Review of Reviews: American Sniper

The first review I read was a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes by certified top critic Tom Long of The Detroit News http://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/movies/2015/01/15/american-sniper-follows-consequences-violence/21822507/. American Sniper recieved a 72% on the website, with many of the critics who gave it a "fresh" review pointing to Eastwood's directing & vision, and Bradley Cooper's performance as the main reasons why; this review was no different, however, the critic did a better job of delving deeper into the message of the movie. He used very descriptive and gripping words throughout the review to support and praise Eastwood's cinematic style of directing, especially with the war/action shots. He also commented on the contrast between the war and home front scenes and how they showed what veteran and returning soldiers are dealing with on a day-to-day basis in such great depth - this was ultimately the main message of the movie, and he believes Eastwood did a great job of portraying it in a real, not Hollywood-glorified way. He also praises Cooper's performance as "groundbreaking" and says he did a great job of embodying the man Chris Kyle was. (this critic has read the Chris Kyle autobiography "American Sniper"). He gave it a final score of "B+".

The second review I read was negative one, also on Rotten Tomatoes, by another certified top critic J.R Jones of the Chicago Reader http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/american-sniper-bradley-cooper-chris-kyle-clint-eastwood/Content?oid=16192145. He states the main reason for his negative review is that the movie "lacks a credible perspective on its subject" and notes how the "blacked-out" ending is mostly responsible for this. He feels that the filmmakers should have waited a few more years to make this movie, so they could include the true story of how Chris Kyle was killed and not leave the audience with a typical, cliche ending. The review is put together really well, almost feeling more like an actual article or story and gives the reader just enough bait to want to go and see it for themselves.

A quote I really agreed with from the first review by Tom Long stated "Eastwood keeps moralizing to a minimum, allowing the audience to examine the true evidence." I felt this was a really strong point because in a war movie, especially with one that has a message like American Sniper, it is important to NOT leave anything out so that the audience can truly know and experience what these soldiers actually have/had to live through. From the second review, I really agreed with the critic when he stated "the scenes of Kyle struggling to function as a family man between his tours of duty are as involving as the combat scenes." When I first watched the movie I had the exact feeling and I felt that this was a really important aspect of the movie to ensure that it wasn't just a typical Hollywood-war-glorifying film, and it helped to engage the audience into the real message of the movie.

I think the first review would be more convincing because the critic seems slightly more credible, having read the book, and because it is more of an actual movie reivew. The second review slightly confuses me because it

Film Intro Survey

1. What is the first movie that really made a strong impression on you?

2. What are 3-4 of your favorite genres? Sci-Fi, Comedy, Gangster/Crime, Documentaries

3.What are 3-4 of your least favorite genres? Romance, Horror , strictly dumb action,

4.What are your 5 favorite films? Wolf of Wall Street, Step Brothers, The A-team, Avatar, Shawshank Redemption, The Dark Knight,

5.List characteristics of what you consider to be a good movie? Original in some way, Good story/plot line, strong acting and supporting cast, good soundtrack/music, high quality visual/technical effects

6.What are some of your least favorite movies? Any movie with dumb fight scenes and no depth in the plot or acting

7. List three characteristics of what you consider to be a bad movie? cheesy/cookie-cutter/cliche script and plot, bad acting, lack of depth

8. Favorite directors? Martin Scorcese, Judd Apatow (producer)

9. Favorite actors/actresses? Jonah Hill, Will Ferrell, Bradley Cooper

10. List 3 important films? Forrest Gump, Superbad,

11. Favorite oldest film? Heavyweights

12. Best movie you've seen in past 2 years?

13. Next five films on your queue? Gone Girl, Interstellar, Django, The Big Lebowski, The Godfather