Though it’s not guaranteed to receive an Oscar, American Sniper, probably is in the top tiers. The film about a soldier’s impossible return from a war, showcasing a less-seen side of decreased social capability with the onset of mental illness. A light is shined on the failure of the mental health system in the United States. Countries all around the world have different views on mental health, though there have been plenty of research done to suggest (read: prove) that mental illness is as serious as the flu.
Again, it’s a tight race for the Oscars. I haven’t tuned in quite yet, but I’ll get there. It’s a very open competition this year for the eight films in competition for Academy Award for Best Picture with films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, A Wonderful Story Time and Whiplash that may well spring a surprise. We start with American Sniper as the last of Clint Eastwood’s works now going on track for six Oscars.
The movie hosts many historical ties, where the movie stops running. Eddie Ray Routh was looking disheveled when he was arrested in Texas, a few hours after killing Chris Kyle, the sniper with the with the deadliest ranking in the US Army. Two years later, he was unrecognizable with short hair, thick glasses and face changed by drugs.
Some have in Stephenville, Texas, since February 11. The trial proceeds as Clint Eastwood, American Sniper, glorifies legend Chris Kyle, who broke a record for military entries in the United States. Eddie Ray Routh, 27, never had the makings of a hero. In high school, he was a mediocre student, but was ready to fight for his country. In 2006, he enlisted in the Marines. In Baghdad, he was responsible for the maintenance of weapons. One day he called his father asking what would his response be say if he received news that he had killed someone, a child.
In 2010, he was sent to Haiti on a humanitarian mission after the earthquake. According to his family, living there was even more putrid. He cleaned the bodies, stacked corpses and the Army awarded him the Medal of humanitarian service. But back in Texas, he never acted like a humanitarian, and never quite reclaimed his grip to the world. He held odd jobs without seeking help for his problems. He smoked marijuana laced with formaldehyde, strung out days. He was hospitalized in Dallas, after being on the street found with a bag containing nine kinds of drugs. When he threatened to “blow his brains out” to his family, he was readmitted to the psychiatric ward. He was then sent home four days before the murder. No one witnessed the shooting. The bodies were found riddled with bullets. Six in Kyle and seven in Littlefield, in their backs. Eddie Ray Routh thought he fell into a trap. The prosecutor did not seek the death penalty. Are we saying that the army entirely free of responsibility, or not?
At the hearing, Jodi Routh said she had begged psychiatrists at Dallas hospital to detain her son. As a last resort, she turned to Chris Kyle knowing he was in charge of Iraq veterans in need. On February 2, 2013, Chris Kyle and a friend, Chad Littlefield, took the young navy operator to Rough Creek Lodge shooting range, 90 minutes from Stephenville. A form of therapy, they say, for traumatized war. In the car, Eddie was in the back. Chris Kyle sent texted Chad that “This guy looks completely crazy.”
The controversial topic of the sniper, Chris Kyle, created a surprisingly great box office reaping of 400 million. Birdman, another crowd favorite, shows the story of an ex-player superhero movie that attempts to revive the glory of the theater every chance he gets. The film by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu was nominated in nine categories. He has already been noted for his SAG Awards, the prices of Hollywood actors, and those directors (DGA) and producers. And finally Boyhood, with its tiny budget for Hollywood standards with 4 million, is a unique film which was shot by Richard Linklater for 12 years with the same actors. It is nominated in six categories. It has already triumphed at the Golden Globes and BAFTA, prices of British cinema.
