American Sniper
Wow. I can't remember the last time I was so moved by a film. This was just intense and incredible. I love that we've been getting films showcasing and celebrating our real life American heroes. Last year, we had Lone Survivor. Before that, Zero Dark Thirty (although there was less focus on the soldiers). I wish that every serviceman could get such a worthy tribute and moment in the spotlight.
I'd been surprised by how many Academy Award nominations this film scored last week as it had barely been in the conversations. Within a few minutes of watching the film, it was clear why the accolades were so well deserved.
Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the real life Navy SEAL who served multiple tours in Iraq and picked up more confirmed kills than any US sniper in history. After a brief glimpse into his early life, we see him in Iraq and at home between stops. The film really gets into his emotion state, showing what a different person he is before serving, while serving, at home in between tours, and the aftermath. We've gotten into this psychology a bit with the fictional Hurt Locker a few years back, but seeing the truth of how it plays out, well, it's impossible not to feel something.
No question, this is Cooper's best performance to date. At first, I was kind of blindsided by him picking up the Best Actor nod, but I quickly understood why. He's tough. He's distant. He's fearless. He's damaged. He's caring. He's cold. He's all over the place. Cooper made it his personal mission to get this story told (as a producer as well as actor), and has made a point to be sure that Kyle gets the attention he deserves. Job well done, Mr Cooper.
Thank you for your service, Mr Kyle
American Sniper - \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/
I'd been surprised by how many Academy Award nominations this film scored last week as it had barely been in the conversations. Within a few minutes of watching the film, it was clear why the accolades were so well deserved.
Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the real life Navy SEAL who served multiple tours in Iraq and picked up more confirmed kills than any US sniper in history. After a brief glimpse into his early life, we see him in Iraq and at home between stops. The film really gets into his emotion state, showing what a different person he is before serving, while serving, at home in between tours, and the aftermath. We've gotten into this psychology a bit with the fictional Hurt Locker a few years back, but seeing the truth of how it plays out, well, it's impossible not to feel something.
No question, this is Cooper's best performance to date. At first, I was kind of blindsided by him picking up the Best Actor nod, but I quickly understood why. He's tough. He's distant. He's fearless. He's damaged. He's caring. He's cold. He's all over the place. Cooper made it his personal mission to get this story told (as a producer as well as actor), and has made a point to be sure that Kyle gets the attention he deserves. Job well done, Mr Cooper.
Thank you for your service, Mr Kyle
American Sniper - \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/