Oooh-Rah!

Though it seems like the trailer has been out there for months and months, only now, this weekend, is Sam Mendes' new flick Jarhead marching into theaters. An adaptation of Anthony Swofford's memoir about being a leatherneck in that last war we fought in the desert against Saddam Hussein (you remember), the movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx as US Marines who want nothing more than to idly kick around, get into mischief, and maybe plink some tin cans with their rifles. According to the msm, that's all they do, anyway. This movie hasn't been getting outstanding reviews, but it's got the right mix of action, star power, and violence to account for itself honorably this weekend. Blogs are mixed. Gothamist called it "the major must-see," but Cinematical links to a post criticizing it for being "the gayest war movie of all time," as in, homosexual, not, y'know, "bad." They write: "The writer here does a nice job of offering both specifics to support his/her theory and a sense of humor, which always makes readings like this much more palatable. The writer's fairly convincing conclusion is, essentially, that the film sexualizes war." Well, it wouldn't be the first time a director did that.

Posted by Philip Ewing at November 4, 2005 10:18 AM

Category: Moving Pictures