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Subject: Novels/Books/Films on Terrorism
PuckaMan    7/6/2004 9:21:53 AM
What are some recommendations on books and films that deal with terrorism, the issues etc. surrounding it - not Rambo/Will Smith type kill 'em all. A first couple that spring to mind: 1. The Siege (Film, 1998) - Intelligent yet chillingly close to 9/11 style - Islamic terrorist who are demanding the release of a Cleric in US cpativity stage a bombing campaign in New York, bringing about paranoia and the collapse of justice and rule of law. (Martial law is a clear sign of that, also, sorry to anyone who already knows this) 2. 'The Dancer Upstairs' Novel by Nicholas Shakespeare, made into a film by John Malkovich. A fictional account of a police officer's hunt for the Head of Shining Path, Maoist terroists who wages a brutal and bloody campaign (30,000 deaths attributed to them) throughout the 1980s into the early 90s, when the leader was caught in Lima, hiding in an apartment above a ballet teacher's studio. He was a philosophy professor who upon his capture, told the Peruvian authorities everything about his groups, names, locations etc. He (as far as I know) still rots in prison today....... Read this or at least see the film. I loved both. These are just a couple, add and debate as you wish. Pucka
 
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TriggaFingaz    My List of Books   7/8/2004 6:12:12 PM
Holy War Inc- Peter Bergen Inside Al Qaeda- Rohan Gunaratna Task Force Dagger: The Hunt for Bin Laden- Robin Moore Secret Soldiers- Peter Haclerode Fighting Dirty- Peter Haclerode Islamikaze: Manifestations of Islamic Martyrlogy- Raphael Israeli More to add when I read them.....
 
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NewGuy    RE:My List of Books   7/8/2004 11:35:23 PM
For a light fiction read, try "Rainbow Six" by Clancy...yes, its got some rather silly plot items (like the sci-fi 'heartbeat sensor', and the bad guys ultimate goal), but it gives a good read...and the game series based on it isnt bad either, especially Raven Shield (although I have to admit I like Operation Flashpoint better overall). NewGuy
 
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PuckaMan    Heartbeat Sensors......   7/9/2004 2:10:23 AM
Yep, read and play R6. On a side note, 'Heartbeat Sensors' may not be far off. There's a company here in Australia who has just been given a grant to develop their sound detector technology, which is tuned to gunfire (varities of weapons etc.) so it pucks up the sounds, and tells what direction they are coming from and an approximate distance. Goes hand in hand with the new battery pack for the diggers, which is actually a small diesel generator, that weigs only 1 kilo, slightly bigger than a walkman, totally silent, odourless and lasts for 3 days in full use. A bloody relief to hauling around all those bloody batteries. There are some good stuff out there book and filmwise, and some absolute Shyte. Pucka
 
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sentinel28a    RE:Novels/Books/Films on Terrorism   7/9/2004 8:04:14 AM
I took a course on terrorism last year, and some of the books and films we used included: Battle of Algiers--good movie, terrible history. Paints the Algerian nationalists in far too good a light, but the acting and cinematography aren't too bad. Some Mother's Son--about the IRA, more or less sympathetic to the hunger strikers, namely Bobby Sands. However, it does make some effort towards balance, as British soldiers help out the mother of one of the soldiers, and as this mother says later, "The soldiers the IRA killed were some mother's son too." Hence the title. Also has a great soundtrack by the guy who did "Riverdance." A Blood-Dimmed Tide: good book on extremists on both sides of the line in Israel. Just personal favorites of mine: The Peacemaker--Bosnian nationalist gets his hands on a dirty bomb and tries to detonate it at the UN; George Clooney (in his best role as a US Army SF type) and Nicole Kidman (as a physicist) try to stop him. Absolutely great film, if a little camp in parts. One of the best lines is when Clooney says, "It's not our war." The Bosnian replies, "It is now." Executive Decision--Islamic fanatics hijack a 747 and load it with nerve gas, planning on crashing it into the US Capitol. Kurt Russell and a team of Delta Force attempt to stop them. Again, it gets kind of unbelievable in parts, but 9/11 proved that it could happen here. Patlabor 2--okay, I've established my anime obsession, but this is a very good movie, if you can get past director Mamoru Oshii's anti-Americanism that crops up here and there and the robots. He also made "Jin-Roh," which also deals with suicide bombers, but the movie is so bent on retelling Little Red Riding Hood in such a bizarre fashion that it's not worth your time. 9/11--Forget Michael Moore's polemic; this film, done by two French brothers who were both nearly killed in the fall of the WTC, is utterly horrific and fascinating at the same time. This is a true documentary that just tells the story and allows you to judge.
 
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sentinel28a    RE:Novels/Books/Films on Terrorism   7/9/2004 8:05:10 AM
Slight correction to "Some Mother's Son"--the British soldiers help out the mother of one of the IRA members, whom I would not honestly refer to as soldiers.
 
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Jerry W. Loper    RE:Novels/Books/Films on Terrorism   7/13/2004 8:48:14 AM
Anybody remember a made-for-TV movie back in 1986 titled "Under Siege," starring Peter Strauss?
 
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American Kafir    RE:Novels/Books/Films on Terrorism   7/13/2004 9:10:06 AM
The Life of Muhammad: Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah by A. Guilluame (no, I'm not kidding)
 
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TriggaFingaz    Under Siege?   7/13/2004 3:41:40 PM
Isn't Under Siege the movie with Steven Segal?
 
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ilpars    The films/books about terrorism according to AK   7/14/2004 9:00:09 AM
The little prince. Winnie the pooh. Peanuts. SpiderMan. Any book or film you can think of.
 
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Jerry W. Loper    RE:Under Siege?   7/14/2004 9:18:49 AM
Yep, but the 1986 made-for-TV movie starring Peter Strauss is much superior to Seagal's crap. Pretty spooky the way it was a sort of premonition of 9/11, just 15 years earlier. Had a great opening credits sequence where this dramatic music is playing and you see a painting of a bald eagle and American flag, which are gradually being covered over with streaks of blood (IIRC). SPOILERS AHEAD - Movie opens with a female terrorist driving a truck bomb into the middle of a bunch of GIs on a U.S. Army base, blowing up 200 soldiers. There's an admittedly cheesy looking bombing of an airliner as it's taking off. Terrorists fire RPGs or LAW rockets at the dome of the U.S. Capitol. There's a cool scene where a terrorist who's cornered blows himself up with a grenade. (They actually show the explosion on screen.) A "renegade" Iranian terrorist has come to the U.S. to pull off a series of murderous attacks while saying he has no demands, just "lessons" to teach the U.S. This MTV was well done, and I suspect it hit too close to home, since I only saw it once when it first came out, I've never seen it repeated on network or cable TV or on VHS or DVD. Watch it if you get the chance.
 
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