02 pm in Entertainment, Media Criticism, Military | 1075622 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kschlichter/2009/04/17/memo-to-hollywood-americans-like-it-when-their-side-wins/Memo+to+Hollywood%3A+There%27s+Money+Sitting+On+the+Table2009-04-17+19%3A02%3A58Kurt+Schlichter

‘Hurt Locker’ May Do Iraq Right

For those who’ve agonized over Hollywood’s portrayals of the Iraq War, I give you “The Hurt Locker.”

The film’s second trailer hit the Internet today and, as I sit here wearing my (apparently passe) Camp Liberty t-shirt, I must say it looks pretty good.

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YouTube "Hurt Locker" trailer 2  

Billed as the “first non-political Iraq War film,” “Hurt Locker” follows the story of Staff Sergeant William James, a maverick bomb removal expert who leads a team trying to save lives – including their own.

It was directed by Kathryn Bigalow, who is herself something of a maverick.

Bigalow has made her name in Hollywood as one of the only female directors of action films. Her credits include “K19: The Widowmaker,” “Point Break” and “Strange Days.” (more…)

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Tags: Iraq, Jeremy Renner, Kathryn Bigalow, The Hurt Locker, war films
Posted Apr 15th 2009 at 3:49 pm in Entertainment, Military, Video | 107254No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ttapp/2009/04/15/hurt-locker-may-do-iraq-right/%27Hurt+Locker%27+May+Do+Iraq+Right2009-04-15+22%3A49%3A13Tom+Tapp