Quote :

"yep he was the lead in a sitcom on ABC that was roundly called the worst new show of last fall, ha I think the only press he's done for this is an interview on the Dennis Miller radio show"

i actually really like him as an actor, but that show was pretty awful. He was one of the more redeeming parts of Chelsea Handler's short lived sitcom as well.

1/22/2015 8:39:15 AM

also... I liked how they just let this version of Chris Kyle keep his full beard through 4 tours of duty

1/22/2015 8:44:57 AM

But he was the legend....

1/22/2015 9:53:50 AM

Quote :

"also... I liked how they just let this version of Chris Kyle keep his full beard through 4 tours of duty"

I'm not up on the Navy SEAL grooming standards - when would they normally require him to shave?

1/22/2015 11:52:34 AM

i got interested in it as well and did some reading. my major point was that it was pretty well documented through various photos that Kyle never wore a beard until after he was discharged from the military. most of the camouflaged-bearded images out there of him are post active duty. although during his time in our military was using "Relaxed Grooming Standards" which was meant more to increase the number of people ableto join the military than it was to allow things like longer hair and beards. Through reading it also seemed that the RGS while deployed was more for Army Special Forces than it was for anyone else (Kyle was a SEAL, and they seem to have pretty tight grooming standards). The RGS were actually repealed in 2010, i read, and the traditional high standards of grooming (sideburns, mustaches, haircuts, tattoos etc) are now in place again.

Generation Kill, the HBO mini series, had an underlying subplot about this

1/22/2015 12:06:56 PM

I don't know about Kyle, but these SEALs were rocking the combat beards in '05




[Edited on January 22, 2015 at 12:17 PM. Reason : Kyle was embedded with Marines most of the time, he prob didn't want to stand out more than he did]

1/22/2015 12:14:57 PM

Quote :

"my major point was that it was pretty well documented through various photos that Kyle never wore a beard until after he was discharged from the military"

But Bradley Cooper looks way cooler with a beard.

Kind of a minor point IMO, but it seems you don't feel the same

[Edited on January 22, 2015 at 12:19 PM. Reason : ^ Looks like Marcus Luttrell in that pic]

[Edited on January 22, 2015 at 12:30 PM. Reason : V yeah i'm sure that was done on purpose]

1/22/2015 12:17:05 PM

oh definitely a minor point.. i guess i should have put it in context.

in this film every soldier is either clean shaven or has a terrible thin mustache. but The Legend just walks around with his glorious beard.

1/22/2015 12:23:01 PM

Quote :

"^ Looks like Marcus Luttrell in that pic"

It is, and MOH recipient Mike Murphy on the right. Luttrell is the only survivor in that photo

1/22/2015 12:30:42 PM

Quote :

"Luttrell is the only survivor in that photo"

Don't you mean "lone" survivor?

[Edited on January 22, 2015 at 12:32 PM. Reason : ]

1/22/2015 12:31:53 PM

https://storify.com/RaniaKhalek/american-sniper-chris-kyle-in-his-own-words

obvious military propaganda aside holy shit he is was a terrible writer

[Edited on January 22, 2015 at 11:05 PM. Reason : .]

1/22/2015 11:04:54 PM

^ if my job was to kill people individually through a scope, i'm pretty sure i'd learn to love it and rationalize it as absolutely just, or i'd go crazy. Nothing there is too surprising, except how he used to whack cows so hard he'd break his hand.

But i'm not too surprised an inherently violent person would seek out the military. Better him over there doing the dirty work, than over here causing trouble, probably not doing anything productive.

It'll probably be a while before we see a move like Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now about the Iraq war. I don't see any producer taking on a project like that while we're actively in combat.

I haven't seen this movie yet, i'm waiting for it on streaming, but it's not too hard to know what it is going into it.

1/22/2015 11:53:02 PM

other than the fact that in the current Hollywood landscape, a movie like Full Metal Jacket or Apocalypse Now would be near impossible to get funding for, the Echo Chamber would never allow it

an entire generation of people will have to die off first

1/23/2015 12:37:41 AM

Quote :

"Better him over there doing the dirty work, than over here causing trouble, probably not doing anything productive."

What the fuck are you talking about?

I'm trying to find some logic in your words, but I'm failing with every effort.

1/23/2015 12:43:59 AM

^ if he weren't mercilessly shooting insurgents in iraq, he'd be some drunk thug asshole terrorizing his local community.

1/23/2015 1:08:51 AM

veterans are drunk thug assholes terrorizing their communities, now?

I'm trying to find some logic in your words, but I'm failing with every effort.

1/23/2015 1:13:50 AM

*person calls one single dude unhinged and violent*

"WHAT'D YOU SAY ABOUT ALL VETERANS???"

1/23/2015 1:37:55 AM

It was a supremely stupid statement.

[Edited on January 23, 2015 at 9:12 AM. Reason : But yeah I get what you're saying. See Seth Rogan's followup to that funny tweet.]

1/23/2015 9:11:26 AM

Quote :

"I guess the baby didn't show up, so they had to improvise. I wonder what Trainspotting's excuse is."

Trainspotting sequel is on the way, maybe it will explain.

1/23/2015 10:18:45 AM

You want to talk about REAL snipers, then take a look at these guys:

(this is why I asked when did the US Military start keeping track of sniper kills)

http://listverse.com/2009/11/13/top-10-snipers-in-history/


160 Confirmed kills? LOL what a pussy

Quote :

"Nicknamed ‘The White Death’ 705 confirmed kills (505 with rifle, 200 with submachine gun) Was a Finnish soldier who, using an iron sighted bolt action rifle, amassed the highest recorded confirmed kills as a sniper in any war…ever!!"

Jack ass doesn't even make the list and he even gets beat out by a fucking Canadian..

Quote :

"As if killing nearly 400 Germans wasn’t enough, he was also awarded medals for running messages through very heavy enemy fire, for directing a crucial relief effort when his commanding officer was incapacitated and for running through enemy fire to get more ammo when his unit was running low."

[Edited on January 23, 2015 at 10:27 AM. Reason : _]

1/23/2015 10:25:44 AM

You're trying too hard

1/23/2015 10:55:04 AM

Did the UNC PR team design that response?

1/23/2015 11:06:29 AM

The desperation in attempting to ruin the name of a well respected veteran is disgusting. Don't think when you OD again, we won't do the same to you

1/23/2015 11:08:47 AM

only thing BlackDog has shot is heroin

1/23/2015 11:23:45 AM

I once really got into hunting (never could find anything to kill but hanging out with a gun was fun). One day I got bored and shot a squirrel, felt like shit and never went hunting again.

Felt like sharing since we are off topic.

1/23/2015 11:40:31 AM

The responses to the Seth Rogan tweet were stupid. You can criticize propoganda without being disrespectful to veteans. American Sniper is a movie based on Clint Eastwood's interpretation of some famous sniper's big-ego-autobiography, not fact.

People love to overreact when it comes to veterans though. "I SUPPORT THE TROOPS, WHY DONT YOU SUPPORT THE TROOPS? WHY AREN'T YOU IN IRAQ PUSSY? MY RELATIVE WAS YATTA YATTA FOR BLAH BLAH YEARS". Quit being so defensive.

1/23/2015 11:58:24 AM

Quote :

"The desperation in attempting to ruin the name of a well respected veteran is disgusting."

No one's trying to "ruin his name." If the movie portrayed him as he was-- or at least as he described himself in the book-- then the Chris Kyle in the movie would have displayed glee at killing people rather than the portrayal as being tormented by his actions.


The real Chris Kyle is probably a guy that most people would be disturbed by. Further, he had a problem with making shit up once he was back home. This is all documented in his book. Unfortunately for him, what he claimed was easily verifiable-- and verified to be patently false. He did not kill 30 people during Katrina. He did not kill two attempted hijackers. He did not punch Jesse Ventura in the face. What he said he did while deployed may or may not be true. It's all classified, so nobody who knows is going to confirm or deny it in the near future. This movie whitewashes or simply ignores all that.

1/23/2015 1:58:59 PM

Quote :

"Further, he had a problem with making shit up once he was back home. This is all documented in his book."

Which part was documented in his book? I read it, did you?

1/23/2015 2:01:45 PM

the book claimed that he punched Ventura, it was only removed after they lost a lawsuit

disclaimer: i only read part of the book because the writing was bad enough that I never finished it

1/23/2015 2:11:23 PM

Somebody read this and lemme know if it's any good: http://fortressamerica.gawker.com/little-victories-big-losses-how-and-why-american-snip-1681176092

Quote :

"He [probably] did not punch Jesse Ventura in the face."

There were 4 Seals who testified they saw it happen, but who knows.

Quote :

"What he said he did while deployed may or may not be true."

What that he was a sniper and shot a bunch of people in Iraq? I don't think any of that is in dispute...


[Edited on January 23, 2015 at 4:10 PM. Reason : for later reading: http://www.mensjournal.com/magazine/print-view/the-body-slammed-20141230]

1/23/2015 4:01:56 PM

let's get back on track...

if this film wasn't about a real person would it be any good? strictly on merits of film i say no. i think it's been given the soft treatment by critics and viewers due to the subject matter.

1/23/2015 4:18:35 PM

Quote :

"There were 4 Seals who testified they saw it happen, but who knows"

he lost the lawsuit

and defamation lawsuits are notoriously hard to lose

1/23/2015 4:21:48 PM

Quote :

"he lost the lawsuit and defamation lawsuits are notoriously hard to lose"

Probably easier to do when the guy you're suing is not alive to defend himself

1/23/2015 4:30:50 PM

there were taped depositions and interviews before he was killed

here is what soldier-hating liberal rag National Review has to say about the lawsuit:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/384176/justice-jesse-ventura-was-right-his-lawsuit-j-delgado

Quote :

"For those of us paying attention, Kyle’s story seemed fishy from the get-go. Why would Ventura make such remarks in the company of friends and fellow SEALs, especially those who were at a bar as part of a wake for a fallen warrior? Only a hair-raisingly evil person would say they “deserve to lose a few,” much less to men who have just buried a fellow soldier. While Ventura has been quite publicly critical of both Bush and much U.S. policy (and, for the record, I am not excusing his views), hatred of individual servicemen is a whole other ballgame. But, this was Chris Kyle, a war hero (!), and thus all blindly believed him. Ventura asked for a retraction and an apology. He received none. So he proceeded with a defamation lawsuit."

Quote :

"Once the trial actually began, however, the truth began to emerge. For instance, Kyle, who sat for a lengthy video deposition prior to his death, was inconsistent in his story, described by one local reporter with the following headline: “In video deposition, author trips up on fight details in Ventura libel suit.” The Minneapolis Star-Tribune describes the testimony: Afternoon testimony may have shifted some sympathy to Ventura’s side. In the deposition, videotaped a year before his death, Chris Kyle said he could not remember who told him that Ventura had hit his head when he fell to the sidewalk, could not recall how he learned that Ventura had a black eye, and conceded that tables did not go “flying” during the 2006 confrontation in a bar near San Diego, which he described in his book “American Sniper.”"

[Edited on January 23, 2015 at 5:03 PM. Reason : .]

1/23/2015 5:03:23 PM

I think we all know who the greatest sniper is.

1/23/2015 5:10:26 PM

Fail. It's Tom Berenger

1/23/2015 6:03:52 PM

Fail. Fuck you.

1/23/2015 6:52:06 PM

Quote :

"I think we all know who the greatest sniper is"

1/23/2015 7:06:12 PM

Quote :

"Fail. It's Tom Berenger"

+1 (sry B )

1/23/2015 7:33:25 PM

Two things:

1. I learned that helping people is dangerous.

2. He shoulda picked off that last kid when he had the chance.

1/25/2015 4:15:34 PM

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/12/the-american-sniper-i-knew-kevin-lacz-on-fellow-navy-seal-chris-kyle-and-movie-criticisms.html

2/13/2015 2:51:03 PM

Hey look, he completely dodges the questions about Kyle being a liar.

2/13/2015 4:40:01 PM

I think this one is good.
It reminds me of Forest Gump, The first blood, black hawk and Enemy at the Gates.

3/2/2015 11:28:52 AM

Full disclosure, I never heard of this guy before this movie, so was surprised to see all of the people come out for his funeral procession at the end of the movie. It was a pretty powerful scene, no matter what you thought of the guy.

Just finished the book after watching the movie. Movie was great, especially the acting. IMO, the book was not very good. A lot of it was due to his poor writing, and a lot of it was due to the little amount of information he was allowed to provide. I would have liked more details regarding his missions, but I imagine the pentagon limited what could be published.

I think he did a great job of describing his mindset, and how he was able to justify what he did. Whether you think the guy was a patriot or some conservative baby killer, it is always fascinating to understand what was going on in this guys head. There are not many people in the world as strong minded as this guy (agree with him or not), so it was interesting to read about his struggle when he was not in war.

But some of you just cant stand seeing anything mildly different from your perspective, which is sad.

3/2/2015 2:03:43 PM

Quote :

"Whether you think the guy was a patriot or some conservative baby killer"

or a proven liar.... i think that's where a lot of people have an issue with him. It's sad that some people don't understand this.

3/2/2015 2:07:18 PM

He finally got killed by a freak at a shooting range. Kinda like retribution.

3/2/2015 2:16:08 PM

Quote :

"But some of you just cant stand seeing anything mildly different from your perspective, which is sad."

Partisan views aside, it's a bit more complex than that.

3/2/2015 2:25:30 PM

Quote :

"I think he did a great job of describing his mindset, and how he was able to justify what he did. Whether you think the guy was a patriot or some conservative baby killer, it is always fascinating to understand what was going on in this guys head. There are not many people in the world as strong minded as this guy (agree with him or not), so it was interesting to read about his struggle when he was not in war."

You got this from the book, right? If they had portrayed that struggle a little better in the movie (or at all, really), I would have liked the movie a whole lot more than I did. I feel like Cooper and the movie did a good job of portraying how Kyle looked to other people and the enemy, but not so much the internal struggle and what was going on in his head.

3/2/2015 2:33:19 PM

I read the book a couple weeks ago while on vacation.

While I admire the guy for being a bad-ass and fighting for his country...he is/was a dumb, redneck jock. He happened to be bad-ass soldier/sniper, but he sounded like a neanderthal in the book.

I'll catch the movie when it comes on HBO.

3/2/2015 2:36:32 PM

I just bought the book.

3/2/2015 2:48:18 PM