Feral Jundi

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Film: So What Does Avatar, District 9, And The Hurtlocker All Have In Common? (Besides Bashing Those Evil Contractors And PMC’s)

Filed under: Film,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 2:28 PM

   They are the top downloaded films of 2009, and they are all up for best picture at the Oscars.  Wow.

   Well everyone here knows my feelings on all of these movies.  I have had a chance to see all of them, and my opinions really haven’t changed too much.  Probably my favorite out of all of them, if I can put aside the whole ‘PMC’s are evil’ angle, is District 9. It trumps Avatar for a unique story and kick ass sci-fi. Plus they made it for way cheaper than Avatar, and you have to give it up for the little guys who do a lot with a little.

   I think the worse one for bashing the military and contractors, is Avatar. So for that, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Hurt Locker or District 9 beat out Avatar, just to see Cameron’s face in the close ups at the oscars. The Hurt Locker is probably the least offensive out of all of these films, but even in that film, they portrayed contractors (one of which was played by Ralph Fiennes) as murky seedy dudes of the desert, who only care about themselves and money. In other words, they played up the mercenary stereotype to the hilt in their portrayal of contractors in the film, and I was turned off. And in this scene, they act like the military was fearful of contractors in Iraq.  If anything, most of the military guys I came across wanted to be contractors or if they saw a contractor PSD team broken down on the side of the road, they usually pulled over and asked if we need any help.  The movie makes it seem like military and contractors were at odds with each other over there, and that could be the farthest from the truth.  Contractors also helped out the military with medical calls or security support, and I saw way more collaboration and mutual respect over there, than what the film portrayed.

   I have yet to see a company fork over the money and provide a Barrett M 82 .50 Cal for road work either. Not impossible, but highly unlikely, and especially with the weapon restrictions contractors faced in Iraq. If a British contractor would like to pipe in and prove me wrong on this, I am all ears.  I never saw them roll with that kind of weaponry out there, but I could be wrong.

   The funny thing with all of these films, is that I think more films will be made with PMC’s in them.  I am even optimistic enough that eventually someone will make a good movie that will portray this industry in a positive light.  The reason I say that, is because every time Hollywood tries to make political statements in their films, it backfires on them. Apocalypse Now was meant to be an anti-war film, and instead it turned into a cult classic.  Platoon, was meant to be an anti-war film, and made by an extreme left-wing loony tunes veteran named Oliver Stone. Instead, that film has become a cult classic.  Full Metal Jacket is another classic war film, that was meant to repulse the viewer about war and the military, and instead, it has created a following throughout the world. Hell, that movie is what motivated me, and thousands like me, to join the Marines. lol So will Hollywood only motivate others to want to become contractors, with their attempt at making ‘anti-contractor’ films?

   So will this new batch of anti-contractor/anti-PMC films, actually backfire on Hollywood?  Look at the video gaming industry?  Those are easily comparable to film releases and revenue, with multi-million dollar campaigns to sell them and huge start studded release parties, all trying to promote the allure of their shooter PMC related games.  There was even talk of making Army of Two a movie. Wow, I didn’t see that one coming.

   Look at the top downloaded films below, and the free market has definitely made it’s choice about what it wants.  And you know what? What the viewing public wants, it gets.  lol So will we see more films that involve this industry, and will Hollyweird continue to inadvertently elevate this industry through it’s naive attempt at demonizing us? I am getting more and more emails from kids and individuals who never served in the military or police, who want to become contractors or who are just interested in learning about the industry. Interesting cultural developments if you ask me, and that is why I cover this stuff.

   The best thing the film industry could do, if they really don’t like us, is to ignore this industry and keep us out of their scripts. But the temptation is just too strong, and I think we will see more films that have either negative or positive portrayals of contractors in them.  And that portrayal will further thread this industry into the fabric of culture–good or bad. Interesting times, and we will see who wins at the Oscars. –Matt

Edit: And the Hurt Locker wins Best Picture.  -hee hee

—————————————————————–

 

TorrentFreak’s Top Downloaded Films For 2009

1. District 9 – 12,639,000

2. Avatar – 11,326,000

3. The Hurt Locker – 7,930,000

4. Up – 5,437,000

5. Inglourious Basterds – 5,376,000

6. Precious – 4,922,000

7. Up In The Air – 4,855,000

8. A Serious Man – 3,836,000

9. The Blind Side – 1,845,00010. An Education – 683,000

Link to TorrentFreak blog here.

——————————————————————

Best Motion Picture Nominees of 2009

“Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

A Lightstorm Entertainment Production

es Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

“The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)

An Alcon Entertainment Production

Nominees to be determined

“District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

A Block/Hanson Production

Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers

“An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)

A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production

Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

“The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

A Voltage Pictures Production

Nominees to be determined

“Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production

Lawrence Bender, Producer

“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production

Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers

“A Serious Man” (Focus Features)

A Working Title Films Production

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers

“Up” (Walt Disney)

A Pixar Production

Jonas Rivera, Producer

“Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

A Montecito Picture Company Production

Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Link to the Oscars website here.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Strategy: The New Rules Of War, By John Arquilla

Filed under: Al Qaeda,Strategy — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 1:19 PM

   Just a heads up, John was one of Rumsfeld’s advisors. lol  But he does bring up some good points to think about, and I wanted to put them out there for the FJ readership to analyze. Here is a quick run down of the rules the author came up with:

   Rule 1: “Many and Small” Beats “Few and Large.”

   Rule 2: Finding Matters More Than Flanking.

   Rule 3: Swarming Is the New Surging.

   I guess the common theme of it all, is getting smaller and more mobile, in order to defeat a smaller and more mobile enemy. I just wonder if today’s militaries are even capable of this kind of flexibility? Because if we haven’t been able to get there yet, then when will we?

   Better yet, if you are reading this and would like an interesting thought to ponder, here it is.  How could a PMC use this information against an enemy it was tasked with destroying? The interesting angle with PMC’s is that the company with the better strategy and tactics, will win.  So if these new rules of warfare are sound, then they could be applied by an army or PMC for today’s battles, and they should come out victorious. Right?

   Or are these concepts really that radical, and just a rehash of older strategy?  I tend to go with this position, and today’s strategists have a tendency to just repackage old themes. The proof in the pudding is for John Arquilla to apply his rules in a war game in which the opposition is let’s say some player taking the side of Al Qaeda.   Either way, it is food for thought, and I would like to hear what you guys think. –Matt

——————————————————————

The New Rules of War

The visionary who first saw the age of “netwar” coming warns that the U.S. military is getting it wrong all over again. Here’s his plan to make conflict cheaper, smaller, and smarter.

BY JOHN ARQUILLA

 MARCH/APRIL 2010

Every day, the U.S. military spends $1.75 billion, much of it on big ships, big guns, and big battalions that are not only not needed to win the wars of the present, but are sure to be the wrong approach to waging the wars of the future.

In this, the ninth year of the first great conflict between nations and networks, America’s armed forces have failed, as militaries so often do, to adapt sufficiently to changed conditions, finding out the hard way that their enemies often remain a step ahead. The U.S. military floundered for years in Iraq, then proved itself unable to grasp the point, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, that old-school surges of ground troops do not offer enduring solutions to new-style conflicts with networked adversaries.

So it has almost always been. Given the high stakes and dangers they routinely face, militaries are inevitably reluctant to change. During World War I, the armies on the Western Front in 1915 were fighting in much the same manner as those at Waterloo in 1815, attacking in close-packed formations — despite the emergence of the machine gun and high-explosive artillery. Millions were slaughtered, year after bloody year, for a few yards of churned-up mud. It is no surprise that historian Alan Clark titled his study of the high command during this conflict The Donkeys.

Even the implications of maturing tanks, planes, and the radio waves that linked them were only partially understood by the next generation of military men. Just as their predecessors failed to grasp the lethal nature of firepower, their successors missed the rise of mechanized maneuver — save for the Germans, who figured out that blitzkrieg was possible and won some grand early victories. They would have gone on winning, but for poor high-level strategic choices such as invading Russia and declaring war on the United States. In the end, the Nazis were not so much outfought as gang-tackled.

(more…)

Cool Stuff: Author And Contractor Rob Krott Has A Blog

Filed under: Books,Cool Stuff,Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:15 AM

   Here is another blog to put up on your RSS reader folks, and I look forward to future posts from Rob about all things contracting, or whatever interests him.  It’s just cool he is blogging, and I hope to see others follow his lead.

   I also posted his book awhile back and I am sure he has sold a few since then. It’s a cool book and goes into some of his interesting contracting history, before security contracting blew up during these current wars. Places like Balkans or Somalia, and you can read a little more about his book at his new website/blog. He also did a podcast with Jake Allen awhile back, and you can check that out here.

   Finally, James who is the designer and creator behind such projects as Death Valley Magazine, is responsible for putting together this website for Rob.  So if you are interested in getting your own blog started, and want to enter into the ring of new media, then there is one resource for you to tap into. I am sure James will pop up and provide some info about what he can do for you. –Matt

Rob Krott’s blog and website here.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Funny Stuff: Leadership Lessons From Shirtless Dancing Guy

Filed under: Funny Stuff,Leadership,Video — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 11:21 PM

Maritime Security: Somali Pirates And Armed Security Personnel In 4 Shootouts, Pirate Season Begins

Filed under: Maritime Security,Somalia — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:02 AM

     So according to this article, and the history of modern piracy in the GoA, this is the pirate season.  A perfect combination of weather and sea conditions are allowing pirates to do their deed.  And guess what?  Naval forces, as well as vessels that have armed security, are ready for them and giving the pirates a run for their money.

     From the looks of it, folks have been busy out there.  The one story to clue in on, is the results of putting armed security on Spanish tuna boats.  This was endorsed by Spain’s government, and it looks to me like this is working out for them. The pirates attacked their boats, and armed security repelled the attacks and called for backup.  Perfect.

     As for the Juicebox Commandos who continue to promote this idea that putting armed security on boats will cause an ‘arms race’ or is just ‘too risky’, is just dumb. It also shows a lack of compassion for the crews of these boats. The right to self defense is a basic human right that no one should be denied, and especially on the high seas.

     What is causing the arms race in my opinion, is the ship owners and insurance companies that keep paying these multi-million dollar ransoms to pirates, and in turn, the pirates are able to buy better and more lethal weapons and equipment for piracy ventures.  Until piracy becomes a high risk and low odds venture for them, they will continue to attack.

     Now that more and more boats are getting armed security and the navies of the world are finally getting aggressive, these pirates are starting to learn the hard way that their business venture is becoming increasingly more dangerous.  I think that is great news, and bravo to all the security forces out there that are dishing it back to these booger eaters. Bravo to the ship owners who care enough to put armed security on the boats. That is called ‘taking care of your people’, and that is the way it should be out there. –Matt

——————————————————————

Somali pirates, security personnel in 4 shootouts

By KATHARINE HOURELD

3/5/2010

NAIROBI, Kenya — Swarms of Somali pirates are moving into the waters off East Africa, triggering four shootouts Friday including a skirmish with French military personnel that sunk a pirate skiff, officials said.

The end of the monsoon season and the resulting calmer waters signal the beginning of the most dangerous period for ships traveling the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. Nearly half the 47 ships hijacked off Somalia last year were taken in March and April.

Cmdr. John Harbour of the European Union Naval Force said a spike in attacks was very likely in coming weeks. But this season, ship owners and sailors are more prepared to try to evade pirates, fight back, or have armed security onboard, raising the likelihood of violence.

“We know the monsoon is over. We know they’re coming,” Harbour said. “We’re taking the fight to the pirates.”

In the most serious skirmish Friday, six pirates attacked a vessel before breaking off and chasing the French fishing boat Torre Giulia, Harbour said. Two other French fishing vessels nearby — the Jalenduic and the Trevignon — aided the Torre Giula.

A French military detachment onboard the Trevignon fired warning shots at the pirates, but failed to stop the attack. The Trevignon approached the skiff and collided with it, said Harbour, sinking the skiff and throwing the pirates into the water. Four were rescued and a military aircraft was searching for the other two, he said.

(more…)

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress