ACT OF VALOR: FINALLY REAL ACTION HEROES!

This is fantastic! Finally there is a movie with actors who are capable of performing the action sequences you see in the film in real life. I often am annoyed with the media pumping up soft actors as super-tough heroes. They simply are not but in the film ACT OF VALOR these are true heroes! Act of Valor stars real-life active duty Navy Seals.

The equipment is real, the tactics are real, even the bullets are real! The S.E.A.L.'s insisted on shooting live rounds because that is how they train. The premise of the film is based on actual threats the S.E.A.L's have dealt with and woven into a fictional story about a threat to the USA. The exact type of threat we never hear about because these tremendous men deal with it in private so some of you can be obsessed about Madonna's terrible Super-Bowl half-time show or what some actress wore to an awards show. I believe if these men and their families sacrifice so much then you owe it to them and your country to use your time to educate yourself, be a benefit to your community, help a military family, to improve yourself some how. That is what the Founding Fathers constantly wrote about and did, to strive to improve yourself in every area of your life daily. This is the freedom the Founding Fathers and the U.S. Military has bought for you at such a heavy price.

The Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Department of Defense all maintain liaison offices in Hollywood to guide filmmakers 
through the process. The Defense Department's entertainment media 
division is from the Pentagon in 
Washington, D.C. These liaison's help to maintain accuracy in the
 productions they work with. The coordinate the rental of their 
equipment and personnel. You have seen their cooperation in many 
films and TV shows, Top Gun, all of the Transformers, and numerous
 others could not obtain the look and realistic feel without the 
cooperation of the military. Once the Pentagon approves a script they 
work out how they can assist in the film in advisers, extras, and 
equipment. The production companies rent the equipment hourly 
and pay for the military personnel, who are all on leave during their 
participation in filming. Their participation does not cost the tax-payers 
or the government any money. Act of Valor needed to be filmed 
around the S.E.A.L.'s deployments.

It does not seem conceivable that a movie could gain this level of cooperation
 from the military. Director and Producer Mike "Mouse" McCoy and Director, 
Producer, Editor Scott Waugh obviously built an enormous amount of trust 
and mutual respect with the military while filming commercials for them. 
For the military to expose some of its most valuable assets, the S.E.A.L.'s, 
their tactics, and equipment is a amazing. You have to hope that these men 
and their families will be kept safe from our Nation's enemies. 
McCoy and Waugh deserve a tremendous amount of credit as filmmakers
and relationship builders. The trust they have earned from the military 
and S.E.A.L. community is impressive. Their film is equally impressive 
in concept and completed project. 

Act of Valor had a very impressive opening weekend at the box office. 
The Associated Press' Jake Coyle wrote,
"On Oscar weekend, the real-life action stars of "Act of Valor" bested Hollywood's pretend heroes.
The Relativity Media action flick, starring real, active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs, topped the weekend box office, earning $24.7 million according to studio estimates Sunday. That was a strong opening for a unique film made in collaboration with the Navy, which sought to demonstrate the skill and bravery of the SEALs without Hollywood imitation.
"How often can you repeat the same heroes that are big stars pretending to be heroes?" said Kyle Davies, president of worldwide distribution for Relativity. "I think moviegoers are ready for a new, fresh experience."'

Act of Valor also has critics, who claim it is a propaganda film like those during and after World War II, where Hollywood's finest made patriotic films. Those films are some of the most popular and long cherished in Hollywood history for starters. I read one blogger who is not worth mentioning wondering where was the commander who questioned the mission or the soldier who is strung out and barely holding mental sanity together. Are you kidding me? That blogger's opinion of the military is formed solely on anti-military propaganda films and has no idea of the reality of the world except the twisted view she chose to watch and accept as reality. Not everyone in our military is perfect but you'll find much better company and character amongst the military then you will the Hollywood elite or elite's crowd in general. Stars like Tim Tebow and others who are not ashamed to support our military or be patriotic had a wonderful time at the premier. Yet, this film almost never happened, “Nobody from Hollywood wanted us to make it,” says Waugh. “That’s why we ended up funding it ourselves and finding private equity and why we really made a truly independent film with this.”

Act of Valor is a wonderful film that I intend to see again with my Nephews. I encourage you and your family to also support this film by purchasing a ticket. Our country needs a film like this during these troubled times. It is almost your patriotic duty to see this film!

You may also show your thanks and support for these brave soldiers here:
http://www.navysealfoundation.org/donate.htm

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

I am a life-long Batman fan! I have loved Batman as far back as I can remember. I always had the toys, watched the shows, and would dress up like Batman. While the 1960's movie was great for my very young mind at the time, the terrible Batman movies starring Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney were a disaster and had no resemblance to the real Batman. They were a nightmare for Batman fans and the public at large. 

Christopher Nolan took over the Warner-Brothers franchise and made it very real and very close to what we had all be hoping for. Batman is the best character and lends itself to brilliant films if those in charge do not mess it up. Nolan, David Goyer, and their team have done a spectacular job of bringing a super hero into the real world. It is fascinating to see Batman operating in the real world and not on some fantasy set. I have enjoyed many of Nolan's films like The Prestige, and Inception could have been good without Leonardo DiCaprio. Nolan has tremendous skill as a writer, director, producer and in the Batman films he has managed to speak to ongoing social issues. In Batman Begins he touched on eco-terrorism and a type of misguided vigilante justice. In the Dark Knight the Joker was remodeled into an anarchist, in The Dark Knight Rises he is taking on the Occupy Wall Street and Anarchist again. Those who use the guise of income inequality to gain power, these are usually very powerful people who organize these efforts with only a few knowing the true plans. They want to change things but history tells us it always ends up very bad for normal people with only the few puppet masters benefiting. With todays occupy movements they are funded by billionaire George Soros, who made a fortune collapsing countries economies,
stealing people's pensions, and collaborating with the Nazi's in his youth. The first organizers of the occupy movement were almost all well to do and trust fund babies. You have to ask the question why would they want to destroy the very system that made them so rich? The only answer is to gain more of the wealth and power. What is so sad is the poor misguided people who are not yet capable of seeing they are helping create their own potential demise. The brilliance of using the Bane character to speak of the bane on our society is wonderful!

I admire him for taking these issues head-on in a very subtle way. I have not read the script nor do I know the end of the film. Mr. Nolan has yet to invite me for a private screening. What I do know is that this film is set 8 years after the events in The Dark Knight. Batman is more physically diminished from years of battling super villains and keeping Gotham safe. I read the excellent novels Knightfall and No Man's Land (Nolan indicated the two novels were source material for the film).  It appears from the previews that Bane has broken out all the prisoners from Arkham to force Batman to wear himself out rounding them all up. This was a theme from Knightfall. Batman went weeks with little rest while fighting all the released convicts before Bane chose to battle him. You see Occupiers bursting into people's homes, stealing all that they have, and murdering people. It is clear that as in Knightfall Bane breaks Batman's back but unlike in the novel, Bane has the broken Batman as prisoner. Batman must build himself up while in prison and it is clear that Bane and Cat-Woman have captured some of Batman's tools and technology. 

The second trailer from the film indicates just how amazing of a film this is going to be! Mr. Nolan has indicated that this is the final Batman film he will do. He has said that he told his story. Christian Bale has indicated he will not play Batman again if Nolan is not involved. This is very sad for those of us who love Batman and these films! It is a terrible error in judgment on Mr. Nolan's part. He fails to understand that Batman has the best source material of any movie franchise and the greatest collection of characters and villains to draw upon. Most villains in Batman's world are grounded in reality and adaptable to the big screen unlike Green Lantern or even Superman. These are also the three best films Nolan has made, suggesting he needs the Batman franchise as much as it needs him. He'll continue to make good films on his own but these are great films! He has left a tremendous blue print to follow if WB studios hands it over to someone who follows the plan but that is not guaranteed. He's also told a story arch that may limit future films to stories immediately after Dark-Knight and immediately before this film.  I believe that Bruce Wayne is exposed as Batman in the film and while he does not die and reclaims the mantle of The Dark Knight, he may no longer have the need or ability to be Batman with his identity exposed. Nolan would be giving Bruce Wayne and Batman the happy ending that he almost never receives in other adaptations.

It is my sincere hope that Mr. Nolan continues on with Batman but if not that most of the writers and crew remains in place. I thank him for the three great films and giving the world great films based on perhaps the greatest character ever created but the other side of me wants to shake some sense into him.

Here is part of the 6 minute prologue that was shown during some movie screenings recently.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgZiLBQ0nwU

All photos and artist creations courtesy of WB, DC Comics, and the proper copyright holders.