“AMERICAN SNIPER” SHATTERS MULTIPLE RECORDS, STORMS U.S. BOX OFFICE

Press release

The Oscar-nominated film, starring Bradley Cooper, made history—becoming
the best-ever opening for director Clint Eastwood, winning both the weekend
and the hearts of audiences with an A+ Cinemascore.

Burbank, CA, January 19, 2015 – Surpassing all targets, Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ multiple Oscar-nominated drama “American Sniper” smashed virtually every available record as it opened across the US on the heels of its already record-breaking limited release.

Sienna Miller, Clint Eastwood, and Bradley Cooper

Easily topping the box office, the film took in an estimated $105.3 million for the four-day holiday weekend and has grossed $108.7 million to date and counting. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, and Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The film’s spectacular opening marks an all-time high over the course of director Clint Eastwood’s illustrious career. Among its many other milestones, “American Sniper” also broke records for a January weekend opening, including both three- and four-day weekends; the highest single day ever in January; the best four-day weekend for an R-rated film; and the biggest opening for any drama in cinema history.

The film also broke records in IMAX theatres nationwide, earning more than $10.6 million at 332 locations, making it the top-grossing January weekend ever for the large-format venues.

The overwhelmingly positive response to “American Sniper” is not only measured at the box office. It also earned a rare A+ Cinemascore rating, becoming one of only 11 films in history to receive an A+ in every category.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “‘American Sniper’ has quickly become a cultural phenomenon, offering a personal view of not only Chris Kyle’s life but also of the hurdles faced by many veterans, as well as their families. We congratulate Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper and everyone involved in the film on this enormous success, and we expect strong reviews and word of mouth to continue to fuel the box office in the coming weeks.”

“We are so proud of this movie,” said Kroll. “We had a visceral reaction to it when we saw it and immediately made room for it in the year. We certainly couldn’t have known the level at which the film would resonate, but we knew it was special—providing a different look at war and its emotional impact on those who fight and those at home, which has struck a deep chord with filmgoers everywhere. From the first trailer, we designed this campaign to convey the different facets of the film and showcase its appeal to both men and women. The response from critics, audiences and, now, the Academy, has been hugely gratifying and we could not be more thrilled.”

Silverman added, “We knew this was a story that could transcend any divide with its compelling character study of a man who deserves to be remembered for his sacrifices on and off the battlefield. Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper have truly done the story of Chris Kyle justice and, in doing so, have also paid homage to the service of all men and women in uniform. We congratulate them and our partners at Village Roadshow on this extraordinary start to our worldwide run.”

“American Sniper” has earned six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cooper), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Hall). In addition, Eastwood was honored by his peers with his fourth Directors Guild of America Award nomination and also won the National Board of Review Award for Best Director. The film’s other honors include a Producers Guild of America Award nomination, a Writers Guild of America Award nomination, and a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

From director Clint Eastwood comes “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle, whose skills as a sniper made him a hero on the battlefield. But there was much more to him than his skill as a sharpshooter.

Navy SEAL Chris Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents. He is also facing a different kind of battle on the home front: striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world. Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya (Sienna Miller), and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.

“American Sniper” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

BRADLEY COOPER HITS THE MARK IN “AMERICAN SNIPER”

Press release

Two-time Oscar-nominee Bradley Cooper (“American Hustle,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”) stars in Clint Eastwood's “American Sniper” as real-life Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, whose skills as a sniper made him a hero on the battlefield. But there was much more to him than his skill as a sharpshooter.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

“In some ways, it’s a universal story about what most veterans have to go through,” explains the actor, “dealing with the seesaw of being in a war zone and then suddenly coming home to a ‘normal’ life. That was very moving to me. I liked the fact that it wasn’t as much of a war movie as it was a character study. And if you look at Clint Eastwood’s films, like ‘Unforgiven,’ ‘Gran Torino,’ ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’…they are all complex character studies, albeit with very different backdrops. So he was absolutely the right director to tell this story in a very raw, truthful way.”

The actor goes on to observe that “American Sniper” and the human drama at its center fit the Eastwood canon: exploring the nature of men for whom violence and justice become inexorably intertwined. “Chris was not a violent man—in fact, far from it—but when called upon, he did not shrink from his duty because he believed the cause is just. His heroism wasn’t just in the number of ‘kills’ he had in war; it was also in how he was ultimately able to confront the intangible wounds of war, not only within himself but on his family.”

Cooper, who underwent a complete transformation to portray the more physically imposing Kyle, remarks, “When Chris says in the movie, ‘I’d lay down my life for my country,’ you know he means it. And then to see the journey he goes on…It doesn’t make him a martyr. It doesn’t make him anything other than just a man. But that’s the kind of man he was.”

In “American Sniper” we get a glimpse of how Chris became the man he was, beginning as a boy in Texas, when his dad first teaches him and his brother about the three types of people in the world: the predator, the prey or the protector. And in that instant, without him even being aware, Chris’s course is set. Cooper offers, “I think Chris is hardwired to be a man dedicated to protecting others and that mission statement is seen throughout his life. In many ways, his protective instinct and the price he pays for it is what the whole movie is about.”

“He was a big, strong kid who believed in fighting for the underdog,” Clint Eastwood says. “That carried into his role as a sniper; his job was to watch over the troops on the ground and keep them safe from an enemy they could not see.”

Cooper knew that taking on the role of Chris Kyle would test him both physically and mentally but welcomed the challenge. He notes, “There wasn’t a way to do the movie without being Chris, not mimicking him but embodying him completely. I needed to figure out how he walked and talked and to try to get as big as he was to even begin to get to a point where I could believe I was him because if I didn’t believe it, no one else would either. I watched everything ever recorded of him many times and did as much research as I could.”

The actor worked with dialect coach Tim Monich to perfect Kyle’s Texas drawl. The job of bulking up his frame was more physically demanding, involving a strict workout regimen with trainer Jason Walsh, as well as calorie loading to pack on the weight. “Chris was 230 pounds of muscle and I was about 185 pounds at the time, so it was three months of constant eating and working out. It was tough,” Cooper acknowledges.

“When your system isn’t naturally inclined to go in that direction, you have to kind of work at it around the clock, and he did,” says Eastwood. “I don’t think I ever saw him off camera without some kind of shake or nutrition bar. By the last day, he was saying, ‘Thank God I don’t have to eat anymore.’”

Eastwood also respected Cooper’s complete immersion into the role, stating, “Bradley’s enthusiasm and work ethic was unparalleled. He was totally invested in the job and never stopped thinking about how to make every aspect of the project the best it could be.”

“American Sniper” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

American Sniper movie review

The movie is a biopic about an expert sniper that served during the conflict in the Middle East. I have to admit, I have mixed issues about this movie even if it's based on a true story. Bradley Cooper's character, Chris Kyle has the right motives to be enlisted. Like everyone else, he is also affected after what happened during 9/11.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Although Chris Kyle knows the morale and ethics in during his tour of duty, he is still conflicted which is not surprising for those who went into wars especially among veterans. War veterans usually undergo traumas that affects their lives after serving their duty.

The real Chris Kyle

Brad Cooper may be nominated again for Best Actor after playing the title role. Director Clint Eastwood may also bag another award for this movie. Eastwood may be iconic in the action movie genre but he also made his mark in doing quality movies.

My only issue about this movie is the involvement of the U.S. armed forces in the Middle East. The movie didn't actually show why are they in this region of the world and they only showed one side or point of view of the conflict. Most of the Muslims they encountered in the movie are considered bad guys. Although, it is not mentioned if the one they are facing are Al Qaeda. I only hope that this movie audience won't think the Muslims are evil.

But this is why this movie is still subjective for me. It is up to the audience to decide how they view this movie. For more inputs or quality movie reviews, follow this movie blog or like the L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

SIENNA MILLER PLAYS WIFE OF LEGENDARY “AMERICAN SNIPER”

Press release

Lovely actress Sienna Miller (“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra”) provides the strong female perspective in Warner Bros. Pictures' war drama “American Sniper,” the true story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, considered to be the most lethal sniper in U.S. History.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

“There is a lot of intense action,” director Clint Eastwood says, “but the soul of the film and what drives the story are the relationships: between Chris and his brothers in arms and, in particular, between Chris and his wife Taya, which is the most important relationship in the picture. Chris was obviously crazy about her, but, by the same token, he was committed to fulfilling the demands his country was placing upon him.”

Sienna Miller, who portrays Taya Kyle, offers, “At its essence, this is a human story between two people: one of whom is doing these extraordinary, unimaginable things so far from home and the other who is trying to hold her family together. Chris’s sense of duty was so immeasurably strong because of who he inherently was. He believed if he was home with his family more people would die, and that’s a tremendous moral dilemma to be faced with. As hard as it was for her, I think Taya understood his plight and was trying to be patient and supportive of her husband, but that can be a hard thing to navigate when children are involved and, inside, you’re imploding. It made it a fascinating and poignant story to be part of and, having met Taya, I felt a responsibility to do it justice.”

In the film, U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.” However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines, putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents.

Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife, Taya, and kids, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.

Sienna Miller's upcoming projects include “Black Mass,” a biopic about infamous Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, starring with Johnny Depp and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Born in New York, Miller was educated in England and then studied drama at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York. She first gained the attention of critics and audiences when she played the love interest of Daniel Craig’s character in Matthew Vaughn’s “Layer Cake,” earning an Empire Award nomination for Best Newcomer.

She has since received a number of other accolades for her film work, including an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for her role in the 2007 film “Interview,” and a British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 2008’s “The Edge of Love,” for which she also garnered a BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award nomination.

Miller’s film credits also include “Factory Girl,” “Casanova,” and “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra,” which was a huge international box office hit in 2009. Miller played the role of The Baroness, for which she was named Supporting Actress of the Year at NATO’s CinemaCon.

In 2013, Miller was nominated for both a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe, in the Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV movie category, for her role in the acclaimed HBO original movie “The Girl.” The film explored the relationship between Tippi Hedren, played by Miller, and Alfred Hitchcock (Toby Jones), during the making of the classic “The Birds.”

“American Sniper” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

PATRIOTIC FILM ON MOST LETHAL “SNIPER” IN U.S. HISTORY

Press release

Chris Kyle might have been just one of the millions of veterans who have served were it not for a statistic. He emerged from the war in Iraq as the most lethal sniper in the history of the U.S. military, but the filmmakers of Warner Bros. Pictures' “American Sniper” knew it was equally if not more important to explore the man behind the numbers.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Director/producer Clint Eastwood offers, “I have done war stories before, but this was exciting to me because it was a cross between Chris’s exploits in combat and the personal aspects of his life, which made him even more interesting. It shows the toll war takes on a person but also the pressure it puts on the whole family. It’s good to be reminded of what’s at stake when people are sent into war and to acknowledge the sacrifices they make, so I thought that made it an especially significant story to tell.”

The screenplay for “American Sniper” is based on the book of the same name, co-written by Kyle (with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice). However, screenwriter and executive producer Jason Hall first spoke to Kyle about bringing his story to the big screen before the book was even written. He recalls, “I was interested in the journey of a warrior of his caliber…what compelled him to fight and what it cost him. We know that war is hell, but in this film I wanted to show that war is human.”

Kyle’s reputation had preceded him home and first caught the attention of producers Peter Morgan and Andrew Lazar, as well as Hall. Morgan notes, “We heard about all his accolades as a Navy SEAL and obviously knew what a great patriot he was, but the more we delved, what kept coming across was what a genuinely good person he was…how loved and admired he was by his family, friends and those who served alongside him. We wanted to form a story around the emotional themes of his life, the different things that drove him.”

Prior to starting work on the script, Hall traveled to Texas to meet with Kyle. “He wasn’t very talkative at first,” the writer says, “but by the time I left I felt like I’d worked out a way to tell the story and earned his trust. Then, as I was walking out the door, he said, ‘Oh, by the way, we’re writing a book.’ The book seemed like it could be an obstacle at first, but it ended up being a fantastic resource.”

Producer Andrew Lazar confirms, “We were committed to telling this story long before there was a best-selling book. But because of the book, we had the benefit of Chris’s point of view, which, of course, really informed what we did in developing the film and in imparting his story to the best of our ability.”

On February 2, 2013, an unimaginable tragedy turned the filmmakers’ sense of responsibility into a promise. Chris Kyle—who had survived four dangerous tours of duty in Iraq and had devoted his post-war life to helping his fellow veterans—was murdered not far from his home on a shooting range in Texas, allegedly by a veteran he was trying to help. “I had never met him at that point; I had only talked to him on the phone,” says Bradley Cooper, “and then, like that, he was gone.”

Following the funeral, Hall reached out to Chris Kyle's wife, Taya, and they spent many hours on the phone as she recounted her life with Chris. “The film suddenly became one of the ways her children would remember their father and she wanted to get it right,” says Hall. “It was not only therapeutic for her, it also allowed me to capture her voice in her own words. She painted a picture of who he was before the war, the unspoken toll it took on him, and all the healing it took him to get back.”

Almost exactly one year later, Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper traveled to Texas to meet with Chris’s family, including Taya; his parents, Wayne and Debbie; and his brother, Jeff. The director recalls, “It was vital for me to spend that time with them because we got a much better idea of who Chris was from his family, who are wonderful. We came away with a combination of sadness over the loss of this remarkable man but even more enthusiasm about making this film.”

“We gave them our word that we were going to do right by Chris,” Cooper adds. “And the truth is I really did feel like he was there.”

Taya Kyle confirms that the promise was fulfilled, noting, “I give all the credit to Jason for spending so much time digging deep and learning about all the layers of Chris, and to Clint and Bradley and everyone involved in the movie for so fully embracing that. It is an added bonus for me to know that people will get a glimpse into the man that I loved and will always love, and to have that preserved on film. This movie is a piece of Chris. It is an accurate depiction of the man as a whole—not just the warrior, but the man—and I can’t ask for better than that.”

 “American Sniper” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

AMERICAN SNIPER Main Trailer Aims Online

Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures have just released the main trailer of director Clint Eastwood new thriller “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper. 

        In the film, U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle (Cooper) is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms.  His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nickname “Legend.”  However, his reputation is also growing behind enemy lines,

putting a price on his head and making him a prime target of insurgents.

        Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Chris serves through four harrowing tours of duty in Iraq, becoming emblematic of the SEAL creed to “leave no man behind.”  But upon returning home, Chris finds that it is the war he can’t leave behind.

        A two-time Oscar® nominee for his work in “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle,” Cooper heads the cast, which also includes Sienna Miller (HBO’s “The Girl”), Jake McDorman, Luke Grimes, Navid Negahban, Keir O’Donnell, Cory Hardrict, and Erik Ladin.

        Oscar®-winning filmmaker Clint Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Unforgiven”) is directing “American Sniper” from a screenplay by Jason Hall, based on the book by Chris Kyle, with Scott McEwan.  The autobiography was a runaway bestseller, spending 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, 13 of those at number one.

        “American Sniper” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.