Well, after all the rumors and drama the trailer for the Bourne Legacy is finally here! Matt Damon was busy making stupid zoo movies, so Hurt Locker took the job. It looks pretty good, and I'm quite happy Paul Greengrass is not directing this film! Greengrass directed Bourne Ultimatum and Supremacy, which were good movies, but his hand held shaky over zoomed camera drove me crazy. Enjoy, the trailer!
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We've all been there... You just want to skate with your bros and some dude rolls up and starts pointing his piece threatening yo! All jokes aside it is kinda funny how the guy not only holds the gun ghetto sideways, but also way up by his face. If he did pop off a round from that spot I can imagine it would be anything close to accurate. This looks to be the thug's greatest downfall as the gun was then held by the skater who went to blows. See the vid below, and the action starts at about 30 seconds...
LOL, I like how all his buddies just stood by and watched until the thug packin' heat hit the deck. Couldn't one of them hit that guy in the back of the dome with the skateboard? When he does go down those skaters rally, and gun toting thug is pretty much effed. I almost wonder if maybe the gat was just a painted airsoft? Hat Tip: TTAG
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I've about had my fill of franchise reboots. At some massive meeting with everyone who makes decisions in Hollywood, a unanimous decision was made that ANYTHING that is remotely familiar to the masses should be made into a multi-million dollar movie. Despite that, Battleship looks a lot like Transformers 4, and the 21 Jump Street looks like a generic buddy cop comedy flick.
The new Spiderman movie doesn't look too bad. I'm not sure this will be the "Dark Knight" of reboots, but it stands a solid chance of being a winner. Emma Stone really rides the line of good looking depending on the movie. The Help (highly over rated IMHO) had her looking gross with hair that was aking to burnt spaghetti, ginger style. She was middle of the road in Crazy Stupid Love, and pretty in Easy A. I think she has finally regained some street cred as Gwen Stacy, and thank God Kirsten Dunst is gone!
My best guess, is somewhere around a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes when "The Amazing Spiderman in 3D" hits theaters in July. I'm slightly afraid the CG monster might be terrible. The heavier the CG the weaker the plot. This is because the CG takes so much time, the big action sequences get a head start, and the story gets finished up later. Spiderman is directed by Marc Webb who you might remember from his big film 500 Days of Summer. Was Joseph Gordon Levitt not available for spidey? Zoey would have made a good Mary Jane and or Gwen, just sayin.... Anywho, enjoy the trailer below if you haven't already seen it.
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I read a great article about Chris Kyle, author of American Sniper at CBSDFW. He is a former Navy SEAL and holds the record for America's Deadliest Sniper (sounds like the name of a great reality show!). This guy was such a bad ass the bad guys nick named him "the devil" and put a bounty on his head. Kyle lost two of his SEAL brothers via a sniper attack right in front of him in Ramadi. Kyle has greased a lot of dudes, and his only regret was that he wasn't able to save his buddies. Heavy stuff.
I have a mountain of books to read, but American Sniper is definitely on my wish list. It is a best seller and this it has made it to my local Target. I thumbed through the book while Mrs. Foxtrot was shopping, and I really enjoyed the ten or fifteen pages I read about the weapons Kyle used in the field. You can pick up a copy of the book down below:
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Chronicle is a great movie you probably haven't heard of. It is kind of an indie flick with somewhat lower budget film and only a few familiar TV actors. This film was a pleasant surprise and I think you'll enjoy it.
I'll start by saying this is a "found footage" style movie. You are seeing a lot of the movie through a camera held by one of the main characters; think Cloverfield. They don't really explain why he has a camera, but he is just recording everything. It is a little strange at first, but about 15 minutes in I was okay with it.
The movie is about a three high school kids who end up obtaining telekinesis. Unlike other origin super hero power movies, these kids don't suddenly decide to fight crime. This provides a refreshingly "real" experience; the kids use their powers to peg each other baseballs and build legos. Their power grows in strength like a muscle, and it appears the only downside is a little bloody nose from over exerting their minds.
The 3 guys form a strong bond, and start doing some pretty cool stuff with their powers. They can fly, move large objects with their mind, and mentally move the camera. Some drama starts to happen in the second act and the films gets a little weak. I can't really go to deep into detail, because I like to keep these reviews spoiler free.
The CG is pretty amazing, and by the time the last act kicks into gear things get pretty intense. The guys have their powers at full capacity, and they are tearing apart Seattle. I really enjoyed the last act, and despite the heavy telekinesis I totally bought it.
This film was really a lot of fun, and if you at all like Cloverfield, you'll love this film. Cloverfield seemed to tell the story better by mixing in the cuts of past stuff recorded on the tape. Chronicle has some cuts that feel a little rough at times, but it didn't seem to take away from the story. If you aren't really into the hand-held (at times shaky) camera, and dude talking behind the camera, you may want to pass on this film.
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I guess if you are in the body armor industry it is tough to stay competitive in the marketing department. Pretty much the only way to stay on top of the game is to take a bullet to the chest. You can either have a co-worker do it, or you can cap yourself.
I've seen a ton of these videos and the guy catching the bullet always looks like he just got up from dinner. A little heavy, but absolutely no worse for wear. I've never caught lead (with or without a vest, and hope to never have to), but I assume it hurts like hell. That bullet has a ton of force behind it, and I've heard you get pretty bruised.
Go ahead and fast forward to 5:21 (youtube is giving me grief, and won't let me embed at the time). The dude above takes one to the chest and you can tell it REALLY FREAKIN' HURTS! I kind of laughed a little when the nurse ran over to check him out. Did it seem like his buddy was standing just a little too far away when he pulled the trigger? I think German accents make most sales presentations better. Hat tip: The Firearm Blog
Ah, nothing like the bad ass old school days of tight shirts and short shorts. Yes, this vid is ancient, and you get a two for the price of one show. The shingle armor looks a little strange, but that dude didn't even flinch when the .308 ball round hit him. Btw, you really can't stand on one foot for more than like 8 seconds? Short shorts opts for some magazine cushioning before feeding the .44 into his chest. Magazine cushioning isn't some type of plastic bumper that sits on the base of your mag, it is when shove prison style armor of thick magazines under your shirt to absorb the blow. Bonus points for upside down trigger pull! Hat Tip: ENDO
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Chris Costa is the man! He was the bearded dude in all those MagPul vids if you're wondering why he looks familiar. He has since left MagPul to start his own company Costa Ludus. Costa is still teaching classes, and I hope to take one some day (we'll call it short tem bucket list). Anywho, he goes crazy with a 60 round sure fire mag and full auto at night. Hat Tip SS
Self guided bullets are here folks! It is still a prototype and in development by Sania Labs, so don't expect this at your local gun store anytime soon. The bullet has fins that deploy and it can make micro adjustments on the fly due to an optical sensor in the nose. At four inches long, this is a hefty round that is in fact laser guided.
Because of the round's crazy design and super stable flight trajectory, it doesn't spin like traditional bullets. Think of how a dart flies from your hand to the dart board. I assume it also needs to be fired out of a smooth bore barrel. As you can see in the photo to the left, the round needs some time to adjust. An LED on the butt of the round shows some of the initial craziness, and it adjusts about 30 times per second. The creators of the round say it could be accurate within 8 inches at a ONE MILE RANGE.
I thought that video really wasn't that impressive for such a cool bullet. Anyway, I'm sure these rounds will be way expensive if/when they do hit the civilian market. My best guess is starting at well over a $100 a round. Who knows how much the rifle would cost, and I assume it that would also cost a pretty penny. I'm assuming this is type of thing is best suited for hitting Somali pirates, but perhaps civilians may find some use in hunting big expensive game. Hat Tip CBS
Nike (like Converse and Oakley) has been making tactical boots for awhile now. I haven't given them a go, but I hear good things about the boots. Nike has recently released a customized version of their boot. You can pick the colors of camo, type of leather, lace color, sole color, eyelet color, and even your own custom ID in the back inside of the boot. I feel like that probably isn't the best place for your name, but it is cool nonetheless. In case you were wondering, you cannot add swear words as your custom ID. Hat Tip Predator
Are you tired of shooting paper targets? Do you wish all your targets could bleed like $80 zombie targets after you shoot them with official zombie ammo? There is a poor man's solution called Pink Mist. It is a little pouch of reddish liquid that you tape to the back of your target. As you might suspect, when it gets hit it bleeds. That old adage goes "If it bleeds, we can kill it!"
::sigh:: I feel like you could accomplish the same thing with some Kool Aid or ketchup but I guess for $3 it is kind of a cool idea. The marketing video was a bit much and I'm willing to bet money that chick has never fired a gun.
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Women who hunt? This might be one of the best short films to ever grace Sundance. Most shorts are absolute terrible (think graphic coming of age tales), but Debutante Hunters was surprisingly interesting. It is a twelve minute short, and you can watch the whole thing down below. It is very cool to see family members hunting together and enjoying the game for dinner. I'm not sure if these ladies are actually debutantes, but I am sure they have a ton of cash. Lots of cooling hunting toys, nice rifles, and several thousand in taxidermy; living the dream! Bonus points for pig socks :)
This doc was filmed in South Carolina. Damn that is some beautiful country, and it looks like the game is plentiful too. I did a little research and South Carolina is a shall issue CCW state, meaning if you have a clean record you can carry a concealed weapon. SC also subscribes to Castle Doctrine which entitles you "the use of deadly force against intruders into one's home, business, or car." To put it in to perspective if someone breaks into your home in California and is not armed, YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO SHOOT THEM! If you shoot them they can sue YOU! I need to move to a free state...
Enjoy the doc and visit their official facebook page.
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Well, I heard the rumors that Act of Valor was filmed with live ammo and on a few Canon cameras. Video confirmed; these statements are in fact true! Check out this behind the scenes, hat tip KitUp:
I also saw this little clip at ENDO, which has more close ups on the cameras. Obviously not every shot fired was live, otherwise you would have a greased crew. Mad props for the 4k+ rounds out of the boat mounted mini gun!
Still working on the massive group screening of Act of Valor on opening weekend. I'll keep you posted.
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