# American Sniper Movie



## ZmanTX (Oct 2, 2014)

Looks pretty good, what do you guys think?


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## pardus (Oct 2, 2014)

I'll be going to see it.


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## AWP (Oct 2, 2014)

I think any doubts are assuaged by Eastwood's participation. I just hope they don't Lone Survivor the movie and take excessive liberties with the story.


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## Ooh-Rah (Oct 2, 2014)

I was not aware that Eastwood was directing until I saw the credits...that man does not make shit movies.


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## SkrewzLoose (Oct 2, 2014)

Bradley Cooper, interesting choice...  Looks like it will be a good one.


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## racing_kitty (Oct 2, 2014)

I'm definitely going to see it.


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## Scubadew (Oct 3, 2014)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Bradley Cooper, interesting choice...  Looks like it will be a good one.



Great casting.


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## Il Duce (Oct 3, 2014)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Bradley Cooper, interesting choice...  Looks like it will be a good one.


 
I listened to an interview (Terry Gross on NPR I think) with Bradley Cooper and he was discussing this movie.  According to him, he and Chris Kyle had been in discussions about the movie for quite some time and he was 100% on board before his murder.


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## 8654Maine (Oct 3, 2014)

Wonder if Ventura will have a cameo?


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## DA SWO (Oct 3, 2014)

Ooh-Rah1069 said:


> I was not aware that Eastwood was directing until I saw the credits...that man does not make shit movies.


Which makes you the first guy who thought "Bridges of madison County" was a good movie.


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## DasBoot (Oct 3, 2014)

This looks like vintage Eastwood. I was worried this may not be up to par considering his last few movies after "Gran Torino." That trailer gave me goosebumps- that quick shot were you see him walking into Ryan Jobs room really struck me.


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## SkrewzLoose (Oct 3, 2014)

I've watched the trailer a few more times and I agree the casting of BC is great.  
Also, I'm wearing my "The Legend" shirt for RED Friday today.


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## Kraut783 (Oct 3, 2014)

SOWT said:


> Which makes you the first guy who thought "Bridges of madison County" was a good movie.


 
It was good.....for the target audience....women


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## dmcgill (Oct 4, 2014)

When I first heard Brad Cooper was going to be portraying him I had my doubts, then I saw a picture from the set and I swore I was looking at Chris Kyle. 

Unbelievable the transformation he made just as far as looks go. I thought the trailer was awesome, and I remember reading about that situation in the book vividly. I think Eastwood will do a better job with it than Berg did with Lone Survivor, and like that movie, I will be going to Hollywood/LA to see it before it's released nationally.


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## Dame (Oct 4, 2014)

dmcgill said:


> When I first heard Brad Cooper was going to be portraying him I had my doubts, then I saw a picture from the set and I swore I was looking at Chris Kyle.
> 
> Unbelievable the transformation he made just as far as looks go. I thought the trailer was awesome, and I remember reading about that situation in the book vividly. I think Eastwood will do a better job with it than Berg did with Lone Survivor, and like that movie, I will be going to Hollywood/LA to see it before it's released nationally.



Agreed. When I saw the trailer I couldn't believe how well he had captured Chris Kyle's speech, accent, and look.


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## dmcgill (Oct 5, 2014)

Ravage said:


> This is my opinion about the book - it's writing, . It was poorly written, even though Kyle had two co-authors working it. Just because the guy is gone, does not make his writing any better.



As stated already, I believe you are missing the point. You don't pick up a book written by a Navy SEAL to ponder it's literary prowess, you pick it up to learn about the exploits of America's best. His writing isn't what makes his story, it's his actions and the actions of his brothers.

Your reply is far from a solid explanation.


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## racing_kitty (Oct 5, 2014)

Ravage said:


> ...and if it will be based on the book - I honestly do not see myself spending my hard earned cash to go and see it.



And what else, pray tell, is it supposed to be based off of, Clint Eastwood sitting down with a Ouija Board?  

I remember hearing several people make a similar complaint about Lone Survivor when it first came out.  Men like Marcus Luttrel and Chris Kyle are not exactly known for their skills as a 21st century Shakespeare.  What books like this ARE good for, in spite of how abysmal you think their writing styles may be, are for use as primary sources for historians to look through and say "This is how a 21st century warrior lived and fought."  When watching a historical documentary about whatever war you're interested in, and you read the diary entries or letters home of PVT. Bocephus J. Snuffy II, do you think about what life in the trenches/foxholes was like for poor PVT Snuffy, or do you ramble on about how that uneducated hillbilly sum'bitch couldn't write a grocery list without the literary help of a ghostwriting and editing team?  

Having had the privilege of speaking with Chris Kyle when I got my copy of his book autographed after an author's forum, he was definitely a man of sound character and, most importantly, common sense.  A lot of times, the people with the most common sense are lacking in copious amounts of book smarts, and vice versa.  That being said, Kyle was no dummy.  Perhaps the story he told in his book was better told over cold beer and a campfire instead of the printed word, as I personally thought he was a great storyteller in person.  That did not mean his story was not any less gripping on paper, at least not to me.  If I had to choose between reading American Sniper or Lord of the Flies again, I'd choose American Sniper, hands down.

As far as what promise the movie holds, it's Clint Eastwood.  That man has been an American badass since before my dad was old enough to crank out baby batter.  I'm confident that he's going to do a damned good job with bringing that book to life.  Even if he doesn't, I'm enough of a gambler to take that chance when I drop my hard earned cash at the movie theater, and I won't feel bad about it either way.  Kyle may not have had an effusive vocabulary that met your standards, Ravage, but from an analytic standpoint his book is as fine a primary source from which Eastwood could hope to draw from when he signed on to direct this film.


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## Scubadew (Oct 5, 2014)

Anyways...here's a theatrical poster. I said it earlier but I really like the casting of Cooper as Kyle.


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## RackMaster (Oct 5, 2014)

@Ravage I'm not a Mod but take this as gospel; SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE!

Ladies and Gentlemen, please keep this on track; there's another thread about the book somewhere or start a new "Bash the Writer" thread.


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## Kraut783 (Oct 5, 2014)

Scubadew said:


> Anyways...here's a theatrical poster. I said it earlier but I really like the casting of Cooper as Kyle.
> View attachment 11726




I wasn't sure when they made Cooper the lead.  But, when I saw the trailer....I changed my mind, he looks good in that part.


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## TLDR20 (Oct 5, 2014)

Ravage said:


> Sorry to see things end this way. Been a great few years


Stop being a bitch and grow some thicker skin.


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## TLDR20 (Oct 5, 2014)

Are we bashing people for opinions now? I thought that book was terribly written as well. Does that make me not a freedom loving American? No, it makes me a person who enjoys reading things that are professionally written and edited. Fuck guys, people are allowed to say a book sucks, they are even allowed to say it in a thread about a movie based on said shittily written book.


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## racing_kitty (Oct 5, 2014)

I wasn't bashing you, @Ravage,  for thinking the book sucked.  I was making my case for why I think the movie is going to kick ass whether the book sucked or not.  I enjoyed reading it, imperfections and all, but I do have to clarify that a book must be nothing short of atrocious before I'll discard it.  I stand by my opinion that, literary failures aside, Eastwood has plenty to work with to make a damned good movie in its own right simply based on the fact that the book is a solid primary source of historical information, perhaps with adequate Hollywood embellishment already built in.  

I'm not going to apologize for disagreeing with you about the movie's potential, just as I don't expect you to.  However, I expect more out of you after having been here on the board long enough to have developed some leathery thick skin when dealing with the other members here.  I thought I did a pretty fair job of acknowledging that AS wasn't exactly a literary classic along the lines of To Kill a Mockingbird while not disparaging you for thinking it's literary toilet paper.  As far as why you formed your opinion, I'm going to chalk up the misunderstanding to context and the language barrier.  

As far as everyone else bashing on him for bashing on a book, I'm actually on board with @TLDR20 on this one.  Let him hate it, and feel free to think what you want of his hating it, but he's not doing anything to run afoul of the rules just because he's sailing against the prevailing winds on this one.  I personally think he just didn't do a good job of articulating exactly why it is he hates the book, and he's not as in tune as we are with American cinematography to understand the positive potential that having Clint Eastwood on board imparts on this project.

All y'all are trying my nerves today, and I'm not even through my first pot of coffee yet.


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## DA SWO (Oct 5, 2014)

I still enjoyed the book overall.  Probably because I skipped the sections his wife wrote, and just read what he did (which is why I bought it).
I read it. and took it to be more of a narration, then a novel.  I tend to like those books better.


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## DasBoot (Oct 5, 2014)

"Fight Club" and "Forrest Gump" are both films that immediately come to mind when talking about movies that have improved on or at least equaled the source material. Movies are about stories. Chief Kyle had a great story that may not have been told as well as it could have been via print. Give a guy like Easteood and a talented screenwriter and thy story will be able to shine. So no I don't think a film is doomed by it's source material.


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## AWP (Oct 5, 2014)

Titty sprinkles....

No more of this.






More of this.


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## TheSiatonist (Oct 5, 2014)

With respect to Ravage and not bashing on his opinion but I do like contemporary war-themed books written in an informal, first-person, almost story-telling over beers kind of tone, complete with expletives and the humor the author found in those dire situations he/she/they were on. Cdr. Marcinko's _Rogue Warrior_ was, to me, a good example. That, _Lone Survivor_ and Sgt. Antoneri's _Roughneck Nine-One_ were some of the war-themed books I've read that I liked. 

Tom Clancy books, though to me are very good, also felt like they get caught up explaining the intricacies of the processes/technologies at times and loses story momentum. _American Sniper_ sure sounds like something I would definitely like.

That being said, I seem to recall someone posting a YT video of Kyle in an interview yesterday. I tried to do a search in YT but did not find it. Can someone please PM me the link to that vid?


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## RetPara (Oct 6, 2014)

Damn I didn't realize that Cooper had been in American Hustle, or Bale or Renner for that matter....   Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence captivated me....   God I miss 70's womens fashions....


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## RackMaster (Oct 6, 2014)

RetPara said:


> Damn I didn't realize that Cooper had been in American Hustle, or Bale or Renner for that matter....   Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence captivated me....   God I miss 70's womens fashions....



We just watched American Hustle and I was thoroughly impressed by Cooper's performance.  I think if he puts half the effort into the Chris Kyle role and with Eastwood directing; this may be one of "The Film's" of this generation.


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## lrs143 (Oct 8, 2014)

Probably the best, most well done trailer I've ever seen. They don't give all the action parts to you before you get to the theatre. Leaves you with a very anxious feeling by the end especially if you've put crosshairs on another human being.


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## JohnnyBoyUSMC (Oct 17, 2014)

I've been waiting to see Bradley Cooper take on a more serious military role for awhile now, and if the trailer is any indication he does not disappoint. Can't wait to see the actual thing. I got chills a bit watching the trailer, thinking back to my days in Ramadi. Eastwood is an outstanding director, and combining him with Cooper.....it's gonna be a good movie.


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## Wrestler_1 (Dec 30, 2014)

I don't want to step out of my lane here, but I just wanted to say that I saw this yesterday in the only theater it's playing in SoCal, and was blown away by how good it was. I read Chris Kyle's book roughly 6 months ago and the consistency of it and the movie is unbelievable. One of the best movies I've seen in my 19 years of living, I believe that every person should see this at least once. Clint's direction has once again left me in awe. After 10/10, in my honest opinion.


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## CQB (Dec 30, 2014)

If its anything like the book it will be great. 
There's most often a gap between a book & the film of a book. ( The only exception I know of is Slaughterhouse 5).


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 16, 2015)

Saw it this afternoon - 2 hours.  Coulda been three.  I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the interpersonal relationships developed as they were in the book.  Starting with Kyle's dislike of the spotter he had on the roof (at the beginning) - unless you read the book, and got military culture, the average viewer could never appreciate those scenes.  Had they, then it would given the viewer a bit of a chuckle when Kyle told him not to come back.  

Also, I felt that the beginning, with Kyle's dad teaching the boys to be sheepdogs and not be sheep or wolves, was laid out too quickly and seemed forced.  They could have spent just just 5 minutes exanding the scene where his little brother gets beaten up; it happened so fast that the audience never had a chance to feel emotionally involved with what whas happening.

The brutality of "the butcher" was more implied than shown, but they showed enough for folks in the theater to audibly mumble..."no...no...no..."  (and similar when he had to kill the kid with the grenade) Eastwood did a briliant job of communicating the anguish some of the kills put Kyle through and also making the badguys look, well...bad.  Really bad.  

There were audible sniffs and sobs during closing credits (not exactly a spoiler here), when they showed video of his procession and funeral.  I think this was even more powerful because even though the scenes were shorter than I would have liked, it was made clear how much helping the vets meant to Chris, and how much it had helped him get through what he had been through.

Both Bradley Cooper who played Kyle and Sienna Miller who played Taya were just plain amazing.  Sometimes the brooding soldier and distracted wife can be over-acted to the point of distraction; not here.  The scene where she was listening to the battle over the phone and the other one with him calling her from the rooftop - you forget you are watching actors.


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## AKkeith (Jan 16, 2015)

I am about to watch the movie, though I probably can't give as good as a write up as @Oorah just did.


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## DasBoot (Jan 16, 2015)

It was very good. I will have to see it again before I could really judge it. It did feel a bit rushed, and some of the info was out of order (ie. Ryan Job being in BUD/S and coming up in the teams with Chief Kyle Vs Being the new guy, Marc Lee seemingly being depicted as an O, skipping his first actual deployment to Iraq during the initial invasion, making Chief in about 4 years were some of the things I noticed). 

What I am comfortable saying is that Bradley Cooper earned his Oscar nomination. The likeness to Chief Kyle was eerie.


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## ShadowSpear (Jan 16, 2015)

Good movie. It was clear that there was a SEAL advisor, but the Ranger's were pretty ate up with their tower of power (Ranger and airborne tab, with second batt scroll). Then again, it is second batt :-"


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## Mac_NZ (Jan 16, 2015)

Watched it, they did a good enough job with it that it was Hollywood but bearable.  Haven't read the book.

I'm hoping they took some liability with a few of those scenes to make it a better story though.  Ringing your missus up on the satphone whilst your on the street with a round up the spout is pretty unprofessional.


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## Marine0311 (Jan 17, 2015)

Fucking
Awesome
Movie.


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## jonron9937 (Jan 18, 2015)

Awesome movie! Even my wife liked it, and she hates action/war movies. She is so blind to the evils of the world and after watching this she was just in shock. Thank you guys and gals again for the service and sacrafice to protect the country.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 18, 2015)

Interesting (to me anyway) interview with Brandon Webb by Men's Journal.  I thought he (Webb) did an okay job not shying away from some of the more controversial questions regarding Chris Kyle.
http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/outdoor/brandon-webb-the-making-of-an-american-sniper-20150114


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## CDG (Jan 19, 2015)

Hollywood is less than thrilled with the movie.  http://www.thewrap.com/american-sni...hould-clint-eastwood-be-celebrating-a-killer/

_“He seems like he may be a sociopath,” one Academy member told TheWrap, adding he had not yet seen the film but had read the article, which is being passed around.

And Michael Moore, an Oscar voter and former Academy governor from the Documentary Branch, tweeted on Sunday, “My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren’t heroes. And invaders r worse.”
_
No, Michael Moore, people that have never served but heap criticism upon those who do from behind a camera and their massive guts are cowards.  If you really did have an uncle killed in WW2, he probably thinks you're a spineless pussy.


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## pardus (Jan 19, 2015)

CDG said:


> Hollywood is less than thrilled with the movie.  http://www.thewrap.com/american-sni...hould-clint-eastwood-be-celebrating-a-killer/
> 
> _“He seems like he may be a sociopath,” one Academy member told TheWrap, adding he had not yet seen the film but had read the article, which is being passed around.
> 
> ...



Who gives a fuck what those assholes think. Moore is a fat lying piece of shit.


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## ShadowSpear (Jan 19, 2015)

Hollywood (and Michael Moore) is exactly what's wrong with America.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 19, 2015)

Michael Moore could get hit by a train today and I would only wish that another would hit him.


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## RackMaster (Jan 19, 2015)

I hope one day one of his own chins eats Michael Moore.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 19, 2015)

I'm glad one of you guys posted the Michael Moore stuff - I would have but I don't think I'm permitted to "hate" my own posts.


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## racing_kitty (Jan 19, 2015)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Michael Moore could get hit by a train today and I would only wish that another would hit him.



It would probably take TWO fast moving locomotives to actually kill his fat ass.


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## pardus (Jan 19, 2015)

I saw American Sniper today.
An excellent film, Eastwood did a superb job. Emotional movie, not in a good way.

I will echo @Mac_NZ's comment, the sat phone while working was eyebrow raising to say the least. I don't recall, does anyone remember if that was in the book?



SkrewzLoose said:


> Michael Moore could get hit by a train today and I would only wish that another would hit him.



I could only hope that as a result of being hit by the train, he'd somehow catch fire. As a medic, I'd immediately jump into action... by pulling up a deckchair and drinking beer, this would of course (eventually) make me need to piss. I'm sure the timing would be just as he was about to expire, so that the last thing that fat cunt sees is me pissing on his face. 
Do Know Harm...


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## mac21 (Jan 19, 2015)

pardus said:


> I will echo @Mac_NZ's comment, the sat phone while working was eyebrow raising to say the least. I don't recall, does anyone remember if that was in the book?



I do recall a similar scenario in the book, but I believe he was talking with his dad. Unfortunately, I had the audiobook so I can't look back for a confirmation.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 19, 2015)

From Chapter 7 of the book:

“CALLING HOME

One night, I was on an overwatch and things were quiet. Nights were normally slow in Baghdad. Insurgents usually wouldn’t attack then, because they knew we had the advantage with our technology, including our night-vision gear and infrared sensors. So I thought I’d take a minute and call my wife back home, just to tell I was thinking of her.

I took our sat phone and dialed home. Most times, when I talked to Taya, I’d tell her I was back at base, even though I was really on an overwatch or in the field somewhere. I didn’t want to worry her.
This night, for some reason, I told her what I was doing.
“Is it all right to talk?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, it’s all good,” I said. “There’s nothing going on.”
Well, I got maybe another two or three sentences out of my mouth when someone started firing at the building from the street.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing,” I said nonchalantly.
Of course, the gunfire stoked up real loud as the words came out of my mouth.
“Chris?”
“Well, I think I’m going to get going now,” I told her.
“Are you okay[…]”
“Oh yeah. It’s all good,” I lied. “Nothing happening. Talk to you later.”
Just then, an RPG hit the outside wall right near me. Some of the building smacked into my face, giving me a couple of beauty marks and temporary tattoos courtesy of the insurgency.
I dropped the phone and started returning fire. I spotted the guys down the street and popped one or two; the snipers who were with me downed a bunch more before the rest got the hell out of there.
Fight over, I grabbed up the phone. The batteries had run out, so I couldn’t call back.
Things got busy for a few days, and it wasn’t until two or three days later when I finally got a chance to call Taya and see how she was.
She started crying as soon as she answered the phone.
It turned out I hadn’t actually ended the call before I put down the phone. She’d heard the whole gunfight, complete with shots and curses, before the batteries had finally run out. Which, of course, happened all of a sudden, adding to the anxiety.”


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## pardus (Jan 19, 2015)

Thanks for posting that.

Not good drills at all...


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 19, 2015)

*Widow of 'American Sniper' author curtails interviews amid criticism*

Michael Moore and their ilk get their way...which is odd to me, the flick did $100M, obviously she has amazing support.  What am I missing?
http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/289097651.html

The widow of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is facing growing blowback over her late husband’s bestselling memoir, “American Sniper,” now a hit movie and recently the subject of a defamation case by former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.Taya Kyle had planned to give interviews this week to promote the movie and her Feb. 8 appearance at Beth El Synagogue’s “Heroes Among Us” series, a major event at the Minneapolis temple, with tickets ranging from $36 to $300.

But on Monday, she canceled some interviews in the wake of criticism of her late husband’s behavior and questions about whether he should be considered a hero.
“My uncle was killed by a sniper in WWII,” tweeted filmmaker Michael Moore. “Only cowards would do that 2 him, others.” He also decried the description in the movie of Iraqis as “savages,” though he later said in a Facebook post that there were antiwar messages in the movie and that actor Bradley Cooper was “awesome” as Chris Kyle.

Republican Newt Gingrich fired back in his own tweet, “Michael Moore should spend a few weeks with ISIS and Boko Haram. Then he might appreciate @American Sniper. I am proud of our defenders.”
The subject matter of the film, Kyle’s role in killing a record number of people as a sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan, “is causing controversy among some in Hollywood for its perceived pro-war message,” USA Today reported Monday.


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## medicchick (Jan 20, 2015)

Ooh-Rah said:


> *Widow of 'American Sniper' author curtails interviews amid criticism*
> 
> Michael Moore and their ilk get their way...which is odd to me, the flick did $100M, obviously she has amazing support.  *What am I missing?*



The fact that everyone will bring it up and it's probably a hard thing for her to hear.  After the year she has had I can't blame her, it's hard to remain positive when people want to attack a loved one.


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## HMSunshine (Jan 20, 2015)

So this is my female, novice, non-SOC opinion of the movie.
I agree with most of what Ooh-Rah stated already, however, as a woman, I didn't feel the emotional connection between Cooper and Miller. I felt they portrayed her as an A #1 bitch on wheels in the movie. Maybe she was, but I doubt that. I have yet to read the book and see what Kyle says about her. I doubt it's that though. 
I too felt they didn't spend enough time on the interpersonal relationships in the movie. Ditto on the lack of elaborating on the role Kyle's dad played in his life. The scene of them at the dinner table was just plain weird as it was so abrupt. With the exception of Cooper, I didn't feel connected to the characters because of it. I felt connected to Cooper's character as they spent so much time on it. I felt they lacked the sheer brutal experience of his BUDS/SEAL training. I thought it fell short. I thought the war scenes were great, but I felt myself picking them apart. Who confirmed Kyle's super long kill? In the movie, it makes it seem like he was the only one who knew he hit the guy, even though it wasn't the same guy he killed in real life, according to my research. I feel they should have gotten that one true to the facts as it is an important fact in his career and another reason for his nick name. 
The movie made it seem like all spotters do is talk smack, play video games and basically don't do their job. Not cool and I felt bad for all spotters after that. In their role, they never called out any adjustments to their sniper. Sheesh.  Even this female ex-HM knows the basics of a spotter! Good grief!
The movie overall spend about 85% on the combat scenes and 15% on interpersonal relationships, not nearly enough. 
It should have been longer. I would have sat through a much longer movie. Hell, I watched 3+ hr Lord of the Rings movies for that matter! I would have gladly watched a 4 hour movie and they should have let it be so. 

I just didn't "feel" this movie. I don't think it is Oscar-worthy in the least. I posted on FB to wait and rent it on DVD. Wish I would have. 

I ordered the hardcover of American Sniper from Amazon today. Can't wait to read it!



Ooh-Rah said:


> The subject matter of the film, Kyle’s role in killing a record number of people as a sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan, “is causing controversy among some in Hollywood for its perceived pro-war message,” USA Today reported Monday.



Is being pro-war a bad thing? Sometimes people just need their asses kicked.


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## Teufel (Jan 20, 2015)

SkrewzLoose said:


> Michael Moore could get hit by a train today and I would only wish that another would hit him.



I wouldn't want to endanger all those passengers.  They don't have anything to do with this.


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## Scubadew (Jan 20, 2015)

I uh...I'm just here to say I saw the movie and I liked it. Bradley Cooper did a tremendous job portraying Chief Kyle.


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## policemedic (Jan 21, 2015)

Is that Mjolnir I hear...oh, wrong movie.

I'm looking forward to seeing American Sniper again.  I don't usually care one way or another about those featurettes that accompany Blu-Rays/iTunes releases, but I think the behind-the-scenes stuff on this one will be very interesting.


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## Scubadew (Jan 21, 2015)

*SPOILER:*

The motorcade footage and music at the end of the film was pretty heavy.


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## 21C (Jan 21, 2015)

Scubadew said:


> *SPOILER:*
> 
> The motorcade footage and music at the end of the film was pretty heavy.


Agreed, I had some dust in my eye at that point...


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## Mac_NZ (Jan 21, 2015)

I'm just going to put it out there since the subject has been brought up, I'm a pretty big fan of vagina, just saying.


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## TLDR20 (Jan 21, 2015)

This thread got out of hand pretty quick. Stay on topic.


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## Sendero (Jan 21, 2015)

I watched it last weekend. I thought it was a good movie with Cooper playing Chris Kyle very well. 

Nobody moved when the movie ended, it felt almost disrespectful. I can't say I've seen that happen before at the movies.


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## Raptor (Jan 21, 2015)

Saw it Monday evening. I thought it was a great movie, although I don't remember a sandstorm in the movie. Seemed to me like Eastwood didn't shy away from controversial stuff (which is good, in my opinion) and I think at least half the people in the theater (which was almost full) had some water in their eyes when the end came.


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## LimaOscarSierraTango (Jan 21, 2015)

HMSunshine said:


> So this is my female, novice, non-SOC opinion of the movie.
> I agree with most of what Ooh-Rah stated already, however, as a woman, I didn't feel the emotional connection between Cooper and Miller. I felt they portrayed her as an A #1 bitch on wheels in the movie. Maybe she was, but I doubt that. I have yet to read the book and see what Kyle says about her. I doubt it's that though.



Are/were you married to someone that deployed and was extremely focused on the mission and his brothers?  Someone that cared so much about his other family that was in harms way that protecting them became his priority?  Have you been on the phone/Skype with someone you care so deeply about and a mortar/rocket attack happens and you get disconnected without warning and you have to wait for what feels like eternity until they can establish comms with you again so you know they are ok?

I ask this, because that is exactly what is being portrayed.  She wasn't being a bitch, she wanted her family safe and out of harm's way.  They wanted the same thing, but from two different sides of the coin.

Ah hell, even if you've never been through that, I don't understand how you can think they portrayed Taya as a bitch.  They portrayed her as a loving wife and mother that wanted her family whole and was tired of Chris morphing more and more after each deployment.


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## AWP (Jan 21, 2015)

LimaOscarSierraTango said:


> Are/were you married to someone that deployed and was extremely focused on the mission and his brothers?  Someone that cared so much about his other family that was in harms way that protecting them became his priority?  Have you been on the phone/Skype with someone you care so deeply about and a mortar/rocket attack happens and you get disconnected without warning and you have to wait for what feels like eternity until they can establish comms with you again so you know they are ok?



Word.

I've gone so far as to tell my wife that I may be gone for a bit. No more, no less. "We have some stuff going on. If they pull the Net I'm fine." She may still worry, but that's a hell of a lot better than spending days wondering why there's no communication. Which has happened. Which is terrifying for the families. All of that emotion and worry pent up, suddenly unleashed when you hear their other is okay? Yeah....things can be heated. It is a part of the job. Sucks, but a part of the job.


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## AWP (Jan 21, 2015)

I just watched the entire movie. I guess we saw different versions because I didn't see her act like a "bitch". At all. What I saw was a couple dealing with an incredible amount of stress and pushing through.

If Clint Eastwood doesn't go down as one of Hollywood's all time greatest, then this world is bullshit. He's just like us, he puts his pants on one leg at a time...but when he does he writes/ directs/ acts in some of Hollywood's best films.


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## DasBoot (Jan 21, 2015)

Freefalling said:


> I just watched the entire movie. I guess we saw different versions because I didn't see her act like a "bitch". At all. What I saw was a couple dealing with an incredible amount of stress and pushing through.
> 
> If Clint Eastwood doesn't go down as one of Hollywood's all time greatest, then this world is bullshit. He's just like us, he puts his pants on one leg at a time...but when he does he writes/ directs/ acts in some of Hollywood's best films.


I think he's already the patriarch of the film industry. I would put him in the category of living legend with Scorcese, Spielberg and Allen. The fact he has kept up such a steady stream of solid msterial is impressive to say the least. He didn't shy away from the dark side of Chief Kyle's story, which I think a Berg or Bay would have done, but didn't over politicize or preach like Spielberg would (though I think he would have done fine if he had remained on the project). 

This may be a bit lame to bring up, but seeing as we all are pretty big Cooper fans at this point with how he treated this role I feel it's appropriate to bring up that this guy has earned all 4 of his Oscar nominations in a three year time span. That's pretty impressive considering he was playing the antagonist in "Wedding Crashers" a few years ago.


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## ZmanTX (Jan 21, 2015)

Finally saw the movie.
Damn... I thought it was amazing the way Eastwood put everything together, the emotion was absolutely incredible. The fact that Eastwood didn't shy away from the wife's POV and the experiences she went through when Chris Kyle was deployed/coming home made it all that more real for the audience. The last scene was pretty intense as well and I got to say it was classy the way Eastwood ended the film.

My .02 I was hoping and wishing to see Kyle knock out "Scruff Face" but I figured that would cause a huge mess and people would get sued...


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 21, 2015)

DasBoot said:


> didn't over politicize or preach like Spielberg would (though I think he would have done fine if he had remained on the project).



Agreed 100%.  I love Clint, Unforgiven sealed his legendary status in my eyes, but I do think that Spielberg would have dove deeper and expanded on some of the issues I had with the movie (vs. the book) in my post a few pages back.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 21, 2015)

ZmanTX said:


> My .02 I was hoping and wishing to see Kyle knock out "Scruff Face" but I figured that would cause a huge mess and people would get sued...



Yeah, it was announced some time ago that that scene would not be in the flick, and it has been removed from updated printing of the book.  But...FUCKING I-TUNES took it upon themselves to REPLACE the copy of the book I have on my iPad and iPhone (purchased from the iStore), with an updated version that has that whole scene gone.  That really pisses me off, I knew they were up to something when I went looking for the quote about the sat phone a couple nights ago and noticed that the digital cover had been updated - :wall:


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## DasBoot (Jan 21, 2015)

Ooh-Rah said:


> Agreed 100%.  I love Clint, Unforgiven sealed his legendary status in my eyes, but I do think that Spielberg would have dove deeper and expanded on some of the issues I had with the movie (vs. the book) in my post a few pages back.


Eastwood presented Chief Kyle as he was, I don't know if Spielberg would have done that. Spielberg would have done a better job exploring the relationships in the film. I think there would have been better chemistry between Cooper and Miller, and even more so between the guys in the Platoon. I just think of "Saving Private Ryan" and how close you felt with everyone, not just Captain Miller.


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## ZmanTX (Jan 21, 2015)

Ooh-Rah said:


> Yeah, it was announced some time ago that that scene would not be in the flick, and it has been removed from updated printing of the book.  But...FUCKING I-TUNES took it upon themselves to REPLACE the copy of the book I have on my iPad and iPhone (purchased from the iStore), with an updated version that has that whole scene gone.  That really pisses me off, I knew they were up to something when I went looking for the quote about the sat phone a couple nights ago and noticed that the digital cover had been updated - :wall:



Dang I missed that. Haven't read the book yet but hopefully I can find an "original" copy.

ZM


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## pardus (Jan 22, 2015)

ZmanTX said:


> Dang I missed that. Haven't read the book yet but hopefully I can find an "original" copy.
> 
> ZM



Everyone should buy an original copy, it'll be worth money someday.
I have one that is signed by Taya Kyle.


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## Raptor (Jan 22, 2015)

Ooh-Rah said:


> Yeah, it was announced some time ago that that scene would not be in the flick, and it has been removed from updated printing of the book.  But...FUCKING I-TUNES took it upon themselves to REPLACE the copy of the book I have on my iPad and iPhone (purchased from the iStore), with an updated version that has that whole scene gone.  That really pisses me off, I knew they were up to something when I went looking for the quote about the sat phone a couple nights ago and noticed that the digital cover had been updated - :wall:


I didn't even know they updated that. Damn, I'm glad I got a hardcover version.


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## Dame (Jan 22, 2015)

Ever since Amazon pulled certain books out of people's Kindles, I just don't trust electronic copies. Fluffy stuff, no problem. True stories by real warriors? Give me a hardcover first edition (if possible). Signed is even better.


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## Gunz (Jan 22, 2015)

Rant.

A few years ago I heard Cooper interviewed by a woman on NPR. This was before he ever got involved in _American Sniper. _They talked about his life, his devotion to his dying father. Then she asked him what he had wanted to be when he grew up. He said "A soldier." (Dead silence, a little nervous laugh). The way she reacted, he might as well have said he wanted to fuck dead guys. When she recovered her composure she asked incredulously, _"Why?" _He said  "Because they have a sense of honor." She didn't fuckin get it.

Now Seth Rogen, the Canadian pothead, has chimed in about the movie, calling it a Nazi propaganda film.

Nothing like a movie like this to bring out the true colors of the Leftists. No matter how they couch it, they fuckin stone cold fuckin hate the military. Nothing has changed since Vietnam. We are fuckin baby-killing storm-troopers. I read the _Rolling Stone _review of this movie this morning, for shits and giggles, and it went everyfuckinwhere, it bashed Bush and Cheney, blamed the rise of ISIL on American atrocities, dragged it back to Vietnam and the Cold War, pulled up every fuckin liberal hate cliche in the book.

They are a bunch of fucking pretentious self-righteous cunts.

Rant over.


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## Grunt (Jan 22, 2015)

Seth Rogen can't penetrate the walls of "my world." His opinion about anything matters way less to me than what pair of socks I decide to put on in the morning. His opinion about the military means even less than that much less his opinion about "American Sniper"or Chief Kyle.

Simply another hollow mind speaking from his lack of experience.


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## pardus (Jan 22, 2015)

I was at my local gun store the other day (which happens to be next to a mosque), the owner said to me "Pardus I have a plan to fix this country once and for all!"
Intrigued I ask what it is.
"Us normal people, will lock ourselves away and let the liberals start the "revolution/breakdown of society/apocalypse". The Muslims will seize the opportunity to take control in the name of allah, go crazy and slaughter all the liberals who are anti-gun and therefore will literally be lambs to the slaughter. Once the liberals are all dead, we'll unlock the doors, wipe out the jihadi states of America and start this country from scratch!"

I need to buy more ammo.


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## TLDR20 (Jan 22, 2015)

pardus said:


> I was at my local gun store the other day (which happens to be next to a mosque), the owner said to me "Pardus I have a plan to fix this country once and for all!"
> Intrigued I ask what it is.
> "Us normal people, will lock ourselves away and let the liberals start the "revolution/breakdown of society/apocalypse". The Muslims will seize the opportunity to take control in the name of allah, go crazy and slaughter all the liberals who are anti-gun and therefore will literally be lambs to the slaughter. Once the liberals are all dead, we'll unlock to doors, wipe out the jihadi states of America and start this country from scratch!"
> 
> I need to buy more ammo.



Lol how many Muslims does he think are in the states?


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## Mac_NZ (Jan 22, 2015)

It's a sad state of the world when the opinions of people who make a living pretending to be other people "matter".

In ancient Rome actors and other entertainers sat slightly above prostitutes on the social hierarcy.  I think that is one the greatest lessons we should have adopted from the Romans.


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## Gunning (Jan 22, 2015)

DasBoot said:


> Eastwood presented Chief Kyle as he was, I don't know if Spielberg would have done that. Spielberg would have done a better job exploring the relationships in the film. I think there would have been better chemistry between Cooper and Miller, and even more so between the guys in the Platoon. I just think of "Saving Private Ryan" and how close you felt with everyone, not just Captain Miller.



After watching the movie I think Spielberg might have done a better job with the movie.  My problem with the movie was frankly a lack of attention to detail with some of the military aspects in the movie. It seemed they skimped on military advisement side of things. Some of the acting and the lines were border line cheesy at times.  I thought Cooper did a fine job playing Kyle but some of the actors they casted in the other military roles were flat out bad. I think Spielberg does his research and brings in good advisors and makes a point to accurately depict military uniforms and tactics as best he can, he understands that service members and vets will be watching and they will notice those details.  Spielberg turned down the movie because he couldn't get the budget he wanted so maybe Eastwood's hands were tied and had to cut corners. When people ask me about the movie I tell them, you should read the book instead.


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 23, 2015)

Note to self:

If Alec Baldwin came to my defense I would ask him to get off my side.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ed-new-apology-American-Sniper-criticism.html


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## Grunt (Jan 23, 2015)

Rogen said what he said...he needs to own it. I have always liked how actors want to put their opinions out there and then when they get some backlash over it, they further sell their souls and hand out a faux apology because they -- and their publicist -- are worried about their careers. That is a fine definition of cowardice.

As to the other airhead...who is Alec Baldwin and why does his opinion matter?


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## CDG (Jan 23, 2015)

I LOVE Seth Rogens's attempt at backpedaling.  "Apples remind me of oranges, can't compare them though."  Really Seth?  For a Hollywood liberal elitist who fancies himself so fucking enlightened and important as compared to us lowly peasants you would think you could come up with an argument slightly better than that.  Go fuck yourself Seth.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/19/seth-rogen-american-sniper_n_6503586.html


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## AWP (Jan 23, 2015)

My daughter asked me if Kyle was a racist and bigot. Apparently that nonsense is going around because he called Iraqis "savages" and said killing them made him happy. Oh, that caused a furor....nevermind that his book was out forever and a day ago, the "progressives" have finally showed up to the party.

I explained to her the statements made and why. I then told her if Kyle's a "racist" then her Pop (Bulge vet, Bronze Star w. "V") and just about every other member of the armed forces who has engaged in combat is a racist. "Happy" can be a psychopath or, as in most cases like Kyle's, "happy" can mean "I'm happy I killed them before they killed my guys."

Fortunately she has a frame of reference to offset the BS floating around Facebook; most her age do not. While I laugh at the stupidity uttered by celebrities we have too many blind, non-thinking people in America who devour whatever meets their worldview, not something which runs counter to said view.


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## Blizzard (Jan 23, 2015)

Like most, I didn't know Chris Kyle personally.  I read his book.  Did he call all Iraqi's "savages"?  Not that I've read.  Did he call the Iraqi insurgants and enemies "savages"?  Absolutely.  That is a very distinct difference.  He even talked about the importance of being discerning when evaluating threats.

Was he infallible?  Of  course, not.  None of us are.  However, seems a lot of jackasses are throwing stuff out there without the faintest friggin' clue.


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## SkrewzLoose (Jan 24, 2015)

More "The Legend" and now "American Sniper" gear from Forged. Some really awesome stuff here...

http://www.forged.com/collections/the-legend


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## ZmanTX (Jan 25, 2015)

http://www.inquisitr.com/1784159/hero-sniper-puts-michael-moore-in-his-place/

Bryan Sikes is a Green Beret Sniper and has voiced his opinion in a very public letter to Michael Moore that has now gone viral, per _Bro Bible_. The response Sikes has received from the general public regarding his letter lets us all know that Michael Moore’s opinions are not worth much.

“Mr. Moore —

Good afternoon there sweetheart, I hope this finds you alive and well. You can thank our men and women of the armed forces for that, by the way, and that also includes us cowardly snipers. It seems you’ve found time between licking the jelly off your fingers and releasing your grasp of a bear claw to tweet some junk about snipers being cowards.

My buddies and I got a good laugh over the tweet, so I thank you. For a guy worth $50 million dollars, you sure have quite a bit to bitch and cry about. I guess like a moth to flame, you too gravitate towards things that are popular and in the moment — in this case it’s snipers. Too bad for you that your attempt at being relevant via your 70+ year old family experience has failed. It has only made you look dumber than a bag of hammers. Next time you should try something more original than going after snipers for one reason or another…that was so last month.

It’s typical of “men” like you to criticize the intestinal fortitude, focus, discipline and patriotism of a sniper. It must stem from an inferiority complex or something. But hey, it’s okay cupcake. We snipers are thick skinned and the efforts of world class turds such as yourself to portray us in a negative light only makes us laugh. If you and I were in the same room, I’d throw you a smile and gently pat you on the head knowing you’re nothing more than a mouth breathing, Crisco sweating waste of space not even worthy of being in the presence of a sniper. It’s almost funny how people like you preach things like ‘acceptance’ and ‘not passing judgement’ or ‘labeling people’, but then are the first to do so when a person is in some way dissimilar from you.

So tenderfoot, I leave you with this final thought: what if you found yourself in some sort of hostage situation where you were held at knife-point by some crazed person and they were dead set on making an example of you by bleeding you out on Hollywood Blvd in front of the world, and the only way out was with the precision aimed fire of a sniper? Would you want that coward to take the shot? Because knowing how you feel about snipers such as myself and your hatred of firearms, I’d probably drop the mag, roll the bolt and go get a Jack & Coke before helping you out.

Very Respectfully,
Sikes”


Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1784159/hero-sniper-puts-michael-moore-in-his-place/#vAlLPJZC0VEUvam7.99


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## x SF med (Jan 25, 2015)

Ok...   I guess I'm out of touch.... BUT, What in the name of Fuck is a Seth Rogen, and why should I care about what spouts out its pie hole?


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## pardus (Jan 25, 2015)

x SF med said:


> Ok...   I guess I'm out of touch.... BUT, What in the name of Fuck is a Seth Rogen, and why should I care about what spouts out its pie hole?



You know how Eskimo's have like 11 different names for different types of snow? Well seth rogen is one of the 514 names for different types of faeces.


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## x SF med (Jan 25, 2015)

pardus said:


> You know how Eskimo's have like 11 different names for different types of snow? Well seth rogen is one of the 514 names for different types of faeces.


 gotcha....   I won't bother with even trying to remember it then.


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## 8654Maine (Jan 25, 2015)

I'll one up Kyle and say that humanity is full of savages and oxygen thieves.

Mother Gaia and Theistic deities would celebrate their departure from this plane of existence.

Argh, heavy is my Caduceus!


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## CQB (Jan 25, 2015)

Good flick, some nice moments & a story well told. I particularly liked the bar scene when they first meet. Clint had always made films about men like this & this is no criticism, just observation.


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## Marine0311 (Jan 26, 2015)

I have seen it twice! Better the second time.


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## pardus (Jan 27, 2015)

Gary Sinise tells Howard Dean to STFU over his asinine comments about American Sniper. 

To Howard Dean, 
I saw American Sniper and would not consider myself to be an angry person. You certainly have a right to make stupid blanket statements, suggesting that all people who see this film are angry, but how is that helpful sir? Do you also suggest that everyone at Warner Brothers is angry because they released the film? That Clint Eastwood, Jason Hall, Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and the rest of the cast and crew are angry because they made the film? Chris Kyle's story deserved to be told. It tells a story of the stress that multiple deployments have on one military family, a family representative of thousands of military families. It helps to communicate the toll that the war on terror has taken on our defenders. Defenders and families who need our support. I will admit that perhaps somewhere among the masses of people who are going to see the film there may be a few that might have some anger or have been angry at some point in their lives, but, with all due respect, what the hell are you talking about?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...the-american-sniper-flaps-still-havent-ended/



This picture is pretty cool too!


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## DA SWO (Jan 30, 2015)

Saw it with HH6 tonight.  Powerful, and moving.
I also take issue with the claim he called ALL Iraqi's savages; I took his statement to just reflect his views on people that would take a power drill and drill holes into a young child, or a mother who send her son off to hurl a grenade knowing he will probably die.


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## CQB (Jan 30, 2015)

This is what some think in Baghdad...
“Some people watching were just concentrating, but others were screaming ‘F*ck, shoot him! He has an IED, don’t wait for permission!!’” Mohammed laughed, recounting the film’s many tense scenes when US Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper, radios in for authorization to take out a potential threat in his crosshairs.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/...what-moviegoers-baghdad-think-american-sniper


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## pardus (Jan 30, 2015)

DA SWO said:


> Saw it with HH6 tonight.  Powerful, and moving.
> I also take issue with the claim he called ALL Iraqi's savages; I took his statement to just reflect his views on people that would take a power drill and drill holes into a young child, or a mother who send her son off to hurl a grenade knowing he will probably die.



Exactly what I took from it too, and what I believe the context of it is!

Typical of liberals to throw the race card out there though.    Wankers.


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