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DVD : The War TapesIn association with Amazon.comstarring: Ben Flanders, Brandon Wilkins, Zack Bazzi, Mike Moriarity, Steve Pink (II) directed by: Deborah Scranton  List Price: $26.95 Amazon.com's Price: $24.49 You Save: $2.46 ( 9%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Brand: NEW VIDEO GROUP INC EAN: 0767685988336 Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Label: Docurama Manufacturer: Docurama Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Docurama Region Code: 1 Release Date: May 15, 2007 Running Time: 97 minutes Studio: Docurama Theatrical Release Date: 2006 Sales Rank: 35574 MPN: NVG-9883 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Description: Directed by Deborah Scranton, and produced by Robert May (The Fog of War) and Steve James (Hoop Dreams), THE WAR TAPES is Operation Iraqi Freedom as filmed by Sergeant Steve Pink, Sergeant Zack Bazzi, and Specialist Mark Moriarty. Steve is a wisecracking carpenter who aspires to be a writer. Zack is a Lebanese-American university student who loves to travel and is fluent in Arabic. Mike is a father and resolute patriot who rejoined the Army after 9/11. These soldiers captured over 800 hours of footage, providing a glimpse of their lives in the midst of war. The result is a raw portrait of three men--and their families--as they face, and struggle to understand, their duty. Amazon.com: Reduced from some 800 hours of raw footage to one compelling, 96-minute film, The War Tapes, while not the first documentary about U.S. soldiers deployed in Iraq (cf. 2006's Off to War, which covers similar ground), is unusual insofar as it was shot entirely by men on active duty in Iraq--specifically three National Guardsmen (or "citizen soldiers," as they call themselves) from New Hampshire who served in that benighted country in 2004. The three are by no means alike. Spc. Mike Moriarty is a patriot who, much to the dismay of his family, re-enlisted after 9/11 and frankly hopes to be "someone's hero." Sgt. Steve Pink is motor-mouthed wiseacre who grows increasingly cynical as his tour plays out. Sgt. Zack Bazzi, a Lebanese-American who speaks fluent Arabic, reads The Nation and doesn't much care for George W. Bush, but is nonetheless ready to fight. Yet despite their differences, their experiences are similarly grim. After some training at home, we see them arrive in the Mideast, where the first words they hear are, "Welcome to Iraq. Only one year to go," followed shortly by a mortar explosion near Camp Anaconda, their base. Thereafter, we see them in a variety of settings: in Baghdad and Fallujah, on the road (their duties include escorting truck convoys), fighting insurgents (several of the battle scenes are very intense and fairly graphic), in the camp cafeteria (where one of them excoriates Halliburton, who seems to have a hand in every aspect of the war effort, for charging the government $28 for a single styrofoam plate), in their quarters (their idea of recreation is staging a death match between a scorpion and a spider), and so on; we also visit their families back in New Hampshire. What emerges from all of this is a striking portrait of bitterness, resignation, and outright hostility, especially towards Iraqis on both sides. Moriarty perhaps sums it up most succinctly when they return to the States: "I'm so glad I went. I hated it with a god-awful passion, and I will not go back... I've done my part... It's someone else's turn." Nearly two hours of bonus material includes extended outtakes and extra footage, follow-up interviews with the three soldiers, and more. --Sam Graham Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The War TapesI only gave it a one for three reasons. First off one of the soldiers makes the claim that Halliburton makes 24 bucks a plate, even if empty, with nothing to back this claim. It's probably nothing more than a made up story. He lost all credablility with me when he then made the claim that Dick Cheney runs Halliburon and is making money off this war. He needs to be educated because Dick Cheney quit Halliburton in 2000. Second the Muslim guy in this film annoys me. It's the ... Read More Rating:  - An amazing feat of truth- and story-tellingThe idea behind The War Tapes is simple enough: give video recorders to a handful of NH National Guardsmen on their way to Iraq, then edit the results into something worth viewing. The project could have been a disaster, yielding nothing but prosaic (or worse) self-congratulatory nonsense that would have been hell to watch. Instead, the men whose footage made it into the film provided insights far deeper than many of are accustomed to watching. The men show themselves and their comrade posturing nervously ... Read More Rating: - RAW & UNCUT..The best Documentary on IRAQ ConflictRAW & UNCUT..The best Documentary on IRAQ Conflict. Follow in the footsteps and experience the truth behind the soldiers and the conflict. Rating: - Reality checkI just saw this on the military channel and am buying the DVD. Brilliant telling of a very human story. Great Americans, by which I mean honest decent men, with strong convictions, performing a nasty mission on behalf of their country and more importantly their fellow soldiers. You can't go through their experience without being changed in fundamental ways, and you see the immediate and long term costs of what some people debate on a policy level, but which ultimately manifests in the lives and ... Read More Rating:  - The Soldier's PerspectiveHaving grown up in a career military family, I must applaud this film. The fact that it was commissioned and sponsored by the U.S. Army National Guard is a positive sign that the military is attempting to ease the transition of fighting troops back into normal civilian life. What are the messages of this film? According to the Extra Features: 1) Understand what we soldiers have been through in service to our country. 2) We were sent to Iraq to kill people. Right or wrong, ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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