The Green Zone (1 Viewer)

[The Military Workshop]

Saw this last night.
A good action movie starring Matt Damon. Based in Iraq just after the 2003 war started and Damon looking for weapons of mass destruction. Good action sequences and the street scenes of Baghdad are well done.
I would have liked a bit more interaction between Damon and SF Major Briggs.
I won't discuss the rights or wrongs (if any of either) of the plot but it is worked well around the history of the events of the time.
Can we keep this thread to the movie as entertainment and not political commentary.
Regards
Brett

 

[Scott]

........................
Can we keep this thread to the movie as entertainment and not political commentary.
Regards
Brett

Ha. Folks can't discuss Gods and Generals w/o that.

 

[theBaron]

...Can we keep this thread to the movie as entertainment and not political commentary.
Regards
Brett

We could try to discuss "Triumph of the Will" with the same caution in mind, but it's difficult.

As far as the quality of the movie is concerned, I have not yet seen it (and probably won't), but according to Michael Medved's review, which he broadcast Friday afternoon, the movie isn't bad, in technical terms, until its second half, where he believed the story seemed to fall apart.

 

[Spitfrnd]

Ha. Folks can't discuss Gods and Generals w/o that.

For many reasons, ACW movies can be more of a challenge than contemporary ones.

I like Matt Damon so I will probably see it when it comes to disk. It sounds a bit like Bourne in Iraq.

 

[Scott]

A quick search for reviews has one complaint of the hand held camera style. Some folks don't like it. The style used to be called "Wiggly-Something" because the TV show Thirty-Something used it.

 

[Scott]

Ah ......Triumph of the Will!

I came out of the theater humming the theme songs.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Saw this last night.
A good action movie starring Matt Damon. Based in Iraq just after the 2003 war started and Damon looking for weapons of mass destruction. Good action sequences and the street scenes of Baghdad are well done.
I would have liked a bit more interaction between Damon and SF Major Briggs.
I won't discuss the rights or wrongs (if any of either) of the plot but it is worked well around the history of the events of the time.
Can we keep this thread to the movie as entertainment and not political commentary.
Regards
Brett

I'm going to see it today on your recommendation. I hope its good.

 

[Spitfrnd]

A quick search for reviews has one complaint of the hand held camera style. Some folks don't like it. The style used to be called "Wiggly-Something" because the TV show Thirty-Something used it.

Oh no. I personally hate that and the overdone closeups that essentually blur the well designed and executed action scenes. I would like to send those offending directors back to film kindergarden.

 

[Scott]

Blame Stanley Kubrick! He used the hand held look in Dr. Strangelove in the attack on the airbase scene so that it would look like current 1960s news footage.

 

[BLReed]

Pass. Matt Damon is as believable as a soldier as Leonardo DiCaprio
is as an Afrikaner. Tie that to a plot with a known out come and you
get a box office bomb.

"Universal’s “Green Zone” became the latest Iraq War-themed movie to fall down the box office rabbit hole, debuting to just $5 million in the U.S. and Canada Friday, according to studio estimates.
With Disney’s 3D adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” still strong in week two -- it grossed a box-office-leading $17.4 million, despite a 57 percent week-to-week drop -- “Green Zone” could find little traction, getting out to a pace that will give it less than $15 million for its premiere weekend."

 

[Scott]

Might be that making Iraq War movies should wait until it's over. Movies made during WW II and even Vietnam (Green Berets) are best as propaganda and not to be "thought" about. There are a few earlier Iraq war films that went down the "memory hole" maybe to be appreciated in later years. I just don't want to see any of them at present. Hurt Locker just made me sad......

 

[Spitfrnd]

Blame Stanley Kubrick! He used the hand held look in Dr. Strangelove in the attack on the airbase scene so that it would look like current 1960s news footage.

Sorry I cannot blame the brilliant Mr. Kubrick for the way it is used by the Bourne 2-3 and QoS directors. Kubrick did it for a very specific point in a small part of one film but the near universal application for no point in every scene of the action movie genre is something entirely else again.

 

[Scott]

Sorry I cannot blame the brilliant Mr. Kubrick for the way it is used by the Bourne 2-3 and QoS directors. Kubrick did it for a very specific point in a small part of one film but the near universal application for no point in every scene of the action movie genre is something entirely else again.

Hahah! I shoulda put in some winky smiley icons.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Pass. Matt Damon is as believable as a soldier as Leonardo DiCaprio
is as an Afrikaner. Tie that to a plot with a known out come and you
get a box office bomb.

"Universal’s “Green Zone” became the latest Iraq War-themed movie to fall down the box office rabbit hole, debuting to just $5 million in the U.S. and Canada Friday, according to studio estimates.
With Disney’s 3D adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” still strong in week two -- it grossed a box-office-leading $17.4 million, despite a 57 percent week-to-week drop -- “Green Zone” could find little traction, getting out to a pace that will give it less than $15 million for its premiere weekend."

Well it might not do well in the box office, but I liked it.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Some interesting comments but good to see Louis enjoyed it (did not want him billing me for his time !!).
Regarding knowing the outcome of historical events I guess that would rule out watching Saving Private Ryan (no prizes for naming the actor who played Ryan) and The Pacific since we know the Allies won WWII. If I had that approach I would not watch any movies based on history (except if directed by Tarantino where history might be changed) and would have missed out on Zulu, Waterloo, The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far etc.
Romcom's and Sci Fi here I come !!!
I noted a comment about box office takings and mention of Alice in Wonderland.
Well I will have to put my hand up and declare that whilst I like Johnny Depp as an actor I would not watch anything directed by Tim Burton as not into his style of movie. My kids aged 17 and 19 both disliked Alice but pretty sure they will be entertained by Green Zone.
Regarding the hand held camera method there was a bit of that in the start that I found irritating but otherwise was not something I found to be a problem with this movie.
At the end of the day see what you want to see.
Regards
Brett

 

[Louis Badolato]

The only negative comment I have about this movie was the way they depicted the Special Forces, which, in my opinion, was total B.S. Had they made those characters Blackwater Contractors I would have given the movie a 10, but depicting the Special Forces as tools of a corrupt government official, bullies who were willing to intentionally murder another American Soldier was to me, completely unacceptable.