Best Picture... Are you kidding me? - Page 2

Micael · 03/12/2010, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squeezy

Soon there will be support groups to help those who are depressed Avatar didn't win best picture.

Hurt Locker won because it was the best, bottom line. The fan base for Avatar may be overwhelming in size, but so are Miley Cyrus fans.

Are you calling Miley Cyrus fans fat?!

darkzone · 03/12/2010, 11:13 AM

Avatar was very predictable...HurtLocker was captivating kept you on the edge of the seat loved it.

sacherjj · 03/12/2010, 11:18 AM

Hurt Locker was about as realistic portrayal of our Soldiers experience in Iraq as Avatar was. If a team that small went almost anywhere in Iraq at the time the movie is set, they would just disappear. Dead. Period. NO movement was done during that time without a 40 man team, unless you were doing some special missions.

No demolitions team would survive by going gung ho, as the main character did. They would also be dead.

Most soldiers that saw it said it was laughable.

However, I am happier seeing it win than Avatar. Avatar got to 3D by making all characters 1 dimensional. Other than an amazing visual technical feat, it was not a "best picture" quality film. There were other better films than Hurt Locker, however.

chud311 · 03/12/2010, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sacherjj

Hurt Locker was about as realistic portrayal of our Soldiers experience in Iraq as Avatar was.

i said the exact same thing in this thread.

Hurt Locker failed hard as a documentary (which I know it wasn't billed as) and was fairly yawn inducing as a "movie."

Acting was ok, yet awkward at times.

The screenplay was forgettable, especially the character development, or lack thereof.

No special special effects.

No groundbreaking camera work.

Shoot, they couldnt even get the time period right. HINT : Xbox 360.

Like I said, I enjoyed the movie, but the biggest thing it had going for it was a female director.

Erckul · 03/12/2010, 12:52 PM

Avatar was great visually, but the story was Dances with Smurfs.

BARYE · 03/12/2010, 04:35 PM

how realistic a portrayal "Hurt Locker" is, seems to be a problem for some here.

Documentaries and fiction are edited the same -- manipulating images and words to tell an entertaining narrative.

Fiction (mostly) -- especially war fiction -- tries to skate as close as it can to truth both to capture the essence of the drama that is presenting, and to maintain believability in its audience.

Documentaries are (mostly) composed of naturally occurring scenes, and use the improvisational dialogue "written" by the characters themselves.

Fictional films like "Platoon", or even "Black Hawk Down" (though inspired by real events) don't have to strictly adhere to reality when the filmmaker wants to explore a deeper dramatic truth.

What most non-filmmakers don't appreciate, is how much of the "truth" they accept in documentaries is really the product of (appropriate) dramatic manipulation.

In any event, the following commentary on the "Hurt Locker" (and war films in general), was written by an Afghanistan war veteran:

Cut the War Film Some Slack
Erik Malmstrom NYT

When people raved about “The Hurt Locker” and “The Messenger,” I was skeptical. I hadn’t even bothered to see any other fictional movies about Iraq and Afghanistan. Most seemed like lightweight efforts that failed to do justice to their worthy subjects. I was especially dubious of those dubbed “realistic,” lacking confidence in their ability to recreate the complicated realities of war.

...Beginning with the riveting opening scene, “The Hurt Locker” hooked me...

Undoubtedly, both films took poetic license, fudged the truth and exploited negative stereotypes of the military for heightened dramatic effect. The “war is a drug” theme in “The Hurt Locker” is a provocative, partly true, but largely misleading commentary on why many frontline soldiers fight. It significantly underplays the intense sense of brotherhood that drives men to risk their lives day after day...

Nevertheless, these shortcomings should not overshadow the fact that “The Hurt Locker” and “The Messenger” are excellent films that have earned the respect of most of my veteran friends. The narratives are gripping. The characters are complex. The dialogue is spot-on. The cinematography is beautiful. The drama is human in a way that eludes most media coverage, memoirs, or anything short of experiencing war firsthand. Both movies also prompt a host of vexing questions: How does one distinguish insurgent from innocent civilian? Fight one moment and flip off the switch the next? Entrust one’s life to a reckless colleague? ...

Of course, there is no substitute for reality itself. “Restrepo,” a gritty documentary about an Army infantry platoon in the deadly Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, earned a Sundance grand jury selection earlier this year. I patrolled in the Korengal and worked with the unit profiled before its tour. When I watched excerpts on television, I was stunned. It was so real that I literally felt like I was back in Afghanistan. It was the most unnerving portrayal of combat that I have ever seen. One haunting scene, showing a soldier losing control of his emotions as he walks up on his dead squad leader, will be seared in my mind forever. “Restrepo” demonstrates that war is dramatic enough in its own right without Hollywood’s filter...

Erik Malmstrom served in northeastern Afghanistan in 2006-2007 as an infantry officer with the 10th Mountain Division

chud311 · 03/12/2010, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BARYE

how realistic a portrayal "Hurt Locker" is, seems to be a problem for some here.

Documentaries and fiction are edited the same -- manipulating images and words to tell an entertaining narrative.

Fiction (mostly) -- especially war fiction -- tries to skate as close as it can to truth both to capture the essence of the drama that is presenting, and to maintain believability in its audience.

Documentaries are (mostly) composed of naturally occurring scenes, and use the improvisational dialogue "written" by the characters themselves.

Fictional films like "Platoon", or even "Black Hawk Down" (though inspired by real events) don't have to strictly adhere to reality when the filmmaker wants to explore a deeper dramatic truth.

What most non-filmmakers don't appreciate, is how much of the "truth" they accept in documentaries is really the product of (appropriate) dramatic manipulation.

In any event, the following commentary on the "Hurt Locker" (and war films in general), was written by an Afghanistan war veteran:

like i said, i enjoyed the movie for what it was, but at least Black Hawk Down got the uniforms correct.

03/12/2010, 11:13 AM	#22 (permalink)
darkzone Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 669 Likes Received: 19 Thanks: 470 Thanked 121 Times in 90 Posts	Avatar was very predictable...HurtLocker was captivating kept you on the edge of the seat loved it.
	Liked by

03/12/2010, 11:18 AM	#23 (permalink)
sacherjj Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 1,686 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 41 Thanked 365 Times in 215 Posts	Hurt Locker was about as realistic portrayal of our Soldiers experience in Iraq as Avatar was. If a team that small went almost anywhere in Iraq at the time the movie is set, they would just disappear. Dead. Period. NO movement was done during that time without a 40 man team, unless you were doing some special missions. No demolitions team would survive by going gung ho, as the main character did. They would also be dead. Most soldiers that saw it said it was laughable. However, I am happier seeing it win than Avatar. Avatar got to 3D by making all characters 1 dimensional. Other than an amazing visual technical feat, it was not a "best picture" quality film. There were other better films than Hurt Locker, however. __________________ Your Pre wants Word Whirl from the App Catalog. It told me.
	Liked by

03/12/2010, 12:52 PM	#25 (permalink)
Erckul Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: holding the ladder in the asylum and getting some rest in the llama lounge Posts: 137 Likes Received: 1 Thanks: 238 Thanked 447 Times in 406 Posts	Avatar was great visually, but the story was Dances with Smurfs.
	Liked by

03/12/2010, 04:35 PM	#26 (permalink)
BARYE Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Wash. DC Posts: 1,083 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 226 Thanked 128 Times in 98 Posts	how realistic a portrayal "Hurt Locker" is, seems to be a problem for some here. Documentaries and fiction are edited the same -- manipulating images and words to tell an entertaining narrative. Fiction (mostly) -- especially war fiction -- tries to skate as close as it can to truth both to capture the essence of the drama that is presenting, and to maintain believability in its audience. Documentaries are (mostly) composed of naturally occurring scenes, and use the improvisational dialogue "written" by the characters themselves. Fictional films like "Platoon", or even "Black Hawk Down" (though inspired by real events) don't have to strictly adhere to reality when the filmmaker wants to explore a deeper dramatic truth. What most non-filmmakers don't appreciate, is how much of the "truth" they accept in documentaries is really the product of (appropriate) dramatic manipulation. In any event, the following commentary on the "Hurt Locker" (and war films in general), was written by an Afghanistan war veteran: Cut the War Film Some Slack Erik Malmstrom NYT When people raved about “The Hurt Locker” and “The Messenger,” I was skeptical. I hadn’t even bothered to see any other fictional movies about Iraq and Afghanistan. Most seemed like lightweight efforts that failed to do justice to their worthy subjects. I was especially dubious of those dubbed “realistic,” lacking confidence in their ability to recreate the complicated realities of war. ...Beginning with the riveting opening scene, “The Hurt Locker” hooked me... Undoubtedly, both films took poetic license, fudged the truth and exploited negative stereotypes of the military for heightened dramatic effect. The “war is a drug” theme in “The Hurt Locker” is a provocative, partly true, but largely misleading commentary on why many frontline soldiers fight. It significantly underplays the intense sense of brotherhood that drives men to risk their lives day after day... Nevertheless, these shortcomings should not overshadow the fact that “The Hurt Locker” and “The Messenger” are excellent films that have earned the respect of most of my veteran friends. The narratives are gripping. The characters are complex. The dialogue is spot-on. The cinematography is beautiful. The drama is human in a way that eludes most media coverage, memoirs, or anything short of experiencing war firsthand. Both movies also prompt a host of vexing questions: How does one distinguish insurgent from innocent civilian? Fight one moment and flip off the switch the next? Entrust one’s life to a reckless colleague? ... Of course, there is no substitute for reality itself. “Restrepo,” a gritty documentary about an Army infantry platoon in the deadly Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, earned a Sundance grand jury selection earlier this year. I patrolled in the Korengal and worked with the unit profiled before its tour. When I watched excerpts on television, I was stunned. It was so real that I literally felt like I was back in Afghanistan. It was the most unnerving portrayal of combat that I have ever seen. One haunting scene, showing a soldier losing control of his emotions as he walks up on his dead squad leader, will be seared in my mind forever. “Restrepo” demonstrates that war is dramatic enough in its own right without Hollywood’s filter... Erik Malmstrom served in northeastern Afghanistan in 2006-2007 as an infantry officer with the 10th Mountain Division __________________ 755P Sprint SERO (upgraded from unlocked GSM 650 on T-Mobile)
	Liked by

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