U.S. Military Refuses To Help Matt Damon & Paul Greengrass
Posted by Dirty Harry on Saturday, November 29th, 2008
We keep hearing from Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass about how The Green Zone is apolitical, not like all the other theatrical bombs produced for Al-Qaeda, blah, blah, blah… Well, guess what…?
The American Army refused to help the making of this film because of its critical stance towards the occupation of Iraq. So i was told that all the army equipment used in this film belongs to the Moroccan army, and that there will be also some CGI work done for material that the Moroccan army doesn’t have.
Good grief, I’m tired of these movies. And to trash us in the middle of a tough war is simply unconscionable. It might be different if the filmmakers could claim greed – if these films were making money — but they’re not. They’re beyond failures, well into the realm of embarrassments.
What drives the making of these films is much uglier than greed. It’s hate. These are enablers of evil willing to squander tens-of-millions in the hope of watching untold numbers of abandoned Iraqis fed into the meat grinder of death squads and terrorists. These enablers will not be satisfied until that day arrives, and whatever they must spend to help usher it in — to feel they did their part — makes no never-mind to them.
Filed in General |
sauropodon 29 Nov 2008 at 6:27 pm 1I don’t know what the film will be like, but the book was mostly apolitical, IMO. It pointed out the logistical problems and organizational snafus involved in the Baghdad reconstruction effort, but it never suggested we should cut and run. Its main point was that native Iraqis were better able to handle the reconstruction than the Americans brought in to lead the effort, many of whom were only minimally qualified (by their own admission).
David Marcoeon 29 Nov 2008 at 7:09 pm 2I don’t know what the film will be like, but the book was mostly apolitical, IMO.
Which is of little import, since we aren’t talking about the book, we’re talking about the movie. And consider the track record of Hollywood in being faithful to source material, especially where politics are concerned, the distinction becomes even more important.
Its main point was that native Iraqis were better able to handle the reconstruction than the Americans brought in to lead the effort, many of whom were only minimally qualified (by their own admission).
Yes and no. We ignored local factors on the ground, where Iraqi opinions and knowledge would’ve useful. But they were in no position to rebuild infrastructure, establish a modern nation-state, or create effective military and police forces. Three decades of tyranny and corruption had destroyed previous progress and Arab culture can a stumbling block in such matters, anyway.
But I doubt this movie is out to make those points, as if a movie is the place to do it. Likely, they just latched on to a known property and are using its name to further their agenda.
Patrickon 29 Nov 2008 at 8:57 pm 3The military should refuse to help Mr. Shaky Cam on artistic grounds alone
misanthropicuson 29 Nov 2008 at 9:30 pm 4They’ll change stuff, they’ll alter, they’ll edit and eventually everything will come as the usual Hollywood high-minded crap - the liberals are pathological liars and cheats and DOD has no reasons to trust Greegarass and Damon.
Carolynon 30 Nov 2008 at 12:28 am 5DAMN, I’m glad the military is standing up to those assholes.
The only thing which would have pleased me more would have been if Greengrass and Damon had been flown to Iraq and dumped in Fallujah at night in their jammies to bond with all those Iraqis ‘oppressed’ by the American military. I figure about 20 seconds tops before Damon and Greengrass start screaming like girls for the GI’s.
Ginaon 30 Nov 2008 at 6:13 am 6If I didn’t already love the Army, I would now.
Dylan Brunson 30 Nov 2008 at 6:56 am 7They are way to late. Obama will just claim victory for himself and not change anything. Why else would he keep Gates? So many of the anti-war goobers are just being used and cast aside, its hilarious.
SpideyTerryon 30 Nov 2008 at 10:00 am 8I didn’t think it was possible, but I now have even greater respect for the American military. They’re killing terrorists and telling Hollywood pinheads to take a hike. Just wonderful. Damon and Greengrass can go screw themselves.
billypaintbrushon 30 Nov 2008 at 11:23 am 9i think people are reading in too much motive, here.
These films are made because they are “cool” and “in,” neither of which, these auteurs are until they produce something important. the fact that nobody actually pays attention to their film is irrelevant.
Forlournedon 30 Nov 2008 at 1:46 pm 10Hold on everybody, Mr. Greengrass did make a great and sobering movie called Untied 93. The recent flick showed no sign of vomit inducing shaky cam and was well edited to its end.
Looking at his past, I noticed that I’ve never seen any of his work outside of ‘93 and the two last bourne travesties and can only guess that he noticed the rising amount of vomit comet action shows on the raise and jumped in. I doubt he’ll stop now since ‘93 sputtered but the others pulled in the bucks, but he might surprise us with a insightful movie of a moment in Ira-*acKkk*
Omph. Well (ahem), I couldn’t continue with this one since the history of hollyweird has proven that anything they do in regards to the war will never show a iota of truth and pile mounds of hate into every second in it.
..Though he did do a good job with United 93.
Stephanieon 30 Nov 2008 at 2:42 pm 11Good for Mr. Greengrass and in the next breath he gives the middle finger to the guys fighting this sh*t. I mean hey awesome..lets all celebrate VICTIMHOOD! God help us if we I don’t know go on the hunt and kill them mercilessly before they kill more innocent Americans. Greengrass needs to have something very bad happen to him personally and the bad has to be perpetrated by a grinning Islamic Jihadi freak. Then we can say hey DUDE..now how does moral equivalency feel?
Bloody Samon 02 Dec 2008 at 2:59 am 12Interesting how Hollywood’s only interested in making an Iraq War movie where the conclusion to the story wraps up pre-Surge.
Yes, I realize the book was written and released before the Surge, but I haven’t heard much about H-Wood pursuing Iraq War story ideas that might depict things turning around (as they have). Only the downbeat, we-made-a-mistake-and-need-to-leave-RIGHT-NOW type of Iraq War flicks. Yeah, exactly what mainstream movie audiences have been clamoring for…
Give me more of a Black Hawk Down-type depiction of the conflict, I’ll give it a chance. Might dislike it just the same, but I’d be willing to give it a chance. With left-winger Damon on board, though? No chance in Hell, regardless of source material.
Jack Marinoon 02 Dec 2008 at 8:03 am 13I have an independent film called FORGOTTEN HEROES that shows the Americans as heroes during the Vietnam War. Check out my website by clicking on my name. You can order a DVD and support the only film out there and has been for the past 20 years that thanks the vietnam guys after Hollywood spit on them in cinema as they are doing now to the Iraqi troops. This stuff will not end, unless every conservative buys FORGOTTEN HEROES and gets the word out there over all these blogs that there is a film out there that goes against the Hollywood big guns propaganda machine.