"Hurt Locker" producers fire back at Iraq veteran
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Producers of "The Hurt Locker" are firing back against the Iraq War veteran who claimed that his life story was ripped off to create the Academy Award-winning drama.
Master Sgt. Jeffrey S. Sarver filed his case with much fanfare just days before the film won best picture at the Oscars in March. He claimed the depiction of an Army bomb squad was a thinly veiled account of his own story.
According to Sarver's complaint, journalist/screenwriter Mark Boal breached an agreement with the U.S. military that restricted the reporting of detailed personal information about service members. Sarver said the information was used in Boal's Playboy article and then the screenplay for "The Hurt Locker," and that the depiction of the character of Will James violated his publicity rights, defamed him and caused emotional stress.
But now the defendants, including distributor Summit Entertainment, financier Voltage Pictures, Boal, director/producer Kathryn Bigelow and others, have responded to the complaint with a motion to dismiss.
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"Hurt Locker" producers fire back at Iraq veteran
Showing posts with label Hurt Locker. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hurt Locker. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Hurt Locker soldier killed in Afghanistan due to "indirect fire"
'Indirect fire' blamed for Maine soldier's death
May 09, 2010 09:14 EDT
WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) -- The Department of Defense says the soldier from Waterville who died Thursday in Jaghatu, Afghanistan, was killed by indirect fire from a rocket or mortar fired by insurgents.
The Morning Sentinel of Waterville reported Sunday that 21-year-old Army Spc. Wade Slack worked in combat, performing duties depicted in this year's Academy Award-winning film for best picture, "The Hurt Locker." But officials said Slack did not lose his life in an accidental detonation while working to disarm a bomb.
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Indirect fire blamed for Maine soldier's death
May 09, 2010 09:14 EDT
WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) -- The Department of Defense says the soldier from Waterville who died Thursday in Jaghatu, Afghanistan, was killed by indirect fire from a rocket or mortar fired by insurgents.
The Morning Sentinel of Waterville reported Sunday that 21-year-old Army Spc. Wade Slack worked in combat, performing duties depicted in this year's Academy Award-winning film for best picture, "The Hurt Locker." But officials said Slack did not lose his life in an accidental detonation while working to disarm a bomb.
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Indirect fire blamed for Maine soldier's death
Monday, March 8, 2010
Iraq drama 'The Hurt Locker' rules Oscars
Iraq drama 'The Hurt Locker' rules Oscars
By Rob Woollard (AFP) – 18 hours ago
HOLLYWOOD — Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker" dominated the 82nd Academy Awards here Sunday, scooping six Oscars including best picture on a historic night in Hollywood.
The powerful movie about a US Army bomb disposal squad in Baghdad blew away the competition, with film-maker Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first woman ever to win the Oscar for best director.
"This really is, there's no other way to describe it, the moment of a lifetime," said Bigelow, only the fourth woman ever to be nominated for the best director award by Academy voters.
"I'd like to dedicate this to the women and men in the military who risk their lives in a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world," Bigelow added. "May they come home safe."
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Iraq drama The Hurt Locker rules Oscars
By Rob Woollard (AFP) – 18 hours ago
HOLLYWOOD — Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker" dominated the 82nd Academy Awards here Sunday, scooping six Oscars including best picture on a historic night in Hollywood.
The powerful movie about a US Army bomb disposal squad in Baghdad blew away the competition, with film-maker Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first woman ever to win the Oscar for best director.
"This really is, there's no other way to describe it, the moment of a lifetime," said Bigelow, only the fourth woman ever to be nominated for the best director award by Academy voters.
"I'd like to dedicate this to the women and men in the military who risk their lives in a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world," Bigelow added. "May they come home safe."
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Iraq drama The Hurt Locker rules Oscars
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Soldier sues, says 'Hurt Locker' is his story
Soldier sues, says 'Hurt Locker' is his story
By Alan Duke, CNN
March 3, 2010 4:13 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Soldier says he's basis for main character in "The Hurt Locker," wants credit, portion of proceeds
Film, up for nine Oscars, is about a bomb-disposal expert in Iraq
Writer and producer Mark Boal spent time with unit in Iraq, wrote Playboy article before screenplay
(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier who defused roadside bombs in Iraq wants credit for inspiring the main character in "The Hurt Locker," a movie up for nine Oscars this weekend.
Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming writer Mark Boal -- a journalist embedded with his Army unit in Iraq -- based the film's main character on his life.
"They literally transposed his life in the film and then claimed it was a work of fiction," said lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. "The only fiction was the claim it was a work of fiction."
Without directly denying Sarver's claim, the production company said it was "a fictional account of what brave men and women do on the battlefield."
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http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/03/hurt.locker.lawsuit/
By Alan Duke, CNN
March 3, 2010 4:13 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Soldier says he's basis for main character in "The Hurt Locker," wants credit, portion of proceeds
Film, up for nine Oscars, is about a bomb-disposal expert in Iraq
Writer and producer Mark Boal spent time with unit in Iraq, wrote Playboy article before screenplay
(CNN) -- A U.S. soldier who defused roadside bombs in Iraq wants credit for inspiring the main character in "The Hurt Locker," a movie up for nine Oscars this weekend.
Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming writer Mark Boal -- a journalist embedded with his Army unit in Iraq -- based the film's main character on his life.
"They literally transposed his life in the film and then claimed it was a work of fiction," said lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. "The only fiction was the claim it was a work of fiction."
Without directly denying Sarver's claim, the production company said it was "a fictional account of what brave men and women do on the battlefield."
read more here
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/03/hurt.locker.lawsuit/
When the "Hurt Locker" is inside of them, where are their war movies?
What was the point of this movie? Was it to get people to take the a personal interest in the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women? Address the fact they have dangerous jobs? Show their courage and dedication? Maybe it was so that people would finally pay attention to the fact we have two wars on and no one seems to care?
War movies are nothing new and there will always be some folks cheering while others shun it. There will always be heroes and villains in these movies and always some type of personal agenda being filled. What there has not been enough of is the type of movie like "The Best Years of Our Lives" showing what it is like when they come home. Seven academy awards for this old movie about "them" and not just about war itself.
What about a movie like this with the only agenda is to tell their story after they come home? What about a movie focused on a "lifer" suddenly finding himself/herself so wounded they can no longer remain in the military and must then try to find a way to give up the only dream they ever had? What about a movie on National Guardsmen and women and how their families have to deal with the deployments into Iraq and Afghanistan instead of just risking their lives to save their neighbors after a natural disaster? What about one on how they return from deployment finding they have lost their businesses and there are no jobs for them find? Hey, what about the fact that a lot of the National Guards and Reservists are also police officers and firefighters risking their lives in other nations and then risking them on the streets of their home towns and cities?
Movies can hide behind a character but the ones worth watching are focused on caring about the real characters first. I have not seen this movie yet. I plan to when it comes on Pay-per-view because I heard it is very good, but this in no way stops me from longing for a movie like "Best Years" to tell their story.
I just had a conversation with a daughter of a Vietnam POW. She had a sticker on the back of the SUV she was driving, "All Gave Some, Some Gave All, Some are still giving" and I wanted to know where she got it from. She told me her father was a POW in Vietnam and that he wouldn't go to the VA for help. She told me he was still suffering from what he went through. Imagine that? He is living the life of a "hurt locker" because all he went through is locked away in his memory. We read about phony heroes all the time but here is a man suffering in silence all these years later and no one knows his story.
War movies are nothing new and there will always be some folks cheering while others shun it. There will always be heroes and villains in these movies and always some type of personal agenda being filled. What there has not been enough of is the type of movie like "The Best Years of Our Lives" showing what it is like when they come home. Seven academy awards for this old movie about "them" and not just about war itself.
What about a movie like this with the only agenda is to tell their story after they come home? What about a movie focused on a "lifer" suddenly finding himself/herself so wounded they can no longer remain in the military and must then try to find a way to give up the only dream they ever had? What about a movie on National Guardsmen and women and how their families have to deal with the deployments into Iraq and Afghanistan instead of just risking their lives to save their neighbors after a natural disaster? What about one on how they return from deployment finding they have lost their businesses and there are no jobs for them find? Hey, what about the fact that a lot of the National Guards and Reservists are also police officers and firefighters risking their lives in other nations and then risking them on the streets of their home towns and cities?
Movies can hide behind a character but the ones worth watching are focused on caring about the real characters first. I have not seen this movie yet. I plan to when it comes on Pay-per-view because I heard it is very good, but this in no way stops me from longing for a movie like "Best Years" to tell their story.
I just had a conversation with a daughter of a Vietnam POW. She had a sticker on the back of the SUV she was driving, "All Gave Some, Some Gave All, Some are still giving" and I wanted to know where she got it from. She told me her father was a POW in Vietnam and that he wouldn't go to the VA for help. She told me he was still suffering from what he went through. Imagine that? He is living the life of a "hurt locker" because all he went through is locked away in his memory. We read about phony heroes all the time but here is a man suffering in silence all these years later and no one knows his story.
'Hurt Locker' Under Military Attack as Oscars Approach
By Ed Barnes
- FOXNews.com
Five days before the Oscars are awarded, "The Hurt Locker," what some people are calling "the best Iraq war movie to date," finds itself under attack.
Five days before the Oscars are awarded, what some people are calling "the best Iraq war movie to date" finds itself under attack.
"The Hurt Locker," a Best Picture nominee that portrays coalition soldiers disarming bombs in the heat of battle, is being criticized by some veterans and current members of the military, who say it presents them as being “too much John Wayne.” Moreover, the attack seems to have the outright support of the military itself, despite its endorsement by the secretary of defense.
Last week the Army arranged a series of interviews for the Los Angeles Times with enlisted men and officers who have questioned the authenticity of the movie and its depiction of the members of Army Explosives Ordinance Team (EOD) working in Iraq. The movie, written by a journalist, Mark Boal, who was embedded with an EOD in Iraq, focuses on the character of Staff Sergeant William James, played by Jeremy Renner, who becomes addicted to the adrenaline rush of his job, often to the detriment of his unit.
Several active EOD servicemen currently serving in Iraq told the Times that they disagreed with the film's depiction of their work. One said that the portrayal was amateurish, “the equivalent of a firefighter going into a building with a squirt bottle.” Another charged it was “too much John Wayne and cowboy stuff.”For the most part, criticism has focused on the character of Sgt. James, the movie's lead character. Ryan Gallucci, who served in Iraq in 2003 and now works for Amvets, a veterans' organization, said, “I thought the movie was great until the time they introduced the character played by Jeremy Renner. After that it was all downhill. I felt they portrayed the military in a negative fashion. I had to turn it off several times and, in the end, I was pulling for him to get blown up.” Renner is nominated for the Best Actor Award.
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Friday, August 7, 2009
NBA crew chief Bob Delaney wants to help Iraq veterans with PTSD
This NBA ref, who knows the combination to the hurt locker, helps Iraq veterans cope with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
By Dave Scheiber, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, August 9, 2009
In the dangerous desert sands of northern Iraq, an NBA referee arrived in July on a mission that had nothing to do with officiating. But it did involve helping soldiers make the right calls for themselves — and keep order in their lives while immersed in the most difficult of circumstances.
• For veteran NBA crew chief Bob Delaney, 10 days of living with U.S. troops on the front lines of battle — offering them comfort and counsel about the hazards of posttraumatic stress disorder — was the latest step in a journey that began more than 30 years ago by the shadowy docks of northern Jersey.
• That is where Delaney was known as Bobby Covert, a young undercover agent for the New Jersey State Police who lived in the constant presence of the Genovese and Bruno crime families.
• The experience was life-changing at a fundamental level. But in its own way, so was the most recent one, supporting soldiers fighting a ruthless enemy on the outside — and teaching them to cope better with the demons that can arise within.
• Many of them don't understand or wish to acknowledge that enemy, one veiled in whispers and a stigma of shame. PTSD has risen to crisis levels in the military, with scores of American troops committing suicide each year, and more than a third of returning vets reporting mental health problems from the immense pressures of combat.
• Delaney knows a little bit about facing pressure.
• And, at his core, he knows the heavy toll it can take.
read more here
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/article1025531.ece
By Dave Scheiber, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, August 9, 2009
In the dangerous desert sands of northern Iraq, an NBA referee arrived in July on a mission that had nothing to do with officiating. But it did involve helping soldiers make the right calls for themselves — and keep order in their lives while immersed in the most difficult of circumstances.
• For veteran NBA crew chief Bob Delaney, 10 days of living with U.S. troops on the front lines of battle — offering them comfort and counsel about the hazards of posttraumatic stress disorder — was the latest step in a journey that began more than 30 years ago by the shadowy docks of northern Jersey.
• That is where Delaney was known as Bobby Covert, a young undercover agent for the New Jersey State Police who lived in the constant presence of the Genovese and Bruno crime families.
• The experience was life-changing at a fundamental level. But in its own way, so was the most recent one, supporting soldiers fighting a ruthless enemy on the outside — and teaching them to cope better with the demons that can arise within.
• Many of them don't understand or wish to acknowledge that enemy, one veiled in whispers and a stigma of shame. PTSD has risen to crisis levels in the military, with scores of American troops committing suicide each year, and more than a third of returning vets reporting mental health problems from the immense pressures of combat.
• Delaney knows a little bit about facing pressure.
• And, at his core, he knows the heavy toll it can take.
read more here
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/article1025531.ece
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