I also think it’s important to note that a lot of the stories appearing in the recent onslaught of Iraq movies are ones that regular Americans and their families are struggling with on a daily basis that are directly related to the war but take place outside of Iraq and on home turf. Perhaps this is why the movies have been unsuccessful: they bring the war home with them rather than keeping it at a distance several thousand miles away.

That, and most of the movies have sucked; however, I don’t think their suckiness explains their poor box office showing because there are a lot of sucky films that do okay. I saw The Hurt Locker at TIFF, though, and it was a pretty amazing film, but if anyone goes to see it because it’s an “action-adventure” that happens to be set in Iraq, they’re going to be sorely disappointed.

As for Iraq films, well it is too soon. The war aspect was short and swift and the occupation phase, however deadly, is not very glam. Generation Kill was a success because it showed the invasion and war phase.

As a veteran of that theater, let me tell you, most Americans were for it at the time. I was there the first go around too and saw the damn chemical weapons bunkers myself. They got rid of them, threw them in the sea, gave them to Syria..whatever, all’s that genocidal ass had to do was let the UN inspect.

The US wasn’t the only nation involved and a lot of hands are bloodied..maybe that’s why. Also, most Americans don’t like being lectured by countries with longer, bloodier legacies than ours, especially ones that less than 50 years ago either had global empires, were genocidal conquerors, or not democracies.

I know I’m gonna get hit for all that, so let me say, I thought Iraq was justified and hope the a-holes of the world have taken notice. Looks like North Korea, Libya, Algeria and a host of others have. As for Iran, I am ready whenever they are. If they continue what they are doing, they will be attacked. If not by us, then by Israel and that will be far uglier than most can imagine.

Let me take a moment to praise and thank our allies and my fellow brothers who have fought and bled with us in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world. I hope the sacrifice and effort they made is appreciated in their homelands and that the world is a safer place because of it.

I know this isn’t the place for this crap but there are so many uninformed opinions from those that never set foot in the lands they speak of. That is another reason why Generation Kill was a success, it was written by a reporter who “walked the walk” with Marines in the actual land of Mesopotamia. Stories made up by soft, rich guys just guessing what it is like and what it is all about doesn’t ring authentic to most people.

Many of these films had palpable contempt for the protaganist soldiers. Soldiers in some of these films were shown to weak of heart, weak of character, and berift of morals. A more honest portryal I think is good decent people caught up in impossible or imperfect situations, trying to do the best they can with what they are given. Even films like “Platoon” hold the men up for the most part, and the war is chastised.

Some filmakers, namely the hateful Brian de Palma, make blatant propaganda films: “Casualties of War” and “Redacted”, that portray situations that were either fictional or isolated in nature. De Palma even stated that he didn’t care about the safety of soldiers in Iraq when it was pointed out to him that his film may be viewed as “truth” by fundamentalists and used for propaganda.

The American people, even liberal ones, aren’t really for killing our youth for the sake of a political agenda. “Rendition” turned out to be poorly made and sucked anyway. I heard not one good review of the film. You can tell De Palma never wore a uniform and has never been in harm’s way. Not only that, but it seems he didn’t even consult anyone who had. The film did not feel authentic in any way, and it is very hard to enjoy a film when you can feel the hate the director has for the characters. De Palma is good at making films glorifying cocaine lords and is 0-2 with films about soldiers.

Soldiers are just a reflection of the society they serve, maybe that’s why even the anti-war crowd has packed the theaters.

That is the problem with why society is the way it is and on a downhill slide: People don’t want to know or care! The zionist/nwo take over just makes it easier with more people like you! The less aware, the better.

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- The war in Iraq is still ongoing. You know before the film starts that there’s no “ending” to the story being told yet, which isn’t always a bad thing, but – well let me use this example: a friend of mine made a comedy album about the upcoming U.S. election in fairly short order, and released it in June 2008. Now a bunch of stuff has happened since, i.e. the psycho ship-sinker that is Palin. Sometimes it’s better to wait a while. Though I readily agree there are many personal human stories to be told there, in the here and now.

- Unfortunately, I can’t help but get the feeling that most films (not all, but most) made on this subject right now are bound to be pretty propagandic, in either direction. Life may be long, but it’s too short to waste on propaganda.

- Lastly, even if none of the above were involved, the truth is I don’t particularly want to be bummed out by a depressing documentary involving something that I personally can do really nothing about.

That’s why I’m not interested in Iraq War movies.

Sincerely,

Rachel

Wow. Don’t get me started on this crappola.

And “Jarhead” was okay, I guess, for a movie that essentially had no plot.

Jarhead seemed pretty realistic though.

I didn’t say that. I just think the movie definitely broaches the topic of the war on terror in a novel way.

And the directors I was referring to were branded as having an anti-American stance my some in the media… not that I think they necessarily all do.

Give me a group of Norbits, boy witches and Dane Cooks going on a quest through Iraq, and then I’ll watch your Iraq War movie.