Films
Gary Sinise Visits U.S. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan over Christmas Holiday
Actor and U.S. veterans’ advocate Gary Sinise is visiting American service members in Afghanistan an..
Actor and U.S. veterans’ advocate Gary Sinise is visiting American service members in Afghanistan and Iraq this week ahead of the Christmas holiday.
The 62-year-old Criminal Minds star and founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation posted photos from his trip to Afghanistan this week, where he joined troops and medical staff at Bagram Air Base and posed for pictures with soldiers at the Forward Operating Base Fenty in Jalalabad.
Sinise announced over the weekend that he would traveling to Afghanistan and Iraq this week “for a quick trip to see as many troops as possible,” before he heads back to the States on Friday.
Greetings from Troops, I'm at the dining facility at Bagram Air Base Afghanistan. Thank you to these brave men and women for your service to our country. pic.twitter.com/jWGdhmECVH
— Gary Sinise (@GarySinise) December 20, 2017
Hospital at Bagram Air Base Afghanistan. Great people doing an amazing job for our country. Thank you to all. pic.twitter.com/UeywQrKjfS
— Gary Sinise (@GarySinise) December 20, 2017
Here with some of America’s finest at Forward Operating Base Fenty in Jalalabad Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/59GyYNU39w
— Gary Sinise (@GarySinise) December 20, 2017
The Oscar-nominated actor — among the most outspoken advocates for U.S. veterans in Hollywood — was honored with the Bradley Prize in 2016 for his Foundation’s work supporting veterans and first responders. Sinise created his eponymous foundation in 2011 and has since launched several programs in support of veterans and their families, including R.I.S.E., which provides homes, mobility devices and specially adapted vehicles to wounded service members, and Serving Heroes, which serves meals to veterans at major travel hubs.
Sinise also regularly travels across the country and overseas to play music for troops with his Lt. Dan Band, so named for the character he played in the 1994 film Forrest Gump.
Earlier this year, Sinise was chosen to receive the George Catlett Marshall Medal, the highest honor awarded by the Council of Trustees of the Association of the United States Army.
He was also selected to be the Grand Marshal in this year’s Rose Parade, set for January 1 in Pasadena, in honor of his work with veterans.
On Monday, the Hollywood Reporterreported that Snowball Express — a community-based group that works to support children of fallen soldiers, and to provide them with happy memories — had become part of the Gary Sinise Foundation.
“We have opportunities to grow Snowball, involve more children, more families. Unfortunately we have so many,” Sinise told THR. “We want to be able to take care of as many families as possible.”
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
The post Gary Sinise Visits U.S. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan over Christmas Holiday appeared first on News Wire Now.
Films
‘Antebellum’ has a ‘Get Out’ vibe, but doesn’t live up to its twist
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definite..
“Antebellum” is built around a provocative twist, and it’s a good one — as well as one that definitely shouldn’t be spoiled even a little. Once that revelation is absorbed, however, the movie becomes less distinctive and inspired, reflecting an attempt to tap into the zeitgeist that made “Get Out” a breakthrough, without the same ability to pay off the premise.
Originally destined for a theatrical run, the movie hits digital platforms trumpeting a “Get Out” pedigree in its marketing campaign, since there’s an overlap among the producing teams.
More directly, the film marks the directing debut of Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz, who have championed social-justice issues through their advertising work. The opening script features a quote from author William Faulkner, whose intent will eventually become clearer: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”
If that sounds like a timely means of drawing a line from the horrors of slavery to the racism of today, you’ve come to the right place.
The story begins on a plantation, where the brutal overseers carry out grisly punishments against those tilling the fields. A few have just tried to escape, led by Veronica (Janelle Monae), and they pay a heavy price for their resistance, which does nothing to curb her defiance.
Also written by Bush + Renz, the script take too long before revealing what makes “Antebellum” different, but the middle portion — a “The Twilight Zone”-like phase when it’s hard to be sure exactly what’s going on — is actually the film’s strongest. (Even the trailer arguably gives away too much, so the less one knows, the better.)
The final stretch, by contrast, veers into more familiar thriller territory, and feels especially rushed toward the end, leaving behind a host of nagging, unanswered questions. That provides food for thought, but it’s also what separates the movie from something like “Get Out,” which deftly fleshed out its horror underpinnings.
Although the filmmakers (in a taped message) expressed disappointment that the movie wasn’t making its debut in theaters, in a strange way, the on-demand format somewhat works in its favor. In the press notes, Bush says the goal was “to force the audience to look at the real-life horror of racism through the lens of film horror. We’re landing in the middle of the very conversations that we hoped ‘Antebellum’ would spur.”
“Antebellum” should add to that discussion, so mission accomplished on that level. Monae is also quite good in her first leading film role (she did previously star in the series “Homecoming’s” second season), but otherwise, most of the characters remain underdeveloped.
