jarhead

i haven't read any reviews of the movie jarhead. i did overhear a couple girls at real food talking about it, and the one didn't like it. i don't remember why, but it doesn't matter. 'cause I did.

i've experienced as much war as anybody else, and that is comprised of what i've been able to grasp through movies, television and books. because my husband has developed an intense interest in WWII, we've become emotionally attached to the likes of easy company, a bridge too far, stephen ambrose and other historians or just personal accounts from the war. i recently finished reading the biography of dick winters, called The Biggest Brother. i've gotten a glimpse into the mind and thoughts, images and big picture of WWII. i haven't felt the bitter seeming endlessness of bastogne, but i understand what it was and how the war affected our nation and the world.

so going into jarhead, i was ready for whatever i was going to see. whether it was lots of action or more of a personal journey. heck, i wanted to like it.

i didn't know much about desert shield or desert storm when it happened, and to be honest, i couldn't have cared less. but i have to say that seeing at least one solders recounting of his experience in it was fascinating. this was a completely different war, if it could even be called a war compared to the previous wars our country has been a part of. (no disrespect)

if you appreciate personal struggle, personal journey...you will appreciate this movie. jake gyllenhaal is fantastic. and lis and i chuckled out loud many a time. oh, yes.

i appreciated the honesty, even when it was gritty and raw and shocking. thank you for that. if you want to know how things really were, you had better be prepared to handle it. even if it's disturbing or improper.

apparently the soldier from greenville, mich. was a composite of multiple characters, pissing off the real guy's mom in the papers, but it tends to be necessary in film sometimes. i don't feel i missed out on any realism for the compromise. it definitely made the film tighter.

the only other thing i'll say is, go see it yourself. and if you heard what i just said, i don't think you'll be disappointed.