We Were Soldiers -- The New Mel Gibson Epic

Quicktime Movie Trailers ^ | 12/09/01 | N/A

[VOA]

The book is excellent -- but will the film be worthy?

As an humble civilian who missed the festivities in Vietnam by about two years...
and knowing how heralded films often tank...I will still tell you that here in the
Los Angeles area, we've gotten good reports.

Hugh Hewitt, a constitutional law professor AND great talk show host, has mentioned
rumors that Dubya and Karl Rove have seen clips of this film...and love it.

So, cross your fingers and hope for the best. With Mel Gibson aboard, I suspect it won't
disappoint...and might just be awesome.

As for this specific film, I highly anticipate Greg Kinnear as one of the
helicopter pilots that relieved/re-supplied the embattled troops, even when the
air-rescue units would not fly into the battle-zone.
(Trust me..."ALOHA RONNIE", who participated in this battle will correct me if
I exaggerate.)
When I heard Kinnear was in the film, at first I cringed...then realized it probably
is a BRILLIANT "casting against type".
If there is a chance for an actor to outdo Tom Hanks as the happy, civilized "citizen soldier"
who astounds himself (and other) in h-ll, then this would be the role.

As per my Rescoral tribute in an earlier post...I bet someone connected with the
production of this film (as great as it may be) is kicking themselves for cutting
Rescorla's story from the script, even though he took up a good chunk (30 pages?)
of the book.

I just hope Rescorla and other folks who get left out of the film story get noticed somehow.

And one final note. Although I have (shame on me) not read the book, my understanding
is that the tone of the book is one that looks at the participants on both side of the
ferocious engagement.
So, although I have no specific information on this, I would not be suprised if we
see some of the battle from the perspective of the adversaries.

[bimmer]

Mr. Gibson is also simpatico to homeschoolers.

[jo6pac]

Thank you. Thank you very much.

[THEUPMAN]

the festivities in Vietnam

?

[VOA]

Thank you. Thank you very much.

(Picture of The King [Elvis] in uniform during his two years in the U.S. Army)

While we are honoring good Americans on this thread...and noting the
recent observance of the Sixtieth Anniversary of The Attack Of Pearl Harbor...
this would be a good time for fellow posters/lurkers to confirm/deny a story I've heard.

Is it true that Elvis paid a substatial part of the cost of the Battleship Arizona Memorial
from the proceeds of some benefit concerts that he did?

Yes...diverting a bit from the movie topic...but just wondering.

[VOA]

the festivities in Vietnam
?

THEUPMAN,
I apologize if that term offends.
I use it because I knew a couple of Vietnam Era Vets in Oklahoma City and they
would use that term in a sense of irony. I guess they used it as a polite euphemism for
the kind of environment they really experienced.

If I offended you or anyone else, I'm sorry. I wasn't meaning to be flippant.

[jo6pac]

I don't know, VOA, but it wouldn't surprise me. He loved this country.

[Mudboy Slim]

"Walker should be executed..."

Yes, but...

"...before Christmas."

Depends what Christmas yer speakin' of...it won't be this one.

FReegards...MUD

[jwalsh07]

They're playing your song amigo.

[RonDog]

You are right about Elvis. See:

Honolulu Star-Bulletin

[VOA]

I'll grab the opportunity to get the #50 or #51 spot on this thread.

And tell EVERYBODY to put a BIG mark on their calendars for March 1, 2002...
and maybe a week or two before that to make sure you can get some first-night tickets
from the local theater!

And I will push "Black Hawk Down", which is suppossed to be released near the end
of December.
Talk about timing...it will be interesting to see what happens to Somalia when
Mainstreet America sees this film and "conncects the dots" between that tragedy
(and triumph of the soldiers who lived and died the experience) and that
bin Laden and his Al-Queda b@stards helped plan that murderous attack.

I JUST CAN'T WAIT to hear Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton explain how what happened
in Somalia to our troops was the fault of all those mean old, militaristic, white
conservative males.
Guarantee she'll be on "Good Morning America" and "The Today Show" to explain this
all the Soccer Moms!

I haven't been to the theater since "Saving Pvt. Ryan", even though MANY films premiere about two
blocks from where I type this.
Now we get two good ones in less than three months time-span. Oh well, just like Oklahoma.
When it rains, it pours!

[gonzo]

"...the festivities in Vietnam ..."

The euphumism we preferred was 'Southeast-Asian-Vacation'!

Making light of it helped get over it....FRegards

[THEUPMAN]

the festivities in Vietnam

sense of irony.

ya that makes sense ... no offence taken

[Snardius]

Now........if only I had his looks, talent, money, etc., etc., etc....

Then we'd have no need for you. :)

Stop being critical of yourself...you're just fine being who you are.

[MissAmericanPie]

"but will the film be worthy?"

Have you ever see Mel Gibson in a bad movie? I havn't.

[VOA]

I like 'im. :) He and I are exactly the same age and have the same number of children
(I'm pretty sure he has seven......).

Now........if only I had his looks, talent, money, etc., etc., etc..............

Don't be too hard on yourself (or envious of Mr. Gibson).
I had my "brush with fame" when I got to see Mr. Gibson "in the flesh" at the
Malibu Courthouse in June of 2000.

I really like the guy and most of his films...but in person he's not an imposing figure
(of course, that may be some of his charm...not being a Stallone/Schwarzenegger type).
And I found out from the courthouse guards that he was dealing that day with the
downside of being a celebrity...in court over a stalker/papparazzi case.

Of course, this made me feel better in a way as I didn't approach him to
autograph a copy of a book on the making of "The Patriot" that I had in my backpack!!!

[GussiedUp]

I love him too - I'd see any movie he made even if it were a dud - just to support him. I'll bootleg George Clooney and other liberal's movies off Kazaa.com and not give them a thin dime of my money.

I wonder how Mel could tolerate working on all those Lethal Weapons movies with that HYPOCRITE Danny Glover?

[jo6pac]

Great work. Great article.

Bump!

[VOA]

I wonder how Mel could tolerate working on all those Lethal Weapons movies with that
HYPOCRITE Danny Glover?

I think I heard recently that Mr. Glover has a negotiated contractual agreement
with the studio bosses that he'll appear in some films with "guns and violence", and
in return the bosses bankroll him for his more pacifistic (and box-office loser) films.

I would not be surprised if Mr. Gibson has (effectively) a similar deal as in
appearing in "mainstream films" with folks like Danny Glover to earn that
$20 million dollar/film to fund his more patriotic work with Icon Productions.

I find Gibson's case the more admirable one...as most of Hollywood would rather
ABORT any sort of film that even suggests patriotism for a democracy/republic!
For anyone who doubts Mr. Gibson's personal right-of-center stance, I can give you
three examples.
He was one of the narrator voices in a special on PBS called "The Face" which was
about artistic portrayals of Jesus Christ througout the centuries. His voice-over was so
subtle I didn't know it was him until the credits rolled.

Also, I had the honor of getting my book on the making of "The Patriot" autographed by
the director, producer and the British actor that portrayed the villian in "The Patriot"
at a book-signing last year at Brentanno's Bookstore at the big shopping center in
Brentanno's Mall. These celebrities took questions from the audience (packed the place with over
100 fans). Someone asked the British actor about working with "an Australian like Mel Gibson".
The guy started laughing and said "After working on a film with Mel Gibson, let me
tell you that they guy is an AMERICAN and will make that clear to anyone who claims
otherwise!"
(The actor was laughing as though he'd been corrected on this point by Gibson!)

Finally, although I didn't see it myself...my brother said that when Elia Kazan got
his lifetime Oscar that Gibson was appaluding big-time...while guys like Ed Harris,
Nick Nolte and others were sitting on their hands and fighting the good fight for the
black-listed guys from over a half-century ago.

Lest anyone think I'm pushing a "cult of personality"...let me say
that I like Gibson as an actor AND as someone who simply seems to lean a bit right
of most of his professional colleagues in Hollywood.

[Bogey78O]

My dad refers to it as SE Asian wargames