Feral Jundi

Monday, October 27, 2008

Film: ‘Blackwater’ Screenplay Moving Forward

Filed under: Film — Tags: , , — Matt @ 10:27 AM

   Alright guys, you know who you have to write to, in order to make sure they get it right.  If you want Hollywood to control the story, then don’t say a thing.  Or write this guy on his blog, and let him know how you feel.  Invariably, Hollywood is going to screw up anything they get their hands on though, and I really am not too motivated about this film.  

   Even if the writers have the best of intention, the guys with the money are the ones that dictate the narrative.  And seeing how Hollywood has completely screwed the pooch with how they have treated the troops and their service in Iraq, I really do not have much faith in this thing.  I could be wrong, and these guys might have the intention of producing a quality product that honors the sacrifice of those that died in that company and in the industry, but I doubt it. 

    On the other hand, Hollywood has been screaming for action in the Sudan, and several actors have mentioned Blackwater as a possible tool to save lives there.  But if this film is meant to be another hack job, then I will be disappointed but not really surprised. –Head Jundi

 

Preliminary poster for Blackwater film.

 

Blackwater film by Ron Shusett & John Chadwell moving forward

October 25th, 2008

By John Chadwell

For those who might be interested in the progress of mine and Ron Shusett’s screenplay, “Blackwater,” I just wanted to let you know that it’s moving forward, perhaps not as rapidly as we would like it to, but all the same it’s still very much alive.

There has been some reorganization with the producers that is not entirely clear to me, but we’ve been told that there are investors lined up to back a slate of films, including Blackwater, now under the Shusett Productions banner.

(more…)

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Film: FRONTLINE Presents- The War Briefing

Filed under: Afghanistan,Film,Iraq — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 10:31 PM

The next president of the United States will inherit some of the greatest foreign policy challenges in American history–an overstretched military, frayed alliances, and wars on two fronts. FRONTLINE gives viewers a hard, inside look at the real policy choices the next president will face. The report features strategists and diplomats giving their best advice about how to correct past failures and how to shape a realistic foreign policy approach in the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

press release 

IN LEAD-UP TO U.S. ELECTION, FRONTLINE REPORTS ON THE CURRENT STATE OF THE WAR AGAINST THE TALIBAN AND AL QAEDA

FRONTLINE Presents

The War Briefing

Tuesday, October 28, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS

The next president of the United States will inherit a foreign policy nightmare: wars on two fronts, an overstretched military, a resurgent Taliban and a reconstituted Al Qaeda based far from America’s reach.

In The War Briefing, airing Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), award-winning FRONTLINE producer Marcela Gaviria and correspondent Martin Smith offer harrowing on-the-ground reporting from the deadliest battlefield in the mountains of Afghanistan, and follow the trail to the militant safe havens deep inside the Pakistani tribal areas, probing some of the most urgent foreign policy challenges facing the next president.

(more…)

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Film: Outside the Wire Series, by JD Johannes

Filed under: Film,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 11:25 PM

     I love stuff like this, because it is the anti-Hollywood version of the war.  If you are tired of all the negative films and documentaries about the troops and the war like I am, then you will be glad to know that this series is very pro-troops and gives a very different view on the war.  Lots of excellent footage of our guys doing a tough job over there and kicking ass.  Thanks to Doug for bringing this series to my attention.  –Head Jundi

Outside the Wire

 About the Documentary Series (from the website) 

The ‘Outside the Wire’ series of four documentaries about Iraq started when JD Johannes went to Iraq with his old Marine Corps unit in 2005 to produce syndicated television news reports. 

Johannes returned to Iraq in 2007 to see ‘The Surge’ and the ‘Anbar Awakening’ first hand. 

(more…)

Friday, July 11, 2008

Film: HBO’s Seven-Part Miniseries called ‘Generation Kill’

Filed under: Film,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 10:33 AM

    You know, I am kind of mixed on these types of shows and movies.  The book was interesting, but I have no clue how the film will turn out.  Hollywood has such a hard time getting this stuff right, and invariably they end up pissing off a ton of veterans because they didn’t get it right.  But sometimes they hit a home run.  

     It sounds like the Marine test audience liked it, so that is promising.  I also like the fact that they involved some of the actual Marines who were there(very cool).  I have to tell you though, after the latest batch of Holly-crap anti-war war films, I am giving this some good ol’ fashion ‘cautious optimism’.  And hopefully, for the sake of the veterans that this film depicts, they are happy with the end product.  By the way, I want to give thanks to a buddy of mine that gave me the heads up about this film.  –Head Jundi 

 

TV Critics Tour: Marines Give Thumbs Up to ‘Generation Kill’

HBO’s Seven-Part Miniseries Detailing Iraqi Invasion Debuts July 13

By Linda Moss — Multichannel News, 7/10/2008 10:01:00 PM

Beverly Hills, Calif.—U.S. Marines at Camp Pendleton responded well to Generation Kill, the HBO miniseries about the 2003 invasion of Iraq, during a screening at the base this week, officials said Thursday.

Generation Kill, which debuts July 13, is a gritty seven-part miniseries based on a book by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, who was embedded in a Marine unit during the invasion. It was executive produced and co-written by David Simon and Ed Burns of The Wire.

During a session on the miniseries at the Television Critics Association summer tour, Wright said Generation Kill had been shown Wednesday at the Marine base just north of San Diego.

“There were several hundred Marines,” Wright said. “It was f—king awesome…That audience totally got exactly what David and Ed and I were all doing on this project. They laughed at all the right jokes…It was the most gratifying moment of the whole production, to see these guys laughing and nodding their heads with recognition, especially as controversial as it was in some quarters.”

Panelist Simon added that the airing at Camp Pendleton was what everyone cared about.

“We screened this at Camp Pendleton,” said Eric Kocher, a former Marine and military advisor for Generation Kill. “We screened it to the real Bravo 2 Marines and the biggest comments they say are, you know, the dialog is excellent,” Kocher added. “It hits exactly the way Marines talk, and the atmosphere is visually what you see, what you hear in the background. Everything is it. It hits Iraq…That’s the biggest comments that everyone tells me, especially in the Marine community.”

At the Generation Kill panel, HBO Films president Colin Callender denied that the miniseries was cut down to seven episodes from eight because of fear that it would not perform well, since many TV shows and movies on Iraq have flopped. 

“It was a budget issue,” he said. “It wasn’t an editorial decision.”

During the network’s executive session earlier Thursday, HBO officials argued that Generation Kill really isn’t about the politics of the war, but about the young soldiers sent in as part of the invasion.

“It has nothing to do with politics,” HBO co-president Richard Plepler said. “It’s really the story of this particular Marine reconnaissance unit as it came into Iraq…it is the emotional truth, the psychological truth of what those kids experienced.”

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