Press Articles
Psychological scars: the hidden legacy of Iraq
Yahoo! News, 03.16.08
Suicides, family breakups, depression and social stigma are just some of the hidden legacies of the Iraq war among the more than one million US troops who have served in the campaign.
Read More | Download PDFFor few, Iraq war has changed everything
Yahoo! News, 03.08.08
Laura Youngblood clutched her husband's photo as she drove alone to the hospital. She'd become pregnant nearly nine months earlier, the day he'd left for training for Iraq. Hours later, after the baby was born, she placed the photo in the bassinet next to the infant he'd named Emma in his last letter home. He would never hold her.
Read More | Download PDFIn More Cases, Combat Trauma Is Taking the Stand
NY Times.com, 01.27.08
When it came time to sentence James Allen Gregg for his conviction on murder charges, the judge in South Dakota took a moment to reflect on the defendant as an Iraq combat veteran who suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
Read More | Download PDFAn Iraq Veteran’s Descent; a Prosecutor’s Choice
NY Times.com, 01.20.08
Not long after Lance Cpl. Walter Rollo Smith returned from Iraq, the Marines dispatched him to Quantico, Va., for a marksmanship instructor course.
Read More | Download PDFWAR TORN; Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles
NY Times.com, 01.13.08
Late one night in the summer of 2005, Matthew Sepi, a 20-year-old Iraq combat veteran, headed out to a 7-Eleven in the seedy Las Vegas neighborhood where he had settled after leaving the Army.
Read More | Download PDFWar is Hell for Joe Morton in 'Badland'
L.A. Watts Times, 12.26.07
In "Badland," Morton plays Max, a shell-shocked veteran of the Iraq War who has recently returned to his small hometown where he's finding it extremely difficult to deal with the aftermath of his experiences on the battlefield and to adjust, once again, to civilian life.
Read More | Download PDFJack's Pix for Best Pix
NYDailyNews.com, 12.10.07
I dropped out of the New York Film Critics Circle a few years back because I thought its awards voting process was corrupt. Many of its winners are compromise candidates that score third or fourth on the first ballot and, after several more politically-motivated ballots, come in first.
Read More | Download PDF59 Songs Tune Up for 2007 Oscar®
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 12.07.07
Fifty-nine songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures are being considered in the Original Song category for the 80th Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.
Read More | Download PDFList of Eligible Releases for Distinguished Achievements during 2007
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
All films that have qualified for consideration for 2007 Academy Awards in the non-specialized categories are listed alphabetically by title.
Read More | Download PDFBest Movies of 2007
Piero Scaruffi
The following list averages the opinions of my favorite critics plus mine.
Read More | Download PDF2007 List of All Films Watched
Ken Rudolph's Movie Home
Read More | Download PDF'Badland' presents gritty postwar tale, expertly told; Francesco Lucente's gritty, beautiful story is a well-told tale with a raw, powerful punch
Los Angeles Times, 11.30.07
"Badland" strikes like a bolt of lightning out of nowhere. This modest-budget picture with starkly effective Canadian locales standing in for Montana and Wyoming arrives with scant notice, no major studio campaign or big-name cast, but it unflinchingly illuminates the toll exacted by the Iraq War in a raw, deeply personal and completely compelling manner.
Download PDF'Badland' actor Jamie Draven steps into soldiers' shoes
Los Angeles Times, 11.30.07
Jamie Draven recognized that he was facing a thorny proposition when he agreed to star in "Badland." Early in the drama, his character, a traumatized Iraq war veteran, dispatches three members of his family in a monstrous act and goes on the lam.
Download PDFMonths after Iraq, more troop mental health problems arise, especially in reserves
Associated Press, 11.13.07
The euphoria of a soldier's homecoming from Iraq often gives way to depression, stress and trouble dealing with family members during the first months home, a new Pentagon study finds.
Read More | Download PDFA Soldier Home From War, and a Mother Fighting Hard
New York Times, 11.13.07
On Veterans Day, all that Cathy Di Iorio wanted was to have her son back. It was too much to ask for. “It’s not happening — let’s be honest,” she said.
Physically, John Di Iorio has been back for a few years. Back to his parents’ house on Staten Island. Back from active Army duty. Back from Iraq. Back from the roadside explosion that ripped his Humvee apart and rattled his brain, damaged nerves and hurled shrapnel into his spine, thigh and abdominal wall.
Read More | Download PDFThe Marlboro Marine
Los Angeles Times, 11.12.07
LA Times photographer Luis Sinco documents the emotional journey of a marine after his time in Iraq. This haunting video highlights the damage and trauma left behind by war and personalizes the reality of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Watch the VideoRead More: 'Iconic Marine is at Home but Not at Ease'
'Badland' prompted by second Bush win
The Hollywood Reporter, 10.26.07
Although television viewers love reality programming, moviegoers have thus far been cool to films about the grim reality of the war in Iraq.
Filmmakers, on the other hand, have been passionate about bringing stories driven by the horrors of the unpopular war to the screen. A case in point is "Badland," written and directed by Franceso Lucente and produced by Olimpia Lucente and Jorg G. Neumann. Although "Badland" was one of the first films to tackle an Iraq related storyline, it won't actually open until after a number of other Iraq theme films have come and gone. "Badland" arrives in New York and Los Angeles Nov. 30 via Arcangelo Entertainment and COPEX and will roll out nationwide throughout December and January.
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