Article

2008-03-29 Fifth Column

'Stop-Loss', Yet Another Hollywood Anti-War Movie, Does Stinker B.O.

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Posted by Anonymoose 2008-03-29 09:48|| || Front Page|| [11136 views ] Top

#1 Hollywood *knows* that the public doesn't want to see anti-war movies, yet they insist on shoving it down their throats.

The critics at Rotten Tomatoes give this a 61% "Thumbs Up", but it is the same old CRAP:

"Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind. Then, against Brandons will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor." -- Plot Outline

Hollywood is just dead inside.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-03-29 09:55|| 2008-03-29 09:55|| Front Page Top

#2 Paramount wasn't expecting much because no Anti-American Anti-Iraq war-themed movie has yet to perform at the box office.

There -fixed it for ya.

Wasn't Bruce Willis going to make a movie about that unit would Michael Yon wrote about?

Posted by CrazyFool 2008-03-29 10:03|| 2008-03-29 10:03|| Front Page Top

#3 by the way - Yon's new book: "Moment of Truth In Iraq" (special signed copies) is available at his site - ships Monday if you buy it from him...in a couple weeks if you buy it elsewhere. I ordered one - will put a review up after I read it

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2008-03-29 10:19|| 2008-03-29 10:19|| Front Page Top

#4 Meanwhile, over at the productive and profitable department of the entertainment business, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare moved 330,900 copies in the month of January. [Let's see at $60 bucks a pop that is over 19M. I'm sure the overhead is lower and the profit margins are higher on the games.] How long before shareholders, let alone the senior management, of these corporations start to shift emphasis of their business model? Faster, faster. Move the movie business to focus on oversea markets, so we can cut all the tax break incentives they exploit.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-03-29 10:25|| 2008-03-29 10:25|| Front Page Top

#5 Oh, and February another 296,200 units.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-03-29 12:43|| 2008-03-29 12:43|| Front Page Top

#6 No one wants to see Iraq war movies...

No, no one wants to see bullshit Iraq war movies, Mr. Studio Executive.
And how did you become Mr. Studio Executive by spending the money to make and release a movie you knew was gonna tank? If I was one of your stockholders, I'd be pretty pissed off about that.

Posted by tu3031 2008-03-29 12:49|| 2008-03-29 12:49|| Front Page Top

"No one wants to see Iraq war movies. No matter what we put out there in terms of great cast or trailers"

Naturally, trying a different perspective has never occurred to these guys.

Posted by JSU 2008-03-29 12:59|| 2008-03-29 12:59|| Front Page Top

#8 Nice bit of bait and switch the studio tried with the preview commercials. Tried to make it look like a war movie rather than the leftist whine fest that it really is. Looks like flyover country isn't as dumb as Hollywood thinks it is.

Posted by ed 2008-03-29 14:07|| 2008-03-29 14:07|| Front Page Top

#9 If Hollyweird made a movie about Iraq that was a fair portrayal of American values and motivations behind the war people might just pay to see it. You might even knock one out of the park if you made an Iraq movie that made people feel good about ourselves and the U.S.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-03-29 14:09|| 2008-03-29 14:09|| Front Page Top

#10 As David St. Hubbins from Spinal Tap put it: "Show one where the plane lands for a change, instead of crashing every time".

Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-03-29 14:10|| 2008-03-29 14:10|| Front Page Top

#11 I am from Texas, sometimes I'll drop in at a little church called Pony Creek. Out of 30-40 people who attend, the Sunday morning prayer list includes 3 to 4 local young men who are in Iraq, have been, or will be. The people portrayed in that film and the young men that film tries to claim are from Texas are not from Texas. The people in this area and the soldiers from here who are in Iraq are there for one reason, to prevent another 9/11. The ones who are back are appreachiated and are glad they served.

In God we Trust.

Posted by www 2008-03-29 16:40|| 2008-03-29 16:40|| Front Page Top

#12 Oh... and God Bless America.

From Texas.

Posted by www 2008-03-29 16:42|| 2008-03-29 16:42|| Front Page Top

#13 I have a question about the basic premise of the movie:
IIRC If your term of enlistment ended in the middle of a tour in Iraq, they might "stop loss" you until the unit was out of Iraq.

I have not heard of someone whose tour ended being "stop lossed" and sent back to Iraq.

Have any Rantburgers heard of something like "Sgt. King's tale of woe" happening in real life?

Al

Posted by Frozen Al 2008-03-29 16:45|| 2008-03-29 16:45|| Front Page Top

#14 The type of movie Hollyweird refuses to make. One or two more generations of tech and no one will need them to make pictures people will want to see. Those will be made elsewhere. It'll be like Detroit and automobiles. Still around but a shell of its former self.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-03-29 16:47|| 2008-03-29 16:47|| Front Page Top

#15 I'd say more like the newspaper biz. They're out of business long before Detroit stops building vehicles.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-29 17:00|| 2008-03-29 17:00|| Front Page Top

#16 Al, stop loss is a term to describe the release of individuals from their contract when there is a need/requirement for their skills for which they were trained and paid. The contract is for 8 years [unless they've altered that time frame in the last 10 years]. The period of 'active duty' is variable, usually three to four years. However, these are not usual times. So as the contract stipulates they can recall you back at anytime during that contract period.

Now let's throw in Title X USC -

TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART II > CHAPTER 39 > Para 671a. Members: service extension during war

Unless terminated at an earlier date by the Secretary concerned, the period of active service of any member of an armed force is extended for the duration of any war in which the United States may be engaged and for six months thereafter.

This has been on the books before even Bush I. So technically speaking, the government is being cool releasing pretty much everyone close to 'peacetime' practices. For the old Regular Army types, the contract is indefinite, with a little clause that allows the Secretary to recall them back at any time.

And for the whiners who want to make believe there isn't a war check in here. Note well the reference to "War Powers Resolution".

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-03-29 17:03|| 2008-03-29 17:03|| Front Page Top

#17 Whether its the Comanches, Santa Anna's "Bravos", Al Qaeda's Jihadi's, or Hollywoods "Code Pinkos", Just Don't Mess with the Real Texas

Posted by www 2008-03-29 17:10|| 2008-03-29 17:10|| Front Page Top

#18 I had a roommate that had done his four years, ETS'ed out and was home for two hours drinking beer. The phone rang and it was the department of defense on the line, telling him to pack up and come back because he was going to war. He was in two more years after the first gulf war. It does happen, everyone knows Uncle Sam owns your ass for 8 years, no matter what. I was thrilled when October 31st, 1998 rolled around as my 8 year 3 month contract ended and I didn't have to worry about getting called back.

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2008-03-29 17:12|| 2008-03-29 17:12|| Front Page Top

#19 The initial 2001 GWO invocation of stop loss is described here.

The issue isn't that Bush did it. So did Clinton in 1999.

The issue is that this is a long war, many National Guard and reservists have served combat tours they never expected (I know, I know .... but they didn't, especially the Guard) and some regular Army and Marines are on their 3rd or 4th tour in theater. So that leaves some weariness to be exploited by the MSM and Hollywood ticks.

The deeper issue is, of course, the deliberate hamstringing of the regular services that was put in place after Nam. When you deliberately ensure that most specialists in various fields are in the reserves rather than the regular Army, you ensure that stop loss orders for those specialties will be issued if we are in a war.

Posted by lotp 2008-03-29 17:14|| 2008-03-29 17:14|| Front Page Top

#20 In addition to stop loss, there have been involuntary activations of individual ready reserve members, usually due to their specialty. Both the Army and the Marines have done this in the last few years.

Posted by lotp 2008-03-29 17:17|| 2008-03-29 17:17|| Front Page Top

#21 Whenever this issue comes up, I've got to admit that my primary bad guys are Rumsfeld and Bush. Why they didn't expand the size of the military after 9/11 is beyond me. This was Rummy's biggest mistake.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-29 17:18|| 2008-03-29 17:18|| Front Page Top

#22 Nimble,

I agree, but kuddos to the President for eventually expanding the size of the force (surge), at at time when the Democrats were demanding our military cut-and-run.

Posted by www 2008-03-29 17:21|| 2008-03-29 17:21|| Front Page Top

#23 lotp, you understand that the National Guard Bureau which has operated as almost an autonomous branch with heavy Congressional influence [for obvious reasons] was the one to insist that the state Guard units remain pretty much combat arms oriented. Rational examination of the needs of governors would imply military police, transportation, engineers, medical service, et al for disaster relief and recovery. Instead the Reserves got those in ponderous and the Guard has been force structured for decades on the combat branches. In the downsizing just before Gulf War I and carried with a vengeance afterwards, DoD and Army were prevented from proportional cuts in Guard and Reserve formations. The active elements paid the price both in manpower and resources. That meant if and when the commitment came, those Guard and Reserve formations and individuals would have to carry a far bigger mission commitment than they had since WWII. And here we are today.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-03-29 17:32|| 2008-03-29 17:32|| Front Page Top

#24 I HAVE known of guys in IRR (Stop-Loss's 'cousin') who were re-activiated and sent back to Iraq. Medical specialties.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2008-03-29 17:34|| 2008-03-29 17:34|| Front Page Top

#25 This is another legacy of vietnam...that you only do 'your tour' and then get out. When my Grandfather and great uncle got drafted during WWII, it was for the /war/. My great uncle was gone for 5 years, his wife didn't see him until the war was over and then some.

Of course, this is understood by those military people who aren't in the service as simply a way to get money.

I'll never forget in the first gulf war there was that Marine INFANTRYMAN that sued, saying that he didn't sign up in the Marines to kill people.

Posted by Silentbrick">Silentbrick 2008-03-29 17:59|| 2008-03-29 17:59|| Front Page Top

#26 lotp I had no choice back in GW1, being as I spoke Arabic, Iraqi dialect, albeit minmally by then (not enough practice). Even though I had gone into the IRR just 3 days before Saddam crossed into Kuwait, they invol called me up "for the duration". Wasnt a problem anyway, I was talking to the local reserve unit's recruiting NCO about how to volunteer to go active from IRR when an NCO at MacDill gave me a call. Funny how hard it was to get back in, but how easy it was to get pulled back in.

Posted by OldSpook 2008-03-29 18:05|| 2008-03-29 18:05|| Front Page Top

#27 It happened in 1962, as well. Any old geezers remember the /Kennedy year/ ? If your ETS fell before 1 July 62, you were in until 1 July 63, for COG. Nobody whined too much; that's what we signed up for.

Posted by Butch Thereter3122 2008-03-29 18:35|| 2008-03-29 18:35|| Front Page Top

#28 And it isn't new. My dad was a B-29 navigator in WWII. He tried every angle after he finished college and an MSME to get back in the AF. No joy. But in July 1950 they tried to nab him.

There is nothing new under the sun.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2008-03-29 18:54|| 2008-03-29 18:54|| Front Page Top

#29 Nimble Spemble: Don't blame Bush or Rumsfeld for that.

Bush's philosophy was give the military what the military *says* it wants. This is the best boss to have, because if you have shortfalls or overages, it is your fault, not his. It means he trusts your judgment.

Rumsfeld's mission was not the conduct of the war, but the modernization and restructuring of the military. Again, he did not play armchair general with strategy or tactics, but made sure the transition from heavy armor divisions to Stryker brigades was done smoothly.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-03-29 18:56|| 2008-03-29 18:56|| Front Page Top

#30 Went over to IMDB to get some info on the movie and found this on one of their boards...

Seriously, I don't care if your for the war or against it. The premise of this whole movie is fraudulent.

1) Stop Loss occurs no more than 90 days prior to a deployment and you are Stop-Lossed throughout the deployment and then again 90 more days upon return to complete outprocessing. Start V.A. paperwork, do your medical, and turn in your gear.

2) There is usually a 1 year dwell time after you return from your deployment before you can deploy again. Also, yes, rapid action units (i.e. 82nd, 10th Mountain, and of course special ops units) have a 3 to 6 month dwell time.

3) You dont get all the way through out processing and then, your going to Iraq in a couple weeks. Not how it happens, unless a special ops unit.

4) You can be recalled back up once discharged if you are in the 8 year window called Inactive Ready Reserve. This has happened during this deployment for shortage Military Occupational Specialties. Shortage M.O.S's are critical specialties that the military feels to be imperative to completion of the mission. Certain factors are considered when call up people, however I do not have the list. How the I.R.R works is, should you do a 2 year enlistment in the U.S. Army you have 6 years left in the I.R.R. The amount of active duty time you have subtracts away from the amount of time left in the I.R.R. VERY RARE, but happens.

I do appreciate the fact that some people try to portray a soldier and his problems, but if you really want to adress some issues. Lets start with the spouses that take the soldiers money and run after they are 5 months into a deployment, spouses that get knocked up by jody while their husbands are deployed. Lets start bring some real stuff to the screen.

Like the war or not, you don't join the military thinking your not going to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. I swear to god if one person says that the recruiters lie to get people to join, wait, someone will say it. There are ignorant people. Look, everybody lies. Deal with it. Yes there are shady people, but to join the military is a pretty big step, especially now.

Fact 35% of all service branches have not yet deployed overseas yet.

Fact: Life isnt fair.

I was in 3rd BDE 1st AD in Fort Riley, Kansas. I had the oppertunity to go to Iraq for 12 months, come home and get told withing a month we were going back in less than 10 months. It sucked, but I made a commitment. Sometimes some people can be selfless and understand that there will always be a calling for a higher purpose, then some people in fear for their lives, will complain and find ways to get out.

Hindsight is 20/20. With the information we know now, should we be in Iraq. you decide, I was there and I can't change that. What I do know, weapons of mass distruction were there. Look at what he did to his own people and the Iranians. You can't pull that stuff off without having some chemical weapons people.

Fact: Prior to the Iraq invasion, every gallop poll was above 60% with approval to take military action to invade Iraq. Why did we invade Iraq? Anyone remember?

He was in violation of a U.N. Resolution by not allowing weapon inspectors to look at his plants. Yup, he sure did open up his gates at the last minute. But you play the come when I want you to come see game for 4 years, its about time someone did something about it.

Look, you want to be against the war, seriously fine. Nothing at all I could do to change your mind. I got it, left side leans one way, right side go to the other. I'm not getting involved with that war of ideology. What I am saying is, listen to what I am saying.

While we as soldiers do appreciate you trying to take issue with some things that affect us. We pretty much know that Stop-Loss is "kind of" a back door draft. What I find irritating also, is the fact that kids who Initially Enlist into the military get bigger bonuses than those who have done this everyday for 12 + years. You want to pay an untested kid a huge sum of money before you even know he can do the job. WTF?

I knew what I was getting into when I deployed 2 times. I'm not an idiot, I could have died. I don't need some anti-war person trying to overstate an issue that really isnt as big of an issue as it was when it initially happened.

Thanks for the time, and for the memories.

Oh yeah, to those people who are against violence. Let's see how against violence you are when you see your best friend gunned down? Pretty sure you gonna want to, run away?

Posted by tu3031 2008-03-29 20:15|| 2008-03-29 20:15|| Front Page Top

#31 I'm happy every time I see another commercial, 50-foot banner, or giant cardboard standee for this movie. Another million dollars the crummy studio heaves down the toidy. Too bad, so sad.

Posted by Seafarious 2008-03-29 22:06|| 2008-03-29 22:06|| Front Page Top

#32 Why they didn't expand the size of the military after 9/11 is beyond me.

Maybe because Congress is the one who authorizes troop levels?

Posted by Pappy 2008-03-29 22:52|| 2008-03-29 22:52|| Front Page Top

23:58 Heriberto Snineger9777
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