The Men Who Stare At Goats
by Grant Heslov
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin SpaceyDirector: Grant Heslov
Brand: Fox
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
Published: 2010-03-01
DVD Release Date: 2010-03-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: OV21370
Studio: Overture Films/Anchor Bay Entertainment
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Color; DVD; Widescreen; NTSC
Movie Reviews of The Men Who Stare At Goats
Movie Review: The man inside me is screaming like a little girl...'cause this thing has an ugly backstory
Summary: 5 Stars
You read it right, and I'm going to dive right in with what I know, as little and weird as that may be.
I was not disappointed by this controversial film at all. It takes a hilarious, satirical look at the U.S. military's interest in offbeat defense ideas, including remote viewing and bizarre martial arts techniques. It centers on the beginning of the Iraq War, where we find Clooney and MacGregor wandering aimlessly--actually, looking for Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey. It lampoons successfully, and some of the zingers in this film are some of the best I've heard in years.
The whole thing made me laugh start to finish, and you will too. That is, if you avoid the sordid history of this movie (see below). The Brits came here years ago looking for documentary material on this stuff, the U.S. Army helped them out, and then the Brits thought they had successfully dumped all over us. The final result was this film, THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS--meaning AMERICANS. The real people involved in this from the American side were not happy about any of it.
Well, it's funny, the subtle humor may not click with the average dough-head viewer, but I think especially anyone linked with the military will like this. My one gripe was the lack of respect shown to our armed forces, though the producers of this movie tried hard to respect the U.S. itself. If this was Britain's way of skewering our thought processes, they should have looked in the mirror first.
Anyway, watch this cool film, buy yourself a Predator...sorry, a Defender...and become a Jedi in the New Earth Army (as it's called in this film)! It beats the hell out of STAR WARS. It's fun, it's funny and yes, it is thought-provoking.
And now, the sordid history, which I think has to be revealed:
1. This is from BBC Film, so be ready to encounter some seemingly un-American weirdness.
2. Pete Brusso (U.S. Army, ret.), about whom I know nothing (other than he is the inventor of a simple-looking weapon used in this film), was contacted by a notorious producer named Jon Ronson of England. Ronson wanted to know about American black-ops involving psychic stuff and mind control. By the bye, you can buy one of these weapons, called "the predator" in this film but now known as "the defender".
3. Brusso introduced Ronson into the world of the weird at Camp Pendleton, at Fort Bragg--and the weirder world of the Army's 1st Earth Battalion. The founder of the Battalion, Lt. Col. Jim Channon (U.S. Army), is somewhat famous. Well, don't look at me!!
4. Through these and other fine men, producer Jon Ronson created a British TV special, "Crazy Rulers of the World", airing on Britain's Channel 4 from 2001 to 2003. Ronson's partner/researcher/main writer the entire time was one John Sergeant--don't forget the name.
5. A book was written, MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS. I can't tell you who wrote it but I believe it was Sergeant. Ronson's name is on it as sole author. All I know is people here, especially the US Army, were pissed off at this Ronson clown for his TV show and the book.
6. The film was made, everyone jumping up and down because it would have Jeff Bridges (as a commander LOOSELY based on Lt. Col. Channon), George Clooney (as the semi-lost Special Forces operative Lyn Cassady, rank unknown)--and Ewan MacGregor as young Bob Wilton, a Michigan-based reporter (character based on Ronson).
7. John Sergeant came screaming from the wings--at least I think I have the names straight--claiming Ronson "airbrushed" him out of the story totally. How this occurs, I know not. Ewan was funny as hell in this excellent film, and I really don't care who he was playing. Sergeant was so angry he wrote a letter to Clooney, protesting that he had done all the work, and Ronson was nothing but a leeching producer. Heck, Sergeant said, he even wrote the book that had Ronson's name on it.
How did they resolve this? Well, who cares! It's a damned good film and I take my hat off to the Brits, who didn't slam us as hard as we deserved. If you have little conscience about the U.K.'s version of Follywood, buy this thing. It is cool.
And remember to give a salute to the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion.
Summary of The Men Who Stare At Goats
In this comedic look at real life events that are almost too bizarre to believe, reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) discovers an experimental top-secret wing of the U.S. military called The New Earth Army, trained to change the ways wars are fought through New Age psychic power. In search of his next big story, Wilton tracks down Lyn Cassady (Academy AwardŽ winner George Clooney), a shadowy figure who claims to be a member of this legion of ?Warrior Monks? with unparalleled psychic powers who can read the enemy?s thoughts, pass through walls, and even kill a goat simply by staring at it.Similar DVD Movies
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