DVD Talk Forum - Men Who Stare at Goats (Heslov, 2010): Clooney as "paranormal" soldier

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NoirFan

11-17-08 10:16 PM

Men Who Stare at Goats (Heslov, 2010): Clooney as "paranormal" soldier

IMDB synopsis:

Quote:

A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.

Director:
Grant Heslov
Writers:
Jon Ronson (book)
Peter Straughan (screenplay)
Genre:
History

Cast:

George Clooney ... Lyn Cassady

Ewan McGregor ... Bob Wilton

Jeff Bridges ... Bill Django

Kevin Spacey ... Larry Hooper

First pix of Clooney. This looks intriguingly bizarre.

iamiam

11-17-08 10:30 PM

Just based on the cast, I would see this.

Troy Stiffler

11-18-08 12:28 AM

Sounds ambitious. Would go and see it without thinking.

PopcornTreeCt

11-18-08 02:27 AM

WTF? That sounds like the plot of a video game... a bad video game.

sauce07

11-18-08 10:10 AM

Clooney looks like an 80's pediofile

NoirFan

11-19-08 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt (Post 9078903)

WTF? That sounds like the plot of a video game... a bad video game.

It's based upon a true story. Obviously the idea of a legitimately paranormal soldier is absurd, but I'm sure the military has tried all manner of unorthodox warfare and experimentation over the years. Look at their attempts to use LSD as a truth-telling serum. I'm definitely going to check out Jon Ronson's book now.

The Antipodean

11-19-08 11:38 PM

I dunno, words that should never be in movie titles together -- "Men," "Who," "Goats."

Greg MacGuffin

11-20-08 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PopcornTreeCt (Post 9078903)

WTF? That sounds like the plot of a video game... a bad video game.

I just picked up the book today. From the looks of it, it seems more along the lines of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

And it's got Clooney in it. Say what you will about the guy, but he picks some interesting roles.

d2cheer

11-21-08 11:41 AM

Agree, but do you think they will keep the title? Seems like it may go through at least one title change even though it is based on a book.

Brian T

11-21-08 11:59 AM

The book is a great read, a swift mix of humour and jawdropping U.S. military inanity (the "First Earth Battalion" :lol:). In tone it is indeed reminiscent of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, only far more likely to be true, and anchored by something more substantial than a first-person point of view: interviews with actual participants, some of whom still believe in the paranormal. A couple chapters into it, I thought it would make an excellent movie. Not surprising that Clooney would find it workable.

Part of the program included "de-bleating" goats in Fort Bragg and having military types actually try to stare them to death in the hopes of honing superior mental powers for use during wartime. There's few developed countries on the planet where I can see such ideas being given serious consideration. ;)

Greg MacGuffin

11-21-08 05:58 PM

I started reading the book today. Laugh out loud funny. Some of the dialogue....

NoirFan

05-19-09 03:20 PM